Taizeniki

I have to say that the english commentary of the bout made me laugh out loud! (Whistling...) I guess Roho was "resting his knees" today!?! (In a state of confusion...)

not sure takanowaka thought it was a good start either... they both seemed surprised at the "ta-chei!" from the gyoji. I agree: taka kept moving... kaiho did not. being a taka fan... I am glad to see him moving and responding better this basho.

to quote '80's rocker toni basil: "Oh Mickey, you're so fine you're so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey, hey Mickey!" :-)

Congrats Moti!!! Israel Wins First-Ever Olympic Gold By BERNIE WILSON, AP Sports Writer ATHENS, Greece - A windsurfer whose first name means "wave" in Hebrew gave Israel its first Olympic gold medal ever Wednesday, taking a plunge in the Saronic Gulf to celebrate. Gal Fridman sailed a remarkably consistent regatta, never finishing worse than eighth in the 11-race series. He placed second in Wednesday's decisive race. After Fridman crossed the finish line, he took a victory dip and then wrapped himself in an Israeli flag when he came out of the water. Fridman's victory finally gives Israelis the chance to hear their national anthem during a medal ceremony, scheduled for later in the day. The song is "Hatikvah"

you are quite welcome... and yep, makes your basic sumo grappling look easy compared to the rules presented in the official tome of wrestling! Could a reason for the complexity of rules in free style/greco roman be because sumo and other ancient grappling sports have kept an aspect of tradition and attachment to culture while free style, etc. has evolved with the culture?

this doc might help: international wrestling rules the extra point for lifting over the line probably has something to do with the ref being able to award an extra point for lifting as a show of extraordinary strength etc., vs. just forcing a touch to the mat.

A big Texas welcome to the SF, Burainoan! my son LOVES spider man and the hulk... a marvel guy all the way!

thanks for the yokozuna education.... (Laughing...) (Applauding...)

Yokozuna Stats page this site indicates he did not win as yokozuna. And I see that there were others who did not win at Y rank, either.

Just wondering, among those who might have the vantage point to know, how the large number of gaijin rikishi are doing in picking up Japanese. I realize that they are taught Japanese in the heya, are they not? But which have more easily gained proficiency and who is still struggling? :-/ Secondly, due to large number of gaijin, is the Japanese language "rule" being relaxed? Will we ever see a mongolian or european ever give his yusho interview via a translator?

1 1/4 hours is nothing in Texas.... that's a daily drive anywhere.... and hey, I live in Houston, the flattest, mosquito infested, ozone-filled, cement swamp of them all. So hey, when I was in Osaka in 1996, it looked pretty darn good to me! :-/

Domo arigato, Kaikitsune Makoto-san :-/

A thousand pardons, Adachinoryu-san. Not my calculated intention to covertly bring religion into the show on these issues, :-/ just thought articles on AIDS, cloning and the like would be good controversial conversation starters. My religio-political beliefs on this particular cloning matter has less to do with my post than just the global debate surrounding the issue. I also have an acquaintance who is a bio-engineering grad student and we have had lengthy conversations regarding cloning, and as a result I would agree with Kaikitsune Makoto-san that there are many scientific hurdles yet to jump before viable human cloning is even a real possibilility. For an interesting "blast from the past" hollywood perspective on this whole cloning business see: http://tesla.liketelevision.com/liketelevi...vie&theme=guide ;-)

TOKYO - Japan's top science council voted Friday to adopt policy recommendations that would permit the limited cloning of human embryos for scientific research, an official said. The recommendations would let researchers use and produce cloned human embryos but only for basic research, said Tomohiko Arai, an official at the Cabinet's Council for Science and Technology Policy. The council, headed by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, will now ask Japan's ministries to come up with specific guidelines, said Arai, who declined to speculate how long that might take. Many scientists back human embryo cloning to obtain stem cells that can be used to reproduce damaged tissues or organs. Stem cells are the building blocks from which all organs are formed. Britain and South Korea (news - web sites) allow therapeutic cloning, but the United States prohibits any kind of embryo cloning and has lobbied strongly against it. Earlier this month, France's parliament gave final approval to a law that approves stem cell research on human embryos, but only for a limited test period. Japan banned the cloning of humans in 2001. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Politically savvy point, but is the "woman on the dohyo" thing controlled more by Kyokai or Ota? I've always viewed her as a victim of tradition... Has she had more influence in this process than I'm aware of? Please elaborate.

Osaka is close to Kansai Airport, it is a historic cultural center, has a nice castle, and it is governed by a woman! ;-) I would like to attend haru when Ota finally gets to step on the sand... :-/

Greetings from the wide open spaces of Texas. (Shaking head...) I have been an avid but shy fan (a little afraid of posting unlearned things to mailing lists and forums) of sumo for about 8 years. My interest began when I visited Japan in 1996 as a touring manager for Houston Grand Opera and the show "Porgy and Bess" which made stops in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. Anyway, my time there came just after Hatsu and highlights were being shown on TV. It was love at first uwatenage--my favorite kimarite! My life is now occupied with realites as a wife, mom and Methodist pastor. (Yes, I left the opera to become a preacher-woman, which is another story; (see: Where I Work for details of my current life) Fear not, I am not a bible-thumping fundamntalist censor come to "save" the forum from hell, just a simple sumo-loving vicar. My son (who is 6) also loves sumo and was quite sad when Musashimaru retired and watches (and vicariously re-inacts) Dale's replays with me during honbasho. My favorite rikishi are Takanowaka (for the very feminine and illogical reasons that he plays the piano and has a nice face) :-) , Kotoosho, Ama, Tochiazuma, Kokkai and Asashoryu. Blessings to all... ciao.

for those who might appreciate the opera Porgy and Bess and backstage, theatrical traditions... Porgy & Sapporo foam on the boards (Clapping wildly...) leaves wet boot prints after loading truck containers

when will he come to his senses and return to the heya? (Punk rocker...) or will they not let him return with the tatoos? :-D

Yahoo! News Wed, Jul 14, 2004 Oblivious Japan May Be on Brink of AIDS Explosion Tue Jul 13,10:09 AM ET By Elaine Lies YOKOHAMA, Japan (Reuters) - As midnight nears, lights flash and rock music throbs, as a line forms in one corner of the busy club in the port city of Yokohama, near Tokyo. Reuters Photo Reuters Slideshow: HIV/AIDS Faces tense, each person is ushered behind a curtain, steeling themselves as Tsuneo Akaeda draws their blood. Akaeda, a doctor, is casual in a baseball cap, T-shirt and purple-striped Bermuda shorts, head bobbing to the music, but his mission is deadly serious: free AIDS (news - web sites) tests, an attempt to check what experts say may be a looming explosion of the disease. Some say it may already be too late, noting that while the numbers still are relatively small, Japan is one of the only advanced nations where AIDS cases have not dropped dramatically. "There is no sense of urgency," Akaeda, 60, said. "But there are many people who have HIV (news - web sites), and, in five years, lots will get sick and everyone will be surprised. "Right now AIDS is like a ghost. It's sort of scary but since it's still noon, it's far from everybody's mind." But it is there. In 2003, 976 new HIV/AIDS cases were reported, the highest annual figure and about a tenth of all cases since 1985. Some experts warn cumulative numbers could jump to 50,000 by 2010 due to increased youth sexual activity, less condom use and official indifference, symbolized by falling budgets. Worse though, may be general public apathy. "It's impossible for people to think AIDS has anything to do with them," said Masahiro Kihara, a professor at Kyoto University. "AIDS is Africa. It's America. It's gay. "The ignorance is huge ... so this is a very dangerous situation," he added. "I think the estimate of 50,000 by 2010 might be an underprediction." Japan's view of AIDS has been colored by a scandal involving tainted blood products that led to about 2,000 of Japan's hemophiliacs becoming infected, the deaths of several hundred and sparked a series of lawsuits. NOT US "More than 90 percent of young people say they're aware of AIDS, but they think of blood, not a sexually transmitted disease," said Masako Kihara, an associate professor at Kyoto University and Masahiro Kihara's wife. In addition, when AIDS first appeared in Japan in the mid-1980s, it was portrayed mainly as a "foreigners' disease," an attitude that still lingers. But while in the past many cases involved foreign women in the sex trade or men who picked up the virus overseas, the sources of infection now are almost all domestic -- and spreading from major centers like Tokyo to cities around Japan. Homosexuals made up the majority of new 2003 HIV cases, and though they are a high-risk group, experts say more of them are tested than the general population, perhaps raising the numbers. All of this, though, reinforces the idea that AIDS is limited to special groups. The rising figures are "a matter of real urgency," says Health Ministry official Go Tanaka. But only four people in the ministry work full time on AIDS policy, and budgets are falling steadily. According to the Yomiuri Shimbun daily, funds for dealing with AIDS in major cities have fallen by 70 percent since 1995. Most worrying is the increase among youth. Of new HIV cases in 2003, at least 33 percent were in people under 29, a reflection of increased youth sexual activity. Some 20 to 30 percent of 16-year-olds have sex, and nearly a quarter of these have four or more partners, said Masako Kihara. "Only 20 percent use condoms every time," she added. "They think they have a set partner, so it's safe." TESTING PROBLEMS Another problem is a dearth of places to go for testing. Hospitals require people to give their names, a move that puts off those fearing prejudice after a positive result, and while public health centers offer anonymous testing, their hours are extremely limited and results can take a week. As a result, experts say, there may be thousands who do not realize they carry HIV until they actually become ill. Enter Dr Akaeda, who began free testing in several clubs around Tokyo a few years ago. "If you just wait in a clinic, young people won't come," he said, snapping his rubber-gloved fingers to the music in between the 40 tests he did on a recent Saturday. "Here, I tell them like a friend to be tested." Akaeda uses a blood test that gives results in 15 minutes, with manicures and makeup tips offered as people wait. Others dance or drink. One man got his results while clutching a beer. "In other places you wait a week, but here you know fast," said Sasaki, who described himself as "very relieved" after his test was negative. "A week would be scary. "I didn't used to think AIDS had anything to do with me, but now it's different," he added. "I'll be more careful now."

Kasugao says: Saeng il chuk ha ham ni da! Kokkai says: Gilotcav dabadebis dges! Kotooshu says: Chestit Rojden Den! Takanoyama says: Vsechno nejlepsi k Tvym narozeninam!! Asashoryu says: Torson odriin mend hurgee! Roho says: Pazdravliayu s dniom razhdjenia! Taizeniki says: Happy Birthday!!

from the opera loving sumo-an... I haven't seen this yet, but plan on taking a gander ASAP. :-)

why must human life seemingly always be reduced to money and unfettered sex? what sad lowest common denominators by which to define the human person :'-( .... :-)

Indeed: no feather-ruffling high jinks from THIS vicar... :-P "ta" for the welcome!

make that Ota-beya... not wanting to usurp this beneficent SF :)