mnemosyne23 comments

Posted in: Becky and Ryuta Sato win Best Smile of the Year awards See in context

PS -- Though I agree, Sato's suit is... indescribable. I've noticed this about many Japanese "fashion" suits, though, where the suit jacket and pants are made of the same vividly patterned fabric. I always think it makes the poor guys look like they were dressed by a stylist who upholsters furniture for extra cash.

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Posted in: Becky and Ryuta Sato win Best Smile of the Year awards See in context

Aww, I'm glad! I love Sato Ryuta; he's got a great sense of humor and wicked comic timing, and he seems like a genuinely nice guy. I always enjoy Becky when she appears on variety shows, too. Congrats!

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Posted in: 10-year-old boy detained for torching Nagoya temple See in context

What the heck was a ten year old boy doing alone in such a place? What time of day was it? Even without deliberate intent, it's entirely likely he might have damaged something irreplaceable just by running around and bumping into things, something ten year old boys (and girls) are known to do. As it is, he deliberately burned this priceless building to the ground. I can't even imagine what a satisfactory punishment might be.

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Posted in: 19-year-old university student missing in Shimane since Oct 26 See in context

I certainly hope she's found safe and sound, just kicking back at an onsen with a bunch of friends or something similar.

And I'd like to echo what others have said -- what is with the delay between the date she was last seen and now having this story in the news? Even if her parents didn't report her missing (and I imagine they did), her employer, her university instructors, or her friends must have noticed that she wasn't around. A week is a ridiculously long period of time to wait before declaring someone officially missing. Twenty-four hours should be the minimum -- less if it's a case of a child going missing. In all this intervening time, who knows what might have happened to her? If it's foul play, there's a good chance that any hard evidence has already been degraded. And if it's not foul play but rather a case of a 19 year old wanting to skip ahead to her 20th birthday and independence without telling anyone, then it's a gross misuse of police resources and an inexcusable emotional drain on her family and loved ones, and she needs to be brought to task for it. I sincerely hope it's the latter, not the former.

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Posted in: Female part-timer at Sukiya robs own restaurant with hand saw See in context

head tilt With a HAND SAW? That's got to be one of the more inefficient weapons I've heard of recently. Useful if you're trying to mug a tree, maybe, but a bit unwieldy and ineffective when it comes to trying to keep a person at bay. Now, if it had been an ELECTRIC saw -- say a skill saw or even a circular saw -- then okay. That's got some serious cutting power.

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Posted in: Policeman fires two shots during brawl with foreigners in Mie See in context

I know a lot of people keep saying that in America, the cops would have shot someone to put an end to the fracas. I personally don't believe that would be the case. Firstly, deadly force is only justified in the most extreme of cases, where an officer's life or the life of an innocent individual is in imminent danger. Secondly, unless the officer is a crack shot with pinpoint accuracy, he or she would not fire off a weapon in a residential neighborhood unless it was as an absolute last resort; don't believe Hollywood and all its cops 'n' robbers shoot 'em ups. I haven't heard of an American cop firing a "warning shot" since the days of Bogart and Bacall. There's no such thing as a "harmless" shot. That bullet's going to land somewhere, and in a place as densely populated as Japan, there's a good chance that "somewhere" is going to be somebody's head.

Finally, to be frank, if this were America, the officers would have been trained to try and defuse the situation, and failing that, would have requested back-up. Heck, for a 20-person melee, you can bet there would have been more than two cops sent to begin with! I'm surprised the Jcops didn't send a whole platoon of cops to deal with the scary "foreigner" brawl.

And ditto what others have said re: what kind of foreigners are we talking about? Were they of Brazilian descent like other posters have stated? Or were they from elsewhere? A little more detail than "wearing t-shirts" would be appreciated, since I'm sure there are quite a few foreign and foreign-looking people in Japan who own t-shirts and are under 6 feet tall.

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Posted in: Another question mark over Totsuka school's education methods See in context

I take issue with the statement that the girl didn't exhibit suicidal tendencies. Cutting, while not a guarantee of suicidal ideation, is nonetheless a clear signal that the person in question is emotionally unstable and in need of support, not "shame" and "discipline." Acute social withdrawal? Domestic violence? Self injury? In what way do these indicators AT ALL represent a need to be taught right from wrong? This girl doesn't sound like the type who was going out all night, smashing store windows with baseball bats and howling like a banshee with her lunatic friends. She sounds like someone who felt abandoned and unworthy and excluded from the world. Then they shipped her off to what amounts to juvie and are surprised that she committed suicide? What?

Was she abused by her boyfriend? By another family member? What kind of domestic violence are we talking about? And please define "acute social withdrawal" for me, too, because I think the last thing someone suffering from social withdrawal needs is to be sent away to a strange school traditionally known for housing society's "bad" kids. If she felt worthless to begin with -- and it sounds very much like that was her mindset -- then effectively shipping her off to reform school like some uncouth delinquent would just re-enforce that belief.

Yes, there are plenty of children and adolescents whose parents have failed to teach them the basics of right, wrong, good, bad, sympathy, empathy, and compassion. Sometimes these children can be helped through an environment of even-handed, strict -- NOT ABUSIVE, thank you, but strict -- discipline, so long as that harsh environment is tempered with equal parts praise for each young person's accomplishments. This can re-enforce positive behavior while simultaneously deglorifying negative, delinquent behavior. So I don't understand why any "educator" would characterize their school as teaching children and adolescents "shame." Shame is a negative, dark emotion, and it shouldn't be the focus of any school's behavioral rehabilitation. Rather, a school such as this should focus on bolstering a student's sense of compassion and humility. That doesn't mean giving them a free-ride and catering to their every whim. It DOES mean teaching them the REASONS why certain actions are good while others are bad, and encouraging them to try and see the world through less jaded eyes. This is what their parents failed to do, either through inattention, apathy, or insecurity. If you're successful, the shame for past misdeeds will follow naturally, as will the sense of relief that they can put those old behaviors in the past and start fresh.

But if this article is taken at face value, it doesn't sound like this girl needed to be "shamed" into being a better person anyway. It sounds like she was already suffering from an EXCESS of shame; shame in HERSELF. Self-loathing, self-mutilation; she had no respect for herself, and she certainly didn't need someone calling her out publicly for her behavior. It's like setting a match to a stack of dry tinder; it would take no time at all for it to go up in smoke.

Regardless of what it's like today, the REPUTATION of the Totsuka Yacht School is one of severe, even fatal punishment, not supportive rehabilitation and character reform. Being sent to a place like that must have hit this girl like a hammer. "See? I hurt myself and I hate myself, and then they tell me I'm bad and send me to this school, so I must REALLY be worthless. Nobody could love someone as bad as me. I want to die."

It's all too tragic. I wish someone could have genuinely helped this girl and prevented this awful result.

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Posted in: 10-year-old boy dies after falling from tree in Chiba park See in context

So sad. My heart breaks for the boy's family.

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Posted in: The age of listless, wary, anxiety-ridden and insecure young men See in context

“Men now in their 20s and early 30s are of the generation that grew up under the banner of respect for individuality,” explains marketing writer Megumi Ushikubo. “They have little experience of the triumph of outright victory in all-out competition. Consequently, they don’t know their own potential, which is why they have no confidence.”

This whole passage confuses me. I'm an American, and a New Hampshire native taboot; you don't get much more ruggedly individualistic than that without moving to Montana. The point of this passage to me, then, seems to be contradictory to all sense. Ushikubo appears to be saying that individualism decreases competitive spirit. What? The complete OPPOSITE is true. Individualism is the pinnacle of vested self-interest; it places the individual ahead of the group. Taken to its negative extreme, it creates narcissitic, arrogant people who will undercut anyone and anything in an effort to be top dog. However, taken to its POSITIVE extreme, individualism drives innovation, advancement, and achievement.

The key to harnessing those positive qualities in the workforce is in learning how to blend diverse individuals with equally diverse talents and interests into a single, motivated unit that strives toward a shared goal. Just look at any successful sports team. You may have a roster of all the best hitters, pitchers, outfielders and infielders that money can buy, but if they're all just playing to boost their own statistics the whole team loses. It's when the players come together and effectively marshall their varied talents as a GROUP that the final goal of a championship title can be achieved.

I can't really blame these guys for being "listless, wary, anxiety-ridden and insecure." I would be, too, if I knew I was going to be judged (personally and professionally) on how I measure up to all the old fossils who went before me, and not on what I'm capable of as a person right now, right here, today. History is like an anvil: you can stand on it to help you reach high places and use it as a tool as you make beautiful things, but if you tie it around your neck and try to swim, all you're going to do is drown.

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Posted in: Police arrest knife-wielding man after high-speed chase ends in crash See in context

What a freak. I'm almost morbidly interested in what the argument might have entailed. Glad no one was seriously injured!

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Posted in: Two 15-yr-old boys sent to family court for assaulting 8-yr-old boy See in context

I want the parents of the 8 year-old to post flyers throughout the city with pictures of the attackers and their home phone numbers, and include details on what these "children" ("children" meaning monsters) did to their son. The justice system might be legally prevented from disclosing the identities of these little creeps, but I don't see why the victim's family should be bound by those same legalities. After all, it's a public service!

"Neighbors! Please take a moment to look at the pictures of these individuals. Be aware that on August 6, 2009, these delinquents kidnapped, violently assaulted, and attempted to murder an 8-year-old boy. The 8-year-old was able to survive and these attackers have since been arrested and charged. Since they are juveniles, they will receive (or have received) minimal sentences. Please, when you see these delinquents near your home, call their parents IMMEDIATELY and demand that they come retrieve their offspring and take them home. Doing so will protect the well-being of your children and all the children in our neighborhood."

Even if nobody calls the parents, the public shaming should be enough to make them wish they'd never even CONSIDERED committing this crime.

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Posted in: Shiga man arrested for calling 110 number more than 12,000 times See in context

Does anyone have any information on WHY he kept calling? I mean, did he just call 110 to say, "You guys are stupid and I hate you!" or was he making nuisance complaints? He's clearly either delusional or arrogant beyond belief if he thinks it's "ridiculous" that he's been arrested for abusing 110 over 12,000 times. If nothing else, that accounts for MILLIONS of yen in wasted staff time and delayed response time for callers with genuine complaints. I say fine him what those "free" calls would have cost him had they NOT been toll free. That would be ironic justice at its best.

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Posted in: Cop arrested for stealing girl's underwear during investigation See in context

That is just SICK. (SHUDDER) The poor girl! First she gets flashed by some pervert, then the law enforcement officer who's supposed to protect her from that kind of depravity goes and STEALS HER UNDERWEAR. Are you kidding me? Stone him in the streets, the sick b@stard. Like Timorborder said, this guy should NEVER have stayed around to question the girls when he discovered that there were no adults present. He certainly shouldn't have asked to search her BEDROOM. What would you need to do that for? You wouldn't! She's not a suspect in anything! No, the cop saw his chance for a sick thrill and took it. Thank God he didn't do worse.

Disgusting.

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Posted in: Man slashes woman because he 'can't get a girlfriend' See in context

So weird. He threw his bike away? What was he planning to do for a getaway? Good on the two bystanders for catching and restraining him. They aren't going to be charged with interfering or some other cockamamey legality, right? Because that would be ridiculous.

I'd say all the women who have turned this jerk down in the past had the right idea. They should be patting themselves on the back!

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Posted in: Woman arrested for hiding body of dead baby in Nagano home See in context

are we sure there wasn't a mistranslation in here somewhere? Are we sure this wasn't "September" rather than "September of last year"? because after a year, the smell should be largely dissipated. So I'm confused.

And yes, poor baby. Regardless of how the child passed away, to be packed away in a cardboard box instead of given a proper burial shows a lack of respect for the deceased. Maybe the woman has a psychological condition that didn't see this behavior as wrong, or perhaps she was utterly bereft after the baby's death and couldn't bear to part with her child; either way, it was inappropriate, unhealthy and disrespectful to the child.

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Posted in: Agriculture ministry employee with uniform fetish caught making harassing phone calls See in context

I'm glad they caught the creep before he tried to get the uniform by force, which you have to assume could have been the end result of this harassment. I'm wondering if there was any way the Jcops could have traced the numbers this guy used to contact the girl, and if there was any surveillance video footage in those places. It's a shame it took so long to track him down and take him off the streets!

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Posted in: 10 Keio Univ students face charges for streaking through station See in context

I'm not a fan of public nudity, but this is classic college stuff. Let them off with a warning and MAYBE some community service, but seriously, this is at the minor end of the minor scale. They did it when the station was virtually empty, they RAN across the station to reach the bathroom, and there's no indication that anyone was harmed. At worst they caused a few turned stomachs, some blushing giggles, and some fresh gray hairs for their parents.

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Posted in: New breed of employees can’t communicate and wilt under pressure See in context

cow76 wrote: you mean people are going to be shudder spending quality time with their families?!?**

I know, right? I mean, perish the thought! Young people actually want to have lives that DON'T revolve solely around their work? They actually want to leave the office at the end of the day and SOCIALIZE? Maybe they actually want to go home and SEE THEIR FAMILIES? What the HELL is wrong with this country!? My GOD, this kind of behavior must be STAMPED OUT!

Yes, okay, I'm going a little overboard, but give me a break. Reading this article, all I envision is a bunch of tired old fossils complaining about the poor work ethic of the newest crop of "whippersnappers." Um... so? If you really don't like them, fire them and hire someone who better suits your company. There are plenty of out of work people out there who'll be MORE than happy to accept the "honor" of going out drinking with their crusty old boss after work every night if it means they get to take home a paycheck.

I don't support lazy workers, mind you. That kid who flashed his boss the peace sign? He would have been fired in a heartbeat if it had been me sitting across the desk from him. At the very least he'd have gotten a letter of reprimand in his permanent file. But I'm not going to throw all of these youngsters to the wolves as being lazy, layabout good for nothings with no work ethic when I know it's not true. The modern workplace is a bustling, busy place, constantly in flux. The old model of doing business that so many companies employ is tired, stale, and BORING. This is the generation that grew up with Nintendo, Playstation, cell phones and the internet. Even without the mess of the Japanese educational system getting in the way, you can't expect these young people to come into an office system that's still structured like something you'd have found back in the 80's and then be shocked when they're unproductive and slow. The workplace has to catch up with the workers, not vice versa. A lot of that boredom, lack of productivity and absence of manners could be cured by encouraging innovation, experimentation, and imagination to keep them interested and to give them a sense of belonging to an organization that sees them as vital pieces of a puzzle, not nameless cogs in a wheel. But that's not the workplace situation for many of these new recruits, so they end up goofing off and behaving badly in an environment that stifles creativity, individuality and, by and large, morale.

"Big Boy" business should stay in the boardroom. The rest of a corporation, though, needs to grow up and get with the times. Going out to drink with your boss is only appreciated if you know you can say "No" without being excoriated in the press for your "cheekiness."

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Posted in: Shinsuke Shimada snaps during live show See in context

There are one or two comedy acts I find genuinely funny -- Bananaman, for example, though I find them funnier when they AREN'T doing their routines and are just joking around. But for the most part, I don't get Japanese comedy. I beg cultural ignorance in that respect. I've always felt traditional Japanese comedy is very vaudevillian, if I have to draw a western comparison, and Vaudeville comedy has always been hit or miss with me.

To get back to the actual meat of this story, though, I agree that the comedians should have exercised better judgment in their dealings with Shimada, but I think he was completely out of line by getting physically aggressive in retaliation. Both sides were in the wrong and acted in a highly unprofessional manner.

To the guys in Tokyo 03: like it or not, Shimada is THE honcho in the comedy world. You might not like him, but if you want to be a somebody in the biz, you'll have to bite the bullet and act like the kouhai you are. He's been in the business a long time, and he will still be there a long time from now. You can learn things from him that will give you longevity. Don't burn your bridges before you've even made it halfway across.

To Shimada-san: Shame on you, sir. If you truly had a problem with the behavior of these young comedians, you should have pulled them aside AFTER the program finished airing and given them a lecture, not gone hairing into the seats like Ron Artest. You're supposed to be the respected senior here, but this makes you look like a spoiled child who isn't being pampered to his liking. If you want your kouhai to respect you, you should act like a proper sempai; earn their respect, don't demand it.

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Posted in: Do you think U.S. President Barack Obama is a good choice for the Nobel Peace Prize? See in context

I'm an American, and I think it's ridiculous that President Obama received the Peace Prize for, ostensibly, doing absolutely nothing. He won it solely due to the cult of personality. Maybe one day he will achieve something truly worthy of acclaim at this level, but he hasn't even been in office a year and he's spent most of that time trying to destroy the American healthcare system. How does that in any way qualify him to win a Nobel Prize of any sort? Why isn't the prize committee rewarding the efforts of Middle Eastern women who are willing to speak out against their own oppression, despite the possibility of retaliation? Or any of the hundreds of military chaplains who minister to deployed soldiers? Or someone, ANYONE, who has actually done something tangible to achieve harmony in the world? It's ridiculous.

But then, why are we even talking about this? The Nobel Peace Prize lost all legitimacy when they gave it to Arafat.

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Posted in: 40 police cars, 100 officers, one copter mobilized to chase 2 thieves See in context

I agree that the "mobilization" of forty cars and one hundred officers probably means something along the lines of a wide search pattern rather than a pinpointed chase through the rice fields of Saitama, but it's still a ridiculous waste of resources. Folks, COPS AREN'T FREE. Who pays for the gas all those cars used? Taxpayers. Who pays for the helicopter? Taxpayers. Who pays the salaries for all those cops? Taxpayers. Dispatching that many officers over what amounts to a petty crime is ridiculous. They'd have been better served by alerting police in the immediate area, not exceeding maybe five cars, with a description of the two, and then letting them patrol. That leaves the remaining 35 cars and 80+ officers free to respond to any REAL emergencies that might crop up. I mean, they called out a HELICOPTER over a hit-and-run caused by a couple of purse snatchers, one of whom is a handicapped sixteen year old girl! That doesn't feel a LITTLE overboard to you? Given the number of hit and runs in Japan, the police coffers would be drained within a month if they sent out the chopper every time, let alone "mobilizing" 100+ officers and setting 40 police cars on alert. Talk about overkill!

What if you stole somebody's wallet, then went and ran a stop sign as you made your getaway? What are they going to do, call out the F-16s?

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Posted in: Man arrested for abducting four young girls for 17 hours See in context

First off, can I PLEASE reiterate that children this young shouldn't be out by themselves, especially at night? What worked in the past doesn't work anymore. There are too many weirdos, sickos, and creeps out there. Parents, keep your kids at home. There definitely needs to be more education here around the issue of child safety, for the parents AND the children!

Secondly, can someone please help me here? The girls were "picked up" around 6pm, then "released" at 10:40am when they were spotted by police walking near a grocery store approximately one kilometer from Goto's home. Earlier in the story, the author stated that "One girl lived nearby Goto and had met him before..." So these girls were wandering the streets with Goto in and around the vicinity of his home, which presumably would then be in and around the vicinity of the one girl's home, and it still took until 11am for anyone to spot them? They're a group of four young girls and a grown man; surely that would have stuck in somebody's memory. "Oh yeah, there were these four young girls in here a few hours ago, officer. They were with a man; he bought them ice cream cones. I assumed he was their father."

Does that make sense to anyone else?

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Posted in: Policeman fined for driving in no-entry zone in Shimane See in context

Methinks it's time to get a bigger sign on that street.

But seriously, these officers weren't familiar with the time restrictions on the street? Wow. Honestly, I don't know if I should applaud the Jcop for calling in his own fine or laugh at the whole situation. I think I'll choose to applaud while chuckling; then all my bases are covered.

Also, that pedestrian must have nerves of steel to flag the Jcops down and inform them they were breaking the law. Either he was very drunk or very brave. I don't think I'd ever have the guts to do that!

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Posted in: Woman on minibike injured after run-in with rope tied across road See in context

I echo moonbeams' post -- this is not cool. If you have a problem with the noise, either file a complaint, sleep with earplugs, or live with it. Yes it sucks, but its one of life's little aggravations, like radio stations that play the same song fifty times a day or weather forecasts that are wrong ALL THE TIME. Find a way to live with it. Don't put someone's health and safety in jeopardy because of it. You may win yourself a brief respite, but that person has to make a living somehow, and they'll be back on their scooter as quickly as possible to deliver papers. Only now the bike will probably be even LOUDER than before because the accident damaged the engine, and the lost work time and wages means the rider doesn't have enough money to get it repaired. It's a vicious cycle (no pun intended).

If this was the work of some kids looking to cause a little mayhem, SHAME ON THEM. I hope they're found and properly punished. I know kids will be kids, and teens will be teens (which usually involves acting even more childish than a child), but setting out to cause deliberate harm to people or property is both disrespectful and criminal. Regardless of their reasons for choosing their target, they are guilty of injuring this woman and probably damaging her bike, and they could easily have injured someone else with their tripwire, too. Not such a thrill when the person you flip onto the street is some little kid out on his bike who ends up with a broken nose and a skull fracture from smacking his head on the pavement, now is it?

Jerks.

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Posted in: Man arrested for stabbing friend with kitchen knife in Mie See in context

Tommygun wrote:

Here's an idea. How about people start talking about their problems, have more psychologists to help people.

Amen and hallelujah! Seriously, folks, you can't LEGISLATE an end to violent crime. A waiting period to purchase a KITCHEN KNIFE? Do you HEAR how ridiculous that sounds? What about after you've bought it and it's sitting in your kitchen drawer? Do you have to register it with the local authorities every year? Perhaps some sort of lending program where you go to a depot at the center of town and sign out only the utensils you'll need for that day, then bring them back at the end of the day to be logged back into the inventory. But then who minds the depot? You'd have to have two guards who watch each other, because if you leave just ONE guard he might get it into his head that his buddy Jun was a real jerk the other night, and hey, I've got all these nice sharp stabby things here and no one else is watching...

Laws can only do so much, and making an ACT illegal and punishable is different from making an OBJECT illegal. It's one thing to say that murdering your friend with a kitchen knife is illegal. It's another thing entirely to say that ownership of the kitchen knife is illegal without a permit. The former makes sense; the latter is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. If you're in the state of mind where you think you're entirely justified to kill your friend by stabbing him in the neck because of a fight over car repair costs, then you aren't going to care much about where you get the knife. If you don't have one, the friend probably does; just grab it out of the cutlery drawer after you've broken into his house. Or borrow it from your mother, or sister, or brother, or next door neighbor, etc. And if worse comes to worst, you can always forego the bladed weapons entirely in favor of a blunt object: baseball bat, golf club, or, failing anything else, a brick.

The point is, telling people they can't own a particular kind of weapon will only go so far. Needing a license? For certain weapons, absolutely. I don't want you owning a flamethrower unless I know you're licensed and trained to handle it properly and aren't going to light me, my home, or yourself on fire. But kitchen knives? What are you going to do about all the other household items that can be put to nefarious purposes? Will you need a license to purchase bleach, even though you might use it to poison someone? Do you need to register your pillows, in the event that you end up using them to smother someone? Perhaps you should be required to put airbags in your banisters, so that you can't kill Great Aunt Mabel by pushing her down the stairs when you're tired of her insulting your omurice recipe.

If you want to actually make a positive impact on crime, you need to get at the root of the problem: the mental and psychological health of the people involved. How many of the murders reported here at JT are committed by otherwise normal individuals over some mindlessly inconsequential matter? Car repair costs; a remote control; the volume on your sister's stereo. When a person snaps over something so minor, to the point that they're willing to commit MURDER because if it, then there is a BIG PROBLEM somewhere.

People need to learn how to talk to each other! The brother needs to learn to say, "Sis, can you please turn down your stereo? I'm having a really hard time concentrating." The son needs to say, "Mom, come on, can I please have the remote back? I'm sorry if I offended you." And the friend needs to say, "Look, guy, you crashed my car. You can either pay up, or I'll see you in court." There are ways to de-escalate that gnawing feeling of being disrespected, degraded, and dismissed, but too often it seems these people bottle up those feelings until the smallest aggravation becomes the straw that broke the camel's back. They snap, they act, and everybody loses.

How often could these tragic stories be prevented if someone, at some point, opened their mouth and said, "You know... I'm feeling really crummy about myself and other people right now. I don't know what to do about it. Please help me."

And then having the person they were talking to look them in the eye and say, "Okay."

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Posted in: 77-year-old woman scares off would-be robber in Osaka See in context

I love reading stories about "seasoned" citizens giving these whippersnappers their comeuppance. Good on you, oba-san!

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Posted in: Man arrested for binding girl's arms with tape See in context

Quite possibly he felt a bike and some tape were perfectly serviceable weapons when attempting to abduct a seven-year-old girl. Who expects a little girl to actually have enough presence of mind to get the heck out of danger? Thank God she did, and thank God this man was caught. He might not have been teh brightest bulb on the tree, but most criminals will start small and then escalate their crimes as the thrill wears off.

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Posted in: Woman arrested for dialing 119 on 157 occasions See in context

Unfortunately, 119 operators (just like 911 in the States) are duty-bound to treat every call like a real emergency. Frivolous calls like this not only tie up resources, but also cost a LOT of money. Ambulances and fire trucks and EMTs and police don't pay for themselves. Someone needs to buy the gas, pay the salaries, and maintain the vehicles. The more they're dispatched on pointless calls, the more the taxpayer takes it in the wallet.

FOXIE: I'm appalled! Thank God you obviously survived your situation. It's a sad day when emergency services puts you on a waiting list as if you were ordering a pizza.

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Posted in: American father arrested in Japan had asked Tennessee court for help See in context

I'm sorry, but I'm not going to automatically side with Noriko here just because some people have inferred that she was the victim of a "two-timing" husband. Has anyone paid attention to the email Christopher presented to the judge?

“It’s very difficult to watch kids becoming American and losing Japanese identity,” she wrote. “I am at the edge of the cliff. I cannot hold it anymore if you keep bothering me.”

That does not sound to me like the words of a woman who only wants to be a loving mother to her children and see them in a loving home. That sounds to me like a Japanese woman who wants to make her Japanese/American children into Japanese clones of herself, and the best way to do that is to raise them in Japan. I'm sorry, but that doesn't fly with me. Her words and subsequent actions smack of the infamous Japanese xenophobic isolationism that has haunted the archipelago for centuries.

The children deserve to grow up understanding and displaying BOTH sides of their cultural identity -- the American and the Japanese -- without one being made to feel inferior to the other. If Noriko didn't want them to lose their Japanese identity, then she should reinforce that identity at home. The courts had already shown a willingness to allow the children to continue to experience their Japanese heritage by permitting Noriko to take them on vacation there despite the flight risk that exists because of Japan's lack of international custody regulations. It's not like anyone slapped a restraining order on her right to teach her children the pride of their lineage.

What I see here is a woman who was unhappy having to live in the United States, didn't want to stay, and didn't want to shuttle back and forth to see her kids. So instead of doing what a good parent would do -- which is abide by the court's ruling, suck it up and deal with it on behalf of her children -- she selfishly chose to flee the country and return to her own home with her children illegally in tow. Sorry, no. Being a parent isn't easy, and sometimes you have to make painful or difficult sacrifices for your children. In this case, Noriko's sacrifice was living in the United States instead of her native Japan, at least until the children were adults. If you're not prepared to make those kinds of sacrifices, then you aren't prepared to be a parent.

Look, I don't think Mr. Savoie walks on water, and I think these children are going to get a raw deal regardless of where they live because divorce sucks, period. But by taking the children and absconding from the country like some thief in the night, Noriko has done nothing but make herself look like a selfish, narcissistic harpy and put her children's welfare through a cheese grater. If she had a genuine, legitimate reason for taking the children -- if she feared for their safety, for instance -- then I might have some sympathy for her. As it stands right now, I have none.

Why is the new wife butting in like this? I read someplace else that Noriko was complaining that the new wife was coming along on Chris's visitations. Isn't that an extremely insensitive thing to do? Surely Noriko has no obligation to have a relationship with the new wife.

What's wrong with Mr. Savoie's new wife taking an interest in his children? You'd prefer she was a wicked stepmother who tried to feed them poison apples? Mr. Savoie's interactions with his children after the divorce were just that -- his interactions WITH HIS CHILDREN. We aren't talking about some kind of monitored visitation that requires the primary custodial parent to remain with the children when the other parent is visiting, as would be the case in a situation where there was a risk to the children's health, safety or well-being, or a flight risk on the part of the visiting parent (talk about irony in this case). Noriko's only role during Mr. Savoie's time with his children would have been to shepherd the children into his care and then pick them up again when it was her turn to take them back. No one said she has to try and make small talk with the new wife. No one said she even has to acknowledge the other woman's presence if she doesn't want to. But the new Mrs. Savoie has every right to meet her husband's children, and they have every right to spend time with her. Does that mean they're going to become as close as blood relatives and love each other like biological parent and child? No. But that doesn't mean they WON'T, either.

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Posted in: Bathed in blood See in context

Unrelenting sadism and humiliation is not art. Pushing the envelope of the splatter genre is not art. Trying to re-create the same or greater negative reactions as the "Guinea Pig" series is not art. It's sensationalism. Art would involve actual story and character development, not non-stop, incredibly brutal violence. There's a reason snuff films are illegal, and these "torture porn" movies are just another kind of snuff film. I don't like censorship, but my God, there's such a thing as TASTE.

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