Daily Entries for the week of
Sunday, August 28, 2022
through
Saturday, September 3, 2022
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It’s Saturday, September 2, 2022
Welcome to the 1,544th consecutive post to the blog
existentialautotrip.com
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Lead Picture*
US Customs
Officers from US Customs and Border Protection boarding a ship
James Tourtellotte - http://www.cbp.gov/
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers going aboard a ship to examine cargo in May 2004.
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Commentary
3-1-1
For travelers carrying their own luggage, this is a red flag.
What is the 3-1-1 liquids rule?
The Transportation Security Administration requires:
3. Each passenger may carry liquids, gels and aerosols in travel-size containers that are 3.4 ounces or100 milliliters.
1. Each passenger
1. is limited to one ‘quart-size bag of liquids, gels and aerosols.’
Common travel items that must comply with the 3-1-1 liquids rule include toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, mouthwash and lotion.
3-1-1
Containers larger than 3.4oz must be in checked in bags or they will get pulled out and tossed.
I’ve spent a bit of time organizing my liquids and gels (I’m a carry-on traveler) and found these in 3.4oz or less sizes:
Body lotion, toothpaste; shaving cream; cortisone; hand sanitizer; eye drops; eye lid wash
So far I need to buy 3.4oz containers for shampoo; conditioner; and cough syrup.
The bag carrying them is a bit larger than the standard 6x9 quart-sized zip-lock bag, but I’m confident it’s so close they will let it pass.
Glad I started packing early.
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Word of the Day:
Distill, brew, ferment
For definition, see below, immediately after the Short Essay
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Wellness
The braces I’m wearing at home are easy to put on and they have been effective. I hardly notice the pain and my body stays in place.
Social Life
I’m entering five days of quiescence. It’s the long Labor Day weekend when half the country is off doing great things, like barbecue and beaches.
I’m in the other half.
But pleased.
I can really use the time to finish off my planning for my trip to Japan.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
“It is inhumane, in my opinion,
to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee
to wait in line behind people who
apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity.”
~ Dave Barry
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Dinner/Food/Recipes
I had ribs for lunch which I glazed with sesame oil, scallions, garlic, ginger, honey, and soy.
Spinach with a garlic sauce and sweet potato.
Yummy.
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Pictures with Captions from our community**
Lobster tail with uni sauce at Douzo
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Short Essay*
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs has been considered as the fiscal subject that charges customs duties (i.e. tariffs) and other taxes on import and export. In recent decades, the views on the functions of customs have considerably expanded and now covers three basic issues: taxation, security, and trade facilitation.
Each country has its own laws and regulations for the import and export of goods into and out of a country, enforced by their respective customs authorities; the import/export of some goods may be restricted or forbidden entirely. A wide range of penalties are faced by those who break these laws.
Definition of Today’s Word of the Day:
Distill: purify (a liquid) by vaporizing it, then condensing it by cooling the vapor, and collecting the resulting liquid:
Brew: make (beer) by soaking, boiling, and fermentation:
Fermentation: the chemical breakdown of a substance by bacteria, yeasts, or other microorganisms, typically involving effervescence and the giving off of heat.
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
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It’s Friday, September 1, 2022
Welcome to the 1,543rd consecutive post to the blog
existentialautotrip.com
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Lead Picture*
Flag of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ)
See 28 C.F.R. § 0.146; see also 41 id. (JPMR) § 128-1.5008(a)(1) (describing the flag of the Department of Justice, which contains the Department's seal, as follows:
"the ... flag shall consist of a rectangular base background of ultramarine blue, bearing an eagle on a shield, a scroll and the inscription 'Department of Justice.' The eagle faces to the left, with its left claw holding 13 arrows with the tips facing down. Its right claw holds an olive branch.
The shield consists of a white base, a blue chief and six scarlet stripes. The scroll shall read in bold blue letters, 'QUI PRO DOMINA JUSTITIA SEQUITUR,'.... The inscription 'DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE' shall be in bold white letters, centered above the eagle. The fringe shall be white."
The section also describes the various flags of the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, the Associate Attorney General, the Solicitor General, and the Assistant Attorneys General).
Original: United States Department of Justice Vectorization: Ali Zifan - This vector image includes elements that have been taken or adapted from this file:
Permission details
This image shows a flag, a coat of arms, a seal or some other official insignia. The use of such symbols is restricted in many countries. These restrictions are independent of the copyright status.
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Commentary
Walmart is now paying its associates $20.00 an hour plus bennies and in-house promotions.
Let’s hope those promotions come with raises that get them quickly to $25.00 and benefit packages that get fatter.
And the Housing Price Surge has slowed.
And I hear whisperings of efforts to address the skyrocket costs of fuel. I applaud that kind of pinpointing the economy to bring down inflation.
Those are three good things.
And a bad.
Yes. Of course that out-of-shape aging Lindsay Graham threatened his opponents with riots in the streets. That’s exactly what he meant. What a cheap shot. What a coward. We know by looking at him he’s not about to climb the barricades himself. Huffing and puffing. He’s a creep.
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Reading
I’m reading Tokyo Ueno Station. Add a second short novel to my just completed Convenience Store Woman, and we have a very long book, Shogun, then two quickies. I’m due for something in the middle.
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Word of the Day: anime
For definition, see below, immediately after the Short Essay
Social Life
Had great conversations with Dr. Mike, daughter Kat, and friend Tucker.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
“It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee
to wait in line behind people
who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity.”
~ Dave Barry
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Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
My daughter Katherine and boyfriend Will are heading off to Paris in two weeks.
She sent me their just-completed itinerary.
They will stay in Paris except for a single day-trip that will take them to Giverney in the morning and Versailles in the afternoon.
They will walk.
Visit cafes.
Eat at great restaurants, most of them boasting a Guide Michelin star.
Walk.
Visit museums.
Eat Berthillon ice cream.
Walk.
Blog meister responds: What fun they are going to have.
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Dinner/Food/Recipes
For the last two days I’ve eaten out: Douzo and Ga Ga.
Both were predictably good.
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Pictures with Captions from our community**
Summer in Public Garden
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Short Essay*
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United States. It is equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries. The department is headed by the U.S. attorney general, who reports directly to the president of the United States and is a member of the president's Cabinet. The current attorney general is Merrick Garland, who was sworn in on March 11, 2021.
The modern incarnation of the Justice Department was formed in 1870 during the Ulysses S. Grant presidency. The department comprises federal law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. It also has eight major divisions of lawyers who represent the U.S. federal government in litigation: the Civil Division, Criminal Division, Civil Rights Division, Antitrust Division, Tax Division, Environment and Natural Resources Division, National Security Division, and Justice Management Division. The department also includes the U.S. Attorneys' Offices for each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts.
The primary actions of the DOJ are representing the U.S. government in legal matters (such as in cases before the Supreme Court), and running the federal prison system. The department is also responsible for reviewing the conduct of local law enforcement as directed by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.
Definition of Today’s Word of the Day:
anime: Anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan.
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
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It’s Thursday, August 31, 2022
Welcome to the 1,542nd consecutive post to the blog
existentialautotrip.com
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Lead Picture*
Judith Resnik
Judith Resnik
NASA - https://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-51l/html/s78-35305.html
S78-35305 (21 Sept. 1978) --- Astronaut Judith A. Resnik, mission specialist. Photo credit: NASA (NOTE: Astronaut Resnik died in the STS-51L space shuttle Challenger accident, Jan. 28, 1986.)
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Commentary
I am very happy to learn that $20.00/hour is oozing its way into our economy, replacing the $15.00 hourly wage hitherto thought progressive.
I never thought $15.00 progressive, merely a starting wage for an inexperienced youngster.
a McDonald’s newbie.
$25.00/hour is the proud wage.
When the President’s bills are going full-on, we shall see tens of thousands of great jobs created, filled with workers earning $1,000.00 dollars a week plus all the good bennies corporate America provides for its management now.
Hooray.
BTW: ‘Generic’ inflation is not our problem. Rampant energy costs are.
The President must attack this energy disease. Solar, wind, water, electric, and nuclear must be combined to drive down the costs of energy, attacking inflation where it rears itself most dangerously.
The idea is that we should focus on specific inflation-rampant economic areas, not slow the entire economy into recession and unemployment. Powell as Fed Reserve Chairman was a serious Biden error.
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Reading
From the longest of books, Shogun, I have jumped to the shortest, The Convenience
Store Woman.
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Screen time
Searching for Japanese films and TV series.
Have settled on rerunning Midnight Diner.
Social Life
Had fun talking to a nurse re: covid testing before my trip, polio vaccinations, and other such, and I paid a visit to the Japanese consulate to get Visa requirements sorted out.
It’s an electronic application.
BTW: Covid testing for US citizens going to Japan is no longer required.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
“The one thing that unites all human beings,
regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status, or ethnic background, is that,
deep down inside, we all believe that we are above-average drivers.”
~ Dave Barry, Dave Barry Turns Fifty
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Dinner/Food/Recipes
After talking to my friend Dr. Mike, I got hungry for lobster.
On Monday I bought one at 1.5lbs and steamed it in a Marinara Sauce.
I sucked dry every piece of it.
Delicious.
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Pictures with Captions from our community**
Well Attended Public Garden
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Short Essay*
Judith Arlene Resnik (April 5, 1949 – January 28, 1986) was an American electrical engineer, software engineer, biomedical engineer, pilot and NASA astronaut who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. She was the fourth woman, the second American woman and the first Jewish woman of any nationality to fly in space, logging 145 hours in orbit.
Recognized while still a child for her intellectual brilliance, Resnik was accepted at Carnegie Mellon University after becoming only the sixteenth woman in the history of the United States to have attained a perfect score on the SAT exam. She graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from Carnegie Mellon before attaining a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland.
Resnik worked for RCA as an engineer on Navy missile and radar projects, as a senior systems engineer for Xerox Corporation, and published research on special-purpose integrated circuitry. She was also a pilot and made research contributions to biomedical engineering as a research fellow at the National Institutes of Health.
At age 28, Resnik was selected by NASA as a mission specialist. She was part of NASA Astronaut Group 8, the first group to include women. While training on the astronaut program, she developed software and operating procedures for NASA missions. Her first space flight was the STS-41-D mission in August and September 1984, the twelfth Space Shuttle flight, and the maiden voyage of Discovery, where her duties included operating its robotic arm. Her second Shuttle mission was STS-51-L in January 1986 aboard Challenger. She died when it broke up shortly after liftoff, and crashed into the ocean.
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
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It’s Wednesday, August 30, 2022
Welcome to the 1,541st consecutive post to the blog
existentialautotrip.com
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Lead Picture*
Midnight Diner
Midnight Diner is a Japanese anthology TV series directed by Joji Matsuoka, based on a manga with the same name by Yarō Abe. It focuses on a late-night diner called Meshiya in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, its mysterious scarred chef known only as "Master", and the lives of his customers.
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Commentary
Cheers for Liz Warren who came out and supported me.
Perhaps, more accurately, my position.
She laced into Fed Reserve Chair’s plans to continue to dramatically raise interest rates.
Bringing down inflation by raising the cost of buying anything so that we can’t afford to buy and we throw American workers out on the street.
Where we can bathe in recessionary goo.
It's criminal.
Big Business interests will go untouched.
Yes. The school debt relief is a touch inflationary, just a touch, but the windfalls are going directly into the hands of the working classes. Every g—d--- penny of them.
The rich will still have plenty of multi-million and billion dollar projects to skim, but for once the bulk of a big deal is coming to us.
Hip, hip.
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Screen time
I am rewatching “Victoria.” Good stuff.
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Wellness
Around the house I am wearing one brace for my aching side (still the bike slam) and a second for my slumping shoulders. The first hopefully ends in a day or two. For my shoulders, I’ll be wearing the brace for the foreseeable future.
Social Life
I have added two social events for After Labor Day and Before Leaving for Japan. One is a 50th reunion of Friends of the North End. And the second is dinner with my son Mino, with a “Leaving for Japan” theme.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
"The four building blocks of the universe are fire, water, gravel
and vinyl."
~Dave Barry
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Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
This is a piece of mail I am sorry to receive:
Dear Mr. Dom Capossela,
Hello again and thank you for completing payment for the remaining balance for the Kichisen reservation.
In regards to the new requests for the 3 restaurants, we are very sorry but both Mizai (Kyoto) and Kagurazaka Ishikawa (Tokyo) have an unique booking system where only guests who have been there once before can make a reservation, and even then the earliest available seating is over a year from now.
So we are sorry but are unable to assist you in making a reservation at those two restaurants. Please let us know if you have alternative restaurants you would like for us to check.
We are currently looking into Azabu Kadowaki (Tokyo) for you and contact you as soon as possible. Please note that it may also be difficult as it is also a very popular 3 Michelin star restaurant in Tokyo.
Sincerely,
Aki
My Concierge Japan
Blog meister responds: Live and learn.
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Dinner/Food/Recipes
I took home some curry sauce from an Indian restaurant and paired it with a leftover Roasted Chicken leg.
With my own Eggplant Gochujang, it was a lovely lunch.
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Pictures with Captions from our community**
Mural on the Greenway Boy w Radio
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Pictures with Captions from our community**
Mural on the Greenway Placard
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Short Essay*
“When people finish their day and hurry home, my day starts. My diner is open from midnight to seven in the morning. They call it "Midnight Diner". That's all I have on my menu. But I make whatever customers request as long as I have the ingredients for it. That's my policy. Do I even have customers? More than you would expect.”
"The Master", the main character of the show, is the owner, chef, and bartender who runs the titular diner. While he has a very limited menu (consisting only of tonjiru, sake, beer and shōchū), he always offers to produce any dish that a customer may want, as long as he has the ingredients on hand. Master refuses to cook any dishes that are beyond his skills or overly complicated. Sometimes, customers contribute the ingredients, particularly if they are out of the ordinary or a very specific craving. The diner is frequented by a range of customers, from salarymen to yakuza and prostitutes, all of whom generally get along well; only occasionally is there conflict between the characters while inside the diner.
Generally, each episode deals with a drama focused on a particular customer. The plot introduces the characters of the episode, often using well-known archetypes and tropes, before detailing their personal challenges. Master, although generally reserved, offers help and advice. The plot generally offers a philosophical life lesson as part of the story, be it simple or complicated. The stories are usually lighthearted in tone, but some venture into more dramatic territory with melancholy resolutions.
Most episodes focus on a particular Japanese dish, often the favorite meal of the character the episode is about. The dish also relates in some way to the story, and the episode ends with Master giving a brief demonstration of how to prepare the dish while a character from the episode gives verbal instructions directly to the audience. Master also occasionally breaks the fourth wall, to speak to the viewers (e.g. in the TV series, to announce the upcoming movie or to announce the end of a season). Master cooks everything by himself, requesting help only if he knows he cannot do something or if he is incapacitated (e.g. In the first movie, Master is assisted by a homeless girl played by Tabe Mikako after he sustains an injury).
While the characters are largely transitional, and seen mainly in their own self-contained episodes, some are often seen as minor characters or cameos in one or two other episodes. Several characters are regular customers of the diner and appear regularly.[6] A few stories adopt magic realism overtones, including supernatural elements, while others utilize montages and time skips to fully tell a character's story.
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
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It’s Tuesday, August 30, 2022
Welcome to the 1,540th consecutive post to the blog
existentialautotrip.com
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Lead Picture*
Claudia Rankine
Rankine in 2016
Abremmer - Taken in NYC by me.
Author photo of Claudia Rankine taken by John Lucas and used by permission of the photographer.
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Commentary
Traveling is among the highest of luxuries.
The planning highlights this.
I have nine meals to provide for (the tour is handling three and the flight to and from Japan three more). Just type in “Michelin restaurants in Tokyo, or Osala or…) and I’m blessed with a list of restaurants, any one of which makes better meals than I can make at home.
Cafes? Same deal.
Life is good.
For some of us.
Of course, restaurants at the highest level are booked months in advance. But I’m using a concierge service to book my seat (2,000 yen per person/reservation, well worth it) and I’m booking more than two months in advance so I’m having early luck, gaining three of the five that I’ve applied for.
Feeling like the cat that caught the canary.
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Reading
I’ve started “Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata.” It’s wonderful.
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Wellness
I taken to wearing my back brace to help with the slowly healing left side of me.
Social Life
Had a busy electronic day: my son and Japan; my dear friend, Dr. Mike and how to treat lobsters; my dear friend, Alexa, and her trip to France (She teaches French in American), and friend Margery from my 65-year-old ice skating days. Fun.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
"Auto racing is boring except
when a car is going at least 172 miles per hour
upside down."
~Dave Barry
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Dinner/Food/Recipes
I created this recipe.
So simple.
So delicious.
Eggplant Gochujang
Halve two eggplants and score lengthwise and crosswise.
Brush with canola oil.
Place flesh-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 400˚ until tender.
Whisk 1 tablespoon each soy sauce, gochujang (Korean red chile paste), honey and sesame oil and ½ teaspoon salt.
Brush glaze on the eggplants
Broil until well-browned, 4 minutes perhaps’
Brush with the remaining glaze; top with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.
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Pictures with Captions from our community**
Boston City Hall Plaza Children’s Section
Seems magical
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Short Essay*
Claudia Rankine (/ˈræŋkɪn/; born September 15, 1963) is an American poet, essayist, playwright, and the editor of several anthologies. She is the author of five volumes of poetry, two plays, and various essays.
Her book of poetry, Citizen: An American Lyric, won the 2014 Los Angeles Times Book Award,[2] the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award[3] in Poetry (the first book in the award's history to be nominated in both poetry and criticism), the 2015 Forward Prize for Best Collection, the 2015 Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in Poetry, the 2015 NAACP Image Award in poetry, the 2015 PEN Open Book Award, the 2015 PEN American Center USA Literary Award, the 2015 PEN Oakland-Josephine Miles Literary Award, and the 2015 VIDA Literary Award. Citizen was also a finalist for the 2014 National Book Award and the 2015 T.S. Eliot Prize. It is the only poetry book to be a New York Times bestseller in the nonfiction category.
Rankine's numerous awards and honors include the 2014 Morton Dauwen Zabel Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the 2014 Jackson Poetry Prize, and the 2014 Lannan Foundation Literary Award. In 2005, she was awarded the Academy Fellowship for distinguished poetic achievement by the Academy of American Poets. She is a 2016 United States Artist Zell Fellow and a 2016 MacArthur Fellow.
Rankine previously taught at Pomona College. As of 2018, she is the Frederick Iseman Professor of Poetry at Yale University. In 2013, she was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets.
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
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It’s Monday, August 29, 2022
Welcome to the 1,539th consecutive post to the blog
existentialautotrip.com
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Lead Picture*
Kaiseki Hassun
The Hassun course (second) in a Kaiseki banquet
Hassun (八寸)
663highland - Own work
Kaiseki "Hassun" at KAI Tsugaru in Owani, Aomori prefecture, Japan
Permission details
GFDL+creative commons2.5View more
CC BY 2.5view terms
File:Kaiseki Kai Tsugaru Owani Onsen Aomori pref Japan02s.jpg
Created: 15 July 2012
Location: 40° 30′ 41.03″ N, 140° 34′ 29.68″ E
About Media Viewer
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Commentary
Whoever gave Fed Reserve Chairman Powell a sledge hammer for Christmas is an ass.
Take it back.
He's talking about pain to cure our already cooling inflation.
Using a sledge hammer.
Whose pain?
Whose bones will be crushed?
The working class.
Always the workers.
Lay off our employment.
Labor shortages?
Ha!
Pay more.
$25.00 per hour for competent workers.
You’ll find help.
No American should be out of work.
Less unemployment compensation paid.
More money for expanded education opportunities.
Raise taxes on the top 1% of our society who never feel pain, Mr. Powell.
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Op-Commentary
This from friend Howard.
[I apologize for rendering your carefully fenestrated lines of text as run-on “normal” expository prose. For me, anyway, it was easier to read, and to analyze (though I’d hardly call it rigorous; didn’t call for it). Also, a disclosure: though I searched, I didn’t find any current news items related to measures undertaken by President Biden (or even considered by him) regarding education, aside from the news yesterday concerning student loan indebtedness and forgiveness; I may have missed something that you are aware of, and if I am misapplying my observations, I sincerely apologize.]
You wrote:
Another genius bill from the desk of Joe Biden. A well-thought-out moderate approach to a societal failure. Our nation provides twelve years of public education. Twelve years when what’s needed is from sixteen to eighteen years. We omit pre-k and at least two years of higher education or vocational training. A blatant failure.
Biden’s proposal rectifies a substantial part of that failure. Not 80%, not even 50%. But a substantial chunk. His proposal certainly provides a solid platform from which to build and grow.
I think it’s common parlance to refer to legislation, being considered, being proposed, or having been passed, as taking the form of a “bill.”
What President Biden signed and thereby executed is an executive order, which has the force of law for as long, at least, as he occupies the office of President. It was not a bill. It did and does not require consideration by Congress.
Actually, 43 out of 50 states, to paraphrase your language, sanction the funding and administration of 13 years of education for children within certain age brackets, from Kindergarten through the 12th grade of high school. The seven remaining states (including my current home state of Pennsylvania) do not make kindergarten “mandatory,” though many school districts, if not most, in all of these states make provision for Kindergarten at public institutions. A small number of states, and a greater number of school districts in a greater number of states even offer so-called pre-K schooling to those qualified at public expense.
In only the rarest instances, on the other hand, are there any laws that prohibit children from attending formal pre-K and Kindergarten training, by whatever means.
The executive order Biden signed, which is a debt forgiveness order that applies to those individuals with existing student debt and who meet certain financial criteria for the forgiveness, of either a maximum of $10,000 or $20,000 to be applied to the outstanding loan balance as of the prescribed applicable dates. Of the approximate (it’s hard to get exact amounts to analyze) $1.7 trillion in student loan indebtedness, the forgiveness will “cost” a total of approximately $300 billion if all qualified borrowers take advantage of the order. That would be a percentage of about 17.6%. So, for one, I’ll grant you, that’s not 80%. It’s not even 50%. In fact, you could have kept going in increments of 30, because it’s not even 20%.
It is this amount that you seem to be labelling as “substantial.” I have nothing else to say, except to note the curious similarity of this figure of about 17% and the recent poll finding among Republican primary voters, 16% of whom said, if Trump were the nominee for president in 2024, they would rather vote for President Biden.
By this reckoning (that is your reckoning of what constitutes “substantial” backing and a “solid platform”) Biden should not listen to the nay-sayers about his running again, and go full speed ahead. What could he possibly have to worry about?
Yours with love, and in the interest of fact-checking, never mind language usage,
H
Blog Meister’s Reply: I wish you were available for me to hand off my diatribes for spot editing.
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Screen time
I watched Stallone’s “Samaritan.”
Enough said.
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Chuckles and Thoughts
"Eating rice cakes is like chewing on a foam coffee cup,
only less filling."
~Dave Barry
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Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
This from friend Tucker J:
I’ve been loving all the film and anime watching you’ve been doing and writing about on the blog!
Jim is giving you some terrific recommendations!
- Tucker
Blog meister responds: Oh, sure. Jim gets all the compliments. Dom gets Howard in attack mode.
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Dinner/Food/Recipes
Friday night I was a guest of dear friends. They took me to Nirvana’s, a Cambridge Indian restaurant. The food and the company were terrific.
Alexa ordered enough food for a dozen people (we were three). But she had a plan. Take it home and don’t cook for the next three weeks.
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Pictures with Captions from our community**
Newport Sunset
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Short Essay*
Kaiseki is a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner. The term also refers to the collection of skills and techniques that allow the preparation of such meals and is analogous to Western haute cuisine. Kaiseki consists of a sequence of dishes, each often small and artistically arranged.
In Japan, kaiseki is considered the top fine dining cuisine. The meal serves a set multi-course meal featuring the most premium seasonal ingredients.
Kaiseki shows off the chef’s artful skill from conceptualizing the meal, the cooking, and the plating. The best kaiseki meals have beauty, intricacy, thought, and effort.
A traditional kaiseki meal will have 9 courses, though today they can vary between 6 to 15 courses, including sakizuke (amuse bouche), hassun (seasonal course), suimono (soup course with dash broth base), tsukuri (sashimi course), yakimono (grilled course), takiawase (simmered course), shokuji (rice course), and mizugashi or mizumono (sweets or fruits).
Order
Originally, kaiseki comprised a bowl of miso soup and three side dishes;[10] this is now instead the standard form of Japanese-style cuisine generally, referred to as a セット (setto, "set"). Kaiseki has since evolved to include an appetizer, sashimi, a simmered dish, a grilled dish and a steamed course,[10] in addition to other dishes at the discretion of the chef.[11]
Sakizuke (先附): an appetizer similar to the French amuse-bouche.
Hassun (八寸): the second course, which sets the seasonal theme. Typically one kind of sushi and several smaller side dishes. Traditionally served on a square dish measuring eight sun (寸) on each side.
Mukōzuke (向付): a sliced dish of seasonal sashimi.
Takiawase (煮合): vegetables served with meat, fish or tofu; the ingredients are simmered separately.
Futamono (蓋物): a "lidded dish"; typically a soup.
Yakimono (焼物): (1) flame-grilled food (esp. fish); (2) earthenware, pottery, china.
Su-zakana (酢肴): a small dish used to cleanse the palate, such as vegetables in vinegar; vinegared appetizer.
Suimono (吸い物): a soup, usually a clear broth with few accompaniments.
Hiyashi-bachi (冷し鉢): served only in summer; chilled, lightly cooked vegetables.
Naka-choko (中猪口): another palate-cleanser; may be a light, acidic soup.
Shiizakana (強肴): a substantial dish, such as a hot pot.
Gohan (御飯): a rice dish made with seasonal ingredients.
Kō no mono (香の物): seasonal pickled vegetables.
Tome-wan (止椀): a miso-based or vegetable soup served with rice.
Mizumono (水物): a seasonal dessert; may be fruit, confection, ice cream, or cake.
* The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Pictures with Captions from our community are photos sent in by our blog followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
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It’s Sunday, August 28, 2022
Welcome to the 1,538th consecutive post to the blog
existentialautotrip.com
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Lead Picture*
Spirited Away
Chihiro, dressed in bathhouse work clothes is standing in front of an image containing a group of pigs and the city behind her. Text below reveal the title and film credits, with the tagline to Chihiro's right.
IMDb
This is a poster for Spirited Away. The poster art copyright is believed to belong to the distributor of the film, the publisher of the film or the graphic artist.
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Commentary
I love Joe Biden.
I love his achievements.
Love his moderation.
His tenacity.
Sincerity.
This has been a can-do Presidency, and this last, the student debt forgiveness, a serious redistribution of wealth, not the least of his achievements.
Yet, a glaring blot on American society, the failure of our public school system to include free pre-K and college education as part of our children’s preparation for adulthood, goes without any effort to clean it up. Free college will give our young people a more vibrant start of life. Free Pre-K will ease the burden on parents who work and raise kids, as well as give children a richer social and emotional start to learn and to meld into society.
America needs to provide our citizens ladders to climb out of poverty. What we are now providing are stepstools.
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Word of the Day
Can you define anime?
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Chuckles and Thoughts
“Never under any circumstances take a sleeping pill and
a laxative on the same night.”
~Dave Barry
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Wellness
I’m experiencing a sensitivity in a very localized part of my gums. I will try to get a dental appointment.
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Social Life
I’m in a quiet moment. I will be happy to accept invitations but will not actively seek out events until I return from Japan in late October.
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Mail and other Conversation
We love getting mail, email, or texts.
Send comments to domcapossela@hotmail.com
or text to 617.852.7192
This from friend Jim who has been helping prep me in Japanese Culture and Customs:
Dom,
To round out your Japan preparation, if you have not seen any films by Ghibli Studios, then I recommend them highly. My favorites are Ponyo, Spirited Away and Howls Moving Castle, but there are others that are good, each special in their own way. Again, if you have not seen any, I suggest that you do.
Love,
Jim
Blog meister responds: Kat was three years old in 2001 when anime arrived in Boston big time and we watched these movies. Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, and anime a daily diet. I agree w you Jim. They are wonderful. And thank you for thinking of me.
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Dinner/Food/Recipes
They were on sale at W Foods so I bought a couple of thick lamb loin chops and slow-roasted them, then frying them in Sesame oil with garlic, ginger, and scallions.
With a baked sweet potato and steamed asparagus.
That was a great dinner.
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Community Photos**
City Hall Plaza finishing construction on children's section
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Short Essay*
Spirited Away (Japanese: Hepburn: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, lit. 'Sen and Chihiro's Spiriting Away') is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Tohokushinsha Film, and Mitsubishi and distributed by Toho.[7] The film features the voices of Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Takeshi Naito, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Tsunehiko Kamijō, Takehiko Ono, and Bunta Sugawara. Spirited Away tells the story of Chihiro Ogino (Hiiragi), a ten-year-old girl who, while moving to a new neighborhood, enters the world of Kami (spirits of Japanese Shinto folklore). After her parents are turned into pigs by the witch Yubaba (Natsuki), Chihiro takes a job working in Yubaba's bathhouse to find a way to free herself and her parents and return to the human world.
Miyazaki wrote the screenplay after he decided the film would be based on the ten-year-old daughter of his friend Seiji Okuda, the film's associate producer, who came to visit his house each summer. At the time, Miyazaki was developing two personal projects, but they were rejected. With a budget of US$19 million, production of Spirited Away began in 2000. Pixar animator John Lasseter, a fan and friend of Miyazaki, convinced Walt Disney Pictures to buy the film's North American distribution rights, and served as executive producer of its English-dubbed version. Lasseter then hired Kirk Wise as director and Donald W. Ernst as producer, while screenwriters Cindy and Donald Hewitt wrote the English-language dialogue to match the characters' original Japanese-language lip movements.
Originally released in Japan on 20 July 2001 by distributor Toho, the film received universal acclaim, grossing $395.8 million at the worldwide box office. Accordingly, it became the most successful and highest-grossing film in Japanese history with a total of ¥31.68 billion ($305 million). It held the record for 19 years until it was surpassed by Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train in 2020.
Spirited Away has been widely regarded by critics as one of the greatest films of the 21st century, and to be among the best animated films ever made. It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards, making it the first, and to date only, hand-drawn and non-English-language animated film to win the award. It was the co-recipient of the Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival (shared with Bloody Sunday), and is within the top ten on the British Film Institute's list of "Top 50 films for children up to the age of 14". In 2016, it was voted the fourth-best film of the 21st century by the BBC, as picked by 177 film critics from around the world, making it the highest-ranking animated film on the list. In 2017, it was also named the second "Best Film...of the 21st Century So Far" by The New York Times.
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Definition of Anime: hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan
*The Blog Meister selects the topics for the Lead Picture and the Short Essay and then leans heavily or exclusively on Wikipedia to provide the content. The Blog Meister usually edits the entries.
**Community Pictures with Captions are sent in by our followers. Feel free to send in yours to domcapossela@hotmail.com
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