Sparky: The Guru scooped Newsweek?! Are they reading the blog!? And raiding it for ideas? Spooky - eh? Anyway lots of real news too ...

Remember when our Guru went to town about the faboo Famina Marts? Guess what's in the current issue of Newsweek? That's right!

Sparky: When Strikes FamilyMart!

Wired says:

Catering to an affluent demographic, Famima's ambitious agenda to change the way today's busy consumer shops is being hailed by the media as a needed transformation. Wired magazine calls Famima!! "convenience luxe...[for busy urbanites]" and The Food Channel agrees that the economies of this transformation appeal to a more upscale generation of shoppers. Instead of drip coffee, consumers come in for lattes and panini and sushi has replaced microwaved burritos. Famima!! offers the perfect fusion of premium groceries, fresh and healthy gourmet foods, and a deli cafe? The store carries specialty and trendy merchandise, pharmaceuticals and DVDs and each store offers digital printing and ATM services.

For some ungodly reason - the Guru believes this will interesting to our readers ... I go to the Santa Monica store all the time - Maria is a good manager. I personally like the drink selection but am not enamored of the sushi - the sandwiches below rock - however:

Smoked Turkey & Havarti - 5.50
Smoked Turkey, Havarti Cheese, Red Pepper, Lemon Caper Aioli on Focaccia Herb & Tomato Sub.
Tuscan Turkey - 4.75
Turkey Roasted, Provolone, Roma Tomatoes, Garlic Butter on Focaccia Plain Sub.

And I've yet to see this but hope to:

Publications
Trendy, interesting publications and difficult to find "anime" from Japan.

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Famima!!

Osaka City Sekime station FamilyMart Convenience Store.

FamilyMart TYO: 8028 is a "konbini" or convenience store franchise chain in Japan. Established September 1, 1981. FamilyMart is owned and overseen by FamilyMart Co., Ltd. All of the usual Japanese convenience store goods such as magazines, manga, soft drinks, contraceptives, onigiri and bento are available.

FamilyMart's official motto is "Family Mart, Where You Are One of the Family."

FamilyMart also has franchise stores in Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Vancouver, British Columbia, and in Shanghai, China. Worldwide, it operates over 12,000 stores, with fast growth in Asia outside of Japan. In Japan, it operates over 6,000 stores.

As of this writing, FamilyMart also opened a store in Los Angeles, the United States, in July 2005, the first of 250 planned in the USA. The North American brandname will be "Famima!!".

On January 30, 2006, FamilyMart will begin a trial operation of an automatic cashier station at one Tokyo location, in cooperation with Itochu and Toshiba. Special tags on each item in a shopping basket can be sensed remotely and instantly at the register, and the total cost is immediately displayed.

FAMIMA CORPORATION
Established: Sept. 17, 2004
Major activities: Operating a chain of specialty stores in U.S. using the Famima name and franchise system.
Address: 20000 Mariner Avenue, Suite 100, Torrance, CA 90503
Tel: 310-214-1001
Fax: 310-214-7200

FamilyMart Co., Ltd. (Japan)
Established: Sept. 1, 1981
Capital: Yen 16,658 million (Approx. US$151million)
Major activities: Operating a chain of conveniece stores using the FamilyMart name and franchise system
Employees: 2,318
Number of stores: 11,003 including area franchise stores
Net sales of total Family Mart stores: 954.4 billion as of FY2003 (Approx. US$8.7 billion)
Web Site: www.family.co.jp/

ITOCHU Corporation (Japan)
ITOCHU International Inc.(US)
Founded as a trading and trading services company, ITOCHU is also a leader in telecommunications,technology, internet, retail and media
• Consumer-Related Products and Services
• Distribution
• Operations, Service and Maintanance
• Financial Services
• Information Technology and Aerospace
• Healthcare
• Security Solutions
Web Sites: ITOCHU Corporation (Japan) & ITOCHU International Inc.(US)

By 2006, 30 more stores will be added in North L.A., South Bay, and Southwest. By 2009 Famima!! will have 250 stores.

External links

• FamilyMart official homepage in Japanese.
• FamilyMart official English homepage in English.
• Famima Corporation (USA) homepage
• FamilyMart INDIA hompage link title
• News release (Japanese) on electronic tag trial

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AP: ALEXA OLESEN: China's Tibet Railway Ready to Go

“... Tibetans loyal to the exiled Dalai Lama and other critics say the $4.2 billion railway is part of a campaign by Beijing to crush Tibetan culture by encouraging an influx of Han Chinese, China's majority ethnic group. And environmental groups worry about the railway's impact on the Tibetan highlands. The train "will mean more environmental destruction for Tibet, more unemployment for Tibetans and of course our culture will be devastated," said Ngawang Woeber, a member of Gu Chu Sum, a support group for former Tibetan political prisoners based in India. On Friday, three women from the United States, Canada and Britain were detained after unfurling a banner at Beijing's main train station reading, "China's Tibet Railway, Designed to Destroy." Pro-independence groups plan to wear black armbands in protest and demonstrate outside Chinese embassies Saturday, a campaign they call "Reject the Railway." ... ”

Facts about the China-Tibet Railway
As with previous railways built by China in Mongolia and East Turkestan, the Tibet railway will greatly speed colonization of the area. It will allow vastly increased numbers of Chinese settlers and military troops to be brought in, and more natural resources to be exploited and removed from Tibet, with most economic benefits bypassing the many Tibetans who live on the outskirts of Tibet's centrally controlled economy, beyond the reach of the railway. The cost of the railway is almost triple the amount Beijing spent in the Tibet Autonomous Region on healthcare and education between 1952 and 2000. Some important points about the railway:

1. At the admission of Chinese government leaders, the Gormo-Lhasa railway is politically motivated, with a goal of consolidating China's control over Tibet. It is opposed by Tibetans both inside and outside Tibet.
2. The railway will facilitate increased population transfer of Chinese settlers into Tibet, further marginalizing Tibetans physically, socially, and economically and posing a threat to the survival of their culture and identity.
3. The railway will facilitate the exploitation and removal of natural resources that belong to Tibetans.
4. The railway will improve China's military maneuverability, enable rapid troop deployments, and facilitate the expansion of People's Liberation Army bases and increases in nuclear weapons stockpiles and missile deployments on the Tibetan plateau.
5. The railway is expected to cause widespread erosion, damage to vegetation, disruption of migration patterns, and contamination of water bodies including the Drichu (Yangtse), Ngochu (Salween), and Zachu (Mekong) rivers, sources of water for more than one billion people.

Click here to read "Crossing the Line: China's Railway to Lhasa, Tibet" a report by the International Campaign for Tibet to learn more.

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The New York Times: SHERYL GAY STOLBERG and SHAILA DEWAN: In Memphis, Two Heads of Government Visit the Home of Rock 'n' Roll Royalty

“..."It's like a dream," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan said to President Bush in the Jungle Room of the Presley home here. Amid the faux leopard print chairs and green shag carpet covering both floor and ceiling, the prime minister then serenaded the president.

"Loooovve mee tenderrrrr," Mr. Koizumi crooned, as Priscilla Presley, Elvis's former wife, and Lisa Marie, his daughter, looked on.

When Priscilla Presley pointed out the oversize gold-rimmed sunglasses once worn by the King of Rock 'n' Roll, the prime minister eagerly donned them, thrusting his hips and arms forward in imitation of a classic Elvis move.

"I knew he loved Elvis," Mr. Bush said afterward. "I didn't realize how much he loved Elvis." ...

One part of the house the Bushes and Mr. Koizumi missed was the upstairs, Elvis's living quarters. Elvis insisted they be kept private, said David Beckwith, a spokesman for Graceland.

"Nobody goes upstairs," Mr. Beckwith said.

Not even Japan's best-known Elvis impersonator and the president of the United States. ”

More candy ass than hound dog - but what the hell ...

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The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld that planned Guantanamo Bay military tribunals are illegal.

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Yui Ichikawa

Yui Ichikawa (Ichikawa Yui, born 10 February 1986), is an actress and model from Tokyo, Japan. She is also known by her nickname, Yui-nyan. As an actress she has appeared in several dramas (doramas), and in recent years she has concentrated more on her film career. She played a lead role in the movie The Grudge.

Ichikawa is commonly considered to be kawaii (cute) by japanese.

Cover of her CD Ame

Profile

• Nickname: Yui-nyan
• Profession: Actress, singer and 'gravure idol' (japanese term: swimsuit/bikini model)
• Date of Birth: 10 February, 1986 (Aquarius)
• Birthplace: Tokyo
• Height: 158 cm
• Measurements: B85 W55 H80 cm (B33.5 W21.5 H31.5 inches)
• Blood type: A
• Talent Agency: Ken-On

Filmography

Movies

• Siren (Japan, 2006)
• SchoolDaze (Japan, 2005)
• About Love (Japan, 2005)
• JU-ON 2 (Japan, 2004)
• The Grudge (Japan, 2003)

Dramas (japanese: dorama)

• H2~Kimi to itahibi - H2 (TBS, 2005)
• Hotman 2 (TBS, 2004)
• Wonderful Life (Fuji TV, 2004)
• Taiho shichauzo - You're under arrest (TV Asahi, 2002)

External Links

• Official Homepage (mainly Japanese, some English
• DramaWiki page
• Yui Ichikawa at the Internet Movie Database
• Yui Ichikawa Picture Gallery

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More is happening but let's leave it to the Guru ... - Sparks

Sparky: The last real President writes me:

(I so despise the Bush Crime Clan for cheating)

Dear Sparks Make Your Matched Contribution for a Democratic Majority On November 7th, we all have a choice to make. In the eight years I was privileged to serve as President, we set a positive course for this country by working together. Because of the work we did, our country made real progress. Now we have a chance to make history again. We can continue to let the Republicans do it their way and lead this country in the wrong direction. Or, we can do everything in our power to win one of the most critical elections of our lifetime and put America back on track. That means ensuring retirement security for our seniors, taking climate change seriously and finding new energy solutions, stopping partisanship and reaching across the religious and cultural divides of this world. It's time to do something about the fact that Americans overwhelmingly feel that this country is going in the wrong direction. Friends, failure is not an option - there is too much at stake. Today, the best way for each of us to put our candidates closer to victory is by supporting my friends at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and joining their campaign to restore a Democratic majority to the U.S. House of Representatives this November. These inspired foot soldiers and the dynamic candidates and incumbents they support are committed to winning a Democratic majority, so much so that the Democratic leadership has pledged to match dollar-for-dollar all contributions received by midnight on June 30th. Will you join their fight? Contribute $35, $50 or more today and give the DCCC the resources it needs to win a Democratic majority in the House. We Democrats have the best opportunity to win the majority in Congress in more than a decade. We Democrats will show this country that we can lead, and we will lead, but in order to do so, we must first win the majority. Recently, you heard from my good friends Paul Begala and James Carville about the challenges our candidates will face in the November elections. Our candidates will face a determined and relentless opposition. As committed Democrats, we must give them the resources they need to stand up and fight back. It is absolutely essential that we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them and ensure that they have the financial power they will need to hit back. To win in November, Democratic candidates must be able to rise above Republican attacks and get their message of change out to the voters. Only then can they mobilize Democrats, Independents and even disillusioned Republicans to rally behind our vision of a new direction for America. My friends, we can and we must win in November. Please give to the DCCC's June 30th Match Campaign today so that Democratic House candidates have the resources they need to fight back. Contribute $35, $50 or more today and see your gift towards a Democratic majority in the House be DOUBLED. I worked with Rahm Emanuel, the Chairman of the DCCC, when he was a trusted advisor during my years in the White House. I valued his judgment and counsel then, and I can think of no better leader for the DCCC's campaign in this historic time. Activists across the country are already crediting Rahm and the DCCC with standing up to the Republicans like never before. They are running a high-powered campaign operation that is fighting for a Democratic majority in congressional districts across America. As of right now, the DCCC has more than doubled the fundraising contributions from grassroots Democrats and is going toe-to-toe with the Republican campaign machine. But, we must keep the pressure on. We cannot lose our momentum and we must not let the Republicans regroup. The DCCC has set a goal to raise $500,000 by June 30th and thanks to everyone's generous support the DCCC has already raised $382,000, but your immediate help is vital to them reaching this important goal. Your secure online gift of $35, $50 or more will help keep the Democrats on the offense. And if you make your donation before the critical June 30th deadline it will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Democratic House Leadership. America just works better when more people have a chance to live their dreams. But, Republicans in Washington believe that America should be run by their people, the "right" people. Their years in office have led to a world where ordinary citizens are increasingly left to fend for themselves on important matters like health care and retirement security. Friends, we've tried it their way for far too long and American families are paying the price. With less than 18 weeks until Election Day, our country's future is on the line. I promise I'll be helping Democratic House candidates and the DCCC work to restore a Democratic majority. Today, I am asking you to stand with me in this important fight. Contribute today and your gift towards a Democratic majority in the House will be DOUBLED. Together, we will win. Thank you for your support. Sincerely, Bill Clinton P.S. We must do whatever it takes to win. We are faced with an opponent working day and night to move America away from the principles and priorities we value most as Democrats. Contribute to win the House for Democrats today. If you contribute by June 30th, your gift will be doubled and will go twice as far. The single most important thing you can do to help win a Democratic majority is make a contribution. FORWARD OUR MESSAGE TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY HELP DEMOCRATS WIN THE HOUSE

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Venture Bros Season 2 debut rocked solid ...

And why aren't those GOP scum in prison? - Sparky