The Perfect Navy Blazer - made in the USA by Anderson-Little

Anderson-Little Classic Navy Blazer: http://www.andersonlittle.com 

A few things I grew up with where I strongly prefer the 'classic' version include pea coats and single-breasted navy blazers - ideally with pewter, not gold or brass buttons.

Originally founded in 1933 in Fall River, Massachusetts by Morris B. Anderson, the firm, Anderson-Little, was bought back to life by his grandson, Stuart. And, they've been selling direct to the customer for years. 

They're still under $200 USD and still manage to boast 'made in the USA'. If you check out the customer reviews on die-hard fashion sites like Ask Andy, you'll see it gets pretty solid reviews. The President of the company also posted and successfully defending his father's decision to go for the micro-fiber/wool blend instead of an all-wool blend. I have to also agree - and it makes it a great travel blazer.

URL http://www.andersonlittle.com

3-DAY (MILITARY) PACKS

GO RUCK's 48 liter GR2 "XL Overnight Ruck": $395 USD

GO RUCK has one called a GR2 for around $395; 48 liters (12”W x 22”H x 9”D ) and made with 1,000D Cordura.


The founder of the company, Jason McCarthy, is a former US Army Special Forces SGT. 


They also sponsor outdoor races using their gear they call the GO RUCK Challenge around the world; signing up for one can help you get a 20% discount off the price of your GORUCK gear.

The Maxpedition Vulture-II Backpack offers slightly more capacity at 46.0 liters and is significantly less expensive at $132.29 USD. It uses similar rugged 1,000 Denier nylon fabric plus boasts Teflon coating. 










Video review of the Maxpedition Vulture-II:
5.11 Tactical also makes a good 3-day pack they call the Rush 72 and it retails for about $140 USD; it's made with 1,050 denier nylon and also boasts a water-proof coating. Good reviews on Amazon and elsewhere.

Johnny Cash's "I WALK THE LINE" - Leonary Nimoy cover version

Click on the image for information on where to buy the album.

No Homo, Ridin' Solo - capella, Ridin' Solo

"Ridin' Solo" - Jason Derulo - NO HOMO Parody/Spoof by THESTATION 

NO HOMO by THESTATION ...parody of Jason Derulo's RIDIN' SOLO

Oooh,
Yeah, Yeah, yeah, yeah
I may be taking this too far, you’ve got really nice eyes,
See you working on your bis, look like you’re barely tryin’
No homo, no homo,
No homo, no homo, homo

Yeah, I see you at the gym, lifting lots of weights make your body tight, oh
cardio on the bike,
Do you need a spot, well I think I might, oh

You’ve got really nice hair
And sweet underarmour gear, yeah
Can you tell me where you got it from?
I’ve been looking for that exact one, yeah

We could buy shirts together ,
Help me get my stuff together,
Maybe we could train each other
And possibly spot one another

I’m so sorry, but you seem so strong, it’s not that way
I’m so sorry, if you’re taking this wrong, swear I’m not gay

I just thought I had to say
The way you’re working out
You’re ripped beyond a doubt
This is not me coming out
No homo, no homo, no homo, no homo

Sometimes there comes a time
When you compliment a guy
and his sweet musclely thighs
And you’re looking like a prize
No homo, no homo, no homo, no homo

We’re kicking back watching TV
I ask if you watch Sex and the City, oh
Did I hear your stomach just moan
We gotta get some meat on those bones

We go out for buffalo wings
Every single bite makes me want to sing.
Ohhh, Ohhh
Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah

I still taste that buffalo flavor
Do you have a spare Breath Saver?
Like a winter fresh endeavor
I could smell your breath forever

I’m so sorry, but your breath is da bomb, it’s not that way
I’m so sorry, if you’re taking this wrong, swear I’m not gay

I just wanna touch your hand
And tell you that you’re the man
And your cheek bones are so strong
And you’d look good in this thong
No homo, no homo, no homo, no homo

I just want to confess
That you’ve got a real nice chest
And you’re practically hairless
And you’re nipples are perfect
No Homo, No Homo, No Homo, No Homo, Homo

No homo, no homo, no homo, no homo
No homo, no homo, no homo, no homo

Gay Irish 'Hairdresser to the Stars', James Brown, calls Ben Douglas a "Nigger"...

... seven times. Apparently.

James Brown - hairdresser

Meet James Brown. 'Hairdresser to the stars'. Close friends and business partners with Kate Moss. James likes to call people "nigger". How delightful~!  


HP http://www.jamesbrownlondon.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/James-Brown-London/153907764667990 (taken down from 5/30)
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/JamesBrown_LDN
James Brown's product line-up @ Boots: http://www.boots.com/en/Beauty/Hair/Professional-Haircare/James-Brown-London/  (does he make any hair products for niggers?) 

James Brown - his Facebook page has now been closed.

I'm from Surrey, not Harlem. How dare a white, middle-class friend of Kate Moss call me the N-word eight times, says TV presenter Ben Douglas


By BEN DOUGLAS


THE DAILY MAIL

Shocked: Ben Douglas

Every now and again something happens that is so shocking, you walk away wondering if it was just a bad dream.


These events are mercifully rare – they come along perhaps once or twice a decade, and are all the more remarkable for it.


I experienced one of them last Sunday night, and I am only now coming to terms with the fact that it actually happened.


It took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, where I had been invited to attend the Bafta awards.


Always a wonderful occasion, this year’s event was no different, and it was in a mood of relaxed delight that I stepped outside for some fresh air during the evening . . . and in doing so stepped back into the Seventies.


After spotting my companion, an elegant executive at a glossy magazine, a curly-haired man looked me up and down and then asked her: ‘Are you with him?’

His response to her affirmative nod stopped me in my tracks: ‘You’re a nigger's bitch *(see note below), that’s what you are.’


I said: ‘Excuse me?’


He answered: ‘Yeah, nigger?’


‘What did you say?’


‘Nigger.’ He appeared to enunciate the word with some relish.


‘I think that’s a bit off,’


I said. ‘Would you mind not using that word please?’

‘What, nigger? Nigger? Nigger’s not offensive. Nothing wrong with nigger. I know loads of niggers.’


Perhaps it was the champagne – he was clearly refreshed – but to my mind the fact that nobody tore a strip off him had more to do with his identity.


For this was no tattooed skinhead thug, but a leading figure from the fashion world who numbers Kate Moss and Lily Allen among his closest friends.


I am not going to name him – while he is an offensive idiot, I have no desire to destroy his career – but suffice it to say that this individual is every bit in demand today as he was when he was involved in his first Vogue cover in the Nineties.


Then, apparently oblivious to the wide-eyed shock of everyone within earshot, he went on to repeat the insult no fewer than seven times (I counted).


Truth be told, I do vaguely know him, as does my companion, and perhaps that was the reason for what a charitable person might describe as his over-familiarity. But in the cold light of day I am in no mood to make excuses for him.


Because even when challenged, rather than back-pedalling and apologising for any offence, he launched into a pathetic, garbled attempt at street slang self-justification.


‘I’ve lived in New York for years,’ he said, ‘and I know loads of brothers. Don’t take this the wrong way but some of my cousins have been with blacks.’


Brothers? Was this really happening? Could this middle-class white boy really be a reincarnation of Huggy Bear from the Starsky And Hutch show I watched on TV as a child? Was I supposed to be thrilled by what he appeared to think of as his cousins’ generous open-mindedness?


A quick look around snapped me back to the present. There in the distance stood Matt Smith and Daisy Lowe, looking sharp and stunning, and beyond them an impeccably turned-out Benedict Cumberbatch and Gillian Anderson.


This was the Baftas, a supposedly elegant soiree of educated, liberal individuals, not a BNP fundraiser at an inner-city boozer.


But here’s the rub: this fool thought he was bonding with me as a black man. By using the N-word (and for the record I would rather he had used the C-word – it’s that bad), he thought he was being fashionable. I believe they call it ‘street’.


Well here is the reality: I am not from the mean streets of Detroit, Harlem or LA. I am from Teddington in Surrey, and while my genetic roots are Bajan, the parents who raised me are as white as the buffoon who stood there insulting me.


But this is irrelevant. It shouldn’t matter where I come from. Who in their right mind would launch into language like this with somebody he barely knows, within earshot of half a dozen perfect strangers?


I am the least politically correct person you could care to meet. I couldn’t care less if you call me black, coloured or even a negro (though I strongly suspect the vast majority of people wouldn’t).


Nigger is different. Admittedly it has been appropriated by rappers in the same manner as the word queer was reclaimed by the gay community, but in the mouth of a white man it remains deeply offensive.


What is it about fashionistas? First we had John Galliano’s drunken anti-Semitism, and now this. As far as I could tell, this man had no idea how much offence he had caused.


But think of the context. The N-word originated as an insult, a throwback to the days of slavery, inherently placing one race above another.


In hindsight, I should probably have punched him on the nose. Since the event, I have gone over it in my mind a thousand times, dearly wishing I’d had a witty retort ready to puncture his obscene self-regard.


But I was speechless. I am furious with myself for allowing him to get away with it – for making me feel inferior. I can take a lot of ribbing, but the N-word is one of abject humiliation. Without wishing to appear overly emotional, I felt annihilated in an instant: reduced to a parody of my genetic inheritance.


Some friends have told me to move on – that I retained the moral high ground by refusing to dignify his remarks with a reaction. I’m not so sure I agree. Bad things happen when people stay silent. I bitterly regret doing so.


Unless you have been in this position, it is impossible to imagine how belittling the use of the N-word can be. I was judged on the way I look rather than who I am. Because my skin is coffee-coloured, the assumption is that I am a fan of gangsta rap – a man who calls his friends nigger as a term of endearment.


That is racism, plain and simple. My passion is for musical theatre – my business, Fusion, runs children’s theatre schools in the UK, the Middle East and across Asia, and I am a trained ballet dancer.


How dare anybody make assumptions about me? In doing so they are offending not only me but every other black person.


We are supposed to have moved on but there is something about the world of fashion that seems incapable of change. I wrestled for some time with the question of whether to speak out. Then I remembered the last time I was insulted like this.


The location was Paris, the occasion was Fashion Week, and I was backstage when an assistant remarked: ‘You are all right – you’re not too black. I’m going to call you Golly.’


I told him his language was not acceptable. I demanded an apology and warned him never to speak like that again. He was suitably contrite, and I flatter myself that he won’t make the same mistake again.


Hopefully my nemesis from the Baftas is reading this. If you are, you really do owe me an apology.


Ben Douglas is founder of Fusion Entertainment and Fusion Academy.


*Editor’s note: The racist word used here is not one that we would normally spell out in full. However Ben Douglas, who wrote this piece for the Mail On Sunday newspaper, is adamant that he wants readers to appreciate the full ugliness of the word and we have bowed to his author’s prerogative.


Link to original article here.

Recommended: Cooling Vests for Summer 2011

NIKE cooling vests used during the 2010 Summer Olympics

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16076740
Ergonomics. 2005 Jun 10;48(7):821-37.
A light-weight cooling vest enhances performance of athletes in the heat.
Webster J, Holland EJ, Sleivert G, Laing RM, Niven BE.
Source: School of Fabric and Textile Design, Massey University, New Zealand.

Abstract
During the 1990s, emphasis on the health and safety of people who exercise in hot, humid conditions increased and many organizations became aware of the need for protection against heat-related disorders. A practical, pre-cooling strategy applicable to several sporting codes, which is low cost, easy to use, light-weight and which enhances cooling of the human body prior to and following exercise, was developed and tested. Eight males and eight females participated in a maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) test and four trials: a control (without cooling) and wearing each of three different cooling vests (A, B, C). Vests were worn during the rest, stretch, warm-up (50% VO2max) and recovery stages of the protocol, but not during the 30 min run (70% VO2max). Core and skin temperatures during exercise were reduced (by approximately 0.5 degrees C, rectal; 0.1-1.4 degrees C, abdominal skin temperature) and sweat rates were lower (by approximately 10-23%). Endurance times for running at 95% of VO2max were increased by up to 49 s. Perceptions of the thermal state and skin wetness showed changes to greater levels of satisfaction. Physiological and sensory responses were related to design features of the vests.


PMID: 16076740 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

RE-POSTED: EARTHQUAKE READINESS: Survival Kits

EARTHQUAKE READINESS

survival kits - 2011.03.11 Lesson learnt: keep one handy at your office and maybe a mini-EDC (EveryDayCarry) on your person...

When I was living out in Kobe and got caught in the January 17th 1995 earthquake, one thing I swore to myself as my girlfriend and I walked for miles with our personal effects on our backs was to never ever get caught out like this again. That's one reason I couldn't wait to get away from Tokyo fast enough. Hawaii might have it's historical share of tsunami and plenty of active volcanoes, but still I don't get the feeling of impending doom and disaster like when I think of Tokyo. The last major earthquake in Tokyo was in 1923, and I can think it is only just a matter of time...

One thing is for sure. I definitely won't be around to get hit a second time.

Even though I don't I feel I need it, as a matter of habit, I still keep a "survival kit" ready to go at the foot of my bed. Just in case. I've thrown in a lot of extras over the years with high-tech super-bright LED flashlights, extra heavy-duty garbage bags and some 100 proof vodka (for drinking and sterilization). If I were back in Japan, I'd be packing two - just in case. Plus, gas masks for the inevitable chemical and oil smog that will arise from all the industrial fires.

The US Embassy in Tokyo actually has a Disaster Preparedness Checklist for Americans in Japan. Based on my own experience, there are certainly some items I would recommend doubling or tripling in quantity:


Disaster Preparedness Checklist for Americans in Japan -

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has also released a pretty damned thorough 86-page bilingual earthquake survival manual for residents of Tokyo. However optimistic they may be, I seriously doubt however that on the third day after the Big One hits, residents will start re-building.

More likely, people will be sitting on their asses waiting for help while the nation is paralyzed. And, maybe instead of massacring Koreans like they did in 1923, someone might get the bright idea of going after Whitey...

That's why if you're serious about a survival kit that makes sense, try to configure one that assumes basic help might only come after one or two weeks - not days. Keeping clean - both water & alcohol wipes - come to the top of most people's lists - as well as figuring out what to do for a toilet. Extra-thick black garbage bags from the US inside a box or crate, makes a quick serviceable porta-potty...

Another habit I picked up is periodically keeping a current photocopied sheet of all my relevant ID - passport, credit cards, SSN, etc - in my survival kit. Some people scan it and store it on their webmail accounts but only do that if you are certain you won't be hacked.

Bilingual Earthquake Survival Manual for Tokyo -

HOOTERS JAPAN TO OPEN THIS FALL IN TOKYO

HOOTERS TOKYO 
COMING THIS FALL


Monday September 13 2010


(Tokyo) US-based Hooters of America, Inc. will be opening their first restaurant in Japan this Autumn somewhere in the vicinity of Akasaka-Mitsuske Station in Tokyo in Nagatacho. The Japanese franchisee, HJ Inc. (株式会社エッチジェー 18-6 Nihonbashi Hakozaki-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Japan TEL +81(3) 5651-4187) was incorporated July 2010 in preparation for the launch. And, they are already hiring Hooters Girls as well as one or two managers on their Japanese corporate website.

With over 455 locations worldwide in 29 countries, Hooters are already in other Asian countries including Singapore, Taiwan, South Korean and China which alone boasts four locations.

Already established US-based competitors include Dallas-based TGI Friday's which has well-known restaurant operator Watami as its Japanese franchisee and Hard Rock Cafe, Tony Roma's & Bubba Gump which in Japan are all under the management of WDI Group. Both Watami and WDI Group are publicly-traded and are known as competent and respected operators. Much less is known about the Hooters franchisee, HJ Inc.

Zen-Nippon Minkan Keisatsu aka "Nippon Civilian Police"

http://www.japantoday.com/category/kuchikomi-shukan-post/view/nippon-civilian-police-skirts-a-fine-line-between-vigilance-and-vigilantism


'Nippon Civilian Police' skirts a fine line between vigilance and vigilantism


For dealing with certain matters where the police can’t—or won’t—take action, there’s a new sheriff in town.


Writing in Jitsuwa Knuckles (October), a monthly magazine specializing in Japan’s subculture, Yuri Suzuki introduces the Zen-Nippon Minkan Keisatsu, which goes by the English name Nippon Civilian Police (NCP).


NCP’s founder, Shuichi Araki, previously lived in the United States and claims to be the only Japanese national ever licensed to work there as a bounty hunter. Araki explains that NCP, which he established in 2006, is a “civilian police organization” accorded legal recognition by the government.


Araki’s operation currently employs about 70 “troops,” who work out of branches in Tokyo, Osaka and other cities. A photo accompanying the article shows a back view of an NCP member in a distinctive field jacket, carrying a riot baton in one hand and a pair of handcuffs in the other.


“NCP is completely different from both private security firms and volunteer street patrol groups,” he tells Jitsuwa Knuckles. “Some of our members are out on the street every day to safeguard citizens’ safety. Our main function is to perform tasks that the police, as a public entity, are unable to do. But we’re not subordinate to the Tokyo MPD—we’re completely separate.”


Araki stresses that NCP was set up with the full blessing of MPD headquarters, owing largely to his overseas-acquired knowhow in tracking down fugitives. Another reason, he says, is because police are legally hamstrung from performing stings and other types of undercover operations and are receptive to assistance from NCP.


One NCP member, identified only as “G,” operates incognito out of a shop in a drinking area.


“It’s hard to generalize the type of cases I’ve handled, which have ranged from fraud to missing persons to tracking fugitives,” says G. “We get scuttlebutt from a network of bars in entertainment districts, not only here in Tokyo but from Hokkaido to Okinawa.”

When NCP operatives assist in apprehensions, they are entitled to receive relatively small (50,000 yen) cash rewards offered by the police.


“There are lots of tasks the police are unable to deal with,” G points out. “Some, they will delegate to us. I can’t go into detail, but some cases may skirt the boundaries of legality. For example, at our discretion we might tie up with IT or communications companies to conduct investigations that the government is not empowered to do. Without taking such measures, there would be no way to catch the perpetrators in the act.”

But “G” admits that setting up a sting can, in worst cases, also result in getting stung in return. “As it stands, you might even get killed. But that’s the way it is,” he shrugs fatalistically.


According to Araki, activities of private securities firms in Japan are governed by a specific law, but no law currently exists for civilian police, so he operates in a gray area. “For example, if we were to turn in a suspect who was later proved innocent, we could be vulnerable to legal action,” he says. “We have to enforce self discipline on the one hand; at the same time, we are presently going through government channels to have our status taken up in the Diet.”


“In the eyes of the citizens, Japan’s police are unreliable and cannot be depended upon for protection, wouldn’t you say?” Araki asserts. “Take incidents involving stalking, some of which are clearly criminal acts. The police won’t do anything because they claim it’s just too troublesome to intervene in what they insist are ‘civil affairs.’ We make a case for action by bridging civil affairs with criminal cases.”


Araki believes Japan’s young people, in particular, are inclined to feel outrage when injustices are perpetrated.


“NCP is hoping to recruit more determined young people,” he says. “That’s why we’ve lowered our minimum age requirement from the present 18 years to 16.”


___________________________________________________________________


Sounds like Araki is trying to start his own version of 'Guardian Angels'.  The funny thing is that I discovered they (The Guardian Angels Japan) have been in Japan since 1996 and currently have over 250 members:

The Guardian Angels Japan, Inc.
National Headquarters
Eitaibashi Eco-Piazza Bldg Basement
1-29-13 Shinkawa
Chuo-ku, TOKYO, 104-0033 Japan
Tel : (03)-3523-5300
Fax : (03)-3523-5366
E-mail : info@guardianangels.or.jp
URL : http://www.guardianangels.or.jp 

The Invasion of the Sri Lankan Pedophiles ~!!!

For some reason, pedophiles in Colombo, Sri Lanka (IP address 202.129.232.200 ) are looking to "f*** 15 year old Japanese boys" in the Google searches that direct them to this blog. WTF?!!