Pikatto

This is one of the most succinct explanations regarding 2nd Amendment rights via the right to carry a concealed firearm I have ever seen. Unfortunately I cannot give full credit because I do not know who wrote it.

*Sigh* Let’s go over it again, people. By definition, bad guys don’t obey laws, so they’ll surely not obey even the most sternly worded signs. Ergo, any bad guys at or near this Starbucks (or a similarly posted establishment) have guns. Or knives. Or maybe they’ve organized into a pack. At any rate, they possess the means -and more importantly, the motivation- to do harm. Just as important to these bad guys is that you, the law-abiding citizen, will indeed obey the sign. Actually, most of you will roll your eyes at it, saying to yourself or your companions, “Right, like I’m going to need a gun at Starbucks!” …or at school…or at a Luby’s…or at a daycare center… And if the unthinkable happens, and someone offers you violence for which you are utterly unprepared, then your only hope is that there is a cop nearby, into whose hands you have completely entrusted your physical safety. If you are alone at the Starbucks (et al), then the consequences fall upon your person alone, and that is certainly your right, to allow another to threaten, kill, or maim you. If you are with someone who might look to you for protection (spouse, child, elder parent), then being unprepared means you have abdicated that responsibility. There is a third option, however. Between the sheep and the wolf lies the sheepdog. More suited for life amongst the sheep, but equipped more like the wolf, the sheepdog blends into the unarmed crowd at Starbucks, buying his coffee and enjoying it like the rest, but with a vigilant eye on his surroundings. This third kind of person is a law-abiding citizen, and also a criminal, because he has chosen to disregard a statute that renders him unable to protect himself and his family. He’ll likely never have to present the weapon he carries in violation of the law, but if he does, it will be a decision that will be made because his very life was at stake. If you have a sheepdog in your midst when the wolf appears, your third option is to hope that he is willing to endure the arrest, imprisonment, and financial ruin that goes along with using a weapon in defense of another. So sneer at the signs if you like. I genuinely hope you are never a victim of such violence. And I hope that if you are, I’m next to you in line at Starbucks. You should hope so too…but don’t rely upon it, because as we all know, hope is not a plan. Woof.

It looks like I may have found a nice alternative to Flickr. I’ve been wanting to drop Flickr since they were acquired by Yahoo. Yahoo’s cooperation with the Chinese government, which has already led to the imprisonment of a Chinese man who simply wanted to express himself freely, absolutely disgusts me. I’ve never had a pro account with Flickr so up to now I’ve justified it to myself. I may not have to do that any longer thanks to Zooomr.

Here’s a photo of Nobuko and Ken I took while we were visiting relatives this week. It’s the first photo I uploaded to Zooomr.

NobukoAndKen Hosted on Zooomr

Lucas to Release Original Unaltered Trilogy on DVD ★

Lucasfilm Ltd.:

In response to overwhelming demand, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release attractively priced individual two-disc releases of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Each release includes the 2004 digitally remastered version of the movie and, as bonus material, the theatrical edition of the film. That means you’ll be able to enjoy Star Wars as it first appeared in 1977, Empire in 1980, and Jedi in 1983.

John Gruber of Daring Fireball wrote:

Bastards. I broke down and finally bought the current DVD trilogy collection just a few months ago — now I’ve got to pay for it yet again just to get the versions of the films that I really want. If they ever diddle with the Han-vs.-Greedo scene again, they ought to have Han shoot George Lucas.

I agree. Bastards all around. I bought the current, edited, DVD trilogy last fall because I figured Lucas would never admit that he was wrong in editing the original movies. I guess Lucas and Fox needed a way to make more money. I really want a copy of these new DVDs, but it really pisses me off that I have to pay yet again. Lucas is really alienating the fans who helped make him and Star Wars a success.

Technorati Tags: movies, Star Wars

I woke up last night around 3:30 in the morning and had to go to the bathroom. While I was in the bathroom I heard footsteps outside in one of the innumerable parking lots near our apartment. I glanced out the window and saw someone wandering around in one of the two parking lots in front of our apartment. Something seemed odd about his behavior, so I opened the window more for a better view. After a while a car pulled alongside the parking lot and stopped. That’s when the first punk broke into the first car, many more would follow.

I had somehow known that this was going to happen, but was faced with a dilemma. What to do? I didn’t want to call the police and try and explain what was happening because I knew it would be difficult to communicate clearly with them in Japanese. Neither did I want to wake Nobuko and have her call since she had to get up early and go to work the next day. What’s a civic-minded resident to do? Should I have broken out the katana, or perhaps a good old-fashioned American baseball bat and brandished it wildly, screaming as I charged the scum?

Maybe I should have merely stepped out onto the landing and bellowed dorobo, which means robber, at the top of my lungs. Sure it would have been immensely satisfying to see those punks lose control of their bladders as I advanced upon them waving a katana, but where was the justice in that.

I came up with a much better solution. I grabbed my camera and headed out the front door. Unfortunately I was unable to get any shots of them because they bolted as soon as they saw me. This did, however, give me the perfect chance to leisurely stroll over to their car and snap a few photos of the car and license plate.

Today while Ken and I were taking a walk I noticed a woman and her small son standing near a car in the parking lot. The woman looked upset so I walked over and asked if her car was okay. She was surprised by my question and asked me why I had asked it. I explained everything that had happened the night before, and she told me that she was waiting for the police, whom she had called. She asked if I would mind waiting, and I told her of course not.

The police got there and the woman and I talked with them separately. The cops, and the woman too come to think of it, were really surprised and happy that I had taken a photo of the criminals’ car. I then went back to the apartment and printed off the photos and took them back to the police. I even took the opportunity to complain to the police about the punks that abound in this neighborhood late at night, and chided them for not patrolling more. They agreed with me and thanked me for my help. I really hope they catch those worthless pair of scumbags.

Here’s one of the photos I took, which with my testimony should help to put these punks behind bars where they belong.

Technorati Tags: Japan, Crime

In an amazing second round Brian makes a surprise comeback thanks in part to his trainer Nobuko’s purchase of a new piece of equipment—a nipple designed by Pigeon® to more closely resemble the real thing. The guy who invented this thing deserves a Nobel Prize in my opinion. Today’s schedule:

• 7:00 Nobuko fed Ken before she left for work.
• 8:00 I woke up.
• 10:00 Ken woke up.

I fed him formula using the new nipple and he guzzled it down like a frat boy at a kegger. I changed his diaper and played with him for about an hour, and then he sat in his Baby Björn bouncer for about forty-five minutes.

• 12:00 Ken took a nap.

• 1:00 Ken woke up, I changed his diaper, and then ate lunch while he watched. Afterwards we played some more.

• 1:45 I fed Ken using that Nobel Prize deserving nipple again. This time milk that Nobuko pumped yesterday. I think he thought I was Nobuko. Changed another diaper and put him down for another nap.

• 4:20 I fed him one more time before Nobuko got home. Changed his diaper again. And we played for a bit before he fell asleep.

All in all, no problems. I think I can do this stay-at-home dad gig after all.

Round 2: Ken 0 Brian 1

Technorati Tags: Fatherhood, Humor, Parenting

Since our budget is tight right now Nobuko decided to make a homemade chocolate cake for me for Valentine’s Day, which was excellent. I hope she makes another one sometime soon. I guess when White Day comes I’ll have to reciprocate the favor. —In Japan Valentine’s Day has been split in two. On February 14 women give men chocolate. Men give women chocolate or gifts on March 15, which is known as White Day.—

Technorati Tags: Japan, Holidays

Nobuko and I have been married for almost two years and we are finally going to have our wedding ceremony the first week of June. This will be the first — and probably only trip — my parents make to Japan, so I think it’s going to be a little stressful. My good buddy Fred is also flying in which is supercool. I’m looking forward to hanging out with him in Fukuoka for the first time. It’s because of Fred really that I ended up in Fukuoka in the first place. Before any of the fun stuff, however, we still have to finalize the plans for the reception, find hotels for guests, and send out paper and ink invitations — digital invites have already been sent — not to mention all the tiny odds and ends that go into planning a wedding. Before I delve more deeply into this subject here are few observations about weddings in Japan.

1. Weddings are ridiculously expensive
2. Guests traditionally give money to the bride and groom so they can afford to get married
3. Generally speaking it costs more to rent a wedding dress in Japan than to buy one in the U.S.

Nobuko and I have been trying to keep the costs as low as possible while still having a nice wedding. We have decided to stay away from the big hotel packages. Instead we are going to have the ceremony at a Shinto shrine, which really excites me. I guess we could have saved even more money by having our friend Jon the fake priest perform the ceremony!

When I got up, rather late I might add, I found that someone had tried to deliver a package while I was sleeping. Nobuko called them for me and asked them to bring it back by. I tought it was probably a couple of books I ordered from Amazon, even though they arrived really fast. Nope, I was wrong. It was a canvas tote bag from Apple. I guess that I qualified for one of their promotions when I bought my new G5. I just wish that it was a tshirt. Oh well, at any rate it was a nice surprise.