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THE DAILY - COLLEGIAN L Wednesday, February 21,1996 Opinion Managing Editor: Robert Bilvado Telephone: (209) 278-5732 A typical day in Kochi, Japan | Former Fresno State student explains life in a foreign country Commentary By Ingemar Dahlberg Columnist I wake up most everyday at 7:20 a.m. (that's 2:20 p.m., the day before, your time). I throw off the warmth of my sheets and blan¬ ket and confront the chill of the early morning. I tiptoe across the tatami (special ornate pieces of woven thatch and straw that cover the floor of traditional Japanese rooms) mats of my front room, gently pull open a sliding, wooden screen, and make a mad dash to the mail slot of my front door. Hidden inside is the English newspaper that I subscribe to ($48 a month!). Paper in hand, I step into the bath room, and as the English put it, "I draw a bath." The bathroom is a small 7' x T affair with a 4' x 4' squarish tub pushed into the corner. There is no hot and cold faucets, only a large, 50's sci-fi-ish looking contraption connected to the tub that uses gas to heat the water. I switch on the gas valve, push in on a dial, turn slowly, and presto, a little window on the contraption goes orange, telling me that my water is heating. I Murn on the tap, and a tiny trickle of the warm water begins to trickle into the tub. In the meantime, I stumble back to the front room, lay back down, turning on a small light, and peruse my newspaper. If I'm lucky, the tub will be mostly full in 20 or 30 minutes. I throw a piece of giant, Japanese bread in my "oben" (my toaster oven), grab a glass of oranji jyushi" (orange juice) and try to stay as warm as possible. When the tub looks about right, I take a mini-mister shower head contraption out of its holster, and standing on a large plastic mat next to the tub, rinse myself off outside of the tub. The Japanese to not take baths to get clean. They take them to relax and unwind, at all tim.es of the day. My bath is a tiny one- person deal, bin rnany are communal, so it is and has been the rule that everyone must be clean before entering the bath. -\SpJafter a quick rinse, I suds up and rinse again, making sure alTthe soap is off and running down the drain in the floor. Mean¬ while, there's this irritating little Window with slats in it that are not meant to be closed (this is to prevent your bathroom from becoming overly tropical, as humidity tends to breed all manner of Godforsaken things). At seven twenty in the morning, Kochi can be very gusty, and incredibly cold! When I'm finally done (and I do think I have broken some shower speed records), I jump in the tub, fold up under the hot, soothing water, listen to a little music on the radio, and think about the day ahead. Outside, through the slats, I hear the boom-chuga-boom of the - first passing trolley of the day and the voices of schoolchildren on their way to class. Long forgotten is the twenty or thirty odd min¬ utes spent waiting in the cold... for.now. Only the rest of the day, and perhaps the weekend occupy my mind. IT\. 'Nine Months' a painful delivery By Jim Ward Senior Staff Writer Any movie that has a Barney- like dinosaur beaten up with a baseball bat can't be all that bad. Unfortunately, it's the best scene in "Nine Months", Chris Columbus's film about a man who can't seem to commit to his pregnant girlfriend. The film, despite some good performances from the cast, can never get passed Columbus's saccharine-sweet screenplay and direction. The film never gives you the feeling that the characters have any real emotions ot thoughts about becoming parents. There is no edge or bite to the screenplay. The humor is tame and safe, designed not to offend. It's little more than a sitcom with pretty scenery. This is very ironic when you consider that the star of the film, Hugh Grant, was caught in mid- fellatio with a prostitute on Sunset Blvd., shortly before the film was released. So much for not offending the family audience. Grant plays Sam Faulkner, a San Francisco-based child psychologist who hates kids. When his longtime live-in Video girlfriend Rebecca (Julianne Moore) gets pregnant, he tries to recapture his bachelor days with his artist friend, Sean (Jeff Goldblum). Rebecca, miffed by Sam's behavior, leaves him and moves in with her best friend, Gail (Joan Cusack), her obnoxious husband, Marty (Tom Arnold), and their three beasUy kids. Meanwhile, Sam and Sean hit the San Francisco night spots, but after seeing a ultra-sound of his unborn baby, Sam realizes the error of his ways and spends the rest of the film trying to get the skeptical Rebecca back. The best scenes in the film are between Grant and Robin Williams, whofilays a flustered Russian obstetrician. Williams plays his part with his usual energy and goofy charm. He adds a much needed edge to the predictable script, but his part is little more than a cameo. Tom Arnold plays to his strength in the film. His character is a obnoxious loud-mouth, which is a perfect fit. With this film, and "True Lies", under his belt, Arnold's career may last longer than many have predicted. Grant is particularly good. with his boyish charm and debonair British accent. Cusack also rums in a funny performance as Arnold's exasperated wife. But, as hard as the cast tries they can not over come the sappy script. Penile enlargement not all it's cut up to be Commentary By Shannon Wentworth Columnist r A doctor who has per¬ formed more than 5,000 pe¬ nis enlargements has been banned from practicing medi¬ cine pending numerous mal¬ practice suits. Apparently his clients' sili¬ cone failed to kick in while browsing the Anna Nicole Smith web site. The doctor says he was get¬ ting tired of performing the expensive operation because he was only contributing to men's infatuation with their organ. In addition a recent study reported that the average size of the male penis is much lower than researchers once thought. ; The head researcher, whose penis is 5.2 inches long, discov¬ ered that the average length of the male penis is only 5*1 inches long, so many more men were feeling amply equipped. With a decrease in the aver¬ age size of the penis comes (no pun intended) a decrease in the number of men lining up for pe¬ nile enlargement (go figure). Letters to the Editor \ The Daily Collegian California State University, Fresno Keats Campus Building Mail Stop #42 Fresno, CA 93740-0042 Email: collegian@lennon.pub.csufresno.edu Daily Collegian California State University, Fresno News Editor Heather Hartman Sports Editor cl~~ijrian R. Fisher Editor in Chief Jevon C. Swanson Managing Editor Robert Bilvado Web production Jason Maggini . Copy Editor Kari L. Scon Ad Manager Paul McCauley Busing Manager David Stanley Senior StafT Writers: Matthew Hart and Jim Ward Staff Writers: Brisa Curiel, Michael Harding, Shanna Holman, Michelle Lomax, Alma Lopez, Anthony Lopez, Anthony Marino, Ana Rocha, Deborah Sanchez, Dernice Trimble Sports Writers: Casey Angle, Matt Croce, Page Devers, Patrick Houlihan, Dave Johnson, Jabari Lawrence, Troy Wagner ) - Staff Photographers:. Mohamed EI Sharif, Paul Martinez, Ryan McKee, Tommy Monreal, Moysis Nicolaou, Angelica Velazquez, Stephanie Wallace Advertising reps: Richard Nixon, Lupe Fuentes, Kismet Ragab Circulation: Hadi YazdanPanah Directory: (209)278-5732 (209)278-2486 (209)278-5733 (209)278-5731 (209)278-2679 Editor News: Sports: Advertising: FAX: The Daily Collegian is published five times a week for and by the students of Califor¬ nia State University, Fresno. Opinion:, expressed in the Collegian are not necessarily those of the entire Daily Collegian staff. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for length and clarity. To be considered for publication, letters must be typed and should not exceed 250 words. WWW: http://www.csufrcsno.edu/Collegian 9
Object Description
Title | 1996_02 The Daily Collegian February 1996 |
Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
Publication Date | 1996 |
Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
Language | eng |
Description
Title | February 21, 1996, Page 2 |
Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
Publication Date | 1996 |
Description | Daily (except weedends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif.: BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
Contributors | Associated Students of Fresno State. |
Coverage | Vol.1 no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
Language | eng |
Full-Text-Search | THE DAILY - COLLEGIAN L Wednesday, February 21,1996 Opinion Managing Editor: Robert Bilvado Telephone: (209) 278-5732 A typical day in Kochi, Japan | Former Fresno State student explains life in a foreign country Commentary By Ingemar Dahlberg Columnist I wake up most everyday at 7:20 a.m. (that's 2:20 p.m., the day before, your time). I throw off the warmth of my sheets and blan¬ ket and confront the chill of the early morning. I tiptoe across the tatami (special ornate pieces of woven thatch and straw that cover the floor of traditional Japanese rooms) mats of my front room, gently pull open a sliding, wooden screen, and make a mad dash to the mail slot of my front door. Hidden inside is the English newspaper that I subscribe to ($48 a month!). Paper in hand, I step into the bath room, and as the English put it, "I draw a bath." The bathroom is a small 7' x T affair with a 4' x 4' squarish tub pushed into the corner. There is no hot and cold faucets, only a large, 50's sci-fi-ish looking contraption connected to the tub that uses gas to heat the water. I switch on the gas valve, push in on a dial, turn slowly, and presto, a little window on the contraption goes orange, telling me that my water is heating. I Murn on the tap, and a tiny trickle of the warm water begins to trickle into the tub. In the meantime, I stumble back to the front room, lay back down, turning on a small light, and peruse my newspaper. If I'm lucky, the tub will be mostly full in 20 or 30 minutes. I throw a piece of giant, Japanese bread in my "oben" (my toaster oven), grab a glass of oranji jyushi" (orange juice) and try to stay as warm as possible. When the tub looks about right, I take a mini-mister shower head contraption out of its holster, and standing on a large plastic mat next to the tub, rinse myself off outside of the tub. The Japanese to not take baths to get clean. They take them to relax and unwind, at all tim.es of the day. My bath is a tiny one- person deal, bin rnany are communal, so it is and has been the rule that everyone must be clean before entering the bath. -\SpJafter a quick rinse, I suds up and rinse again, making sure alTthe soap is off and running down the drain in the floor. Mean¬ while, there's this irritating little Window with slats in it that are not meant to be closed (this is to prevent your bathroom from becoming overly tropical, as humidity tends to breed all manner of Godforsaken things). At seven twenty in the morning, Kochi can be very gusty, and incredibly cold! When I'm finally done (and I do think I have broken some shower speed records), I jump in the tub, fold up under the hot, soothing water, listen to a little music on the radio, and think about the day ahead. Outside, through the slats, I hear the boom-chuga-boom of the - first passing trolley of the day and the voices of schoolchildren on their way to class. Long forgotten is the twenty or thirty odd min¬ utes spent waiting in the cold... for.now. Only the rest of the day, and perhaps the weekend occupy my mind. IT\. 'Nine Months' a painful delivery By Jim Ward Senior Staff Writer Any movie that has a Barney- like dinosaur beaten up with a baseball bat can't be all that bad. Unfortunately, it's the best scene in "Nine Months", Chris Columbus's film about a man who can't seem to commit to his pregnant girlfriend. The film, despite some good performances from the cast, can never get passed Columbus's saccharine-sweet screenplay and direction. The film never gives you the feeling that the characters have any real emotions ot thoughts about becoming parents. There is no edge or bite to the screenplay. The humor is tame and safe, designed not to offend. It's little more than a sitcom with pretty scenery. This is very ironic when you consider that the star of the film, Hugh Grant, was caught in mid- fellatio with a prostitute on Sunset Blvd., shortly before the film was released. So much for not offending the family audience. Grant plays Sam Faulkner, a San Francisco-based child psychologist who hates kids. When his longtime live-in Video girlfriend Rebecca (Julianne Moore) gets pregnant, he tries to recapture his bachelor days with his artist friend, Sean (Jeff Goldblum). Rebecca, miffed by Sam's behavior, leaves him and moves in with her best friend, Gail (Joan Cusack), her obnoxious husband, Marty (Tom Arnold), and their three beasUy kids. Meanwhile, Sam and Sean hit the San Francisco night spots, but after seeing a ultra-sound of his unborn baby, Sam realizes the error of his ways and spends the rest of the film trying to get the skeptical Rebecca back. The best scenes in the film are between Grant and Robin Williams, whofilays a flustered Russian obstetrician. Williams plays his part with his usual energy and goofy charm. He adds a much needed edge to the predictable script, but his part is little more than a cameo. Tom Arnold plays to his strength in the film. His character is a obnoxious loud-mouth, which is a perfect fit. With this film, and "True Lies", under his belt, Arnold's career may last longer than many have predicted. Grant is particularly good. with his boyish charm and debonair British accent. Cusack also rums in a funny performance as Arnold's exasperated wife. But, as hard as the cast tries they can not over come the sappy script. Penile enlargement not all it's cut up to be Commentary By Shannon Wentworth Columnist r A doctor who has per¬ formed more than 5,000 pe¬ nis enlargements has been banned from practicing medi¬ cine pending numerous mal¬ practice suits. Apparently his clients' sili¬ cone failed to kick in while browsing the Anna Nicole Smith web site. The doctor says he was get¬ ting tired of performing the expensive operation because he was only contributing to men's infatuation with their organ. In addition a recent study reported that the average size of the male penis is much lower than researchers once thought. ; The head researcher, whose penis is 5.2 inches long, discov¬ ered that the average length of the male penis is only 5*1 inches long, so many more men were feeling amply equipped. With a decrease in the aver¬ age size of the penis comes (no pun intended) a decrease in the number of men lining up for pe¬ nile enlargement (go figure). Letters to the Editor \ The Daily Collegian California State University, Fresno Keats Campus Building Mail Stop #42 Fresno, CA 93740-0042 Email: collegian@lennon.pub.csufresno.edu Daily Collegian California State University, Fresno News Editor Heather Hartman Sports Editor cl~~ijrian R. Fisher Editor in Chief Jevon C. Swanson Managing Editor Robert Bilvado Web production Jason Maggini . Copy Editor Kari L. Scon Ad Manager Paul McCauley Busing Manager David Stanley Senior StafT Writers: Matthew Hart and Jim Ward Staff Writers: Brisa Curiel, Michael Harding, Shanna Holman, Michelle Lomax, Alma Lopez, Anthony Lopez, Anthony Marino, Ana Rocha, Deborah Sanchez, Dernice Trimble Sports Writers: Casey Angle, Matt Croce, Page Devers, Patrick Houlihan, Dave Johnson, Jabari Lawrence, Troy Wagner ) - Staff Photographers:. Mohamed EI Sharif, Paul Martinez, Ryan McKee, Tommy Monreal, Moysis Nicolaou, Angelica Velazquez, Stephanie Wallace Advertising reps: Richard Nixon, Lupe Fuentes, Kismet Ragab Circulation: Hadi YazdanPanah Directory: (209)278-5732 (209)278-2486 (209)278-5733 (209)278-5731 (209)278-2679 Editor News: Sports: Advertising: FAX: The Daily Collegian is published five times a week for and by the students of Califor¬ nia State University, Fresno. Opinion:, expressed in the Collegian are not necessarily those of the entire Daily Collegian staff. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for length and clarity. To be considered for publication, letters must be typed and should not exceed 250 words. WWW: http://www.csufrcsno.edu/Collegian 9 |