Argh...

I have to work eight days straight from today... a combination of doing a swap for someone and changing shifts as I'm changing schools. Not fun, but I had a pretty good run before with getting short weeks when changing.

So this may be the last post for a while as I think I'll be shoring up my energy by actually trying to sleep or something radical like that.

Some of the usual suspects for you.

Firstly, the global war against food is heating up, both in the US and here. The first article really goes into a lot of detail about how bio-fuels will really end up causing famine for two billion people. Scary and anger-inducing reading.

While on the subject of the US - there's this story about how there are 90 guns for every 100 people there. That's the most in the world, by the way. Other tidbits from the story, "About 4.5 million of the 8 million new guns manufactured worldwide each year are purchased in the United States, " "There is roughly one firearm for every seven people worldwide. Without the United States, though, this drops to about one firearm per 10 people," and "U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms," What a fun place to live! It boggles my mind how the whole place hasn't dissolved into civil war again. Then again, with the military/police having a lot of the biggest and baddest guns, I guess that keeps the population in place. That and having them glued to the screen...

There were also a lot of terrible fires in Greece this week. They nearly burned Olympia, but they managed to destroy a lot of towns and villages and ruin the livelihoods of thousands of people. Very sad...

But, oddly, the articles that stuck out for me this time were mostly of a positive nature.

There was an interesting one about the upcoming Speed Racer movie. Any movie that uses a camera that needs bodyguards is going to be interesting!

Also there was this article about how to become more energy efficient. It still trumpets solar as the way to go, although there are a lot of interesting wind turbines out there, which I'm becoming more interested in - primarily as wind power can be harnessed any time of the day or night.

An Aussie comic, Brendon Burns won the main prize at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year. There are quite a few videos of him on YouTube, including a session where he faces off with Mark 'Chopper' Reid! Quite a funny vid, but be warned, the language is not suitable for kidlets.

There was an interesting questionnaire/quiz thing about if you're a traveller or a tourist. Normally I don't do these kinds of things, but this one piqued my interest. I scored 22 so that puts me in 'Traveller' status, which was a pleasant surprise. I thought I'd be a tourist, but hey...

Finally two food stories. One about the horrific varieties of deep-fried fare available at the Texas State Fair. You can buy deep fried latte, Coke, guacamole, peach cobbler, sweet potato pie and cookie dough! Yoiks, I can feel my arteries hardening as I type... The other contains some interesting Middle Eastern rice recipes. I can't really do them here in Japan, but that lamb dish at the end looks very tasty indeed (Mum, are you reading this? Hint! Hint!).

That's it. I'm off to work. Catchya later!

Quote of the Day - so far

It's only early on my weekly trawl through the internet on my day off, but I thought this was a goodie - a pearl - a shining little diamond.

"While you don't want your daughter to look like Britney Spears, she doesn't want to look like a failed Supreme Court nominee from the Bush administration." - from Slate

Aaaah Bush!

Long will that name reverberate throughout history.

If you want a comprehensive list of reasons why Bush et al. should be thrown into Guantanamo Bay (at least they'll get free health cover - unlike the rest of America) then Rolling Stone magazine has an article for you.

Also, Bush gets a 'D' for History.

Really, if it wasn't for Americans being some of the nicest people around, it'd be so much easier to hate that country. (My own beloved PM also being a prime example of how not to judge a book by its cover.)

No, really

This has to be one of the silliest articles I have ever read.... or one of the most obvious cries for help and pleas for a decent job.


"The standard unit of length shall be the EU standard (Florentine) linguine (unboiled at sea level), defined as 1lg, representing 14cm, 0.02784 perches, 0.462 Japanese shyaku or 0.0007568 Ancient Greek stadium ptolemeys

For greater than 1lg, the following should be used:

• Double-decker bus = 65.85lg
• Brontosaurus = 15 double-decker buses laid bumper-to-bumper
• Length across known universe at shortest point = 136 trillion brontosauruses laid nose-to-tail"

So now you know....

Heaven and Hell

A mix of pleasure and pain - much like my life really....

Pain before pleasure... hmmmm....

'1984' a step closer as English police can arrest you and ban you from public places if they 'think' you're going to do something illegal.

War in Iran a step closer as FOX News steps up its war drumming - much like the Iraq debacle before as this video demonstrates.

And if you're in Thailand - think twice about the salmon...

Now the pleasure...

I want one of these!!

And a group of actors and improvisers get up to pranks and fun times in NYC. Read all about it. I like their style.

It's official

Fitness will kill you - especially if you're an overweight 50-something Japanese salaryman who's been smoking and drinking most of his adult life and you decide to start jogging...

In the US, they'd better see you smile, especially in the airports, otherwise the next sound you hear will be the snap of latex against skin... Orwell would've had a field day.

Also, in travel news, one of my next destinations may not be around by the time I get to visit it...

How 'bout this heat?!?

Had fun yesterday. It got up to 35 degrees here which made for a nice afternoon and evening of 'let's go into as many air-conditioned places as possible'. In Gunma Prefecture it got up to 40 though - and 3 people died of heat stress around Japan. Now, I've experienced hotter... but it certainly wasn't very pleasant dealing with the heat yesterday... and this weather looks set to continue until next week - yay!

You remember that awful sci-fi 'Minority Report' with Tom Cruise flying around the future with a future-predicting mutant? No? Well, the future in that movie is one of 3D advertising appearing mysteriously before your eyes everywhere you go. Sounds like fun? Well - now they have the technology...

The Western press has finally picked up on the story of Net Cafe refugees - part-time workers who can't afford an apartment so they stay the night in 24-hour internet cafes. It goes on a little how this new 'working poor' are an example of how Japan has changed over the past few years since the bubble-burst. I'm here baby, and let me tell you - Japan is starting to look more and more like the rest of SE Asia - in not a good way...

Japan could take a leaf out of Russia's book though. Faced with a steadily declining population due to a low birth rate combined with a high death rate, some parts of the country now have an official 'procreation day' with a chance to win money and prizes if they give birth to a child on Russia's National Day. Interesting idea. Japan has quite a number of public holidays spaced throughout the year so perhaps enterprising local governments could set up similar competitions...

It's always nice to read how my worst years are just ahead of me... not.

But it's also good to read that they're making progress with some research too.

Yay!

Some things to get really angry about....

All I need...

this song sums up so much about how I feel right now

Aaah life.

It's bigger. It's bigger than you and you are not me.

Profound(?)

Anyway.

Life is pretty interesting.

Today's been so bloody hot that after going to the gym I've squandered the hottest part of it sitting in front of the computer reading every post of a friend's blog from 2002 to the present. Actually 'squandered' is probably not the best word to use. It certainly (while providing a valuable insight into part of the working of my friend's mind - and what a mind it is!) made me think about my own blog and how - really - I don't write much about myself and what I'm thinking.

To be honest, I fear that if I did write a lot of my thoughts I'd, a) get sued, b) lose some of my close friends (I didn't know you thought THAT!?!) or c) be afraid of what might come out. There's also d) that there's not enough space for my thoughts and I don't want any potential readers of this blog to be bored. If you are a reader, I hope you're not bored - then again, too bad if you are really!! The Internet is big enough for the both of us.

I choose to reveal my thoughts to only special people - perhaps only those who are really like-minded enough to handle the brutal honesty and stupidity of my outbursts. To them; you're special to me, and I apologize.



Today's internet musings are brought to you by a girl in England who drank 14 shots of espresso and ended up in hospital. Good for you, girl! Coffee is good for you, but the way...

There's a story about how an archaeological team from Australia has discovered more of the ancient city of Angkor in Cambodia, including some now covered by towns surrounding the site. I'll be there for the New Year so this'll only add to my already whetted appetite.

By the way, the horrid artist's representation of what 'life' was like in the city probably neatly shows the reason for its (and possibly our) downfall; a huge military with a small civilian population supporting it.



Finally, it is time to remember the passing of Anthony H. Wilson, the "indefatigable broadcaster, music mogul, social activist, football fan, writer and exhibitionist" who put Manchester on the international music map more than once, and gave me some of the defining music of my teenage years. Thank you.

Quote of the Day

"If there's a job to be done, you do it and get it over with and go on to the next thing,"

- Irene Morgan Kirkaldy (1917-2007)

Read her story - she's today's hero(ine)

Heh heh heh...

I want one.

Quote of the Day

Aaargh! My eyes!

"Years ago I asked my dad for a boob job and he said it would cheapen my image. So I decided not to do it." - Paris Hilton

Things that make me smile

It's Saturday - for a start. Actually I'm smiling because after today I'll have the next four days off. On the way home from work I walked past queues of cars jamming the roads out of town on the way to their Obon holidays. Aaaah, sweet memories of being stuck in traffic... distant memories fading fast.

Smiling.

I'm also smiling because today I found another reason why Coldplay sucks.

I'm happy because I have proof that cycling is better than taking public transport or driving - and it's nothing to do with the environment.

I'm happy because there is at least one part of Iraq that's safe enough for tourists to visit.

I'm pleased at the prospect of enjoying a meteor shower - if only I can find a place dark enough... sweet cosmos-enhanced bliss...

And I'm amused because someone received a phone bill totalling more than the entire global GDP and the telephone company seriously expects the poor guy to pay it.

" "If the company wants to seek legal action as mentioned in the letter, I'm ready to face it," .... "In fact, I can't wait to face it," he said. "

Good for him.

More heroes

What is it about today?

So many heroes - and they all happen to be women as well. Today should declared Heroine Day ...

1) A elderly pensioner in England tends a flower bed in her town - except it happens to be on public land - so she's been told she has to wear a fluorescent jacket, use traffic cones and have a supervisor or else she will risk going to jail. She tells them to stuff it up their collective jumper. And good for her.

2) An Australian tourist is told she can't have pretzels on an American flight, mutters "Fair Dinkum" ("Oh really?" in Aussie-ben) and gets arrested for 'swearing at the flight attendant'. Linguistic Terrorist.... sounds like what I do for a living.

Heroes

Are sometimes those who go against the grain.

As troop levels in Iraq reach an all time high, we should reflect on these words...

"Some of us must say, Let’s step back for a moment, let’s just pause just for a minute, and think through the implications of our actions today so that this does not spiral out of control.”

“As we act, let us not become the evil that we deplore.”

The woman who said these words on September 14 2001, Barbara Lee, a US congresswoman, was certainly a light in the upcoming darkness...

"After speaking those words, Rep. Barbara Lee voted no. And the fevered slanders began immediately. She was called a traitor. Pundits went crazy. Death threats came."

Heroes are also those who stand up against a system that fails them, like this US soldier, who now stands accused of her own rape. The story is as unbelievable, terrifying and ridiculous as it sounds.

Heroes are also those who stand up for their rights in the midst of repression and bullying. This journalist did that, and was treated like a suspected terrorist. Her story is important reading for those who want to go to the US - for any reason - as well as for those who really need to know how their rights are being eroded slowly but surely.



And if you want a long, healthy life; never work in France.

And the No.1 foreign dude in Japan for 2007 is....

...this guy.

Billy Blanks! Who? Remember Tae-Bo? Well, anyway, its creator, Billy Blanks is really hot in Japan and has been a staple of late night tele-shopping for the past year or so, hawking his Billy's Boot Camp DVDs. They have been funny to watch, that's for sure. They got some big tough-sounding Japanese guy to do his dubbing but he sounds like a radio announcer speaking down a cardboard tube...

Billy visited Tokyo last month (and appeared on many of the top TV shows) and since then sales have been rocketing - now surpassing 1 million units. In a way, good for him. He's found something that has hit a nerve with the Japanese consumer that isn't based on 'kawaii' and is raking in the cash.

Maybe Mr. Abe could take a leaf out of his book instead of spending millions of yen on building rooftop gardens for his pet dog and perhaps spend some time focussing on his job, which is.... errrrmmmmm.... running the country? Or perhaps passing some legislation that could actually help Japan meet its own Kyoto targets?

...but which?

It seems like Australia is becoming more and more like the US every day.

Like the US, Australians will soon be able to have their telecommunications tapped by the secret services for any reason, any time, without any kind of permission or notification. Like the US, this is being forced through the parliament without much time or opportunity for the lawmakers to peruse the legislation, or consult or raise questions about how or when or why this is happening. Even this website could become evidence. Big Brother is most definitely watching...

At least the Europeans are starting to put some pressure on the draconian measures imposed on them by the US immigration stupidity. It's a case of petty tit for tat, but I guess once US businesses start losing out on opportunities in Europe, then they'll put pressure on their government to do something about it.

That is if there's a US left. News today about how the Chinese are threatening to unleash the power of their holdings of US currency if the US forces them to appreciate the value of the yuan. That could cause a crash in the value of the US dollar - and could jeopardize my holiday to Vietnam and Cambodia at the end of the year (not to mention the work reunion in Las Vegas next year!). Bastards!

Mr. Bush is getting more and more unpopular day by day, as we know. This was an amusing footnote to the recent bridge tragedy in the US. "Nope" to a photo opportunity for the president? Good on ya, son!

So which is better, Australia or the US? Possibly Australia, but I only think so because of the way the US economy looks likely to have big troubles over the next few years. Australia's 'haves' are likely to weather the storm better than most Americans for now. A US collapse will be bad for all of us though.

Japan also has vast holdings of US currency, and would also (unwillingly and regretfully) dump it in the wake of a China-triggered collapse. Perhaps they are already diversifying their reserves in case...

Maybe we'll see more American teachers arrive over the next year or so - looking for a safe haven to ride out the storm!

Been a while

... since I cooked something different. I hot the road on my bike today and picked up some nice spicy stuff from America-mura here in Himeji. Tonight's feast was made using some Indonesian Sambal Fried Rice paste. The funny thing about it was that one of the ingredients listed was 'flavour enhancer' and underneath it said that it was actually 'yeast extract'. Now if you're an Aussie, that can only mean one thing - Vegemite! Sure enough, there was a familiar flavour to the Indonesian fare tonight... my wife didn't complain at all! (She hates the black stuff) In fact she wants it again! (Score!)



It's also been a while since I did some Bush bashing. For all his trumpeting about freedom and progress in Iraq, he's doing a great job of making things worse.

I enjoyed reading the story of the Iraq soccer team's victory in the recent Asia Cup. It's a terrible shame that the players can't go back home, since they'll likely be killed as part of the sectarian violence. But good on the captain of the team for explicitly placing the blame at the feet of the US forces and calling for them to leave.

There's also this lovely story of how Filipino construction workers were kidnapped and forced at gunpoint to work on constructing the new US embassy in Baghdad. Nice one Bush! America! F**k Yeah!

Just don't mention the missing AK-47s...

What's going on?

Yes ma'am!

Now, you know I'm a big fan of coffee, and actively seek out news stories that can demonstrate clearly and unequivocally that everyone (by that I mean YOU!) should partake in at least one or two fine cups of java on a daily basis. Today is no exception. Today we learn that coffee (and caffeine in general) can help memory - in women.

Huh??? Not fair! But that would explain why my wife can remember things much better than I can.


ALSO!

Today we have more semi-religious wingnuts to laugh at. Say hello to the Sungazers.

How staring at the sun directly can lead to greater well-being is beyond me. Their optometrists must be rubbing their hands with glee as I type...


AND

A well thought out piece on the sheer lack of good female superhero rolemodels for girls. I *would* recommend Æon Flux (not that Æon Flux - THIS Æon Flux!) however I think if I ever had a daughter I'd wait until she hit her teens before I introduced her to the wily ways of one of the 90s greatest cartoon characters. That and Buffy - maybe Xena too... I think I would be influencing her to become quite an interesting character!

"I have a daughter who kicks ass!"

Not such a bad idea, actually!

Aaah Adelaide...

... you've done it again!

At least there aren't any serial killers involved!






In other news, I'm two down, eight to go!

Everyone needs a hobby!

Affordable???

From today's Australian:

Chew on these stats for a moment:

* The national median household income is $874 a week, or almost $45,500 a year.

* The national median income for a household with a mortgage is $1569 a week, or just over $81,500 a year.

Translation: If you are paying off a home loan your household income is typically 80 per cent higher than the median income for all households.

Aaaah FORGET IT!

I think I'll have my big American car with the whale skin hubcaps, baby seal fur skin steering wheel, blood-diamond encrusted gear shift and shark fins on the back, thank YOU very much!

— Traditional nappies are as bad as disposables, a study by the Environment Agency found. While throwaway nappies make up 0.1 per cent of landfill waste, the cloth variety are a waste of energy, clean water and detergent

— Paper bags cause more global warming than plastic. They need much more space to store so require extra energy to transport them from manufacturers to shops

— Diesel trains in rural Britain are more polluting than 4x4 vehicles. Douglas Alexander, when Transport Secretary, said: “If ten or fewer people travel in a Sprinter [train], it would be less environmentally damaging to give them each a Land Rover Freelander and tell them to drive”

— Burning wood for fuel is better for the environment than recycling it, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs discovered

— Organic dairy cows are worse for the climate. They produce less milk so their methane emissions per litre are higher

— Someone who installs a “green” lightbulb undoes a year’s worth of energy-saving by buying two bags of imported veg, as so much carbon is wasted flying the food to Britain

— Trees, regarded as shields against global warming because they absorb carbon, were found by German scientists to be major producers of methane, a much more harmful greenhouse gas

Today's scary quote of the day

"More than 70,000 bridges across the country are rated structurally deficient like the I-35W bridge, and engineers estimate repairing them all would take at least a generation and cost more than $188 billion."

- TIME magazine

Stuff and nonsense

Dateline: Himeji
32 degrees - feels like 40
Looks like the typhoon's going to pass west of here - ah well.... another fizzer!

Looks like coffee is good for you today - especially if you're a woman! It won't stop me from trying though.

An oldie, but a goodie. What happens when people get married an hyphenate their names? Hilarity, I tells ya. Don't these people check?!?

Today's moron is this guy who got the Blue Screen Of Death (BSOD) tattooed on his arm. Now, while I may have a new-found appreciation of tatts (I really do, you know) this is just stupid. You won't find me down the tattoo parlour anytime soon...

In fifty years Australia will be inhabited by sociopathic heathens, but at least they'll be able to read and write nicely...

But, some good news on the solar cells front. The efficiency rate keeps going up and up. This lot won't be commercially available until 2010 (*WHY* not now!?) but at least we have progress!

And to finish - one of the most sarcastic analyses of the gneration gap(s) in business I've come across for a long time!

Nah nah nah...

The Japanese are an interesting bunch. Most will take you at your word, which makes a lot of fun for us Australians, My wife couldn't understand a thing my grandfather said, even though she was fond of him. That's because a) he spoke fluent Ozzi-ben (Australian English) and b) everything he said was a joke. I've learned to my detriment (several bruises) that Japanese wives can't take a joke - or understand when you're telling a blatant lie for fun!

One of my co-workers today let me in on telling some porkies to some of our students to the effect that Australia was a really dangerous place. Our reputation has been suffering enough as it is, without someone telling lies and not explaining to the victims that they were joking and it's not really like that. Sure, Australia is no picnic, but this guy made it sound like the country was full of serial killers and Mother Nature stalking the countryside just looking for some innocent Japanese tourists to obliterate!

Anyway...

/end rant



Today's greenie enviromentally friendly bit of info.

If I could build a house, I'd get a couple of these hooked up for sure - free wind-powered electricity (after a few years)?? Sign me up!