Hit Count (not the number of people I have been paid to kill)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
What month is it again?
I am sitting at my desk and looking out the window. I see strange and possibly demonic flecks of white stuff falling out of the sky. Yes, it is snowing. My watch says that it is March. Note to self: Watch must be broken, buy a new one.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Welcome to Japan Clinton-sama
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Japan. She is, as I type, in Tokyo on her first diplomatic mission. The following is a clip from the 2/16 episode of The Rachel Maddow Show. I'll give some additional information on the info after the video. Now we get to see if I've figured out how to make these embedded videos work.
First off, Finance Minister Nakagawa is soon to be EX-Finance Minister Nakagawa. Nobody is buying the "too much medicine" excuse. "Nakagawa stressed he had just sipped a glass of wine during a toast at the G7 luncheon but claimed he "did not drink it."" When this story broke Monday morning, Prime Minister Aso "14% approval rating" Taro issued a statement saying that he would not fire the man. ""As for my responsibility of appointing (Nakagawa), I am grateful that he has surely been doing his job," Aso said." (Quotes credited to The Japan Times)
Not twenty four hours later, Nakagawa-san's office issues a statement that he will resign, thereby allowing the Prime Minster to save face. Nobody is buying this! By the way, Rachel may not understand Japanese, but I do and Nakagawa-san still makes no fricken sense.
However, Nakagawa-san seems to have taken the Ron Blagoyavitch (I don't care enough to look up the spelling for that) route by saying as much as possible before vanishing into the void. Some highlights:
"I was told by Prime Minister Aso to do my best until the passage (of the bills)," he told a hastily called news conference in Tokyo after he visited a doctor for a medical check.
He said his wobbly performance was caused mainly by jet lag and taking too much cold medicine, brushing aside speculation that he was under the influence of alcohol at that time.
And my personal favorite:
"My doctor told me I am suffering from a cold and fatigue," he said, adding he had "apologized for having caused a great deal of trouble to the prime minister and other people concerned" by not taking good enough care of his health. (Again, all quotes are from The Japan Times)
He has a cold? Seriously? Go watch that video again and tell me if that is any cold you have ever seen.
Now for the scary $*!*, that "Sea of Fire" that the North Koreans are talking about making, is about 60 feet from one of the elementary schools that I work at. Damn. Fortunately, this is probably bluster and bluff. I can't take anything seriously from a country whose leader once bragged that he owned ever action figure ever made of Japanese professional magician Princess Tenko.
And now for Clinton herself, the one major thing not mentioned in the Maddow clip is that Clinton is planning to sign an accord that will remove 8000 US troops from Okinawa. The only thing that would further US-Japanese relations better than that is promise to get the USS George Washington the heck away from Yokusuka. (The only nation that has ever suffered a nuclear attack doesn't like having a nuclear warship floating off the coast)
Also, I'm taking bets on how long before we see Japanese models start wearing the "Bada$$ on the outside, kimono on the inside" jacket.
That's about all the extra insight that I can provide. In other news, it is insanely cold out here right now. 38 degrees F with the heater on kind of cold. Californians don't get to complain about the cold. EVER!
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
First off, Finance Minister Nakagawa is soon to be EX-Finance Minister Nakagawa. Nobody is buying the "too much medicine" excuse. "Nakagawa stressed he had just sipped a glass of wine during a toast at the G7 luncheon but claimed he "did not drink it."" When this story broke Monday morning, Prime Minister Aso "14% approval rating" Taro issued a statement saying that he would not fire the man. ""As for my responsibility of appointing (Nakagawa), I am grateful that he has surely been doing his job," Aso said." (Quotes credited to The Japan Times)
Not twenty four hours later, Nakagawa-san's office issues a statement that he will resign, thereby allowing the Prime Minster to save face. Nobody is buying this! By the way, Rachel may not understand Japanese, but I do and Nakagawa-san still makes no fricken sense.
However, Nakagawa-san seems to have taken the Ron Blagoyavitch (I don't care enough to look up the spelling for that) route by saying as much as possible before vanishing into the void. Some highlights:
"I was told by Prime Minister Aso to do my best until the passage (of the bills)," he told a hastily called news conference in Tokyo after he visited a doctor for a medical check.
He said his wobbly performance was caused mainly by jet lag and taking too much cold medicine, brushing aside speculation that he was under the influence of alcohol at that time.
And my personal favorite:
"My doctor told me I am suffering from a cold and fatigue," he said, adding he had "apologized for having caused a great deal of trouble to the prime minister and other people concerned" by not taking good enough care of his health. (Again, all quotes are from The Japan Times)
He has a cold? Seriously? Go watch that video again and tell me if that is any cold you have ever seen.
Now for the scary $*!*, that "Sea of Fire" that the North Koreans are talking about making, is about 60 feet from one of the elementary schools that I work at. Damn. Fortunately, this is probably bluster and bluff. I can't take anything seriously from a country whose leader once bragged that he owned ever action figure ever made of Japanese professional magician Princess Tenko.
And now for Clinton herself, the one major thing not mentioned in the Maddow clip is that Clinton is planning to sign an accord that will remove 8000 US troops from Okinawa. The only thing that would further US-Japanese relations better than that is promise to get the USS George Washington the heck away from Yokusuka. (The only nation that has ever suffered a nuclear attack doesn't like having a nuclear warship floating off the coast)
Also, I'm taking bets on how long before we see Japanese models start wearing the "Bada$$ on the outside, kimono on the inside" jacket.
That's about all the extra insight that I can provide. In other news, it is insanely cold out here right now. 38 degrees F with the heater on kind of cold. Californians don't get to complain about the cold. EVER!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Setsubun
I’m a couple of days late on this, but with the time difference, it mostly works out.
Feb 3rd is a holiday in Japan, not the Get-out-of-work kind, but still fun. It’s called Setsubun (節分). The name translates roughly to “cutting the season” and refers to the official boundary between winter and spring. (He said as he looked out the window at the snow and died a little on the inside)
Setsubun is celebrated with a purification ritual meant to cast out evil spirits and usher in good luck for the new year. The evil spirits are symbolized by the Oni, a mythological baddie whose name translates as “demon” but “ogre” is a better analogy. How do you cast out an Oni? Why, by throwing soy beans at it of course.
People throw roasted soybeans at someone wearing an Oni mask and shout “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” (鬼は外! 福は内) Which means “Oni outside, luck inside.” Traditionally, this was a shinto ritual that held deep significance. However, today it has devolved into a children’s ritual where they get to throw things at their parents and teachers. The children are also typically given candy at the end. Why? I have no idea, but who needs an excuse to give kids candy? Many shrines still have Setstubun events, but they’re mostly publicity stunts.
I had the opportunity to be an Oni at one of the elementary schools I teach at. I kind of fit the bill physically since I’m tall, large, and can look pretty darn scary when I try. I and a handful of other teachers stood outside the school gym ready to walk in one at a time as the children prepared to throw beans at us. I was told we were supposed to just walk slowly and let the children hit us. My instant reaction to that was “Oh heck no!”
When my turn came I stood at the door for a second and let out what I hope was a blood curdling roar. I dashed into the gym growling in a half werewolf/half Gollum impression. The kids were laughing their heads off as they started to throw the beans. I ducked, dodged, and spun my way around them (and at my size, that isn’t easy). Eventually, I started letting them hit me. Being in possession of an amateur drama background (Read: Being a big ham) I naturally acted as if the beans were made of acid. I then transitioned into the corniest death scene you can imagine before removing the mask and accepting the praise of the students and teachers.
Feb 3rd is a holiday in Japan, not the Get-out-of-work kind, but still fun. It’s called Setsubun (節分). The name translates roughly to “cutting the season” and refers to the official boundary between winter and spring. (He said as he looked out the window at the snow and died a little on the inside)
Setsubun is celebrated with a purification ritual meant to cast out evil spirits and usher in good luck for the new year. The evil spirits are symbolized by the Oni, a mythological baddie whose name translates as “demon” but “ogre” is a better analogy. How do you cast out an Oni? Why, by throwing soy beans at it of course.
People throw roasted soybeans at someone wearing an Oni mask and shout “Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!” (鬼は外! 福は内) Which means “Oni outside, luck inside.” Traditionally, this was a shinto ritual that held deep significance. However, today it has devolved into a children’s ritual where they get to throw things at their parents and teachers. The children are also typically given candy at the end. Why? I have no idea, but who needs an excuse to give kids candy? Many shrines still have Setstubun events, but they’re mostly publicity stunts.
I had the opportunity to be an Oni at one of the elementary schools I teach at. I kind of fit the bill physically since I’m tall, large, and can look pretty darn scary when I try. I and a handful of other teachers stood outside the school gym ready to walk in one at a time as the children prepared to throw beans at us. I was told we were supposed to just walk slowly and let the children hit us. My instant reaction to that was “Oh heck no!”
When my turn came I stood at the door for a second and let out what I hope was a blood curdling roar. I dashed into the gym growling in a half werewolf/half Gollum impression. The kids were laughing their heads off as they started to throw the beans. I ducked, dodged, and spun my way around them (and at my size, that isn’t easy). Eventually, I started letting them hit me. Being in possession of an amateur drama background (Read: Being a big ham) I naturally acted as if the beans were made of acid. I then transitioned into the corniest death scene you can imagine before removing the mask and accepting the praise of the students and teachers.
The Great Split
Greetings puny humans,
I’ve realized that I long ago abandoned what this blog was supposed to be about and started commentating mostly on politics. Since I tend to write about whatever I feel like at the time, sticking to any one topic is rather difficult.
Last night I was rereading the great book of laws that govern the entire internet, The Tome of Gore and noticed something in Vol.3, Section 6, Subsection 31 regarding blogs:
A User may have as many blogs as he/she/it can comfortably provide for.
Having realized this, I have decided to split off and start a total three blogs. The current plan is to post something in one of them at least once a week.
Wandering Gaijin will remain as a Japan specific blog. This will include commentaries on what are known on the Internet as WJTs (Pronounced: widgets) or Weird Japanese Things. I will also post reflections of experiences and other such information. You know, the stuff I should have been posting all along.
The first of the new blogs will be called RNR or Random Nerd Reviews. I am a proud nerd (or Intello-American if you want to be politically correct) and this blog will be me talking about all things nerdy. As the name implies, reviews will be the main bread and butter of this blog. This one is already up and running at randomnerdreviews.blogspot.com, go there.
The second and last of the new blogs will be political in nature and it will have a very catchy name as soon as I think of one. It will mainly be my political rants at the stupidity that envelops modern politics and political punditry.
Some cross over between blogs will happen. Articles of Japanese nerdom on RNR, or the political blog with the very catchy name featuring transpacific stories.
Also, I may soon decide to abandon all attempts at anonymity and start posting video blog entries because I’ve always wanted my own TV show. The fact that my new computer has a built in web cam also has something to do with this.
And so dear friends, we begin a new era of Net based commentary in this: The 3rd Age of the Hack.
I’ve realized that I long ago abandoned what this blog was supposed to be about and started commentating mostly on politics. Since I tend to write about whatever I feel like at the time, sticking to any one topic is rather difficult.
Last night I was rereading the great book of laws that govern the entire internet, The Tome of Gore and noticed something in Vol.3, Section 6, Subsection 31 regarding blogs:
A User may have as many blogs as he/she/it can comfortably provide for.
Having realized this, I have decided to split off and start a total three blogs. The current plan is to post something in one of them at least once a week.
Wandering Gaijin will remain as a Japan specific blog. This will include commentaries on what are known on the Internet as WJTs (Pronounced: widgets) or Weird Japanese Things. I will also post reflections of experiences and other such information. You know, the stuff I should have been posting all along.
The first of the new blogs will be called RNR or Random Nerd Reviews. I am a proud nerd (or Intello-American if you want to be politically correct) and this blog will be me talking about all things nerdy. As the name implies, reviews will be the main bread and butter of this blog. This one is already up and running at randomnerdreviews.blogspot.com, go there.
The second and last of the new blogs will be political in nature and it will have a very catchy name as soon as I think of one. It will mainly be my political rants at the stupidity that envelops modern politics and political punditry.
Some cross over between blogs will happen. Articles of Japanese nerdom on RNR, or the political blog with the very catchy name featuring transpacific stories.
Also, I may soon decide to abandon all attempts at anonymity and start posting video blog entries because I’ve always wanted my own TV show. The fact that my new computer has a built in web cam also has something to do with this.
And so dear friends, we begin a new era of Net based commentary in this: The 3rd Age of the Hack.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
I'm a proud sinner!
This is why I don’t go to church any more:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081113/ap_on_re_us/obama_catholics
The AP is reporting on this Catholic priest has stated that Catholics who voted for President-Elect Obama should not receive communion until they pay an appropriate penance for their sin.
I’m not making this up! In the man’s own words:
The Rev. Jay Scott Newman said in a letter distributed Sunday to parishioners at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville [South Carolina] that they are putting their souls at risk if they take Holy Communion before doing penance for their vote.
"Our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or to run for president," Newman wrote, referring to Obama by his full name, including his middle name of Hussein.
"Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ's Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation."
Guys like this make me sick! The right of the free and secret ballot is the very cornerstone of the United States of America. People complain about judges who “legislate from the bench” but I find “legislating from the pulpit” to be much worse. There is never any reason to feel shame about the way you vote. God gave man free will and I don’t believe that He would then create a church with the intention of removing that free will. America holds sacred the separation of church and state. Priests like Father Newman are violating the highest law in the land, the highest law we all agree on at any rate.
As for the abortion issue: GOD NEVER SAID A DAMN THING ABOUT IT! That’s even assuming you take the Bible word-for-word literally, which I don’t. I challenge anyone to find me a Bible quote (please cite chapter and verse in the comment section of this post) that mentions abortion one way or the other.
On the other hand, I can understand those who believe their place in heaven is assured wanting McCain to win the election. A McCain administration would doubtlessly directly bring about the End of Days within four years and they get to go to heaven early. Fine, that’s cool for you. But the rest of us LIKE this world and want to SAVE it. Those of you who don't, just go drink some Kool-Aid and leave the rest of us in peace.
The late Pope John Paul II stated that the abortion issue is a matter of personal faith as there is no scripture to support either side of the argument. In other words, the right to live vs. right to choose debate is NONE OF THE CHURCHES BUSINESS!! Memo to Father Newman: The Pope out ranks you . . . a lot. I’d have thought they would mention that at the seminary at some point.
So, short version, I’m not quite at the point of joining the Bill Mayer brand of atheism, but this just goes to prove that the difference between God and Religion can be as wide as the Grand Canyon.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081113/ap_on_re_us/obama_catholics
The AP is reporting on this Catholic priest has stated that Catholics who voted for President-Elect Obama should not receive communion until they pay an appropriate penance for their sin.
I’m not making this up! In the man’s own words:
The Rev. Jay Scott Newman said in a letter distributed Sunday to parishioners at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Greenville [South Carolina] that they are putting their souls at risk if they take Holy Communion before doing penance for their vote.
"Our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or to run for president," Newman wrote, referring to Obama by his full name, including his middle name of Hussein.
"Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ's Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation."
Guys like this make me sick! The right of the free and secret ballot is the very cornerstone of the United States of America. People complain about judges who “legislate from the bench” but I find “legislating from the pulpit” to be much worse. There is never any reason to feel shame about the way you vote. God gave man free will and I don’t believe that He would then create a church with the intention of removing that free will. America holds sacred the separation of church and state. Priests like Father Newman are violating the highest law in the land, the highest law we all agree on at any rate.
As for the abortion issue: GOD NEVER SAID A DAMN THING ABOUT IT! That’s even assuming you take the Bible word-for-word literally, which I don’t. I challenge anyone to find me a Bible quote (please cite chapter and verse in the comment section of this post) that mentions abortion one way or the other.
On the other hand, I can understand those who believe their place in heaven is assured wanting McCain to win the election. A McCain administration would doubtlessly directly bring about the End of Days within four years and they get to go to heaven early. Fine, that’s cool for you. But the rest of us LIKE this world and want to SAVE it. Those of you who don't, just go drink some Kool-Aid and leave the rest of us in peace.
The late Pope John Paul II stated that the abortion issue is a matter of personal faith as there is no scripture to support either side of the argument. In other words, the right to live vs. right to choose debate is NONE OF THE CHURCHES BUSINESS!! Memo to Father Newman: The Pope out ranks you . . . a lot. I’d have thought they would mention that at the seminary at some point.
So, short version, I’m not quite at the point of joining the Bill Mayer brand of atheism, but this just goes to prove that the difference between God and Religion can be as wide as the Grand Canyon.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
A message to McCain
Yes, yes, yes. I know I haven’t updated this thing in weeks, but let’s get past that and talk about what everyone else is talking about: Joe the Plumber.
The following is a little message to the McCain campaign care of the Merriam-Webster dictionary:
Main Entry: vet
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): vet•ted; vet•ting
Date [of entry to the dictionary]: 1891
1 a: to provide veterinary care for (an animal) or medical care for (a person) b: to subject (a person or animal) to a physical examination or checkup
2 a: to subject to usually expert appraisal or correction b: to evaluate for possible approval or acceptance
— vet•ter noun
Please look at definition 2b. Thank you.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081017/ap_on_re_us/joe_the_plumber
According to this article by John Seewer of the associated press, not only is Joe not a licensed plumber, he isn’t even a Joe. His name is Samuel J. Wurzelbacher and “Joe” appears to be a nickname, a horribly dull nickname. Just to make things funnier, this archetype of the hard working American success story . . . owes nearly $1200 in back taxes and the state has filed a claim to repossess his house.
How the hell did the McCain campaign not know any of this before they made him a national TV star? I feel sorry for Mr. Wurzelbacher. His life is now going to be turned completely upside down because John McCain is an idiot.
On a separate matter, a friend of mine who happens to be a fellow English major finally watched the VP debate on YouTube. The 90 minute debate took us about 2 hours to watch because my friend keep rewinding to see if Sarah Palin made any sense the second time around. She didn’t. He also rewound to remind himself of the actual question and see if anyone actually answered it. They usually didn’t. We also had a dictionary open and were pausing to check is what Sarah Palin was using her words correctly. Indecently, “maverick” is not a verb. We assume the definition of maverick that the Governor was using is:
2. a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates.
Although we can’t rule out
1. Southwestern U.S. an unbranded calf, cow, or steer, esp. an unbranded calf that is separated from its mother.
Even assuming the former is the intended definition, the idea of a “Team of mavericks” is nonsensical because you can't have a team of lone dissenters.
At one point in the debate, Gov. Palin referred to Sen. Biden as Sen. Obiden, accidently combining the names of both members of the Democratic ticket. Since all's fair in love and Freudian slips, the Republican VP candidate will now and forever be known as “Sarah McPalin!”
Since that name sounds incredibly Scottish (and I never pass up a chance to steal a bit from Blackadder) I present the following conversation to be read in a heavy stereotypical Scottish accent:
Me: Ach! Sarah McPalin! Yer tha spittin image ah yerself! How stands that mighty army, tha Clan McPalin?
Sarah McPalin: Thar both well.
Me: Aye, good. Ay always thought Rory and Angus war such fine boys.
Sarah McPalin: Angus isa girl.
Me: Oh . . . eh . . . dang.
Thank you thank you, I’m here till Monday.
In related news, stay tuned for the recipe to my newest invention, the McPalin sandwich. (Why yes, I am going to milk this joke for all it's worth. Thanks for asking.)
The following is a little message to the McCain campaign care of the Merriam-Webster dictionary:
Main Entry: vet
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): vet•ted; vet•ting
Date [of entry to the dictionary]: 1891
1 a: to provide veterinary care for (an animal) or medical care for (a person) b: to subject (a person or animal) to a physical examination or checkup
2 a: to subject to usually expert appraisal or correction
— vet•ter noun
Please look at definition 2b. Thank you.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081017/ap_on_re_us/joe_the_plumber
According to this article by John Seewer of the associated press, not only is Joe not a licensed plumber, he isn’t even a Joe. His name is Samuel J. Wurzelbacher and “Joe” appears to be a nickname, a horribly dull nickname. Just to make things funnier, this archetype of the hard working American success story . . . owes nearly $1200 in back taxes and the state has filed a claim to repossess his house.
How the hell did the McCain campaign not know any of this before they made him a national TV star? I feel sorry for Mr. Wurzelbacher. His life is now going to be turned completely upside down because John McCain is an idiot.
On a separate matter, a friend of mine who happens to be a fellow English major finally watched the VP debate on YouTube. The 90 minute debate took us about 2 hours to watch because my friend keep rewinding to see if Sarah Palin made any sense the second time around. She didn’t. He also rewound to remind himself of the actual question and see if anyone actually answered it. They usually didn’t. We also had a dictionary open and were pausing to check is what Sarah Palin was using her words correctly. Indecently, “maverick” is not a verb. We assume the definition of maverick that the Governor was using is:
2. a lone dissenter, as an intellectual, an artist, or a politician, who takes an independent stand apart from his or her associates.
Although we can’t rule out
1. Southwestern U.S. an unbranded calf, cow, or steer, esp. an unbranded calf that is separated from its mother.
Even assuming the former is the intended definition, the idea of a “Team of mavericks” is nonsensical because you can't have a team of lone dissenters.
At one point in the debate, Gov. Palin referred to Sen. Biden as Sen. Obiden, accidently combining the names of both members of the Democratic ticket. Since all's fair in love and Freudian slips, the Republican VP candidate will now and forever be known as “Sarah McPalin!”
Since that name sounds incredibly Scottish (and I never pass up a chance to steal a bit from Blackadder) I present the following conversation to be read in a heavy stereotypical Scottish accent:
Me: Ach! Sarah McPalin! Yer tha spittin image ah yerself! How stands that mighty army, tha Clan McPalin?
Sarah McPalin: Thar both well.
Me: Aye, good. Ay always thought Rory and Angus war such fine boys.
Sarah McPalin: Angus isa girl.
Me: Oh . . . eh . . . dang.
Thank you thank you, I’m here till Monday.
In related news, stay tuned for the recipe to my newest invention, the McPalin sandwich. (Why yes, I am going to milk this joke for all it's worth. Thanks for asking.)
Monday, September 8, 2008
And the gaijin cause takes 2 steps back.
This is the really frustrating thing. Whenever it seems as if gaijin are making headway toward being equal citizens in Japan, someone does something stupid and ruins it for the rest of us. This time, our story takes place in the hallowed halls of Sumo. For the last several years, there has been a massive influx of gaijin sumo wrestlers rising to prominence in the most Japanese of sports. For example, both of the reigning Yokozuna (grand champions) Asashoryu and Hakuho are from Mongolia. And it is not uncommon to see the odd Caucasian in the middle ranks at a major tournament. A few days ago, this all came to a screeching halt.
Two of the most prominent gaijin wrestlers, a pair of brothers from Russia, tested positive for marijuana in the sports first ever round of drug tests on Monday. The reason for these tests was the drug related arrest of another gaijin wrestler a few months ago. He was caught with 2.5oz of pot in his wallet. He will inevitably go to jail and/or be deported and his sumo career is over.
It is worth noting that possession of marijuana is a VERY serious offense in Japan. Possession of a single ounce is worth no less than 3 years in jail (no more than 5) hard labor and a $10,000 fine. It is unknown at this time if criminal charges will be pressed against the brothers who only tested positive for the drug. Possession, distribution, trafficking and being caught while using MJ are crimes. Having used it sometime in the past is not.
However, sumo wrestlers are held to a high moral standard due to the religious origins of their sport. As such, both the brothers have received lifetime bans from the Japan Sumo Association (JSA) and the JSA chairman has resigned in disgrace. This scandal has been front page news across the nation trumping the resignation of Prime Minister Fukuda. And you thought Americans took their games seriously.
At the risk of sounding like John McCain, I say blame the Russians.
Two of the most prominent gaijin wrestlers, a pair of brothers from Russia, tested positive for marijuana in the sports first ever round of drug tests on Monday. The reason for these tests was the drug related arrest of another gaijin wrestler a few months ago. He was caught with 2.5oz of pot in his wallet. He will inevitably go to jail and/or be deported and his sumo career is over.
It is worth noting that possession of marijuana is a VERY serious offense in Japan. Possession of a single ounce is worth no less than 3 years in jail (no more than 5) hard labor and a $10,000 fine. It is unknown at this time if criminal charges will be pressed against the brothers who only tested positive for the drug. Possession, distribution, trafficking and being caught while using MJ are crimes. Having used it sometime in the past is not.
However, sumo wrestlers are held to a high moral standard due to the religious origins of their sport. As such, both the brothers have received lifetime bans from the Japan Sumo Association (JSA) and the JSA chairman has resigned in disgrace. This scandal has been front page news across the nation trumping the resignation of Prime Minister Fukuda. And you thought Americans took their games seriously.
At the risk of sounding like John McCain, I say blame the Russians.
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