MutinousWench37 comments

Our school shook and everyone felt it out here in Gunma...

You can't really have this kind of quiz about "religion" as a whole. There are too many types. Many of which are quite benign. And there are others which tend to be more destructive. Some religions are quite self-contained and peaceful.

The thing is, you probably only really notice the loud ones. I'm sure only my close friends knew I was vegan since I never told anyone else (why should I?) However, whenever anyone found out they invariably asked why. I hated answering that question because I knew that I would have a fight every time I did. Vegans are not the only ones who try to force their opinions on people, believe me. And none of my reasons were moral in nature.

Like Mikekchar said, I don't go around shouting about being vegetarian nor do I yell at meat eaters. But every single time I have to explain why I am eating this instead of that to a new group of people, I cringe. And I did become vegetarian for primarily moral reasons. But other people just can't seem to let you deal with your own food choices. I have found more outspoken meat-eaters in my time than outspoken vegetarians.

I just can't see the segway being used at all in the major cities in Japan. Often times there is barely enough room for just your 2 feet walking down the roads. It would be impossible having big wheels on either side of you. I could see the usefulness in the smaller cities though.

But yeah, it seems to often be the case here that the age-old laws or ideas trump new or innovative thinking. I can't remember the number of times the thinking of 'that's just how it's done here' has caused discomfort to most if not all involved.

neverknow2: Marriage comes from the church.

Marriage doesn't always come from the church, though there are plenty of churches willing to wed gay couples. There are courtroom marriages which make marriage a LEGAL right in the States (currently only given to hetero or bisexual people who happen to be in a male-female relationship). If I got 'married' in the church without registering my marriage legally with the government, I would not receive any of the legal benefits that come with a legal marriage.

And so, we should leave it up to the individual churches to decide whether or not gay couples can wed. But as for the government, it should provide legal marriages to gay couples in the name of equality.

dontknockit: They are not asking for special privileges. They are asking for the same privileges.

I completely agree!

As a daily bicycle rider here in Japan, I have often felt that the roads here are simply not big enough for the number of commuters attempting to use them. Of course, being a country with a high population and little land, this is to be expected. And while it is a hassle to pull to the side of the road to wait as a car or two attempt to pass by, as long as the people in the cars and I, on my bicycle, are paying attention, there should be no accidents. But I have almost daily had to maneuver out of the way of a car pulling out of a tiny side street without looking for pedestrians first. All to often, they decided to drive quickly down the house-laden streets or pull out onto the roads without having the slightest consideration for pedestrians and cyclists. In a country so heavily populated with pedestrians, such as children on their way to and from school, it surprises me that more people don't look both ways before stepping on the accelerator. I, myself, have even been hit by a motorist who clearly wasn't looking out for anyone crossing on the pedestrian walkway (where I was crossing). But until roads are widened or care is taken to increase the visualization around corners and near side roads, there will continue to be a large number of pedestrian accidents. I just wish the kids and elderly weren't always the ones getting hurt out there. ;_; (And I know this isn't a problem just in Japan, but thinking of one of my students getting hit makes me wish things could be safer for them here.)