Drift Wood comments

It is very sad that anyone has to resort to self immolation to end his/other people's life. I truly believe that everyone wants to be happy but at times it just isn't easy in this society of easy finger pointing. no excuse but this is the consequence of our selfish attitude. i see more cursing of the person than any sadness that this person had not been happier. Why is it so easy to accept selfishness by ourselves in our everyday act of alienation of individuals, stepping on others, jeering and yet when such people kill themselves in a way that is not more civic minded (no different from the alienation, selfish stepping, jeering), then he gets blamed more?

I fully support this article! Population will increase or decrease because of the physical livability of the environment. There has been too much overpopulation in the city that makes people stressed, resources (land, clean air) scarce and less conducive for reproduction. The only reason for the drive for a replacement population is to have enough consumers to spur an economy to support the taxation requirement. Taxation required to repay the interests of national debt (via bonds). The bonds benefactor are bankers then individual investors. Small investors will likely pour their profits back into the economy but the rich will only be rich because they horde those 'values' (monies). So if there are less people, with less demands for employment and less demands on production and less demands on public health care (this is a long separate topic) in the long term, the state don't have to spend so much and the tax revenue need not be higher to service the debt. We need to reduce the old population by reducing the population overall! If we are so righteous and high moraled and will people to live longer, then the society has to be conducive for older population to remain active. It need not be economically like when they are young. But elderly can continue to contribute back to society in a leisurely way. Keeping healthy by engagement, connection with younger society. When they are active, they will be healthier, less demands on health care. All these have to be planned early in the mindset of the society. Japan is the ideal culture to demonstrate it will work. Love the house share. It's F.R.I.E.N.D.S silver version, Japanese version. :)

agree this is more like a business driven study. the amount of parabens and other undesirable chemicals in most moisturisers are enough to ensure the baby grow up with allergies. a new born child properly nourished and covered with proper clothing will need minimal external moisturising. if parents have to moisturise the baby, please understand the ingredients before applying them and getting hooked to a life long career for the medical industry.

Sigh... and all the money behind nuclear plant projects. Have you heard that even France that is supposed to be renowned for nuclear power technology had in the past are having problems.

I am sure someone in this audience reading, would at one time in their work, be required to make a decision based on risk or profit. Risk is one thing but the severity of the consequence can never be override by a low possibility of occurrence. Because probability changes very quickly with time. Severity of consequence of a failure is often difficult to alter just as in nuclear meltdown and leakage.

No one wants to take in the nuclear waste water.

quote London (Platts)--28Aug2013/833 am EDT/1233 GMT

The dangers presented by fires at French nuclear power stations must be "taken very seriously" after a report showed there were around 100 fire incidents at nuclear sites in 2011, Jean-Christophe Niel, managing director of national nuclear safety regulator ASN, said in an interview published Wednesday.

Earlier this month, ASN published a report which said that around 40% of the 100 fire incidents reported in 2011 at French nuclear sites -- which includes power plants as well as fuel reprocessing and research sites -- were caused by electrical faults.

"Out of the hundred fire incidents in 2011, around 10 were considered significant in terms of nuclear safety," Jean-Christophe Niel told Le Parisien newspaper in an interview.

State-controlled power firm EDF operates all 58 of France's nuclear power reactors, which typically provide around three-quarters of the nation's power. unquote

All very sad. Nuclear power has never been the solution to the energy problem. It generates clean energy at the instance and cheaply but no one is willing to face the real costs of the risks and waste (normal disposal and storage) seriously. US stores them in the Rocky mountains, Russia dumps them in shallow waters by the Beaufort sea. France? Japan? There were news of ships carrying nuclear wastes being denied passage through certain waters. Where were they heading? With the extreme weather these days are those monsters swept under the carpet really out of sight and out of mind? How can advances in education lead to this kind of self-delusional 'solutions'?

I find it's not very elegant but it's their culture so let's just accept it coz what she is showing is a more intimate, closer insight to her, like she will with close friends and families. I respect the different aspects of everyone's culture. Sumo wrestling in the typical sumo wrestling attire may be distasteful to others but many respect it as Japan's way of living and culture. I am sure there are more Japanese who are more open-minded, who are traveling the world, doing as the Romans do, when doing good deeds :). Relax and let's embrace differences as long as it does not exploit or debase another being.

God is indeed great that there has not been any tsunami hitting Aceh this time.