Dish Network Doesn't Get It

My family and I have been facing multiple channel loses with Dish Network. Turner Broadcasting channels  lasted for a month as two boys reminded me everyday for they couldn't watch Pokemon on TV and on the Cartoon Network site. Now we are dealing with the loss of Fox News and two local channels in the Raleigh, North Carolina area; WRAL TV (CBS) and WRAZ TV (FOX).

I listened to both sides of their arguments as well as from other sources that were more accurate. Bottom line I wasn't too much on Dish Networks side. So I sent an email about my loss of channels to Dish Network. What I got was insulting and rude for a customer to get.

First my email to Dish Network

I was wondering if I will be paying less due to the multiple channel loses I have been experiencing? Recently I lost Turner broadcasting for a month, I do not have Fox News plus two local channels in the Raleigh/Durham area now. Will Dish Network repay me for having to buy an HD antenna so I could watch my local channels that I expected from your company? After all you are my TV provider.

Recently I have not been provided with the channels I was promised. And as your top boss Charlie Ergen stated in his Christmas messaged, sounded like he didn't care if I got those channels back. In closing, I am your customer who would like to have my favorite channels returned or have a reduced bill. I am not satisfied with my service as many of my missing channels are being outsourced at my own expense. Stop with the lawyer talk, man-up and take responsibility and better care of your customers.

My reply from Dish Network was this

Dear DISH Customer,

 

Thank you for your email. Our contract with 21st Century Fox (Fox), the owner of Fox News and Fox Business, has expired and FOX has removed these channels from the DISH lineup.

 

Fox is attempting to leverage Fox News and Fox Business for increases in the rates we pay for other channels not included in this contract. In order to minimize the impact of these negotiations for you, our customer, DISH offered to extend the terms of the current contract with Fox while we continue to negotiate. However, Fox refused.

 

That said, we've had a productive relationship with Fox for many years and are confident that we can reach an agreement to restore these channels soon. We've reached agreements with many highly rated channel owners in the last year including with The Walt Disney Company, NBC Universal, and CBS Corporation.

 

We greatly appreciate your patience and thank you for being a valued DISH customer. Please visit HYPERLINK "http://www.dishisonyourside.com/"www.DISHStandsForYou.com for updates on the situation.

 

Sincerely,

DISH

Instead of answering any of my questions they copied and pasted the same response from the multiple times they dropped a channel due to contract negotiations. Simply changing the name of the channel in question. I get the feeling I could have sent an email to them saying 'Do you like a fox or a hound?' and I would still received the same email from Dish Network. Simply because it had the word fox in the sentence.

I would switch providers in a heart beat but I just upgraded and would face a termination fee. Financially I have to ride out these multiple channel losses until then. At which point I will do so.

If I am such a valued Dish Network customer then how come I don't feel it from them? I'm getting emails from the lawyers that work for Dish Network but not from the department of Dish Network that services their customers. Or are they one in the same?

Christmas Gift 'The Interview'

Watching 'The Interview' online now. 

Also I just found out that if you right click while watching the 

movie you are given the option to download it as well.

Not that I would do such a thing. ;)

No worry. North Korea will never see this. Their internet is down.

The Interview Movie is Now on the Web

https://www.seetheinterview.com/

https://www.seetheinterview.com/

Dish Network - The Grinch for Christmas

Charlie Ergen chairman of Dish Network

Dish Network took away CBS for a while. Then they took away Turner Broadcasting for a month. A few days ago they removed Fox News.

Now they took away two of my local channels. All the while saying it was the networks who removed them.

I call and all I get the typical lawyer answers as they tell me that I am a loyal subscriber. It would be great if they were a loyal provider.

Kim Jong-un death scene: The Interview 2014 movie

Perry Family 2014

Remembering The '78 Terrorist Bombing of Cincinnati Ohio

VAMPS vs The Vamps (part 2)

Just so everyone is clear on how to tell each group apart 

here is a look at their new CD's 

plus a link to their music video's.

 First up is the Japanese group VAMPS video link

Next up is the British boy band The Vamps video link

What's In A Name?

Cancer Free

After many test, treatments and different Doctors, my wife 

has been given a clean bill of health from Uterine cancer.

Youkai Watch (in America?)

My oldest son is in love with this show. He wants all  the manga's, toys and TV shows. So far he has seen all the shows. I know a few websites that ships Japanese goods to America. As far as the DS games go I will have to either buy a Japanese 3DS system (doubt it) or wait till next year when the game comes to America.

But for now corporate sponsorship looks to be cashing in already.

Sign Doesn't Match Picture

Located at Hardee's in Knightdale, NC

VAMPS vs The Vamps

VAMPS was formed by Hyde (L'Arc-en-Ciel) and K.A.Z (Oblivion Dust) in 2008. They had been working together on Hyde's solo work since 2003. After years of collaboration, the two finally decided to form their own band.

The Vamps are a teenage British pop band consisting of members Brad Simpson (lead vocals and guitar), James McVey (lead guitar and vocals), Connor Ball (bass guitar and vocals) and Tristan Evans (drums and vocals). They formed in early 2012 and signed to Mercury Records in November that year.

For some reason The Vamps videos could not be shown due to my refusal to place any on here. They are the new boy band group replacing One Direction that will be forgotten in about five years. Hopefully sooner.

Ray Rice and The Legal System vs A Mother of Two

Atlantic County prosecutor Jim McClain recommended Rice for the pre-trial intervention program in May, months after denying the single mother's application. And Superior Court Judge Michael Donio, who signed off on the pre-trial intervention program agreement that spared Rice jail time, denied a motion by Allen's attorney to force McClain to reconsider her acceptance into the program.

Prosecutor Jim McClain & Superior Court Judge Michael Donio
(Injustice to women)

Allen, a 27-year-old Philadelphia mother who says she mistakenly entered 

New Jersey with a handgun legally registered in her state. She has since lost 

her job as a medical technician, faces at least 3 ½ years behind bars if convicted. 

Ray Rice still remains free.

Shaneen Allen

Ray Rice

Blood Is Spilt Over School's Chapstick Ban

link When 11-year-old Grace Karaffa was told she couldn't use ChapStick at her Virginia elementary school, the girl -- who'd been prohibited from using it for years to treat her dry, bleeding lips -- decided she'd had enough.

The fifth-grader at Stuarts Draft Elementary School created a petition and presented her case before the August County school board last week, arguing that a ban on the mo

st commonly used remedy to treat chapped lips was "inappropriate," her father told FoxNews.com.

"Grace was told in the second grade she couldn't use ChapStick, but we didn't look into why," David Karaffa said. "When Grace asked if she could use ChapStick while out in the cold last year, she was told again, 'No, you're not allowed.'"

Her lips then started to bleed in class, according to her father, but the girl was still refused ChapStick by a teacher who said it was against school policy. Grace was forced to go into the bathroom and wet her lips to relieve the cracking and bleeding, Karaffa said.

"They told her at the time that some kids might be allergic to ChapStick," he said.

When Grace started the fifth-grade last month, she decided she'd approach the matter in a way most 11-year-olds would not -- delivering a carefully outlined speech before the school board in support of overturning the ban.

"She said, 'Dad, I want to get rid of this ChapStick ban thing.' I said, 'Okay, you have to speak to your teacher and the principal, who both advised she write a letter to the Augusta County school board," he said.

Following her speech, Grace was cross-examined, her father said -- with one board member asking the girl if using ChapStick at school might be seen as a distraction.

"She said, 'I think it would be more distracting to have bleeding lips while I'm doing my work,'" her father said. "That ended that line of questioning."

Grace also started a petition drive on notebook paper, which was signed by fellow classmates, including her Girl Scout troop. It has more than 300 signatures to date. 

Assistant Superintendent George Earhart did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

In a statement to The News Leader newspaper, Earhart claims the ban has been in place since a disease outbreak persuaded county school officials to seek counsel from the local health department and doctors.

"Our policy is not to be so restrictive. It is really a protection for the students," he told the newspaper, suggesting that a misplaced tube of lip balm could be picked up by a pre-kindergarten student and shared with other classmates.

Earhart  has said ChapStick is considered an over-the-counter drug, but Karaffa, a registered nurse, refutes that.

"I don't believe there is anything inside a generic ChapStick that would be classified as a drug," he said. "We would like the exception to be made so that kids in school can carry ChapStick."

Grace's proposal is under review as she waits to hear from school board officials, Karaffa said.

In the meantime, she plans to send each member a letter, thanking them for their consideration, and including in it a tube of ChapStick.

Meth Picture

From Earth To Heaven Chapter Two

Chapter Two - The Path From Earth

It took a while to try and put words to visions. I'm not saying I'm a bad speller and not knowing how to use the right grammar phrasing but my Microsoft Word might have cried "Uncle" a few times.

HubPages link

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 Fan Scipt

I wrote another fan script. This time for the Guardians of the Galaxy 2 movie. 

The link is to HubPages where i put most of my stories at. Enjoy.

http://melmika.hubpages.com/hub/Guardians-of-the-Galaxy-2-Fan-Scipt

Wakudoki - Confusing But Entertaining

RocketNews24 Article

Everything I expect from a Japanese commercial, and more.

How Spiderman Can Appear in Future Marvel Movies

If 20^th Century Fox, Sony and Disney, which owns Marvel, could go back to the old days of making a contract or a business deal would open up more opportunities for everyone.

Sony has done a great job in all of their Spiderman movies as has Marvel and Fox with their movies. There are tons of story lines that Marvel would love to use Spiderman in for their movies as there are Marvel characters that Sony and Fox would love to have in their movies.

Simply modify their contract agreement to share each other’s characters. Andrew Garfield (Spiderman) can appear in Marvel movies so long as Marvel can allow Sony to borrow a Marvel character for a future Spiderman movie.

The same deal can be used with 20^th Century Fox. We can have the Fox X-Men characters vs. the Marvel Avengers characters. With Spiderman we can see the Secret Wars movies from Marvel. Spiderman team-up movie with Fox’s Fantastic Four. And with any luck a Squirrel Girl movie featuring Doctor Doom.

As for the movie characters, those that Marvel control will do the casting, Sony with cast the characters they control as 20^th Century Fox will cast their characters. If it’s a Spiderman movie then Sony can do a renters fee for a Marvel or 20^th Century Fox character. The same goes with the other movie companies.

More movies can be made and all the studios can make money with little to no work by simply renting out characters they control, have a say in how they want those characters portrayed and who plays those characters.

In a few years we can have Civil War and Skrull Invasion, Spiderman with the X-Men, Wolverine vs Hulk movies. But only if these movie studios will look past protecting their property like a prison state and have a block party so everyone can experience a win-win situation. And hopefully a better Ghost Rider movie (Shadowland or Midnight Sons story line).

Lowes Foods Math

Regular Price $1.49

Price marked on package $1.00

Steakhouse From Heaven

Like Homer Simpson dancing in the land of chocolate I too have done my little dance number upon hearing of a GREAT restaurant in Japan. Combining a Korean Steakhouse with a revolving sushi on a conveyor belt (kaitenzushi) as you cook the thin sliced prime cut of meat right there at your table. Depending on the type of meats you want to eat the prices can range from $1 to $9.40 per plate.
original news article 

Restaurant information:

Isshobin (Miyamachi branch) /一升びん 宮町店

Address: Mie-ken, Matsuzaka-shi, Miyamachi 144-5

三重県松阪市宮町１４４−５

hours of operations of the revolving conveyor belt:

5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. weekdays,

12 p.m.-3 p.m., 4:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. weekends

Website

Dancing Baby Groot

XFINITY Math or One for the Price of Two

Same Body Different Head

Both shows are made-up entertainment so 

why not the people who star in these shows?

If you haven't figured it out yet, same body but with a different head.

Groot is love, Groot is life - Imgur

Groot is love, Groot is life - Imgur

She Is So Darn Cute When She's Angry

Original story link here.
I have been on the receiving end of many of these angry encounters from my wife over the years. She is also from Japan and many of her continued arguments is that I keep laughing at the way she yells at me. It is so darn cute when I see Japanese women yelling like this.

My Okinawan Mother-in-Law

After nit-picking my wife for more details I was able to jot down a rough outline about a few of 

the things regarding my mother-in-law. I posted it on HubPages with a link here to read it.

Survived the Battle of Okinawa, survived WW2 Japanese military occupation, 
helped to rebuild Okinawa, 1st born child taken from her, dialysis, 
meeting her granddaughter from her missing daughter 
minutes before she passed away.

Doctor Who Season 8 Promo

The new season with a new Doctor begins in late August as a new trailer gives hits that it's going to be one of those dark and gloomy type of season. ;)

Kamen Rider Battride War II

My 2 boys are really heavy into Kamen Rider right now. Looking at YouTube videos to watching the shows through a program called KeyHole TV on the computer. There are a few websites that adds English subtitles which helps but also hinders their enjoyment of the show.

Two sites that offers subtitles of Kamen Rider as well as Super Sentai shows (before its watered down into Power Rangers) are AEsir and Over-Time. Both are very quick in posting the subtitled shows but at a cost. Too literal to the point they actually change the shows title and the characters names.

We will watch these but it's TV-Nihon that is the King of subtitles. More decorative and accurate translation of whats actually being said. The trade off is that it takes almost a week for TV-Nihon to complete their translation.

And now there is a new Kamen Rider game out in Japan called Kamen Rider Battride War II. And with Nintendo and their region lockout, there is no way we can play this game here in America unless we buy a Japanese Wii U system as well. Not all games released in Japan comes to America.

And they wonder why their games aren't selling that well.

Putin's Legacy

Korean Air Lines Flight 007

Korean Air Lines Flight 902

My Future New Car/Bike

Toyota has a new vehicle on the market. I remember it on an old 

Top Gear episode and now it is ready for sale. I'll take the blue one.

Short Story - From Earth To Heaven

It took a while but I started writing another short story. I have tons of stories and ideas stuck in my head but the worst penmanship known to mankind.

Or we can all make a circle around the nighttime campfire as I tell the tale of how a common man became King of Mars and the treasures he tempted the Earth with. As he and his family lived a hellish life but held on to their vision of heaven. And don't forget, tornado surfing.

Either way, enjoy.


HubPages link: From Earth To Heaven

The 5 Greatest Weaknesses of DC Superheroes

Link

The Working Dead

Americans Don't Flop For Soccer

If there's one element of soccer that keeps the majority of anti-futbol Americans on the far side of the fence, it isn't the low scoring or the foreign-sounding names. No, it's the flopping — the overly dramatic, theatrical, bad-high-school-play-style imitations of actual injury that halt play. 

Flopping runs counter to classic American values like "play hurt" and "rub some dirt in it, you'll be fine," and thus infuriates a certain subset of American fans.

That subset now has its justification. A film company named Fourgrounds Film has created a short film titled "Everyday Football Fouls." The premise is: What if the rest of the world flopped like soccer players? Simple premise, delightful execution. Enjoy, and make sure to watch through to the very end.

Feel free to use this technique yourself ... though be careful about flopping in locations that don't have magic spray close at hand.

Original story

BOOBS - Real or Fake

Rocket News 24 article 

How to spot real or fake boobs is by using 

a simple technic called yosete-ageta nise

Yoseru means to push together

Ageru means to lift up

Nise means fake

Examples are provided below. 

Y shape = fake 

I shape = real

BABYMETAL

MTV article

I will admit that I like this group. I can't really put my finger on why but unlike other Japanese girl groups like AKB48 that take there clothes off to sell image over substance, these girls keep their clothes on and can rock.

Blood Type Definitions

I found this web site about peoples blood type and it was so funny. I'm type O and I do drive the way it is illustrated for type O people. Link here.

The Hermit Kingdom Declares War On America

Fox News Yahoo News

SEOUL, South Korea –  North Korea is warning that the release of a new American comedy about a plot to assassinate leader Kim Jong Un would be an "act of war."

If the U.S. government doesn't block the movie's release, it will face "stern" and "merciless" retaliation, an unidentified spokesman for North Korea's Foreign Ministry said in state media Wednesday.

He didn't mention the movie by name but was clearly referring to "The Interview," which stars Seth Rogen and James Franco as a producer and talk-show host who land an exclusive interview with the North Korean dictator and are then asked by the CIA to assassinate him.

The "reckless U.S. provocative insanity" of mobilizing a "gangster filmmaker" to challenge the North's leadership is triggering "agust of hatred and rage" among North Korean people and soldiers, the spokesman said, in typically heated propaganda language.

The film's release would be considered an "act of war that we will never tolerate," he said.

With no independent press of its own, North Korea often holds foreign governments responsible for the content of their media. Pyongyang regularly warns Seoul to prevent its conservative press from mocking or criticizing its leadership, something banned within authoritarian North Korea, where the Kim family is revered.

Trailers have been released for the movie, which is set to hit U.S. theaters in October.

The current leader's late father, Kim Jong Il, was a noted movie buff, lauded in the North for writing a treatise on film. He also ordered the kidnapping of prolific South Korean director and producer Shin Sang-ok in 1978, who then spent years making movies for Kim before escaping, Shin said.

Seth Rogen and James Franco have faced murderous drug dealers and demons from Hell. But are they prepared to venture into the most dangerous place on Earth to take out an oppressive dictator?

Of course not. But that's the set-up of their new comedy, The Interview. Franco plays an entertainment journalist, while Rogen stars as his producer. The two are sent to North Korea to interview their show’s biggest fan: Kim Jong-un, the country's mysterious supreme leader. But on their way to the big get, the CIA recruits them to assassinate the despot.

                          

Rogen, who co-directed the film with his longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg (This Is the End), told Yahoo Movies that the idea sprang from a legitimate premise: "People have the hypothetical discussion about how journalists have access to the world’s most dangerous people, and they hypothetically would be in a good situation to assassinate them," he said.

Rogen explained that the original script had been about meeting North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il, but when the dictator died in 2011, they reworked it to focus on his son and successor. The switch to Kim Jong-un, Rogen said, "actually worked much better, because he's closer to our age, and it made it easier to forge a relationship between his character and our characters."

From North Korea With Love: Seth Rogen and James Franco Star in First Trailer for 'The Interview'

According to Rogen, the film's studio, Columbia Pictures, was initially reluctant to build a film around a real and extremely unpleasant person, but he and Goldberg took the pushback as inspiration. "It was kind of similar to This Is the End, where they didn't want us playing ourselves," he said. "Now we can tell them, 'The thing that you guys are the most afraid of is always the thing that people like the most about the movie.' At this point, it almost is discomforting if there's nothing about the movie that they're desperately trying to get us to change."

While the movie plays the situation for laughs, Rogen revealed that they took their research into North Korea very seriously. "We read as much as we could that was available on the subject. We talked to the guys from Vice who actually went to North Korea and met Kim Jong-un. We talked to people in the government whose job it is to associate with North Korea, or be experts on it."

Rogen and Goldberg also asked authorities on North Korea to read the screenplay for authenticity, because Rogen felt the truth is "so crazy you don’t need to make anything up." (Apparently the joke in the trailer about Kim Jong-un not needing to urinate or defecate is based on an actual claim.) "It's an unlimited supply of craziness," Rogen concluded.

Akihiro Suzuki apologies to Ayaka Shiomura

Power Rangers Dino Charge vs Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger

Saban Brands will soon water down another Super Sentai show, Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger, into Power Rangers Dino Charge. Here is the reported story line about the “new”  Power Ranger show.

In Dino Charge, the Energems were given to a dozen dinosaurs for safe keeping by an alien, but they were lost when asteroids hit the Earth and wiped out the dinos. Now in the present day, an intergalactic bounty hunter starts sniffing around Earth looking for the Energems in order to harness their power and annihilate the world, so a team of Power Rangers forms to find the Energems first and fight the bounty hunter and other threats with dino-powered swords, blasters, Zords and Megazords.

In the United States, which was founded on the freedom of religion, the story line from the Japanese show would never be allowed on American TV. Too religious. And from a country where Christianity is less than 1% no less has created a TV show that clearly explains the Christian belief in its basic forms.

The original story line for Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger is as follows.

Long ago, in the time of the dinosaurs, the Earth was invaded by an alien menace called Deboth, the leader of an invasion army. On the verge of extinction, some of the dinosaurs are transformed into Zyudenryu and seal Deboth and his forces in ice.

Now, in the modern world, the Deboth Army have thawed and now intend to commence the mass extinction of humanity while thawing their still frozen leader. But having prepared for it, Wise God Torin gathers the only people capable of helping the Zyudenryu stop the Deboth Army: "the People of the Great and Mighty Lizards", which has been shortened to "Kyoryugers"

But within the storyline there are spirits, resurrection, forgiveness, inheritance, redemption and the end of Hell as we know it. I will break many of this down as I have seen these things within the show.

Wise God Torin was originally created for evil and sent to destroy the Earth and all life on it. But he fell in love with Earth and the dinosaurs. He used all of his powers to change 24 dinosaurs into Zyudenyu. The Deboth Army was defeated and frozen away underwater.  He then spent many years overcoming all those he had killed and the Zyudenyu who died for him. He created and trained many Kyoryugers over the years to stop fragments of the Deboth Army invading Earth.

Just as Jesus went to the cross to establish spiritual salvation, Torin went with the same mission to cleanse the spirit world of evil. His spirit was pure and bright. Not dark and evil as when he first came to Earth. In John 16: 12-15 when Jesus spoke of someone coming after him to spread the truth can also be seen between Torin and Dantetsu Kiryu.

Dantetsu Kiryu walked the Earth his whole life. He was able to listen and communicate with the earth. Eventually becoming King of Earth. His son, Daigo Kiryu  - Kyoryu Red followed in his footsteps but rarely saw his father over the years. But Only when Dantetsu assumed the role that Torin held did everyone know the full story. And why Torin had to die in order to save everyone. Eventually Daigo Kiryu obtained the same level as his father and becomes the second generation King of the Earth.

Utsusemimaru and Raging Knight Dogold are the perfect examples of Matthew 5:43-48. Two people who truly hated each other to eventually come to care and respect each other to their deaths. Dogold is an empty shell type monster. Four hundred years ago he trapped Utsusemimaru within his armor. They both fused in mind and body till eventually they were separated. Still hating one another. As they knew everything about each other, they always took verbal swipes at each other. But they each went to the others defense when they were struggling or in great turmoil. Eventually fighting together to stop the Deboth Army.

Joyful Knight Candelilla is a Deboth villain. Stealing joy and love from people. But when she encountered Nobuharu Udo - Kyoryu Blue she began to change as both of them fell in love with one another. He would remind her that she could change just as Torin did. He even protected her when she was hunted down by the Deboth Army. Because of Nobuhara unchanging love for her, she was able to change her ways, eventually joining Torin in destroying Hell and becoming a mentor for the Kyoryugers.

Sorrowful Knight Aigaron causes people to feel sorrow. He caused a lot of problems for the Kyoryugers only to show unconditional love towards Candelila. So much so that when the leader of the Deboth Army was revived Aigaron sacrificed his life so Candelila could escape. Even Ian Yorkland -Kyoryu Black was moved to tears by his sacrifice and forgave Aigaron. Aigaron was responsible for killing Ian’s friend years earlier as Ian’s sorrow and anger kept feeding Aigaron.

In terms of inheritance the show gave three examples of it. Two of the Kyoryugers are spirits as they had died years ago. Tessai – Kyoryu Gray gives his descendant, Shinya Tsukouchi the ability to become a Kyoryuger. This can be called Ancestral lineage inheritance.

Doctor Ulshade – Kyoryu Violet had been raising his granddaughter, Yayoi Ulshade who eventually took over as Kyoryu Violet. Their relationship was much like Abraham and Isaac. She held unconditional love for her grandfather that their scientific work and fighting style were as one in the same. Not like an obedient child but more like in Matthew 5:48 (the correct translation; You therefore must be mature, as your heavenly Father is mature.) She was treated as an adult by the way she maturely acted, even though she was still a teenager.  This is Parental lineage inheritance.

Yuko Fukui is the younger sister of Kyoryu Blue. She is chosen to replace Ramirez – Kyoryu Cyan as Ramirez had to go with Tessai and Torin to destroy Hell. She inherited the position for many reasons. But mainly for protecting Ramirez when he was attacked and hunted down by the Deboth Army. Just like the story of the Good Samaritan, she took him into her home and protected him. Even protecting her older brother’s secret that he was a Kroyuger from her.  She inherited the role as Kyoru Cyan much in the way that Christianity inherited the role as the second Israel.

Unlike Power Rangers, the Super Sentai shows express real life situations. People do die. The bad guys do win from time to time. And making the ultimate sacrifice does happen. Christians are famously known for sacrificing themselves for their religion and faith. And throughout the series many of the Kyoryugers were sacrifice for their faith as well. Ramirez died fighting the Deboth Army five hundred years ago. Kyoryu Red faced the leader of the Deboth Army knowing he was not going to make it out alive. When he killed Transcendenterfly God Deboth and the ship was burning above the Earth; he simply sat down and waited to die. Utsusemimaru even fought to his death when he and Dogold defeated Resentful Knight Endolf.  

Saban Brands had no choice but to drown the main storyline of the Kyoryugers. Atheist would protest the show as being too religious. Christian groups would protest the show as an attack on their religion. The Network sponsors would pull their ads out of fear of offending anybody and losing money and profits. A kids TV show that stood out with a great story line and with a very Christian theme from a country where Christianity is as common as the blue moon. 

Ayaka Shiomura vs Japanese Political Standards

Link 1 Link 2 

Japan is up in arms about insensitive and sexist remarks made by male members of The Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly (the equivalent of a U.S. State Government Assembly) toward a female representative during her presentation earlier this week. She was speaking on issues of raising children in Japan.

Ayaka Shiomura, a 36-year-old member of the opposition Your Party, called for the Tokyo metropolitan government to support women who need assistance while pregnant or raising children during a June 18 assembly session. She also suggested that the government should help Japanese women who have fertility issues to conceive children.

Japan is wrestling with a declining birth rate and growing elderly population. It has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world.

While she was speaking, men in the section for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) began jeering at her with lines like: “Hey you, should hurry up and get married!” and “Can’t you have babies?”

Shiomura continued to speak even though she had to choke back tears at one point. After the session, Minoru Morozumi, the secretary-general of Your Party’s assembly members, lodged a protest with his LDP counterpart, Osamu Yoshiwara.

Osamu Yoshiwara told the press that he wasn’t in a position to confirm whether or not it was a member of his party who yelled out the comments, but he asked assembly members to behave in a “in a dignified manner.”

While she was speaking, men in the section for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) began jeering at her with lines like: “Hey you, should hurry up and get married!”

It should be noted that this isn’t the first time the leaders of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government have made sexist and inappropriate remarks; it’s almost a tradition. LDP backed Shintaro Ishihara, who was governor of Tokyo from April 1999 to October 2012, remarked circa 2001, “It’s a waste and a crime for women who have lost their reproductive powers to go on living.” (PDF) The current governor of Tokyo, Yoichi Masuzoe, also backed by the LDP, has said in the past such classics as “Women are not normal when they are on their period. They are abnormal. You can’t possibly let them make critical decisions about the country [during their periods], such as whether or not to go to war.” He also has commented that women elected to office were “all a bunch of old middle-aged hags.”

The incident might have passed quietly but what began as a protest about inappropriate behavior by Tokyo Assembly members quickly grew into a roaring wave of resentment and anger from women all over Japan—and some men as well.

A online petition, which calls for punishment of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly  members who hurled those sexist comments, gathered more than 32, 000 signatures throughout Japan in under 24 hours.  The petition was posted on Change.org, a website which provides a platform for citizens to gather signatures and support for popular causes. The number of signatures is expected to exceed in 60,000 in the next day.

The jeers were also disturbing in that they seemed to echo the sentiments of the 10 Precepts for Marriage issued by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 1939 during the period of military rule in Japan. The guidelines concluded with the infamous line:  For the sake of the country, give birth and grow the population.

The petition is the fastest-growing campaign ever placed on Change.org Japan, according to Emmy Suzuki Harris, Campaigns Director for Japan at Change.org.

Surprisingly the creator of the petition is a man. He corresponded with The Daily Beast on conditions of anonymity. He feels that the signatures are not enough.

“We should know why something that the citizens cannot really forgive happened. However, to see people in other regions showing the same anger at what happened touched and reassured me.”

“I’m deeply angry not only as an individual, but as a male. Because pressure and discrimination against women reflects badly on men as well.”

“These sort of taunts fly around and there are assembly members who laugh in an assembly where members who say ‘we’ll promote the social advancement of women!’ or ‘we’ll work firmly toward providing child care support!’ gather,” Shun Otokita, a colleague of Shimomura’s wrote on his blog. “This is the reality of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly in the capital of our country.”

The Mainichi Shimbun reported that Yoshiwara said that he hadn’t heard the comments and suggested, “Perhaps each assembly faction makes sure its members don’t make rude comments.” The Daily Beast called the LDP faction for comments on the incident, but our reporter was disconnected twice and then told to call the public affairs office of the General Assembly.

Shiomura wrote on Twitter “ I was debating about pregnancy, giving birth, and infertility when the jeering began….As a woman there were very regrettable things said. The heartless taunts made me teary-eyed. I will take taunts about my policies, but I don’t think these are things you should say to women who are suffering (over child raising issues).”

Japan is  very far behind the rest of the developed world in terms of gender equality. Japan was ranked 105th last year in the 2013 Global Gender Gap Report, which  ranks women’s equality in 136 countries. Under the Shinzo Abe (LDP) administration, Japan’s ranking in press freedom has also fallen to new lows.

Shiomura is reportedly going to seek punishment for the person who yelled the comments at her. Judging by the huge numbers of people signing the petition and that her protest tweet has now been retweeted nearly 30,000 times—-she may have a lot of support.

On Friday, the organizers of the petition when to the assembly's council secretariat bearing a box filled with 42,580 signatures and 6,390 comments from supporters. The group demanded that the LDP punish the person responsible for the remarks by June 25. If this is not done, "The Tokyo branch of the LDP would be widely recognized at home and abroad as a group that accepts discrimination against women," wrote the petition's organizer on the Change.org webpage.

Prime Minister Abe, the most powerful person in the LDP, who has made anemic but sincere proclamations to promote gender equality may find himself in a position where he has to support an opposition party member and slap down his own rank and file.*

Words Of Wisdom

Godzilla 2014 2nd Trailer

Do College Age Children Understand Reality

As many people throughout the South was hit by a major snow storm a college basketball game between Duke University and UNC was postponed to a later date.

Many UNC students took to the internet to attack the Duke coach for cancelling the game. Even though it was the ACC officials with the coaches from both Universities that concluded that the severity of the storm was the main reason for postponing the game.

UNC backetball player Marcus Paige stated to the local media that the snowstorm wasn't horrible as all. Even though one person in the Raleigh area died and many were injured. Below is the article and link to this story plus news coverage after the snow and ice had stopped.

WRAL news story link

Disappointed students who walked away without seeing the Battle of the Blues last Wednesday may disagree, but the North Carolina Tar Heels said the snowstorm wasn’t a horrible thing.

“A week off didn’t hurt us,” said James Michael McAdoo. “The game being cancelled definitely gave us time to rest and catch up with schoolwork. And off course it gave us time to be kids and play in the snow.”

And believe him, people played in the snow.

“Yes, I played in the snow, why wouldn’t I?” McAdoo said. “I didn’t go sledding because the coach wouldn’t like to hear ‘McAdoo out for the season.’”

“We went outside and threw snowballs around with the students on campus. It was a good time,” Marcus Paige said. “I didn’t think it could snow that much down here. I’m from the Midwest so I’ve seen this much snow. For me it’s no problem but I didn’t think North Carolina was capable of getting this much snow.”

The cold of that winter blast provided Carolina a chance to keep heating up, adding two more wins since the postponed game against Duke. Carolina bolstered its battle of the blues resume and has now won seven straight games.

“It gives us a little more confidence,” said Marcus Paige. “The game against Pittsburgh was a really big game for us. We taught we really got better that game.”

“You don’t have to psych yourself up, if you do, you’re not breathing,” said Coach Roy Williams. “And I know I’m alive.”

That’s for the snowstorms side effect of four games in eight days. Marcus Paige is looking at the silver lining of that storm cloud and calls this week a great preparation for next month’s ACC tournament.

Why I Hate the Power Rangers and Loving It

It took many years but I have finally come to terms with Power Rangers. Originally I regarded it as a joke and insult to the original version still being broadcasting in Japan known as Super Sentai. What made it worse for me was my two boys fell in love with the show. Forcing me to listen to countless stories about the shows episodes and toys they wanted to buy. But now I am beginning to understand it in a better light.

A little history:

Zyuden Sentai Kyoryugers

Ressha Sentai ToQger marks their entry as the 38^th Super Sentai show just starting up this February 2014. Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger has just finished there series run as the 37^th Sentai show with the traditional two Super Sentai movies shown in the movie theaters. Plus the usual specials, music CD’s and the live action stage shows. The theme of the Kyoryuger’s is dinosaurs as ToQgers are trains.

My kids became fans of the Power Rangers during the Power Rangers series call Jungle Fury. The American version of the Sentai show called Juken Sentai Gekiranger. Were as Gekirangers was set inside a martial arts school, a pizza parlor was the headquarters for Jungle Fury as the owner built their equipment in the upstairs loft in-between making pizzas for the customers.

My kids continued to watch the Power Rangers as I eventually found a few links to watch the original Japanese version with subtitles. I didn’t think my kids would like it but they ended up loving the Japanese version so much that they stopped watching Power Rangers. Their response was that Power Rangers looked stupid.

The nail in the coffin was Power Rangers RPM. A Terminator theme as the machines had taken over the world except for a small human colony. The Japanese version of Engine Sentai Go-onger theme was humans and machines from another world working together to stop an invasion into the human world.

Bandai makes all the toys for both Super Sentai and Power Rangers. We have been buying all the Japanese toys from Go-onger to the new series ToQgers.  They are larger, made of metal and stronger plastics making them well-built and more durable. These toys make the Power Ranger toys look in comparison to a McDonald’s kid’s meal toy. 

For some reason Bandai made sure every Power Ranger toy set have motorcycles. Even if no one in the show drove one.  That might change as the Kyoryugers use motorcycles that were basically comprised of two dinosaur transformers.

The current Power Ranger show is called Power Rangers Megaforce loosely based on Tensou Sentai Goseiger. In the Japanese version the Goseigers are Angels from Heaven who guard the Earth. The Power Ranger version is five teenagers chosen to fight the invading forces. The second season of Megaforce is called Power Rangers Super Megaforce based on Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger.

In the Japanese movie Gokaiger Goseiger Super Sentai 199 Hero Great Battle, all the Super Sentai unites to stop the invading army called Zangyack. They lose all their powers which are transformed into keys that a group of space pirates called Gokaigers find and use them for their purpose.

Saban is skipping over Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters to make Power Rangers Dino Charge based on the Sentai show Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger. In Kyoryugers the ones that killed the dinosaurs are unfrozen and threaten to kill the Earth as originally planned. A group of people are chosen for their bravery by the dinosaurs to stop the bad guys. The last two episodes of the series was really an emotional ride that I doubt the Power Rangers would not dare show on American TV.

Episode 37 part 1 was, in my opinion, taken from the movie called ‘Legend of the 8 Samurai’ starring Hiroyuki Sanada. An actor you may remember from the 2013 movie ‘The Wolverine’ and the Syfy show called Helix. In it eight people were chosen to protect a princess. In doing so all but one died in holding back the invading armies so the Princess could escape.

 And in Kyoryugers each one is helping the rest get into the fortress to stop it from destroying the planet. And not everyone walks away from it alive. What sets this show apart from the future Power Ranger version is that two and eventually one more of the Kyoryugers are spirits. And to fully protect the Earth they have to destroy Hell in order to keep the bad guys from resurrecting. A story line from a country that has less than 1% Christianity in it.  But will never be broadcast in a country founded on the freedom of religion.

But what helped me to begin tolerating Power Rangers was due to a 1969 movie called ‘Support Your Local Sheriff!’ staring James Garner. A Western comedy that more than inspired Mel Brooks when he made 1974 movie ‘Blazing Saddles’. But the sequel to ‘Support Your Local Sheriff’ was called ‘Support Your Local Gunfighter’. Using the same actors from the first movie and based on the 1961 Japanese movie ‘Yojimbo’.

American remakes of Japanese movies and TV shows have opened up for more people to experience Japanese entertainment and culture.  With Power Rangers my boys were able to connect to current TV shows in Japan such as Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, Ultraman, Garo as well as many of the Japanese animation shows that are yet shown or unlikely in being shown here in America.

And as I look back on TV shows and movies that I grew up watching; many of which originated from Japan has showed me that my negative attitude towards Power Rangers is hurting more than helping. As bad as it may be, it is causing kids and adults to research more on these shows and to explore more quality entertainment outside of America. Whether it is coming from Japan or other nations has taught me that Hollywood is running dry on TV and movie ideas for American audiences.

Many shows are simply being changed in character names and language to appear as if was originally from America. But in fact Hollywood has been plagiarizing for decades with blessings of the original creators or not. Dragonball Evolution is one example. As is the DreamWorks movie ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ which is loosely based on an old Japanese cartoon called ‘Vicky the Viking’. As ‘Vic the Viking’, a German live action version, is one of the few movies to truly honor the original Japanese works. But Disney’s The Lion King plagiarized nearly frame by frame from Kimba the White Lion and still refuses to admit it.

The list goes on and on but from an old Western movie I have opened up to loving the Power Rangers for what it is. And in the process has caused my two boys to delve deep into other cultures and lifestyles. They are joining others in breaking down stereotypes and dissolving racial and bigotry thoughts and actions that many older generations still cling to. I just wish they would stop using the same opening song for every freaking Power Ranger show.

10 minutes and 30 seconds into the movie below is when Goseigers and Gokaiger meet for the first time. Just before they start fighting each other. Roll call is at the 50 minute mark.

Ressha Sentai ToQger ( last 10 minutes of the 1st episode)