More stuff n nonsense.

Awoken to the sound of clumps of melting snow falling from my rooftop and splooishing inelegantly onto my balcony this morning, I ended up reading some nice tidbits from the world around me. ... and cooking a curry.

I'm including a couple of very good articles about Barack Obama, simply because it's already shaping up that he'll become the next president of the USA. It makes for some scary reading because it looks like he's just cynically exploiting the voter base for his own ends (and those of his supporters). The writer makes some good points between Obama and Dr. Martin Luther King and how Obama is exploiting King's image and legacy while actually being against many of the core beliefs that King fought and died for. There's also a good commentary from John Pilger, a jounalist who has been there and done that - a man whose opinions should be taken seriously. I recommend tracking down his writings and documentaries. His most recent piece was about the continuing tragedy in Afghanistan.

What was once labelled in the past as healthy teenage rebellion, has now become a psychiatric disorder, treated with a range of psychotropic drugs. It makes me shudder to think that some of the behaviour that I displayed in my hormone-fuelled teenage days could have been simply shut down and repressed by the taking of a pill. I hope that I and most of my contemporaries who managed to get through our delinquencies without bringing about the end of society or going to prison - in fact becoming stable and productive members of society will serve as reminders that teenage rebellion is NORMAL and repressing it just likely does more damage, both physically and psychologically. Who knows what the long term effects of these drugs are...

The posting at GNN included a comment which quoted a book I read called "Amusing Ourselves To Death" by Neil Postman. It was written in the mid-eighties but its message still rings true today - very loudly and clearly if we just stop for a bit to listen to it:

What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny “failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distractions.” In 1984, Orwell added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.

To continue on from yesterday, Albertans have just as terrible taste in names as Georgians - or anyone else for that matter. For crying out loud: Sparrow?! Obisidian-Angel!?!?!? Those kids are going to need some major counselling when they hit school age... poor things.

And you think your job sucked... well.

Cold?

Yah reckon?

Well, it's finally decided to look like it feels here in Tatsuno. It was quite a lovely walk this morning, tramping through the slush in my nice Italian waterproof hiking boots. I'm glad I bought them!

We start three days of testing for our young students from today. It doesn't really count for anything - it's more about boosting their confidence and motivation.

It was Australia Day on the 26th, so I took a little quiz to see if I still qualify as a true Aussie. I reckon I passed well!

It's been a fine week for trekking through the internet, looking for spoils.

For a start, it appears that more of us could be psychic than we realised. It won't help me pick lotto numbers though, I bet...

One of my pet hates is the awful names people give their children. Here's a list from Georgia. I'd love to meet the girl who's called Chlorine - and laugh at her parents. I also have a soft spot for Nacho, Teriyaki, and of course, Vanilla.

I have to get this!

In other news, there's been a war going on in the Congo for the past ten years or so, and has killed about 5 million people so far. Didn't hear about that on the TV for the past..... ever? It's an absolute travesty. Any article that has lines like, "We are talking about new surgery to repair the women, because they’re completely destroyed," in it then you know something is very wrong and sad in the world. It's not pretty reading, but war isn't funny, really.

Also, there was a concise summary of what's happening economically and how the upcoming US meltdown is going to affect us all.

Thankfully, it looks like we really did elect someone with a brain last December.

And there is some justice in this world.

Peace.

Time...

It has been a while, hasn't it.

So much has happened here in the frozen wasteland of Japan. I've been going through so many changes that I haven't had much time for reflection or to do the kind of online reading I've come accustomed to enjoying.

I started my new job and things have gone well so far. My bosses seem to be happy and they seem to be keen to have me stay on past my probation. The mess that is the Nova fallout continues. Most of the people I worked with have moved on but a school is operating in Akashi, although for how long is anyone's guess. If they keep cutting teachers and not renewing contracts, at this rate there'll be only one left by the middle of the year. I don't think G-Com has any idea what they've got themselves into or how they're going to deal with it - which makes it all the more upsetting to see what's happening to people I used to work with and teach.

I have also separated from my wife of nearly five years. To put it simply, we weren't communicating like a couple should, we weren't going in the same direction and I became frustrated with the way she was not dealing with this problem - or just refusing to acknowledge its existence. So I've moved out and I'm now living in Tatsuno, which is about 20km from where I was living in Himeji.

I know realise that what I was going through last year wasn't just stress from what was happening at work, but it was also going through a grieving process for a marriage that was, in many ways, not functioning.

My goal for this year is for it to end more happily than the way it has started.



It's Australia Day in Australia today, so I wish my Aussie friends and family a happy one. It's about 10 degrees in my apartment at the moment and maybe about 6 outside. Today's the first day since Tuesday that we haven't had some kind of snow. That gives you an idea of how I'm feeling right now! I'd rather be at the beach!


More later... Rants and links will ensue in due course.