Gary's Boring Blog

Getting Caught by Iraqis a Costly Business

The 3 Japanese hostages caught in Iraq have been asked by the Japanese government to pay for the costs of getting them out. Big debate in Japan about whether it is the responsibility of the government to save its citizens (and bear the costs) or not.

Personally, I agree mostly with Yuki. No-one forced them to go there, they knew the risks, if they had been killed, they would have had some responsibility themselves. Therefore, any costs incurred by the government in getting them out should be paid by the hostage victims. I have no problem with that. I am also pretty sure that they will be able to get decent sums for selling their stories to newspapers, publishers etc, so I don't think they will starve.

In fact, it seems clearer to me than the custom here of the families of suicide victims paying the train companies for cleanup costs.

Click for Japan Times story.

Gucci iPod Mini Case

Gucci is now making a rather ugly case for the hot-selling iPod mini. More interesting than that is the pricing.

U.S. $195
Japan 40,000yen, or almost $400

Who said the Japanese were suckers when it comes to expensive brand-name goods?

Rosie's Weekend

After tiring her out last weekend so much that she had a stomach bug and was a little sick, we decided to give Rosie a well-earned break this weekend.
Here she is enjoying an afternoon nap on the sofa.

Click on the photo for more pictures, including Rosie snacking on her Mum's well-tended tulips.

Boring Gary

As Dirk pointed out today, I rank #1 on Google if you type in boring and gary. This must be very disappointing for Gary Boring, who I am sure deserves the honour of Google #1 status much more than I do.

http://www.house.gov/ed_workforce/hearings/106th/eer/ud41599/boring.htm

Lessons learned from American TV

I have satellite TV, and can therefore watch LOTS of low-brow American entertainment on TV. I like The Practice, and Boston Public, both of which my friend Peter ridicules for being unrealistic. Well, I'm going to show you how these shows sometimes are realistic.

1)On Boston Public, there was a photography contest, and one student took nude pictures of the neighbourhood kids he babysat. The pictures were charming and innocent, but when a teacher saw them, she spoke to the headmaster/principal, who called in the local authorities and the police. The mother of the children came to thank the children for saving them from this 'beast'. As you know, if you read the British press, there have been 2 instances recently where pressure has been put on art galleries to ban exhibitions which show naked children. In one instance, the gallery stood up for the artist and told the police to get lost, in the other case, the gallery caved in to pressure. Boston Public is perhaps not SO unrealistic...

2)Boston Public again. A white teacher played by Michael Rappaport talks about the origins and uses of the word nigger in his class (apparently this word was, for a long time, not an insulting term). The black principal, enraged, threatens to fire him, stating that he does not have the right to use this word because he is white. A huge debate ensues, which results in the principal, who is black, teaching the class himself. If a black man teaches this material, and uses this word, it is apparently OK.

Ron Atkinson (centre) with football legend John Barnes. Do his parents live in a tree as well, Ron?

Fast forward to the real world, where legendary British football manager and pundit Ron Atkinson is fired by the TV company ITV for remarks he made off air. Apparently Big Ron, who has been known to put his foot in his mouth, said that the Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly was well-known as 'a lazy nigger'. These remarks were not heard in Europe, but in the Middle East, the live coverage was still continuing, and some viewers complained. In the 1990 World Cup, England luckily beat Cameroon after the Cameroon defenders gave away 2 penalties in the last 15 minutes or so. Atkinson said that one of the defenders had 'no brain'. When the other commentator jokingly suggested that the said defender's Mum probably would not like to hear that, Atkinson (off-air, but again, on air in some countries) replied 'well, if she is watching TV up a tree in Africa'.

A couple of things seem clear. Firstly, Atkinson is either a racist, or someone who sees no problem using racial stereotypes. Secondly, unlike the teacher in the drama show, Big Ron (or Big Wrong, as the tabloids screamed today), was not attempting to educate people and get them thinking about the way different races address each other. He is, basically, a fool, and a rather simple one at that. So why the mention of Boston Public...? Well, the debate I read about this issue on a British webpage focused on the use of the word, more than the meaning behind it. Some people even tried to defend Ron by using the etymology argument (it didn't used to be an insult, black people use this word amongst themselves etc...).

I think it is a sad day for English football. Atkinson has brought great pleasure to me and many others with his witterings, but there is no way he should be allowed to continue broadcasting if he is as bigoted as he appears to be.

BBC Story

UPDATE
I listened to Big Ron on the radio this morning - he said that his remark was "unintentional". I think what he meant was that saying it while still on air was unintentional. He lost his job writing for the Guardian as well.

One argument being used in his favour is that he regularly used balck players in his teams when he was coaching. Mmmm. Bit like a record shop owner, circa 1982 or 1983 saying that because he stocks Michael Jackson records, he is not racist. For years, many of the top players in the English game have been black, so I am not sure that this argument holds water...

*I have chosen to write the word nigger here on my page. I could have written n***er, or 'the derogatory n-word used about black people', but since I feel that the power is not in the word itself, but in the feelings and thoughts (often hatred) of those using it, I have chosen to use the 'full' word. If any of my regular readers has a problem with this, please tell me, and I will consider re-writing it.

Broadband Pricing in the UK

-NTL will raise their 1Mb broadband service price from ￡34.99 to ￡37.99

-BT will offer a 2Mb service for ￡38 wholesale, which will equal about ￡50-60 retail

-GG will pay 3500円 or around ￡20 for a 40Mb service, which gives him 13Mb throughput.

Mmmm, wonder where it is best to be as a broadband customer....?

Do Babyblogs violate children's privacy?

...asks the BBC, in a rather tabloid article. Not sure what Kurt, Mark, and Nils think, but here are my views:

1)Do Babyblogs violate children's privacy?

I suppose so, in a way, but only in the same way that taking photos or video footage does. The only difference is the medium of distribution. Putting pictures on a webpage for the whole world to see is definitely less private than showing a photo album to friends or relatives. No argument. But violation? Please, give me a break.

2)But if, in the future, a prospective partner, friend or employer should type the child's name into Google, will they appreciate having so much of their childhood documented for all to read? (BBC)

Will Google exist in 20 years? Will new laws have been passed which forbid the hoarding of huge banks of data, such as long-since defunct web pages? Will all recruiters require this kind of detailed childhood info? Who knows? Not me, and certainly not the folks at the BBC online.

3)"If people don't give out the address of their website to anyone except friends and family, they shouldn't have any problems." John Carr, NCH's internet advisor, quoted on BBC.

Utter nonsense. This guy clearly does not know just how powerful Google and other trawlers are.

4)Perverts might use these pictures.

Yes, they might. They might use pictures of babies/young children from catalogs and magazines. They might watch documentaries about child development and use them for their enjoyment. Might, might, might, might...
I personally see no point in going through life worrying about what all the weirdos in the world might be up to, and I don't think Rosie should either.

Goo in Japan has a whole site dedicated to babies, including a diary section.

Busy Weekend

Photos to be added later, but for a quick rundown:

-we (all 3 of us) went to football on Saturday. I played, the girls chatted and slept. After last week's heroics, we narrowly lost 3-2 to the Dutch Embassy.

-we went to Meiji Jingu on Sunday, to thank the gods for providing us with Rosie, and ask them to do us another favour and sort out her heart problems.

-we then walked to Shibuya, via Yoyogi Park, had a big lunch, and then did a bit of window-shopping. At Zara in Shibuya, Rosie was approached by about 25 young women within about 10 minutes, all screeching "kawaiiiiiiiiiiii" (cute), in a rather shrill fashion. Very tiring.

When we got home, all 3 of us were exhausted, and looking forward to recovering during the week. I never realised how draining it is to play with a small child for long periods!

Rosie's Heart Update

We went to see the heart specialist again yesterday. It looks as though there is not just one problem, the hole in the ventrical wall, or VSD. It is very likely that Rosie also has a tetralogy of fallot, which is a bit more serious. This problem restricts oxygen flow from the heart to the lungs, causing breathing difficulties.

We have to go back again in 2 weeks for a full day of checks and tests. If they do show the TOF problem, then Rosie will need an operation to fix both the TOF and the VSD when she is about 1 year old. Not something to look forward to, but the risks for this kind of operation are slight. Fingers crossed, and I guess I will post another update ina couple of weeks.

Japanese Nakedness

Just in case my list of things that bemuse me sounded too much like a negative rant, here is one of the many things that I think are great about Japan.

As far as I can tell, the Japanese seem to have far less hang-ups about nudity than many Westerners. After our glorious football victory in Tochigi yesterday, we decided to treat ourselves to an onsen on the way home. Most onsen are divided into baths for men and baths for women. However, little girls often get in the bath with their Dads, or little boys with their Mums. Yesterday, there were 2 girls in our bath, one about 5 years old, and the other maybe 8 or 9 years old. They were surrounded by naked men, young and old, of various sizes and shapes. The girls were not fazed in the slightest, and nor were any of the men.

In fact, in many parts of Japan, men and women still bathe in the same baths, without separation by gender. Some examples of mixed baths are listed on the very good webpage of Jens Olsen.

Apparently the only reason that most onsen are separated is because, after World War Two, the occupying Americans found the idea of mixed bathing to be uncouth. Compare this somewhat innocent Japanese attitude to the naked body with that of the US, where an ageing singer's nipple sent ripples of shock around the country, or the UK, where naked pictures of children in art galleries spark police investigations...

Champions!!!

We won the Tochigi Football Tournament at the weekend!!! First time in 4 years we have won a 'proper' 11-a-side tournament!!! Great weekend all round.

Megumi has written about the first day of action over on her blog, click on this photo and there are a couple more, and full details will be on the Saitama Jets webpage soon for anyone interested.

Esumi

Esumi Makiko - just another picture so we don't forget how dumb she and her agent were.

Things that make you go ehhhhhhhh?

I have been living in Japan for a while now. I can speak Japanese fairly competently, and know how to act in most Japanese social situations . Despite this relative level of comfort living here, there are still many things that absolutely baffle me about Japan, Japanese social customs and Japanese people.

Writing my blog for the past year has made me examine many of these quandaries. Here is a short, non-exhaustive, list of Gary's Unanswered Japan Questions:

-why do Japanese car drivers never slow down or stop at zebra crossings?
-why do many Japanese car drivers think it is OK to stop their vehicle ON zebra crossings? Then look puzzled when I gesture to them to get off the bloody pedestrian crossing...
-why do Japanese bicycle riders never use lights at night?
-why, when a large number of the population use bicycles, are there so few facilities for bicycle parking?
-why do many Japanese people sprint from one train to another every morning?
-why don't Japanese people open the windows on trains when the train is really stuffy and sweaty?
-why don't more Japanese companies relocate outside of Tokyo to ease the commuter burden and make their employees happier?
-similarly, why is flexible time not used more in Japanese companies to ease the pain at rush-hour?
-why don't most small roads have pedestrian pathways.
(I went walking with Rosie last week, and her buggy/stroller, whilst narrow, is too wide to fit between the electricity poles and the edge of the road, forcing us to walk in the road, not the poor excuse for a pedestrian space. As the population gets older, and more people use wheelchairs, this problem is only going to get worse).
-why do many Japanese salarymen, who have a poor ability to drink, routinely attempt to consume large amounts of alcohol. Do they think if they keep practising long enough, they will eventually be able to drink like Irishmen?
-why don't Japanese people fight each other more on the trains in the mornings?
-why are the Japanese so fixated with brand names? Is there some deep psychological reason for this phenomenon?
Are they actually more concerned with brand-names than people in other countries? I think so, but have no evidence, apart from the fact that Fendi and Louis Vitton get around 50% of their sales from the Japanese market.
-why do Japanese people pretend to be asleep when a really old lady gets on the train and looks around for a free seat?
-why do so many Japanese smoke? Yes it's a cheap habit here, but it's cheap in Virginia and North Carolina as well...
-why do many Japanese keep so much cash in the house?
-why don't most dentists and hospitals use an appointment system?
-how do Japanese men get so good at folding those large newspapers? Is it origami practise when they are young? It takes me 2 or 3 minutes, on average, to fold my newspaper, and it still looks like it has just lost a fight with an accounting textbook.
-how do small Japanese businesses, especially shops, survive? All the small, independent shops near my house seem to have 3 times as many staff as customers at any given time of the day.
-why do so many Japanese want to learn English? Is English conversation a necessary skill for daily life in Japan?
-jukus (cram schools) - why?

If anyone can help out with answers/theories for some of these problems, I would be very grateful.

Dangerous Doors (part 2)

I mentioned the controversy surrounding automatic revolving doors a couple of weeks ago after a boy died at Roppongi Hills. Dirk pointed out that a similar accident had happened in Germany just a few months ago.

Just to show how temperamental these things can be, yesterday, I was hit by one of these doors. I was the only one inside the doors at the time, and didn't touch the doors. The whole thing suddenly stopped, and recoiled to smash my hand. The security guards asked if I was OK, and immediately made a report to the manufacturers. My hand was just brusied a little, not badly hurt, but it made me wish again that there was another way in or out of the office building I work in.

Sasuke

Last night Sasuke was on TV. For the uninitiated, Sasuke is a kind of 'Japan's Fittest Man' contest, held 2 or 3 times a year and shown on TV. When I was a kid, they used to show 'The World's Strongest Man' on TV in England, and it was a source of much national pride that British shotput thrower (and world budgie-breeding champion) Geoff Capes won now and then.
Sasuke is nothing like 'The World's Strongest Man'.

I first got interested in this show when I saw a documentary about a guy called Yamada, who entered the contest, did pretty well, then basically got addicted to it. He spent all his spare time and money building obstacles similar to the ones used in the show, and practising on them. His wife despaired at this obsession, and eventually she ran out of patience, giving him the ultimatum of choosing between his family and Sasuke. Of course Yamada chose his family, but when he starting training again in secret, his wife walked out on him, taking the kids with her. It was quite tragic.

Anyway, I think Yamada and his wife got back together, and the new hero of Sasuke is almost-man Nagano. He has got to the final stage (quite a feat) twice, but always just failed to complete the last task. Last night, he got the furthest of all the contestants, but again, the final stage beat him.

Not quite sure what it is I like about this show, but it is fairly dramatic. The contestants include Olympic athletes, from volleyball players to gymnasts to swimmers, as well as a few celebrities and a collection of random men and women from a variety of occupations. The successful entrants are incredibly strong, but also have great agility and balance. Just like Geoff Capes, really.

(Geoff Capes is now a motivational business speaker on the 'after-dinner' tour. Sasuke hero Yamada's current occupation is unknown.)

Blogger's Block

Apologies for anyone reading who has been baffled by the lack of action recently on GBB. After my campaign forced international giant Coca-Cola into an about-face on their bottled tapwater Dasani, I have been inundated with requests for interviews by the international media...

I have also changed my internet provider at home, and despite all my best-laid plans, there was a gap of 1 week between the cancellation of the Yahoo BB line and the new provider getting their stuff together. I should be back online today. It was a very frustrating experience, which probably added to my growing collection of grey hairs, but as the wise Dirk said 'just imagine doing this in the UK - then you would know what frustration is all about'.

In other news, I played football at the weekend, for the first time in over 2 months. I slipped a disc in my back, and was seeing a chiropractor regularly. He very kindly put my spine back into shape, so I am now OK to do some gentle exercise. Playing football is probably not that gentle, really, but I managed to hobble around for a while, even scoring our goal (albeit from a penalty!), and getting bashed in the face a couple of times for my trouble.

Rosie and Megumi are both fine and dandy, and enjoying the sunny weather. Rosie has graduated from sucking her fingers to using them to pick things up, and her latest trick is to pull sheets and blankets over her own head.
We are all off to Tochigi this weekend to play in a football tournament - it will be Rosie's Saitama Jets debut.

'Help - my hamster's stuck in my printer'

The danger of keeping pets fully revealed:

Police in Germany were surprised to receive an emergency call from a woman whose hamster was stuck in her printer.

Officers in Flensburg initially thought someone was making fun of them when a distraught woman rang them in the early hours of the morning.

The woman, aged 48, told them her hamster Teddy had crawled into her printer and, being a little chubby, couldn't get out again.

Teddy's owner, who has five hamsters in all, told police she had tried calling out the local animal shelter but had got no reply.

She then phoned her vet, who told her it was more of a case for a printer technician.

Police sent out an officer to help but by the time he arrived, a neighbour had already rescued Teddy who was safely asleep in his cage.
(from Ananova)

The Office

The BBC has a special page dedicated to the wonderful comedy The Office.

Can't wait to watch it all again. Which reminds me - Peter, please give my DVD back...!