gerard

The buried face shot pics look cool but I don't think it's really practical or even possible to link more than a couple of turns like that. Skiers sink on the turn radius and rise out between turns. You can see it in SA's tracks. Nice. If you hit a drift and really ATTACK the turn you'll sink pretty deep but I think a lot of those pictures are more for effect.

I've got to find some of that TP.

indoor wave pool is a good idea but it might confuse people in Hakuba. They tend to put those on the beach. --next to the ocean.

I don't listen to a lot of new metal these days but I used to listen to stuff like Metallica and Black Sabbath among other stuff in the 1980's. The new stuff like you mentioned is really well produced. Other people could probably make better recommendations than I could regarding new stuff. Old stuff... check out Led Zeppelin. New bands like Perfect Circle and Tool do a lot Led Zeppelin covers. They're FAR more than a rock band. LZ laid the foundation for all kinds of so called 'alternative' bands in the 1970s and actually they really don't sound that 'dated' even. Led Zeppelin 4 is

"a cordinated resort plan to break out of its parochial mould."... "Definitely so. The same with lots of places. But is this going to happen anytime soon I wonder. There just seems to be way too many separate organisations looking out for themselves and a nightmare to get things agreed on." Japanese resorts like Hakuba seem to be a real hodgepodge of shops and hotels etc –mainly because ownership is diversified and the towns existed before the resorts. The polar opposite is a place like Whistler which is owned by Intrawest (which I heard might be helping to develop the Hanazono side

I've been listening to The Velvet Underground (first album) and Brian Eno (Another Green World) in the last day or two. I'm kind of turned off by a lot of new pop music but I was surprised to see that Evanescence won a couple of awards. Are their albums any better than the mellow-dramatic radio singles and excessively slick packaging indicate?

Been listening to The Velvet Underground (first album) and Brian Eno in the last day or two.

Could be worth a try though. Or maybe something more ominous. (off topic) A cardboard picture of a fighting monk would probably keep me out of the BC.

Is that like a fake bear decoy to keep skiers in bounds? I wonder if it works.

I've always liked the Beatles after they went psychadelic in 1967. -- Revolver, Magical Mystery Tour, St. Pepper, Abbey Road, White Album, Let it Be. Some of their lesser known stuff --like stuff on the White Album is seriously good too. The songs are individually solid but the albums are thematic at the same time. The pop hits, like Obladi Oblada (sp?) don't sound so cheesy when listened to in context of the original albums. John's dark side is a good anecdote for Paul's cheery pop side.

Mori keeps poping up is head now and again. He resigned from office. I would of thought he would do the honourable thing and commit seppuku. As for Ishihara, I can't imagine him being PM because at that level I think you have to be a little more politically correct but stranger things have happened. I'm still trying to grasp the whole convoluted political process in this country.

Hopes were high but we're still left grasping... searching for meaning... that the TV-tube failed to provide. This was a pretty cool thread but it's going to take some work to revive it after last night.

what's number one? I missed the show and I'm not the edge of my seat!

Listened to 'gerling's latest album on the way home today. Also been listening to old Brian Eno --Another Green World-- 30 year old electronic music but doesn't sound dated or cheesy.

I don't know much about bears in Japan but they scare me. In Canada there aren't many people so they generally maintain their natural fear of people. If they hear or smell you coming they're likely to take off --especially grizzlies. In more populated areas though, they get accustomed to human presence (eg garbage) and they're more likely to associate humans with food (not that they want to eat us but we often carry good snacks) or got annoyed by us. Japanese bears are much smaller than Canadian grizzlies or even most black bears I think, but they scare me and I'm not keen on where there'

Check out Charisma man: http://karatethejapaneseway.com/photos/charisma_man_01.jpg http://karatethejapaneseway.com/photos/charisma_man_03.jpg http://karatethejapaneseway.com/photos/charisma_man_02.jpg Hard to resist isn't it?

It's an enigma. Toronto, which is the biggest city in Canada, has had some really whacky mayors too. The previous mayor, Mel Lastman, used to say really crazy though usually benign things... Toronto is one of the most multicultural cities in the world but on his way to Africa for an aids conference he said something like: "I hope I don't get boiled in a pot." It really does baffle me as to how Ishihara got into power. My wife says that Japanese people like celebrities who are connected and can get things done. He was a famous writer from a famous family. I think a lot of Japanese peop

I think he said that the 'third-world people' would be doing the looting. That comment was among his more controvertial and it sparked a lot of protest among japanese and foreigners. He says a lot of other stupid but less spectacular things about things he knows nothing about. His name consistently comes up every few months. For example, the other day at work I heard that the old xenophobic and otherwise totally inaccurate argument that children should learn English once a week because they haven't mastered Japanese was getting credence in the Daily Yomiuri. I thought we were past that!

Ishihara is nuts. (not necessarily the opinion of SJ) Here are some of the crazy things he says: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Shintaro_Ishihara It gets worse too. How did this man get into power?

No doubt that there're a lot of conservative polititians but check your facts. I think the last PM to visit Yasukuni before Koizumi was Hashimoto in 1996. That's what wikipedia says anyway: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasukuni Actually, I really don't like Koizumi though. Ishihara and ex-PM Mori seem to be complete idiots. I can expect nothing but BS from them. If I read something stupid in the newspaper with their names attached to it I think "Oh well that explains it! It's just Ishihara". I guess I expect a little more of Koizumi. To be certain, he's far more sensible than

"Hell, the mayor of Tokyo is a bit of a self proclaimed racist. He doesn't whisper in small circles, he announces it to the press." Bad example Kintaro. There are definitely conservative veins in Japanese politics but Ishihara is extreme. I don't think he's representative of politicians in general. Everything that I have ever heard him say is completely idiotic! It baffles me however, as to how he can have a successful career in politics. Incidentally, I've been in Japan for a while and done my fair share of carousing. Just to put things in perspective, I have been stopped by th

all those ??? were Japanese that didn't work (kimochiwaruii)

Dirty noodle shops often seem to have the best noodles but sushi is supposed to be sacred! ????????

food, climate change and oil are all related. At the moment oil is much more valuable than food to us. There seems to be a bit of irony, assuming that oil production leads to climate change, which leads to lack of food. But maybe this should be off topic. Nice vids. Steep and deep.

But there's no money in food anyway. Much more profitable to mine oil and import food for CHEAP.