Japan Back On Its Feet

Above, springtime on Nakamise Street in Asakusa. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The United Kingdom's Daily Mail's travel section has posted an article on a visit to Tokyo, "Japan, a fascinating country undimmed by disaster and very much back on its feet." It is well worth reading for those contemplating a trip to Japan.

Here's an excerpt:

The numbers do the talking. The economy is showing signs of recovery, and there is a widespread building boom across Japan, largely sparked by reconstruction efforts after the tsunami.

In the Tohoku region, much of the rubble has been cleared; new buildings are shooting up. In Tokyo, they’re finishing off the Sky Tree, Japan’s tallest building.

It's been earthquake-proofed with techniques borrowed from medieval temples. I travelled for hours through Japan and didn’t see a single physical sign of last year’s tragedy.

I never felt at risk, either of another earthquake, or of being contaminated by anything I ate or drank. I had one of the best meals of my life in Sushi Zanmai, a restaurant by the Tsukiji fish market.

Above, Fujiya is prominently displayed near Ginza. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The article also highlights several other attractions in Tokyo including the Senso-ji temple and Shinjuku. It includes some beautiful photographs.

Above, one of the Imperial Palace moats. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2109380/Japan-fascinating-country-undimmed-disaster-feet.html#ixzz1o4aVeK78

Bakersfield: On The Road Again

It was an enjoyable day when I headed out to Bakersfield for a mandatory settlement conference.

I haven't been up to Bakersfield for a long while. There was light traffic on Interstate 5 going north. It was clear out and the surrounding hills were green. Pyramid Lake looked inviting. As I approached, on the left was the lake. Ahead and to the right was the Smokey Bear Road exit. (Yes, there really is a Smokey Bear Road. Google it!)

Beyond Smokey Bear Road and Pyramid Lake was Gorman. It snowed up in Gorman earlier in the week. There was no evidence of snow there today. The old Caravan Inn signs were gone, as was the Caravan Inn.

The Grapevine looked a bit more built up. There's an enormous Ikea distribution center there.

A little further up, I stopped briefly at the Wheeler Ridge TA Truckstop on the Tejon Ranch for coffee and snacks. I was disappointed that the sit-down restaurant they had was gone and replaced by several fast-food outlets.

Bakersfield looked a little more built up. Parking was a source of annoyance in the area around the courthouse. The nearest parking lot allowing parking for more than two hours was three blocks away.

Still, it was good to be up there after so many years.

Must Be A Fluke

Let's see, Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown law student, complains that contraceptives cost $3,000 and it is a hardship for. So she wants her contraceptives provided free by the taxpayers.

What law students doing that requires three thousand dollars worth of contraceptives?! They must be busy beavers!

Rush Limbaugh stirred up a hornet's nest with the feminists by referring to Fluke as a "slut" and "prostitute."

From Fox News:

Limbaugh later said on his show that the student was effectively arguing that the students "must be paid to have sex."

"What does that make her? It makes her a slut, right. It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex. She's having so much sex, she can't afford the contraception," he said.

His response to the uproar:

"Miss Fluke and the rest of you feminazis, here's the deal: If we are going to pay for your contraceptives and thus pay for you to have sex, we want something for it, and I'll tell you what it is. We want you to post the videos online so we can all watch."

Sounds more than fair to me, although Limbaugh was illustrating absurdity by saying something absurd.

If $3,000 for contraceptives is too much for your pocketbook, then abstain! As Rush said today:

"If you can't afford it, you can't do it."

Additionally, Fluke isn't all she claims to be. The Gateway Pundit found:

What a shock! It was all a BIG PRODUCTION! The Democrat’s token abused college coed is actually a 30 year-old hardcore women’s rights activist.

Sandra Fluke is also the past president of Law Students for Reproductive Justice.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/02/dems-urge-republicans-to-condemn-limbaugh-over-remarks-on-georgetown-student/?test=latestnews#ixzz1o1jxbpRw

UPDATE (3/3/12): Rush Limbaugh has issued a statement:

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/03/03/a_statement_from_rush

From Burbank To Bakersfield

It has been interesting to see the venom from left wing bloggers and other sites directed at Andrew Breitbart, who passed away suddenly yesterday morning shortly after midnight. Interesting, but not surprising. It only shows what a bunch of classless bums they are. Breitbart was a happy warrior who championed truth that the mainstream media refused to cover, and for freedom.

It was a treat to listen to a local radio talk show tonight featuring actors Ed Ames, Clint Howard and Morgan Brittany, with Ann Coulter on the phone. Each praised the work of Breitbart.

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Today is a busy one for me. It began with working in my "parachute" job patrolling the Burbank Hills on the graveyard shift. Following that, I will be immediately heading north to Bakersfield for a late-morning mandatory settlement conference on an insurance claim as the representative for the insurer.

I haven't been to Bakersfield for quite a long time (I can't even remember the last time I was there). It'll be interesting to see any changes to it and along Highway 99.

Thankfully, I will be well-compensated for my drive time as well as the mileage put on my car. Good thing I recently had the engine rebuilt. It should be fun. The car loves the open highway.

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This should be a good month with insurance work coming in along with the sales of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. To cap off today's activities, I will come home to another great meal prepared by my roomie.

Andrew Breitbart, R.I.P.

Shocking news was posted by columnist Michelle Malkin this morning.

Andrew Breitbart has died. He was 43.

Larry Solov at Big Journalism announced:

Andrew passed away unexpectedly from natural causes shortly after midnight this morning in Los Angeles.

We have lost a husband, a father, a son, a brother, a dear friend, a patriot and a happy warrior.

Andrew lived boldly, so that we more timid souls would dare to live freely and fully, and fight for the fragile liberty he showed us how to love.

We've lost a great voice.

Two Centuries of Religious Freedom Rolled Back

The current storm over contraceptives and religious organizations have muddied the waters so much that the average person would have difficulty figuring out what the fuss is all about.

Thankfully, The Heritage Foundation has it layed out in plain English so that even a moron should be able to comprehend what's at stake.

They wrote, in part:

Since 1791, when the Bill of Rights was formally adopted, America has enjoyed the legal protection of religious freedom, enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Today, 221 years later, centuries of progress in the protection of religious and other liberties is at risk of being rolled back in one fell swoop. The culprit: Obamacare.

As we all know, President Obama's health care law will mandate that religious hospitals, charities, and schools abandon the tenets of their faiths and provide their employees insurance coverage of abortion-inducing drugs, contraception and sterilization. This anti-conscience mandate is but the latest assault on liberty Obamacare has ushered in. Its shock waves are reverberating across the country, waking Americans to the fact that our first freedom -- religious liberty -- will be the first to fall now that the federal government has unfettered control over the country's health care system.

Let's make this clear one more time: The issue isn't about birth control -- it's about the federal government's power to force a religious institution like Georgetown University to bend to its will and take actions that are fundamentally at odds with its core values. Religious groups are faced with an untenable choice: violate conscience or drop coverage and face penalties for doing so. That's why so many Americans -- men and women alike -- are speaking out against the anti-conscience mandate and its fine on faith.

To read the full article, go here.

Ridley Scott To Participate In Japan Quake Film Project

Above, one of the tiny islets off Matsushima Bay that blunted the force of the earthquake-generated tsunami. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The first anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake is ten days away. A film project is in the works to document it. Director Ridley Scott will participate.

Asia Travel Today reported:

TOKYO — Hollywood director Ridley Scott is to take part in a project documenting the first anniversary of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami, a television network said Wednesday.

The Briton, famous for “Alien”, “Blade Runner” and “Gladiator”, will join “Japan in a Day”, a film about life in the nation 12 months after the disaster that claimed more than 19,000 lives, Fuji Television Network said.

Fuji TV will work with Scott Free, a production company run by the director and his brother, to knit together videos shot by members of the public and footage gathered from 200 TV cameras set up in the affected areas.

To read the full story, go here.