Posted in: Uniqlo defends decision to stay open in Russia See in context
@ Matthew Smith: In the reply below, I will employ the pronoun "you" with the same valence as the pronoun "we" at the end of your post.
[...] by sanctions and all of the restrictions democratic countries making suffer only people, who never supported Putin and protested all the time.
[...] mood is changing in Russian SNS. Even people who have will to protest and change something, people, who hate Putin and fighting against the war starting to hate countries that use sanctions.
Russians' hate is misdirected: they should hate themselves for a long history of servitude to "strong" characters.
Unfortunately, you don’t know the situation in Russia. It’s very easy to stay in the safe country, where your rights are respected, and trying to make people in Russia go out and being raped, hurt or killed.
Russia does not exist in a communication vaccum: westerners - and the whole world now - know the situation first hand, and seem to be better informed than the Russians themselves. Putin's cloack of lies is not effective here. And who is doing the raping, hurting, or killing of Russians who go out? Isn't it other Russians?
People are protesting every day, but a lot of them having families, kids or spouses, parents and other relatives. Will you risk not just your own life, but also your close people’s in such situation? I highly doubt it.
Closed airspace didn’t leave them any opportunity to at least hide their relatives somewhere.
Ask the Ukrainians: they are doing the exact thing that you deem impossible to do in your own country and for your own future. Then go back in time and ask all the other countries that basked in the glorious Soviet occupation or sphere of control. I come from one of them, and I am old enough to remember when my people put everything on the line, and not half-heartedly, to overthrow that corrupt government and its brutal dictatorship.
I hope none of you will experience the same feelings as we do. Being punished by our government for supporting Ukraine, being punished by the whole world for living in Russia.
The whole world is now putting "soft" pressure on the agents of change - the Russians themselves - to act and and implement change. The people still differentiate between government and population, but if the world happens to veer into a hot nuclear war, there will be no mercy and no forgiveness left to impart.
My relatives living in Ukraine and i can’t reach them from the start of the invasion. It’s my personal tragedy.
My sister-in-law is a Russian from Moscow expat, with living relatives in Ukraine. This may have been unnecessary to comment upon, but I wanted you to know that your tragedy is not singular.
We didn’t want this war. We didn’t elect Putin. We protested and were beaten up by police all the time and nobody helped us, but we keep going on the streets, no matter what. What else do you want from us? To die?
Yes. Who else do you want to do it for you? Aren't Ukrainians dying enough? Die for your humanity, for the right to live free on your land, for your nation to have a future and not be another North Korea. Russians, just like people everywhere are good; and still, evil happens. Russians are good people, but are they beaten into submission? By whom? And who exactly is doing the killing at home and abroad? Who is giving orders, and who is following them? Ostracize those members in your society! Turn your backs on everyone who willingly, cowardly, or by brainwashing supports or condones this sorry state of affairs!
Our thoughts are with Ukrainian people.
Ours are with them, too, and with the rest of the innocents finding themselves caught in the crossfire. But our support, financial and material, is with them as well. Not a cent for the enablers of this war!
2 ( +6 / -4 )
Posted in: Japan conveys objection to Trump's plan to add S Korea to G-7 See in context
Be careful. Someone will pop up in a minute and claim: "China isn't Communist."
China used to be communist. I find it now checking all the important boxes that define a nascent fascists state. So, it's Fascist China for me.
-2 ( +1 / -3 )
Posted in: Gov't seeks more inclusion in education for foreign children in Japan See in context
@ Joe Blow
Anecdotal evidence, I know, but here I am, more or less happily married and living here for 16 years, with my very Japanese spouse and my children of elementary school age. Not feeling nuts at all. There are healthier tendencies that can be had rather than overgeneralizing local cultures, don't you think?
3 ( +4 / -1 )
Posted in: 7 schools in Kanto area, including 2 in Ibaraki, receive bomb threats See in context
I'm intrigued by the logic of evacuating the schools. If "no suspicious objects were found", why evacuate? Didn't they trust the work done by the police? Conversely, as they decided to evacuate, why only half an hour ahead of the time stated in the threat? Did they take those words at their face value, as to trust that the explosion would not happen before 10:27? Weird.
-1 ( +2 / -3 )
Posted in: Japanese get creative in face of coronavirus crisis mask shortages See in context
@virusrex
The health professionals say otherwise, you need data to prove them wrong, not your opinion.
From the Center for Disease Control and Prevention info page on COVID-19:
"Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask.
[ ] CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.
[ ] Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. The use of facemasks is also crucial for health workers and people who are taking care of someone in close settings (at home or in a health care facility)."
3 ( +5 / -2 )
Posted in: Frozen in time: Hospital room preserved since 1945 Tokyo firebombing
Posted in: The EU was built for another age – here’s how it must adapt to survive
Posted in: Taiwan pledges chip talks and investment to mollify Trump
Posted in: Chinese navy helicopter flies within 10 feet of Philippine patrol plane over disputed shoal