Here is this weekend’s Open Thread in which readers are invited to let loose and discuss things that have been on their minds, regardless of whether or not they are on topic.
Rules are very loose for open thread posts, usual restrictions concerning topic matter do not apply. Feel free to sound off about anything you like.
I like kittens!
Discuss.
Kittens are nice. But puppies are nicer. Unless yours happens to like eating its own feces. But seriously, if I wasn’t allergic to cats, I might have gotten a kitten. As it is, I’ve got two dogs instead.
This week we had a few reports about Japan’s struggles to meet is Kyoto Protocol obligations.
Check out some of the quotes in this U.S. Senate Report on 400 prominent scientists who dispute claims about man-made global warming.
Can’t wait for this global warming phenomenon to finally arrive on the local scene. It isn’t even the winter solstice yet, and the snowbanks on my front lawn are higher than I am.
Can’t wait for this global warming phenomenon to finally arrive on the local scene. It isn’t even the winter solstice yet, and the snowbanks on my front lawn are higher than I am. (Yes, I am aware that this little anecdote hardly refutes the theory of global warming. But while I’m not really old enough to recall, I believe that the big environmental concern back in the seventies was a fear of an impending ice age.)
Dogs - can’t take the dog-love. The big eyes. The wanting to please or be pleased by you, the barking and the smell.
Cats - can’t take the “4AM kitty love”. The damned things don’t sleep at night like all of God’s creatures (including me) are suppose to, they either tolerate you (or mostly not) or shed all over while they rub up against your formerly black pant leg in a blatant attempt to get something out of you.
Fish - they swim in their own toilet. ‘Nough said.
If I’m getting a pet, it had better make at least as much lousy salary as me, picks up after itself and leaves me alone for at least an hour a day before any rubbing commences… .
Dogs have masters, cats have staff.
Seven great medical myths
We have three dogs here in the US (I am home for Christmas). Way too many.
So what are you doing to prepare for Christmas? I’m trying to teach my J-Wife about the joy of giving, not just about getting stuff you don’t necessarily want.
you got an STD? Gross.
http://www.reason.tv/roughcut/show/200.html
The only thing I give to people nowadays are donations made in their honour to charities I think they’d approve of. This gets me out of shopping in stores and seems to stun the people. Like, you know, they’d never thought of donating to charities or organizations before?
Oh, and girlfriend’s getting an airline ticket to hope over here for a day before heading on back home to L.A.
I’m trying really hard to get people to stop giving me stuff. I don’t need it, I probably don’t really want it and, you know, just donate the cash instead to a worthy cause since I, myself, am not terribly worthy when it comes down to it.
However, now that I’ve bought myself a new 8G iPod nano, nobody’s getting anything (except the airline ticket). Apparently, the girlfriend’s getting me something. But she’s really the only person I know who gets me fun crap or something I’ll actually wear so she can keep those presents coming.
However, this is the first year in a looooooong time that I’m actually going to make, well, not a New Year Resolution. More like ‘flick out the credit card and buy and suffer the financial and emotional consequences if you don’t follow through with it.’ (i.e. getting a gym membership).
God. I hate going to the gym and I haven’t even figured out which one it’ll be yet.
There’s one: anyone willing to offer up for the bemusement of readers their own New Years Resolutions?
Well, Bwoo, you could always buy your friends a Starbucks. . .
Or is that what you do to your enemies. . . ?
I enjoy going to the gym, it’s the best part of my day. So much so, I’ve been half-seriously contemplating the option of going twice a day.
That “Seven Great Medical Myths” has the one about cellphones interfering with medical equipment, something still widely believed by Japanese. They also haven’t caught wind of the climate change skepticism, have they?
I wonder if there is a TV show in Japan dedicated to refuting all the bogus ideas that most Japanese people believe, like a Japanese equivalent of Penn & Teller’s Bullshit!
how about an イグアナ (iguana) Betty - they are easy to keep and have a hell of tongue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvOssIZyOtI
*Perfect Pet I’d say*
rem.
and here are some useful tips on how to keep them happy and healthy Betty.
http://homepage1.nifty.com/kimkim1999/iguanatopE.htm
rem.
and this one seems to be the total last word on Iguana Japonicus.
http://www.sagami.ne.jp/yama/yil/yil_e.htm
Please. God in heaven. Don’t tell me Japanese variety shows are filled with screaming prepubescent girls and scared critters… .
Poor iguana. Never did nothing to deserve that fate
So what are Japundits getting (or buying for themselves) for Christmas this year??
I was going to try and pickup one of vittels ero-moneyboxes..(comment#6)
http://japundit.com/archives/2007/03/14/5300/
but thought better of it..so I’ve decided on an Elegant Leather Bondage Mask to give to my Mother-in-Law
http://www.alibaba.com/catalog/11399370/Bondage_Mask_With_Eye_Patch_Mouth_Piece_Ga.html
rem.
Well… it looks like I’m buying girlfriend a plane ticket (except, it’s a seaplane so I have to check with the airline about weight and baggage restrictions).
Got myself tenants insurance - but that was a major hassle I didn’t need during this season. I tried 15 companies. Four refused to insure me outright. Three after finding out I live above a store. My bank’s insurance company wanted to charge me about 75% of the cost of insuring an entire $900 000 house + $100 000 contents. The others were willing to insure… but tacked on a 50% premium because of the store downstairs.
I pointed out to all of them that the store’s been around for more than 30 years, doesn’t have a kitchen and, because it’s a ‘public space’ doesn’t allow smoking on the premises. And I’ve never heard of a box of tomatoes spontaneously combusting. And please don’t tell me if the store was replaced by five apartment units, with five kitchens and tenants who can do whatever they want like remove fire alarms and smoke and cook badly, that *that* is safer and deserves no premium.
Apparently, there is no logic in insurance. I finally found one company that would be willing to do it at a reasonable-ish rate. I made them reconfirm via email that they knew I lived above a commercial enterprise. Of course, they won’t cover anything if the roof leaks or I get bedbugs (again), they’re off the hook. Great. I reckon I’m only covered for break-ins and catastrophic insurance like The Big One. Ack.
I then proceeded to buy an 8G iPod Nano for myself to make things worse… . I need it like I need another hole in the head but, there you go. My one and only consumer moment the whole year, really. But I can’t find any decent video news podcasts. The CNN one doesn’t seem very ’serious’. And iTunes Canada finally got some TV shows. Everything I don’t watch. Unless I get nostalgic. I can download old hockey games. No. I’m not liein’ about it.
haha I bought a copy of Modo http://www.luxology.com my wife was horrified “You paid ju-man-yen for a down-road??”
I bought her diamondo earrings to smooth it over
Japanese Way - China Any Way: http://kk.org/ct2/2007/11/the-way-of-japan-vs-any-way-in.php
The fall across the funniest things when you Stumble! it.