littlebird comments

So everything at the other reactors is now hunkey-dorey and safe. All supplied with well-protected secondary and tertiary power sources (that was quick) and hazard suits and extra dosimeters, trained personnel and emergency rations... ...until the next quake, and then we find out what wasn't really ready.

Did anybody else read about the damaged pipes that were found at the Hamaoka reactor while it was being shut down. And the water in the basement there? What else will they find around the country?

I know Japan needs power badly, but I feel very uneasy at this quick approval and resumption.

@Frungy -- I see your point, but the risk in Tokai is far from "Close to zero".

Lovely idea, but recently I want my phone near me just in case of an earthquake. Probably not anything a New Yorker worries about. Nothin' like Living on the Fault Line...

When a character (usually female) goes into her apartment - at night/after hearing suspicious noises/after being stalked or something, and DOESN'T TURN ON THE LIGHTS!

When I first saw the geometric avatars show up, I thought a whole bunch of quilting fanatics had suddenly joined!

Others have said this too -- I find the page size too big (on a Mac). It feels clipped off at the left side -- prints and photos start immediately at the left, so it's hard to look at. Isn't that fixable?

Testing to see if I have an avatar now. Thanks guys for the info about how to get one...

@taj: Well said!

Serious lack of common sense on the part of an elected official.

I have to admit that concrete statues don't have as much appeal to me as stone, bronze, or wood, but that's the era we're in. And I did think the face was a bit manga-ish (yes, cute). Would like to see the whole statue, is it just a head? ]

Christian churches in the west are getting quit accepting of casual attire, it's either that or lose the young generation.

But the seated Buddha in Kamakura really can't be beat for elegance and impressivenss.

Maybe she'll get the Miss Photoshopped of the year award.

Sendai... This should probably be counted as one more death resulting from the earthquake/tsunami disaster. One more family destroyed by the stress.

There may be a valid point somewhere in this article but the logic is muddled and it is marred by bad writing.

@stevecpfc I think the reasoning behind the policy is that if the would-be suicider knows that s/he will bring distress, expense and thus "shame" down on their family's heads, it might stop the person from jumping. Very Japanese thinking.

I'm disappointed at reading some people's flippant comments. This is seriously tragic. There is a lot of elder abuse in this country, and there is a lot of dreadful lack of care of senile people. I imagine there is a long and sad story behind this little news brief. It could be a kind of almost double-suicide behavior -- the old man so desperate that he'd just as soon go to jail as have to continue to care for his wife.

Yes, it's got to be well nigh unbearable living in those evacuation shelters. Or, seeing that this happened at a hospital -- perhaps it was someone who seriously needed medication that he hadn't gotten recently. Would like to hear more. Good that the nurse was not badly injured, the last thing they need is violent attacks on volunteers.

And to think that they used to say that child abuse didn't happen in Japan... This is SO sad.

And how is this headline news?