Posted in: FIFA plays God with winter World Cup talk See in context
Qatar should just cough up a little more money and buy the World Cup title. We all know FIFA would obviously go for it. Then we can all forget about the idea of moving the World Cup that year.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Berry fruit mix juice See in context
I can't deny there isn't any preservatives, not having seen the product. But I imagine pasteurization probably being one of the main factors of the shelf life. While drinking fruit juice is better than a lot of other drinks. Relying on fruit juice for health reasons won't get you very far. Eating the actual fruit is where the health benefits actually lie. Not the best analogy, but it's like saying licking a carrot will make you healthier instead of actually eating the carrot.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Android worker See in context
You get the Japanese populace used to the idea of robots. Then later you simply throw foreigners in those stiff costumes to make them look like robots. Clearly the Japanese way of taking care of the xenophobia problem. If the foreigners can't speak Japanese very well, you simply blame it on a software problem.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Zazen: There’s never been a better time to try a spot of meditation See in context
It all depends on your mindset and what you're looking for. Zen can be much more philosophical than religious. But that doesn't mean it can't be rather religious as well. A lot of western Zen seems to focus more on the philosophical aspect of it. As far as the comments on yoga, it can have the same 'fancy quasi religious talk' as well. It depends on what form of yoga you get into and how you approach it as well. Yoga is a part of Hinduism so it has it's religious aspects as well. But a lot of yoga that people come across now tends to have a lot of the more religious aspects watered down. Unless you live in India. By the way I practice and appreciate both.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: U.S. struggles with image in Pakistan See in context
Pakistan was formed as a result of religious bigotry in India. A friend of mine was a girl in India at the time and she recalls being at a station when a train full of Muslims fleeing to Pakistan arrived... the doors opened and every single man, woman and child had been slaughtered by Hindu extremists. It was genocide on a par with what happened to the Jews in Nazi Germany, but you don't see any genocide museums or sympathy for the Muslims, and they don't ask for any.
Yeah but look further back and you'll find that Muslims killed many Hindus when Islam first came into India as well. I'm not justifying what happened to your friend. But I also think you have to judge the whole event rather than the small part you mention.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: E-reading: Revolution in the making or fading fad? See in context
Didn't we go through all of this when we went to digital music? Some people insisted they had to have the cds physically in their hands. Just like I like having an iPod because now I don't have to worry about having a bunch of cds sitting around taking up space. The same with books. I'll still occasionally buy some books. But I also look forward to having the option to buy it digitally and not having to store more books. Sure things can go wrong with a digital copy, but books aren't indestructible either. A little water can ruin a book and of course a fire. Digital files can become corrupted, but that's why I make back-ups. Haven't had a problem yet.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: N Korea calls for Japanese apology, reparations for colonial rule See in context
North Korea didn't get an apology because it's not really a country. I would call it a hostage situation at a three ring circus. Kim Jong-il is holding 24Mil people at gunpoint saying watch and see what crazy stunt I pull next.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Mosque talk another hurdle for Democrats See in context
We would never accept the Japanese putting up a sight next to Pearl Harbor.
Really? Even if people of Japanese descent make up a majority of the Hawaiian population? So if you just happen to be of Japanese descent you're not allowed to do anything near Pearl Harbor? While it's important to not forget the past, you shouldn't let the past blind you either. At some point people have to move on. And for the subject on hand in the article. It would be nice if Americans had learned mistakes from their past and not make rash judgments by lumping an entire group of people together. Just like Americans thought they couldn't trust anyone of Japanese descent in WWII so they decided to throw them all into internment camps. Perhaps it would be best if people actually learned something about a particular group of people before they start taking away their rights.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: U.S. consumers pushing beyond sake to Japanese whiskies See in context
Some people obviously don't have a lot of respect for Japanese whiskeys. But just in the last couple of years I've seen more whiskey connoisseurs giving praise to Japanese whiskeys. Obviously some of the Japanese whiskeys are doing something right.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: U.S. consumers pushing beyond sake to Japanese whiskies See in context
I've been hearing more and more good things about Japanese whiskey. Too bad it's so hard to find any in the area of the US that I live in.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Kyoto riverside See in context
Tokyochris, I really don't think the shot is HDR. If that was the case I think it would be a lot brighter overall. It's simply a long exposure shot with a small aperture setting.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Kyoto riverside See in context
Nice shot. The long exposure gives the water a nice smooth look. Then the small aperture gives the lights a nice 'starburst' effect. Both help turn what might have been a decent night shot into something that stands out.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Japan Atlas A Bilingual Guide: 3rd Edition See in context
Amazon will sell it but it won't be available till Feb 2011. At least for US residents.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Panasonic oven range See in context
They forgot to mention it also helps hide lots of income as well. We know what Panasonic is good at. : )
-1 ( +0 / -1 )
Posted in: Festival of Seaside Lights See in context
I agree with the others. It's not an HDR shot. The shot was taken on a tripod most likely, something stationary. The person in the center stayed still. The others had stopped where they were momentarily then moved. I've taken night shots similar to this one.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Purple patch See in context
Wow, very nice. I bet it smells wonderful as well.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Will Tokyo Sky Tree's completion bring down 'skyscraper curse' on Japan? See in context
This is a pretty big stretch. All the buildings mentioned weren't communication towers but actual buildings. Lots of very tall communication towers have been built yet there isn't one reference to one of them being tied to a recession or depression.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Internet posting leads to group suicide in Kobe See in context
In some ways I can understand a depressed young person suddenly killing him or herself. But 19 and 22 going through this kind of detailed process is pretty sad.
So to anyone reading this who is considering suicide. I offer a reason to reconsider.
Death is a line that once crossed is an absolute. There is no return. No living human being can say with 100% certainty what lies on the other side of that line. You may think it is rest, oblivion or some happier place. But the bottom line is that we do not know 100% for certain. If the science side is right, then nothing waits for you there. You just stop existing. But if science is not entirely right (remember science thought the world was flat for hundreds of years), then perhaps something spiritual rests on the other side. If the Christians are right then you are screwed for having killed yourself and suffering is just starting. Other faiths maybe you are destined to spend the next life as a roach.So with all these uncertain points, what makes a suicide person so sure that what ever comes next is better? Could very well be far, far worst.
So get help and find the courage to live. Death will come to you soon enough.
I see what you are saying but just to nitpick. Science didn't think the earth was flat. A lot of ignorant people thought it was flat. A number of old civilizations realized the earth wasn't flat. But what the uneducated masses believe is a different story. Just look at today's society for example. The uneducated masses still believe a lot of stuff that disagrees with science.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Baseball campaigns to return to Olympics See in context
"Lol. Baseball is a global sport allright, but all countries are merely farm teams for the Major Leagues." Yeah but look at a global sport like soccer/football. The world is basically a farm team for three leagues in England, Spain and Italy.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: An expanding NATO uses its diversity as strength
Posted in: Dollar tops 150 yen as BOJ ends negative rates
Posted in: Chinese professor at Japanese university missing after visiting homeland