Laguna comments

60 is not old. I'm 59 and some still stop to ask me for directions (until they notice that I'm not Japanese - but as they hear my precise delivery, they slaver thanks - runners know how to get places).

A lower 5 is nothing to sneeze at. Secure your breakables, leave your bathtub filled (you'll miss the ability to flush your toilet), get a konro with lots of fuel, and canned goods to last a week (gas will be out at least that long), and make sure you have a designated place to meet your loved ones. Lessons learned in Kumamoto.

It's not the calories, it's where they come from. Humans survived on a diet rich in vegetables and moderate amounts of meat and fish for 200,000 years until the last hundred. When planning your menu, think of what people ate five hundred years ago and aim for that.

Glad that my kids were already grown before smart phones appeared - what a dilemma for parents! A friend brought her toddler over recently - just over two years old and already crying for the phone. It is an addiction and should be taken as seriously as addiction to gambling or drugs - except that it begins at such a younger age.

East Germany was envied throughout the Soviet block for its relatively high standard of living - yet even German unification was high standard of living - yet even German unification was an arduous endeavor. The Koreas pose a dilemma of many magnitudes greater complexity. All I can envision is "unification" in name but travel, voting, and residency restrictions remaining in place for at least a generation.

Having run lotsa marathons, I call it apt: finishing is fun, but one's body is in excruciating pain, so overall: kinda funish.

"Spring comes early"?! Down here in Kyushu, we never had a winter. Mild spring-like weather throughout.

Makes me a bit worried about typhoon season.

Real excited 'bout these games. Paris seems to have prepared swimmingly and has marvelous plans.

My hometown is known as "Tehrangeles," there are so many Persians (as most prefer to be called) living there. Wonderful people with a cradle-of-civilization culture. The US and Iran could be natural allies, something that would benefit both sides and the entire world. Two bad about the hard-liners on both sides.

Presidents seldom have an effect on the economy, but Biden certainly has. With his onshoring initiatives and green spending, he's creating jobs now and placing America better able to handle problems of the future. As for age: the presidency is not an athletic competition. Biden, with his decades of experience in the Senate and as vice president under Obama, is uniquely qualified both to identify priorities and to achieve concrete actions towards them. I look forward to the next four years.

For an island nation, Japanese at large, I've found, are quite poor swimmers. Tragic about the two teens, but if you bring a large group of teenagers to a lake, what can you expect?

The seabed off of most advanced countries has been used forever as a dumping ground. My hometown of Los Angeles is covered not only with chemicals but actual live munitions from the '40s, '50s and '60s, when they realized pee-peeing where you get your fish sticks from is not a good idea. Fukushima is but a drop in the bucket, and even the most vociferous now will soon forget. In the meantime, I do hope to find some Fukushima seafood bargains at the market.

In terms of raw numbers, Democrats outnumber Repubs in the States. Add to that the number of Repubs who will write in anyone but Trump or simply not vote and Biden has that matchup sewn up.

Keep cutting back on weapons and peace will come sooner.

Thuban, have you been paying attention to recent history? If so, you'll notice a pattern to Putin's madness: if he can take an inch, he'll take a mile. If he's allowed any semblance of success in Ukraine, he'll rebuild his defenses be back for more, perhaps there or in Poland or the Baltic States, which were once also part of the Russian Empire.

Total defeat is the only way to stop this madman. And do not let up on the sanctions even after fighting ends until Putin makes good in cash on the rebuilding of Ukraine and the return of hostages, including kidnapped children.

Increased shipping costs are a main cause of global inflation. In addition to the Red Sea piracy problem, the Panama Canal is facing lower water levels following a severe drought, halving its capacity. Many ships are taking the Horn or the Cape, increasing time and cost.

Given that the man is unemployed, perhaps he was selling them online. Some find a particular kink in the thrill of voyeurism.

China(s conniptions have led to much on-shoring and near-shoring in the US, with Mexico a primary beneficiary of the latter. American producers and consumers have realized China just isn't worth the diminishing savings. China's demographics don't help either. And once the switch is made, it is likely to be permanent.

They don't just repaint the tower; they swap out weakened bits. The Paris Olympics will feature medals with pieces of the tower embedded in the center. They are absolutely beautiful and have much meaning. https://www.paris2024.org/en/the-games-medals/

Each occurrence of Putin angering Russian mothers is another shovelful of his own grave he is digging.

I don't blame Trump. Of COURSE he's gonna be Trump.

I blame certain Christians who continue to fall for his blatantly hypocritical, nonsensical, dangerous rhetoric.

There's no point to the bloodshed, it's time for a negotiated peace.

After another two or three years, a negotiated peace may be required.

Russia, however, is like the dog that caught the car. For a sliver of Ukrainian territory, they face never-ending sanctions and ostracism from international society that will permanently retard their economy and social development. It's back to Soviet times for the average Russian. Look for the brain drain to worsen.

Ah. So it's me in the morning before coffee. Not the best time if accuracy and coherence are desired.

Hmm. Apparently "Guochao" is written 国潮. More about the interesting phenomenon can be read here:

https://jingdaily.com/posts/why-guochao-is-so-important-to-chinas-cultural-consumers

Putin is skating on thin ice. He cannot afford - no Russian leader could ever afford - to alienate the mothers of Russians. This has brought down many a Russian regime. Combine the murder of Navalny with the meat grinder Putin is sending Russian youth into in Ukraine, and there are ample reasons for matriarchal discontent.

Assange  has suffered enough. Biden should pardon him to ensure he suffers no more.

Considering that the replacement fertility rate is 2.1 births per female for most developed countries but can be as high as 3.5 in undeveloped countries due to higher mortality rates, between 2 and 3 seems like a rational number. One seems a bit unfair to the child. I have 2, both now in their late 20s, and they are still quite close.

Craven conniving coward.

I lived in Taiwan for a few years in the '80s, back when the elderly still spoke mainly Japanese. Taiwanese memories of the Japanese occupation tend to be somewhat positive - there really was no war and little persecution, and the occupiers brought in much development to what hitherto had been an ignored backwater. That is one reason why relations are so tight today.

Also how much if the cash will simply be eaten by the rampant corruption in Ukraine?

You don't seem to understand how the system works (and also are exaggerating corruption in Ukraine). Japan would not simply hand over cash. Instead, Japan would identify an issue - say, this row of apartment buildings are missing their facade on one side and must be repaired - allow Japanese companies to bid on the project. The Japanese company would then be paid by the Japanese government. No cash would go to Kiev. It's the same way military aid is delivered: though measured in dollars, it is delivered in kind.

No country has ever been kicked out of NATO, and doing so to Hungary would likely be unwise. That doesn't mean Orban can't be shunned, though. He is, and the shunning will only get worse as time passes.

China is completing its encirclement and domination of Russia. When the time comes and China seizes land it lost to the Czar during the Qing dynasty, Russia will be powerless to respond.