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Posted in: Japan 'on standby' to take all possible steps amid yen decline See in context

Exchange rate with the UK pound is currently 183 Yen to the Pound... good news for me buying Yen for my holibags :)

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Posted in: U.S. soldier arrested for trespassing in home in Aomori Prefecture See in context

Drunk at 9am? Either an all-night bender or he started really early...

At least he didn't attack the old man

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Mouse embryos grown in space for first time: Japanese researchers See in context

So would humans (or mice) cope with the Earth's gravity if born in space?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: People will need to be more vigilant for avalanches and traffic disruptions in mountainous areas with higher risk of heavy snow. See in context

I remember as a kid they used to say we were on the verge of a new ice age because of the heavy snow we were getting. They were also saying that as the ice cap melts the waters around the UK would get colder meaning more snow... ah those 70s boffins lol

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Do you think there will be many functioning democracies around the world in, say, 20 years from now? See in context

Of course there will - I don't imagine, for example, Europe becoming an autocracy in 20 years. They've been asking this same question since the hippies. Yes there are democracies which have gone backwards (Turkey and Iran for example), but by and large countries which were democracies two decades ago still are, and some former slaves of the USSR are now democracies.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Japan to extend gasoline, energy subsidies through April See in context

You're lucky - we don't get subsidised fuel in my country £1.52 per litre of petrol... about Y250 or thereabouts

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Posted in: JAL announces int'l fare fuel surcharge for tickets issued between December and January 2024 See in context

WOW! Glad I booked my tickets with a European airline.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Posted in: Turkey's president submits protocol for Sweden's admission into NATO to parliament for ratification See in context

Turkey shouldn't even be in NATO - too chummy with Russia and their president is just another nutter determined to rule for eternity

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Prosecutors seeking to recharge Alec Baldwin in fatal shooting on set of Western movie "Rust" See in context

To be honest this is down to whoever (a) brought a weapon armed with real bullets to the set, and (b) whoever left said weapon ON the set in place of the prop gun. Baldwin would have had no reason to assume that a prop would be armed with real bullets... this sounds like a witch hunt against Baldwin. I mean I don't remember the torches and pitchforks coming out when that terrible accident occurred when making the Twilight Zone movie.

The "Rust" incident seems to have been a terrible accident from what I've read, one which need never have happened had there not been a live-armed weapon on set

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Miniature 'Star Wars' X-wing gets over $3 million at auction of Hollywood model-maker's collection See in context

Those Klingon ships are beautiful... and is that the original model of the Botany Bay?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Man arrested for punching woman claims he doesn’t remember details See in context

Ah the age old excuse: "I don't remember..."

8 ( +12 / -4 )

Posted in: Japan to tackle hay fever by felling cedar forests near major cities See in context

That will work for those who suffer from tree pollen - what about those that suffer hayfever from grass pollen (I do) and flowers... you can't eradicate plants on that scale. It's crazy

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Driver arrested after elderly woman dragged by van for 2 km in Tokyo See in context

Dear god... this is just horrible. That poor old lady... same age as my mother. I can't get this out of my head...

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Posted in: Live-action 'Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind' fan film complete; releases online this month See in context

Well I've subscribed to the chap's channel - I've loved Nausicaa ever since I saw the film and read the comic. From the trailer/teaser this looks really nice.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Nagoya ordinance prohibits walking on escalators See in context

I can just see it - someone desperate to get their train, but can't rush because of the judgemental stares from grannies, kids in yellow hats and that woman who somehow always makes you feel 10mm tall with a mere look...

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Posted in: Calamitous climate change means saying 'sayonara' to lovely autumn weather See in context

Doooooom..... doom doom... doom!

You know, here in Scotland we would kill for a long hot summer and shorter winters...

We also have 4 seasons - but they're all wet lol

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

Posted in: From K-pop to sales girls: AI goes mainstream in South Korea See in context

It's not really AI in the sense that it can make decisions and think for itself - it's basically a clever piece of CGI

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: American cyclist dies in expressway accident in Yokohama See in context

What's a bicycle doing on an expressway anyway? I'm assuming Japan also forbids them from going on motorways?

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Posted in: Keeping your cool in a warming world: 8 steps to help manage eco-anxiety See in context

As a child of the 60s and 70s I grew up with the ever present threat of WW3 hanging over our heads. We had news stories about the threat, films and TV dramas, books and even comics. Was I scared? Yes, but I just got on with my life. Now those fears are starting to emerge again as I head toward my 60s.

"Protect and Survive", "When the Wind Blows"... things like that... to us they were real. We were all going to experience hell on earth and die of radiation poisoning (those that survived the Bomb anyway).

We had the marches, the protests, the banner waving hippies... pretty much the same sort of people who march and protest now.

Don't where I'm going with this, but I find it hard to feel anxious about the 'climate emergency' when I survived the Cold War (well, the first one, anyway)...

2 ( +7 / -5 )

Posted in: U.S. drops anti-whaling wording opposed by Japan in Indo-Pacific pact See in context

Still hard to believe that in the 2020s Japan is still killing whales. This abhorrent activity should be consigned to the history books. America has made a mistake here for the sake of the Mighty Dollar

-6 ( +6 / -12 )

Posted in: China says Britain's plans to disrupt Hong Kong 'doomed to fail' See in context

So while the report details that China is imposing draconian rule on Hong Kong some posters (the same people all the time) decide to bash the UK on historical activity from well over a century ago.

Slavery - we abolished slavery in 1833, long before a raft of other countries - such as the good ol' US of A, so stop bringing that up time and time again... boring!

Colonisation... everyone did it... and it's still happening - Russia anyone? Our British Empire is gone. America has it's enclaves too - Guam for example, and to a lesser extent Okinawa.

What China is doing in HK is sort of what UK bashers accuse my country of doing in the past. We have a duty of care to Hong Kong... there is an agreement, which the Chinese have decided to disregard

9 ( +10 / -1 )

Posted in: U.N. chief says people looking to leaders for action and a way out of current global 'mess' See in context

@Yrral

I do not give a damn about Putin or Russian, or Ukraine, neither believe in liberty equality and justice for all, both can reap what they sowed and leave the US out of their mess, so we can concentrate on our own mess

That seems familiar rhetoric...

As for the 'mess'... well there will never be equality around the globe - the rich need to the poor to make things at affordable prices... this planet will never be an idealistic Utopia... we are nowhere near that level of enlightenment and all around nice-ness

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: I love traveling and I’ve been to many foreign countries, but I’ve always dreaded dragging around luggage or doing laundry abroad. See in context

Unbelievable... part of the fun of travelling is whacking your clothes into the hotel washers and dryers of an evening and listening to music or reading a book while it does its thing.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Dumb, phony and boring to the point of tears: Shows that ask foreign tourists what they like about Japan See in context

Thankfully any time I've been to Japan the cameras have been absent... hopefully I can avoid them this year too. Last thing I want is to be on Japanese TV. I was interviewed by a local paper once at a festival... but the questions were all related to the festival, and where I was from... which was nice :)

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Posted in: King Charles thanks public for their 'love' as he marks death of late mother, Queen Elizabeth See in context

To be honest all the younger people care about is themselves and whether or not they'll boil away as the planet supposedly becomes a space barbeque... they don't believe in institutions, royal or otherwise.

As long as they can have their overpriced coffee, hold up traffic as they cycle to their uni try to make older generations feel guilty they're happy...

Personally, I'm a royalist... In a civil war I'd be on the side of the King ^_^

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Posted in: Japan gasoline price hits record ¥185.60 per liter See in context

That's just over £1 per litre - here in the UK petrol at my local supermarket is around £1.45 per litre - around ¥268 per litre... I think ¥185.60 is a bargain

12 ( +14 / -2 )

Posted in: Thailand's jailed ex-PM Thaksin hospitalised after return from exile See in context

Why on earth did he go back to Thailand?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan to require day nurseries, schools to block sex offenders from jobs See in context

Bit shocked they aren't already doing this.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Posted in: Air travel is in a rut – is there any hope of recapturing the romance of flying? See in context

I still get a thrill from the moment I arrive at the airport to the moment I exit... to me it's still exciting. The start of a new adventure.

Bloody expensive though, but that's what keeps it special for me... it's a luxury that I allow myself every couple of years

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Posted in: Scientists say human-caused global warming is exacerbating natural disasters such as fires and floods around the world, making them both more likely and more deadly. Do you agree? See in context

@ClippetyClop

Even if you don't agree with climate change, the solutions are something that we should be doing anyway regardless.

The solutions below are from Greenpeace, considered by some to be 'radical lefties', and yet they are pretty common sense. They will lead to a cleaner, more sustainable planet for what will soon be 10 billion people. I'd challenge anyone to diagree with them.

Keep fossil fuels in the ground - No problems with that, as long as there are viable alternatives

Invest in renewable energy - As long as it's viable

Switch to sustainable transport - That is being done - everything is going electric

Help us keep our homes cosy - This needs support from governments, as the changes needed are very expensive and a lot of people can't afford it

Improve farming and encourage vegan diets - This one I have difficulties with - humans are omnivores, not plant eaters - you would need to supplement a vegan diet with the calcium and vitamins the body needs. Also everyone being vegan is the same as having farm animals farting all over the place

Restore nature to absorb more carbon - Re-forestation should be the biggest priority

Protect forests like the Amazon - That will be difficult in what is becoming a war zone

Protect the oceans - Agree 100%... but how?

Reduce how much people consume - Not everyone is up for a HUGE lifestyle upheaval

Reduce plastic - Replace it with what? Card and paper? That means cutting forests

All very laudable ideas, but you will need to take the entire population with you... and that's neve going to happen. Not everyone is an angry millennial or teenager.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

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