Vermillion Brent comments

Posted in: How do you feel when you speak fluent or reasonably good Japanese to a Japanese person and they insist on answering you in English? See in context

There are many that want to practice their English as much as you want to practice your Japanese, as well as those that truly believe they are making it easier for you and doing you a favor. Only you can choose to take it as an insult or not. If you want to practice your Japanese, do it regardless of what language they respond in.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Posted in: Should overweight people flying economy class be required to pay for an extra seat? See in context

I feel that yes, an obese person should buy more than one seat, you are paying for the space you occupy and if you fill any fraction more than a single seat, you should buy another. I am just over 200kg (down 26kg BTW) and I think it just makes sense, but the airline better give me both seats,the seats better be next to each other, I should be able to lift the armrest, receive a seat belt extension without hassle and give me TWO bags of peanuts!

Those of you that feel ashamed to admit that you think that overweight people should pay more, don't. Why should you be uncomfortable because I am spilling over my armrest into your space. You paid for that space and you deserve to have it.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Posted in: Abe hails election of pro-nuclear Tokyo governor See in context

I am pro nuclear, BUT these old plants need to be decommissioned and replaced with up to date technology all the way down to their foundations, not just a reactor or steam generator upgrade. Some of the oldest reactors still in use date back to 1970 and some experts say the tech was already outdated at the time they were built.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Posted in: China lashes out at Japan military radar plans See in context

I have to wonder about any country that would disapprove of defensive equipment. China, what do you have planned?

15 ( +17 / -2 )

Posted in: Tokyo police advise women on how to stay safe while in elevators See in context

After doing so, check to see which floor the elevator has stopped at before boarding again and making your way to your floor.

I find this to be strange advice. How is this to be effective if you had pressed all buttons? You now have no idea what floor the man exited to. He could easily be waiting for you at your floor having been stalking you for days during busy periods learning your schedule and working up the courage for an attack. Typical government advice, poorly thought through and not error checked.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Going round in circles: Japan considers introducing roundabouts See in context

Let's not forget that the average roundabout is larger than a simple stoplight intersection. Last I heard space is at a premium in most Japanese cities.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Posted in: Going round in circles: Japan considers introducing roundabouts See in context

These are a terrible idea in any country. The inventor of this needs to be dragged out behind a barn....

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Posted in: George Clooney takes aim at Sony investor Loeb over spin-off plan See in context

Clooney is nobody to listen to in business issues, keep in mind Clooney has never graduated from university. He had two failed attempts at higher learning but has not been able to finish; they were not top universities and his major had nothing to do with business. People often mistake good acting and confidence with an authority or expertise to speak, also just because someone co-founded a production company does not mean they actually operate it, founding can simply be putting up capital.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Posted in: Stocks close 1.48% lower See in context

Sure, the stock prices look like they are going up in general but this is an obfuscation. They devalue the yen and point to the stock market and say look, stock market prices are going up, the economy is getting better. But if you look to the price of stock over time and compare to the value of the yen you can easily see that when adjusted the stock market is lower. Don't fall for the political manipulation going on all over the world, the stock market is still down and their meddling is just going to make things that much worse before the real recovery happens.

It is kind of like trying to reduce high blood pressure with bloodletting and not fixing the actual cause.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Zimmerman acquittal shifts race issue in U.S. back to the fore See in context

Zimmerman waved the stand your ground law before trial, it was not an issue of this case. The case was tried as a traditional self defense case.

Interesting meme started going around: Only in the United States can a "brown" man shoot a "darker brown" man and the "white" man gets blamed.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Alarmed by anti-Korean demonstrations in Tokyo, anti-discrimination groups in Japan are calling for a law to make hate speech illegal. Would you support such a law? See in context

This is exactly the kind of thing destroying the United States. People are to worried about who they are going to offend to say what is important. It is up to the person listening to choose to be offended, do not give that kind of control to others. Be strong and secure in your own spirit. Let all say what they feel, sometimes it needs to be heard, other times it is just nonsense. Be strong enough to decide for yourself what you should listen too, don't look to laws and the government to do it for you!

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Posted in: Express train knocks suicide jumper back onto platform, injuring woman See in context

The news publicizes the death. People can see in the news that someone did it and it was a success at that location. So it becomes a popular place because it works, not because the dead person will be famous after the fact.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Tokyo high court upholds Samsung win against Apple See in context

Apple should work on innovation and quality like they used to instead of parading an army of lawyers around in an effort to reduce competition. They have become the very thing they fought so hard against and criticized so vehemently in their early years. This flip flop and hypocrisy is why I have even more disdain for Apple than other big companies. Take the iPhone for instance; I believe that many of the latest releases were part of the original design ideas and in an greedy effort to release a new product early every cycle they parceled out those ideas a little at a time instead of completing a fantastic product and releasing the whole. Some of these releases were even very buggy, you can't tell me nobody noticed.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Must-have eyewear for the serious gamer See in context

With today's led lighting, the computer screen may not be the only thing your eyes need protection from.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Parents advised to give the boot to their sponging adult kids See in context

I would buy an overnight trip for the lazy children and while they were away have all the door locks changed and have the windows checked to make sure they work and lock properly, maybe even add security bars. An eviction notice would be attached to their personal items in the front yard. I would also inform all my neighbors and friends of the situation and urge them to report them for disturbing the peace when the children return home and make a scene. I would also be one of the parties to call in the disturbance and possibly to report any attempt at break-in.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Posted in: S Korean media slam Abe's 731 jet photo See in context

If one walks through life looking for anything to be upset about it will always be found.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Posted in: Chinese man hires men to smash his Maserati in protest at poor customer service See in context

This all assumes the Italian automaker gives a damn. If they really cared about what people thought they would not sell a car for more than ten times the cost of manufacture and delivery.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Assistant police inspector arrested for groping 15-year-old girl See in context

I am not sure about the legality of carrying restraining devices in Japan but maybe some girls and young women can take a pair of nylon handcuffs and cuff the perverts wrist to their own wrist just before they pull into the station so they can not run.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Kentucky boy, 5, fatally shoots 2-year-old sister with rifle given to him as gift See in context

It is not the company, it is the idiot parents that gave a rifle to their child with incomplete training and even after that training they should have only let the child handle the rifle under very close supervision. Until they are responsible and knowledgeable enough to go on local hunting/camping trips alone with a hunting license provided to the child by their state they should not be handling the weapon on their own. A 5 year old handling a weapon with loose enough supervision that they are able to point the thing in anyone's direction? Parents should be up for involuntary manslaughter! The gift was last year, that means a 4 year old with a rifle, ridiculous! I can see buying a child sized rifle and holding it with your child at the firing range to teach them early to help prevent accidents like this but I would never let them handle it at those young ages without having my hands on the weapon and or the child at all times and the child better have safety gear; Ear plugs + ear muffs and eye protection. When not with your child, teaching them, firearms should be completely inaccessible to the child until they can be responsible for locking it up in their own safe/locker and have qualified with their local authorities gun/hunter safety course. Leaving firearms leaning against the wall in the living room as a way of storage is completely irresponsible. First thing I learned about firearms was that they are always to be treated as if they are loaded.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Over 270,000 pedestrians killed each year: WHO See in context

So these organizations will get UN and other legislating bodies to pass crazy over zealous laws. The countries that really need these laws will just ignore them and more developed countries will have to spend money they can ill afford. All this will lead to extensive road construction work that will inconvenience drivers with detours and make it near impossible for those that walk when they have to go around construction.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Chinese military planes flew near disputed isles 40 times in one day See in context

Maybe the oil is only a small part of the issue? China's newest cruise missiles could hit bases in Okinawa in about 4 minutes if launched from an oil drilling platform at the disputed islands.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Is American democracy dysfunctional? See in context

There is in America today pervasive concern about the basic functioning of our democracy.

The USA is not a democracy and never has been, it is a Constitutional Republic. The idea that the USA is a democracy is part of the propaganda designed to tear down the strength of the USA and lead it down the path to socialism and eventually communism as outlined in The Communist Manifesto.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Possible radioactive traces from N Korea nuclear test detected in Japan See in context

No, North Korea did not start providing more electricity to their people, that glow at night is radioactivity. The leadership of North Korea will of course blame any ill effects on spies and terrorists from South Korea and the USA, not the poor quality nuclear testing.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Posted in: Obama no match for U.S. gun rights advocates See in context

horrifiedAPR. 23, 2013 - 02:17PM JST sangetsu03 - You are mistaken: 90% of Americans DO support background checks. My goodness, that information is only a google search away. http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2013/apr/04/lee-leffingwell/lee-leffingwell-says-polls-show-90-percent-america/

All of these polls are done by mail, phone and internet, no one must get off their butt to go to a polling place to participate in these polls. Couple this with polling fraud using proxy IP voting and or mail fraud and these numbers change. Some people are willing to commit voter fraud and vote more than once in actual elections risking fines and jail time. There is no risk of fines or jail time involved in voting for a private poll, what is stopping them.

The thing to remember is many busy active voters are on do not call lists, do not have time to fill out mail for polls and are honest people who would not even consider using a proxy to vote more than once. When it comes to a poll where their vote counts for something like the midterm election they find it very important to make time to get to a polling place. The politicians know this and that is why they say stuff like the quote Biden came up with.

Also remember that a politician is only going to quote the parts that support their argument or make their point. They will never give you the whole story or context unless it benefits them.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Hiroshima A-bomb re-enactment dropped from U.S. air show See in context

Why would anyone want to reenact such tragic events in our world history. If you want to bring awareness, tell the stories of the survivors and what they went through during and what they did to put their lives back together afterward. We should never do anything that might glorify these events in the young minds of children at these events.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Posted in: Apple, Google chiefs face questioning over poaching workers See in context

It is just another example of the frivolous litigation that is a constant problem in the United States.

I am of the opinion that if a company wishes to respect another company and choose not to hire anyone currently employed by that company they should be allowed to have such an agreement openly and as a written policy. A policy like this also helps to prevent conflicts of interest and corporate espionage.

It should be up to the applicant if they want to take the chance and quit their current employer to apply if they believe they can have a better career at the new company. The companies should not be held responsible for the actions and career potential of the employees because they choose not to hire.

I sincerely hope this case fails.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Japanese weightlifter given 5-year ban for doping See in context

In trouble for taking steroids and she is hardly better than the other women in her weight class. If you can barely win while cheating you probably should look for another career.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Cafe scores unlikely hit with natto, coffee gelatin and whipped cream sandwich See in context

No way to edit comments?

I meant palate, not pallet. I want to taste it, not ship it in bulk upon a wooden frame.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Cafe scores unlikely hit with natto, coffee gelatin and whipped cream sandwich See in context

I think I would approach this sandwich as a way to ease my pallet into an appreciation of natto. I have not yet tried natto since I have not been to Japan and it is hard to find in the USA. I believe any source in the USA would be of dubious quality anyway, but I intend to when I have the opportunity.

I am considering making my own by ordering the culture from Japan and using a yogurt maker to do it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan forum to discuss nuclear-free energy future See in context

I think going nuclear free is a mistake. There are plenty on new designs that are far safer and even more efficient. Japan is known world wide for innovation and redesigning technologies in a better way. It is a good time to show their tenacity and play to their strengths and make existing tech better, not run and hide because of some rare accident.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

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