I’d like to offer an advance apology to my friends in Japan for the devastating tsunami that will likely hit Japan when the Pacific Northwest has another massive earthquake.
Luckily, if the 500-year-cycle prediction holds, it won’t be a problem for another 200 years or so.
This image, one proposal from a group of finalists in the World Trade Center site memorial competition, is… creepy. It looks like a scene out of a sci-fi movie where the aliens keep human bodies in cold storage.
How often do you hear good news from the land of high school?
Md. H.S. Kiss Prompts Talk on Tolerance
ABCNEWS.com
Inspired by a high school assignment, Stephanie Haaser leaped onto a cafeteria table, shouted “End homophobia now!” and kissed classmate Katherine Pecore.
Haaser said she was making a statement on behalf of gay and lesbian students because she was bothered by the verbal and physical harassment they face.
Their principal said he respected what the heterosexual students were trying to do, but they needed to learn more appropriate ways to make a point. Haaser and Pecore were suspended for two days.
Haaser, a junior, said she chose to make the statement as part of an English class assignment, which required that she engage in a nonconformist act in the tradition of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Check out the photo of Haaser in the story — she’s straight out of Hollywood casting, today’s Sally Field as Norma Rae.
Kuro5shin offers a guide to online music, with links to tens of thousands of legal music downloads.
Is it true that most people who use mobile phones are unaware that the safety of the devices is still undetermined? Or, like myself, are they aware but somewhat nervously willing to gamble on the issue?
Every time I use my mobile, I feel like I’m playing with fire. I’m pretty good at limiting my time with the device directly against my head, mostly because I can actually feel physical effects with extended use.
So I tell myself I’m engaging in risk-management, that I’m taking reasonable steps towards limiting any potentially adverse health effects. And yet there is always the nagging voice that says this is not enough, that I should be staying away from the devices altogether until there is more definitive knowledge of the safety issues.
Unfortunately, that would mean waiting for someone with deep pockets to really, truly, once-and-for-all tackle the issue with sufficient research. For years, the mobile phone industry has been playing games with partial research — just enough to allow it to say the issue is still not clear, that there is no evidence that mobile phones are harmful. And the U.S. government has not truly stepped up to the bat, which is not so surprising.
Now comes news of a new, government-sponsored research project. The $10 million amount seems rather low for such an important initiative. But what’s really sad is the mention in the article that the U.S. agency responsible for mobile phone health-related issues has absolutely no money available for research.
Feds to launch $10 million investigation of cell phones, wireless technologies
By Nancy McVicar, Sun-Sentinel
Ron Melnick, a toxicologist and director of special programs at NTP [National Toxicology Program], said at least $10 million has been earmarked for the research initiative.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which has health-related jurisdiction over the phones, but no money for research, recommended the NTP get involved, Melnick said.
The entire article is worth the read for some good background, and for a reminder that skepticism is healthy, in the truest sense of the phrase when it comes to using mobile phones.
The fall colors here in Seattle seem particularly brilliant this year. After a weekend of heavy rain and wind, thick carpets of leaves now cover certain sidewalks.
CNN, which claims to be “The Most Trusted Name In News,” has admitted that it planted an audience question during a recent Democratic presidential debate. As if this weren’t bad enough, the question was given to an audience member “to encourage a lighthearted moment” in the debate.
CNN: The Most Trusted Name In News
FOX: Fair And Balanced
Bush: Mission Accomplished
There’s a fair amount of false advertising going around these days.
Caught this image on a hike last Saturday, looking down from a snow-covered wooden bridge into the still waters of the creek below. I was hiking up the Talapus Lake Trail on a beautiful, cool, sunny day, and snapped a few other photos.
Today is the one-year anniversary of a post I did on chuhai. Desperate chuhai-seekers here in the States still post comments on this site searching for the fabled drink. My step-mom was a doll and grabbed some for me when she was in Japan recently. But they’re still stuck in Alaska with her since sending booze via U.S. Mail is a no-no. Can’t wait to get my hands on them. Grapefruit Super Chu-hai, I miss you so…
It’s been five months since I left Japan, and now comes the time when I start to post nostalgic meanderings on this site. Do I need a new Memories of Japan category?
As winter arrives, I often find myself dreaming of Japanese baths and onsen. And I’m wishing I had more photographs of all the beautiful onsen I visited while in Japan. But wielding a camera in a steamy pool full of naked men isn’t the height of propriety.
Jeremy has a few beautiful photos in his The Gentle Art Of Japanese Bathing entry.