stipend comments

A copper doesn't know enough law to stand up for himself? Perv or not whatever light reaches the retina.. And what if he had been sketching?

Does he upload to a porn site or something? There must be more to it. I bet he was hanging upside down drooling on these poor people. Now that would be a nuisance!

Yeah write an article and state the obvious. How do you still have your job?

Maybe because he's self employed?

herefornow says Christmas is superficial and materialistic. Why cry? Make it the day you want it to be. Some people do cos-play, some like hotels. So what?

I once paid a fortune for, and fought hoards of women for one of the last Christmas cakes here one Christmas Eve on the way to meet my date. I'm glad to have had that experience but never again! There was so much Christmas junk stuck into the top of that thing.. Santa, elves, part of a house..

It's evolving, always has been. Before it was the outrageously expensive dinner shows. Now not so much. Love hotels used to be seedy and tacky and that's mostly changed. For the young, as far as I can tell, it's always been about the date. Maybe this says something about sydenham's age (?) or maybe the outstanding people he's hanging out with.

At any rate, may peace be yours.

Well I'm here, for now, and I think everybody is.. "special" It's that time of year :-) And everybody's Christmas can be special too ;-)

My first few years here it was bizarre but that's the beauty of it. It is a challenge. To look at Christmas in a completely different light. In NA you almost can't. People would think you had rocks in your head. If Christmas has been stolen it's by the marketing machine over there which switches into super-hyper-drive. It's mind control. Wasn't Boxing Day a holiday at one time? A quiet day of rest? Turkey sandwiches? Kicking back with kin? Now most of my family SKATTERS! to overcrowded malls. And I have to go there if I want to spend time with them.

I vote for Japan. In NA there is nothing like being in the thick of it elbow to elbow with the heard, all eager shoppers but then there's the stress. The constant bombardment of advertisers and media telling us how we need to be perfect, how we need to be happy. Uh.. ok.. how we need to be nice. Everybody's busy, or pretending to be. Everyone is under stress yet everyone's supposed to be happy? It's just a day.

Christmas comes from the heart and it can be any day. It is what you make of it.

If I miss family or friends this time of year experience reassures me that it's much much better to go visit and spend the real quality time at any other time of the year. And that's what I do.

It is peculiar in Japan how at the stroke of midnight Christmas Eve all the decorations can disappear and suddenly.. they're all New Years decorations! That's cool! :-)

I'm surprised he didn't suggest washing your clothes in cold water.

Or you could live in a lean-to fashioned entirely from Grande Latte cups, like I do.

Great idea. Hey, you know I think I've seen your place.

In the year of the ox I predict Smart Partners goes belly up -along with the economy. Here is my list of suvival tips (all tested):

1) If you gotta go somewhere: walk, it's amazing how healthy you'll be

2) If you miss last train: set up some cardboard

3) If you need a good Mt bike: yahoo auction from 1000 yen or ask around, Japan is the land of over consumption and unloved Mt bikes

4) If you run out of food: ask at the bakery for a bag of bread crusts (likely free, great for French toast, oven pizza)

5) If you gotta have beer: brew your own, cheaper, healthier and tastes great

6) If the power company cuts you off: cook rice in the stairwell until you get it sorted out

7) To bathe: boil some of the water on the stove, more efficient, Bonus: it warms your room

8) To watch movies: find a sympathetic friend with a Tsutaya mail out account and borrow their DVDs Also: Newer city libraries in your area may have movies with viewing booths (cool outing)

9) In case the world economy does come to an end: keep money out of the bank, keep some in an envelope under the tatami.

And last but not least: 10) Have a supply of gold and silver to be able to barter your way onto the last seat of the last plane out of here.

Disclaimer: for amusement purposes only ;-)

USB to warm food? That's ITSA (IT-Stone Age). Their site also shows a heated USB mouse - and that's going on my wish list :-)

changing a couple of genes (proteins) ain't gonna kill you!

The genie gets out and there is no bringing it back.

Since when did subsistence farming cost anything? Patented GM seed DRIVE people to starvation.

Pro-GM people should go study economics and have a reality check with the physical results of their science.

http://www.greenlivingtips.com/blogs/287/Monsanto-and-GMO-crop-video.html

http://www.peace-winds.org/en/index.html

Ah, financial statements! Always a good sign. Mission statement, code of conduct. All there. Projects, activities and annual report. Great!

I'm going to have to get to know these people.

Closer to topic.. Along the coast of Ehime in the inland sea anywhere there's easy road or trail access beaches are hideous. It is very disheartening because you can see how nice it could be. There are hidden gems tho. Tiny unspoiled coves and sandy beaches but you really have to look for them and be creative often in getting to them.

Japan has a very strict recycling system which is maintained not only at a government level but also by local communities.

Recycling is a misnomer in Japan. Burnables go out one day, plastics the next but who is to say they don't go to the same place? Call your city office and see what they're doing. Plastics burn at a higher temperature and they like to control that at the incinerator.

Glass is collected where I am but it's crushed going into truck. Clear glass, blue glass, and any refillable bottles picked up are lost too (think beer and 1.8 sake bottles). But that at least is getting recycled.

There is a huge social stigma and shame handed out by residents to those who don’t do the right thing and dispose of their trash in the correct manner.

Really? I haven't seen it. -Here's to wishful thinking!

It's an elegant building -and it's a bottle open!

I don't understand why they call Mori "visionary"??

Right! Like first show me the bottle of beer this thing opens!!

Keep it high. I'll gladly pay more for produce if the high gas reduces people idling, feet up, sleeping, engines running with abandon.

Hmm.. no change so far..

noborito. So with the return trip that's like an extra 12hrs/yr languishing in your car? Switch to short lattes, mate! You'll likely save as much money and you'll enjoy less stress. :-)

These suits cost more than $200 I'll guarantee! And China ain't cheap. Been there lately? $15 buys boxer shorts! These days there's better shopping in Japan.

So what is Peace Boat’s efficiency? Donating money, effort, or time to an organization that’s a top issue. Japan Grace gives up nothing.

And why should they? They’ve got this young, energetic, altruistic minded volunteer work force that churns over with every uni grad date (like they say on the farm: there'll always be more in the hopper)

What part of Japan Grace’s bottom line do they make up is what I want to know.

Volunteer? Call it what it is. It’s work in-kind!

I have met plenty of Peace Boaters. Before, during, after their cruise and many speak of disillusionment. Yeah, an experience but not what they were lead on to think it would be.

btw. Peace Boat was detained in New York for safety violations this month by the Coast Guard. A good thing? More time for shopping perhaps. Checked some blogs to see how Peace Boaters #62 are perceiving their present cruise.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601110&sid=aYiiF8kEdmAw

Grassroots interactions? On PB? LOL! Pay extra for their study program.. they'll have foreign speakers flown in for you. Really. But with anywhere from 300 to 800 people on board tho what are the chances?

It's a cruise ship. Passengers stay in their "bubble" and most of them the whole trip. They have fun but remember, PB is a just for profit business (and personally, one I think is hanging by a thread).

Most PB port calls are NOT two days as this article.. ahem, infomercial incorrectly claims. And unfortunately many of the ports are simply too far from anything to be able to get out and back on your own. But PB has an arranged tour if you pay extra. Until they find better leadership PB is just a business.

Peace Boat is not what they would have you believe. PB is part of Grace Japan, a tour company.

Most of what they do is shrouded in mystery because they are "a private company." No transparency, no annual report of accounts. This I'm sure keeps a lot of reputable NGO from working with them.

PB sales offices are filled with fresh faced "volunteers" working in exchange for a reduced fare or for some even free passage. Huh.. so much for being altuistic, although that is what does brings a lot of them in. Is everyone an activist? Does everyone worry about Artice 9? Hardly at all in my experience.

PB is the rock bottom of world cruises. The older generation likes it because it's cheap and the ship conveniently is all Japan-centric.

One brochure I collected said:

"Join by (a date) and PB will donate 500 yen to (an environmental group)"

The ticket at that time was 1,000,000 yen!!

Right! Show us how much you care!