Shipwrecked in Japan
Deadly typhoon strikes Japan
Thu 21 October, 2004 07:16
...A total of 167 people, including 102 trainees aged around 20, were being slowly taken to shore from their ship, the 2,556-ton Kaio Maru, which ran aground on a breakwater in the middle of the storm. Three suffered injuries such as broken wrists.
The ship was waiting out the typhoon at Toyama, 158 miles west of Tokyo, when 89 mile an hour winds and high seas swept it onto the breakwater, said an official at the National Institute for Sea Training, its operator.
A Coast Guard official said: "Waves were crashing onto the deck,
making it impossible for the crew and trainees to get out themselves."

White House calls their bitch, Pat Robertson, a liar
Robertson Says Bush Predicted No Iraq Toll

NYTimes.com > Washington > Campaign 2004
October 21, 2004 by DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
The evangelical broadcaster Pat Robertson has set off a partisan fight by telling a television interviewer that President Bush serenely assured him just before the invasion of Iraq, "Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties."
Mr. Robertson, offering that account in an interview televised Tuesday night on CNN, said Mr. Bush made the comment when they met in Nashville in early 2003. At that meeting, he said, he warned the president to prepare the public for casualties.


Mr. Robertson, a former marine who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 1988, said that he had had "deep misgivings" about the war. But, he said, closely paraphrasing Mark Twain, the president looked "like a contented Christian with four aces.''
"I mean, he was just sitting there like 'I am on top of the world,' " Mr. Robertson said.
"The Lord told me it was going to be a), a disaster, and b), messy," he continued, adding that he wished Mr. Bush would acknowledge his mistake.
As the White House disputed Mr. Robertson's recollection, Democrats pounced yesterday on the chance to make Mr. Bush contradict a prominent supporter....more...

Godzilla stomps Hollywood's Walk of Fame
Godzilla to receive star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
JapanToday.com Oct 21
Godzilla, Japan's longtime favorite monster, will be honored at Hollywood's Walk of Fame on Nov 29. Toho Co presented a Godzilla mascot with a certificate for the Hollywood honor, at the company's Tokyo head office on Wednesday.

Godzilla's star on the Walk of Fame will be the first for a Japanese character....

Posted by trek/taro at 11:46 AM KDT
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'Wearable computers' in Tokyo: I want my brainstem implant!
Topic: Japanese Tech
New Wearable Computers
Reuters Television: Business Oct. 20 - The latest in digital consumer technology went on show in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Many of the gadgets on display looked like they belonged in a science fiction thriller.What caught the eye were the range of 'wearable computers'.
Such as the "Synchro Reality" technology developed by camera-maker Olympus. The device enables the wearer of its headpiece to receive real-time information which can be interpreted into pictures....

Typhoon Lizard kills at least 30 in Japan!
Japan typhoon toll rises to 30
Wednesday, October 20, 2004 Posted: 2359 GMT
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) -- Rescuers across Japan are searching for 40 people missing after a powerful typhoon raked the country with heavy rains and high winds, killing at least 30 in floods and landslides.
Typhoon Tokage {Lizard}, described as the deadliest storm to hit Japan in a decade, headed out to sea after sideswiping Tokyo ...

Gaijin thieves dump 5 million yen on side of road....No way Jose
Thieves dump bags containing 50 million yen on side of road
(Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Oct. 19, 2004)
UTSUNOMIYA -- Thieves who stole a whopping 524 million yen from a transport company here on Sunday have abandoned several bags on the side of the road that contained about 50 million yen, police said.


Foreigners blamed for massive heist
(Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Oct. 18, 2004)
UTSUNOMIYA -- A group of four or five men believed to be foreigners have made off with 524 million yen in cash following a daring raid on a transport company ...

Just say NO to NHK fees
Topic: adviceS

Pay NHK?
Gee, just say NO.

NHK has no method of enforcement for payment of fees (unlike the UK's BBC). Just say "no thank you" everytime they come to the door. Even though I don't have to pay because I'm "special," I enjoy saying NO with a big smile.

Top Secret! Yokohama train bomb simulation drill
NHK TV News just reported that Yokohama conducted a train bomb simulation drill today. Mmmmmmm.
Wonder if they know something they are not divulging since there are no signs in the train stations or anything.
It is strange that this seems to be the first time they have done this kind of drill, even though previous threats against Japan have been made over a year ago.

The City of Yokohama Emergency Preparedness homepage says nothing about a drill, go figure.
I guess we need to go in to get our brain stem implant so we receive the NHK sub-band signal to warn of things like this and the Official Must-start-wearing-your-salaryman-trench-coat Day that is coming soon.

Puking on the 8am train is "normal: in Tokyo
You've been in Japan too long ....
...when you think some suit puking their guts on a 8am train is normal.

Eosinophilic esophagitis is a rapidly rising disorder
Medical News Today, UK - 24 Augminutes ago
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is characterized by severely elevated levels of eosinophils -- a type of white blood cell-- in the esophagus. These eosinophils grow in an uncontrolled manner and attack the gastrointestinal system, leading to vomiting and difficulty with growth and swallowing food (dysphagia). EE differs from esophageal reflux in the magnitude... is just one a group of disorders called eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases that are often associated with allergies. EE is an emerging disease throughout the world, as documented by recent series of cases in the United States, England, Japan, Spain, Australia, Switzerland and Italy. ...
Geigh-sha?

Puking on the 8am train is "normal: in Tokyo
You've been in Japan too long ....
...when you think some suit puking their guts on a 8am train is normal.

Eosinophilic esophagitis is a rapidly rising disorder
Medical News Today, UK - 24 Augminutes ago
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EE) is characterized by severely elevated levels of eosinophils -- a type of white blood cell-- in the esophagus. These eosinophils grow in an uncontrolled manner and attack the gastrointestinal system, leading to vomiting and difficulty with growth and swallowing food (dysphagia). EE differs from esophageal reflux in the magnitude... is just one a group of disorders called eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases that are often associated with allergies. EE is an emerging disease throughout the world, as documented by recent series of cases in the United States, England, Japan, Spain, Australia, Switzerland and Italy. ...
Geigh-sha?

USB Sushi and followed by a USB vibe

(USB sushi)
And afterwards, get ready to ?Plug and Play? with the usbvibe

Naked sushi on CSI: Kabukicho
CSI: NEW YORK INTO THE WORLD OF THE RICH AND POWERFUL
'Grand Master' Promo - copyright CBS

[Stella and Danny walk into a restaurant.]
[Several guests sit around a young semi-naked woman with sushi on her body.]
[A waiter places a tray next to the woman.]
[A well-dressed woman with chopsticks enjoys her sushi.]
[Close-ups of sushi on the woman's body.]
[Stella and Danny look at the scene.] Stella: "I heard about these naked sushi parties, but... a restaurant?" [Someone picks a piece of sushi of the woman's body.] [We see the sushi woman in the front as Stella and Danny look on in the background.]

Abandoned love, japaneseque


Abandoned love hotel

.... call it "urban exploration," "modern archaeology" or what have you, but it's a fairly common pastime among certain people with a taste for adventure, and as a result there're dozens of sites in Japan devoted to information on haikyo (literally "ruin" but usually taken to mean "abandoned area"). Some of them have gotten faily popular, to the point where Toru Kurihara of Haikyo Explorer has published a bestselling book based on his exploits.

Tokyo Tower VS Thai Airlines

Plane nearly hit Tokyo TowerOct 18 TOKYO (Reuters) - A Thai charter plane veered off course while approaching a Tokyo airport last month, almost hitting the Tokyo Tower, a well-known landmark in the centre of the Japanese capital, a newspaper says.
The Orient Thai charter jumbo jet came within 200 metres of striking the tower, a 333-metre high copy of the Eiffel Tower, when it veered to the north during the final stages of its approach to Haneda airport just after midnight on September 19, the Mainichi Shimbun said on Monday.

Posted by trek/taro at 2:58 PM KDT
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"I could not get a Gucci handbag and had to end up with a Japan-made. I want to die.'

Strangers in Life Join Hands in Death as the Web Becomes a Tool for Suicide in Japan
NYTimes.com > International > Asia Pacific By JAMES BROOKE / October 18, 2004[/url] TOKYO--
..."When they come across a minor trouble, they get distressed," said Dr. Harufusa Higano, a psychiatrist who directs a clinic here. Recalling one young woman who had attempted suicide by cutting her wrists, he said: "She told me:

' I could not get a Gucci handbag and had to end up with a Japan-made. I want to die.'

Nissan's CEO Carlos Ghosn likes to FUGA
Name game's getting goofy; Uliou? Tiida?
Global push alters language
AutoWeek - 13 Sept
OKYO -- Nissan Motor Co. is considering selling the Tiida in the United States....
...."As more and more products move across borders, you'll see more unusual names," says Steve Wilhite, Nissan vice president of global marketing. .... There is "tremendous cachet in a name a little bit foreign but indicative" of the car's origins, Wilhite says.
... To be sure, some names don't travel well. Nissan will introduce a luxury sedan in Japan in mid-October under the Fuga moniker, but it will be known in the United States as the Infiniti M45. Toyota Motor Corp.'s Kluger V is known in the United States as the Highlander.
And some odd names won't show up outside their home markets simply because the cars are not meant for export. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. never exported its Toppo BJ minicar. And China's Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. has not shipped the Beauty Leopard, Haoqing or Uliou to America - yet....
---See also the old forum thread: The Best, Worst & Weirdest Car Names

Car Name Is Karma
J@pan Inc Magazine newsletter No. 293 Oct 18
...Fuga is Italian for harmony and is also homophonous with the Japanese word for elegance. The Nissan model has a V6-cylinder engine and body parts including doors made of aluminum, such that it is more than 30 kilograms lighter. The Fuga retails in the 3,410,000 - 4,930,000 yen range. Nissan expects to sell 2,000-odd units per month. The Cedric, for more than 40 years a synonym for luxury among Nissan models, will become mainly the name of taxi cabs and other commercial vehicles. Fearing the loss of a cadre of Cedric aficionados, some Nissan execs opposed the name change. Their objections were swept aside by President Carlos Ghosn....more...

Q: Where should go drinking in Tokyo?
Topic: adviceS
Q: Where should go drinking in Tokyo?
A: ANYWHERE.
Japan is a drunk's paradise.
Bars are the second industry here--- the first being sleaze. Every meter of street has a bar; pick one you'll be puking and poorer before you know it.

PLEASE do not be scared to go into those tiny bars with only 5 stools. Often those places are the single guy's savior.

I was once dragged to a sleaze bar and one of the hostess upon learning that I lived in Sugamo-Komagome area DEMANDED that I go to her sister's 5-stool bar. Standing outside a tangled 2-meter lane, I felt real dumb going into microscopic, 2-story, wooden establishment. The 90 year old place was so small I could just about touch the opposite walls with my outstretched arms. It seems just too Japaneseque for a f'ed gaijin like me.

To make a long story short, the mama-san there ended up cooking me a home-cooked Japanese meal, with a few drinks for 3 nights a week for my first few years in Tokyo ...all for 1,200yen. I would have death-by-cup- ramen malnutrition without that lady. Hell on real slow nights, she would close up early and she'd take me upstairs. :wink:

WHERE are good places to hang out?
"Sister Chill" (Jude Brand) has written the book on that and at the TokyQ.com she's has writtten "Hangouts, Places to chill " column for years. Here's a typical review...

4 (Shi): Shibuya
4 (shi) has one of the best and wackiest locations for a bar. It is tucked in right under the Yamanote-sen tracks where they lead south out of Shibuya Station. Every time a train pulls in, the room shakes and the music takes a back seat to the commotion above. But you'd be surprised how quickly you become accustomed to this...
... a collection of top-shelf spirits, among which tequila and rum are most prominent. Something special like a Jose Cuervo Reserve de la Familia will set you back 3,500 yen a shot, so I would advise checking the prices before indulging. I was most impressed with the range of rum, which included my favorite Haitian label Barbancourt, with a 15-year old version going for a mere 1,400 yen a shot ... more...

Posted by trek/taro at 9:50 AM KDT
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"Well that's fine, but what about the moons of Uranus?"

The Moons of Uranus
the 5 largest satellites of Uranus are:
Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon.

However, there's 27 moons counted so far and many more to find no doubt:
Ariel, Belinda, Bianca, Caliban,Cordelia, Cressida, Desdemona, Juliet, Miranda, Oberon, Ophelia, Portia, Prospero, Puck,Rosalind, Setebos, Stephano, Sycorax, S/1986 U10, S/2001 U2, S/2001 U3, S/2003 U1, S/2003 U2 , S/2003 U3, Trinculo , Umbriel

ARBEIT MACHT FREI!
Topic: Me

War is Peace!
Ignorance is Strength!
Celebrate Homogeneity!
Hate Osama bin Taro!
Love Big Brother Dubya!
Winston Smith lives!

"Prestigious Blinds" kanji tattoos gone bad

Via the grrreat
hanzi smatter:一知半解 website, "Dedicated to the misuse of Chinese characters (Han Zi; or 汉字) in Western culture" with zillions of f'ed kanji tattoos I bring you all Mr. "Prestigious Blinds" ...

"Prestigious Blinds" the tattoo

威 = prestigious
簾 = blinds, window curtains
It's an attempted phonetic translation of the name "William". The correct phonetic translation for "William" is:
威廉