Monthly Archive for June, 2008

Sentiment

Published
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on June 30, 2008
in Movies, Music, TV and Whales
. 1 Comment

Here’s a nice story I spotted on Japan Probe today: Elementary schoolers watch whalemeat processing.

Clutching a notebook and a pencil, Yuna and her classmates occupied the front row of the crowd Wednesday, bending forward to watch a 10-metre (33-foot) animal — the town’s first catch of the three-month season — be dismembered.

“Look! That’s her heart!” Yuna said to her friends with her face half covered by her hand. “Oh no, so much blood is gushing out.” LINK

Which totally reminded me of this old strip from the Perry Bible Fellowship: The Golden Ticket.

I went to see Indiana Jones at the weekend. “I’ll probably cry at the end - it being the last one.” I joked, just before going in. And then right at the end, as the stirring strains of the Indiana Jones theme started up for the last time and Harrison Ford seized his hat from “Junior”’s hands before striding out the church, and because you know there is, and can only be, one Indy Jones to wear that hat or crack that whip, I felt little pin-pricks of moisture spring to my eyes and trickle down my cheeks. I enjoyed the movie (although it did have some incredibly silly moments). I don’t think it’s as good as the earlier Indiana Jones movies but it’s still a good addition to the series and I enjoyed it.

Then last night I was watching the penultimate Doctor Who of this series and it does look an awful lot like the Doctor is regenerating. But then, there’s no word on the net (nothing I can find anyway) about David Tennant quitting or anyone else taking over the role so… is he? A shame if Tennant does quit, because he’s a good Doctor. That and as the last two Doctors have been really good, I’m afraid the next one will be a Colin Baker type or even worse… a Sylvester McCoy. Eek. By the way, never watch Doctor Who just before going to sleep. I had the Doctor and Indiana Jones running through some very vivid dreams last night and woke up completely exhausted this morning.

Here’s the latest song from Michael Franti. Not one of his best but still Michael Franti, so who cares?

Right now…

Published
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on June 26, 2008
in Random
. 0 Comments

I am, finally (if temporarily) on top of my scarily high mount-o-marking, and so I am sipping pink lemonade (the summer drink of choice!) and enjoying Raymond Chandler’s The Long Goodbye.

Today, I met a new private student who seems like a good egg. She’s a beginner level student which I prefer because a) you know exactly where you are and what to do with beginners b) beginners don’t get weird or cocky with you, generally. Anyway, even though I don’t really want the bother of private teaching, I agreed to teach her on condition she/we find someone for her to share the lessons with and thus share the burden of my massive fee. Actually, I have someone in mind…

Here are some links:

Writer Charlie Stross has a good piece (meticulously calculated!) on exactly why unplugging domestic appliances that run on stand-by, is not only not an effective way to tackle climate change but may in fact be counter-productive:

Back during the second world war, there was a drive in the UK to strip out railings and send pots and pans to metal works to be melted down and turned into weapons. It was seen as a patriotic duty; if you had railings outside your home, you weren’t doing your bit for the war effort. Did this actually help the war effort? No it didn’t; the total weight of railings and pans melted down for scrap probably wouldn’t have built a single cruiser. But they kept urging people to do it anyway, because it made the public feel as if they were contributing and helping deal with the national emergency. It was, in other words, good for morale.

Trying to defeat global warming by unplugging phone chargers and gizmos with a standby mode is in the same league as sending your kitchenware to be melted down to make tanks; it’s silly. LINK

Over here is some wonderful information on the health benefits of napping, the science behind it, and even some nice napping techniques. This particular tip pleased me immensely: To boost alertness on waking, you can drink a cup of coffee before you nap. Caffiene requires 20 or 30 minutes to take effect, so it will kick in just as you are waking up. LINK

Here are some naked people dancing.

And here is some good news from a better world (and the story behind it).

Now back to Raymond.

Simple Solutions

Published
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on June 24, 2008
in Buddhism, Politricks and Worldsaving
. 2 Comments

Here’s this month’s message from Hozouji. I’m sorry it’s a little tardy. I’ve been a tad busy with marking.

割り切れぬ

And here it is in romaji and then my translation:

subete ga
warikerenu
tokoro ni
jinsei no
myoumi ga aru

Not everything
can be broken down
into simple solutions,
and therein lies
life’s beauty.

Hmm… Seems a bit top-heavy. Oh, well…

Update: There’s a slightly revised version plus Masaya Kanzaki’s commentary up here: LINK

Zimbabwe

Here’s the latest campaign from avaaz.org for Zimbabwe:

…against the odds, hope survives. Amidst growing international pressure, Mugabe’s ZANU-PF party and the opposition have entered private talks. A unity government may be possible yet.

The United Nations Security Council unanimously held on Monday that free and fair elections are now impossible in Zimbabwe. The UN Secretary-General spoke out. But it is African leaders, most of all Thabo Mbeki, who hold the key. Even Mugabe cannot cling to power without their cooperation. Today, we’re launching an emergency campaign, petitioning these leaders to call an immediate summit, isolate Mugabe, and broker a legitimate government for Zimbabwe. Our call will be published in big newspaper advertisements in South Africa, Tanzania, Angola, and Mozambique this week — click here to see the ads and endorse their message:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_zimbabwe/5.php?cl=100616919

Zimbabwe’s neighbours supply its electricity and goods, and control the borders. Many Southern African leaders are already calling for the postponement of the election — but there’s a real danger that they will end up accepting this charade. This would be a grave miscalculation: if Mugabe succeeds in his de facto coup, Zimbabwe’s implosion will accelerate, and chaos could spread throughout the region.

So our campaign will publicly name those African leaders who hold Mugabe’s last remaining lifeline. If these leaders step up strongly now, they can convince enough of Mugabe’s officials that change is coming one way or another — and set the stage for Morgan Tsvangirai to lead a unity government to Zimbabwe back together…

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_zimbabwe/5.php?cl=100616919

Marking,

Published
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on June 19, 2008
in Teaching
. 4 Comments

marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, sigh, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking, marking…

Marking! Marking!

markingmarkingmarking…

Gay Sex

Published
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on June 18, 2008
in Wacky Japan and Worldsaving
. 0 Comments

Ha ha. I was going to write about Edgar Allan Poe’s wacky little novel “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket” today, as I just finished it last night. However, I fear I am too weary for literary criticism, so I’ll just post a few links and offer some lame meanderings on gender issues instead.

Since yesterday there have been a heap of articles on Google News about gay marriages in California. The very same day I spotted this article on the BBC website about “gay brain differences“. It seems brain scans have shown that gay people have brains shaped very much like people of the opposite sex (i.e. gay men’s brains are shaped like heterosexual women’s brains and lesbian brains are shaped like the brains of men). Nothing too surprising there really, (and I wonder why nobody thought of doing this before…) but it does offer proof that, as one scientist put it “there is no argument any more - if you are gay, you are born gay”. In other words, it’s COMPLETELY NATURAL TO BE GAY. Of course those of us living in the 21st century knew that already, but sadly there are still those who have a problem with our queer bretheren (and sisteren). Here’s a short video about the marriages in California. It’s worth watching till the end for an appearance by Star Trek’s Mr Sulu: George Takei, who is going to marry his long-term partner Brad Altman, and looks really super pleased about it. Actually, the infectiously cheesy grins on their faces are really something to behold. Truly a happy couple. I hope they both live long and prosper.

“It’s about love“. Now, who could argue with that?

Meanwhile back in Japan: Sega creates robot girlfriend. Now, what’s that about?

Avaaz on Climate Change

Published
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on June 16, 2008
in Environment and Worldsaving
. 0 Comments


Here’s the latest campaign from avaaz.org:
Two weeks of global climate negotiations have just wrapped up — with no real progress. The rich nations are the culprits, refusing to take the lead and commit to emissions cuts that will bring the rest of the world onboard. Our best hope: within weeks, those rich country leaders will gather at the G8 summit chaired by Japan. If Japan’s Prime Minister offers bold leadership, the G8 summit could be a breakthrough. But, so far, he is pushing in the wrong direction. So it’s up to us. Next Wednesday, June 18, we will hand-deliver our new climate petition to Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. If we can muster 250,000 voices in a few short days, we can sound a global alarm on climate that Fukuda and the other G8 leaders cannot ignore. Sign the petition and forward this message to friends:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/g8_climate_wakeup/13.php?cl=97550397

Dennis Kucinich Forces Vote on Bush Impeachment

Published
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on June 11, 2008
in Politricks
. 2 Comments

Dennis Kucinich has introduced 35 measures of impeachment against President Bush, reading his resolution into the Congressional Record for nigh on 5 hours. Here's the first five minutes.

Link to Washington Post article.

Link to Dennis Kucinich’s website.

Link to Scott Bateman cartoon.

Japanese Movies

Published
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admin
on June 5, 2008
in Movies and Random
. 5 Comments

As some of you are aware, I spend way too much of my time watching movies. As some of you are also aware I have a part-time job teaching English conversation at a mental clinic. I say teaching, but what I actually do is play games and chat and generally end up learning more Japanese (and more about Japan) than teaching English… Anyway, last Saturday I put the question: What Japanese movies should I watch in order to understand Japan better? My pals at the clinic gave me the following list:

椿三十郎 - Tsubaki Sanjuro (That’s the original by Kurosawa not the latest starring Oda Yuji).
男はつらいよ - Otoko ha Tsurai Yo (anything from this series but especially those starring Yoshinaga Sayuri).
東京物語　- Tokyo Monogatari directed by Suzu Yasujiro.
華麗なる一族　- Kareinaru Ichizoku (TV drama?)
忠臣蔵　- Chuushingura (a classic samurai/revenge tale that has been remade many times).
おしん　- Oshin (old NHK TV drama)
機動戦士ガンダン - Kidou senshi Gandan (anime)
And then these movies by director Itami Juzo:
マルさの女　ー　Marusa no Onna
スーパーの女　－　Su-pa- no Onna
お葬式 - Ososhiki

That should keep me busy for a while, but I wonder if anyone out there has any more recommendations they feel should be on the list…? As it happens, all of Itami Juzo’s movies come with lovely English subtitles so that’s where I intend to start. Tonight: Ososhiki. I’ll let you know what I think.

Some Other Stuff

Up on Deep Kyoto tonight, a fresh post on Dog Cafe. All good dogs welcome.

Here are some more links.

The Daily Mail has a story about a polar bear that drifted on an ice-flow all the way to Iceland last Tuesday. The first polar bear in Iceland for 15 years, it attracted a crowd of sightseers eager to see one of the world’s largest land-based predators before they all succumb to climate change… And the police shot it dead.

A Burger King advertising campaign reveals the seedy underbelly of life as a vegetable: Veg City. These images have apparently been used as tray liners in Burger King stores!

Coco Wang’s heart-breaking comics from the Chinese Earthquake. LINK. All true stories apparently.

And here is a man with exactly 2008 (very colorful) pins in his head celebrating the Beijing Olympics. LINK.

Yoshida-kun’s Birthday 2008

Published
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admin
on June 3, 2008
in Friends and Larks
. 0 Comments

Here are some pictures of Yoshida-kun’s birthday party last Saturday night which was of course, a blast. His actual birthday isn’t until this weekend however, so I think we may have to take him out for some emergency-nampa before he hits the big FOUR OH!
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And here are some pictures of feet.
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And here are some pictures of people in hats.
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