May 12,
2020 - Words of wisdom from the amazing poet, Tarzana Joe
Choices...
I’m sure you’re sick and tired of
Those caterwauling voices
Lamenting each election that
We really have no choices
Or even of some pundit
Acting like a kind confessor
Advising, of two evils
You must always choose the lesser
I, for one, have always known
We’ll never find perfection
I bear that fact in mind
Each time I’m making my selection
But now I start to understand
This broad dis-satisfaction
For with this crisis growing
I see no clear course of action
No one with the power
Making Liberty their mission
No one in my government
Espousing my position
No one has the answer
There’s no course that they can teach
To say it’s safe to jog
But not to sit down on the beach
Or why if I buy barbells
At a Target I’ll survive
But not if I buy golf balls
Cross the street at the Big Five
Why science says that kids
Don’t transmit COVID as a rule
But government in panic
Says that kids can’t go to school
I am old and weak
And though I like to run and ride
I’ll do my civic duty and
Agree to stay inside
To the young among you
Take this challenge that I give
Tell the folks in power
They must let the country live
April 29,
2020 - GW rocks in Japan!
Today,
Showa Day (昭和の日, Shōwa no Hi), is a national holiday in Japan and kicks
off the week-long holiday period known as Golden Week, often
abbreviated simply as GW.
Well, GW has another meaning in my life.... not only my initials but
also my nickname, courtesy of my most beloved family and friends since
my childhood days.
Needless to say, GW is one of my favorite times of the year in Japan
because everywhere you look, my nickname is plastered on countless
advertising signs all over the city. It's nice to be so famous, ha ha.
The sign below I spotted just a few days ago at the local KFC. Yee hah!
KFC GW sign in Tokyo
April 18,
2020 - Gary's Spring 2020 self-intro for his Japanese university
students
Gary's Spring 2020
self-intro for his Japanese university
students
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
April
12, 2020 - Mariah Carey pays tribute to the many coronavirus heroes
On the occasion of Holy Week, blessings to multiplatinum diva and
5-time Grammy Award winner Mariah Carey for her heartfelt "stay at
home" tribute to all the first responders, frontline health workers,
and other selfless warriors who are keeping us safe in these troubling
times.
In her message of hope, Mariah Carey performed from her home and
reminded us in her 1993 hit "Hero" that...
And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you
I just LOVE this...
Mariah Carey - Hero (Live at Home Tribute)
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
April 7,
2020 - Self-quarantine chip shot
An amazingly accurate chip shot with a roll of toilet paper during this
guy's period of self-quarantine. LOVE IT!
Self-quarantine chip shot
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
April 6,
2020 - CORONAVIRUS: Is the Cure Worse than the Disease?
According to worldometers.info, as of 12 noon April 6, 2020
Japan time, worldwide so far there have been:
15,548,576 deaths this year, including...
3,431,734 communicable disease deaths this year
2,171,109 deaths caused by cancer this year
1,321,513 deaths caused by smoking this year
661,173 deaths caused by alcohol this year
444,394 deaths caused by HIV/AIDS this year
356,853 road traffic accident deaths this year
283,479 suicide deaths this year
259,299 deaths caused by malaria this year
222,612 deaths caused by water-related diseases this year
128,541 seasonal flu deaths this year
80,370 deaths TODAY so far alone
and most importantly, since Jan. 22, only 69,456
coronavirus deaths.
As early as tomorrow, the Japanese prime minister will declare a state
of emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak for Tokyo and 6 other
prefectures including Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo, and
Fukuoka (source: NHK World-Japan).
But unlike in many other countries, lockdowns will not be imposed and
public transportation, supermarkets, and other essential businesses in
Japan will continue operations. In short, Japan's response to the
outbreak will largely remain unchanged from what it's already been the
past 6 weeks, namely to ask people to avoid closed and crowded places
as well as close contact with others, while maintaining economic and
social activities.
The declaration will give the governors of these 6 prefectures (Japan
has 47 prefectures) the power to request (not demand) that residents
refrain from non-essential outings and to cooperate with measures to
prevent the further spread of the virus, but the governors can request
or order (if necessary) school closures and restrictions on the
operations of department stores, cinemas, and other places where many
people gather.
Is there anyone besides myself who believes that shutting down the
entire world economy has been a gross overreaction? I hope we can all
go back to work soon, before we have a worldwide depression on our
hands. So sad...
April 1,
2020 - How to make
an emergency paper towel face mask
In emergency situations like natural disasters and global pandemics,
face masks can protect you in places with debris, in evacuation
centers, or even from killer viruses. Watch this 30-second video and
learn how to make an instant face mask using only a paper towel, 4
rubber bands, and a stapler.
How to make an emergency paper towel face mask
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
I just LOVE this amazing tune by boogie woogie blues pianist Rob Rio!
Known as the "Boss of the Boogie," Rob Rio has excited audiences around
the world for more than 35 years and was inducted into the Boogie
Woogie Hall Of Fame in 2008. He has appeared and recorded with many of
the most famous musicians like Muddy Waters, Joe Cocker, Paul
Butterfield,
Mick Jagger, and Canned Heat. Go Rob...
'RONA VIRUS BLUES by Rob Rio
(If player above is not visible, you can view video at YouTube here.)
Mar. 26,
2020 - Ernest Benn quote
"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere,
diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies."
—Ernest Benn (1875-1954), British writer (also attributed to Groucho
Marx, American comedian and TV star)—
Mar. 23,
2020 - Great John Steinbeck quote
"A sad soul can kill you quicker, far quicker, than a germ."
—John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (1902–1968), American author, winner of the
1962 Nobel Prize in Literature, and writer of the Pulitzer
Prize-winning novel The Grapes of
Wrath which has sold over 14 million copies—
Mar. 21,
2020 - Famous Benjamin Franklin quote
"Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little
temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
—Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), one of the Founding Fathers of the
United States who helped draft the Declaration of Independence and the
U.S. Constitution, who is credited as the inventor of the lightning rod
and bifocals, and whose picture appears on the front of the American
$100 bill—
Mar.
19, 2020 - Invasion of the Grocery Snatchers
NOW SHOWING!
Mindlessly emptying shelves of things they don't need!
For reasons they can't explain!
Invasion of the Grocery Snatchers
Mar. 15,
2020 - CONGRATULATIONS to the 2020 Toilet Paper Queen!
Amidst the worldwide coronavirus panic and ensuing hoarding of toilet
paper, then there's THIS!! Ha ha ha...
2020 Toilet Paper Queen
Mar. 11,
2020 - 9-year anniversary of strongest ever Japan earthquake and tsunami
A remarkable 9 years ago today, Mar. 11, 2011, at 2:46 pm, northeastern
Japan was hit hard by the Great East Japan Earthquake (東日本大震災), the strongest
ever Japan earthquake and the 4th
most powerful earthquake in the world since modern record-keeping began
in 1900.
Sadly the massive, magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake
triggered powerful tsunami waves that reached heights of up to 40.5
meters (133 ft) in Miyako, Iwate and devastated cities & seaports
along a broad swath of the northeastern Japan coastline.
If that weren't enough, the tsunami in turn caused meltdowns at 3
reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex, the
world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl, and forced the
evacuation of hundreds of thousands of residents.
The triple disaster left 18,428 people dead or missing, and almost a
decade later, several municipalities still remain blocked off...
leaving nearly 48,000 evacuees still waiting to go home.
I was home at the time, and never lost my internet connection, so in
order to keep my many overseas friends and family (who were all BEGGING
me to get the heck outta Dodge) updated on the latest news, I started
blogging immediately, and over the course of the next 101 days after
the triple tragedy, I had posted 467 news updates.
One of the most terrifying videos I saw in those first few days was the
stunning amateur video below of the killer tsunami destroying 95
percent of Minami-Sanriku (南三陸町), a fishing port in Miyagi Prefecture.
To cut to the chase, you can skip the first 2 minutes:
Mar. 11, 2011 tsunami washing away Minami-sanriku (南三陸町), Miyagi
(If player above is not visible, you can view video at YouTube here.)
Mar. 3,
2020 - Panic buying
of toilet paper in Tokyo
One
side effect of the growing coronavirus in Japan is panic-buying of
toilet rolls and tissue paper. As a result of social media posts in the
last week that have spread false rumors that the raw materials used to
make toilet paper can no longer be imported from China due to
coronavirus, people have been urged online to hoard toilet rolls in the
likelihood of nationwide shortages.
Despite industry and government officials' pleas to the public not to
be taken in by the rumors, supermarkets and drugstores in Japan have
not only experienced shortages of toilet paper, but many have
completely sold out every day by noon, leaving empty shelves.
This video below was filmed a couple days ago showing well over a
hundred people lining up to panic purchase toilet paper at the 10 am
opening of a neighborhood drug store in Tokyo. In just those 2 days,
the video has already been viewed over 700 times. WOW!
Panic buying of
toilet paper in Tokyo on Sun. Mar. 1, 2020
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
Below are the first 4 entries in today's long overdue update of my very
LONG "Inspiration
and Hope" webpage on my very OLD original website, first
uploaded in Jan. 1997:
“Trust gets you killed, love gets you hurt, and being real gets you
hated.”
—Johnny Cash (1932-2003)—
*************
"When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices.
When you die, you rejoice, and the world cries."
—Tibetan Buddhist saying—
*************
“To draw, you must close your eyes and sing.”
—Pablo Picasso—
*************
"A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of
success combined with constant restlessness."
—Albert Einstein, written on note paper from the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo,
Japan in 1922, and later sold for $1.3 million—
Feb. 26,
2020 - Odawara Plum Blossom Hiking
Last Sunday I had the good fortune of joining Jambo
International for a
nature hike to view the beautiful plum blossoms in the Soga Plum
Blossom Park in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture. Our timing was perfect,
as they were holding the Soga Plum Park Festival at the time.
With an unseasonably warm day and clear blue skies, we were treated to
35,000 plum trees near their peak.
But by far the most amazing part of the entire day was the truly
breathtaking, up-close-and-personal view of Mount Fuji, Japan’s tallest
peak. It was almost as if you could just reach out and touch it.
Without question, it was the most striking, awe-inspiring view I’ve
ever had of Fujisan after nearly 3 decades of living in this beautiful
country.
The hike began at Kouzu Station on the JR Tokaido Line and finished 5
hours later, after quite a few ups and downs through the foothills, at
Shimo Soga Station on the JR Gotemba Line.
This sort of day trip, back-to-nature outdoor activity is just one of
many things that truly warm my heart about living in the Land of the
Rising Sun!
My Saipan video -
Feb. 11-16, 2020
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
0:00 Panorama of the beautiful blue ocean from the Sugar Dock
0:30 Beach panorama at sunset from the Grandvrio Resort
1:27 Panorama of Obyan Beach
2:20 Inside the famous Country House Restaurant (minus the talking
buffalo who sadly bit the dust in 2018 during Typhoon Yutu)
2:42 Sexy Polynesian dancers in the Culture Dinner Show at the Fiesta
Resort
6:16 Panorama of the uninhabited Pau Pau Beach
6:37 Saipan Grotto, famous spot for diving and snorkeling
7:50 Beautiful, colorful rooster at the Saipan Grotto
8:47 Bird Island, as seen from the Bird Island Observatory
9:30 Stunningly beautiful Banzai Cliff, site of the mass suicide during
World War II where sadly hundreds of Japanese civilians and soldiers
jumped off the cliff to their deaths in the ocean and rocks below
10:59 "May Peace Prevail On Earth" pole at Banzai Cliff
11:01 Timelapse sunset #1 from Garapan Public Market pier (Feb. 13,
2020)
11:31 Beautiful white seabirds on Mañagaha Island
12:17 Tiny, cute hermit crap walking in the sand on Mañagaha Island
13:36 Beautiful blue ocean water, as seen from Mañagaha Island boat
13:56 Windsurfers at American Memorial Park
15:24 Timelapse sunset #2 from Garapan Public Market pier (Feb. 15,
2020)
16:00 Airplane takeoff from Saipan airport
18:15 View from plane of Tinian Island, just south of Saipan
18:59 Amazing view of the plane's shadow inside a small rainbow-colored
halo, a fairly rare phenomenon known as a Brocken
spectre
20:13 Airplane landing at Guam airport
In my first visit in over 12 years back to this gorgeous island in the
U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, I still remain
convinced that this place, only a half-hour flight north of Guam, is
God's gift to Planet Earth.
The beauty of the people and the island have touched my soul in a very
profound way. I've never, ever seen ocean water in so many strikingly
beautiful shades of blue. Love that place.
Japanese
have definitely mastered the art of putting on beautiful winter
illumination events, a number of which start in November and last well
into February. My favorite through the years has always been the
Caretta Shiodome illuminations near JR Shinbashi Station. This winter's
Arabian Night theme features songs from the Disney movies Aladdin, Lion
King, and Toy Story 4. If you’ve never heard Can You Feel the Love
Tonight (from 2:32) or A Whole New World (from 6:54) in Japanese, here
is your big chance. To my Tokyoite friends, this free
show continues every night through Valentine’s Day (February 14).
Caretta Shiodome
Illumination - Feb. 8, 2020
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
Feb. 4,
2020 - Tree huggers rule in Japan!
No need to remove the tree on this university campus. Just design the
building AROUND IT!
Tree huggers rule in Japan
Jan. 19,
2020 - Use It or
Lose It!
Use It or Lose It!
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
It’s the same advice I only wish I’d heard a number
of times during my
lifetime. For example, after I spent several years as a youngster
learning how to play the organ, and getting good enough to actually
sometimes substitute for our church organist during Sunday morning
services.
Or in high school when I seriously
studied German to the point that I was inducted into the German
National Honor Society and was able to advance place out of 14 hours of
college credit in the German language at the University of Texas at
Austin.
Or those years in my early 30s when I became so proficient at
playing tennis that I became one of the higher ranked players in my age
bracket at my sports club.
These are just a few select talents and skills that I acquired through
the years that sadly slipped away because I got busy doing other stuff
and didn’t continue to protect the investment of ALL the time that I'd
spent getting good at those things.
The speech above is one that I often like to give at the end of the
school year to my university English language students, encouraging
them to never
stop improving upon the language skills they have worked so hard to
learn in our classroom.
We only get one chance in life, and so we might as well make the most
of it. Use it or lose it!
Jan. 13,
2020 - The "Ford v Ferrari" movie - a must-see!
“There’s
a point at 7,000 RPMs where everything fades. The machine becomes
weightless. It disappears. All that’s left, a body moving through
space, and time. At 7,000 RPM, that’s where you meet it. That’s where
it waits for you.”
—the quote heard both at the beginning and end of the "Ford v Ferrari"
movie—
I grew up in a car racing family. Two of my cousins, the King brothers,
built and raced their own stock cars at Houston’s quarter-mile dirt
oval race track, Almeda Speedway (*). My Grandpa Wolff often used to
take
me and another cousin to see the stock car races at the half-mile paved
oval track, Meyer Speedway.
My dad‘s brother owned a midget race car and was personal friends with
Houston's A.J. Foyt, the 4-time winner of the famous Indianapolis 500,
the world's oldest currently operational automobile race.
So it was no big surprise that I was absolutely thrilled to see the
movie "Ford v Ferrari" which just opened in Tokyo on Friday. It
chronicles the true story of the Ford Motor Company taking on the
challenge of beating the dominating Italian Ferrari team at the 24
hours of Le Mans, France race in 1966.
I was on the edge of my seat the entire movie, and whenever I heard
that high-pitched revving sound of the race cars, my adrenaline was
flowing just as fast as those 200-mph race cars speeding around the
track.
The movie's magic was made possible by the absolutely superb
performances put in by Academy Award-winning actors Matt Damon and
Christian Bale in the lead roles. Even if you don’t have racing in your
blood like I do, this movie is a must see for all thrill seekers!
Matt Damon and Christian Bale in "Ford v Ferrari"
(photo credit: Merrick
Morton/Fox)
Jan.
3, 2020 - Ikspiari New Year's Eve 2019 Countdown Party & Fireworks
Here's how the advent of the Roaring Twenty-Twenties was celebrated at
Tokyo Disney Resort on New Year's Eve. Don't miss the final 10-second
countdown, of course, in JAPANESE!!
Ikspiari New Year's
Eve 2019 Countdown Party & Fireworks
(If player above is not visible, you can view video
at YouTube here.)
Ikspiari is located at the gateway to Tokyo Disney Resort, which
includes Tokyo Disneyland & Tokyo Disney Sea, and is a commercial
facility with around 140 establishments including shops, restaurants,
and a cinema complex.
This American felt right at home there, seeing shops like the Outback
Steakhouse, Red Lobster, TGI Friday's, The Body Shop, Krispy Kreme
Donuts, Starbucks, & Kua Aina Burgers. YEAH!
Today, Showa Day (昭和の日, Shōwa no Hi), is a national holiday in Japan and kicks off the week-long holiday period known as Golden Week, often abbreviated simply as GW.
Well, GW has another meaning in my life.... not only my initials but also my nickname, courtesy of my most beloved family and friends since my childhood days.
Needless to say, GW is one of my favorite times of the year in Japan because everywhere you look, my nickname is plastered on countless advertising signs all over the city. It's nice to be so famous, ha ha.
The sign below I spotted just a few days ago at the local KFC. Yee hah! :-)
Mariah Carey pays tribute to the many coronavirus heroes
On the occasion of Holy Week, blessings to multiplatinum diva and 5-time Grammy Award winner Mariah Carey for her heartfelt "stay at home" tribute to all the first responders, frontline health workers, and other selfless warriors who are keeping us safe in these troubling times.
In her message of hope, Mariah Carey performed from her home and reminded us in her 1993 hit "Hero" that...
And then a hero comes alongWith the strength to carry onAnd you cast your fears asideAnd you know you can surviveSo when you feel like hope is goneLook inside you and be strongAnd you'll finally see the truthThat a hero lies in you
According to worldometers.info, as of 12 noon April 6, 2020 Japan time, worldwide so far there have been: - 15,548,576 deaths this year, including... - 3,431,734 communicable disease deaths this year - 2,171,109 deaths caused by cancer this year - 1,321,513 deaths caused by smoking this year - 661,173 deaths caused by alcohol this year - 444,394 deaths caused by HIV/AIDS this year - 356,853 road traffic accident deaths this year - 283,479 suicide deaths this year - 259,299 deaths caused by malaria this year - 222,612 deaths caused by water-related diseases this year - 128,541 seasonal flu deaths this year - 80,370 deaths TODAY so far alone - and most importantly, since Jan. 22, only 69,456 coronavirus deaths.
As early as tomorrow, the Japanese prime minister will declare a state of emergency due to the coronavirus outbreak for Tokyo and 6 other prefectures including Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo, and Fukuoka (source: NHK World-Japan).
But unlike in many other countries, lockdowns will not be imposed and public transportation, supermarkets, and other essential businesses in Japan will continue operations. In short, Japan's response to the outbreak will largely remain unchanged from what it's already been the past 6 weeks, namely to ask people to avoid closed and crowded places as well as close contact with others, while maintaining economic and social activities.
The declaration will give the governors of these 6 prefectures (Japan has 47 prefectures) the power to request (not demand) that residents refrain from non-essential outings and to cooperate with measures to prevent the further spread of the virus, but the governors can request or order (if necessary) school closures and restrictions on the operations of department stores, cinemas, and other places where many people gather.
Is there anyone besides myself who believes that shutting down the entire world economy has been a gross overreaction? I hope we can all go back to work soon, before we have a worldwide depression on our hands. So sad... :-(
In emergency situations like natural disasters and global pandemics, face masks can protect you in places with debris, in evacuation centers, or even from killer viruses. Watch this 30-second video and learn how to make an instant face mask using only a paper towel, 4 rubber bands, and a stapler.
25 other short, safety tip videos that can save your life, courtesy of NHK World-Japan, can be viewed in their "How To Craft Safety" YouTube playlist.
Page 2 of the most frequently asked questions about climbing Mt. Fuji, including info on routes, maps, videos, transport access, weather, and climber stories.
The Gyotoku Bird Observatory is a 56-hectare natural habitat for aquatic birds in Ichikawa, Chiba, and a great place to escape Tokyo's concrete jungle.
Quizlet Live: The Classroom Game Now Taking the World by Storm
Quizlet Live is a new in-class, team-based learning game which allows students to use their mobile devices with any of the millions of Quizlet vocabulary study sets.
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