...from Nanny O'Brien's.
Everybody funny.
Now you funny too.
Friday, July 22, 2005
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Ask and Ye Shall Receive: Jesus Christ is Buried in Japan....
As I learned during my four years living there, Japan is full of all manner of wacky myths. I discovered one of the wackiest when I went camping with my family in a forest in northeastern Honshu. Honshu, as some of you may know, is the largest of Japan's four main islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku). In all, the nation of Japan consists of more than 2,000 islands.
Anyway, in about 1989, my family and I took a camping trip in Aomori prefecture in northeastern Honshu with some other families stationed with us at Misawa AFB. One of the families had been in Japan already for many, many years, and hence knew more about the surrounding area than anyone in my family. While sitting around the campfire one night, a member of that family asked us, "Have you ever been to Christ's burial place in Japan?" Needless to say, we were confused by the question, so he explained...
It turns out that some Japanese, especially those who are members of the Mahikari religious sect, believe that Jesus Christ (or Kirisuto in Japanese) traveled to Japan from Judea at the age of 21. After studying Shintoism for several years, he evolved his "Christian" doctrine and returned to Judea to teach it. This supposedly accounts in part for the absence of material in the Bible to describe Christ's formative years.
When he was threatened with capture and execution, Christ was saved by his twin brother, Iskiris, who volunteered to take Christ's place on the cross. Iskiris was crucified, and Christ fled to Japan, where he lived and taught to the age of 106. Iskiris' remains were disinterred many years after his death, and he and Christ were eventually buried together.
Today, the Star of David and other symbols direct tourists to two large burial mounds located outside the village of Herai. A large wooden crucifix stands between the mounds, and a sign in Japanese and English describes the myth. A small museum nearby supposedly holds Christ's Last Will and Testament.
I was intrigued by this story as a teenager, but disheartened by what I learned as an adult. Through research, I've learned that the entire myth is part of an elaborate scam woven by Yoshikazu Okada, a former Japanese Imperial Military officer who participated in the Rape of Nanking and then turned in the postwar era to using religion to preserve the worst aspects of Japanese imperialism. Among the purposes for the "Christ in Japan" myth are justification of the Holocaust (because Jews must be made to suffer for their sins and impurities); and so that Okada and then his daughter could use his leadership of the so-called Mahikari Christian religious sect to apply for and be granted (successfully) a large and valuable piece of land in the Australian province of New South Wales, for use as a "religious" reservation.
Would you like another anecdote?
Anyway, in about 1989, my family and I took a camping trip in Aomori prefecture in northeastern Honshu with some other families stationed with us at Misawa AFB. One of the families had been in Japan already for many, many years, and hence knew more about the surrounding area than anyone in my family. While sitting around the campfire one night, a member of that family asked us, "Have you ever been to Christ's burial place in Japan?" Needless to say, we were confused by the question, so he explained...
It turns out that some Japanese, especially those who are members of the Mahikari religious sect, believe that Jesus Christ (or Kirisuto in Japanese) traveled to Japan from Judea at the age of 21. After studying Shintoism for several years, he evolved his "Christian" doctrine and returned to Judea to teach it. This supposedly accounts in part for the absence of material in the Bible to describe Christ's formative years.
When he was threatened with capture and execution, Christ was saved by his twin brother, Iskiris, who volunteered to take Christ's place on the cross. Iskiris was crucified, and Christ fled to Japan, where he lived and taught to the age of 106. Iskiris' remains were disinterred many years after his death, and he and Christ were eventually buried together.
Today, the Star of David and other symbols direct tourists to two large burial mounds located outside the village of Herai. A large wooden crucifix stands between the mounds, and a sign in Japanese and English describes the myth. A small museum nearby supposedly holds Christ's Last Will and Testament.
I was intrigued by this story as a teenager, but disheartened by what I learned as an adult. Through research, I've learned that the entire myth is part of an elaborate scam woven by Yoshikazu Okada, a former Japanese Imperial Military officer who participated in the Rape of Nanking and then turned in the postwar era to using religion to preserve the worst aspects of Japanese imperialism. Among the purposes for the "Christ in Japan" myth are justification of the Holocaust (because Jews must be made to suffer for their sins and impurities); and so that Okada and then his daughter could use his leadership of the so-called Mahikari Christian religious sect to apply for and be granted (successfully) a large and valuable piece of land in the Australian province of New South Wales, for use as a "religious" reservation.
Would you like another anecdote?
Monday, July 18, 2005
OH WOW!!!
Hey Chappy, now that you've bored us with, I mean shared with us the scintillating details of your trip to Boston, could you please provide us with some anecdotes from the time you spent in Germany?
After that, some more anecdotes, this time from your time in Japan, would be nice.
Thanks.
After that, some more anecdotes, this time from your time in Japan, would be nice.
Thanks.
Red Sox Weekend, Part Two
The coolest moment of the last several years for me occurred on Saturday night. The Red Sox opened Fenway to a small crowd for "Hot Stove, Cool Music" -- a concert designed to raise funds for local charities.
First, what an experience -- being one of a small # of people hanging out in Fenway after hours listening to great music -- wow, wow, wow. I was swimming in baseball shrine worship.
Second -- Mike O'Malley (aka the Rick on ESPN; aka that guy from Boston Common; aka that guy from Yes, Dear) MC'd; Peter Gammons and Theo Epstein co-hosted. Note: Mike O'Malley is damn funny. Note: Peter Gammons plays a mean guitar, sings well, and is a decent songwriter. Who would have thought the Knight of the Keyboard would be so multi-talented?!? And who would have thunk that "A Night of Love" with Peter Gammons (actually 4 tix to sit with him and talk during a game in Monster seats) would be auctioned off and garner $7000? That was just one of many cool things auctioned off. Note to self: save money for next year! Note to self: do NOT become the disturbing woman who spent $20K to spend a night in Theo Epstein's box. Yikes.
Third -- The concert featured several local Boston bands. I particularly enjoyed the following bands: a) Kay Hanley and the Dilettantes -- you may remember Kay as the lead singer of the now-defunct early 90s band, Letters to Cleo. She's hot, she's a Sox nut, and she plays a mean guitar. Mmmm, Guitar-playing Rock Goddesses who love the Sox; b) Ben Kweller, a young singer-songwriter from Austin, TX, now living and playing in Boston. Lots of fun watching him rock out and have such a good time on stage; c) Buffalo Tom -- another band having an absolutely absurd amount of fun while playing on stage -- and sounding good. Fountains of Wayne was the headlining act, but I enjoyed the others better.
Fourth -- there are no bigger rockstars in all of Boston than Bronson Arroyo and Theo Epstein. Bronson fancies himself a multi-talented fellow -- he pitches, and he covers Pearl Jam songs! Bronson's new album, consisting of covers of 90s alterna-rock songs, is currently at #10 on Amazon.com's list of most-purchased albums. Wow. Theo, GM of the Sox at the age of 30 and architect of the 2004 World Series champs, played guitar for Buffalo Tom during their set. You should have seen the women descend on Theo and Bronson afterward. Oh, how much I would pay to be them.
Finally, damn, I wish I lived where Cherie's sister did. Cherie's sister, Kristen, a first year resident surgeon at Beth Israel Deaconness Hospital in Boston, lives a 10-minute walk from Fenway Park, at Longwood Towers. Longwood Towers, built in 1924 as a "residential hotel" and once considered Boston's most luxurious hotel, is an incredible complex. It consists of 3 separate red-brick, castle-like buildings designed in the English Tudor style, connected by a "grand lobby" that looks like the Great Room of an English castle -- complete with dark, ornately carved wood, stucco ceiling, enormous fireplace, piano, and a genuine suit of armor in one corner. The apartment itself was very nice, with a turret window and cutout in the apartment, and very nice molding in very room. Did I mention it's a 10-minute walk from Fenway? Damn, I'm jealous.
First, what an experience -- being one of a small # of people hanging out in Fenway after hours listening to great music -- wow, wow, wow. I was swimming in baseball shrine worship.
Second -- Mike O'Malley (aka the Rick on ESPN; aka that guy from Boston Common; aka that guy from Yes, Dear) MC'd; Peter Gammons and Theo Epstein co-hosted. Note: Mike O'Malley is damn funny. Note: Peter Gammons plays a mean guitar, sings well, and is a decent songwriter. Who would have thought the Knight of the Keyboard would be so multi-talented?!? And who would have thunk that "A Night of Love" with Peter Gammons (actually 4 tix to sit with him and talk during a game in Monster seats) would be auctioned off and garner $7000? That was just one of many cool things auctioned off. Note to self: save money for next year! Note to self: do NOT become the disturbing woman who spent $20K to spend a night in Theo Epstein's box. Yikes.
Third -- The concert featured several local Boston bands. I particularly enjoyed the following bands: a) Kay Hanley and the Dilettantes -- you may remember Kay as the lead singer of the now-defunct early 90s band, Letters to Cleo. She's hot, she's a Sox nut, and she plays a mean guitar. Mmmm, Guitar-playing Rock Goddesses who love the Sox; b) Ben Kweller, a young singer-songwriter from Austin, TX, now living and playing in Boston. Lots of fun watching him rock out and have such a good time on stage; c) Buffalo Tom -- another band having an absolutely absurd amount of fun while playing on stage -- and sounding good. Fountains of Wayne was the headlining act, but I enjoyed the others better.
Fourth -- there are no bigger rockstars in all of Boston than Bronson Arroyo and Theo Epstein. Bronson fancies himself a multi-talented fellow -- he pitches, and he covers Pearl Jam songs! Bronson's new album, consisting of covers of 90s alterna-rock songs, is currently at #10 on Amazon.com's list of most-purchased albums. Wow. Theo, GM of the Sox at the age of 30 and architect of the 2004 World Series champs, played guitar for Buffalo Tom during their set. You should have seen the women descend on Theo and Bronson afterward. Oh, how much I would pay to be them.
Finally, damn, I wish I lived where Cherie's sister did. Cherie's sister, Kristen, a first year resident surgeon at Beth Israel Deaconness Hospital in Boston, lives a 10-minute walk from Fenway Park, at Longwood Towers. Longwood Towers, built in 1924 as a "residential hotel" and once considered Boston's most luxurious hotel, is an incredible complex. It consists of 3 separate red-brick, castle-like buildings designed in the English Tudor style, connected by a "grand lobby" that looks like the Great Room of an English castle -- complete with dark, ornately carved wood, stucco ceiling, enormous fireplace, piano, and a genuine suit of armor in one corner. The apartment itself was very nice, with a turret window and cutout in the apartment, and very nice molding in very room. Did I mention it's a 10-minute walk from Fenway? Damn, I'm jealous.
Brian's Red Sox Weekend, Part One
First, where are you damn slacker posters? This is turning into the Chris and Brian Show!
Second -- I want to be Bronson Arroyo -- could there be a bigger f'in rockstar in Boston? Actually, there could be - - his name is Theo Epstein -- I want to be him, too. More on this in Part Two of my post. On with Part One....
This weekend, Cherie and I flew up to Boston for a Red Sox Weekend. I had previously procured tix to the Friday night and Saturday day games between the Sox and the Yanks, as well as the Saturday night charity concert known as "Hot Stove, Cool Music: The Fenway Sessions".
First, let me say, the Monster seats live up to the hype. They're perched right atop the Green Monster. You have a a great view of the entire field; you also have a swiveling barstool chair with a small table in front of you; you have your own beer, sausage, and ice cream stands atop the Monster; and you can drop things (preferably sharp or heavy) on Hideki Matsui's head. Nice. And the Monster Dog? It's as big as you might think. Yum.
Second, I was present for the 17-1 drubbing the Sox dropped on the Yanks. What a game. Wells pitched a gem, and the Sox hitters absolutely erupted all over Yankee pitching. Big Papi smacked a grand slam, Johnny extended his hitting streak, and all of Boston partied in the streets afterward. This more than made up for seeing the Sox drop the next game, 7-4. My record this year as a fan is 3-1. I've seen games where the Sox won 8-0 (Wells shutout), 1-0 (Clement shutout), 17-1 (Wells 5-hitter), and lost 4-7 (Clement Implosion). Not bad.
End Part 1....
Second -- I want to be Bronson Arroyo -- could there be a bigger f'in rockstar in Boston? Actually, there could be - - his name is Theo Epstein -- I want to be him, too. More on this in Part Two of my post. On with Part One....
This weekend, Cherie and I flew up to Boston for a Red Sox Weekend. I had previously procured tix to the Friday night and Saturday day games between the Sox and the Yanks, as well as the Saturday night charity concert known as "Hot Stove, Cool Music: The Fenway Sessions".
First, let me say, the Monster seats live up to the hype. They're perched right atop the Green Monster. You have a a great view of the entire field; you also have a swiveling barstool chair with a small table in front of you; you have your own beer, sausage, and ice cream stands atop the Monster; and you can drop things (preferably sharp or heavy) on Hideki Matsui's head. Nice. And the Monster Dog? It's as big as you might think. Yum.
Second, I was present for the 17-1 drubbing the Sox dropped on the Yanks. What a game. Wells pitched a gem, and the Sox hitters absolutely erupted all over Yankee pitching. Big Papi smacked a grand slam, Johnny extended his hitting streak, and all of Boston partied in the streets afterward. This more than made up for seeing the Sox drop the next game, 7-4. My record this year as a fan is 3-1. I've seen games where the Sox won 8-0 (Wells shutout), 1-0 (Clement shutout), 17-1 (Wells 5-hitter), and lost 4-7 (Clement Implosion). Not bad.
End Part 1....
Monday, July 11, 2005
Tragic day in radioland...
It's a very, very sad day for those of us who love local comedy/talk radio and the laughs which ease our sometimes stressful lives. Life has been cruelly stolen from a beautiful woman who anchored a family and one of DC's most successful radio duos -- Don and Mike.
Since I was a kid, I've been a big fan of the local comedy duo Don and Mike. I started listening to them in elementary school while my dad was stationed at the Pentagon in the mid-1980s. Don and Mike never, never failed to make me laugh.
When I came back to DC from Germany for college in 1993, I was delighted to find them on the radio dial at 106.7. In the years since, with adult life more complicated and stressful, I found the laughs they gave me more important than ever. One of the show's regular contributors was Don's wife, Freda. She and Don aired their lives publicly and often sparred for the benefit of listeners. As I grew older, they also served as something of a public role model. Don, whose real name was Mike Sorce, was an adopted kid born of drug-addled parents and raised by abusive family members -- and it was clear that he'd found in Freda and her family the kind of love and familial embrace he'd never before experienced. Despite the ups and downs that come for anyone with his family history, Freda stuck by "Don". They were married for 23 years, had one son, and any regular listener could discern beneath the veneer of radio pugilism the strong bond of love between them.
Sunday night, Don's wife, Freda, at the age of 50, was killed outside Ocean City, MD, when an SUV driver attempting to avoid a 10-car pileup swerved into oncoming traffic and struck her car head-on.
In an instant, one life was snuffed out, and others were altered, perhaps scarred, forever. For those of us who read this board who are in loving relationships -- married or no -- imagine: never holding her hand again; never hearing her laugh; never seeing her eyes sparkle; never smelling her perfume wafting on the wind; never feeling her touch. Imagine the hole left in your life. Think, and say a prayer of thanks for your good fortune, and a prayer of healing for the entire Sorce family.
Since I was a kid, I've been a big fan of the local comedy duo Don and Mike. I started listening to them in elementary school while my dad was stationed at the Pentagon in the mid-1980s. Don and Mike never, never failed to make me laugh.
When I came back to DC from Germany for college in 1993, I was delighted to find them on the radio dial at 106.7. In the years since, with adult life more complicated and stressful, I found the laughs they gave me more important than ever. One of the show's regular contributors was Don's wife, Freda. She and Don aired their lives publicly and often sparred for the benefit of listeners. As I grew older, they also served as something of a public role model. Don, whose real name was Mike Sorce, was an adopted kid born of drug-addled parents and raised by abusive family members -- and it was clear that he'd found in Freda and her family the kind of love and familial embrace he'd never before experienced. Despite the ups and downs that come for anyone with his family history, Freda stuck by "Don". They were married for 23 years, had one son, and any regular listener could discern beneath the veneer of radio pugilism the strong bond of love between them.
Sunday night, Don's wife, Freda, at the age of 50, was killed outside Ocean City, MD, when an SUV driver attempting to avoid a 10-car pileup swerved into oncoming traffic and struck her car head-on.
In an instant, one life was snuffed out, and others were altered, perhaps scarred, forever. For those of us who read this board who are in loving relationships -- married or no -- imagine: never holding her hand again; never hearing her laugh; never seeing her eyes sparkle; never smelling her perfume wafting on the wind; never feeling her touch. Imagine the hole left in your life. Think, and say a prayer of thanks for your good fortune, and a prayer of healing for the entire Sorce family.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Quick Thoughts?
1. Can we hear it for the Blue Deuce? Ol' Rusty Wallace (my favorite NASCAR driver, solely because he drives the Miller Lite #2 [my being pro-Miller beer]) is now 4th in championship points by 70 or so points. Which means, once the championship chase starts (the last 10 races), he'll only be 20 points behind (for a full explanation of the points system, please see www.nascar.com). Rusty has sucked for, basically, the entire time I have rooted for him. I am very pleased that in his last season he has realized that consistency is the key to winning.
2. F you Jeff Gordon.
3. Where are the m-f psosters on good'ol Maltshoplogic? I can't post from work anymore because I can't have the FBI busting down my door. What's your excuse?
4. I have yet to sell out to Live Journal.
5. Has the Malt Shop gotten cheaper? $33 on Saturday night?!?
6. Who will give me $10,000 to play in the World Series of Poker?
2. F you Jeff Gordon.
3. Where are the m-f psosters on good'ol Maltshoplogic? I can't post from work anymore because I can't have the FBI busting down my door. What's your excuse?
4. I have yet to sell out to Live Journal.
5. Has the Malt Shop gotten cheaper? $33 on Saturday night?!?
6. Who will give me $10,000 to play in the World Series of Poker?
Friday, July 08, 2005
Headshaker, Cont.
Check out the internal logical inconsistency of the following statement from the same chat:
Boston, Mass.: Will Bush consult with other justices on the Supreme Court about who to appoint?
Karen O'Connor: The presidents, as a rule, never discuss such issues with the other justices. It is a precedent that was set by George Washington. This is not to say, however, that it has never happened.
So they "never" discuss it, but that's not to say that it's "never" happened? Er, what?
Boston, Mass.: Will Bush consult with other justices on the Supreme Court about who to appoint?
Karen O'Connor: The presidents, as a rule, never discuss such issues with the other justices. It is a precedent that was set by George Washington. This is not to say, however, that it has never happened.
So they "never" discuss it, but that's not to say that it's "never" happened? Er, what?
Saturday, July 02, 2005
It's a headshaker
Read the transcript of AU Professor Karen O'Connor's chat on washingtonpost.com yesterday. Among the gems:
Washington, D.C.: Is there any hope that I will not lose my right to choose?
Karen O'Connor: DC is a particularly vulnerable place since the Republican Congress can legislate for the district.
And:
Karen O'Connor: I. too received calls this morning. I was told that she was resigning by some Court insiders last week, so I guess that I was prepared. I don't think we are likely to go back to the 1770s, but 1960s, in terms of women's rights, aren't too much of a stretch.
How divorced from reality can a tenured professor be? I never took a class from this nutbag at AU, and I don't think I missed out.
Washington, D.C.: Is there any hope that I will not lose my right to choose?
Karen O'Connor: DC is a particularly vulnerable place since the Republican Congress can legislate for the district.
And:
Karen O'Connor: I. too received calls this morning. I was told that she was resigning by some Court insiders last week, so I guess that I was prepared. I don't think we are likely to go back to the 1770s, but 1960s, in terms of women's rights, aren't too much of a stretch.
How divorced from reality can a tenured professor be? I never took a class from this nutbag at AU, and I don't think I missed out.
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