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Category Archives: society
Death & Dying
If you’re a fan of anime, you probably heard – Satoshi Kon, who directed Perfect Blue (one of my favorite movies of all time) and Tokyo Grandfathers has died and left behind long-winded, yet very touching last words (English translation, … Continue reading
“Debate – Government Needs to Divorce the Marriage Business”
http://www.aolnews.com/opinion/article/debate-government-needs-to-divorce-the-marriage-business/19591455 This article makes good points and I basically agree that the government ought not be in the marriage business. Regulation of marriage has a long history as a tool to suppress religious minorities. However, this article and most arguments … Continue reading
Soil Pill
My wife tells me I’m 天の邪鬼, meaning I go out of my way to be strange or not conform. Perhaps from a Japanese perspective I am. Maybe she’s right. All I know is I’ve resisted every temptation to blog about … Continue reading
Livable Hamlets
Lately, I’m scouring statistics to find places to move to and really just feed my curiosity. Going through city-data’s top 101 lists and was curious which places have the most people walking to work (once I saw the list existed). … Continue reading
On International Pressure on Japan’s Child Pornography Laws and Thought Crime
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201005250419.html Here’s a post I expect to be quartered or crucified for writing. So be it. Japan has always had more lax child pornography laws than much of the Western world. Mere possession is not a crime; only creation is. … Continue reading
Posted in anthropology, society
Tagged child pornography, japan, pedophillia, thought crime
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My Voting Guide
As with all my election guides, this assumes you’ve at least read the summary. I don’t want to summarize it for you but just provide a short summary of my arguments. Prop 13 – Yes. This is one of those … Continue reading
What to do About North Korea?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/25/world/asia/25korea.html Friends – I’m racking my brain. What to do about N. Korea? Every day, its citizens are subject to a bleak existence in the world’s only fringe cult to also be a state. Any attack on the country and … Continue reading
Posted in society
Tagged cheondoism, christianity, cold war, communism, confusianism, cult, korea, north korea, south korea, war
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Thoughts on “Avatar”
Today, I had to see what all the buzz was about. Me and my wife saw Avatar in 3D before she had to go to work. The 3D was a nice effect, but after over two hours of that, I … Continue reading
My Proposal – EcoTax
There is a deep, serious flaw in our tax system – it is too damn complicated. Which is to say, administrative costs dig in to what revenue it brings in and it is spurious (which means it is unfair). Whatever … Continue reading
A [Mostly] Conservative Argument for Gay Marriage
You’ve all heard the social libertarian/liberal arguments for gay marriage. Tolerance, equal rights, blah blah. They are important and I believe in them, but they are the reasons I support gay marriage being legal. There are many things I believe … Continue reading
Posted in reason, society
Tagged burkeanism, conservativism, gay marriage, homosexuality, john stuart mill, spinoza, utilitarianism
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Evolution… Politically Correct?
I was in the book store last weekend (one of my favorite places, of course!) and looking through the biology section to see if there’s something else I should read for the fun of it. As usual, the Biology section … Continue reading
Posted in nature, society
Tagged creationism, darwin, darwinism, dawkins, intelligent design, pz myers
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VOA News – Japan Enters New Era in Crushing Election Rebuke of Ruling Party
VOA News – Japan Enters New Era in Crushing Election Rebuke of Ruling Party Unprecedented. Will this be the end to denial of World War II atrocities (which, admittedly, is rampant in the West, where we insist we did nothing … Continue reading
Posted in society
Tagged democratic party, gay rights, japan, liberal democratic party
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Childhood Nostalgia as an Industry
It seems the likes of Urban Outfitters and Hot Topic have a pretty foolproof formula – sell things that remind people in their 20s of their childhood and they’ll think it’s “cool” and buy it up. Actually, this music video … Continue reading
Challenge for Racialists
Explain how a group could be said to have rights that could in any way trump individuals’ rights. There is a tribe of Asian pygmies called the T’rung – the only of a kind (all other pygmy groups are either … Continue reading
Idea – a Direct Democracy Compromise
I have an idea. It’s probably not original and, in fact, if others have advanced it, I hope to find if there are any writings on it in case others have already had good ideas how to implement it. If … Continue reading