My previous post about "30 Minutes Chase (by a black guy)" comes on the heals of the media lynching of this guy Imus. His infamous comment being "Nappy Headed Hoes."

Since I'm here in Japan, I don't have as much contact with American media. Just what's siphoned through the 'series of tubes.' But what I've heard on the various online news sources seems out of touch with reality. I know, what else is new.

People are calling his comments every shade of appalling, detestable and shocking. Has anyone listened to hip hop music recently? Nappy Headed Hoes, sounds to me like a modern version of Salt N Pepper. And you can't use the 'but that's black people using the word to describe themselves--in that context its okay' argument. What about Emenem? There are plenty of white rappers who would consider 'nappy headed hoe' to be too mild for their lyrics.

Okay, America has free speech. But that doesn't mean Imus is going to get paid to make those kinds of comments. On radio, if you say something that makes your sponsors pull out, its completely understandable that you might lose your job. And a white guy being a closet racist--I've seen plenty of those. My only gripe is how much of a distortion of reality it is calling his comments detestable. His comments were MILD by nearly any standard or context I can think of.

In the end, this whole event will be a double edged sword. Yin and Yang. The media making a big deal about this is what costs Imus his job. But I feel confident in saying that they also made Imus a household name (I'd certainly never heard of him before). There's a triangle with Power, Money and Fame at its three corners. Get enough of one, and the others will come naturally. So while this fiasco may have cost Imus his job, it's given him plenty of fame, and by extension, will eventually bring him more wealth.

People listen to the radio mostly for entertainment, spoken or musical. Isn't it a double standard for Ludacris to sing "Move Bitch, get out the way" on one station, Emenem to sing "Bitch please" on another, Holla Point to sing "I hate my baby mama" on a third, but Imus to get reamed for using nappy and hoe in the same sentence?

Well it seems that all the store bought candy from classmates can hardly compare to the love of a good Japanese wife, as is evidenced by this heart shaped Valentine's day dinner.

It's hard to see, but even the hamburg is heart shaped. Yes, that's hamburg, a Japanese take on the all American hamburger. If it's missing the "er," its missing the bun and likely has swapped our traditional condiments for things like mushrooms. Or in this case, heard shaped carrots and peppers.

Atkins? Low carb? The Japanese are way ahead of you. Just kidding, the plate not shown is full of rice.

And for those of you wondering why men don't give the women presents on Valentine's day, well, that's what White day is for!