Pay to grope

I'm taking a summer course this year to make sure I graduate with a hefty two degrees in the "normal" four years allotted for undergraduate study (mostly because I can't afford to go to school for more than four years). Anyway, the course is titled "Intercultural Communication." We're only a few days in, so I can't tell you a lot of specifics about it, but it's the kind of stuff that's right up my alley. We even talk about Japan--a lot!

So last class period, my professor, David Lapakko, asked me if I knew about a Japanese book that explained the proper/easy/inconspicuous way to grope women on trains. I felt like I've heard about something like it, but as I wasn't entirely sure I knew (and I've been unable to confirm anything via the internet), I offered this insight: that groping in the close quarters of Japanese trains (especially during heavy-traffic times) is, indeed, an issue in Japan, for better or worse. I then explained that sex-club-type things are sometimes modeled in the fashion of train cars. Inside the model train cars, women dress in anything from business attire to school uniforms and await uninhibited groping from paying patrons.

Why do I know this? Well after I got back from my short-term study-abroad in Tokyo last summer, I bought a book called Pink Box: Inside Japan's Sex Clubs. It's consists almost entirely of photography of Japanese sex clubs and explanations of their purpose, etc. It's really fascinating stuff; that is to say, it's very different from the American sex-club culture (though I can't say I truly understand that). Anyway, I figured I'd share with you the website of the woman--Joan Sinclair--who risked a lot to get into these places and collect information/photographs: Pink Box.


And here is the link to some of the photos Joan took. I can't post them directly to this entry, as they're protected (and because they are, I wouldn't want to cheat using a screen-capture or something), but if you click here, you can see what I'm talking about: the second image is of a groping simulation room.

Interesting, no?

There is No Such Thing as Energy; i.e. Quotes from Science, Technology, and Citizenship

"Good Communist potatoes."
-Professor Engebretson

"I think we need to agree on how we're going to use this banana."
-Sam

"I just wanna throw some dead animals!"
-Evan

"Is that a penis?"
-Jess

"It's kind of fun to look at global catastrophes."
-Professor Kunz

"This is a new and exciting one!"
-Professor Butkowski on invasive species

"It looks like dynamite."
-Ali, about a part of the spinal cord
"It is."
-Professor Butkowski

"I'm never doing illegal drugs or anal intercourse again."
-Sam

"My sister's going to be a dermatologist--she'll give me lots of Botox. It'll be OK."
-Jen, about tanning a lot

"There is no such thing as energy."
-Professor Engebretson, before giving us a lab on energy

"So should I have just put acid in my eye?"
-Ali

"What about the Everglades?"
-Sam
"Those are in Florida."
-Professor Kunz

"Can I leave ten minutes early?"
-Adam
"I need a bribe."
-Professor Kunz

"Maybe in ten years, it won't be a duck's world."
-Evan

"I think in the next iteration of this class, we should call it 'How to Be a Terrorist.'"
-Professor Kunz

"Let's go kick their butt!"
-Sam about Canada and their pollution
"YEAH! INVADE!"
-Professor Butkowski

"You can find that online, too."
-Professor Kunz, about how to make bombs

"Now I feel like I'm back to terrorist class."
-Professor Kunz

"Maybe their species sucks."
Evan

"Rocks. [hysterical laughter]"
-Professor Butkowski

"I'm gonna phone-a-friend."
-Professor Butkowski, trying to answer a question

"We only behead two-time offenders."
-Tour guide

"How close are you to the chemical plant? The one that's going to burn down net week?"
-Professor Kunz
"You're just scaring people now."
-Adam
"Yes, I am. [grin]"
-Professor Kunz

"Sooner or later, there's going to be a pandemic. It's just a question of whether or not this is the one."
-Professor Butkowski, trying to quell Sam's fears of the Swine Flu

"Press F7. That deletes everything."
-Professor Butkowski

"We have permission to skip this one."
-Professor Butkowski about a slide in his own presentation

Things I like (dos) and dislike (uno)

These are fun. I feel like listing off some things I like (and, new for this second "I like" post, things I dislike). Maybe you'll find something of interest.
This is going to be a back-and-forth kind of deal. I'll list off one thing I like, and then one thing I dislike. READY SET GO.

I like Chrno Crusade. And no, that's not a spelling error. In the U.S., this manga/anime is sometimes referred to as "Chrono Crusade," but the original Japanese spelling of the title is with no extra "o." Anyway, Chrno Crusade is about a nun--yes a nun--in the roaring twenties--and her exorcist partner, the devil Chrno. I started reading/watching Chrno Crusade back in, oh I don't even know anymore--probably early 10th grade, but then I stopped, probably due to a lack of funds (I have the first four manga and the first four DVDs, but I got no farther than that). I started watching it again a few days ago after my friend Justin lent me the rest of the DVD series. I've finished it, naturally, and am now on my way to finally finishing the novels.
Anyway, this series is bad-ass. It's well written and not generic--something that seems difficult for the anime/manga world. My only warning is that although the series is undoubtedly sprinkled with humor, there are a lot of not-so-happy parts as well. For the last four or five episodes, I cried basically the whole time.

Rosette, a nun, and her partner--the "Sinner" Chrno.

I dislike Mickey Mousecapades, known in Japan as simply "Mickey Mouse." Mousecapades is a Famicom game my pal Cory brought back for me from his first trip to Japan. That was two years ago and I still haven't beaten the damn game. It's way too hard. And all I want to do is encounter Alice in Wonderland characters--is it too much to ask to get farther than the second level? To top it off, I haven't taken it out of my Famicom since I last played it--so it sits there, sneering at me the way only an inanimate object can.


I like Cherry 7Up. I don't drink a lot of soda--I mean, give me a cup of hot green tea and I'm a happy camper--but Cherry 7Up is baller. Baller good. Not that it's inherently different than any other soda I've ever drank, but it's tasty without being too sweet. That's a hard middle-ground for soda to reach. It even comes in an antioxidant form, so I feel better about drinking it than, say, Mt. Dew (which makes me sick).

Only, I don't condone drinking out of plastic bottles. That's bad for Earth.

I dislike Dick Cheney. He is an evil man. And that's coming from someone who thinks "good vs. evil" doesn't really exist. I honestly think Dick Cheney doesn't have a heart. The stuff coming out about him makes me want to throw up all over a statue of Lady Justice and then leave the country. I mean, there's evidence now that Cheney/Cheney's office pushed the idea of torturing prisoners to fabricate a link between Al-Qaeda and Iraq.
It's disgusting.

UGH. You DISGUST ME.

I'll end with one more "I like."
I like "texts from last night." It's a website that compiles people's most hilarious texts. Most of the texts have to do with sex and drinking, so the content is a bit mature, but it's sort of like "FMyLife.com," in that it feels so good to know that other people have awkward lives too. Take, for example, these texts:

(518): I hraet yuo
(862): did you say you heart me or hate me?
(518): who is this?

(913): So she farted while we were having sex but I was afraid she would stop because she was emberessed so i just went ahead and took the blame and apologized

Gross, right? Gross, but hilarious. And don't get me wrong. I like to study and listen to Tchaikovsky in my spare time. But it's also fun, once in a while, to read about other people's shenanigans.


That's all for this installment of "Things I like." Stay tuned for the next No, I Am a Cat entry!

Sean Hannity calls Obama an elitist for not using ketchup

I think it goes without saying, but I disagree with a lot of what Fox News says. I mean, the extent to which they A) lie, and B) spout off unintelligent populist crap makes my blood boil. But Sean Hannity, one of Fox's stupidest personalities, has sunk to a new low.

Remember how, a few days ago, Obama and Biden stopped by a burger place to grab a bite? Well apparently Barack didn't want "plain ol' ketchup," he wanted fancy "spicy mustard." Yes, Hannity literally implies that President Obama is an elitist because he didn't pick ketchup. I am not exaggerating. Watch the video for yourself.

What is this "vacation" of which you speak?

Did you say it's summer vacation?
I don't believe you.
Wanna know why?

Weeeellllll:

Saturday, Mitch graduated. First, we attended the ceremony. After that, we went to a nice little Italian/pizza place in Plymouth with friends and family, and then Saturday night, we had the gang over for b-day cake (it was Mitch's birthday Friday).

Monday, I saw Mitch off on his trip with the Augsburg Concert Band to Romania (and after that's done, he's heading over to Italy for a few days).

Yesterday (Tuesday) was all about preparing for my interview with the City of Edina Communications Department. I printed off 5x7s and 8x10s of some of my best photography, and then a few things I've designed from scratch (such as the Homemade logo). In addition to putting all this stuff into a portfolio, I also studied my AP Stylebook.

Today was/is the big day. My interview was at 11 A.M. I am apparently one of three finalists, out of approximately 100 applicants! Which is neat, of course, but also adds another dollop of pressure to the whole ordeal. Now, not only am I waiting for my grades to come in, I'm also waiting for a phone call/email saying whether or not I got the internship. I want it so badly!

I just ate mac 'n' cheese, and Per is napping, so it's time for mine, too.
I'll keep you updated.