Posted in: Worker says Fukushima nuclear plant crisis crew not told of danger See in context
Shinichi, good on you! Show the world that the Japanese people can change, that they can learn from mistakes. A revolution is what this country needs. I know you were not brought up this way, but you are not stupid. You can do it. Go and ask for a new(???), no, different (!!!)government next, made up of smarter and less selfish politicians. Especially beware of the LDP. They are the root of all this evil. Them and their goons will also get us involved in a war with China.
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Posted in: Ozawa, 50 backers form new party called People's Lives First See in context
whiskeysour: It is beyond me that your article should have so many "bads". You have hit the poor nail on the head.
While I am grateful to Mr Noda for doing something about the public debt, I also think that raising the sales tax is not the best way to go about it. It will hit the economy and the poor more than the rich.
I think the best way to reduce public debt would be a solidarity tax similar to the one Germany has to finance the reunification. With one little difference: there should be a progression. The more you earn and have, the more you should relatively pay. I think, starting with 1% for all combined family incomes above 3 million yen, it should be somewhere around 3 - 5% for any family (combined income, that is) earning 6 million and more.
Any family earning less than 3 million should be exempt. They contribute more or less every yen to the economy anyway, whilst the upper class keeps their money in US dollar accounts in the bank.
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Posted in: Japan ruling party defectors to form new party See in context
I have said this before here: A few hundred years ago people like Hatoyama would have committed Sepuku for what they did (if this whole thing about Sepuku isn`t a myth of the famed Japanese history books anyway :-)))
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Posted in: Fukushima was 'man-made' disaster: Diet report See in context
The politicians in this country are paid by China to undermine the country. Smart move.
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Posted in: Fears, hopes grow for Sony under new president See in context
I am working in public schools in Japan. I see everyone drive big fat cars there financed with taxpayers money.
But they don`t do for the country what they get paid for. They do not prepare these children for the future they are going to face. When is Japan going to realize that life is change and that things are not as they used to be 40 or 50 years ago. It is not a question of working yourself into the grave and being cheaper anymore.
You have to be smarter!!!
Stop using your head to push the cart! Use it to think about how to get it out of the bog.
Train your kids in independent thinking, in questioning things, and Sony might one day be the next Apple.
-1 ( +0 / -1 )
Posted in: Suspect in train groping case escapes from police 'koban' by back door See in context
I think you are a bit hard on the cops here. There are good cops out there.
Unfortunately, I have never met one.
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Posted in: TEPCO / KEPCO shareholders vote to keep nuclear power See in context
I guess its the same in all countries: governments do what they want. But I think its only that obvious in some African nations and Japan. I have come to see Japan as a funny mix between a hightech banana republic and a "brave new world".
What is so difficult here if the government respects its peoples opinion? Just tell the power companies to sort it out by the end of the year. Okay, let them restart these two reactors under strictest safety precautions, to get us through the summer. But let them know that they will have to turn them off again end of the year - never to be turned on again.
By next year you gotta have solar panels etc. to cover the shortage. End of story.
Last time I checked in my school books, it was a government`s job to serve the people, for crying out loud.
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Posted in: Japan probes website attacks by Anonymous hacker group See in context
Investigating state employees for "tattoos"! Spying on internet users (the EU rejected the law!).
Heil Japan!
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Posted in: Osaka mayor's survey finds 10 education professionals with tattoos See in context
I am a banker by trade. I teach English in Japan. My evaluations from the schools and the students respectively are consistently high.
I have tattoos.
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Posted in: TEPCO report admits flaws worsened crisis; denies plan to pull out staff See in context
@JaneM: I guess you are talking about the spent fuel pool in the reactor building, not about the reactor itself.
Of course you are right. It`s the reactor building and the spent fuel pool within it that they are referring to. Sorry for not being precise enough.
As to the "halfway decent" earthquake: again, I have to agree with you that we have seen some since 3/11. In the documentary I am referring to they mention the "big one" some scientists seem to be expecting in the coming years. I personally can imagine that even several normal earthquakes with an average strength could shake the foundations of that reactor building enough to cause it to leak or collapse (?).
Here are some links btw:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szGQFhG1zT4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7e1v3XEems
They also exist with English subtitles, but I can`t find them right now. Ex-Prime Minister Naoto Kan is being interviewed during this 2-part doc. You can see why they wanted to get rid of him.
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Posted in: 99 requests for emergency help in 5 months due to 'law-evading herb' use in Tokyo See in context
Why not sell the real stuff in drugstores? That way the kids don`t have to fall back on toxic designer drugs. And the government could tax it and take the money to pay off the highest public debt in the world. Once that weight is off the shoulders of the younger generations, they might not even feel the need to escape reality anymore.
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Posted in: TEPCO report admits flaws worsened crisis; denies plan to pull out staff See in context
Fact is, this thing is far from over and they are already talking about starting more of these reactors up again. I thought as much when I heard they are going to start two of them to keep Osaka going. That was just for the "nuclear village" to get their foot in the door again.
Watch some of the documentaries on the German TV channel "ZDF" (enter Fukushima in the search) and you will learn that reactor number 4 in Fukushima is just about to fall apart. A halfway decent earthquake can cause it to collapse. The problem with this reactor building is that it contains used-up material, which apparently is much more potent than the live stuff. If this building was to collapse, experts say up to 1/3 of the country (!) might have to be evacuated.
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Posted in: Japan's No. 2 mobster to be freed on Y1.5 bil bail See in context
Does he get the money back?
No, he doesnt. The government is going to use the money to start a "hemp" farm. It will then sell the "hemp" to people with a tax of 300% on it. This way people dont have to smoke legal air freshener anymore and the government can start paying its debt back :-)
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Posted in: Japan to develop drones to monitor radiation See in context
While I think it is not a bad idea to know where and how much radiation is out there (provided the readings are reliable), I tend to agree with you, Rick Kisa: finally spending some money on other alternative energy sources would be wise. In a way it would be a bit silly otherwise of Germany to do all the right things when the rest of the world around them keep doing them same as always. And Japan, right now, is not only increasing its carbon footprint to size 13, it is also spending a fortune on it.
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Posted in: TEPCO to buy 1 million tons of LNG a year from Qatar See in context
Wonder when the Japanese people don`t just oppose nuclear power (which I do find good) but also put their money where their mouth is and install some solar systems on their roofs. I am sure they would be able to find Japanese made models. Well, maybe. Just as in the US, most things are made in China these days.
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Posted in: Noda hints at election if tax hike bill is not passed See in context
Noda, why don`t you discuss things like this with your wife next time before you say them out loud in public?
And rather than begging the LDP, why don`t you just hold a referendum on the tax hike. I think, the Japanese people have more common sense than most of these corrupt LDP politicians.
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Posted in: 1,324 Fukushima citizens file criminal complaint against TEPCO, gov't See in context
I love it.
Thank God they have realized that they have to take things into their own hands. Tokyo and especially the LDP which ran the ship until about 3 years ago, are nothing but one big "old boys network".
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Posted in: Firm makes iPhone Geiger counter for worried Japanese See in context
Hey originalusername,
great video, thanks. Saved me a lot of money.
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Posted in: Firm makes iPhone Geiger counter for worried Japanese See in context
Can someone tell me whether these things, any geiger counter I mean, works on food? And what a safe reading would be?
I agree with some of the comments above: if you find a higher rate of radiation somewhere, what can you really do? But with food it's different: if you go to the supermarket and find that a pumpkin is emitting this beautiful green light and you pull out your geiger counter and find that it's a little nuclear power plant, you just don't buy it.
About the negativity in some comments above: I find it amazing every time I read this forum how cynical some people are here. There is for sure a lot that can be improved in this country and it is driving me nuts as well, but if you hate it THAT much, why are you still here? And if you are not here, why don't you try and make things better wherever you are? Nothing wrong with constructive criticism!
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Posted in: SMAP to release charity album See in context
I agree with Goddog: surely it should read 2000.
Otherwise this would be the most embarrassing farce ever.
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Posted in: New 'Captain America' film flies into Trumpian headwinds
Posted in: Legal hurdles keep high-profile rape victim's film off Japan screens
"if we can't see the good in each other, we've already lost the fight." "I think it speaks to the…
Posted in: New 'Captain America' film flies into Trumpian headwinds
These movies have become tiresome. I wish this super hero trend would hurry up an end.
Posted in: New 'Captain America' film flies into Trumpian headwinds