pics: Overdrive cafe, Bloodstone

From Overdrive Cafe in Shimokitazawa,
Japanese-style tarako (small fish eggs) pasta, to which I am addicted







Their excellent lasagna








From a traditional little izakaya hidden in Ginza,
Fried sea-eel dinner set








An innocuous-looking pub called
Blood Stone

6 years ago

"February 7, 2002. America lost a little of its greatness that day. We lost our position as the world’s leading defender of human rights, as the champion of justice and fairness and the rule of law. But it is a testament to the continuing greatness of this nation, that I, a lowly Air Force Reserve Major, can stand here before you today, with the world watching, without fear of retribution, retaliation or reprisal, and speak truth to power. I can call a spade a spade, and I can call torture, torture."

— Air Force Major, David J. R. Frakt. From Closing Argument in Favor of Dismissal of the Case Against Mohammad Jawad

Discourse.net has some interesting posts on related topics.

A senior Justice Department official, charged with reworking the administration's legal position on torture in 2004 became so concerned about the controversial interrogation technique of waterboarding that he decided to experience it firsthand, sources told ABC News.

According to retired Rear Adm. John Hutson, "There is no question this is torture -- this is a technique by which an individual is strapped to a board, elevated by his feet and either dunked into water or water poured over his face over a towel or a blanket."

Bush Administration Blocked Waterboarding Critic

I have two points regarding this article.

Point 1: It's really nice to hear about people who are thorough about their jobs and investigate things properly.
Point 2: It figures that the Bush Administration removes the people who are actually good at their jobs.

You know, the news is really depressing. Still, it's important to know that McCain is against banning waterboarding (double negatives suck, but I can't really say that McCain is for waterboarding, just that he doesn't want to ban it).

fun Spanish bar in Shibuya

They also have a branch in Ikebukuro, but I visited Casa Del Bueno in Shibuya (Tokyo) recently. It's a lively, authentic-feeling Spanish bar. The tortilla espanola is quite good, and they seem to have a lot of interesting tapas available. I really enjoyed the Spanish music and am going to track down a few of the songs I heard there. The staff is friendly and very attentive.

I found the restaurant through Hanako-net, which has been pretty reliable for discovering good places.

tuna noodle

casserole! I tried my hand at an omelette today, in an effort to use up the stuff in my kitchen. The omelette looked terrible but was quite edible so it was all in all a success. I guess my desire to cook yet clings to life.

At some point I want to try one of these microwave tuna noodle casserole recipes.
* Microwave Tuna Noodle Casserole
* Tuna Noodle Casserole II
Lacking an oven, the regular baking method is infeasible for me.

Ciara - Like a Boy

One of the best songs I can think of, recently.

The lyrics are great, but the video is a compelling match to the song.

whoa

A guy lost it and ran through Akihabara running over and stabbing people this afternoon. 7 people passed away. I'm speechless.

NY Ramen!

Ippudo, a Hakata style pork-bone broth ramen shop, has opened up a branch in NY! If you're in the area, I recommend a visit. The branch I've visited in Yokohama has a great thick broth and the thin, straight noodles characteristic of Hakata, Kyushu ramen. The soup can be a bit heavy though. I recommend you save the garlic toppings for later trips. Adding a bowl of rice to the leftover broth is only for advanced eaters. Seriously. You don't want to push your body too quickly.

Heh.

It puzzles me that the NY site is not as aesthetically pleasing as the regular Japanese site. The text may contain rather a bit of hyperbole - I've never heard of this ramen king, but who knows?

Oh yes, I recommend the Shiromaru soup - the white broth. I've never tried the red one though...

Chanel mobile exhibit Tokyo

Found via What We Do Is Secret, Chanel's mobile exhibition has just opened in Tokyo.

cristina sanchez

I had no idea there are female bullfighters. Very cool!

world's smallest bowl of ramen!

Sadly inedible though. Those Tokyo University researchers...