Joe Bloggs

Fingerbobs

So to bring things back to the Bloggs household and to the boys in particular, have you ever noticed how fascinated children are with dirty finger nails? Cut their nails and they inevitably want to see their dirtiest ones. Or are the Bloggs boys weird?

Old words

And the final word on the Beeb thing, for today anyway, comes from Thomas Jefferson.

"Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government."

Troubles in an 'ex-this, ex-that' country

I know it sounds as if I am banging on about the Beeb (even the Bloggs children are getting lectures on the value of a free press and especially our beloved Aunty), but this World Press spotlight is excellent reading. No real surprises of course, but that itself is hardly a surprise. The Russians and Chinese don't give a fig about the implications of the Hutton Report on a member of the media, but concentrate on what they obviously consider as the government's Phyrric victory. The Israelis have always had a problem with the BBC and it shows. The Americans focus on what the government might to do to the Corporation. But The New Vision in Uganda pulls no punches:

"Britain is today a tired ex-this, ex-that country which is boxing above its weight internationally by pretending to be in a joint ride with its former colony, now global power, the USA... He [Blair] is the only person left in the wide world who believes that weapons of mass destruction will be found in Iraq."

Still the more trusted

Lenin said, "People always have been and they always will be stupid victims of deceit and self-deception in politics". I think we'd all agree with Vlad on that one. Nevertheless, you have to give the British people credit for seeing through the latest deceitful attempt by goverrnment to whitewash a sensitive matter.

About the only good thing to come out of all this is that the Tory press are squirming as much as the Tory party. The fact is they hate the BBC and if their party was in power, they'd be calling for nothing short of castration. Instead they're having to accept that the Beeb is still the most trusted news source in Britain. Here's a paragraph taken from a another Telegraph article:

"Taken as a whole, the YouGov survey demonstrates yet again that, however much most people claim to distrust journalists in general, they trust BBC journalists far more than politicians."

The author of the article may well have added "or journalists from any other organisation".

Registration runaround

There are quite a few websites (mainly media/press related) that require registration before they allow access to their content. BugMeNot is an excellent website that gets around this by letting you type in the URL of the site you want to access and providing you with a username and password for the site in question. They haven't got every 'registration-required' site covered yet, but you can add sites and help others out if you want. Alll in all, well worth it when you get an obscure link to a story on a 'registration-required' site and you know you won't be going back there again soon. (Well worth it for the big guys like the New York and LA Times as well!)

Lost for words

"Imagine how different politics would be if debates were conducted in Tariana, an Amazonian language in which it is a grammatical error to report something without saying how you found it out."

Very appropriate right now, though the focus of the New Scientist interview the quote above comes from is how losing a language is like losing a world. If you have an interest in languages, it is well worth the read. As an aside, my two Finnish readers will be interested to read what I have oft been told:

"What's the most difficult language you've come across?"

"It took me 10 years to get the grammar of Tariana. Of course, Finnish is probably harder."

BBC hatchet job

In a choice between the BBC and the government (any government and whatever the shade of politics), I'll take the BBC every time. You can bet your mortgage on the fact that the politicians will be making every effort to curtail the BBC's independence, because it is they that have the most to worry about from a truly free and independent media.

Virus Slam Dunk

The virus to beat all viruses. That's what Mydoom has become. I've taken precautions by deleting all email with executable file and .zip attachments on the server before my email software gets a sniff of the thing. Trust you're all keeping your computers safe.

Apologies for not replying to comments these past couple of days, but things have been hectic.

Virus Slam

Like a lot of other people I'm getting slammed hard by the Mydoom/Novarg virus. Another reason I am glad I inhabit the world of Apple and not Micro$oft. (Not that it makes much of a difference when my email addresses have been compromised on somebody else's computer!)

Trains and trains and trains

If you’re into trains (and I accept none of my readers have shown any such predilection – but hey that’s never put me off salivating on the subject before) then Japan is for you. We’ve got red ones and green ones, yellow ones and blue ones. We call them ‘Thunderbird’ and ‘Mountain Echo’, ‘Light’ and ‘Hope’. We even have one called the ‘Romance Car’ on which they “bring you the ultimate in comfort by making reservations necessary for each seat” (OK that’s a bit of a stretch even for a trigger-happy copywriter). And if none of that tickles your fancy or wiggles your toes for you, they even run on time. What more could you ask for? I’m on the road folks and there ain’t any better road in Japan than the railroad. Let’s hear it for Japan Railways – how a train service should be run.

The difference between man and man

Politics, and particularly politicking, is increasingly all about the soundbite - or in the case of U.S. presidential hopeful Howard Dean, just plain sound. For incumbents it's so easy. Why talk in depth about issues when most of the time that means going on the defensive. That's one reason you've got to give credit where it's due and in this case I'm talking about Tony Blair's meet the people campaign. He's out there facing tough questions from students and others on tuition fees and related subjects. You may not agree with him - and I find I more and more that I don't - but he does take and answer questions. Over the water, however, there's someone who's more interested in talking about ribs.

2 + 2 = how much exactly?

I won't be the only person in blogdom making a connection between these two stories on the Beeb (and elsewhere no doubt). How tenuous you think the connection is will no doubt depend on your political complexion.

"US Vice President Dick Cheney is expected to call for all countries to help with Iraqi reconstruction." Read more.

"Energy services giant Halliburton has admitted that it has fired two members of staff in Iraq for taking kickbacks of up to $6m (£3.3m). American Halliburton has won a lion's share of US contracts to rebuild Iraq. US Vice President Dick Cheney was formerly Halliburton chief executive." Read more.

Life in Japan - the ofuro

On days when the air is razor sharp and the cold is pristine like the ice bought from convenience stores, one aspect of life in Japan is a joy. The bath (ofuro). Tradition (and sense) demand that you cleanse yourself before getting into the tub which today, in the Bloggs household, was heated to 41°C. Soak in it up to the chin for as long as you can take it or until the shouts to get out, because it's someone elses turn, infringe on the daydreaming! Apparently it helps circulation, but more than anything else I don't know a better way of heating the body to the core. A Finnish sauna has way better cleansing attributes, but the Japanese bath warms like no other. There probably isn't a more relaxing way to finish the day. Good night dear readers.

Without sanctuary

"With each encounter, I can't help but think of these photos, and the march of time, and of the cold steel trigger in the human heart."

The words of the author and narrator of a harrowing photo documentary of lynching in America. If you have a fast Internet connection you should see the flash movie, or for slower connections the photo gallery.

I saw this first a few years ago via the Guardian, but found it again today via Boing Boing

Where've you been?

Makes me realise just how little I've actually seen of the world.

Create your own visited country map.

The B-word

In years gone by, walking through customs at Japanese airports was comedic to say the least. Any young foreigner with a ruck sack, or even a beaten up suitcase, would invariably be asked "do you have any drugs?". Believe me, the temptation to say, "yes, you'll find some in the side pocket there", or something equally inane, was strong. Temptation was resisted. Every time. Now, if you are flying to or from the U.S. (or anywhere in these paranoid times) you should not mess around with the 'b-word' under any circumstances. Airport security staff do not take a light view of people joking about having bombs in their baggage. Stupid, stupid girl.

Pet peeves

When I were a lad and a paperboy to boot, one of the things I 'ated most were those houses that 'ad stiff letterboxes, and them with dogs that would take running jump at said letter box trying to separate my fingers from my 'and. I 'ated 'em I did. So imagine, if you so please, a surge of schadenfreude fillin' my whole body when I read this little story about a daft dachshund who got injured trying to attack a leaflet stuck in 'is owner's letterbox. I loved it I did. Shame on me?

Despotic government

'At eighty-one, Franklin was too feeble to address the convention on its handiwork, and so a friend read for him the following words: "I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such: because I think a General Government necessary for us, and there is no Form of Government but what may be a Blessing to the people if well-administered; and I believe farther that this is likely to to be well administered for a Course of Years and can only end in Despotism as other Forms have done before it, when the People shall become so corrupted as to need Despotic Government, being incapable of any other."

From the book Inventing a Nation: Washington, Adams, Jefferson by Gore Vidal (Yale University Press, 2003).

Vidal goes on to add: 'Now, two centuries and sixteen years later, Franklin's blunt dark prophecy has come true: popular corruption has indeed given birth to that Despotic Government which he foresaw as inevitable at our birth'.

Thanks to Stewart for this one.

Update 23-01-04: Some typos have been corrected in the Vidal quote.

I didn't quite catch that - say it again

An interesting insight into what American presidents have given their people (and the world) over the years can be found in this entry called Bragging Rights. Go ... and read to the bottom.

via Pure Land Mountain

Death and the tax office

If Mrs Bloggs and the children were to go away for a few days or weeks (dream perchance to win the lottery!) there is a possiblity that I could die at my desk and no one would find me until they got back. In all the office jobs I've had - admittedly not that many - I think it would have been impossible for me to die and no one notice for even, say, 24 hours. Where is all this leading? To the Helsinki Tax Office, that's where. The only tax office in the world where you can't escape taxes, but you can escape detection if you die on the job.

McSpotlight

Having highlighted the Big Mac Index yesterday, today we put the spotlight on the real thing. Here's what the McSpotlight site is about.

McDonald's spends over $2 billion a year broadcasting their glossy image to the world. This is a small space for alternatives to be heard.

With the battle over obesity taking center stage recently, the McSpotlight site is worth a look for an insight into how multinationals (one in particular) pursue their profits and try and dampen protests against their practices.

Series 2

Started watching the second series of The Office yesterday on DVD and it still has the ability to make me cringe and squirm. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Go here to see some clips.

The Big Mac Index

Wouldn't eat the stuff, but The Economist's Big Mac Index is always worth a chewing over. It is "based on the theory of 'purchasing-power parity'. Under PPP, exchange rates should adjust to equalise the prices of a basket of goods and services across countries". Here that basket is the Big Mac. For example, the cheapest Chinese burger can be bought for $1.23, compared with an average American price of $2.80, suggesting the yuan is 56% undervalued against the dollar. Follow the link to check other disparities.

La-la-la-la-la

Conversation on a recent car journey.

Younger Blogg boy: Dad. If you die in a car accident will we get insurance money?

Dad: Probably.

Younger Blogg boy: We'll make sure you have a big and expensive gravestone.

Older Blogg boy interjects: No, you don't want to do that. We'll buy him a small gravestone and live a la-la-la-la-la lifestyle.

OK, we all burst into giggles at this, but I didn't know which one pleased me more. The younger one who obviously would miss his Dad and want to commemorate him properly when he pops it. Or the older one who is going to fare alright in the world if he keeps that kind of thinking up. (Though of course he's clearly not in tune with the cost of living here if he thinks the difference in price between any two gravestones is going to affect his lifestyle in the future.)

Accent on language

Absolutely no empirical evidence whatsoever to back this next statement up, but English is probably the most accented language in the world? Researchers at George Mason University are putting together a speech accent archive with everyone reading the same sample paragraph of English. I was a little disappointed to hear the recording of the speaker from Birmingham, England. She may have been born there and lived there for 30 years, but that's not the typical Brummie accent. Still some interesting ones in all that. via Boing Boing

While we're on the subject of language, here's a whimsical look at why you shouldn't try and learn Japanese. Thanks to DJ for that one.

Netizens

"The typical Internet user is an avid reader of books and spends more time engaged in social activities than the non-user. And, television viewing is down among some Internet users by as much as five hours per week compared with Net abstainers."

That's what a study carried out by the UCLA Center for Communication Policy reckons, but does the above describe you adequately?

Some observations

Leg injury notwithstanding, I've always felt I'll know when I've grown old when I can't run up stairs anymore. Recently the dodgy ankle has prevented this anyway, but improvement is slow as it is sure. I was able to put an equal amount of weight on both feet while running up a short flight today. Young ... until the next sporting accident anyway.

Can there be anything as pure as a child's joy? Last night the youngest Blogg worked himself into a frenzy of joyous anticipation after putting a whoopee cushion under his English teacher's cushion. His joy was a greater joy to watch. His teacher didn't fall for it. :+(

Can there be a bigger bugger in life than when one's email software decides to call it a day? It died last night and I'm stuck for now. The diagnosis continues and at least it appears not to be a hardware problem - despite having dropped the ntoebook computer on the floor from a height of about one metre! Bugger and double bugger.

Red and round

Enuff of the long posts. The Mars Rover has sent back an excellent 360° panoramic view of the red planet.

Jimmie's chant

A rushed read, but well worth it. The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith is as tight a novel as you are likely to find anywhere. Not only do you get a thorough grounding of the state of race relations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through the story of the eponymous Jimmie, but the sparse 178 pages handles Australia's approach to Federation pretty well too. A Google search might throw some light on these two cryptic sentences from the 'Publisher's Preface'.

It is very much a product of its time - it is a work whose story is told from the perspective of a black man but is written by a white man. Keneally in no way renounces the work, but acknowledges that if he were to tackle it in 2001, it would be more appropriately told through the eyes of one of the white characters.

Although Jimmie is portrayed very sympathetically - at least with as much sympathy as an axe murderer is ever going to get - it is clearly not just seen through his eyes. We definitely hear other voices and all the characters are well rounded in a literary sense. And why would Keneally even think of renouncing the book? Even though it was well received both critically and commercially, one wonders if it didn't ruffle some feathers - either in the Aboriginal community or in more conservative Australia. Though why that would be, I'm at a loss to say. There wasn't really anything new in this book - most people will not need to do searches on Google to find out about the plight of the indigenous population in Australia's modern history - but it is still worth a read to gain an insight on what appears to be the insatiable appetite of humans to pour scorn and hatred on those we percieve to be different from and beneath us.

Definition of fascism

Apropos to nothing in particular here's a letter to the Editor of the North County Times in San Diego and Riverside counties, California. (If you click on the link, you'll need to scroll down the page to see the letter on the NC Times site itself.) No, I'm not an avid reader of the NC Times, but rather found it via some of the discussion that ensued on the site I linked to in the 'Just passing it on' post a couple of days ago. I'm going to quote it in full here in case the NC Times takes it off its site sometime in the future. It's just a shame that Mr. Clausen (the author) doesn't actually quote his sources, but then again what you'll read below is also pretty much borne out by this dictionary.com definition.

Recent letters comparing Hitler, Mussolini, Saddam Hussein and the Bush administration sent me to the library for a definition of fascism, the political scourge that almost destroyed Europe in the 1930s and 1940s. According to various sources, fascism is a government that often achieves power through political assassinations or rigged elections; initially poses as the champion of democracy even as it undermines democratic principles; is so nationalistic and excessively patriotic that disagreements with government policies are viewed as treason; controls the media so the people will support the government; coarsens the national dialogue with inflammatory rhetoric; relentlessly attacks the messengers of alternative points of view until they are silenced; uses secret police to spy on the population and eliminate opposition; undermines constitutional rights so the government will have absolute control over the people; stresses the superiority of one's country; promotes internal and external enemies as the sources of evil; sacrifices public interests to corporate interests; funnels a nation's wealth into the military and weapons-producing corporations; keeps the people in a permanently warlike state of mind; and eventually centers all power in a single party headed by a dictator with absolute power over the people.

DENNIS M. CLAUSEN
Escondido

Visitation rights - extended version

Poor grandmamma was terrified.
"They're going to visit me!" she cried.
And she was absolutely right.
The Bloggs visited her on Saturday night.
But Grandmamma was small and tough,
And she cried, "Enough's Enough".
You come but twice a year,
And yet you expect me to supply you with meat and beer?"
"We love you Grandma. We love you dearly.
We'd come more often. If we could. We would. Really.
But come now, hurry up dear.
You know why we're really here."
The old girl smiled, one eyelid flickers.
She whipped her purse out from her knickers.
The children got their otoshidama money.
The parents got the bill. It wasn't funny.
But all ended well and in festive cheer.
When Grandmamma brought out the blessed beer.
"We'll come again soon." "You promise?" "We do.
But next time we want meat, beer, sushi and ... a heater too!"

With apologies to Roald Dahl.

Just passing it on

I know I've been putting up a fair amount of contentious stuff recently (by my standards anyway), but it does rather reflect how I'm feeling at the moment. I really do wonder when I'll go to the United States again. I do want to go. It is a great country in so many ways and even if it does sound trite in the "some of my best friends are - insert a minority group you have no friends from" way, the fact is some of my best friends are American. Anyway, anyway, Lisa found this article in a blog somewhere and told people to pass it on. So I am. It's good. It's bloody good. Let me quote you a lengthy passage.

This morning's gem of logic comes from the man who acts as the spokesman for government affairs for the US travel industry.

But here, in a nutshell, Mr Government Affairs Spokesman, is my problem with this whole thing. Lots of people reading this journal are Americans; I know many of them on a personal basis, love some of them dearly, and certainly bear no malice towards anyone else. But you see, the way my life runs, the security of the American people, even those I know and love, is not a constant and present consideration. I don't get up in the morning and think 'gee, what can I personally do to improve the security of the American people today.' Yes, I think about it from time to time, and seriously, but honestly it figures fairly low on my daily agenda. Consequently, if I'm to be fingerprinted, photographed, iris-scanned, weighed, poked, prodded, stripped naked, denied access to sanitation, handcuffed if I so much as raise my voice to complain, and generally humiliated because of your government's Patriot Act, I do not anticipate that I will be comforting myself with the thought that, hey, it's okay because I'm doing my bit to ensure the security of the American people. No, really, I won't.

Now, click that link up there to read on, and pass it on why don't you.

30 second political ads

It's election year - in the States anyway - and as we all know the war chests the candidates put together are mainly used for that 30 second soundbite on TV. Bush in 30 seconds is a competition website where they've asked people to give their opinion on Dubya in just such a medium. Although the organisers say they are "NOT looking for the same old slick political ads from Washington media consultants", what they've ended up with is exactly that. You may disagree with the message (or you may not!), but I think you'll be impressed with what amateurs can do with digital video cameras, editing software and a burgeoning imagination.

Thanks to Charles for the link.

Getting out there

As I sat writing my New Year's cards in the middle of December last year a definite theme emerged in what I wrote to those living far away (i.e. outside of Kyoto) ... that 2004 was going to be the year of meeting the people. It has been way too many years since I've seen some friends and I'm going to pull out the stops and get out there and see some of you. The first of these visits will be to see a friend who now only lives 45 minutes away by bullet train and whom I haven't seen in almost 15 years. We met in a group on the Trans-Siberian a loooong time ago and are probably the only two still in touch from that trip. Of course, if I can't get out there to meet you, you're always welcome here. How about it?

They want a bigger car park still

I've complained only very recently about the horrible traffic problems in London. Back here in Japan it has been an absolute pleasure to get into the car and not be confronted with parked cars on both sides of the street. The Daily Telegraph seems to think we can have our cake and eat it. More cars, it thinks, is the answer, not less. God help them (the Brits).

No bark from the Beagle

Anyone else feel sad about the apparent failure of the European Beagle project? Failure in terms of no response from the probe that landed on Mars on Christmas day that is. At least NASA's Rover Mission is going well and sending back excellent pictures. And talking about NASA images, can there really be any doubt that there is life out there when you see pictures like these.

Quarantine

Lisa recently highlighted this story on how dissent is quarantined in the United States. The difference between what they're doing and what the authorities in the Soviet Union did in the past is that the communist regime didn't pretend to humour free speech.

Lawks

Is there is anything as blissful as jet-lagged induced sleep? The Blogg boys are currently inhabiting their own dreamland and I'll be joining them soon. They've done well so far - managing to sleep through to 6.30am on their first morning and going to school some 13 hours after arriving home from the airport. Lawks - as one email correspondent said in a recent missive!

Check-out anytime you like

Remember when all the bad boys in the school would congregate in the toilets (or around the bicyle sheds) for a quick and illicit smoke? This happened for a while on commercial aircraft after smoking was prohibited on international flights. Well it isn't just health-minded headmasters who want to stop that practice of 'congregation'. The U.S. government is stretching its paranoia of the skies to new limits by asking airlines to stop passengers queing for the loo on flights to the United States. Flight crew are being told to act as 'toilet police'. I guess you'll have to take a ticket and wait at your seat until you're called. What exactly do they hope to achieve by this? If they're not happy with security on the ground before the plane takes off they should ban flights from that country. Easy. No one gets in and no one gets out. That's what they really want. Isn't it?

Solving London's transport problems

Here's a radical idea (nothing short of radical is going to make even a dent) for solving London's transport problems. Bulldoze every house and turn the whole place into an even bigger car park than the place effectively is now. People seem to be so happy to be stuck in their cars for hours on end, that it takes only a small leap to the next step of actually living in them. Note that I didn't say bulldoze every building. It would be OK to leave the buildings the people work in and a few thousand communal baths and voila the people can go on buying cars at a faster rate than they already are. If knocking down the houses alone doesn't do the job, they can then go on to the parks and commons. And I thought Japan had it bad!

Speech, Speech

I become a godfather for the first time in my life tomorrow and I've been asked to say a few words after the ceremony. I am quite looking forward to it, but suggestions and PC jokes (no Windows ones please!) gratefully accepted via email!

Happy New Year

A very Happy New Year everybody. I hope 2004 is a good one for you all. Back from the eternal rain of climes southern and now it's the hectic run-in to the return.