Santa Claus Visits Tokyo Hospital for Children With Incurable Diseases

Every year at about this time, Santa Claus visits the mothers and their children who have been diagnosed with incurable diseases. In Japanese, "incurable disease" is 難病 (Nanbyou). 


The good folks at the NPO Nanbyonet (Nanbyonet.or.jp  http://www.nanbyonet.or.jp/) help Santa and his helpers to visit these wonderful children and to try to brighten their day and spend some time with them and bring them happiness and Christmas cheer.

Santa tells me that he thinks that Nanbyonet.or.jp is one of, if not thee, most reputable charities in Japan. Nanbyonet.ot.jp helps to raise funds to give these children some happiness and enjoyment in their short time on this earth and to bring people closer together.

Besides Christmas events, Nanbyonet.or.jp also arranges camping for the kids, poolside and swimming events, arts and crafts, musical events and others to create enjoyment for these wonderful little people. Nanbyonet.or.jp also arranges training and support for the parents of these special needs children. 

For more information on how you can help Nanbyonet.or.jp check their website (Nanbyonet.or.jp) or inquire here: http://www.nanbyonet.or.jp/inquiry/index.html

Today, Dec. 6, 2011 Santa Claus and his helpers got an early start and had the pleasure of going to Juntendo University Hospital in Tokyo, near Ochanomizu Station to visit several dozen children and their mothers in the hospital.


Santa brought presents to all and took pictures for the moms and the kids to keep forever.

Of course, Santa can't show you all the pictures with his friends and their mothers, but here are a few that you might enjoy...

Oops! This little girl was out at the moment so Santa left a present behind on the bed. Luckily for Santa, when he came back a little later on, the girl was waiting for him! 

In the three wards Santa visited were about 60+ kids with varying degrees of illness. In spite of that, you probably couldn't find a more positive and happy bunch of kids and their moms anywhere else in the world! Ho! Ho! Ho!

This little girl thought Santa was scary! Maybe the yelling, "Merry Christmas" loudly in the usually quiet hospital hallways was a bit much. Next year, Santa may have to tone it down a bit in front of the very little tykes! But no! Santa is sure these kids are all going to get better and I will see them next year too.... ... Happy and healthy at their homes!

All the children Santa met were wonderful and loving, special children. One little girl, her name was Miki, sang a song for Santa and, even though she couldn't see Santa very well, she asked Santa to sit next to her so she could feel Santa's beard. She even gave Santa a big Christmas hug... Not only that, she handmade the best Christmas present any Santa could ever receive. She made Santa a candy cane out of red & white pipe cleaners with a bow on it! What a beautiful present from that lovely little girl's heart. How thoughtful! Santa took it home and showed it to Mrs. Santa and promptly hung it on the Santa family Christmas tree.

Candy cane present from lovely Miki san! 

Santa will never forget, Miki san. That's a promise!

Now, every year, Santa is going to think about Miki and all the wonderful children who shared their time with him this year. Santa loves you and is praying for you all and may a miracle happen to you and may god bless you all! 

Santa and his friends and helpers from Juntendo University Hospital and Nanbyonet.or.jp

CHRISTMAS NOTE: Every day of every year, some child is struck down with a terrible disease. While medical science desperately searches for cures, there is something you and I can do to make these children's (and their parents) lives just a little bit better. We can volunteer our time or donate to a worthy cause.

Won't you consider all the good things you have and just how fortunate we really are and give some of your time or donations to a just cause?

You'll feel better about yourself. I know I do. I wish I could do more. Won't you help this Christmas season?

(Nanbyonet.or.jp) or inquire here: http://www.nanbyonet.or.jp/inquiry/index.html 
(Sorry Japanese only! Trying to convince them to make English info ASAP)

Thanks to Nanbyonet, Fukushima san, Ogisu san, Okado san, Pfizer KK Hirata san and all the great folks at Juntendo University Hospital!

The Scourge That is Much Worse than Radiation

Surely, the accident at Fukushima has uprooted many people and changed their lives forever. It is under debate how many people will have their health affected by this disaster.


This article is about another hazard that is afflicting the youth of today. This hazard, this disaster, is going on right now all over the western world; and it is going on right in front of people - and these children's parent's faces - sometimes with those parent's blessing no less! 


This scourge is a slow killer. It destroys minds and imaginations. It is draining the lifeblood out of our youth. Just go to any American city and you will see hordes of obese children who are involved in this past time and, no, I'm not talking about junk food - although that can be said much about.

Previous generation role model

This unstoppable tsunami of brain damage is destroying lives right in front of our faces yet very few are doing anything to stop it. It is a scourge that is destroying the minds of youth today.


Make no mistake about it, even though this horrible infliction is widespread, there are those in the medical community who have been ringing the alarms bells, especially those involved in the area of psychology and physiology, but their voices are rarely heard. They haven't the power to make the dangers well known or to spread the word among the vast public at large. 


The medical community hasn't the marketing or promotional money or ability to take on this giant that is ravaging the minds of today's youth. The big business behind this scourge can buy all the advertising they could possibly want or need in order to poison the minds of the children today. 


But these big companies are not the worst offenders. The worst offenders are, in fact, the parents of these children who are damaged by this now common "disease." It is because the parents actually condone this disease and allow it into their homes. 


The changes that this scourge are causing amongst the youth today can be classified as a mutation. Specifically as a Spontaneous Mutation with one small difference.


A Spontaneous Mutation is defined as:


Spontaneous mutations occur without exposure to any obvious mutagenic agent. Sometimes DNA nucleotides shift without warning to a different chemical form (know as an isomer) which in turn will form a different series of hydrogen bonds with it's partner. This leads to mistakes at the time of DNA replication.


I suppose the disease I'm talking about now cannot be classified as Spontaneous Mutation as, the definition of Spontaneous Mutation is that it will lead to mistakes in replication. Well if, "mistakes in replication" means reproduction, then this definition won't work. The youth afflicted with the problems I am talking about couldn't possibly ever reproduce as they could never get a girlfriend. They seem unable to hold even the most primitive conversations, how could they possibly get a girlfriend? And even if they did somehow manage to get a girlfriend, they could never support a family as they will be too dumb and/or brain-dead to ever hold a decent job higher than flipping hamburgers.


Great! So they become drags on society. 


See? While radiation poisoning is rare, I'm talking about a common affliction that is sending our already wasted youth off the cliff to oblivion. The worst cases of this group won't ever be able to hold a job and will always be sponging off mom and dad or wind up in a crap job or be homeless.


Because of this affliction, the victims seem to lose the ability to perform satisfactorily in a social environment. What I mean is that they have terrible social skills and cannot converse or interact with other people. This is a problem when you are a monkey in a gregarious group of monkeys, er, excuse me, I meant to say a Homo Sapien..

This disease is actually worse than excessive TV watching for the mind. Everyone knows TV is brain damage. I've written about that before in Plug in Drug Redux and Plug in Drug where I pointed out: 

The TV is actually a drug. But its dangers are even worse than anyone suspects. Married couples think, "Without a TV, my husband and I would have nothing to talk about" (I've heard this many times) but these people have it backwards. Because they have a TV, the couples don't talk about important things and make the effort at spiritual growth (no I'm not talking about religion).

Have you figured out the disease yet? It's worse than TV because TV is left at home. This brain damage is portable and carried around all the time. Let me give you some more hints:


In Japan, this summer, I was at a birthday party for my then seven-year-old son. One of the parents told me that his son was just dropped from third grade to second grade. The father was quite puzzled and upset. He later related that he thought it had something to do with having to ride the bus to school. Last year, he said, his son didn't have to ride the bus and he got good grades. Over the summer they moved and now his son has to ride the bus and his son's grades have fallen through the floor.


Hmmm? Could riding the bus be the only culprit here?


Upon further inquiry (and being suspicious of the influence of TV) I asked some more questions. It seems that his son hated riding the bus at first (but loves it now) because the father said that his son had said he had no friends on the bus because "all the other kids had a Nintendo DS." 


"Aha!" I thought. Now we're getting somewhere. The father then told me that he bought a Nintendi DS for his son and now his son likes riding the bus.


I suspect that his son likes the DS. Being on the bus gives him a place to play the DS by himself. Whereas before, the son didn't have a DS so the other kids who did didn't talk to his son. Now, the other kids don't talk to his son either, but at least he has a DS to play with.


The dad confessed he regretted buying the DS as his son now will refuse to go anywhere without the DS and the father actually admitted that he has to use the DS as a bribe to get the child to do regular chores like clean up his room, do his homework, eat dinner...


Doh! The law of unintended consequences can be a bitch!


This father is a sorry failure as a parent and this kid is headed into a world of trouble.


If you are a parent, I hope you read the above and slap yourself on the forehead too. I haven't any kind words for what this father has done to his child.


What will this kid turn out like? You know. You've seen these kids everywhere. It is these kids who "have friends" but don't talk to them. These kids sit on the train together like robots and they all play hand held games while speaking only a sparse a word to each other every few minutes. 


Talk about excellent communication and social skills these games must be teaching these children! Just like you and I and our friends when we were children (HEAVY SARCASM!)


These kids who are zombified by these hand held games are heading for a bad future. Let me tell you about one I saw last night.


He was about 15 or 16-years-old. We were at a fine restaurant and at the next table, there was a family of eight or so having a birthday dinner for what looked like the grandfather. While some of this family spent time talking with the nice old man, two of this dysfunctional family were fixated on their iPhones (a different sad story there) but at least those two people spoke to the nice old guy a few times. 


The kid with the DS? I didn't see him raise his eyes once from the DS for the entire time they were there, which was about 2 hours.


I can just see the situation at home for that family now:


Mom (Divorced): "Junior put down that game and get ready to go to grandpa's birthday dinner." (Repeat 5 or 6 times with no answer)


Junior (Not looking up, finally responds): "I'm not going!"


Argument ensues with Junior not taking his eyes off the game even once (it's safer in that world after all). Finally mom loses her temper.


Mom (Screaming and throwing dishes and breaking them): "Put that down! We've had this conversation a hundred times and I'm not saying it again!"


Junior: "OK. I'll go as long as I can take my DS."


Argument continues. But under time pressures, Mom relinquishes and the family heads out to dinner. Junior never takes his eyes off the DS. They have their typical "wonderful" dinner for their typically wonderful dysfunctional family.


Now, dear reader and parent of elementary school child. Why would you want to do this to your kid? But, if you do, Mr. or Mrs. Parent... If you do give one of these gaming devices to your kid for whatever reason, all I can say is, "Thanks!" 


In the new economy jobs will be tough and our kids will need every advantage that they can get to survive, get a good education and job and make a good living. That parents like the ones who buy DS and gaming devices for their kids are stupid enough to do this to their children makes things all that much easier for my child and parents like me. 


Thanks. After all, someone has to flip hamburgers and do manual labor. I'd prefer it be your child and not mine.    


Make no mistake about it, Fukushima might be bad, but, in the long run, these games will do a hell of a lot more damage to the minds of children than Fukushima will ever do.


You would do anything to protect your child from radiation, right? Why do you voluntarily give them something that will hinder them and hurt their progress?


Don't believe me. Ask any educator or child psychologist or pediatrician.