Harvest In Progress

Just got word from my tenant that the corn crop at the Nebraska farm is now being harvested today through Saturday and it looks very good!

He said, "Yield-wise, probably the best ever or close to it!" This is great news, considering that corn commodity prices are down this year. The high yield will help make up for it.

I have been reading reports for the past two weeks that the corn yield is exceptional around the country this year.

Stan Lees's Comikaze Expo Photos & Autographs Schedule Now Up

Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo website has just posted the schedule for Photographs and Autographs with the special guests.

To see the schedule for all three days, go here.

Two Things That Brings A Smile

Corn & Comikaze Expo

As I predicted, the federal government shutdown (or slowdown, as 83% of the government was still operating) would cause a delay in Department of Agriculture farm program payments. The "shutdown" ended on October 17.

I predicted during the "shutdown" that it would cause a delay of about two weeks before payments would be made. Sure enough, my bank account is much bigger as the Department of Agriculture payment made it in (I have direct deposit) yesterday. So it took 12 days for it to make into my account. Not too bad, all things considered.

At least the Department of Agriculture has their act together!

************

Day after tomorrow, I will be participating in a discussion panel on Godzilla (2014) and Pacific Rim (2013) at Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The show opens at 1:00 P.M. (according to the schedule when I last saw it) and the panel starts at 2:00.

As I did at last year's Comikaze Expo, I will have available copies of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan following the panel. It will be available at a 20% discount off the cover price of $15.00. So, instead of $15.00, it will be available for $12.00. If you would like it signed, I would be happy to do so at no extra charge.

Hope to see you at the Los Angeles Convention Center at Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo!

Obama Gets Four Pinocchios For Lies On ObamaCare

The "fit hit the shan" when people began receiving healthcare cancellation notices if their existing insurance policies don't comply with provisions of ObamaCare.

Obama has made the blanket statement, "If your like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan." The statement was even on ObamaCare's website. That has been found to be a bald-faced lie. And they've known it was a lie for about three years. Now people are being forced into health care policies that are too expensive.

National Review Online reports:

House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer conceded to reporters today that Democrats knew people would not be able to keep their current health care plans under Obamacare and expressed qualified contrition for President Obama’s repeated vows to the contrary. 

 “We knew that there would be some policies that would not qualify and therefore people would be required to get more extensive coverage,” Hoyer said in response to a question from National Review.

 Yahoo News posted:

Because the market for individual insurance experiences significant turnover, the insinuation is the Obama administration had to have known many policies "grandfathered" in would not qualify for the Affordable Care Act. NBC News reports that the administration knew in 2010 that "more than 40 to 67 percent of those in the individual market would not be able to keep their plans, even if they liked them." 

“This says that when they made the promise [that individuals could keep their plans], they knew half the people in this market outright couldn’t keep what they had and then they wrote the rules so that others couldn’t make it either,” Robert Laszewski of Health Policy and Strategy Associates told NBC News.

This prompted the Washington Post's The Fact Checker to rate Obama's promise of keeping the health care policy you're happy with:

The president’s statements were sweeping and unequivocal — and made both before and after the bill became law. The White House now cites technicalities to avoid admitting that he went too far in his repeated pledge, which, after all, is one of the most famous statements of his presidency. 

The president’s promise apparently came with a very large caveat: “If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan — if we deem it to be adequate.”

Only there was no caveat given.  So, the Washington Post has given the Obama Administration:

Stan Lee's Comikaze Promo Video

Now on YouTube:

Prepping For Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo 2013

Above, photo one submitted with the Comikaze Expo Personal Appearance Release.

Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo must be just around the corner as I had to send in a personal appearance release for the panel discussion of Godzilla (2014) and Pacific Rim (2003).

Along with the release, I had to send in two digital images (hmm, it suddenly occurred to me that those images didn't specifically say they had to be of me) and a biography, per the release form's stipulations.

Above, photo two that was submitted.

The panel will take place Friday, November 1 at 2:00 P.M. at the South Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center. This is one convention fans should make an attempt to attend.

So, I guess we're good to go!

Mini-Debate On Plastino's Superman-JFK Art Controversy

Yesterday, I had a brief, minor debate with comics writer Mark Waid over the matter of the Al Plastino-JFK original art that turned up at an auction house.

Here's how the conversation went:

I still don't see how anyone can confuse whose "original art" was to go to the Kennedy Library when it was plainly said on the last panel of Plastino's art that it would be donated to the Kennedy Library. I think Waid is indulging in a Clintonesque parsing of words in trying to say it meant the earlier Curt Swan art.  That is a separate issue. Superman editor Mort Weisinger at the time said that the Swan art would go to Jacqueline Kennedy. Then it was decided to have the story published (at LBJ's request) and it was re-drawn by Plastino. Why tell readers on the last panel of the story that the pages would be donated if the intent was to donate another's artist's work? The panel does say "this story." It doesn't make sense.

It would be more meaningful to the Kennedy Library to have possession of actual published work anyway, which is what Plastino's was, not Swan's.

Sorry, Mark. It says "original art", not "original version." Yes, we agree to disagree.

UPDATE:  I forwarded this blog post to Al Plastino and he sent me this reply:

Japan Airlines In-Flight Internet Via Gogo

It looks like more airlines are jumping into in-flight Internet service game.  Japan Airlines is the latest to do so.

According to News On Japan:

Gogo Inc said on Monday it had agreed to provide Japan Airlines Co Ltd with in-flight Internet service on the airline's domestic fleet of 77 aircraft, marking Gogo's first significant international contract, according to the company's chief executive. 

Shares of Gogo were up 10.6 percent at $17.94 in afternoon trade in New York on Monday. 

The in-flight Internet provider, based in Itasca, Illinois, said the JAL service would use Gogo's satellite technology and begin operating by mid-2014. 

This all sounds well and good, but I wonder how much the airline is going to charge passengers for using the service.

Back in March, while flying home from Charlotte, North Carolina aboard American Airlines, in-flight Wi-Fi service was offered and very expensive. It was somewhere around $30.00 for an hour or two, as I recall. I thought this was an outrage, considering that the hotel I stayed at was somewhere around $15.00.day. I took a pass on it.

To read the full article, go here.

ObamaCare Girl Before & After

The ObamaCare girl when the website went live:

The embarrassed ObamaCare girl after finding the website to be a disaster:

“Buy from bookstores or they’ll disappear!”

Above, the entrance to Kinokuniya Bookstores' Little Tokyo Store. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since the advent of online book retailers such as Amazon.com and others, the "old school" brick & mortar bookstores are going out of business across America.

This is also true for Japanese bookstores. RocketNews24 has posted an article on the plight of bookstores in Japan due to the aforementioned online retailers and, also, ebooks.

They wrote:

As we’ve seen in many locales, the rise of e-book readers and online retailers has opened up access to more and cheaper books for the average person. And with improved distribution, it’s a matter of days–at most–from the time you click “purchase” to the time your new books arrive on your doorstep. 

Japan, though initially resistant, has proven not much different. Amazon Japan and Rakuten both have e-book readers and both sell books at prices lower than what you’ll usually find in a store, especially small-to-mid-sized retailers and specialty stores. 

In fact, Mainichi Shinbun recently reported on the closing of some of these smaller stores, marking the shift in the retail landscape from brick-and-mortar stores to digital retailers. In the thirteen years between 2000 and 2013, 34 percent of the bookstores in Japan were shuttered. 

Even large chain stores are struggling to keep up with Internet retailers. It seems that the only way for large chains like Maruzen and Kinokuniya to stay competitive is to maintain enormous stocks of books on hand–which can get expensive quickly. Whether or not it’s an effective tactic remains to be seen.

Personally, I use online booksellers as a last resort if my local favorite bookstore(s) doesn't have a particular book in stock I'm looking for. I also enjoy perusing bookstores (time seems to go by very fast while browsing around), especially used bookstores. Quite often, I would be in a bookstore and happen to spot a book that I either didn't know existed or knew the title of. So I'll buy it right on the spot. Going and buying online does not provide that kind of experience.

Above, Kinokuniya's travel section in their Little Tokyo store.  Photo by Amber Vaquer.

As the title of RocketNews24 article says, "“Buy from bookstores or they’ll disappear!” Frustrated bookseller implores crowd on final day of business."

To read the article, go here.

Time Out Tokyo Magazine Launch

Above, the cover of the first issue of Time Out Tokyo.

It looks like the Tokyo metropolitan area will have a new English language magazine aimed at expats and tourists to look at.

Time Out Tokyo magazine is launching tomorrow.

Time Out Tokyo magazine will be published four times a year and will be distributed free in the Tokyo area, primarily at train stations, hotels, airports and elsewhere. Circulation will be 100,000 copies.

According to to their website:

Now, by popular demand, and building on the success of our city guides and website, Time Out Tokyo presents the first issue of our magazine! Tokyo's own local experts have unearthed the city's diverse attractions; now they will be transmitted to the world through Time Out’s global network. In Tokyo, the magazine is geared to tourists and expats, and is distributed free of charge at 300 locations - primarily airports, train stations and hotels.

The first issue (shown at top) features an aerial shot of Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo.

Now there will be two English language magazines in Tokyo to choose from: Time Out Tokyo and Metropolis.

For more details, go here. 

Denny’s Japan: Burgers With Added Microorganisms

Above, Tokyo's Nakamise Street with a Denny's sign in the background.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The only times I've eaten at a Denny's restaurant in Japan was for breakfast. That is, until I discovered the Hotel Asia Center of Japan with their buffet breakfasts for about ¥900.

Japan Today has posted a story about some rather interesting ingredients that are being added to Denny's burgers.

They wrote:

TOKYO —It would appear that Japan is getting more and more firmly entrenched in the euglena craze. These little algae (particularly those from Ishigaki Island) have been determined to pack a nutritious punch carrying around 59 different kinds of nutrients from vitamins and minerals to amino acids. 

We recently sampled these little guys in a cup of delicious yogurt, which was creepy at first but not a big leap since yogurt is all bacteria anyway. But would the public also go for these little microorganisms being added to a patty of grilled red meat? American diner chain Denny’s is wagering “yes” with their euglena hamburgs only available in Japan from the end of this month.

If this sounds enticing to you and if you want to read the full story, go here.

Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo By The Futon Alliance

The Futon Alliance website has posted a notice on next weekend's Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo to held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

They posted a sampling of what convention-goers can expect at this year's show.

Here's a screen grab of part of their post:

To see the full post by The Futon Alliance, go here.

Bloomberg: The Lust Beneath Japan's Sex Drought

Above, weekenders near Shibuya Station.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While this story has been swirling around a bit, it was only yesterday that I posted anything about it.

It is on the supposed lack of interest in sex by Japanese young men. Bloomberg.com has now chimed in on the story.

They wrote, in part:

Japan's low birthrate (are you listening Mr. Prime Minister?) is a result of exorbitant living costs, elevated stress and diminished confidence. Even after two decades of deflation, prices in Japan for everything from rent to food to entertainment remain among the highest in the world. Economic stagnation and changes in labor laws have restrained wage growth and enabled companies to swap employees into low-paying part-time jobs with few benefits. This means the exclusion of more and more Japanese from the lifetime employment system that's long been the cornerstone of Japan Inc., forcing many to work additional jobs. If you leave for work at 6 a.m. and get home close to midnight, including weekends, where is there time for dating? 

Young Japanese, especially men, don't feel financially secure enough to enter into long-term relationships, never mind getting married or starting families. At the same time, little has been done to blunt the institutionalized sexism that exacerbates Japan's low birthrate. Hardships women face in balancing careers and family encourages many to delay marriage and motherhood. If Japanese felt better about the future, they wouldn't be so reluctant to start building their own.

Perhaps this is something we Americans should keep in mind and take steps to try to prevent from happening here. Since many workers are being converted to part-time status to avoid ObamaCare penalties by companies (on top of the ongoing economic weakness), this scenario could just happen in the United States.

To read the full story, go here. 

Jonathan Bellés To Speak At FANTASTI'CS About Godzilla Documentary

Jonathan Bellés, the producer/director of the upcoming Godzilla & Hiroshima: The Dawn of the Kaiju Eiga documentary, tells me that he will be speaking a week from today (November 2, for you low-information voters, etc.) at the Festival of Terror in Castellón, Spain (known as FANTASTI'CS).

He will be discussing his documentary and, also, on The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. Cool, eh?

Along with his note, Bellés sent me this poster:

Looks like we'll both be busy with conventions this coming week, as I am participating in a panel on Godzilla (2014) and Pacific Rim (2013) at Stan Lee's Comikaze E

xpo in Los Angeles on Friday.

Are Japanese Men "Afraid To Get It Dirty"?

Above, aren't Japanese girls interesting to Japanese males?  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

For the past several days, I have been seeing stories on how the Japanese government is very concerned over the lack of interest young Japanese males have for sex. Until now, I have been ignoring it.

They are concerned because the population of Japan is aging and not enough babies are being born to maintain current population levels.

According to an article from The Tokyo Times:

If more babies will not be born in Japan, the country’s population will go down by a third by 2060. One of the reasons for the country’s low birthrate could be a new breed of Japanese men – the otaku, who love manga, anime and computers more than sex. 

Kunio Kitamara, of the Japan Family Planning Association, describes many young Japanese men as “herbivores” – passive and lacking carnal desire. 

A survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in 2010 found 36 percent of Japanese males aged 16 to 19 had no interest in sex – a figure that had doubled in the space of two years. 

Another reason for Japan’s low birthrate is that even if men and women are involved in relationships, they rarely have sex, according to several surveys. One of the surveys showed that only 27 percent of the couples said they had sex every week.

It is weird to read that Japanese males are so disinterested in sex and prefer "virtual girlfriends" (read the full article) over real flesh and blood females. In a way, I can understand how a married man could be so tired and stressed from work that he isn't interested in indulging with wifey. But younger Japanese males more interested in manga, anime and computers?! Are they that afraid to get it dirty?

There must be a lot of frustrated Japanese women "just ripe for the pickin'!" (Then again, are there any figures on Japanese women's interest in sex? Is it all one-sided?)

To read the full article, go here.

Some Positives In The Al Plastino Artwork Matter

It is good to see that the comic book professional community is getting behind Golden Age/Silver Age Superman artist Al Plastino in his efforts to get to the bottom of how his original artwork ended up in private hands when the pages were supposed to have been donated to the John F. Kennedy Library almost 50 years ago.

Many in the comics industry, including Neal Adams and his daughter, have gotten involved and, as I mentioned in an earlier blog post, are seeking a legal remedy to keep the artwork from going on the auction block permanently.

At 91, Plastino doesn't need this kind of drama in his life, but in a way it is good that he knows that comics professionals and fans are standing with him, and he is very appreciative. I sent him a link to an earlier blog post on this matter and I received a thank-you from him (posted at top). I am glad that I was able to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to him for years of enjoyment through his work.

As others have said on this matter, the fight is just beginning!

Legal Steps To Prevent Al Plastino Superman-JFK Art From Going To Auction Initiated

Above, artist Al Plastino with the 'splash page' of the artwork in contention.  Photo: Facebook.

It was good news that Heritage Auctions pulled the Al Plastino original artwork of "Superman's Mission For President Kennedy" and will investigate how it ended up in private hands instead of being at the John F. Kennedy Library, where it was intended.

But this is just a temporary withdrawal. However, steps are being taken to keep the artwork from going on the auction block permanently.

According to the New York Post:

But advocates for comic book artists say that since the art was never given to the museum, Plastino remains the rightful owner. Comic book publishers, they claim, only buy the publishing rights to an artist’s work, not the work itself. Publishers generally dispute this, and it’s an issue that’s been debated for decades. 

“He never gave up ownership of the art because DC never purchased it from him or paid sales tax,” asserted Kris Adams Stone, daughter of comic book legend Neal Adams. She added that legal papers are being prepared to halt the auction for good.

To read the full story, go here.

Was Al Plastino's Superman-JFK Artwork Stolen?

Above, the cover of Superman issue no. 170.

It is interesting that this story should hit now, since the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy is coming up next month.

There is a bit of a flap over some original artwork that appeared in the July 1964 issue of Superman (no. 170). The issue contained the story, "Superman's Mission For President Kennedy" that was penciled and inked by Al Plastino. In the story, Kennedy enlists Superman's help to get flabby Americans to become physically fit.

As I have this issue in my collection, I remember it well. On the very last panel of the story, it stated that the original artwork would be donated to the John F. Kennedy Library at Harvard University (at the time, that was where the library was planned to be located).

Above, the Plastino art. Note the last panel stating that the original art will be donated to the Kennedy Library.

According to a story at Bleeding Cool.com, the Plastino original artwork is now up for auction at Heritage Auctions. They are looking to get $200,000 for it.  Somehow, the artwork never made it to the Kennedy Library and they have no record of ever receiving it.

Artist Al Plastino is quite upset over this.

He said:

Please help if you can. The art I donated and thought for all these years was being housed at the Kennedy library at Harvard is now being auctioned off on the anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination. And now I am finding out that the art may have never made it to the library. The archivists tell me there are no records of it ever being received. I asked for the art back and they will not give it to me. I asked for the consigner’s name and they will not tell me that either. They tell me I have no rights to my work and that it is too late to get it back.

I don't blame Plastino for being upset about his artwork, intended for the Kennedy Library, ending up in someone else's hands, possibly by theft.

However, the story gets more complicated.

The story was originally scheduled for Superman no. 168, but it was pulled when Kennedy was assassinated. This version was drawn by artist Curt Swan and inked by George Klein. The editor of Superman, Mort Weisinger, published an announcement in the current issue stating that the artwork would be donated to Jacqueline Kennedy.

Above, editor Mort Weisinger's announcement containing a panel of the Swan/Klein artwork.

Later, President Johnson asked National Periodical Publications (DC Comics) to publish it, and it is speculated that the Swan/Klein artwork was donated already, so it had to be re-drawn and Plastino got the assignment. Herein lies the confusion or complication.

It appears that the Swan/Klein artwork may have been donated directly to Mrs. Kennedy and not to the Kennedy Library (I assume there was a foundation set-up to get the library built at the time). But, as it shows on the last panel of the Plastino version, his artwork was intended to be donated to the Kennedy Library. It is possible that both versions were intended to be donated (the Swan/Klein art to Mrs. Kennedy and the Plastino art to the Kennedy Library) by National.

Since it was stated on the last panel of Plastino's version that it was to be donated, how did it end up not going to the Kennedy Library, but eventually to an auction house in 2013? Could the artwork have been stolen? What happened?

Heritage Auctions should pull the artwork from their auction schedule, put it on hold (treat it as possible stolen property) and begin an investigation to see if the artwork was stolen as well as the chain of custody since 1964. That would be right thing to do.

UPDATE: Bleeding Cool reports that Heritage Auctions has withdrawn the auction for the Plastino artwork and will investigate.  For more, go here.

Peter Greenberg's "How To Archive Your Photos On The Road"

Above, Kyoto's Kinkaku-ji "Golden Pavilion."  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

"The Travel Detective" Peter Greenberg has some tips on archiving your photographs while on the road.

He posted:

As a pro photographer and Sony Artisan, Andy Katz always travels with two hard drives to archive his pictures on the road. But there are other more economical options for storing your photographs. Here is how to archive your photos when you’re traveling.

To find out how to make sure you'll have your travel photographs long after you've returned home, go here.

Japan Offshore Floating Power Windmills and Kaiju Early Warning System

Photo: Toho Co., Ltd.

To pick up the (major) slack from the closure of Japan's nuclear power plants, Japan's planners are looking to floating windmills to generate power for the country.

Besides that, according to Gaijin Pot's Twitter post (below), the floating windmills will also serve as Japan's kaiju early warning system.

To read the full article, go here.

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