ACCESS: Best way is Ooimachi line to Oyamadai Station. Walk towards the river. You'll see a huge Volkswagen used car lot. We're on the other side of the road by the river in the grassy area. You can't miss us. Be careful when crossing the busy streets! URL to Volkswagen: http://yahoo.jp/h6jYOo
Hey, you know that story from the bible about Jesus walking on the water? Yeah. It's a true story. But before you jump up and down and think, "Mike's gone Christian zealotry!" Listen to this... Let me explain. It is impossible to walk on water. Can't be done. But I believe that this story about Jesus walking on water is not to be taken literally. This walking on water is a parable of sorts. Both you and I know that man cannot walk on water. It's impossible! In the bible, when Jesus walked on water, another disciple did too, but that disciple became fearful and fell in the water. Jesus held out his hand and pulled the guy up and said something about the disciple having, "Little faith." What does this "Little faith" mean? I think it's simple, really. It's all the same. Call it what you want: Faith, belief, positive thinking, PMA, total optimism, whatever. ... they are all the same. Walking on water is impossible. Can't be done. But the impossible can be done if you believe that you can accomplish something.
Imagine if the Wright Brothers didn't believe that they could fly, could they have? No! People told them "If God had intended man to fly, God would have given man wings!" Yet the brothers believed. And since they believed (had faith, positive thinking, PMA, total optimism) they were able to figure out how to fly. Their belief moved mountains! Thus they were able to do the impossible: they flew!.... See? Jesus walking on water is not literal. It is figurative. Man flying is impossible, but they did it.... Belief can move mountains....
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This article is dedicated to my friend Jonathan Lea from the Jigsaw Seen. Jonathan wrote to me, "Mike, I do believe that anything is possible, of all The Kinks fans in the world, I am the only one that plays guitar with Dave Davies, my biggest influence when I was a teenager (I know it's not walking on water but still)." I wrote back to him: "Jonathan, Nah, for most people I think that playing with Ray Davies of the Kinks is like walking on water." (Hell, "Walking on water?" No way! That's like walking three feet in the air!)
For more see: Matthew 14:31 (Very interesting stories... But just don't take this stuff too literally!)
Starting in a few minutes! I Will Be Interviewed on US TV Thursday 3/28/13 at 6PM and 11PM Central Time: http://NNN.is/on-WHDT
We discuss Driver's Licenses and other taxation schemes on the Next News Network WHDT World News program hosted by Gary Franchi. (Japan time will be today (3/29/13) at 8 am and 1 pm!) 日本の時間は３月２９日（金）朝８時＆午後１時
Yep! This is the way it is; get all your money out of the bank. Put it in a mattress or under the flower planter. Put it anywhere but the bank!
What's going on in Cyprus is coming to a neighborhood near you. Don't say you weren't warned! Smart folks like me (we'll if we really were smart, we'd be rich) read Zerohedge everyday and knew in 2011 that the criminals and idiots that run our government's had no way out of the current economic mess so they would, eventually, come to steal money in people's bank accounts. That "eventually" happened about 10 days ago. I'm hoping that dear reader has kept up on what's really going on in Cyprus and Europe so that I don't have to go too much into detail... But, just in case they are not, here goes: Cyprus is bankrupt. To pay for the debt, they decided to steal people's money in bank accounts. They figured that the people they could screw the most were Russians who were ex-KGB and mafioso types so that the regular people, Joe-Blow types, wouldn't get too upset. They figured if they made it look like bad guys were getting screwed, and not Joe-Blow, no one would complain too much. F*ck the rich, right? Well, the Euro Einsteins in the (as Fred Reed would write) "Gubbmint" figured wrong as it now looks like the ex-KGB and Russian mafioso types have already snuck all their money out of Cyprus while the geniuses weren't looking. Well, hell! Of course they did! That's why they are ex-KGB and mafioso types! Do you think they became a part of the underworld because they were standing around like Joe-Doofus? Er, I mean, "Bending over and holding their ankles like Joe-Doofus?" No way! This is the real world! Now it is the average Joe-Blow who will, of course, get F*cked! You didn't really think ex-KGB and mafia people were going to get f*cked did you? I mean, what planet are you living on? Anyhow, I'm drinking now so I'm on a roll.... This is how it is, folks: 1) Get your money out of the banks* 2) I don't care who your are, you're about to get f*cked (people living in Japan, please take a number!) 3) Get as much gold or silver or real estate as you can (hard to steal that sh*t!) 4) Get weapons, canned food, a damned good home alarm system, a safe and keep money and important sh*t at home. 5) Make a plan with neighbors to watch each other's houses when you, or they, are gone. *= Get your money out of the banks? Yes, Mike (that's me) says. But! If you have zero in the bank then the feds will be suspicious, so keep a token, but substantial enough, amount in those banks not to draw attention to yourselves. Trust that if you own a million dollar home yet only have $30 dollars in the bank, the tax office will be suspicious.... Point? KEEP A "SACRIFICIAL LAMB" amount of money in the bank to divert attention from yourselves. Dear Readers! The sh*t is hitting the fan much faster than anyone realizes (I believe). Prepare now! The people who are running our government and (far too many of) our corporations are completely and totally incompetent! Here is an analogy of what is going on. I cannot state specifically the company, or government run airlines doing the following, but this is a real-life example that is going on right now and it should be raising the hair of shareholders in this company!.... This is typical, from what I've seen, how things are going... Make no mistake about it, this kind of incompetence and mal-investment is caused by government interference in the economy and easy-credit. Here's the example: There's an airlines in Japan. It has a new manager. She is totally over her head and has zero business experience. What she is doing is appalling. Listen to this and you tell me if you think I am wrong! On May 1st, this new airlines manager, she has decided to completely change the flight schedules for all routes on the entire airlines. Is there any reason or scientific data to support this change? No. It is a "feeling." Then this new manager has cut the working hours on the most popular routes, of her most experienced pilots, from 20% ~ 50%! Of course, all the experienced pilots are unhappy. I think it is pretty much common knowledge that unhappy employees don't do good work. It gets worse... Read on! This new manager, to complicate matters, has also completely fired all ground and support staff - who have been there for years - and replaced them all with brand new people! That's right! The entire support teams, from check-in, to luggage, to in-flight dining, to navigation and book-keeping; these have all been changed completely! So far, so good? Well, I don't know... Maybe... Maybe these changes do make sense? Maybe these are the ideas of a dedicated and experienced professional. Maybe Richard Branson could pull this off? I'm not sure. But the person in charge has never ran an airlines before. She is guessing. But the next change is just a jaw-dropper and makes me fear for the future of this airlines: Not only has the new manager cut all the experienced pilot's schedules by 20% ~ 50%, and fired the complete ground and support crew staff, she has also implemented a completely new check-in, maintenance, navigation and in-flight computer system that doesn't go online until May 1st! This means that no one is able to use the new computer system until it is already online ON THE DAY THE NEW SERVICE IS UNVEILED! There will be no training and testing of the new system!!!! Is she completely mad? Actually, no. She is just over her head and incompetent. There is no excuse for such actions. She has also surrounded herself with "Yes-men." You can bet your bottom dollar that there won't be a single flight that takes off or arrives on-time and on schedule with such a scatological management system. Fact is that even the staff are now complaining. Fact is that even staff of this new boss are now ridiculing her to other people as being "completely incompetent." No doubt. This is what happens when you surround yourself with "Yes men."
It's simple. You wanna change the flight schedules and experienced pilot's flight times? No problem. Do that from May 1. You wanna change the flight schedules, experienced pilot's flight times and complete flight support crew? Well, now you are asking a lot, but it is not impossible; maybe do that too from May 1. Or, perhaps, best to wait for six weeks? Difficult call; that's why management has to make informed and logical (and scientifically based calls). You wanna change the flight schedules, experienced pilot's flight times and complete flight support crew as well as a totally and completely revamp the computer system (throwing away the old system) - all at the same time?! Are you nuts? Your flights and customer satisfaction are dependent of flights being on time and a comfortable flight. No one cares about the computer system or ground crew you use. Changing so many things at once is just plain foolish and a sure-fire way to screw things up and... THEN CREATE A BAD REPUTATION FOR YOURSELVES! Not a good way to start your new service! .......... ....But that's the way it is, folks. And that's the kind of "leadership" and "management" we have today. It's the same in many private companies and the government. Why? Because government meddling in the economy causes for mal-investment and a distortion of true market realities and conditions. This story about the airline is typical, my friends. I am talking about a company that I work with. It is obvious what is going to happen: Things are going to be screwed up and the other companies, whose support is critical, will lose trust. Losing trust is the death nail; it takes a long time to build trust; it only takes one second to ruin that trust. And now we come full circle: Japan has closed banks in the past and stolen people's money. It's happened in the USA and now Europe.... What are you going to do? Do you still trust your savings in any bank? Do you still trust the company management and government.... With these kinds of people in charge? Your families' health and safety are up to you and only you. You have been warned.
Please check it out and lend a hand if you can! We need all the help we can get!
America’s First 24/7 Liberty News Network to host 3rd Marathon Broadcast Fundraiser
CHICAGO, IL - Since the close of the 2012 presidential election things haven’t slowed down for Gary Franchi the Executive Producer of the Next News Network and former Chairman of the Revolution Super PAC – they’ve sped up. Kicked off on December 22nd of last year with a 12 hour marathon broadcast “America’s First 24/7 Liberty News Network” is locking down its schedule for their 3rd marathon dubbed “End the Madness.”
The network has been broadcasting original content since last year’s launch and now boasts of 6 hours of live programming daily on their exclusive free online stream. The network also airs its flagship news hour, in HD, in two major East Coast markets – Miami and Boston – to 8,000,000 homes via WHDT.
Franchi stated, “We’re making it happen, around the clock. No where else will you see the collaborative efforts of so many liberty broadcasters with a common message, a message of freedom, individual responsibility, and hope for America than right here at the Next News Network.”
Franchi is referring to Ernest Hancock whom he called the “Libertarian Blowtorch” who hosts the daily morning talk show from his studios at Freedom’s Phoenix. “America’s Bad Boy” for liberty, Dave Champion, also hosts a daily program. In the evenings Charlie McGrath’s Wide Awake News and Ian Freeman’s Free Talk Live will get you up to speed on the days happenings while Tony Stiles, “America’s Original Political Badass” and Gereld Celente of the Trends Journal round out the week on Sunday evenings.
Starting this Saturday, March 30, 2013, at Noon Central running through midnight Franchi will be joined by co-hosts Tony Stiles, Erin Gallagly, Forrest Jehlik, and Kristen Meghan. Throughout the broadcast the cast will be interviewing a diverse cross section of political activists, candidates, authors, filmmakers, and journalists.
“We decided to call the event ‘End the Madness’ because right now, our elected officials and our population have just plain gone mad,” declared Franchi from the network news desk, “Obama has been given the green light to assassinate American citizens without trial, on American soil, and where is the public outrage? Where are the marches? where are the protests? Where is the Anti-War Left?”
This is just one of the topics the Network will address this Saturday, March 30, 2013. They also plan to cover the impact of the Iraq war 10 years later as well as the endless “War on Terror” that Franchi claims is, “destroying the fabric of American freedom.” Talking points include analysis of Federal Reserve policies and efforts to remove the “banking cartel.”
During the broadcast Franchi hopes to raise several million dollars in capital from angel investors to expand the network’s operation and to establish independent news bureaus and broadcast outposts in every major domestic US market – then expand internationally.
“We’re only 93 days into this Network, we’ve planted our flag and can proudly say we’re the first network, with no ties to the mainstream media – or strings to DC, exclusively dedicated to the cause of Liberty, working to remind America of the great vision our founders birthed.”
For a preview of the network and a line up of the broadcast the Next News producers created this short trailer:
I will appear on US television again being interviewed about Driver's Licenses and other taxation schemes on Thursday March 28, 2013 at 6pm and 11pm Eastern Time on the Next News Network WHDT World News program hosted by Gary Franchi. (Japan time will be: Friday, March 29, 2013 at 8 am and 1 pm!)
The other day, I received a nice email from a writer named Mary who wanted to know the origin of a photo in a previos blog entitled: Very Sprite, Alert and Healthy 97 Year Old Guy Gives Tips for a Long Life. In that post there were photos of Yasuyuki Hashimoto. Hashimoto san was in the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II and Mary contacted me because she was interested in this photo:
It is a photo of Japanese soldiers doing group calisthenics in the field in Indonesian in 1942. That's Yasuyuki in the very front. I told Mary that the Japanese have been doing this sort of group exercise for a very long time. They do it beginning in childhood and I think it is also a part and parcel of the Japanese identity... It goes on today at schools, corporations and many organizations. It is so ingrained into the Japanese psyche that there are even nationally broadcast TV and radio shows promoting the entire nation to wake up and exercise at the same time everyday of the week! The radio show, in fact, started as far back as 1928 and is still going strong today. There's not a Japanese in the country that doesn't know the background music to the exercise program.
Screen capture of "Radio Taiso" still on-air today!... And probably forever!
See? The guys in Indonesia were doing the exact same thing!
Mary mentioned that she thought this sort of group exercising was fascinating and pondered, "If the Americans did this, maybe they wouldn't be so obese?" Well, I don't know about that, but it is a very interesting contrast to the culture of Japan and the west. As I mentioned, this sort of group calisthenics has been going on in Japan for a very long time. It does remind me of how the Japanese like to do things in groups and as a team... And, heck, what's wrong with that? It did, though, raise the hair on the back of the occupying powers after World War II who banned this broadcast because they thought it was "too militaristic"?! Maybe Mary is right? What could possibly be wrong with having a nation of people who enjoy exercising together and, even if it is merely peer pressure, having to get off their duffs to exercise? Americans surely could use that, no? ...And, Mary, the most shocking thing about Radio Taiso, I think, was it originated in the United States! Yep. Visiting Japanese businessmen heard it in America and brought it back to Japan! Students of Japanese history know that the Japanese copied and emulated the west and especially the United States because they didn't want Japan colonized like what they saw going on in China and the rest of Asia. Here's what Wikipedia writes about Radio Taiso:
Rajio taisō were
introduced to Japan in 1928 as a commemoration of the coronation of Emperor
Hirohito.[1]
The idea for radio broadcast calisthenics
came from the US, where during the 1920s the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co.
sponsored 15-minute radio calisthenics in major cities in the US.
Visiting
employees of the Japanese postal insurance division brought samples of the
exercises from the US back to Japan.[1]
The exercises were widely used to improve the health of Japanese soldiers both
at home and abroad during the 1930s and 1940s. The exercises were introduced to
several other pacific nations, including Taiwan, Hong Kong and Indonesia during Japan's
colonization period.
After Japan's
defeat in 1945, the broadcasts were banned by the occupying powers as being too
militaristic in nature.
Today's on-air calisthenics include light exercises for the physically handicapped and older folks in an very quickly aging society
After several
rewrites to the exercise routine, it was reintroduced by NHK radio in 1951 with
the support of the education ministry, health ministry, the Japan Gymnastic
Association and the Japan Recreation Association.[1]
Current status
Radio taisō is still used at schools as a warm
up for physical education classes, during sports day activities, and
by some companies as a way of building morale and a sense of group unity, as
well as to raise energy levels and encourage good health.[2]
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This post is dedicated to my friend, Mary Cronk Farrell Author of books for Children and Young Adults www.MaryCronkFarrell.com
Once again, I haven't really been in the mood for some heavy writing. Some of my dear friends have been going through some rough times. Me too... This article is dedicated to my friends, Red, Sue and Cindy.
Chin up and all that. Your spirit is an inspiration to us all.
人生は難しいので、私たちがお互いにやさしくをしましょう。
Recently, I've been going out on an hour and a half walks. I did again yesterday and took photos along the way. It's Hanami season and as the Byrds song says (with lyrics from a book that is a 1000 years old):
To Everything (Turn, Turn, Turn)
There is a season (Turn, Turn, Turn)
And a time to every purpose, under Heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
A rose I grew in my garden. No matter how cold the winter was, this rose slowly grew all winter. Amazing!
Byrds - "Turn Turn Turn"
(Please click on the video for music while you see the rest of the photos and read the comments).
Some of the star attractions of the season: Cherry blossoms
Nearby my home, they are constructing and new park. Of course, since this is a big park in Japan, they simply must transplant cherry trees. I found how they wrapped the tree trunks in canvas to be very interesting.
These are in the middle of blooming yesterday morning. By now, they are fully opened. Within four or five days, they will be gone. Life is short, let us enjoy it.
"Life is difficult. So let us be good to each other" - C.S. Lewis
These must have bloomed the day before
There are literally a thousand of these trees near my home. In fact the next town over is called, "New Cherry Blossom City"! Great for flower lovers; hell for hay fever sufferers!
More trees being transplanted along side the road
I also find the color of the plum blossoms to be wonderful. These flowers herald the coming arrival of the cherries a few weeks ahead of time
Besides the cherry and plum blossoms, the wide array of other flowers get into the act. I'm sorry that I don't know the names of these various flowers. May I make a a sorry excuse? Do they not say, "A rose is still a rose by any other name"? Here are some beautiful blue flowers
A bush splashes out tiny white flowers alongside Tamagawa river
These are also blooming everywhere. For some reason, this reminds me of something Andy Warhol would have painted
This is the style of flower that all little children draw, isn't it?
There are countless numbers of these white flowers on these bushes. The flowers are all about the size of one penny
These were on the sidewalk inside a planter in Roppongi
A proud father and his son. The boys of summer truly signify the coming of the changes of the season in Japan! I remember playing baseball with my dad when I was a boy! Father! Son! Remember and enjoy these days well! For these are the days that dreams are made of!
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And don't forget about our Hanami party on April 6th and 7th at Tamagawa!
An ancient Zen Buddhist story goes like this: A very wealthy family in China bought a large farm and built a beautiful palace upon it. They wished for good luck, health, and fortune, so they decided to ask a famous Zen priest to write a scroll for them to hang in their den. The priest accepted the job and went back to his shrine to pray for enlightenment. After a few days, the priest returned with the finished scroll and the entire family gathered around in great anticipation to see the words that the priest wrote for them. The priest said a short prayer and opened the scroll and hung it on the wall. The scroll said:
Grandfather dies.
Father dies.
Son dies.
Grandson dies.
The entire family was furious at the priest. They shouted and demanded that he go back to the shrine and rewrite the scroll for them. The priest sighed and said:
"I will rewrite the order of names on the scroll in anyway you wish. But I think there can be no other sequence. If all die in this order, I think that is true prosperity." My own mother died in a freak car accident in 1994. Of course, I was crushed. I was in Japan and she was in America. After the car accident, she was taken by ambulance to the hospital. I understand that she floated in and out of consciousness before she died. Since I was so far away, I had no way of seeing her, holding her hand, and saying:
"I love you mom. Thank you for everything."
But at least I can be thankful that my father was there to do so when she went away. Many people who die are not fortunate enough to have a loved one with them, to hold their hand, to whisper in their ear:
"I love you. We all love you.... Please rest. You may go now."
And with words like these, my mother "let go" and passed away. I will always regret that I couldn't be there with my mother in her time of need. I thank God that my father could be. There are too many people in this world who die alone. Could there be a more woeful way to die, than when loved ones cannot be there by your side to say their last, "Good-bye"? After my mother died, though, I was angry. I was angry at the world and I was angry at God.
For months after my mother's death I had recurring nightmares and the most bizarre dreams. Many of the dreams involved times when I was a boy. I would be playing in a playground and I would see my mother on the other side of a fence. I would cry out, "Mom! You're back!" And I would begin to sob uncontrollably.
My mother would grow angry at me and she'd start to leave. I'd cry out again, "Mom! Come back!" As she walked away, she would turn around, look at me, and always say the same thing:
"I cannot come to visit you, if you are going to cry every time I see you."
And with that, she'd disappear into a field of tall grass. I would always promise not to cry the next time. But I couldn't keep my promise. I think I saw this same dream just about every night for at least six months. Then one night, I had the most bizarre dream of all. My mother, as usual, walked away because I was crying, I was on my knees. I had my head in hands to try to hold back the tears. And then suddenly, I found myself in a huge chamber. It was like a colossal courtroom.
I looked up and there was an old man sitting in a chair, looking quite frustrated and irate at me. He was massive in size. He was huge, at least 40 or 50 feet high and he was sitting down! He was brushing his beard and looking at me as if he was considering what to do. I knew exactly who he was, yet I was not afraid of him; I was furious. I shouted:
"It's not fair! It's not fair that my mother died in an accident. My mother was still young and healthy. She should still be alive you bastard!"
The old man just stared at me. I continued to shout at him. And I began to cry. Then he calmly said:
"So you think it is unfair that your mother has died?" "Of course it's unfair!" The old man sighed and said, "Very well then, I shall allow you to be reborn and I will give you a different mother, and that mother will still be alive today. Would you find this acceptable?" "A different mother!?" I said. "No... No, thank you." I suddenly awoke from my dream. My pillow was wet with tears.
I pondered this strange dream for many weeks after that. Then it dawned on me: Instead of being angry that my mother died in an accident. I should be thankful for all of the wonderful times we spent together, all the hugs and bedtime stories. All the laughs and the great dinners. All the special times that my mother made me feel special, and all the other times she cheered me up when others did not. I should thank God for all the wonderful memories I received from being the son of this loving woman.
She was always there for me when I needed her.
And now, whenever I see her in my dreams, I do not cry. In fact the dream I often have with her now is one where I am on her side of the fence and we are sitting in the field and having a picnic and smiling together.
My mother and father around 1952
I haven't seen my mother in a while, but I look forward to the next time I do.
I told this story to a priest who has become my friend. He asked me to show him a photograph of my mother. I did. He said:
"Your mother was a very beautiful woman. Always keep this image of her in your heart. You are most fortunate that it is you, and not her, who has but memories and a snapshot." "How profound!" I thought. And I have always kept his words of wisdom in my heart. I share these words with my friends whose parents have passed away. ....And the children can hold photos of their parents too...True treasures of life! I wouldn't trade those photos for anything in the world. Would you?
