Sawendro comments

Posted in: Microsoft to end support for Windows XP on April 9 See in context

Why upgrade to 8? 7 is still wayyy superior for desktops. In my opinion anyway.

20 ( +20 / -0 )

Posted in: JR Tokai seeks approval to increase Tokaido shinkansen train speed See in context

At that velocity, I'm not sure 15km/h slower is much safer.

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Posted in: Should Holocaust denial be a crime? See in context

I put it in that class of laws that are "not in public forums" style. If you want to hold this position in your own home, fine. I think you are someone with a horrifically poor grip of history and - most likely - some manner of Nazi-sympathiser, but fine; the government can't control what you think. But if you go out onto the street and start shouting it out, unsolicited, then yes - I think that qualifies as hate crime.

Essentially this; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incitement_to_ethnic_or_racial_hatred#United_Kingdom but expanded.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Murayama says 1995 sex slavery apology review not in Japan's interest See in context

I think that the decision to "review" the apology is incredibly short-sighted. But given that Japanese politicians seem to be letting their revisionist fantasies take control these days.... Fine. Let them revise it. But they should make sure that no Japanese (or Koreans) are on the body that conducts the review - something like a UN team would be best, in my opinion - so that the results are final and binding. If it finds that "comfort women" were employed against their will and that further reparations are due, Japan should have to accept that and STUMP UP with no further protest.

In point of fact, I think allowing an independent team to review the entire history of conflict in the area and - essentially - lay all the facts behind the grievances open for all the world to see would do everyone a power of good. Countries could still argue about things, but we'd have an accepted "who did what and when".

13 ( +14 / -1 )

Posted in: CERN eyes new giant particle collider See in context

Jeff: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/realistic_criteria.png

Besides, this kind of research may well practical payoffs in terms of things like improvements to magnetic field control - important for magnetic confinement fusion (the "more" renewable kind) that we can predict. And others we can't predict yet, like observation of particle interactions that could allow shrinking of computer components beyond classical size limits or a door to manipulating the Higgs field (which would allow easier transportation).

That, and it takes DECADES to build these things which is why they need to start planning now.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Venezuelan president wants to talk to Toyota exec See in context

Choking the economy is never going to fix problems, Venezuela - especially if foreign companies cannot manage their businesses properly because of currency controls.

Anyone else think they've shot themselves in the foot over this?

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Posted in: Virginia vote on Sea of Japan hands victory to South Koreans See in context

I have no real issue with this ruling - so far as Americans go, I doubt the majority give two figs about who calls a body of water on the other side of the world what.

And it's not as if the name is being screamed from the rooftops as a massive territorial/historical shift either (at least, not by anyone other than the invested parties) so I fail to see why the huge kerfuffle has managed to get into the news.

I mean it's not like any OTHER body of water has many names, like the English Channel/ Le Manche/ Canal da Mancha/ British Sea .......

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Posted in: Tokyo 2020 leaders reject notion of old boys club See in context

"If I should make a huge mistake by speaking English incorrectly, it could lead to problems,”

This is pretty much the reason why there are so few Japanese who speak anything above pidgin English. I don't think anyone ever taught this guy that TRYING is what counts AND what makes you better.

And being complimented for a LACK of a skill is really, really bad. "I can't do maths" would not ever be considered worthy of praise...

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Posted in: Family, employer of dead epileptic driver ordered to pay damages See in context

The article leaves a bit much "up in the air" as regards laying blame. While I do think that the company shouldn't have put him into a driving position, if he had a valid licence then they -presumably - had no reason not to; the Government says it is OK.

That said, do we know if this man lied for his licence? I think that may be the key point here.

In any case, it is still a tragedy.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Man arrested for drugging, robbing woman See in context

Failing anything else, how the merry hell did he expect to get away with it?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Which side do you think is most responsible for the deterioration in Sino-Japanese ties? See in context

I find it interesting how every single post that doesn't go "Japan is blameless" is getting downvoted...

I put the blame - historically - on the West. If the Western Powers had behaved better back in the day (Unequal Treaties etc etc) then I don't think we'd have half the troubles we do now.

In more recent news, I think that while Japan does have to take some responsibility - not least for inflaming tensions with history revision (I also found out that the high school I work in DOESN'T TEACH WW2!) - it is China that is being the most belligerent at the moment. They are unilaterally attempting to expand and in doing so have pissed off most of the globe with interests in the area. The ADIZ is amongst these kind of actions, as is the expansion of controlled waters to overlap with Vietnam, the Philippines etc.

China wants to be taken seriously, but the way they're going about it has the feeling of an angry teenager claiming everything is his and that we don't understand...

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Posted in: Each year, Hollywood comes out with remakes of old movies (one of this year's will be "Godzilla"). Which of your favorite old movies would you absolutely not like to see remade? See in context

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I just don't think it'd be able to work well in a modern setting.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Oliver Stone, Michael Moore, others rally against Okinawa base plan See in context

Looking at it pragmatically (or trying to, at least) I support moving the base.

There is GOING to be a base whether people like it or not. Both Tokyo and the U.S. want a U.S. military presence in the Okinawa region. Maybe that'll change in the future but I don't foresee a time when there are NO bases - American or Japanese - in the area. Corollary to that; any bases the U.S. leaves will likely be turned over/sold to Japan so renegotiation of the defence policies is unlikely to result in the lessening of some kind of military presence.

If you accept that there will always be bases then it makes sense to have one in a less urbanised area. Leaving aside recent high-profile accidents, the more interaction between the military and the locals then the more friction there will be. In addition, it reduces the risk of any of the deeply unpleasant crimes reported in and around the base being repeated. Not an ideal solution, but a risk reduction.

Money is money; even if - as said above - the majority of money does go to Tokyo run projects, then there is at least a minimum funding guarantee that a lot of places would kill for. If the British government offered that kind of a deal for nuclear power stations, I think there'd be a lot less opposition to them.

I have additional points, but I think this has become just a tad long. Sorry.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Posted in: Family of elderly woman knocked down by cyclist awarded Y47 mil damages over her death See in context

In Britain, I cycled everywhere. I obeyed the Rules of the Road even if that meant stopping at a red light at 0300 in the snow with no other traffic around.

Now I moved to Japan, I dare not cycle. No-one here has been able to explain the laws about where bikes should be (roads vs pavements) when there're no cycle paths around. And most other riders seem to be on the phone, holding umbrellas (or parasols in summer) or doing lots of other things. It scares me.

In short, it strikes me that this man - undoubtedly no small fool - is a product of the insanity that is the Japanese bike community.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

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