MOVED!!!!

HEY!!!!!!

I am home. Go to mine and Erin's new blog.


http://ma-n-pa-barker.blogspot.com/

Nikko and pic update

So I finally updated the flickr account and added about 400 pictures from when I went to Nagoya, like 3 months ago, and the ones from Nikko.

I had a really good time at Nikko and I went to an onsen in Kinugawa, which was really relaxing!!!! I will be home in about a month and cannot wait to get home. I am looking forward to returning to some kind of normalcy whatever that is. Let me know what you think of the pictures.

The Cure All

So as I have been in Japan I occasionally watch a lot of online videos to keep me up to date about what is happening in the US and just to keep me busy sometimes. Probably the one set of videos that I watch pretty religiously are those for 60 minutes that are posted online. I just watch this 2 part episode on sleep and all I got to say is WOW . . . . .

Here is the link to the video:

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml


You just need to select the video you want to view and it will open in another window. Also check out some of the other videos as well . . . some of them are rather interesting.


Also I am going to Nikko this weekend and am really excited as I will be staying at an onsen. Here is the wiki entry on Nikko:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikko

It does not way to much about it, but it is one of the few places I want to go.


I'm going to bed now!!!!

What next Pigs fly?????

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/0806_exclusive_pregnant_man.shtml


This is just plain weird/freaky!!!!

Love What ???!??? . . . . . . .

Okay so in Japan we have these things called Love Hotels.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_hotel


They are everywhere and you just kind of get used to them . . . its really weird seeing a couple walk out cause you know what they were just doing. I understand the necessity of them and I am sure they add a little spice. So a friends show me this site for one and HOLY HECK!!!!!

Here is the link . . . nothing to bad but http://www.hotelalphain.com/room/f5/f5.htm


Here is a pic of one of the rooms:

No this is not where Erin and I are going to in November

Why I am glad I live in Eastern Kansas

Horse its for dinner!!!

Yea so this is the second time I have eaten horse and if that isn't bad enough for you . . . it is raw!!!! YUMMY!!!!!!! The picture is below. I only had my camera phone.

I am cramming for midterms and I am really tired. Its raining . . .my life is boring . . .yeah . . . OH YOU ALL NEED TO ASK ERIN ABOUT HER SUPER COOL GIFT THAT I GOT HER!!!!!!!! AND TELL HER YOU WANT TO SEE HER WEAR IT!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!! AND ASK HER WERE WE ARE GOING IN NOVEMBER!!!!!!!


MOOOOOO . . . Oh wait I mean NEEEEEIIIIIGGHHHH

RAIN RAIN RAIN

So its not even June when the rainy season begins and I am already sick and tired of the rain. I have no clue why, but I just hate the rain for some reason. I watched Prince Caspian the other day and I have to say that I thought it was really good. I really did not like the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe . . . so I wash surprised by how much I like this movie.

Also if you want to see a really weirdo movie you need to watch Jesus Camp. Especially, those in the KC area as it is about a local church in and around Lee Summit. You can watch it on youtube. It just amazes me how fanatical some of these groups are . . . and I am supposed to be the fanatic.

Funny

This is a pic I took with my camera phone . . . this guy was really drunk and that black thing that is on the ground next to him . . . . . . thats his wig!!!!!!!!!!!

UGHHHHH

Man I cannot believe I went almost another month without making a post ughhhh . . .

I guess because my life is so uneventful. I basically go to class, study and work. Oh and I watch movies online . . . just watched the new Indian Jones movie today (it was a cam version). The action scenes were good , but the context of the story was ehhhhh.

The movie that I am REALLY looking forward to seeing is the new Batman movie . . . I think it is going to be awesome.

Well I am really looking forward to coming home, only like two more months left or so. I am planning a trip after the semester to climb Mt Fuji. I am really looking forward to that.

It is also warming up here and its getting humid. The rainy season starts here soon and about a week ago we had a typhoon of the coast of Japan and it was rainy for like 3 days. I really do not like the rain, but I got use to it on my mission. Still not a fan though.

Getting back to things

Okay so its nice cause work is starting to slow down and with the new hires starting next week I will be able to actually have some time to really focus. It was really nice to have today off, so after school I came home watched Charlie's War then because it was a nice day I walked to the park and enjoyed a smoothy.

There is this website that I found . . . I will send it to you if you want it . . . where it gives you the links to movies that have been uploaded to websites that host videos, like google video, megaupload, and a lot of various Chinese sites. I have watched a lot of movies, when I have had time, that will not be in Japan any time soon or are old favs that I do not want to rent. Its pretty cool, but then again quality is sometimes an issue. Especially with stuff shot on a camcorder.

Also A lot of people asked if I was dead sinc eI had not updated this thing in forever and know that I have updated no one ever leaves a comment. Erin gets tons of comments on her blog . . . where are mine?????

What is Japan like

I get that question a lot so here are some news article that pretty much sums it up!!!!


http://mdn.mainichi.jp/culture/waiwai/news/20080428p2g00m0dm003000c.html


http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080428p2a00m0na025000c.html


http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080428p2a00m0na006000c.html


http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080428p2a00m0na005000c.html


http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080424p2a00m0na007000c.html


http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080426p2a00m0et025000c.html

MAD!!!

I saw this today and it makes me so mad.

http://www.breitbart.tv/html/84523.html


I guess one part of Tokyo that a lot of people do not see or hear about is how many homeless people there are in TOkyo. You see them in parks or sleeping or stations in cardboard box houses and there aren't really any charities, soup kitchens or shelters for them to stay in.

I'm ALIVE!!!!!

I know can you believe it I finally updated my blog!!!! At first I did not do it cause I was begin lazy but then work started getting really busy because the English school I am at is growing really fast and I had to start working more hours a week. Then the semester started and I have been really bogged down.

Okay now enough with my lame excuses. So I went to Nagoya a while ago with Arokokai (walking club) it was a lot of fun. I went to Nagoya castle and we traveled about an hour from Nagoya to go to a really famous shrine called Ise Shrine. They rebuild the whole shrine every 20 years. Nagoya is also really famous for some of its food and it was really delicious. Overall it was nice to go to Nagoya and just have fun. I did not take the shinkansen (bullet train) back because I wanted to save money so some of us rode the local trains all the way back to Tokyo. It took us about 8 to 9 hours, where as the bullet train is only an hour. But, hey I saved like $80 and it was a lot of fun. I also got to see a lot of Japan.

Work has been picking up. Because of this Mr. Kotaki wants to hire 2 new English teachers to teach the course that I developed and offer. He placed the ad and I have been looking at resumes and have interviewed 4 people for the job so far. I have asked him to hire two of the candidates and I hope they accept the position. One of the people I interviewed was 52 and he seemed to have a problem with someone who looks like they are 25 interviewing him. There was no way I would of hired him after he swore like 5 times and started dropping the N word.

The funny apart about the whole hiring process is that Mr. Kotaki is so disorganized. He often forgets to tell me that I have classes schedule or if people are coming or to give me the appropriate material I need for my classes. Both he and I are very lucky that I am able to do a lot of the work on the fly and able to teach at a moments noticed. He asked me if I wouldn’t mind staying fulltime after the semester and he would be my visa sponsor and help Erin and I relocate to Tokyo, but I had to turn him down. But, back to what I wanted to get to. So I had to write different kinds of email responses for him so he could invite people for interviews, tell then they did not get the position or that they were hired. He does not seem very confident in his English despite the fact that he owns an English school and teaches the subject. I think that is part of the reason why he wanted me to do the interviews.

So, the cherry blossom were in bloom but they have pretty much all fallen. You can seem then in some of the picture I took in Nagoya. I am slowly uploading pictures and have most of the ones from my second trip to Kamakura with Mike up. I will post when I get them all up.

I was planning on going to Hiroshima in a couple of weeks, but I am not able to get the time off from work cause how busy we are. However, I am planning on going to Nikko, maybe Fuji Rock Festival and climb Mt. Fuji before returning. These are the things I REALLY want to do before I return and have made it a priority to do them. I will not be able to get to Kyoto and Nara because of time and money constraints, but I feel like I have seen a lot of Japan especially parts that the average person does not see.

Okay well I will try and do better and update the blog . . . no excuses.

I have a visitor!!!!!!

Okay so been in Japan trying to get into the routine of things. On Friday Michael K. Houser arrived in Japan and was here till Tuesday. We took in a lot of the sights and also went to Kamakura. I really enjoy Kamakura. Mike, really enjoyed going to Asakusa, which made sense because that's were all the “old” people like to go. I will admit though his travel guide recommended a tempura restaurant there and it was REALLY good. I am still craving it.

I have been busy studying getting ready for the next semester. I am going to Nagoya next week for four days with the “walking club” I am in. It’s costing a lot of money . . . more then I would like to pay, but I have saved up enough to go and am ready.

Speaking of money I cannot believe how much the value of the dollar has gone down. When I first got it here it was about 117 yen to the dollar. Now, it’s around 95 yen to the dollar. Teaching English I make 3,000, so when I first got here that was about $25.64. Now I make $30.91 . . . crazy huh!!!

Well I will upload the pictures when I can . . . I also went with some friends to Kawaguchiko, near Mt. Fuji, and stayed at an onsen, hot spring. It was a fun experience and with it being spring break they had a really good discount. The only sad part was that you could not really see Mt. Fuji because of all the clouds and over cast. You could make it out and see it to some extent but none of the pictures I took turned out well. I did go to this awesome temple before returning home.

Mike at the Thunder Gate of Sensoji Temple in Asakusa

Me at Kitagushi Hongu Sengen Shrine . . . this was a really cool shrine!

Back in Japan

So went back to Kansas and got to spend a little over a week with Erin. It was really good to see her, we went out a lot and Juno was a really funny movie. Be Kind Rewind sucked. Some hoodlums vandalized our car while we were there and left these crazy messages for us . . . they best was the cake with the water balloon inside, however I ate a little corner then Erin notice the balloon. I wonder why that cake was so funky looking. Erin and I watched all of Season 3 and what we could watch on the NBC website of the Office. I think that show is so funny. I Barkived all of season1, 2 and 3 and made an extra copy to bring with me to Japan. The highlight was going with Erin and some friends to the Melting Pot. It’s all about the cheese . . . with the beer in it . . . Jason said the alcohol burns off and who am I to argue with a guy who designs nuclear reactors.

I then went to CSUCI (C-SUCKY) where I did two lectures: The Samurai for History and Psychology of Asian Warrior Cultures and The Introduction of Western Science for International Experience: Travel to Japan. It was really cool to be there and see how the University has grown. I still remember eating out of a catering truck. Also the students coming to Japan are going to be based in Kyoto, but are coming up to Tokyo for a few days which will be cool.

Mike Houser will be coming to Japan on Friday and will be here in Tokyo till Monday. It will be good to see him and show him around Tokyo!



Thanks!!!

Kamakura

Okay, sorry I have not written in a long time. I would say I have been busy, but actually it is really boring here with a lot of people gone from the dorm sightseeing across Japan and Asia. I went on a two-day trip to Kamakura, which was really fun.

Here is the wikipedia article about Kamakura: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamakura,_Kanagawa

I would of wrote this earlier, but I had about 180 pictures I knew I need to upload to flickr and was dreading spending all that time uploading them. There are tons of temples and shrines in Kamakura and I just visited the bigger ones and those that people had told me where really nice.

My first day after I checked into my hotel, I thought of staying in an internet café, but decided to find a cheap motel because I knew I was going to be doing a lot of walking. I then took this interesting train to Hase, which is close to Kamakura to see the Hasedera Temple and the Great Buddha. I took a lot of pictures at Hasedera Temple because it was so big and I thought I had charged my battery, but did not and left my backup battery back in my room on the charger, so that's why there are so many pictures. After that I went to the Great Buddha then I walked to Kamakura stopping at another shrine on the way there. I then took a 5 minute train to North Kamakura to see 2 temples and a shrine that was up there, but when I arrived at 4:30 they had closed it for the day so I turned around and had dinner and went back to my hotel room for the day.

The second day I slept in till about 9am and then check out of my room and went back to Kamakura. I walked to my favorite temple Hokokuji temple which was about a 30 to 45 minute walk from the stationed then traced my steps back to Kamakura stopping at temples and shrines on the way back. I loved this temple because of the bamboo forest it has in the back. It is very peaceful and beautiful. On the way back I stopped at Kamakuraga Shrine and then finished my trek at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine. I then had dinner and left back for Tokyo and was home by about 6pm.

Kamakura is only about 45 minutes from Tokyo and it was really nice to see nature and be away from the big city. I am thinking when Mike comes to visit in March that we may plan a fast day trip down there again as I would love to see some of the other temples and shrines I missed and I want to get some more pictures. Also you can get a great view of Mt. Fuji covered in snow . . . unfortanetely I could not make it to the beach to get a good picture.

Me at Hokokuji Temple

Sick

Well, I have been sick the last couple of days with a cold or something. My throat hurts and my body is achy. I was going to go to the doctors today, the clinic is 20 ft away from the dorm, but it is closed on Sundays and Monday is a holiday. I am trying to get over it and think the worst is about over. I am hoping that I get better by Wednesday when I have a two-day trip plan to Kamakura. It is only about 2 hours away by train and there are several people who take day trips to Kamakura, but I have heard that you really need two days to spend there. It is along the beach and there are several huge temples and a huge statute of the Buddha. I will be returning back to Kansas in about a week and a half and I know Erin is excited to see me.

The other thing that is disappointing is that I just grabbed a bag of hot chocolate mix because it was the cheapest and when I made some it tasted awful. I then looked at the bag and realized I need to mix hot milk with it and that it was sugar free. I need to read things better ughhh.

My recent staples: Mitsuya Cider (Sprite like soda), mikan (oranges), medicine (taste nasty) and face mask (don't want eveyone else to get sick)

Kanda to Ginza

Okay so Mitt did not do as well as everyone hoped. It's a little disappointing, but he is trying to still make it to the end.

Monday I walked from Kanda to Ginza taking a lot of pictures. I was only in Kanda for a couple of minutes, before I went into Nihonbashi, the financial area were the Bank of Japan is located and several other security and bank headquarters. It is here where I went to the top floor of the Tokyo Grand hotel and took pictures.

I then proceeded to the Imperial palace where I took a lot of pictures of the park that surrounds the main grounds. The palace is huge. You cannot go in either.

I then walked towards Ginza stopping off to have a light snack at about 3:30pm at a little café. I then made it to Ginza, which is kind of like the Beverly Hills area of Tokyo. That is why they have all the posh shops and stores there. After that I started walking back to Tokyo Station where I saw two interesting bars: Boro, a cowboy bar and Nelson’s Bar, a British pub. I found them both interesting and took pictures.

I have updated the pictures to my flickr account.

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY!!

First off!!!!

A vote for Mike Huckabee is a vote for John McCain!!!!

Huckabee can’t win! So all you are doing is helping McCain! Vote for someone who will represent you . . . Mitt Romney!!!

I just did my morning read (Its Tuesday here already) about all the stories and what happened, while I was asleep.

It looks like Mitt has a 40% lead in the polls over McCain's 32% with a 3.2% margin for error. Oh all the states that I thought Romney would not get I hope he gets California . . . this will help out so much.

Monday, Romney flew from Nashville to Atlanta to Oklahoma then to Long Beach. He is then flying overnight to West Virginia for the convention there. A+ for effort! Plus, his 5 sons are out campaigning for him along with his wife in different states. Well the election should start in a few hours. Please go vote.

I promise that after Tuesday I will actually start focusing back on what is happening here in Japan.

48 More hours

Well, less then 48 hours till game day . . . yeah I am not talking about the Super Bowl either. By the way, who won?

Mitt is gaining in some polls and Sean Hannity recently endorsed him, since Rudy and Thompson dropped out.

Check out this link about the worse possible scenario if you do the math for Romney:

http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/blog/g/3d1bfa64-54e5-46e5-a726-46775fc121ec

McCain Flip-flop (he is a bad liar and to stupid to know when he is caught like Coulter said):
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jj0M3zl6JrNYBv6Gkbc8T_Ot0A-AD8UH1CF80


Mitt Bio:
Governor Romney has been an effective leader in both the business and public service worlds. With the 2002 Winter Olympics mired in controversy and facing serious financial crisis, Governor Romney was asked to become President and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. Although the challenge seemed daunting, he was compelled to assume the task by both the urgings of his wife, Ann, and by the memory of his father, George Romney, who had been a successful businessman, three-term Michigan Governor and tireless advocate of volunteerism.
In his three years in Salt Lake, Governor Romney erased the $379 million operating deficit, organized 23,000 volunteers, galvanized community spirit, oversaw and unprecedented security mobilization to ensure public safety and led one of the most successful Olympics in our country’s history.
From 1978 to 1984, Mr. Romney was a Vice President of Bain & Company, Inc., the Boston-based management consulting firm. Later, as the company’s CEO, he led it through a highly successful turnaround. Today, Bain & Company has 25 offices worldwide and over 2000 employees.
In 1984, Mr. Romney founded Bain Capital, one of the nation’s most successful venture capital and investment companies. Bain Capital founded, acquired or invested in hundreds of companies including Staples, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Domino’s, Sealy, Brookstone, and The Sports Authority.
Governor Romney has been deeply involved in community and civic affairs, serving extensively in his church and numerous charities including City Year, the Boy Scouts, and the Points of Light Foundation. In 1994, Governor Romney was the Massachusetts Republican nominee for United States Senate.
Governor Romney received his BA with Highest Honors from Brigham Young University in 1971. In 1975, he was awarded and MBA from Harvard Business School and was named a Baker Scholar. In 1975, he also received his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Harvard Law School.
Governor Romney, 60, and his wife, Ann, have been married for 37 years. They have five sons Tagg, Matt, Josh, Ben, and Craig), five daughters-in-law (Jen, Laurie, Jen, Mary, and Andelyne) and ten grandchildren

More reason why Mitt!!!!

Okay well the finals are over and I am alive. The first thing I did Friday was get up and move to another room. My previous room was right by the meeting room and the vending machines and it kept waking me up. So I am all moved in to my new room . . . that looks just like my old one.

Well, it does not look to good for Mitt. I am not to excite about it. I have attached some videos that you might find interesting. I am not a big fan of Anne Coulter, but I find her points intriguing!! Also, the reason I believe Mitt is the best candidate is not because he represents conservatism. I believe in many of the principles of the Republican party, but I often at times find myself agreeing with the Democrats and other minor parties. Mitt best represents change and someone who will actually do something in Washington besides giving his friends and those who are now supporting him jobs in his administration.

Anyways check out the videos and let me know what you think!

Glenn Beck's Tribute

Okay oen more days of finals. Tomorrow is the big test grammar.

Jason Draper sent me this via email and thought I would share it with you all. He also turned me onto Glenn back, who I occasionally listen to.

I am also rather dissapointed that McCain won Florida . . . Feb 5th will determine what is going to happen!!!

okay 3 cents

I survived first day of Finals . . . 2 more days of testing left . . I saw this and copy and pasted it. I think it makes my point!


THE MCCAIN WAYATTACK REPUBLICANS
A Top 10 List…



1) Defending His Amnesty Bill, Sen. McCain Lost His Temper And “Screamed, ‘F*ck You!’ At Texas Sen. John Cornyn” (R-TX). “Presidential hopeful John McCain - who has been dogged for years by questions about his volcanic temper - erupted in an angry, profanity-laced tirade at a fellow Republican senator, sources told The Post yesterday. In a heated dispute over immigration-law overhaul, McCain screamed, ‘F— you!’ at Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who had been raising concerns about the legislation. ‘This is chickens—stuff,’ McCain snapped at Cornyn, according to several people in the room off the Senate floor Thursday. ‘You’ve always been against this bill, and you’re just trying to derail it.’” (Charles Hurt, “Raising McCain,” New York Post, 5/19/07)

2) In 2000, Sen. McCain Ran An Attack Ad Comparing Then-Gov. George W. Bush To Bill Clinton. SEN. MCCAIN: “I guess it was bound to happen. Governor Bush’s campaign is getting desperate, with a negative ad about me. The fact is, I’ll use the surplus money to fix Social Security, cut your taxes and pay down the debt. Governor Bush uses all of the surplus for tax cuts, with not one new penny for Social Security or the debt. His ad twists the truth like Clinton. We’re all pretty tired of that. As president, I’ll be conservative and always tell you the truth. No matter what.” (McCain 2000, Campaign Ad, 2/9/00; www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHoXkCprdL4)

3) Sen. McCain Repeatedly Called Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) An “A**hole”, Causing A Fellow GOP Senator To Say, “I Didn’t Want This Guy Anywhere Near A Trigger.” “Why can’t McCain win the votes of his own colleagues? To explain, a Republican senator tells this story: at a GOP meeting last fall, McCain erupted out of the blue at the respected Budget Committee chairman, Pete Domenici, saying, ‘Only an a–hole would put together a budget like this.’ Offended, Domenici stood up and gave a dignified, restrained speech about how in all his years in the Senate, through many heated debates, no one had ever called him that. Another senator might have taken the moment to check his temper. But McCain went on: ‘I wouldn’t call you an a–hole unless you really were an a–hole.’ The Republican senator witnessing the scene had considered supporting McCain for president, but changed his mind. ‘I decided,’ the senator told Newsweek, ‘I didn’t want this guy anywhere near a trigger.’” (Evan Thomas, et al., “Senator Hothead,” Newsweek, 2/21/00)

4) Sen. McCain Had A Heated Exchange With Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) And Called Him A “F*cking Jerk.” “Senators are not used to having their intelligence or integrity challenged by another senator. ‘Are you calling me stupid?’ Sen. Chuck Grassley once inquired during a debate with McCain over the fate of the Vietnam MIAs, according to a source who was present. ‘No,’ replied McCain, ‘I’m calling you a f—ing jerk!’ (Grassley and McCain had no comment.)” (Evan Thomas, et al., “Senator Hothead,” Newsweek, 2/21/00)

5)In 1995, Sen. McCain Had A “Scuffle” With 92-Year-Old Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC) On The Senate Floor. “In January 1995, McCain was midway through an opening statement at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing when chairman Strom Thurmond asked, ‘Is the senator about through?’ McCain glared at Thurmond, thanked him for his ‘courtesy’ (translation: buzz off), and continued on. McCain later confronted Thurmond on the Senate floor. A scuffle ensued, and the two didn’t part friends.” (Harry Jaffe, “Senator Hothead,” The Washingtonian, 2/97)

6)Sen. McCain Accused Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Of The “Most Egregious Incident” Of Corruption He Had Seen In The Senate. “It escalated when McCain reiterated the charges Oct. 10 in a cross-examination, calling McConnell’s actions the ‘most egregious incident’ demonstrating the appearance of corruption he has ever seen in his Senate career.” (Amy Keller, “Attacks Escalate In Depositions,” Roll Call, 10/21/02)

7) Sen. McCain Attacked Christian Leaders And Republicans In A Blistering Speech During The 2000 Campaign. MCCAIN: “Unfortunately, Governor Bush is a Pat Robertson Republican who will lose to Al Gore. … The political tactics of division and slander are not our values… They are corrupting influences on religion and politics, and those who practice them in the name of religion or in the name of the Republican Party or in the name of America shame our faith, our party and our country. Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance, whether they be Louis Farrakhan or Al Sharpton on the left, or Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell on the right.” (Sen. John McCain, Remarks,
Virginia Beach, VA, 2/28/00)

8) Sen. McCain Attacked Vice President Cheney. MCCAIN: “The president listened too much to the Vice President . . . Of course, the president bears the ultimate responsibility, but he was very badly served by both the Vice President and, most of all, the Secretary of Defense.” (Roger Simon, “McCain Bashes Cheney Over Iraq Policy,” The Politico, 1/24/07)

9)Celebrating His First Senate Election In 1986, Sen. McCain Screamed At And Harassed A Young Republican Volunteer. “It was election night 1986, and John McCain had just been elected to the U.S. Senate for the first time. Even so, he was not in a good mood. McCain was yelling at the top of his lungs and poking the chest of a young Republican volunteer who had set up a lectern that was too tall for the 5-foot-9 politician to be seen to advantage, according to a witness to the outburst. ‘Here this poor guy is thinking he has done a good job, and he gets a new butt ripped because McCain didn’t look good on television,’ Jon Hinz told a reporter Thursday. At the time, Hinz was executive director of the Arizona Republican Party. … Hinz said McCain’s treatment of the young campaign worker in 1986 troubled him for years. ‘There were an awful lot of people in the room,’ Hinz recalled. ‘You’d have to stick cotton in your ears not to hear it. He (McCain) was screaming at him, and he was red in the face. It wasn’t right, and I was very upset at him.’” (Kris Mayes and Charles Kelly, “Stories Surface On Senator’s Demeanor,” The Arizona
Republic, 11/5/99)

10) Sen. McCain “Publicly Abused” Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL). “[McCain] noted his propensity for passion but insisted that he doesn’t ‘insult anybody or fly off the handle or anything like that.’ This is, quite simply, hogwash. McCain often insults people and flies off the handle…. There have been the many times McCain has called reporters ‘liars’ and ‘idiots’ when they have had the audacity to ask him unpleasant, but pertinent, questions. McCain once… publicly abused Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama.” (Editorial, “There’s Something About McCain,” The Austin American-Statesman, 1/24/07)

My 2cents

So most people know that I am pretty apathetic when it comes to our government officials. I mean when you get to it most of them are making a career of being politicians and do very little, in my opinion.

With that said I have been following the election coverage pretty well and have read a lot of stuff about each candidate and want to make an appeal for those of you to maybe consider Mitt Romney as the person who should get your vote.

Why have I chosen Mitt Romeny? I bet most of you think it is because he is Mormon. Actually, the opposite is true. I was at first turned off of Romney because he was LDS and thought most people would not elect a LDS person to begin with. Though Romeny is a religious person with a deep devotion to his faith, his Christian values are not at the center of his campaign. Unlike Huckabee, I have not read about Romney going to a LDS congregation to try and get votes from the people. If you are looking for someone running on that kind of agenda Huckabee is for you . . . not Romeny.

Romeny is also not a career politician. His platform has been as someone with real-world experience in the business sector that knows how to get things done. McCain is a career politician there is not mistake about it . . . he knows very little about the business world and is perhaps the lease experience of all the candidates in this area. How many of the presidential candidates can say they have had to actually had to turn around failing companies around?

A lot of people have also accused Romney of using his person wealth to propel his campaign forward. He made a great point sometime ago, why should he ask friends to give him money for his campaign when he is not willing to contribute a few bucks from his own pocket. I mean does it cost that much to fly McCain’s mom around and speak on behalf of her son. It is also interesting that McCain has not used of his own personal finances into the campaign.

McCain has said that the US needs a leader and not a manager. While I understand his point, I also think we need to stop sitting around the table and debating till we are all red in the face. I think Romeny is definitely the managerial type, but that he is willing to make hard decisions and put them into play.

In reality, the US government since 1980 has had two different governments. The Regan, Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. has had many of the same insiders working for them over this period. There is a reason while some of the same people keep popping up over and over again. Many of these same people will reappear under a McCain presidency. If Monica Lewinsky’s ex-boyfriend’s wife is elected you will see a lot of the same people from the Clinton era as well. It’s kind of like those stores that put up signs that say “Under New Management,” but we all know it's the same people working inside. If you look at several of Romney’s chief aids and many of those who are backing him in his political corner, you will notice it is a new crowd. I found it interesting that Ross Perot recently gave an interview in support of Romney because he felt Romeny is the only one who can really change the government.
Okay there I think I said my peace. But, like anything I highly encourage you to study it out for yourself. The only downside is can Romney beat either Obama or Clinton in the general election. Well those recent poll numbers are not that good, but why not take a chance and vote for Romney . . . in the primary election when it counts the most!

I am interested in what your opinions are back in the States about each candidate.

This most likely will be my last post till finals are over.

Harajuku to Shibuya

Finals are this week and last week I had to give a speech in Japanese that I had to memorize. Needless to say I am really stressed out. My friend Katsuku though it would be fun to do something to help me get my mind off things. So after class on Friday we walked from Harajuku to Shibuya and took pictures along the way and looked at a lot of the shops. Harajuku is rather famous for being a place with a lot of clothing shops that are suppose to be cheap. The styles vary, but most of the pics I took are of some of the crazy stuff they wear and oh they do wear it. It is pretty crazy the price people pay for cloths. Some shops by clothes from A&F, Old Navy and other such stores bring it back to Japan and sell it for 4 to 5 times what one can get it in the states for. But, even GAP (GAPU if you are Japanese) sells clothes at a ridiculous price.


We spent about 5 hours looking at places and walking and had dinner before we called it a day. It was really fun and it helped to get me a little more relaxed going into finals. To see the rest of the pics check out my flickr account.

Snow

Today, we had the first snowfall in Tokyo. It was actually rather nice and most of it is sticking. But, living in this concrete jungle most of it seems to be melting. It was nice to experience snow yet again. I briefly walked around where I lived and took some quick picture. I wanted to take some of these three shrines that are close to where I live. You can see them on teh flickr account.

Only one more week of the regular semester left. I am hoping to have a B in the class. I have struggled at times, but I have to say now that I have a good language partner, Katsuki, my Japanese is really improving. We been meeting about twice a week now for 2 weeks and we try to chat online when we can. Katsuki also has a sister who just received international nursing license and plans on going to Australia to practice next year and also wants to maybe to language exchange. One of the problems I think that is slowly me down is outside of class I really do not speak Japanese as much as I would like to because so many of my friends are Westerners. Hence I have been trying to make Japanese friends who are out of college and want to practice English and let me practice Japanese. It also has started to help that I have been sending cell phone emails in Japanese. People “text” each other here instead of talking directly to one another.

Okay well I will probably write my next entry after finals.

Tsukiji Fish market

So last Friday night, I was coming home and as I was leaving my station I ran into about 8 of my friends and they were going to go to the Tsukiji, the worlds largest fish market. I did not have my camera and there was no time to get it either. So the pics are from friends.

The idea was to get to the fish market at about 4:30 am so that we could get in line to have some really fresh sushi. We got within a 20-minute walk of the place and spent 3 hours at an internet café to sleep. Later I will do a separate blog entry about Internet cafes . . .they are interesting.

The place was really busy and I have never seen so much seafood in my life. The restaurant we went to opened at 5:00, but despite being there so early we waited outside to get in for 2 ½ hours and I was so cold and tired. I actually left and went home early because I was just exhausted. My back has been killing me ever since going. But, it was one of those things that you just have to go and see and experience while you are in Tokyo!



See the rest of the pics on my flickr account

Crunch Time

Well, I have been getting into my regular routine back in here Nihon. To bad that the semester is over at the end of the month. This mean I have been really working hard and studying my butt off to make sure I do well. Not that I don't study a lot but I am just making sure that I am getting it.

Work has been going well. I really do like teaching and the income is deffinetly needed. Everything is so expensive here. Mr. Kotaki, the guy I am out sourced to, mentioned that a company is perhaps interested in me going there once or twice a week to teach English to its employees. While I have no problem doing that, Mr. Kotaki is also aware that my schedule is limited and that I will only do so much work. I think he maybe getting to big and may need to hire another teacher in addition to me in the future.

For the last month or so I just feel like we do not get enough fruit in our diet. Last week I started counting how many servings of fruit and vegatables I was getting and it was really wacked. About 12 servings of vegtables . . . no joke . . . and 1 serving of fruit. Some days it was 0. So I bought some pears and oranges and been eating them to get the extra servings. My room has a nice orange smell which I honestly do not mind.

I have uploaded some of the pics from Ueno Koen up to my flickr account so go ahead and check it out. Also I just realized I wrote this straight on here and not in Word first. Oh well . . . . .

PS Mike I am trying to do better with the blog thing!!

busy busy

I am busy studying and writing this speech for my class. I have pics of Ueno park that I took on Saturday and will uplaod them when I get a chance. Sorry! Things are going good here in Japan . . . not to much to report.

Orange Bowl

YEEEEEEAAAA!!!!!! KU won the Orange Bowl!!!!

Kansas 24 Virginia Tech 21


I was able to listen to the game live from a radio station in Kansas City.

Most people know that I hate the special treatment that a lot of the players, particularly basketball, get. But, it was good to see KU do well and show that they could beat VT even with so many doubting.

So I hope this teaches my brother-in-law, Brian, a lesson!!!!!!!!


ROCK CHAUK JAYHAWK!!!!


Game Recap:
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/recap;_ylt=AlmfCyurFIutb1Qa1jZX7P85nYcB?gid=200801030016

Japanese do it better!

Yesterday was my first time flying on Japanese Airlines (JAL) and it was by far the best airline I have ever flown. The only thing that I can say I like better on other airlines are the seats on Midwest . . . all of their seats are the big first class size seats and two per aisle instead of the normal three you generally find in economy. As my flight was leaving the counter staff that helped us board the flight, all 13 of them instead of the normal 4 or 5, came out and were on the ground and waved to our plane as we left. There are also more stewardesses on the plane, you have more movie options (like 8 in economy) that are continually running, better meals and drink options, and if you ever want anything they will get it for you.

JAL is just a better airline because the customer service is just better. This is also true with Japanese businesses in general. You would never have the disgruntled employee who does not even look at you or acknowledge you while they are ringing up your stuff in the process of having a conversation with another co-worker only to stop and tell you the total amount you owe. Even those at the Wal-mart owned Seiyu maintain a higher standard then most American businesses, but it is really low in comparison to other Japanese stores. It rather interesting that most Japanese do not like Seiyu for the reason that they place a lower value on its employees and its customer service.

Anyways, the better customer service does come at a price, but the ticket I got was pretty cheap. Even if JAL were a $100 or so more then another ticket I would still choose JAL.

Its weird to be back in Japan. Most of the people who lived in my dorm are gone and some are leaving today to go north to go skiing.

Christmas in Cali

Well I know I have been slacking at doing the whole blog thing, but I will try to do better. Christmas in California was a lot of fun. It was really good to see Erin and was hard to leave her yet again. However, I will see her in February . . . so not to long of a wait. It was also good to see a lot of people I have not seen in a long time. I was so amazed at how fast my nieces, nephews, and cousins have grown.

One thing that I noticed that really bothered me about being back in the U.S. was how much stuff we just waste. I am not sure why, but it just seems like we waste a lot of things, particularly food. Now I am not saying I am perfect, but in Japan I guess I have just use to not throwing food away.

Also this was my first Christmas without my grandmother (Granny) so I found it really hard to be in here house without her there. It was much harder then I imagined, but I was able to get through it.

I was happy that I did get my fair share of Mexican food and was able to eat at In-N-Out.

I also went on a hot date with my father-in-law to see I am Legend. I enjoyed the movie.

4x4, four peices of meat and cheese, from In-N-Out

Ma and Pa Barker