On Dying with Dignity

Oh, that this blog could pass away silently, without eulogy, like those which have come before, free from excuses as to absence, brimming with resolution to be a firmer presence on the web.

There is little dignity in death though.

"My friend's friend is a member of al-Qaeda. I have never met him, but I heard that two or three years ago he came to Japan several times."

Thus spake Hatoyama Kunio, Justice Minister, outlining the (official) reasons for his support of fingerprinting foreigners entering Japan.

"I myself am not a friend of anyone who is thought to be a member of [al-Qaeda] and I don't know them personally. I can't verify the authenticity of what my friend said." (full article)

Backtracking there in a way I've only ever seen Japanese Politicians do - there seems to be a pattern of reactionary comments, followed by a stumbled denial that anything untoward was actually said. At least Shintaro Ishihara sticks to his guns of bigotry, probably accounting for his popularity.

In older news, NOVA, giant of Japans English Conversation School market finally came crashing down after a long and unpleasant demise chronicled by Of Rice and Zen. Lest anyone else thinks that I too have been taken down by this fallen leviathan, I work for an entirely different company that seems to be in no danger of failing, especially with the glut of unemployed foreigners suddenly in existence.