Salt Mines

It was fun, but it is over. My summer vacation comes to an end tonight (Yes, Thursday night... I have no idea why I return to work for Friday... Japan is just strange about that...)...

The worst part was resetting my alarm on my computer... just one look at the settings and I get depressed...

No matter how much you love your job, I think there's always a little bit of depression associated with a 6:30 AM wake up call :D

---Me.

Alas, poor Pluto, I knew him...

Pluto has been de-planetized. Thursday the International Astronomical Union decided that Pluto, whom has been part of our 9-planet pantheon, is no longer one of our...um... 9-planet-pantheon...

Pluto -and its 3 moons- are now part of the classification called "dwarf planets" which fits in nicely with the L class star classification "Dwarf Stars".

It's going to play molly-hobb with all of our astronomical definitions, but that's what science is all about :D

Pluto, you stayed a planet for a long time... But you are a planet no more.

---Me.

I declare...

I remember watching "The Hunt for Red October", there was a scene where Sean Connery is talking to Sam Neill. They are talking about escaping to Montana once they defect from the Soviet Union. Sam Neill's character asks, "You don't need papers to go to Montana from Washington?" And he's astonished.

This line was put in to put the situation in Soviet Russia in stark contrast with the Free United States.

Our freedom...

But, really, do we still have freedom?

I used to think this was part of 9/11, but it's not... it's been happening steadily since the 80's. You can't do anything anonymously anymore... if you do, you are instantly thought of as a criminal.

(Not -as it may seem- that you don't want to end up on sales lists as why I typically don't give out my vital data).

Test it out; rent a room at a hotel. Try to order books online, heck, just try to get an old car crushed at the crusher...

You have to have papers, proof that you are not a criminal.

The difference is, of course; without papers you aren't going to be killed as might have happened in Soviet Russia, but you can't do anything without papers.

Maybe that, in itself, is nothing to worry about... but...

Now, you can't fly anymore without being thoroughly searched, intruded upon. Upon entering an airport you are now surrendering your constitutional rights...

Did anyone notice that?

Amendment IV:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

I saw no warrant for my search at the airport… I don’t think they have probable cause to search Maia…

Now, the counterpoint I hear is: "Then would you rather be blown up?"

Here's the twist: Yes. Damn straight, and so should you.

We are all willing to fight for freedom, but are we ready to die for freedom? Maybe you never thought of it that way, maybe you have seen that as a given… but either way, we need to see it as it is. Bluntly. It is time to make this choice now. We need to make that decision. I truly wish it weren’t so, but it is. Either we get ready to die for our freedom, or we sacrifice freedom for our lives. There isn’t a middle-ground. It doesn’t exist.

I think we have forgotten what it means to die for freedom. It means to die. Not to send someone else over to some obscure country to die... it means we need to know we might, ourselves, die at any moment.

So, would I rather be blown up in an airplane than have to surrender my fourth amendment rights? Every part of my logical, rational mind says NO! ...But my heart says yes… and in the end, my heart is right.

9/11 wasn't a war against 3,000 people in a tall building in New York, it was a war against us. Terrorism means that we are -all of us- legal targets in this war. Anytime, anywhere. It won’t happen because you chose to get into a “Terrorist-bombing-zone”. It can now happen anywhere. My house, your house, my city, my airplane flight. Like London or Brussels in World War II, the next bomb just might have your name on it.

Sacrificing freedoms will not protect us in the end, because every time we sacrifice one freedom to stop one plot, they find a way around it for the next one.

…There are an infinite number of terrorist plots… and a finite number of freedoms… it’s a lousy trade.

We don't give up and we don't give in, but we can't destroy the Constitution.

We need to stop retreating and take a stand.

If this is a war, than it is a war. There will be casualties. I might be one of them; you might be one of them. Do I want this? No, of course not. Our forefathers were not idiots; they didn’t want to die, either. But we need to face it. Not shy away and look away. It's tough to think about the remifications of this statement, but it is true.

I don’t want to die. But if I do, I don’t want to die feeling that my country sees me also as a terrorist. Giving me that cold, dispassionate stare as it examines every inch of me, insuring that I will not hurt it.

"This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory."

---Franklin D. Roosevelt; First Inaugural Address. Saturday, March 4, 1933

If, as George Bush has said, this is a war against freedom then we need to evaluate our losses, not in men and women, but in ideals. This isn't a war against men and women, this is a war against ignorance, arrogance, intolerance and ideals.

Mister President, please do everything in your power to stop this war. If this means negotiation, compromise, or gunfire, then so be it. Let me draw the line at destroying freedom in the process though for the enemy does enough damage as is. We don't need to help them. I declare now, that I am willing to lay down my life in the process of saving freedom for all. As awful a concept as that may be, it is far worse to let them win over us. However, should I lose my life in this war, do not let me die in vein. Protect what we stand for.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are winning every one of the battles, but we are losing the war.

---Me.

Essence of Japan

Toride (Toh-ree-day) city, the same city as the dragonfly below, on the same day (Though markedly later in the evening). We passed under a track with this long-distance train (tokkyu) waiting at a red light for the tracks to clear.

Japan lives and dies by the train. There are trains everywhere, some (Like this one) Are Densha (Electric Trains, you can tell by the "scissor" frame that sticks up from the cars and touches the suspended wires). Others, usually further out from Tokyo, are Diesel (Ressha). But millions upon millions of Japanese (And a spatttering of us foriegners :D), travel these trains every day. Japan has one of the best public transportation systems in the world.

Some trains still wait at red lights, though... and thus I get to take pictures you wouldn't normally see. :)

---Me.

Dragonfly Alight

This dragonfly just sat there, waiting for me to take it's picture. I even managed to get within 4 feet of it. It never moved, but rather just waited for me to take this picture.

We were at a temple in Toride, a rather large town near Tokyo.

You know, my mother was very fond of dragonflies. She adorned much of her office with pictures of dragonflies, I'm pretty sure that they were very high on her medicine wheel.

I didn't really think of it before, but dragonflies never stay still for long (They are, after all, food for many creatures). This one stayed on this flower for 45 seconds, poised, long enough for me to get the "perfect shot".

It was a very spiritual place, this Buddhist temple.

If you'll forgive a little "Spiritual Hoo-Haw", I'd like to believe that this was a little message from mom.

Hi mom...

---Me.

So long old friend

The Grumman F-14 Tomcat has finished it's very distinguished tour for the Navy. The last flight occured off the deck of the USS Teddy Roosevelt.


Atlantic Ocean (July 28, 2006) – Aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), an F-14D Tomcat assigned to the "Tomcatters" of Fighter Squadron Three One (VF-31), aircraft number 112, completes the final catapult launch of an F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft. The last launch marks the end of an era for Naval Aviation. The F-14 will officially retire in September 2006, after 32 years of service to the fleet. Theodore Roosevelt is completing Joint Task Force Exercises with USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Nathan Laird

Of course, the F-14 may be more familiar to everyone as the planes that Tom Cruise flew in "Top Gun". I will always remember it as the planes operating off of the deck of the U.S.S. Nimitz in one of my favorite movies "The Final Countdown" (This would be the plane that "played" with the Zeroes)

So long Tomcat, So long.

---Me.

A place for everything...

Yes, but where?

---Me.

A night with the Silver Screen

So Maia and I decided to go see a movie here. This came about from multiple reasons; 1) The new Studio Ghibli movie "Tales from Earthsea" has just come out, and... well I can't sit around and not see that...

and 2) MyTown, even though it is a small, little, unknown town here... has the only theater within 50 km... I don't know why that is, but it is.

Besides, Maia had never been to a movie here before, and, of course, neither had I, so this sounded like an excellent opportunity.

Thus, with this, we walked over to the theater (It's a 3 minute walk from my apartment).

First, I'll give you an impression of the theater, then I'll give a review on Earthsea...

One might wonder, what would a Japanese theater be like? Well, I can tell you; it's like the old 80's style theaters, except immaculately clean. No stadium seating, and no THX.

The lobby was where we ran into the first set of interesting things; first of all, as Yogurt from Spaceballs said; "This is where the real money for the movie is made; merchandising!" There was merchandising from the two big movies out now (Pirates 2 and Earthsea). You could buy a Coke, Popcorn, a Pencil case with Jack Sparrow on it and the Earthsea Soundtrack all for $35.00. The movie counters has glass cases in front of them, and where we have candy in ours in America, they have the storybooks, and the postcard packs with pictures from the movies...

Come to think of it, I really don't think it's a bad idea...

As we came up to the ticket counter, I noticed the sign that had the movies and their playing times, also had their trailers running on the screens too... So, just above the ticket counter ladies' heads were the showtimes and little trailers of the movies playing... That was pretty cool.

We went to the "Very Late" showing (Which is for 18 and older only)... it started at 8PM...

Because it was the Very Late Showing, however, the tickets were 1/2 price... which meant they were $10 instead of $20 per person... Which is where Japan has already beaten America...

However, a Large Coke (Which is a Medium in America) was $1.50, two Cokes and a Popcorn cost us about $8.00... I haven't seen prices like that since the 80's...

So, we go into the theater and sit down. Immediately I notice that the seats have cup holders... that were designed in America... so our "large drinks" swam in the cup holder... (It was obviously designed for American XL cups... because it was just way over the top huge...

The movie started, and just as in America, there were previews (However, unlike America, there were no ads).

But the previews were for every movie that was being advertised outside in the lobby... there was a horror flick, followed by a preview for "Over the Hedge" (Which will be coming out here in November), followed by a bizarre movie about Udon (Yes, the noodles... it actually looks really funny), followed by a preview for a Sci Fi flick and then a romantic comedy. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for it.

But that was okay, for once I saw Totoro (The sort of universal "Studio Ghibli" icon), I was all ready for a great ride.

Now on to my review of "Tales From Earthsea".

I don't usually get to review movies (At $20 a pop, you can sorta see why) like my friend Evan does. And it gives me great happiness to be able to say "Nanny Nanny Boo Boo" to my friends back home because I get to see Ghibli flicks waaaay before you guys do...

That said, I have to wait 6 months to see Over the Hedge... so it's a very very small victory.

Okay, Tales from Earthsea.

Based on the Ursela K LaGuin Novels, Tales From Earthsea seems to be a segment somewhere in the middle of the series (I take this from Maia whom has read these books). It is the first time Goro Miyazaki (Hayao Miyazaki's son) has helmed a movie (The Elder Miyazaki is still working on the next project). As a first time out, it is a pretty good movie.

The problem is that Studio Ghibli isn't a "Pretty Good" Studio.

I felt the animation didn't pop as much as it has in the past (Howl's Moving Castle managed to blow me away with the animation quality and I'm a seasoned animation person). It seemed flat, and the camera angles were not very inspired.

The backgrounds were beautiful, of course, and those stole the movie.

After watching Howls' and agreeing with Maias complaint that they deviated from the original story too much, I loathe to say this, but... It was too much like the books... I really felt that the movie could have benefited from a funny round old woman, or a airplane-flying-pig or soot-balls with eyes... There was (Ironically), very little magic in the story. Something that makes Ghibli flicks mystical...

That said; it was still very much above average animation (Ghibli is so far above everyone else in animation that even when they are having a bad day it's still better than the average fare), and the story was very engaging, if just a little simple.

The Music was very different. Goro decided not to use Joe Hisahashi (The normal Ghibli composer), but instead went for a more medieval, almost Irish feel to the music, which is very good, but does tend to paint the movie in a very different, and unfamiliar light. The soundtrack by itself, however, is beautiful, and I bought it the very next day.

Using Evan’s scale of grading, and factoring Howl’s Moving Castle into the mix, I give Earthsea a B. It’s definitely worth watching, and it was very much worth $10…

---Me.