The Gender Factor

Read this article:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/10/america/women.php


I am sure that gender is a factor in this primary season. No doubt people view Hilary differently because she is a woman. No doubt people are asking different questions. No doubt people are throwing down new bolts of criticism. This is happening and will continue to happen, and I think it should be addressed with formidable discussion. I'm just sorry to see the discussion moving in the wrong direction.

There are people that look at Clinton and say they won't vote for her because she is a woman. This is wrong. But it is almost as equally wrong to vote for her because she's a woman, which is the demographic that pulled Clinton into the lead in New Hampshire this week. The discussion so far about gender ends with Election Day. We must look farther.

I say that voting for Clinton because she's a woman is "almost as equally wrong" because I do believe there is symbolic power in having a woman president. I think it will be positive motivation and positive precedence for better gender equality throughout the U.S. However, when we vote for someone based on their gender rather than their abilities, we are making a grave mistake.

The question is not"is a woman capable of leading the United States?" The question is "who is capable of leading the United States?" This is what we must be discussing, analyzing, and debating as we move towards November.

Back Baby

I've lost the will to read. I think my facebook profile says I'm reading 9 books right now or something like that. I just don't have it in me right now. Maybe I'm just in shock from being back. I realized here just a day ago that I am really here for the long haul. That this is my home now. When I was back in America over winter break it felt like the past 5 months in Japan were a vacation. I lived in America, I went to Japan for 5 months, then I came back to America. But wait, what? Now I'm in Japan again. How did that happen? What am I doing back here? Oh yeah - those 2 weeks in America, that was my vacation. Now who knows, I might not see my homeland again for a year-and-a-half.

I remember singing "O Home Beloved" in Brazil (over 2 years ago now!) and crying, thinking about my home so many miles away. And that was only after being gone for 10 days. The Odyssey rings more true in my mind now too, thinking about Odysseus' longing for his homeland. During his 20 years abroad that was his continuous thought - Ithaca. Man has such a longing for his birthland, his people, his origins.

On my harrowing journey back to Kambara from the airport in Narita I stood behind a guy who was wearing a backpack with his name in sharpie marker across the back. His last name ended in "stad" and it made me keep reading through his address....Norway! The guy was Norwegian! It made me very happy because he looked like me. Norwegians are awesome because we are very strong and good at the javelin. I'm going to practice the javelin throw and get very good because I've got all the potential in the world backing me up.

On a related note, I went back to the Doctor's today for a requested follow-up to my checkup a month and a half ago. I was a little nervous, because I never fully understand what's going on with anything in the first place, and now they're telling me something about an irregular pulse and they have to test me after exercise. I kept checking my pulse the past couple days to see if I could notice anything irregular, but I didn't know what I was looking for, so I decided to just take some deep breaths and try to live healthily for the 48 hours before my checkup.

Again I show up at the wrong door of the Hospital and get personally redirected by a nice secretary to find the same non-English speaking nurses who don't really know what to do with me, so I get escorted around some more. The "exercise" consisted of walking up and over this box 24 times then laying on a bed where the nurse put a hundred clamps on my body and told me to lie still for 3 minutes. They had taken my pulse before the "exercise" as well, so I had a printout with several feet of jagged blip marks to show the doctor in the other room.

He told me that I had a slow pulse - fewer than 60 pulses after the exercise. Then he also said that my heart beats quickly for a few beats, then slowly for a few beats, then quickly again, then slowly. He showed me the map to prove it. He was right. There were a bunch of the lightning bolt things in groups spaced out by periods of.....encroaching death?

I was kind of worried though the Doctor told me "shinpai nai" (don't worry). I understood the Japanese, but I just don't really feel like being comfortable unless I can hear it in English. I had him repeat again and again that there was no problem with my slow heartbeat. I asked him if I would die early and he said no. I asked him if I could still play sports, and he said that "for example" a marathon would be fine because the slower the heartbeat, the better. If I'm actually totally fine, and slower is better, then I can't figure out why they called me back in for further tests. Why was I there? Why was I having this meeting if I'm totally fine? Why the serious demeanor? It's like, "Well, you're a freak, and this here on your chart looks pretty abnormal (let's circle it in red pen) and I'll have you in for some more tests, but you're totally fine! Don't worry about it!"

It reminds me of the Brian Regan bit about going to the eye doctor. The eye doctor says to Brian, "Did you know that your right eye is slightly higher than your left eye?"
"No, I didn't know that...is that bad?"
"No, it doesn't affect your vision at all."
And then Brian's like, "What was that? 'Oh no, you're fine, I just want you to feel self-conscious for the rest of your life.'"

So I was feeling pretty sorry for myself Monday and Tuesday this week. I sat in my house and literally did nothing. Well, I went grocery shopping and cooked dinner both nights, but other than that I sat on my but and felt culture shocked. I didn't even unpack my suitcase. It's finally hitting me. It started the week before coming home. Then I think I was just really ready to see my family and friends again. I was sick of being 10,000 km away and not being able to hop in a car and see people.

Wednesday morning I woke up and was standing in the shower when I recognized this as culture shock. Then I actually got happy. "There's nothing wrong with me, I'm just culture shocked. It's totally normal. I think I can move on now." I got up the motivation and unpacked by bag and put away all my clothes Wednesday night. I don't need to feel perfect, I just need to know that I'm normal. (Besides my pulse, I guess, heh, heh). That things are going like they should.

Slow pulses might make good marathon runners, but I'm hoping that they also make good genski (scooter) riders as well. I'm buying one as soon as I get confirmation about the international driver's license law (I got one over break) and I find one for under $400. I've found that I could get a brand new one for under $1,000, but I'm looking for a slightly different model...like 8 years ago's model.

81-year old woman thwarts thief

81-year old Mabel Schmelmer of Concord, N.H. wrote a fairy tale ending today to her own story - a story that began in austerity. While leaving her regular Friday afternoon matinée, Schmelmer's purse was snatched from off her shoulder. As the bandit took his first getaway step, she stuck her foot out and tripped the man, sending him headlong down an escalator.

"I had just finished watching The Bourne Supremacy, so I knew I could do it," said Schmelmer to Channel 6 news, "I guess I just kind of reacted."

Adding to the thief's already bruised knees and crushed ego, his collar got stuck in the escalator stairs at the bottom allowing mall security time to apprehend him.

The Chronicles of the World's Saddest Sandwich

The Saga Begins

We join our heroes, Cheap White Bread, Kraft Single Wrapped Cheese, and Plate in close counsel. They must choose a leader. But who will lead this treacherous and harrowing journey from the table to the mouth?
"Certainly not Plate," said Cheese, "he's far too cowardly."
"Yes, cowardly, that's right," replied Bread.
"It's true," said Plate. "Plus I'm kind of heavy."
"You forgot ugly," retorted Cheese.
Bread let out a snicker.



"I move that Cheese gets to be the leader," said Bread sucking in breath to cover his laughs.
"I second," said Cheese.
"You can't second your own nomination," protested Plate.
"Well then who's going to second me...you?" Cheese sneered.
"Maybe I will, if you're going to challenge me like that. In fact, forget you, Cheese, I will nominate you. Second!"
"Well that's settled," sighed Bread. "Now the question is, who's going to be the delegator?"
Cheese said in his new leader voice, "You'll be the delegator, Bread."
"So...who's going to tell me what to do?" said Plate hesitantly.
"I delegate the leader to tell you what to do," Bread answered smartly.
"Thank you, but that really wasn't necessary, Bread," said Cheese.
"Sorry El Leadero."
"And I'm not nacho, I'm cheddar."
"Well you can't tell by your smooth and melt-at-room-temperature personality."
"You have been known to pool a little," added Plate.
Cheese, going a little red, decided it was time to change the subject. "We must organize men, cheerio!"
"Where'd the British accent come from?"
"I heard it in a movie somewhere, it sounded inspirational."
"Indeed, indeed," chimed in Plate, trying to sound British too.
"Stay out of this, Plate," said Bread crossly.
"OOOooo, you just got DELEGATED!" crowed Cheese marking his words with a point.
"Just step all over me, why don't you," said Plate, obviously smarting a little.
"What a great idea!" Cheese exclaimed.
Bread climbed up onto Plate.
"And if I stand on you..." said Cheese.
"Oh, and add a millimeter?" said Bread sarcastically.
Cheese pulled himself up anyway, accidentally stepping on Bread's toes on the way. "Well, the leader must go first certainly?"


Bread poked Cheese in the bum and Plate took this moment of dissidence to chime in. "I heard that if you fold yourselves over like 30 times you can reach the moon."
"We don't want to reach the moon, Plate, we're trying to get to the mouth. However, it would be nice to drop in on my relatives, the Mooncheeses."
"Is it on the way?" asked Bread.
Considering this thoughtfully, Cheese changed his mind. "No, it's not on the way, plus the Mooncheeses are my in-laws."
"So, one fold will do it?" Bread looked up for agreement. He got the nod from Cheese.


"Are we there yet?" asked Plate.
"I'm not sure...how do we tell?" said Bread with brow furrowed.
"I'm sure we'll know it when we get there," replied Cheese with confidence.

My home

Shizuoka Prefecture - You sweat your balls off in the summer and chatter your teeth out in the winter, but it's got the 3 things realtors are looking for most: location, location, location.

A Japanese Update

It's really great. I'm learning! I can definitely tell my Japanese has progressed and is on the move. I've now had 3 private lessons and it's definitely worth the cash. I thought that at worst it would provide motivation to study, and it's been doing much more than that; my private teacher Watanabesan really knows how to teach, so I'm absorbing information and setting the bar during my lessons.

The other night I biked to the konbini because I was craving some junk food. I made my purchases and hopped back on my bike. Just across the street from the konbini is this grease trap ramen shop that I had been to once and avoided since but this night I was feeling particularly daring (and admissibly more hungry than chocolate covered peanuts could satiate) so I decided to make a brief stop to order and swallow a single order of gyoza. How did it take me this long to learn my lesson? I now realize fully that when you don't speak a region's native language and you look as white as a polar bear nothing happens quickly. It used to bother me, but I finally just conceded that things are going to take longer than normal and to just roll with it. A laugh and a "wakarimasen" (I don't understand) is a reasonable response in many situations. However, many positions I find myself in I can get through eventually, it just takes a lot of arm flailing, chicken scratching and the 3rd or 4th choice vocabulary word. (And that's on both sides of the communication!) Furuyasan (my usual tutor at my bunka center lessons) is particularly hilarious in his actions - just tonight he had me laughing at his air guitar playing.

So I ordered my gyoza from the lady, and I heard her talking to the man behind the counter (I found out later they are husband and wife) that I was the English teacher at Ihara High School. I think she was a little put off that I only ordered gyoza. The man started talking to me a sentence or two at a time until our conversation really started to warm and he came over and took a seat next to me at the counter. We talked about English and teaching and a relative of his in the United States. We talked about the weather and that sort of thing - even small talk takes a while to get through for me still. His wife kept badgering him to let me eat; often in our conversation I was left with gyoza in chopsticks, in limbo between my plate and mouth. He would say "gomennasai" (sorry) then start talking again the moment I had a full mouth. I found out that his name is Mitsuo Sano and he is 66 years old. We also talked about my name, Ru-Sa-, and my age, 24, and the fact that I'm 42 years his junior! Sanosan actually runs an autobody shop connected to the ramen shop - thus maybe a bit of the grease and grime. He and his wife both are super nice and really fun to talk with. They ended up cooking me some free ramen (I had already eaten a bowl of ramen for lunch, but I really couldn't turn it down). Sanosan wanted to give me free beer, but I told him I had biked, so I couldn't drink. (There's a zero tolerance policy for drinking and driving here in Japan, one that is rigorously kept for even bicyclists. I would lose my job and get shipped home if I was pulled over on my bike blowing a 0.01.) He then said I had to walk next time to the shop so that we could drink together.

We talked too about learning Japanese and the efforts I've been making so far. He told me to bring my homework to their restaurant and work on it there. Tuesday night really made me feel welcomed in my community.

It's really weird thinking back on our conversation - I realize that we were communicating almost entirely in Japanese - I know more Japanese than they know English (and that's not to make anything of my abilities, believe me). I have yet to feel like I'm communicating while using Japanese, I still feel like it's a cumbersome blunt object that I'm wielding, hacking away at tangles of uncertainty. I can't wait until the Japanese language is no longer a burden but rather a vehicle. (A shinkansen, maybe!)

Well, either way, we still ended up exchanging a lot of information, and I'm happy with whatever successes I find. Japan's not too bad; I can see movement and that's a good thing.

John Bolton

Time Magazine was justifiably correct in labeling John Bolton as the “anti-diplomat” in their 10 Questions column. It seems that Bush nominated him for his potential to shake up and reform the U.N., or maybe more accurately, use it as a method for enacting U.S. agenda globally. Luckily he never received the proper nomination to enjoy the full title as permanent ambassador. The democrats were firmly against him, as well as several key republicans. He has very little respect for the U.N. and resolves too quickly for action rather than talking things over. In a glaring example, in 2003 Bolton was removed from the U.S. delegation to the six-party talks over the nuclear program in North Korea after using extreme and damaging language to describe the state of North Korea. The point of diplomacy is to open up the possibility for change through decent and tactful communication; not to shut down the other party through insults and bullying. Bush seemed to think this is what the U.N. needed when he appointed Bolton, and Bolton’s comments published recently in TIME magazine only verify this. The following is a question sent in by a reader and Bolton’s answer:

Given the U.N.’s endemic inertia, corruption and competing national agendas, do you think it still serves America’s national interest to be a member?

It does, although it’s not a body that I would rest our foreign policy on. The U.N. [however] can be a useful instrument of American foreign policy.

Wow.