Writing about bomb shelters last month got me thinking about 9/11 and how it changed the definition of war forever. Looking back on the aftermath of that day, the pre-9/11 idea of having "rules" for when it's permissible to kill your fellow man may seem...
Who (what?) is the real enemy? In January I attended a disaster mitigation training session near my home. These sessions are run by a volunteer organization with the cooperation of various public utilities, and can be attended by anyone living in the specified area. We...
I don’t normally like to admit to having heroes, but I would have to consider Ichiro a hero of mine, but for reasons only remotely related to baseball. Ichiro represented a new image for Japanese men worldwide. Up until Ichiro’s Major League Baseball debut in...
I woke up early this morning to catch the first sunrise of the year. I made a short trip to an area with an expansive view of the sky. At the risk of sounding corny, I must say that watching the sun slowly inch its...
During a recent visit to Okinawa during the Christmas season, I noticed a scarcity of overt signs of Christmas. Moving through various areas of the main island, there were very few sales, product displays, or decorations dedicated to Christmas. There was, however, an abundance of...
I`m going through a lean period A decidely mean period Orange Juice. “Lean Period.” 1984. November 17, 2024 オレンジ・ジュースの「Lean Period」 (1984) を聴いている。「今、私は低迷期なんだ 明らかに意地悪な時代だ」2024年11月17日...
Sometimes inspiration comes from unexpected places. This morning I was awakened by a crow outside my window screaming “C’mon! C’mon! C’mon!” over and over again. At first, I was annoyed, but then I was inspired by his words to be aggressive in my effort to...
In January of this year, the copyright for the Disney animated short Steamboat Willie, featuring Mickey Mouse, expired. Although the copyright for the version of Mickey featured in Steamboat Willy has expired, the trademark protection for Mickey Mouse as an entity has not expired and...
Some observations made during a recent330-mile road trip to visit relatives in Washington:・% of people traveling over the 70 mph speed limit: maybe 70%・Number of giant camping trailers that passed me at over 70 mph: maybe 150・Country music radio stations listened to: 1・Number of road...
Will a hot dog eating contest winner make the world safer for cows? Recently, the 16-time champion of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York, Joey Chestnut, cut his ties with the company that runs the contest and decided to endorse Impossible...