Greetings and salutations!

Wow! It has been about a month and a half since my last update but, my, how things have changed! Brace yourself – this is going to be a rather large update (click here for the latest photos)! I do want to start things off by sending out ongoing birthday wishes to my brother, Jeremy, who turned 23 on Nov. 1st – Happy Birthday bro!

NEWS FLASH

I’ve been hesitant to make this announcement ‘official’ as I have been waiting for some information to be confirmed but, as I alluded to in a prior post, I will indeed be moving to Israel in early 2007 to work for a technical documentation office in northern Israel. In the immediate term this means that my life will likely become insanely busy for the next while. More details to follow…


Of the World at Large

As usual there has simply been much too much going on to even attempt any sort of intelligent synopsis or analysis. I do want to comment on a few specifics though:

On the recent US Elections (in which Democrats took control of both houses of government) – America ceased to be a democracy a long time ago so I really find little in this event to provoke any response of interest. I will say, though, that the most significant shift in the status quo came with the ‘resignation’ of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

Mr. Rumsfeld, as head of the American military machine as well as a White House fixture for more than a quarter of a century, was arguably more powerful than the POTUS (President of the United States) and certainly directly responsible for shaping much of current US military (read foreign) policy. Differing views of said policy are, of course, a matter of great, ongoing debate. I’m simply fascinated by the way the present administration has repeatedly prompted embarrassing conclusions to the political careers of such prestigious individuals as Rumsfeld and, more strikingly, former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Of course, it is also worth mentioning that, with the election of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the US government has its first ever female (and Italian-American) Speaker of the House (3rd in line for the Presidency); truly a historic achievement.

On the current state of global security - The West seems to be doing relatively OK – but it seems like the rest of the world is pretty much sinking into absolute chaos. Iraq grows more desolate by the hour, Iran continues to move toward its nuclear goals unchallenged, adding more pressure to the lynch pin that is the never-ending Israeli/Palestinian conflict which everyone (East and West) continues to so grotesquely abuse for their own purposes. Parts of Africa remain in states of absolute terror and North Korea has risen to haunt the world yet again. (It just keeps getting better, doesn’t it?)

Now Syria has engaged diplomatic relations with Iraq and the government in Lebanon is on the verge of collapse. (I’m not even trying to be negative here.) Meanwhile, Israel continues making incursions into Gaza and also continues making “errors” (equipment, human, or otherwise) which kill innocent people prompting statements of “regret” while refusing to properly address concerns related to land rights in the region or its recent actions in Lebanon. These tactics, along with the ongoing terrorism conducted by Hamas, Hezbollah, and other groups, only serves to prove that the various governments of the region have no real interest in achieving long term peace. We’ll close this segment with a reference to the sudden ‘rash’ of Russian spy boondoggles, one in Canada and one in the UK…just like old (or is that cold?) times.


Of Japan

My dad and uncle are coming out for a visit over the New Year break; I am very excited about this, of course. We are planning to tour the Kansai area including Kobe, Kyoto, Nara, and Hiroshima, as well as to attend the sumo tournament taking place in Tokyo in early January. One thing I forgot to mention as well, I’ve been engaging in a sort of language exchange for the last several weeks which has proven to be a real blessing during my time here.

Takako has arrived in Osaka and it was wonderful to see her after another year. Having learned from mistakes of the past, I do not discuss the details of my relationships on this blog but I do want to tell you about the excellent Osaka tour we took about last month. There is a great, one day package which, for 2,000Y allows you transportation on all train lines and free access to 25 attractions. We visited the Shitennoji Temple, the Tennoji Zoo, a radio tower, and the observation deck atop the Umeda Sky Building, among others. The highlight of the day was a 50 min cruise of Osaka Bay aboard a ‘replica’ of the Santa Maria (Columbus’ ship). Pictures are up on my Google Web Album.

I find it fascinating that the Japanese are so interested in Dan Brown’s, The Da Vinci Code, if only because Christianity (like organized religion of any traditional form) is nearly non-existent here. Yet the Japanese have flocked to the movie and, despite the fact that, except for the Makoya, few of them believe in the idea of Christ, various groups have rushed to prove or disprove the theories presented in the book/film. Like similar efforts in NA, I find this further entertaining simply because it has clearly been shown that the foundational claims on which the story is based are completely without merit.

In other, more general, observations the statistics I’d read about before traveling here have certainly come to life. Japan is a nation of people who love to drink and smoke. It has been stated that more than 50% of the population are smokers and public drinking is legal in almost every area. It is essentially common practice for Japanese workers to go drinking after work and, as has recently been reported, incidents of drunk driving are on the rise. It’s really the first case of an almost ‘culturalized’ alcoholism I have seen. Of course, this is simply fodder for the many gaijin (foreigners) who come to Japan in order to freely exercise the vices they may have to resist in their home countries.

In the good news department, recent garbage raids have allowed me to acquire a free Canon IPIX 4100 printer as well as a workout bench, so I am certainly happy with that. For the uninitiated, the Japanese seem to make a habit of throwing away perfectly good stuff once they have upgraded or simply don’t use things anymore. Whether the issue is technology or fashion, the Japanese like to be on the cutting edge. In fact, Japanese consider quality and innovation (at the expense of conservation it would seem) to be the modern hallmarks of their country.

In some of the sadder news I’ve come across, in the ongoing tradition of somewhat meaningless Japanese ‘holidays,’ the Japanese Memorial Day Association has officially declared a national Tom Cruise Day. Do I really have to say any more about that? On a much more upbeat note, Softbank, the company that revolutionized broadband Internet access in this country, recently bought out Vodafone Japan. In a sly move, immediately following the recent policy announcement regarding the portability of mobile numbers from one service to another, Softbank shocked the mobile market by announcing a new pricing structure and slashing the cost of their service – prompting complaints by rivals and resulting in such a flood of people changing their service that Softbank had to freeze applications for a few days. Ah the price of success…


Of Entertainment

One of the more interesting announcements at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, was that of the upcoming release of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete on Blu-Ray Disc. FF7ACC will feature higher resolution and more detailed CG imagery than the DVD version. It will also include scenes considered too violent for the target rating of the initial release. This announcement only cements the fact that I have to purchase a PS3. On that note, I have to mention that the PS3 sold out in the first 48 hours in Japan and will take only slightly longer in NA. The Wii has already sold out and the Xbox 360 remains a strong seller. At least it’s available for the holidays (unlike Windows Vista, which I am running fine btw *S*). See the most excellent video of Wii’s NA launch below (top left)!

There are too many great movies to which I am really looking forward to bother commenting presently but, seeing as I am on this YouTube (recently acquired by Google for $1.65 Billion) kick, you have to check out this fantastic imaging of a real life Calvin and Hobbes (featured on Robot Chicken - see above - top right) as well as a very tempting recut of an Office Space trailer (see above - bottom left). Rather than the many exciting releases forthcoming, some of the more interesting news has been regarding the apparent death of two significantly popular movie project – those being Halo and The Hobbit. Follow the links for more information. Speaking of shooters, this is just about the funniest piece of machinema I have ever seen!


Of a More Personal Nature

Did I mention I love Red Vs. Blue? (Check out their home page to find out why all Mac users go to Hell *S*) Things continue to go relatively well here in Japan. I don’t suppose my sleeping habits have really improved much but at least I seem to be eating healthier. Recently, a number of friends and co-workers have returned to their home countries. While this is always somewhat upsetting, it is one of the unfortunate realities of the nature of working as an English instructor in Japan.

During recent bouts with feelings of depression and uncertainty, I was given a great deal of encouragement by the people that have kept me alive to this point – my friends and family. Much of the advice was somewhat typical and cliché, though certainly still valid. It was my father’s reminder, however, that really helped me the most. He reminded me that I have always been a warrior and an over-comer. I am not boasting; it’s just that it was this recollection which truly helped me find the confidence I sometimes lack. So, I encourage anyone who suffers through those occasional bouts of melancholy to take the words of your loved ones to heart.

Some other thoughts that have been playing out in my life of late include the idea that anything worth doing eventually hurts and that money is one of the many things that should never be allowed to keep someone from realizing their dreams. Right now I think the entire ‘name of the game’ is taking one step at a time while leaning on my faith, myself, and the love of my family and friends.

Recently I was asked, “Do you love yourself and, if not, why not?” to which I responded, “I do not have an answer to that question. I imagine I see myself in much the same way as I see people in general....I am stuck in a daily dichotomy - I see people everywhere. I see their pain and their hopelessness, I see how stupid they are at times and how the hurt each other and themselves. I see myself as a selfish, broken man among selfish, broken mortals. But I also see the beautiful creations that God made, and I see the potential for what they, and I, could be.”

There are days that I am angry at myself for my failures, and then angry at my own anger. It is so easy to forget that the ‘secret’ of satisfaction is to find contentment regardless of the nature of your situation. Of course, I realize this is easier said then done. In my experience, there are only two places of true happiness - in ignorance, or in divinity - when you choose to leave ignorance, or to pursue divinity...you understand that you are sacrificing that happiness - or at least you should understand.

In regard to the beautiful animation (see above - bottom right) depicting the events of creation according to Jewish/Islamic/Christian mythlore, I wanted to mention that I was impressed, not only by the quality of the piece, but by it's message. It reminds me of man's suffering state, due not to some metaphorical apple being eaten by some mythical figure, but to his separation from God where once there was none. The line which speaks of "the memory of a memory" really hit home and it touches on a corner stone of classic philosophy - recently embodied in popular culture by the Matrix.

It's about the idea that something is wrong, that we're disconnected from something which we can't remember. It's a large part of why people seek answers relating to philosophy, spirituality, mysticism, religiosity, etc. The mention of the "way back" was also encouraging and I was challenged by the truth of the question, "I gave you a world which you rejected, and now you must build your own. Will you curse me when it is without beauty or purpose?"

With Hope,
Joseph

Russian Spies | Nintendo Wii | Secret of Life