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Posted in: Suga insists emperor not worried about Olympics See in context

Since when has any prime minister assumed the position as an official spokesperson for the Imperial House of Japan?

In practical terms, since Tojo. Albeit Tojo was made Prime Minister at the behest of His Imperial Majesty Hirohito.

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Posted in: Is Japan's quickening vaccine drive in time for Olympics? See in context

It is NOT true that some are saying here that the Pfizer & Moderna series don’t protect against the Delta variant. According to CDC and every leading US medical authority that I see from my public health sources, yes they do!

The Delta and Kappa variants from India currently are blamed for about 20% of cases now in the US, but the people coming down with these highly-infectious Covid variants are the non-vaccinated. Google it!

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Posted in: Is Japan's quickening vaccine drive in time for Olympics? See in context

mattfuller—currently in US more than 99% of those being hospitalized and dying of Covid are those who were NOT vaccinated. There have been more than a few cases of people under 40 who were otherwise healthy and bragging “I have an immune system” who died in past 2 months.

When there are vaccines with high efficacy against a disease and very low side effects, it is plain ridiculous to avoid it. Measles outbreaks, which are highly contagious and seriously affect adults, were the last major disease caused by avoidance of that vaccine. I took the Moderna series with NO side effects, which has been far better than the normal flu shots that do give some minor side effects.

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Posted in: Britney Spears tells court she wants her life back See in context

She has a history of mental health and drug issues. If her family had not intervened, she would probably be dead by now. However her father has his own issues. If she’s “freed”, she is likely to wander back to her enabling and parasitic friends, but if she can’t control her life at her age by now, she likely never will.

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Posted in: Mother arrested after 2-year-old son confined in closet dies See in context

There was probably an ongoing pattern of abuse of this toddler, so the absence of any reports by local authorities is meaningless. Because toddlers cry out for a number of reasons at that age, neighbors might not have thought anything was unusual while abuse was occurring.

And not every Japanese household can afford proper a/c, especially when it comes to single parents. I know of some situations where this was the case and I intervened to help. One can expect being shoved into a closet on a hot summer day—with toddlers not having the ability to control their body temps like an adult—it can be disastrous for the innocent child.

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Posted in: 5 doctors found liable for child's death due to excessive drug use See in context

I worked in a US surgical ICU for nine years. I understand the Japanese collaborative methods, but it would be strange if the lead surgeon didn’t have final say-so in the administration of propofol. Surgeons have over-arching control of their patients until they leave ICU.

Anesthesiologists are consulted, but surgeons are considered to be the most knowledgeable and experienced physicians in an ICU setting. There is more to this story and it appears the anesthesiologists, the lowest in the MD hierarchy, may be taking a disproportionate share of the blame. The lead surgeon(s) are ultimately responsible for the patient, unless others did things without their consent.

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Posted in: U.S. soccer stars tell story of fight for equal pay in new film 'LFG' See in context

This article does not mention that lawyers for US Women have already filed with US Court of Appeals to throw out the lower court decision, so the case for equal pay goes on. US Soccer did finally agree to provide similar accommodations, transport, etc. last December, settling that part of the lawsuit.

They do not argue that men get greater pay in their pro leagues, just when they all put on US Team uniforms, they should be paid equally. Watching US Women beat China or Japan in a championship match is far more exciting than watching US Men beat Costa Rica or Antigua in a lame regional qualifying match. Especially since the US Men don’t always qualify for World competitions as it is.

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Posted in: U.S. soccer stars tell story of fight for equal pay in new film 'LFG' See in context

US Men, who have rarely even got out of their Group matches in World and Olympic competitions, get better accommodations, transport, and amenities, besides far higher pay. Yet they have produced NOTHING on the world stage except embarrassment.

The US Women have won championship after championship at the World level for decades, bringing fame and income to US Soccer. The women initially asked for higher pay and incentives, but were rebuffed every time by US Soccer cronies.

Good for them that the old white men who ran US Soccer were overruled by American courts & US public opinion!

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Posted in: Bear shot dead after rampaging through Sapporo See in context

I lived in Alaska for years, where we encountered bears on a regular basis. If you encountered a grizzly or large brown bear angered by your trespassing in their territory, that could be the end of you even if you shot at it point blank. But black bears will share a territory with humans, and run away when given the opportunity.

I now live in a National Forest here in California that is overrun with black bears. Black bears will poke around the periphery of communities looking for trash. Only mother bears get upset—when cubs are with them. We simply coexist, and I have never seen a “rampaging” black bear in over 20 years of living in a mountain community.

All bears are carrion eaters and will not hesitate to eat a diseased animal. Squirrels, foxes, and wild dogs commonly contract and die of rabies in the wilds. There is a high likelihood this black bear had rabies and there was no chance of treating or sedating a rabid bear. Once they are rabid, they become irrational and attack anything that moves. Black bears do not normally engage humans in this way. There was something wrong with this bear, and it is fortunate no child was harmed.

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Posted in: Actor Riz Ahmed leads bid to change way Muslims seen in movies See in context

Attila—About 1% of those residing in the United States claim the Islamic faith, according to a 2017 study. Nowhere near 10%...

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Posted in: Man arrested for abusing girlfriend’s 1-year-old son See in context

Subdural hematoma in a toddler’s brain can be extremely serious. There could potentially be paralysis or even a long-term coma in the offing. Regardless of the prognosis, this is a horrible outcome for an innocent child just coming into the world.

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Posted in: Main Tokyo vaccination center to offer shots to younger people See in context

Wick’s—HCQ didn’t even work for its promoters like Trump or Bolsonaro. And has been panned for its lack of effect by scientists in numerous countries. And HCQ has been shown to be cardiotoxic, yet some won’t believe that and then immediately grasp onto the one in a million negative reactions to the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines. Hypocrisy at its best.

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Posted in: China defends cultural links with Japan amid online nationalist fury See in context

In recent (pre-Covid) travels to rural areas outside of Beijing, I sensed that most people were not political and were just trying to live their lives. They used the internet mainly for buying things, not commentary. They were friendly to foreigners.

Cultural exchanges between China & Japan should continue, as there is no sense in returning to the chilliness of the 1950s-1960s.

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Posted in: First responders get vaccinated at former Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo See in context

First responders in Tokyo, epicenter of the pandemic in Japan, STILL waiting to get their first Covid shot? Oh right, I guess politicians and their families needed to come first.

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Posted in: 3 girls killed, 1 badly injured in California hit-and-run See in context

FYI, the area along this road is a completely flat and featureless desert landscape with no trees or shrubs. If you are driving there at night with proper headlights, you can easily see people alongside the road. Unfortunately a lot of people there drive too fast.

Add impairment to that and eventually someone gets killed. The level of injuries these poor girls suffered would indicate the pickup was being driven at a high rate of speed. Vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run, along with some special circumstance charges await these perpetrators when they are caught by SoCal law enforcement.

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Posted in: 3 girls killed, 1 badly injured in California hit-and-run See in context

This was in a remote desert community not so far from where I live, on an even more remote, but well-maintained road that is sparsely populated. The kids, 4 beautiful girls, were legally walking along the shoulder on a warm summer night.

Having been on that road, I know there would have been plenty of room for any vehicle to see the girls in time—IF they were not speeding, as well as get by them by just staying in their lane—Unless the driver was impaired (drunk), which is likely in this case. DUIs are a major problem in that area.

If they were driving on that remote road at night, the perpetrators likely lived in that small community. Some locals feel they were drug cartel types who were working a hidden pot farm. If so, they are back in Mexico by now.

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Posted in: Hikaru Utada’s haunting new music video for 'Pink Blood' released See in context

Have to agree with Strangerland. American producers, especially in hip-hop, just try to transform Japanese singers into their standard production formulas. Never works—Take Mai Kuraki, who was a rival of Utada back in the day, as an example. Bombed in the US, but seven No.1 albums in Japan.

US producers just don’t seem to appreciate Japanese sensibilities when it comes to pop music. However, Japanese producers & artists do take ideas from many US-based artists and are able to successfully add it to their own work.

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Posted in: Man arrested after pushing over woman and her 2 children on bicycle See in context

Sorry, but I’ll take looking out for mamacharis over negotiating the streets of North London any day. I have been almost wiped out and run down by college students & delivery guys with an attitude swooping and skipping thru crowds of people on London sidewalks that don’t have a bike lane.

I can also relate some near crash experiences while living in the Netherlands, although riders there are far more skilled in how they move along sidewalks. I suspect each of these nations and localities have laws governing the use of bikes on sidewalks, which their citizens ignore.

Japan is not alone in contending with bicycles on sidewalks and I’ll admit that while living in Kyoto I used to do what many locals did and frequently ride the sidewalks. Pedestrian frustration doesn’t justify in any sense putting the lives of toddlers at risk by reacting violently. For those that for some reason want to play ACLU and defend this guy, you should set up a GoFindMe page for him.

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Posted in: French magistrates question Ghosn in Beirut See in context

If Ghosn was completely innocent, he would not have run off to a corrupt nation-state like Lebanon where he can hide from any negative legal proceedings. Whether or not he is guilty of taking financial advantage of his position as CEO, it can never be adjudicated in a place like Lebanon. I thought he arrogantly crossed the line with his self-dealing “perks” as CEO in a publicly-held corporation, but so have many other CEOs in other times.

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Posted in: Scioscia says U.S. Olympic baseball roster fluid, changes with call-ups See in context

USA might get into the final qualifying rounds but roster looks like they are scraping the barrel for talent—about the same as nabbing fringe players from the Independent leagues. It will especially show up in the pitching and with the older hitters who no longer have the reflexes to catch up to high 90sMPH pitches.

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Posted in: Cashboxes containing ¥42 mil, 10 expensive watches stolen from hotel room See in context

Detectives may be asking the same questions posed on this thread. Mr. Financier also may have revealed too much while out drinking. Chuo-ku is the primary financial center within Osaka, but also has many entertainment venues, and Osaka’s crime rate is higher compared to other Japanese urban areas.

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Posted in: 3 dead after Japanese fishing boat collides with Russian ship See in context

The question is was the fishing vessel taking a chance in a designated shipping lane? Or was the Russian vessel aware of its responsibilities in making local fishing vessels were actively aware of its presence in heavy fog?

US Navy ships have collided with maritime vessels in the past decade, so either the technology is falling short and/or human error is the cause.

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Posted in: World's worst pandemic leaders: 5 who badly mishandled COVID-19 See in context

The Covid crisis in Mexico is shocking and definitely underreported in the US. As for Trump dealing effectively with the US Covid crisis, how quickly memories of his incompetence fade. He deserved to be on this list as much as Bolsonaro. Both disregarded the seriousness of the pandemic and then directly impeded their health agencies

Trump initially blocked Chinese citizens from visiting the US at the start of the crisis, but did little to monitor or detain tens of thousands of US citizens & residents returning from the Wuhan area who were already infected with Covid. His bragging that he stopped Covid at our borders from China was thus a false narrative.

Trump disregarded & even mocked urgent pleas from New York and other states last Spring as Covid hit the East Coast hard. State-level requests for release of ventilators & protective equipment from federal stockpiles went unanswered for many weeks, costing the lives of numerous healthcare workers in New York who had to re-use week-old face masks. It eventually forced states to acquire their own sources of ventilators & protective gear at higher costs—since the Trump Administration refused to get involved until much later.

Trump and his Administration deliberately interfered with federal agencies such as the CDC by trying to manipulate the weekly morbidity and mortality reports for COVID-19. His Administration wasted public funds and misdirected resources by ordering millions of doses of HCQ based on Trump’s quack endorsement of HCQ. Medical experts did not support his views and were proven correct. Meanwhile, he influenced many to rely on a worthless drug based on his own support, to the detriment of many patients.

Trump conducted numerous press conferences where he and his staff personally disdained the use of face masks by their own examples. This resulted in documented super spreader situations both inside the White House, in the Rose Garden, and at speaking (campaign) events away from DC. At his farcical press conferences, Trump continued to minimize the impact of Covid and proposed ridiculous solutions such as the use of disinfectants internally.

Operation Warp Speed was heavily promoted late last year, but turned out to be a failure from the onset. Distribution of vaccines to critical areas around the US were held up due to transportation difficulties and federal warehouse issues. The planned distribution network failed to deliver enough vaccines to many states, forcing a strict rationing until the Biden Administration took over. Trump’s own officials publicly admitted vaccine distribution was “slower than they anticipated.”

Trump failed in almost every aspect of this pandemic, period.

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Posted in: Osaka hospitals buckle under COVID-19 onslaught See in context

Regarding ivermectin, which Internet “medical experts” round the world and here are boosting without real evidence: Results from the largest randomized clinical trial to date were released in March 2021. NO impact on patients treated with Ivermectin was found for even milder forms of Covid disease.

Bottom line: Ivermectin did not shorten the course of Covid disease as measured by reducing the symptoms of Covid or shortening the course of the disease. However if you have Roundworms, I’m sure you’ll be pleased after using Ivermectin.

Metformin, an oral medication for Diabetes, is one of a number of medications now being studied for possible benefits in reducing Covid symptoms.

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Posted in: Man pretending to be eyewitness to bag snatching incident arrested See in context

A broken pelvis or hip at 71 years can take a long time to heal, not to mention being very painful. Mobility will also be difficult for long awhile and likely require rehabilitation.

I hope the seriousness of her injury is considered during this thug’s sentencing. She could have died if she had hit her head or broken her neck while being knocked down the steps. It’s no laughing matter to her family.

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Posted in: PGA apologizes to Mickelson, Koepka for fans on final hole See in context

Reminds me of some of the overly-aggressive crowds that used to be seen at summer PGA events when placed at Midwest public courses. Also interesting to see that Covid has apparently been conquered in South Carolina (sarcasm). Unmasked fans standing shoulder-to-shoulder were the norm on Day 4.

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Posted in: 14-year-old boy arrested for attempted murder of father See in context

Smiths Japan, 14-years-old would seem to be a bit young for being either hikkomori or in a position to contribute to the household income. Are you somehow surmising that he was finished with his school obligations at age 14?

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Posted in: Man arrested for kidnapping 14-year-old girl after meeting her on social media See in context

Trapped—as a former secondary school teacher, I empathize with your status as a teen parent. Yet the personal freedoms of a minor take a backseat to what local and regional laws allow minors to do. That includes curfews, interactions with adult strangers online or in person, etc. (Whether police choose to enforce those laws is another matter.).

If personal freedoms take precedent, then at least they should be aware of what is waiting for them out there by sharing these kind of real life situations. I know that in many cases, they need to hear it from someone other than their parents.

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Posted in: Former Nissan executive Kelly denies helping Ghosn hide earnings See in context

Lebanon is considered one of the most corrupt nations on the planet by most objective measures. It is a nation controlled by various factions, so Ghosn is likely protected from Hizbollah by one of the “Christian” militant/mafia factions. He has deep roots in Lebanon so one can imagine he’s “at home” and very comfortable living there. In fact, according to a number of recent articles, Ghosn is apparently helping to “save” that nation’s economy, so he is quite occupied with his new “project.”

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Posted in: Man arrested for kidnapping 14-year-old girl after meeting her on social media See in context

”Was she not there at her own volition?” Irrelevant question since she is a 14-year-old minor who left home without parental consent. The “temporary help” post is absurd and troubling—trying to characterize kidnapping a minor as somehow “helpful” and legal is wishful thinking at best.

Seems like some folks are trying to project dark fantasies, instead of acknowledging reality and what is lawful regarding minors.

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