2cents worth comments

Gotta agree with 3rensho...no way any politician, here or elsewhere, resigns over such a gaffe. The more to it part of the story is JR....how exactly... Tired of fighting, bribe....etc....time may tell, but really, someone should be asking the question... Like the writer of the article...

The ability to provide services to peak demand (in winter on Niseko) requires geater infrastructure... the only question is who should pay for it. Year-round residents who have nothing to do with the increased demand, or facilities that cater directly to and provide services for that demand? A hotel tax seems a fairer way to generate revenue than a city-wide property tax.

Is it fun to pay an "extra" tax? Nope, but it's more fair that people who create extra stress on resources, water, power, roads, etc., pay for the extra capacity that their visits require.

It strikes me that the image above Jobs is of a black hole of an apple surrounded by stars and ostensibly sucking them in to die...

We get cool thanks to the energy it takes to vaporize sweat... wouldn't blowing (hot) air on an animal without sweat glands just make it hotter? By contrast, giving Fido a shower before a walk simulates sweat...and no need for batteries.

Really poor article........as virusrex points out, it really matters what the contaminants are...and a competent journalist would either put that in the article or say why s/he didn't.......real cliffhanger!

Also, the writer reveals that "Meanwhile, the ministry revealed the lot numbers so that concerned individuals can check whether they may have received a potentially contaminated shot ," but can't be bothered to tell us how we can find that information......lazy, lazy, lazy!

CapuchinToday 12:47 pm JST

I thought the advice was "If its brown lay down, if its black fight back"

The idea that playing dead and hoping it'll eventually leave you alone is the best course of action for brown bears and trying to scare them off works better for black bears.

That's how we were taught in Montana growing up....I've stepped in a still-warm bear pile barefoot after crossing a river; I've spooked a griz in a mountain meadow--it looked at me, I froze back, and off it went in the direction of my required back-country camping spot for the night--the inevitable critter rustlings made for a long, miserable night ; I've been rushed at night while doing the midnight-moonlight Logan Pass bike ride--I turned tail and yelled "bear" to my chums behind me...and pedaled for all I was worth knowing full well that since they were still going uphill, I was well safe...as usual it was a bluff charge and it went crashing into the night. And finally, I laughed my ass off at a young black bear trying to hide behind a birch sapling--it sidled along around the tree to keep it between us as I biked around them on a switchback--of course both sides of its body stuck out at least a foot on each side. In short, I've seen bears, but been lucky enough not to get into a confrontation.

But back to your point...you're like a mosquito to a mighty grizzly, so getting up in its face is a really bad idea...play dead and it's likely to go away once it's confirmed you're really not a threat. But the black bear has a little Napoleon complex...it has to show you who's boss and won't let up until you are well and truly dead. And then it'll go back and bite your neck again just to be sure. So, fighting is your only option...its nose is its soft spot--the only place you can hit that will hurt it enough to make it think twice about harassing further. Mind you, all bets are off with a mama, whether black or brown, if cubs are nearby.

Here in Hokkaido I've lived on the south side of Sapporo and we had sightings at a park 100 yards from my house every Spring. My wife was interviewed by the local TV station, and she told them we just stayed away when they are active--evening to early morning, so nothing to get one's panties in a twist about. Well, she didn't put it exactly like that. But as she failed to duly say how scary and dangerous bears were, they didn't put her on the evening news. And that's a shame, if we just realize we're in their territory and stay out of their way...

This use of spike used to be quite common as restaurants, offices, etc., had a literal spike on which finished orders would be spiked till the end of the day. So, obviously once something is spiked it is done. Not sure why you think this article was translated--seems well written...

A better explanation of many of the problems in places like Baltimore is the legacy of "white flight" which happened back in the 70's. Fear of dropping property values due to racial discord was whipped up by real estate agents and resulted in an exodus to the 'burbs, leaving city centers with a devastated tax base. As services like police, sanitation and education are locally funded, they all suffered. Education is particularly problematic--and has perpetuated the vicious cycle--crappy schools produce poorly educated citizens who have difficulty getting jobs...and it just goes on and on. One potential solution is funding education to a reasonable state on the federal level. It's not necessary to give every child an ipad, as happens in some school districts in the States, but at least provide the funds for a safe learning environment so everyone has a fighting chance. It's much cheaper to educate a child than incarcerate an adult.