Photographs from a small group of islands
This video/song is hilarious. Well worth checking out.
If the words son, asshole, and idiot, haven’t quite spelled out whom it’s about, I’ll give you a few more clues. He’s arguably not the brightest, his eyes are a way too close together, and fingers crossed he’ll be looking for a new job next year.
So go on, have a listen.
Ok, we all realize how one comment from a teenager is hardly indicative of the thought and actions of a nation, but the young lady in question sadly may not be alone.
HIV infections have steadily been rising in Japan, and attitudes such as this (plus a general lack of information) have certainly been playing their part. The facts below appear to prove that such a blasé disposition is becoming more common.
Pretty telling statistics I think you’ll agree. And whilst they don’t point towards an epidemic as such, they surely should be seen as a cause for concern for those in charge. But alas, in Japan it would appear that it’s often easier to stick your head in the sand and blame it on somebody else.
I don’t think I’m too far off the mark to say that many Japanese still see HIV as a foreign disease (apparently that’s the main reason that foreigners aren’t usually allowed in most of the entertainment establishments that abound in Japan). And so therefore it’s not something to be overly concerned about. The same thing happened to a certain extent with the SARS breakout last year. Some people were even heard to mutter that Japanese people simply couldn’t catch it. I kid you not.
But with the Japanese sex industry being such big business, and it supposedly being common practice for a client to ride bare back if he pays extra, the warnings are clearly there. Combine this with attitudes of the teenager quoted above, and the signs of a potentially big problem are there for all to see. As long as you have your eyes open that is.
My new blogging career has been unceremoniously interrupted by a mild bout of the flu. The thing is, when I was back home in Britain, we were always on guard against the dreaded Asian flu. But now I’m in Asia, what am I supposed to (albeit unsuccessfully this year) defend my self against? European flu? American flu? Or even Western flu? I need to know.
Christmas day is over, so I feel I can guiltlessly have a good moan again. Good.
So here goes then. Judging from what I’ve seen and read, it would appear that every man and his dog has had the pleasure of seeing the third and final chapter in the The Lord of the Rings saga.
Except of course us poor souls in Japan. I just found out we are looking at a mid-February release on these shores. Not the end of the world I admit, but it would be nice to see things around the same time as everybody else, not two months later. Is it too much too ask?
It’s an odd one though. The last installment of The Matrix saw a simultaneous worldwide release. Now I guess it could be argued that the makers didn’t want the ending to be given away by those who saw it first. But there again, from what I’ve heard, there wasn’t much to give away anyway. Whereas The Lord of the Rings won’t be quite such a cliffhanger. I’ve avoided reading about the movie too much, and I’ve never read the book, but I’m pretty sure good will triumph in the end. It would be nice to be surprised, but …
So apart from the translation, what other reason is there for such a delay? Whatever it is I wish somebody would sort it out. But as for The Lord of the Rings goes, February it is. Ho hum.
The food was great.
The company even better.
And the booze went down a treat.
But today
It would seem
A debt has to be repaid.
And
With it being the festive
Season
My headache is quite appropriately
Of biblical
Proportions.