Nightshade 2014 comments

Posted in: McDonald's Japan unveils 'tofu nuggets' after China meat scandal See in context

Thumbs-up to some out-of-the-box thinking by McDonalds. I'm not sure how well tofu nuggets will be received by the consumer, but for a brand that has not always struck me as innovative, this step was a surprise to me. Now let's fix the suppliers. If not, McD may have to start charging for those smiles that they list on their menu as free.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Posted in: McDonald's Japan pulls profit forecast after China meat scandal See in context

Hmm. Mixed feelings on the whole "you get what you pay for" slogan. Although that statement is most obviously true, the fact that it's true makes me wonder: does that mean only wealthy people get safe food, and the rest of everyone else doesn't matter? Quality is welcome to have itself a high, mid and low scale. But if someone is selling a food product to someone for money, that product must at least be safe, regardless of what was paid. Quality and safety are NOT mutually exclusive. It's important not to confuse the two.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Gov't gives up on plan to buy land for storing nuclear waste See in context

The last time I checked, most radionuclides have half lives that are very very veeeeery long. An extreme example, Pu is something like 230,000 years, give or take a few ten thousand.

So first thing that confuses is me is why the official line always says something like: the land will "remain no-go zones for many years to come". Yes. True. But that's a whole lot of those "many years". So knowing they own land that cannot be lived on or used for millennia, wouldn't the rational thing for the landowners be to sell the "ancestral" land and relocate to somewhere where those ancestors can continue to have descendants?

The second thing that always confuses me about this issue, linked closely with the first, is why there is a need to find some other place in Japan to store the nation's radioactive waste. Japan currently has a rather large area that cannot be lived in for millennia (see earlier point). Sounds like prime real estate to store toxic stuff that will stick around for millennia. Why create another site?

I understand that this is an emotional issue for some people, especially those whose land is now useless. I would be hopping mad if it were me. But the FACT that they had a crappy and intolerable thing happen to them does NOT make it okay to spread the misery to other regions. That's no solution. I wish I had a brilliant alternative.... I truly do.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Gov't aims to curb iPhone influence See in context

SoftBank IS a local company. And you're right, Silvafan, they are very forward-thinking. Arguably (and I could very well be wrong here), there is one local company that might take issue with this because of a longstanding virtual dominance of the market that the early iPhone offerers began to chip away at. That's why this article merits a careful re-read

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Woman arrested after 5-month-old son dies in car while she plays pachinko See in context

OMFG. Rest in peace, little guy. You'll get a better deal next time around. Not much condolence, but it's the best I can find. I hope at least you felt content during your five months on earth.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Posted in: China food scandal drags in Starbucks, Burger King and McNuggets in Japan See in context

Mitoguitarman: I think your statement calls for a footnote. "Healthy" and "vibrant" stated in the numbers you suggest borders on the fantastical....

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Posted in: Gov't aims to curb iPhone influence See in context

Read this whole article again very carefully. There's so much here that makes me want to find out more, or at least discover the text beneath the text. An example: although the article is merely discussing cell phones, the sources quoted are anonymous -- Mr. A and Mr. B. What's that?., We're talking about cell phones not privileged information, but sources are being protected. I'm finding myself saying "hmm..... "

I welcome any move that benefits the life of the consumer, but, IMHO, this article raises more questions than it answers. Is this simply a matter of trying to protect Japanese mobile terminal manufacturers, as the end of the article suggests? I'm not convinced. Most manufacturers are trying to get out of that business anyways, because they lose money on it. I'm going to give this another good think.......

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Posted in: Magazine speculates McDonald's may pull out of Japan if things don't improve See in context

Recent dips in profit aside, it seems very unlikely that Makku would ever pull out of Japan....

14 ( +14 / -0 )

Posted in: Pilot of delayed flight buys pizza for whole plane See in context

How cool! I hope the Captain gets a commendation for above-and-beyond customer service.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan issues highest alert as typhoon approaches Okinawa See in context

Stay safe everyone, in all regions. We've all had lots of rain already this year, so this typhoon is going to be a doozie. I'm going to tie down my bicycle.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Cabinet adopts resolution dropping ban on collective self-defense See in context

The most terrifying sentence in the entire article above: "Precisely how the change might work in practice remains unclear...."

Shouldn't this have been worked out in EXTREME detail BEFORE the resolution was passed? People's lives are at stake here, so I would have expected some concrete content be debated before the decision was made. I think this sentence says volumes.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Hashimoto says allied soldiers raped women after D-Day See in context

This whole argument, from both sides, is so clouded by tricky little tactics of propaganda and nuance that I feel the women who were victimized by this-- and I mean women in EVERY country where there was sexual predation, not just Korea or France --should feel even more insulted and disgusted!!! I have researched this quite thoroughly. Did sexual predation happen in many countries during and immediately after WW2? Absolutely yes, and absolutely inexcusable. This is a crime against humanity. Was any of it "officially" sanctioned by the government of the troops committing these atrocities? NO! It appears not, despite all the emotional rhetoric. There are no government memos in ANY country (including Japan, by the way) that says: "government policy: rape the locals." So looking for "official sanction" is a red herring, a waste of time, and an insult to the victims. (Sorry, I can't seem to get my hands on Red Army documents, so I might need to stand corrected someday--and if anyone has documents to prove me wrong, I would welcome knowing so, because I've been unable to find them in official archives. I would be willing to adjust my conclusions based on that).

This stuff is crimes against humanity and should be treated as such--for all nations. But there was no national policy memorandum people....it was local soldiers who did it and local commanders who should have castrated or executed the perps, but let it go on, which makes them just as guilty (Note, I am talking about Japanese soldiers AND Allied soldiers). Anyone who has actually been in combat in a war zone will know what I'm talking about.

This does not in any way diminish the crime, or the fact, as someone has pointed out, that Japan has not yet prosecuted those who participated, or even tried to find out who they were. They must do so for this to end in closure. Apologies are words, but some things require actions. Some countries have prosecuted their soldier rapists for WW2, because the issue is on the table and in open debate. But WW2 was not the only war to take place since 1945, so I suspect this goes on still now.....an endless chain of atrocity that might come to light in debate years or decades later. Humanity are pretty slow learners.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Posted in: Car stolen with two young children in back seat See in context

I'm just glad the kids are okay! They must have been so scared.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Clock ticking as Abe pushes to loosen constraints on military See in context

Where's the love?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan to ban possession of child porn, but manga, anime exempt See in context

Intriguing to me was the paragraph above that reads: "Japan is seen as a major global source of child pornography in photo and video form, after the United States and Russia" AFTER the UNITED STATES and RUSSIA

Deviant sickness is deviant sickness, make no mistake. But people involved in this argument need to be careful. Human depravity does not appear to be cultural.....

13 ( +14 / -1 )

Posted in: 1-yr-old girl dies after being hit by car in Iwate supermarket car park See in context

Rest in peace, little girl. I hope you get a better deal next time around.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Posted in: U.S. farm groups seek to exclude Japan from TPP trade talks See in context

Unless my high-school economics courses were mistaken, a "free trade" deal typically must benefit both parties before it is signed. Otherwise, what's the point? Leaving aside emotional and sometimes arrogant opinions about the inherent pluses and minuses of US or Japanese agriculture, and looking at the facts and reality as it currently stands, is this deal (I'm only speaking in the context of this article above) beneficial for both parties? If not, do those in power on both sides see this as something worth pursuing because it will benefit the economy and/or create jobs across their nation? If not, then let it go. Why be angry and up in arms about a treaty if certain people don't feel it benefits them? Who here would sign a treaty if they felt it did not benefit them? Or am I missing something?

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Michelle Obama takes on Republicans over school lunches See in context

I think we all need to be very careful here. Food and nutrition is not truly a political issue. I understand that it looks like a political issue...it looks like the Democrats are saying this or the Republicans that; and we all have our favorite media channel and the one we thing is a rag for the other side. But in fact, all the evidence seems to suggest that this whole food thing is a money issue. Certain interests make money from the food industry...and sometimes, so I read, almost bankrupt schools get monetary incentive to initiative certain food programs. Suddenly this all starts looking very gray. not quite so clear-cut.

I think both plasticmonkey and bass4funk are essentially right: food manufacturers and their lobby is powerful; but it is up to parents to teach their children how to eat healthy. The problem comes when one tries to figure out HOW to teach parents about proper nutrition. (Has anyone read the fine print or looked into who has provided input into the food pyramid?) And, of course, there is economics. A bag of chips is cheaper than a head of lettuce in many cities. These priorities could use adjustment...

How can we make this right? How can we save our kids and look forward to their healthy future? I'd say that's rather important, no?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Posted in: Abe war dead See in context

In that case, it's a triumph that Japan has been able to negotiate the return of remains from neighboring countries and islands and give them a final resting place. That's showing honor to those who gave their life.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Posted in: Abe war dead See in context

I always seem to zoom in on something minor and probably irrelevant. The article says: "...built 1959 to house the remains of unidentified Japanese who died overseas during World War II." War ended 1945; cemetery opened 1959. That's 14 years. Where were the remains before then?

-8 ( +2 / -10 )

Posted in: No. of newly AIDS-infected persons in Japan reaches record high 484 in 2013 See in context

Hi oneduce. That has been my experience too. Contraceptive use is low in Japan. So is knowledge of STDs, not just AIDS. That might be part of the explanation for the epidemic of chlamydia and crabs at high schools across Japan. I think young people need to learn about this. But the age bracket in the article is 50s, so maybe it's not just young adults. Openness is a virtue.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Posted in: Japanese government mulls doing away with cell phone SIM locks See in context

So, does this move open the way to non-Japanese carriers providing service in Japan, with all of the benefits and frustrations that such a thing would bring? Or does this simply enable users to pick between the "best" plans from each of the big three Japanese carriers? I really hope balance is maintained here. Benefit to customer (who is paying) AND benefit to provider, who is providing a good service. If either of those gets fuzzy, this is all just fluff.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: No. of newly AIDS-infected persons in Japan reaches record high 484 in 2013 See in context

Statistics are always tricky. Leaving aside whatever rate might exist in some other country (because its irrelevant outside that country), using Japan's standard to measure Japan, this is apparently "the largest number ever for a one-year period." Compared to somewhere else, this might be low rate, but for Japan this is a high rate-- the highest ever. This indicates a trend, not an absolute number. Let's keep the trend in mind.

And in my experience, condom use here is shockingly low compared to the west. So again, let's look at the trend, not the numbers.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Posted in: No. of newly AIDS-infected persons in Japan reaches record high 484 in 2013 See in context

This is an interesting article in so many ways. I don't wish to be controversial, but I wonder, isn't public knowledge available about how this disease is spread? The age bracket of "50 years and older" I think speaks volumes.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

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