Month: July 2003

Bagel vs Donut

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Every Tuesday morning we get food at work- alternating bagels with cream cheese or KK donuts.
There are two diabetics working here. They noted that the bagels are “worse” than the donuts.
I decided to investigate:
Statistics from Kalahari Rusks

  Bagel Donut
Calories 330-380 250-300
Calories from Fat 10-40 70-140
Total Carbohydrates 70-76 26-38

Oh dear.

So, in summary, looks like you get a lot more fat from donuts… but a LOT more calories and carbs from a bagel.

Review: Chishingura

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Okay, maybe not really a “review” since just about everyone who is going to see this movie has already seen it- I’m talking about the 1962 version here. The one everyone has seen. What?!? You DON’T know what I’m talking about?!? Well okay…

Chishingura is a famous Japanese story about revenge and honor and is one of my favorite movies. The short summary is: the young and popular Lord Asano is hounded into attacking the slimy horrible Lord Kira, and is thus disgraced- the only way to reclaim his honor is to commit seppukku (the polite way of saying hara-kiri). In addition his house is disbanded- hundreds of people (retainers, samurai, and their families) who have lived and worked for the House Asano for generations are now homeless and in disgrace.

You know the word “ronin“? A wandering samurai without a master? Hollywood glorifies this character, but in Japan this was not a preferred thing to be. You’re basically a hobo whose only marketable skill is to fight and be loyal to a House, which you don’t have any more. Since samurai are always tied to a House for generations, and your House is gone, you basically can never get another job. Ronin were a recurring social problem for hundreds of years, since when there are large numbers of homeless men each with a permanent License To Kill it doesn’t make for a very stable society.

Anyway so now all the 100+ samurai under House Asano are ronin. In a confusing move they give up their castle WITHOUT fighting to the very last man… but then after years of lying low and becoming some seriously deep-cover spies, they all band together and systematically set about assassinating the bad guy, Lord Kira. Then they do, sacrificing every single one of their number. That’s the end. That’s it!

Did I say this was the short summary? Well it is- the movie is 3 hours and 20 minutes long. But it’s extremely Japanese. If you are not Japanese you may be initially confused by the notions of honor and the seemingly low value of human life and individual identity. But you will definitely learn something.

This movie also has a great value to Asians. Ever wonder what it’s like to be a white person? Watch this movie. So many of the characters look so similar and have exactly the same hairstyle, that about an hour into the movie even you will think everyone looks the same.

Also note this same story has been made into movie form many times, but the 1962 version is the most well known. Why does it keep coming up in movies? Because :

  • The themes of loyalty revenge are universal
  • The notion of this loyalty is very Japanese
  • Dude… it’s a samurai story
  • Dude… it REALLY HAPPENED

That’s right- this is all based on a real story that happened in the early 1700s. There are even monuments to the 47 ronin.

Anyway to summarise, Chishingura kicks ass twice and you should see it, it’s available on DVD.

The Passion

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Jeanette Winterson wrote this story of “Henri”, the cook for Napoleon who wanders around Italy after the 1812 retreat…

It took me years to discover that Henri and the girl he falls in love with are both mirroring the real life of French author Stendhal, who wrote The Red and the Black. Duh!

This book is also what led me to my fascination with the history and layout of the city of Venice.

0802135226

Trivia: “Two Bits”

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You know the phrase “Two Bits” ? For example at the end of
“Shave and a haircut- Two Bits” ? Many people know it refers to 25 cents.
But few know why an odd number like 25 cents could be two of anything.

From Collect Source:
“Because America’s First Silver Dollar was often cut into eight pie shaped “bits” in order to make change, the intact coin became known as a “Piece of Eight.” Since the entire Piece of Eight had a value of 8 Reales, each bit was valued at one eighth of the total. Two bits equaled a quarter, four bits a half dollar and six bits three quarters of a dollar. Did you ever spend two bits?—Then you were living the legacy of America’s First Silver Dollar!”

So why don’t we still cut up our coins? Well, first of all, our coins are a lot harder than currency used to be-
today’s quarter is made of nickel and copper, rather than pure silver. Cutting a quarter today requires power tools rather than a hammer and punch.

Secondly, our currency is more representational than it used to be- in the age of the real silver dollar, the metal in the dollar coin was actually worth a dollar, with the value of the US$ tied to the price of the metal. If you wanted to save a bunch of money, you would usually melt down all your savings and have it made into eating utensils or a tea service or something, which is how silversmiths like Paul Revere made their living. Nowadays the metal is worth far less than the face value of the coin, which separates the US$ from the value of gold and silver. You know how it says “In God We Trust” on all our coins? Well you better trust God because since the coin itself is worth nothing he’s all you got to back up your investment in the US Monetary system!

Also note that with the mass production of currency the production cost has to be weighed when minting coins. It costs the US Mint much less than 25 cents to make a quarter, and the difference in production cost and face value (called seigniorage) helps fund the Departmment of the Treasury. According to this Report to Congressional Committees from the United States General Accounting Office, “each quarter produced [in the 2002 minting year] generates $0.21 in profits, or seigniorage” for the Mint.