badman comments

Posted in: Australia told to shoot kangaroos before they starve See in context

There was an exotic butcher shop near Takadanababa Station when I lived in Tokyo. He sold Roo meat and we tried it as burgers and meatballs. It was pretty good. I added egg to give it some umami and fat/moisture.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: 4 unacquainted teens investigated over Tokyo Rolex store robbery See in context

Maybe…;

(but it wouldn’t be the first time in history that a group of strangers decides to plan and execute a heist).

Indeed, but once they meet to make a plan, then they are acquainted. It's poor English and probably should have said "previously unacquainted."

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Superhero fatigue? Not for third 'Guardians' film See in context

I generally I only go to the movie theater 3-4 times a year. Took my wife and son to see it last night. It did not disappoint. A well done, if not a bit sentimental and sad, framed within another action packed film in this series.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Cool Biz campaign begins across Japan See in context

One of the reasons I left Japan was the ridiculous lack of air conditioning and requirements to wear shirt/tie at some places despite the cool biz propaganda campaign. From the end of Spring until it got cold in late Oct/Nov, I spent most days with a drenched undershirt which gave me skin issues. Here in the US, many corporations have relaxed standards so much that people who do not face clients may wear shorts to work, but chinos and short sleeved polo shirts are the norm.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Woman who ran in local election arrested for Twitter threat to spray sarin at train station See in context

Do any other countries describe criminals by their employment status?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Florida Gov DeSantis praises Japan's defense build-up See in context

RKL-The GOP are trying to block aid to Ukraine because so many have jumped on the Putin train when Trump did and they are having the same issue deciding their platform on China/Taiwan because the new Neo-con culture war outrage branch of the GOP are strict isolationists and oppose getting involved in any conflict.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Posted in: Florida Gov DeSantis praises Japan's defense build-up See in context

As a resident of Tampa FL, I can honestly say I'm not sure who is worse he or Trump. I'd lean Trump for all the laws that it appears he has broken, but policy wise DeSantis might be worse. He has embraced the scorched Earth political strategy and continuously uses government resources to abuse his detractors.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Posted in: Australia tells exporters to diversify from top trade partner China See in context

It amuses me reading some people's comments on trade. It is not a zero sum game. If any country sells less to another country, then some other country will step in to fill the void and that, in turn, opens other markets. Every country in the world deals with these issues. You want to avoid giving too much business to one country, thus giving them an economic and diplomatic advantage over you. Australia chose ease of greed over pragmatism and now they need to figure out how to unwind it a bit in order to get the gimp mask and choke collar off.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan Penis Festival shrine distances itself from penis mascot See in context

They didn't have to be such d**ks! about the costume! ;)

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Pizza Hut adds a 'too much coriander' pizza to its lineup in Japan See in context

I can never have enough cilantro and feel the same about arugula. We always have it fresh from the garden and use at least one, if not both, daily. I make a white sauce seafood pizza and top it after cooking with both fresh like this and it is a big hit.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Do you think Japan has apologized enough for its colonial past concerning South Korea? See in context

Absolutism bad. Nuance good. This is not answerable as a yes or no question. Nationlists will say yes because there have been numerous apologies with varying degrees of empathy. Those who would disagree would argue that it is the inconsistencies in messaging from all corners of the Japanese government. Every time there is an apology, there is someone else countering that good will with anti-Korean rhetoric. I suspect that the neocons like keeping the other Asian countries angry, so they are happy to stoke the flames with their rhetoric and there will not likely soon be an end to the conflict.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: 2-year-old twins fall to their death from 7th floor apartment See in context

So sad. It's not terribly difficult to secure your premises. Without any evidence to the contrary, this would seem neglectful at a minimum.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Police officer arrested for filming up woman’s dress See in context

Having lived in Tokyo, I witnessed first hand the unusually high amount of sexual deviancy and fetishism in Japanese(mostly, but not exclusively) culture. Since I have a background in mental health counseling and even counseled sexual predators in the US, I have contemplated why this may be occurring at what seem higher rates than otherwise similar cohorts. First, I will say my observations are anecdotal, as I haven't seen any data to see if the incidence is higher in Japan. My dime store analysis tends to lean toward how Japanese culture forces Japanese men to avoid emoting. Constantly suppressing emotion over long periods of time is known to manifest itself with anti-social behaviors. On the bright side, I might add, in more violent countries like the US, we might be talking about sexual assault/rape or gun violence as the deviancy, so if you are looking for a bright side, clearly this abhorrent behavior, but it could be worse.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Posted in: 70% of Japan flight attendants report photos taken of them secretly See in context

Confident that the same is not occuring with Delta or American Airlines. I am struggling to think of why that might be the case.

If you are a seasoned international traveler from the states, then I understand your implication and cannot disagree.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Posted in: 70% of Japan flight attendants report photos taken of them secretly See in context

It is genuinely hard to believe that 54% of flight attendants inside Japan have encountered people deliberately not wearing a mask. 

I was in Japan last summer for about 6 weeks and traveled all over the country. It wasn't prevalent, but everywhere I went there were a few white western folk going maskless. Not that many, but a few every day on trains and planes.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Dairy farmer shoots man in head with air gun while attempting to exterminate crows See in context

I bought my father in law a slingshot with some ball bearings to use on the golf course because the crows kept stealing his golf balls. He said after nearly a year of mixed success the crows recognize him and leave his balls alone.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Posted in: Do you know anyone who joined a cult and if so, what happened to them? See in context

I know many people who joined the MAGA cult. It warped their brains, made them forsake their long held principles and lost most of their friends and family.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Posted in: Court rules in favor of French man's wife over child custody rights See in context

In the west it is the mother that usually gets custody of the children unless there is a history of child abuse. But at the same time, father usually has visiting rights and a right to make decisions on their upbringing, which is not the case in Japan.

Not in the US. That’s an old way of thinking that is no longer the case. Joint custody is the norm now, with parents getting equal time and if they don’t live near each other, then one parent gets custody during school time and the other parent gets every holiday and long weekend to even the time out as much as possible. This makes “school custody” less appealing.

It is true that more mothers are awarded custody but they ask for it nearly 3x more than fathers do. In cases where both parents ask for custody and no abuse is proven, men get custody most of the time. As a professional statistical/financial analyst, I can tell you that you need to dig into the statistics before making definitive conclusions.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Airlines blast EU plan to expand emissions rule for flights See in context

Opinions without facts supporting a logical assertion belong on toilet paper.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Posted in: Airlines blast EU plan to expand emissions rule for flights See in context

Algernon LaCroix-carbon credits is an innovative way to democratize and incentivize better climate choices. Companies that take direct positive action are rewarded and companies that don't/can't are forced to pay the market rate or true cost which reduces the harm to the environment without direct/specific governmental mandates.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Posted in: Airlines blast EU plan to expand emissions rule for flights See in context

The environmental threat of climate change, which is exacerbated by fossil fuel consumption, is something that has been ignored and even subsidized for far too long. Failing to take action earlier puts us in position to take much more drastic action later. I will likely be gone before it gets too bad, but I'm willing to sacrifice in order to leave the Earth in better condition for our descendants.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Survey suggests about half of Japanese companies has an 'old guy who does nothing' See in context

I used to do business training/coaching for large multi-national companies. we were taking a break and I noticed something odd going on in their theater. There were about a half dozen young women standing both in the aisles and up on the stage. They were wearing microphones and giving orders to a relatively large (15-20?) middle aged men. One at time, each man was ushered from his seat, up the stairs to the center of the stage where he was instructed to bow to the young woman. The men looked despondent as each gave a very deep bow, before returning to their seat, waiting to be called again in a few minutes.

I had never seen anything like this and thought it to be extraordinary, so I asked my HR liaison what was going on. He explained that these employees were deemed to be no longer necessary, but it would bring shame to the company to fire them. Bowing practice was the passive aggressive (my embellishment) to signal to them that they were no longer wanted. He told me this was their full-time job and many had been doing this all day for months, but the company expects them to give up hope and quit at some point. All I could do was shake my head and think only in Japan.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan to ask foreign tourists to wear masks, take out COVID insurance See in context

I'm flying in next week from the US and I will do as I do here. Wear a mask in crowded areas whether indoors or even some outdoor areas. I was 49 and very fit when I caught COVID and it nearly killed me. I missed 3 months of work and had long COVID symptoms for more than a year, so I take every precaution to protect myself and others, even the ignorant myopic ones who don't seem to give an ish about anyone else and put their "comfort" above everything.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Posted in: Boxing champ Inoue's home burgled during fight See in context

This happens not infrequently to famous people in the US. Criminals are clever. If they know you are somewhere else then your place is more likely to be empty of people, thus making it easier to steal your stuff.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Actor McConaughey, at White House, calls for gun legislation See in context

I would argue it is not primarily the American populace that makes this happen, it is the legalized bribery that is inherent in our politics. Most Americans (about 75%+) want gun reform including ban on assault weapons. Most probably don't know this, but only about 25% of Americans even own a gun and of those 3% own about 50% or 133 million guns. They are called super gun owners and they own between 10-140 guns. So this gun issue is being fought by very few citizens, but is spearheaded by the gun manufacturers, NRA and gun lobby which are able to funnel $100's of millions into campaign donations. These legalized bribes and fear mongering keep the mush brained GOP voters willing to acquiesce.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Actor McConaughey, at White House, calls for gun legislation See in context

thefu-You can choose to be willfully ignorant or you can take 3 minutes to Google before you post. When America banned assault style rifles from 94-04 mass shootings dropped by 37% and as soon as the ban expired they have now increased 183%. Do you need anymore proof? https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/press/dem/releases/studies-gun-massacre-deaths-dropped-during-assault-weapons-ban-increased-after-expiration

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Posted in: Yen sinks to 20-year low against dollar See in context

This dollar/yen trade has really ingratiated me with my J FiL. Last April, I convince him to send me US$100k at JPY108. I put it in a money market where it has earned about 1%, but with dollar appreciation he's up another 20%. We're headed to Tokyo next week with US$20k he couldn't be happier. I still can't convince him to invest in crypto, but we convinced my MiL to open a crypto account while we are there. 75 years old and still open-minded. Amazing!

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Posted in: Drug culture, familiar to past generations, staging a comeback among the young in Japan See in context

I started smoking pot when I was 16(yes, too young) and did just about everything except opiates. I had a great youth and enjoyed experiences with my friends that I will never forget. Never had any issues and am a successful professional and business owner. Fast forward to a serious back injury, so had to take opiate painkillers for 6 weeks while waiting for my surgery. I knew I was going to be addicted after 2 months of use and I had two weeks of intense withdrawals that would have been much more difficult had I not been mentally prepared for them. I was an occasional partier when I lived in Japan, but quit for about 10 years when I returned to the US, though now I have found edibles great for improving my sleep. Long story, but my point is that all drugs are not created equal. THC should be legal and opiates highly regulated but readily available for those in pain.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Sapporo rejects referendum over bidding for 2030 Winter Olympics See in context

They could have an Olympic charter than limits public financial exposure and requires a public/private partnership to finance the games.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan-born American files suit against Japan's dual nationality ban See in context

David Miller-You are correct. I had been returning to Japan to renew mine, but lost it when COVID shut me out. I am coming back to Japan next week for the first time since 2019 and I traveling on a tourist visa, with a spouse exception. Interestingly, my son, who is a dual national, but whose passport expired during COVID, was refused a tourist VISA for his US passport and we were forced to renew his Japanese passport before traveling. And like much in Japan, they made it as difficult as possible. You cannot renew a Japanese passport by mail and have to travel in person to the embassy/consulate to pick it up. So plane tickets for the family, a hotel room, show up for the appointment that took less than 5 minutes just because they refuse to use couriers like every other G20 nation.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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