Oh god, have officially decided when I'll miss Japan the most - KFC @ Christmas.

Sigh. Tears. I now live in a country without a single KFC. It's just wrong, is what it is.

Fried Chicken + Christmas in Japan | Japan Probe:

"The Christmas season is approaching, and in Japan that means it’s time to eat some fried chicken! Kentucky Fried Chicken is the traditional powerhouse of x-mas chicken in Japan..."

"Put me in the gas chamber - and watch me inhale..." Ice-T Old School FTW.

Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers - Atheists Don't Have No Songs.

Having Sundays Free WIN.Via Steve Martin's gospel song for atheists - Boing Boing

Japan remains a magical place.

Via "Welcome to Japan" Bra - fuckedgaijin

Bloody Samurai - V8/Vodka/Wasabi/Worcestershire/Salt&Pepper - I'm a genius/you're welcome.

Obviously a variation on the classic Bloody Mary.  And while there are versions called Bloody Geisha/Bloody Ninja - where you replace the vodka with sake [must try, btw] and Bloody Shogun - replacing the horseradish w/wasabi and the worcestershire w/teriyaki sauce - I haven't found a variation [online, at least] of what I've thrown together.

So, first we take the classic Bloody Mary (cocktail) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

"...recipe as taught by the New York School of Bartending:
1 oz. to 1.5 oz. (30-45 ml) vodka in a highball glass filled with ice.
Fill glass with tomato juice
1 dash celery salt
1 dash ground black pepper
1 dash Tabasco sauce
2-4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. horseradish (pure, never creamed)
Dash of lemon or lime juice
Garnish with celery stalk.
May be shaken vigorously or stirred lazily, as desired."

Then, we adjust for the lazy Japanophile. Omit the celery salt, the tabasco, the horseradish, the lemon or lime juice & the celery stalk. Use V8 or tomato juice, vodka or sake [see below], worcestershire, salt & pepper. Fewer ingredients, the better. And it must be shaken, not stirred, especially since you're omitting the celery.

So now, the official recipes for the:

"Bloody Samurai"

V8 or Tomato Juice [to taste]*

Vodka [to taste]

Wasabi [to taste]

Worcestershire Sauce [to taste]

Salt & Pepper [to taste]

Shaken, with ice.

"Bloody Samurai's Revenge"

V8 or Tomato Juice [to taste]

Sake [to taste]

Wasabi [to taste]

Worcestershire Sauce [to taste]

Salt & Pepper [to taste]

Shaken, with ice.

*All ingredients "to taste" because who am I to tell you what to do? You know what you like, ignore me.  Besides, I don't measure anything. [I have this recurring memory of Dom DeLuise, in his cooking stint, appearing on some daytime talk show shouting "Measure Everything!" while throwing ingredients around haphazardly like a madperson. Defines my cooking and drinking styles, that - And Dom DeLuise was a funny dude.]

All I know is I dig the saltiness of the tomato juice, the savory feel of the worcestershire and the spicy kick of the wasabi. Plus, you know, the alcohol doesn't hurt.

World's most accurate, least appropriate religion metaphor.

Funny, tho'.

Perhaps something to be said for amphetamines.

[Professor of neurology and psychiatry at Columbia University] Oliver Sacks gets amphetamines right:

"'I would take a huge dose of amphetamine,' he recently told the New Scientist, '400 tablets on the weekend – and basically have something like a nonstop orgasm for 48 hours.'"

Goatburger.

Saw it in the store and I had to know.

Tasted a lot like lamb.  Reminded me of the gyros and souvlaki I had in Greece... wow... has to be almost 18 years ago now...

Chinese Visitor.

Is it racist I think of all praying mantises as Chinese?  Anyways, dude was hanging out on our window, 5 stories up.  Kinda cool.

Couple more random apartment photos...

To go with these here from before.  The apt is prob about 95% done, with the exception of finding a way to hang pictures and whatnots on our all concrete walls.  The apt is ridiculously huge, especially having lived in Japan these last five years.  My whole apt in Japan would probably fit inside of the living and dining room here.  Takes some getting used to.


Living Room of Freedom.

Dining Area of Spaciousness.

Entranceway of Justice. 

Hallway of Infinite Length. 

Bed of Comfort. 

Shatner sings Cee-Lo's "Fuck You!"

Great Thing or Greatest Thing Ever? You be the judge.

Lede of the Day - "The Tears of John Boehner Are Like Acid to Freedom."

Via Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

Hilarious defense lawyer quote.

Quote | End the War on Freedom:

"'We, as criminal defense lawyers, are forced to deal with some of the lowest people on earth, people who have no sense of right and wrong, people who will lie in court to get what they want, people who do not care who gets hurt in the process. It is our job - our sworn duty - as criminal defense lawyers, to protect our clients from those people.' - Cynthia Roseberry"

Fedgov sues Coke because of deadly poison ingredient - caffeine!

As dumb as this might seem to us, I can almost guarantee that the War on [some] drug [users] will seem equally as ridiculous to a couple generations from now.

In 1911, Coca Cola went on trial for being a killer brain tonic:

"In March 1911, a federal lawsuit against Coca Cola (The United States Government vs. Forty Barrels, Twenty Kegs Coca-Cola,) began in Chattanooga. How come? The US government alleged that Coke's added caffeine was a deadly poison.

Nowadays Coca Cola is demonized for causing obesity and dissolving your incisors, but in the early 1900s the US government accused the soft drink of poisoning consumers."

US Embassy Norway busted.

Spying in embassies?  Shocking.

Via Google Translate and US embassy commissioned illegal surveillance of Norwegian citizens - Boing Boing

"TV 2 News tonight reveals that a secret intelligence group in Oslo on behalf of the United States has systematically monitored the Norwegians for over ten years.

Among the Norwegian monitors are several former police tops and ex-employees from the Police Security Service has been paid by the Americans.

...According to the newspaper would Johansen and two other former colleagues have been working as security advisors at the U.S. embassy. Here they had the responsibility to build up the civil guard, recorded security missions and worked to strengthen ties between the PST and American intelligence services, primarily the CIA.

Johansson confirmed that he worked for the embassy, but stood seven years ago surprised the link between his own and two colleagues at the embassy's involvement and the close relations between the PST and the CIA..."

US Embassy in surveillance scandal / News / The Foreigner — Norwegian News in English.:

"...Minister of Justice Knut Storberget claims he was not aware of the SDU’s undercover activity until yesterday.

However, Philip J. Crowley, assistant secretary and the US Department of State in Washington, confirms it took place, and that was in cooperation with Norwegian authorities."

Summing up Japanese culture in one sign.

See, it's not getting caught between the doors that's the problem, it's that it gets attention and people see you.  Oh, Japan...

Via Tasia @ i want to go to there: trains

Evil - "US law does not forbid rendition... to countries that torture, says CIA lawyer."

"The law is a ass." And evil.

US law does not forbid rendition of terror suspects to countries that torture, says CIA lawyer - Boing Boing

"U.S. law does not ... preclude the United States from rendering individuals to a third country in instances where the third country may subject the rendered individual to torture. The only restrictions that do exist under U.S. law preclude U.S. officials from themselves torturing or inflicting cruel and unusual punishment on individuals during rendition operations..." —Daniel Pines, assistant general counsel at the CIA.

GWB - "No one was more sickened or angry than I was when we didn't find weapons of mass destruction." - George W. Bush, from his book 'Decision Points.'

Really?

REALLY?

How about the 4,000 troops killed? Their families & friends. Or the 100,000 Iraqi deaths? ONE. HUNDRED. THOUSAND. Or their families & friends?

You amazingly simple minded, unrepentant douchebag.

Casualty stats from here and here.

Why conspiracy theories exist - "UK Lord claims mysterious Foundation wants to give Britain 17B, no strings attached." via Boing Boing.

UK Lord claims mysterious Foundation wants to give Britain 17B, no strings attached - Boing Boing:

"Charlie Stross links to an official transcript of the Nov 1 debate in the UK's House of Lords in which the Tory life-peer Lord James of Blackheath (a respected industry magnate and financier) claims to have been contacted by a secret foundation with more gold on hand than all the world's bullion reserves combined. This group, 'Foundation X,' apparently has offered to give the UK 5 billion right away, no strings attached, with another 17 billion to follow before Christmas for works on hospitals, schools and London's crossrail project. Lord James seems to be totally serious about this, and he claims to have brought other respected Lords to meet with these shadowy goldbugs."

"Relationships: A Guide" via Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

Now that's just funny.