If you’ve missed NPR’s radio comedy, I’d Rather Eat Pants, you can find it online. The final episode airs in about 12 hours, and will be posted online within 24 hours.
Month: December 2002
WTC Designs
New World Trade Center Designs Unveiled
After the first round of designs were heavily criticized for lacking vision (and rightly so), new proposals for a rebuilt New York City World Trade Center have been unveiled. There’s a lot more of interest in these designs, and on first glance I especially like the one pictured above.
Unlike the other proposals, this one looks unfinished, like a shell of what used to be there. It evokes memories of the original structures, without being too fussy about it.
Bread And Celery
I just got home from having a drink with a friend whose ability to communicate is greater than his English proficiency. He’s the type who isn’t afraid to have a conversation, even if most of it isn’t grammatically correct. Contrast that with others who have a tremendous grasp of English grammar, but who can’t carry a conversation beyond a few hesitant sentences. The latter is the type who is paralyzed by the rules of grammar.
Communication is what it’s all about, so those who are willing to butcher another language are always more interesting than those who are not. And in order to encourage this communication, you learn not to correct every mistake. It’s a bit of an art picking and choosing what’s important to subtly correct and what’s best left alone. This leads to some entertaining and inadvertently humorous conversations.
My friend and I were discussing blood types. In Japan, blood type is a popular determiner of personality, in much the same way zodiac signs are in other parts of the world. First, the subject came up as “bread” types. Then there was the constant use of the phrase which I heard as, “It’s all because of celery.” I was kind of curious as to what he meant by “celery”, but I was more interested in hearing what each blood type signified, so I let it pass.
Christmas Spoiler
Customs declarations can sure spoil the gift-giving season. All overseas packages are required to have the contents listed on a customs form, thus giving away the surprise. I’ve been trying to rip off the customs forms on the packages I’ve been receiving (thanks everyone!) before I see what’s listed.
Making Mochi
A student took me to a mochi-making gathering in her neighborhood this morning. Mochi is a rice treat made by pounding rice until it is sticky and smooth. Flavorings, including sweet red bean paste, are then added.
About five dozen people met on the grounds of a neighborhood shrine to make mochi and to roast sweet potatoes in a bonfire. I’ve posted a few photos.
I’ve also posted photos of a bike trip I took yesterday.
Like An Unusual Medley
I just listened to a bluegrass medley of Madonna songs on KCRW. Has anyone else heard this? KCRW doesn’t stream playlists, so I’ll have to wait until they post the playlist tomorrow to see who the brave — and successful — interpreter is. She covered Like A Virgin, Burning Up and Lucky Star.
UPDATE: Just found the song and artist information. Madonna Trilogy by The Meat Purveyors.
Well, Goodbye, Henry
Henry Kissinger has resigned from the commission that will investigate the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
In his letter, Kissinger said he was prepared to submit all relevant financial information to the White House and an independent review, as well as to other members of the joint commission.
“It has become clear, however, that although specific potential conflicts can be resolved in this manner, the controversy would quickly move to the consulting firm I have built and own,” Kissinger’s letter said.
This sounds like Kissinger finally realized the extent to which his global influence peddling business would be subject to scrutiny. And, if there’s one thing Kissinger won’t stand for, it’s full disclosure (which is why it was such a joke that he was named to lead the commission).
The only drawback here is that it leaves an opening for President Bush to make a smarter appointment the second time around. He can now choose a more subtle candidate to whitewash the investigation’s findings.
The Rawhide Kid
Marvel Comics to unveil gay gunslinger
In a bubble in the first edition of the series, Rawhide Kid comments about the Lone Ranger: “I think that mask and the powder blue outfit are fantastic. I can certainly see why the Indian follows him around.”
Eyebrows Begone
Please enjoy Tokyo resident Jeremy Hedley’s observations on the recent trend of male eyebrow plucking in Japan. Hilarious.
Besides being a well-designed site, Hedley’s Antipixel is a consistently good read, full of compelling observations and peppered with fabulous photos (be sure to check out the photos illustrating his series on neighborhood houses, in the Architecture category).
Martin Pointdexter: J’accuse
Trent Lott’s recent comments aren’t really that shocking, are they? It’s not as if anyone needed further proof that the senator from Mississippi is a reactionary toad.
“I want to say this about my state: When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We’re proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn’t have had all these problems over all these years, either.”
Nothing new there.
The real news here comes from Al Gore’s reaction, which is just the latest embarrassment from the desperately over-eager former Vice-President.
“To say that the problems that we have in America today, some of them, stem from not electing a segregationist candidate for president … is fundamentally racist,” Gore said.
Asked if he believes Lott is a racist, Gore said, “Trent Lott made a statement that I think is a racist statement, yes. That’s why I think he should withdraw those comments or I think the United States Senate should undertake a censure of those comments.
Racist? Censure? Come on. Lott is an idiot. And his politics are despicable and destructive. But is it really so bad that he says what he feels? Isn’t this the way we find out who a person really is? His words speak for themselves, and are rightfully being publicized and derided. Do we really need Gore rushing to be the first to scream “racist” at the top of his lungs? Talk about zealous overkill.
It’s way past time to put Gore out to pasture. He means well, but he’s not leadership material. And he’s never going to be President.