'Walls of Walkman' navel gazing
Walls of Walkman
Sony's little music machine turns 25 -- yes, it's been that many years since public conversations died
Jul. 25, 2004. 10:42 AM / TORONTO STAR
..."It is virtually an extension of the skin. It is fitted, moulded, like so much else in modern consumer culture, to the body itself ... It is designed for movement -- for mobility, for people who are always out and about, for travelling light. It is part of the required equipment of the modern `nomad.'"...... the Sony Walkman, introduced in North America 25 years ago this month, was a private thing, an individual indulgence, a secret door through which you could enter your own personal soundscape at will.
You could inhabit that insulated place oblivious of the distractions of the world around you, while the world around you was oblivious of your unobserved departure...
.... Dr. Graeme Turner, a professor of cultural studies at the University of Queensland in Australia.
"The Walkman significantly provided a separate cultural space for its users, no matter where they went. And they could decorate that personal space the way young people decorate their bedrooms ... It was not like the TV, stereo sound system, or radio. It was personal and mobile.".... They could reinforce their self-image by focusing only on the music that contained the codes and messages they needed or wanted. They could move conspicuously to rhythms no once else could hear ...
...."We may think we're connected to the universe, we may well be in control of our personal space as a result of these technologies, we may think we're networking, but it's in a one-on-one system. It's a fetishization of connectedness, an illusion."

Japan Post getting into Loan Sharking
Japan Post may be allowed to expand into lending business
TOKYO July 25 Kyodo -The government is considering revising laws to enable Japan Post to extend mortgages and other types of loans following a planned privatization of the government-backed organization...At present, the postal savings law effectively bans Japan Post from lending money even though it accepts deposits.

Non-invasive treatment for fibroids available in Japan
Topic: Japanese Tech

Israeli non-invasive treatment for uterine fibroids recommended for FDA approval
Israel21c.org July 25, 2004
... FDA panel's recommendation for the approval of a new Israeli-designed system for non-invasive treatment of uterine fibroids....The FDA's Obstetrics and Gynecology Devices Panel recently recommended the ExAblate 2000 System, manufactured by InSightec Ltd.
...The ExAblate system is intended to provide a non-invasive alternative to current treatments for symptomatic uterine fibroids, which include hysterectomy, myomectomy, uterine artery embolization, and drug therapy. The system uses focused ultrasound together with MR imaging to pinpoint tumors and effectively destroy them, without incisions, without anesthesia, and without the need for hospitalization.
...The device received the European CE mark in 2002 and is currently commercially available in Israel, Europe, and Japan.
The recent FDA panel recommendation was based on the results of a multicenter, controlled clinical study that was performed at centers in the United States, Europe, and Israel, including Brigham and Women's Hospital, the Mayo Clinic, and Johns Hopkins Hospital in the US, St. Mary's Hospital in London, Charite Hospital in Berlin, and Sheba Medical Center and Hadassah Hospital in Israel.

JAPANESE SHUNGA EROTICA

JAPANESE SHUNGA & OTHER EROTICA
Greg Kucera Gallery, Seattle | February 2004
In these examples of Japanese shunga we see a great variety of lovemaking techniques, situations, positions and possibilities. Whether heterosexual or homosexual, the diversity of sexual behaviors expressed within this artform offer a glimpse of the sexual freedoms available in previous eras...

Since blogging is "masterbation" (sic) celebrate Pee Wee Herman Day July 24
Via reference books

Via Kuro5hin:
"Blog is not a word. It is a manifestation of the pent up sexual frustration of millions of losers (read: geeks) out there furiously masterbating their own little world trying to make it significant. The more they wank, the worse it gets until the point where the word itself is synonymous with masterbation.

Celebrate Pee Wee Herman on Paul Reubens Day!
July 24th ....
Thirteen years ago in 1989 one man dared to stand erect for what he believed in, his right to touch his own private place in a public place.

"Video Proof" swimwear for traditional Japanese modesty
Swimmers' modesty to be preserved
The Japan Times: July 24, 2004
OSAKA (Kyodo) Descente Ltd. said Friday it has developed swimwear material that remains opaque when filmed by an infrared camera.... dubbed Video Proof, will be used as lining in swimwear and is intended to ease concerns by female swimmers over being shot by infrared cameras, which can make regular swimwear appear transparent, the Osaka-based sportswear company said.
"Since there are some competitive swimmers who can't concentrate on swimming (due to the situation), with their results adversely affected in the competition, we hope to back them up as much as possible (with the new material)," a company official said....

Yeah! Bush and his Poodle at the .....

(BANNED VERSION)
http://www.crocuta.net/AtTheGayBar.mov
"Gay Bar"
lyrics by Electric Six
Girl!
I wanna take you to a gay bar,
I wanna take you to a gay bar,
I wanna take you to a gay bar, gay bar, gay bar.

Let's start a war, start a nuclear war,
At the gay bar, gay bar, gay bar.
Wow!
At the gay bar...

"Lolita is a form of aestheticism"
嶽本　野ばら


DO YOUR OWN THING: `Lolita' novelist touches lonely hearts
The Asahi Shimbun / July 24
`It didn't mean I wanted to become a girl. Simply put, I wasn't interested in stuff for boys. I liked girlish things. Boyish things are sweaty, so I didn't like them.
....Welcome to the world of novelist Novala Takemoto.
It is within these walls-this fantasia-that Takemoto's ultra-feminine "Lolita'' novels are born. Indeed, the writer himself is a hero among the Lolita crowd, girls and women who favor lace and bonnets and ribbons and frills. ... Though Takemoto was nominated for the Yukio Mishima Literary Prize for "Emily'' and "Lolita'' in 2003 and 2004 respectively, it was "Shimotsuma Monogatari'' (Shimotsuma story) that made him a celebrity. A movie based on the book was a huge hit in Japan this year. It is scheduled for release as "Kamikaze Girls'' in seven countries including the United States, Italy and Spain.
Known as a novelist with the heart of an otome (maiden), Takemoto says the Lolita sense of beauty is the most important aspect of his writing and his life. In Japan the word ``Lolita'' conjures up images of girls decked out in outlandishly frilly garb, but he says it is as much a way of living as a fashion statement.
"Lolita is a form of aestheticism..."

70% of Japanese worried about aliens



70% of Japanese worried about illegal foreign labor: poll
(Kyodo) - Jul 24, 4:08 pm
Over 70 percent of Japanese are worried that an increase in the number of illegally employed foreign workers could undermine public safety and result in human rights abuses, to those workers themselves, the government said Saturday in a survey report.

Earwax flavored sushi?

Eyeglasses Double as Chopsticks?
Fri Jul 23, 9:17 AM ET
BERLIN (Reuters) - A German firm has begun offering sunglasses and prescription spectacles with detachable frame arms that double as chopsticks or forks.
The glasses designer says there is growing demand from time-pressured sushi fans eating their favorite food on the go. "The idea came from the common need for cutlery at any time," said company director Ralph Anderl, who also uses his personal frames to eat the Japanese raw fish delicacy...

-- (NOTE: I spent hours looking for these glasses which are not featured ANYWHERE on the company's ic!berlin's website. Most likely, this is a PR scam they didn't even bother to document.)

Posted by trek/taro at 6:02 PM KDT
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Praying for legs in Osaka Japan

OSAKA, JAPAN: Young women carry a portable shrine weighing 200kg on their shoulders at the Tenjin Matsuri festival --23 July 2004 / AFP PHOTO/JIJI PRESS

Elvis Hindu Japanese love dolls??
Post subject: Any idea what these Japanese(?) are doing?

Maybe they're Hindu love dolls, judging from the colors?????

How about Elvis Hindu...coming back as a cow on his path to Perfection?

The author was not trying to be ironic about living in this concrete slum, Kanto.
Kissui.net/ July 23, 2004
I love Tokyo

Mo' crazy fear of slashers in Japan
Thu Jul 22, 6:25 AM ET
REUTERS/Madre Inc. handout
A Japanese boy models a knife-resistant coat ... released by the maker, Madre in Fukuoka...The coat, made from the same fibres used in police and military knife-proof and bullet-proof vests, is the latest product aimed at providing parental peace of mind in Japanese society horrified by a series of gruesome attacks on children.

Four counts against the traitor Charles Jenkins
Here are the four counts against Sergeant Jenkins:

- two specifications of soliciting other service members to desert, in
violation of Article 82, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ);

- one specification of desertion, in violation of Article 85, UCMJ;

- one specification of aiding the enemy, in violation of Article 104, UCMJ;

- two specifications of encouraging disloyalty, in violation of Article 134,UCMJ.

More detail on the UCMJ see:
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ucmj.htm

Some kind of plea bargain seems now almost certain. He'll be charged with desertion and Japan will have to hand him over under the terms of the SOFA. Much will depend on how sick is really is... he certainly is an alcoholic chain-smoker.

One third of Japanese workers are now disposable temp slaves (the other 2/3s are just slaves)

A third of workers are part-timers, temp staff

The Japan Times, July 23
Part-time and temporary workers comprised 34.6 percent of the nation's workforce in 2003, up 7.1 percentage points from 1999, mainly due to corporate efforts to cut labor costs...
... Some 29.9 percent of the workers said they had became more discontent with their pay due to the debut of merit-based pay. Some 33.3 percent said the congenial atmosphere in their workplaces has deteriorated. ...

Topic: Media
You folks in the "Real World" aka not Japan have got it easy even if you're just a level 3 pitchfork handler. Japan Inc. only hires alien gaijin for careers as level-4-or-lower scoop shovel handlers to scrape up Japanese brain droppings.
5-Tine Manure Fork (for well-composted material)


VS
Eastern-pattern scoop shovel (scrape up the wet nasty stuff)

Climax Bargaining?
Topic: Japanese life
Summer sales are "CLIMAXING" in Shin Yokohama, hee, hee.

eel from the heat
Wednesday was Doyo-no-Ushi-no-Hi(see the IHT/Asahi: July 22, traditionally the hottest day of the year. Everyone is supposed to eat eels in the belief having live-eels helps that metabolism, accelerates perspiration, and make up for the loss of energy and renew strength in the summer heat.



So, I was just sitting around thinking how great to have live eel enema and dinner too .... http://www.stilemedia.com/?v=eels.wmv
Note: If you ain't figured out this eel enema video is not safe for work or for sane people, then you're beyond hope. Also see my old post Eat our eels. Lift our poles.

Japanese govn't fears rabid alien puppies!
Rabies fear tightens Japan puppy imports
Tokyo, Japan, Jul. 21 / UPI -- Japan is expected to ban imports of puppies and kittens less than 10 months old from countries that have had rabies outbreak...