Yep it is the holiday season and I went to my local watering hole where the regular customers were treated to an all you can eat, al you can drink night of holiday merry making. Some karaoke was sang (some not so bad), bingo was played in the Japanese style, a local vocal group performed for us (my girlfriend is in the group). A good time was had by all. Back to the overindulgence. I drank too much but I had the sense to stay away from beer and wine. If I hadn’t I would have woken up with a hangover, instead I drank sake. For some reason I can drink excessive amounts of sake and wake up the next day feeling great. My Japanese friends don’t understand it when they wake up with day long hangovers after partaking in sake. I don’t indorse excessive drinking for anyone but if you want a drink and no worry about the next day I recommend rice over barley.
I just read this news snippet about successfully creating a cloned embryos from monkeys. I assume humans aren’t too far behind. What got in my head is that clones are the exact copy of the original animal. Many animals use their finely attuned sense of smell to identify each other. If a cloned animal is allowed to enter the society of the original will the other animals tell them apart (assuming body scent doesn’t change over time). If a human is successful cloned will the fingerprints be the same?
Another municipality in Japan has set up a smoking ban on city streets. First it was Chiyoda in Tokyo and now it’s Fukuoka, both have the same fines, 2,000 JPY (about $18) on average with a max of 20000 JYP (about $180). When the law went into effect in Chiyoda I watched some very angry people on the news yelling at the ticketing agents. I expect more of the same but I’m sure the idea is sinking in. What I find strange is that the rights of non-smokers are never spoken about. The reason for the laws are about burned clothes and cigarettes on the ground. I suppose it’s still a good start.
If you’re a computer geek like me or are concerned with your rights as an American you might be happy to learn that Elmsoft was found not guilty of violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The DMCA is a controversial law designed to extend copyright protections into the digital age. That sounds like a good idea but the law goes too far. An example of too far is when a university professor was threatened with court action when his research discovered how to break a flawed watermarking scheme for digital files (watermarking is a like branding cattle, never a good idea if you’re a cow). Or when Walmart threatened to sue Fatwallet.com, a site that gave details on the big shopping day “Black Friday”. There are too many examples of big business stripping rights from consumers using the DMCA, do a Google search and learn for yourself.
Reported earlier the Australian courts allow a Melbourne businessman to sue a US based news organization for libel. This court ruling in the US stands as a direct opposite to that ruling, not opposite in the case in the Australian courts but the ideals represented in that case. I don’t want to say who is right or wrong, wait I will say it. The Australian courts are WRONG.
Made a few changes on how the Amazon DVD links are displayed. Since I live in my little bubble, I can’t decide what to display. All the titles on the left I own except for Minority Report (which I hope to see soon) and Lilo and Stitch (love animated films). Do any of you have a favorite you think is missing?
I just realized what a shameless plug this post is, eh whatareyougonnado?
It doesn’t matter what your older siblings told you while you were growing up, there is a Santa Claus. You can check the progress of a package that was shipped to him here. You would think he would be busy with Christmas around the corner but he has such a well oiled production that he doesn’t have to be in the North Pole prior to Christmas.
Last night was the event I’ve been waiting for all year, last night was nabe night. Nabe is the Japanese word for pot but more that that it is also the name for a Japanese meal made in a pot (if I ‘m going to fast for you let me know). It is a great meal that seems to taste better when it is enjoyed with friends (I suppose family too but they’re too far). There is a special way to prepare it but I can’t figure it out, it seems like grabbing whatever taste good and throwing it in a clay pot that simmers on the table where everyone is eating is the key. Best served with warm sake (IMHO), I still have the warm feeling inside and it not entirely due to the sake.
A promise of the Internet was the abolishment of national borders (at least in cyberspace). That notion has come under fire in the courts of various country taking various forms. The latest defeat of freedom of the press comes from the Australian courts against Dow Jones, a US based news service. The Australian courts have decided that it is permissible for a story published in New Jersey, USA to be sued by an entity in Australia. This is not the precedent of these battles with a few in the European courts against nazi organizations and such. Are we all going to be subject to a global standard to express our thoughts in a public forum?
I have used this forum to bitch and moan about the stench of cigarette smoke here in Japan (actually cigarettes stink everywhere). One problem is that cigarettes are so cheap here, the price is 250 JPY (about $2). Cheaper than in the US. Well I was sure the Japanese government had no incentive to get people to quit since the government owns almost 50% of tobacco stocks. A group of politicians has proposed to raise the price of cigarette to 1000 JPY (about $9). Yes!! That will get people to stop smoking, cut down government cost for medical care, and force me to stop bitching (then again there’s always the JR trains). I know it’ll never pass but there is hope for change.
