Kevin Ryan in Tokyo

Category: culture

  • Wassup?

    You remember the old Wassup commercials by Annheiser-Busch for Budweiser beer, right?

    Now you can see an updated version for our times, with a nice twist at the end.

  • Priorities

    This is a short clip about beer, and friends, and women. Guess which one gets the highest priority?

  • Universal Declaration of Human Rights in new format

    On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears at the United Nations site. Now you can see it in a new format that brings out the ideas more clearly.

    Get more information at the Human Rights Action Center.

  • Artistry on a computer

    Yoko, are you listening?

    Mark over on BoingBoing points us to Bob Staake’s video of creating a picture using very old software. It is the best illustration I have seen in a long time. Design is in the mind, not on the screen.

  • My father, the President

    Dad has been going on and on about his recent election to the local Golden Kiwanis volunteer club in Loveland, Colorado. Loveland is a great town, and people like Dad, taking over from people like him, have made it that way. Deliberate, safe, full of life, slow, and yet with just enough cosmopolitanism to make it purple instead of red(neck).

    He insisted on having someone sing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” because he was inaugurated on his birthday. Check out how the rabble responded. Tom Ryan for President!

    He was elected President of a club where the average age is in the mid-80’s. Dad is a spry 78. He is on the tail end of this elderly-boom in the local culture. The younger (non “golden”) regular Kiwanis are not interested in shifting and renewing. New organizations will take over, such as my brother’s Optimist Club, where he is past president. I’m guessing between the members of my family, we have at least 100 memberships, and probably 20 past-presidencies. I’m currently in charge of about 800,000 $US for our local teacher’s organization JALT as Director of Treasury. Next month I step down. Dan, Dad, Ginger, and Marie. Let’s count them up.