browny1 comments

I think we're a long way from a Hal-like voiced robot in aged care saying -

How are you this morning? Did you sleep well? It's beautiful day. That's nice sunshine coming through the window. Now I'm just going to carefully roll you on your side. There you go. Are you ok? Just a moment while we get rid of this soiled diaper. Now that feels better doesn't it? Now back onto your back. I heard you were watching the baseball last night. You must be happy the Giants lost. You know my nephew is playing now. He's really good. Ok let's try and sit up and have a sip of tea. It's smells nice doesn't it?..........."

Bladerunner isn't close yet.

As others noted - the use of the term Western when referring to cuisines, degrades the content immediately.

There is NO monolithic Western cuisine.

All countries have their own traditional ethnic dishes.

American modern cuisine is Not the traditional cuisine of those countries.

But unfortunately the world of fast food, hi-fat food, hi-sugar food, hi-processed food is spreading everywhere including Japan.

Who's buying the aisle after aisle after aisle of processed foods in the supermarkets?

Can only be locals.

Coffee-table books of Japanese cuisine, are great for pictures, but are not a realistic guide to eating habits.

Coming from a bushfire country like Australia and having personal experience of such, leads me to think forest fires and their destructive potential is not taken seriously enough.

I've read accounts of the origins of the 3 forest fires that are currently burning in Japan - that will have to be verified.

But first, the Iwate fire was begun by someone burning rubbish/leaves etc on their property and strong winds fanned the fire quickly spreading it.

The 2nd fire in Nagano spread again by strong winds from a farmer burning stubble in his rice field.

The 3rd in Yamanashi was also started when strong winds were blowing and a man was burning leaves etc in the back yard of a home.

All cases began when strong winds were blowing - a witness to the Nagano fire said he saw sparks fly 100 meters to the forest. And the air was exceptionally dry as was the undergrowth and forests.

People still burn outdoors here if not for the only reason - well we've always burnt.

Well, times change, situations change and weather patterns change.

Extremely lucky that more lives/property haven't been lost - but hte fires are still raging.

Hopefully local govts can now be more serious about enforcing stricter burning by-laws.

I know my local govt says "Don't Burn" and never enforces it's own rules. I've said to my often burning neighbours - one day that forested hill behind you leading to many houses will be gone.

Only reply is a scoff.

Wallace -

I avoided watching “A Complete Unknown.”

Why is that? Some special reason?

I as a lover of music and history am looking forward to seeing the biopic.

Only seen trailers to date - but Chalamet really seems to get under the skin of Dylan in a +ive way. His singing/guitar playing, speech, mannerisms all have a movie reel feel about it.

And Jimizo - agree - Austin Butler as Elvis and Joaquin Phoenix as Jonny Cash and Reese Witherspoon as June Carter all channeled their characters, almost spookily.

Only great application and skill could do justice to those roles - and they did just htat.

All excellent information.

I have been to a few funerals and they do differ a little. Especially so now with the trend to smaller and more intimate occasions with just family and close friends.

At the last funeral I attended 2 years ago - a friend, after the initial condolences were given, my wife and I spoke to his wife and his mother for quite sometime. And also his brother whom we met for the first time.

I think it was appreciated by them to just humanize (??) the sad occasion.

Agree with Mr Kip and Bass - definitely not a deterrent. As they indicated it's an act of social revenge to rid society of a dastardly problem.

When discussing this matter over the years with local folks who support the death penalty, I always say I don't want to have a hand in killing people, so I don't support it.

They are always a bit taken aback by that suggesting they don't want to kill people either, whereby I say that by supporting the death penalty you do support killing people. Always confuses them.

This of course has no bearing on or acceptance of the insidious or heinous nature of murder - just a point of contention to observe.

As リッチsaid there are some of us that believe parents have a duty of care with young kids on ski slopes.

We don't know the circumstances - probably the adult skier was out of control or going too fast or whatever.

He should have stopped and assisted - but it is possible he/she weren't aware of the situation. If you have decades of experience on the slopes you would have witnessed cases where someone flies by not even physically contacting the person but scaring them enough to fall and injure themselves.

Personally my kids never left my sight unless they were following me - with mum taking up the rear. Seen too many kids - little kids - on their own or with friends just careering around the slopes, often not very skilled or aware of much going on.

Private schools are just part of the conundrum that is the jnr/snr high school system here.

Most jnr & snr schools are separate institutions with little or no links between the two.

Jnr high students have no right to attend a public snr high school. Admission is only on passing an entrance exam or in lesser cases by special recommendation.

In how many developed countries, do children not have the automatic right to finish 12 years of schooling?

This system of selection has fueled the growth of private schools over the decades to cater for those failing in entrance exams - as a kind of fail-safe system to allow those kids to continue school.

This has also fueled the ubiquitous Juku or Cram School business - catering esp for those trying to get into the fewer public high school slots. Actually the Juku system also prepares students from kindergarten to high school for entry into the "best" institutions".

If private schools - not the elite wealthy ones - were to close the whole system would be in chaos. Public schools could never meet the demands of suddenly schooling 100,000s of kids. Currently 35% of all snr high school students are in the privates sector at well over 1,000,000 in number.

The private schools actually are doing a giant favor by allowing govt to escape full funding for children to be educated. Some decry that any public monies should be paid to private schools - but try to imagine the govt with dwindling resources & bureaucracies from hell attempting to takeover that sector.

Private schools, while having to fulfill basic govt implemented requirements actually have the freedom to be extraordinarily flexible. The one school I am very familiar with, offers in addition to straight uni level academic study, a multiple of courses that kids like and find worthwhile. They vary from Computer/IT based to Hospitality to Graphic Design to Tourism etc. This school takes on kids that would be big trouble in the public system and tries to point them in positive directions with lots of ease that wouldn't go down in a public school.

I put to some senior teachers in this large school that they should offer another course(s) all in English - maths, history science etc to attract students with a wider more global vision. It'd be a big plus and attract students both domestically and internationally.

Regardless if this ever pans out or not, flexibility is the key. With a little ingenuity and innovativeness, Private Schools are in the Box Seat to drive this, guaranteeing a future role in education.

@Bass4funk

The AfD party will not be part of the next government. Its leader, Alice Elisabeth Weidel, lives in Switzerland, not Germany, with her Sri Lankan wife.

I doubt that, from the looks of it, you just might be wrong.

Actually it's quite common knowledge that Alice Weidel and Sarah Bossard the Sri Lankan film maker have been in a long term relationship and have 2 adopted kids. Their home is in Switzerland. She has a residence in Germany for political reasons - obviously.

Most people following German politics will know this.

Desert Tortoise -

Your last 3 posts are too common sense.

Keep that up and you'll raise the ire of the "We know what's best for you" crowd.

Point of contention is not sifting through govt departments to streamline, update or modernize.

It's the Spanish Inquisition methods being utilized.

Simple as that.

And the use of Musk's Hitlerjugend to carry out such.

The Neo-Gang of Four slashing their way around.

Script is being written - waiting for the director's cut to be on show.

Chuckles.

With chainsaw in hand as brutal as Hunger Games.

“Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

“Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager."

Orwell again springs to mind, with Musk's Thinkpol - Thought Police - seeking out Thoughtcrime.

2 legs better.

DeeZee - I remember the "Multi-Function Polis" attempt well.

A perfectly planned sustainable suburb, environmentally and technically decades ahead of it's time.

As you said, negative response from a small percentage of society with slogans like No Asian City helped it's demise. Also the eventual site chosen lacked the "Gold Coast" appeal some developers were hoping for.

The biggest factor though I suspect was the bursting of the economic miracle bubble in Japan and the crashing of the economy.

After the demise of the plan on the same site a local born Technology park development has occurred with widespread eco-friendly housing/lifestyle developments being built. It's been credited as a standout for sustainable urban development. If the original billions had flowed in in the 80s/90s, one wonders what amazing place could have been built.

Fast forward to 2025 in Japan one hopes that the Toyota concept is being handled expertly and proves to be a real basis for 21st/22ndC development that will be for all people - a people centric environment. They have the finance and ability.

If it's just a protype - like a car - created for interest just to see what we can do, then it will be a loss.

And I thought Trump had reached the pinnacle of his inane utterings - then this week!

Classic Orwellian double-speak.

From Animal Farm -

"Four Legs Good, Two Legs Bad" morphs into "Four Legs Good, Two Legs Better".

"Ukraine invades Russia" morphs into "Russia invades Ukraine, but..."

Paul Simon encapsulates the moment -

Slip Sliding Away. You know, the nearer your destination, The more you're Slip Sliding Away.

2 serious points for consideration here.

The first is as others indicated - "How is this even a topic of National Importance"?

With so many other pressing problems affecting the lives and livelihoods of millions, Trump plays the Musk card (they took my son and made him a woman) to garner publicity and seek more control over ordinary people.

And 2ndly - Now Trump is going to withhold funding for the state which 1,000s upon 1,000s of citizens rely on, unless his demands are met. As if he has the sovereignty to demand an ultimatum - Bow down or Suffer.

The Rabbit Hole is quickly becoming a Worm Hole - into a parallel realm.

Bizzaro World.

Sad Chuckles.

To those who think this is an inflammatory article causing over-worrying, I'm guessing they haven't got a simple emergency pack prepared or stabilized large furniture or put a pair of slippers/shoes by the bed etc. My friend who was in the Hanshin Quake, had no major damage to his house except lots of fallen things broke incl windows and he cut the cr*p out of his feet escaping to the street.

The "I'm ok" attitude is fine - until it's not ok.

We don't have to live in fear every waking moment - just take a few precautions to potentially alleviate much more serious preventable outcomes.

The Big one will come, and if as it states in the article focusses on Tokyo area, well then it will drive Japan back to the 60's.

To maintain control and power Japan/Govt Inc has all it's eggs in one basket in Greater Tokyo.

Bad policy.

OssanAmerica -

And exactly what "track record" would that be?

Well I guess for starters her and husbands membership of NipponKaigi which shares sympathetic values with Trump Inc.

Her status as Honorary Principal of Moritomo Gakuen - a school with ideals based on those of Imperial Japan and Nationalist thinking which was to be later named the Shinzo Abe - certainly fills in blanks on the track record.

And still further the following cover up and destruction of documents which showed political involvement from the top in the illegal massive discount of the land price.

Sadly this resulted in an administrative worker - Toshio Akagi - taking his own life because of being asked to forge documents to protect Mr & Mrs Abe.

That's just a scraping of the surface.

So for Akie Abe to go bleating on behalf of Trump in Taiwan -

"....I think his true nature is that he loves peace and has a warm heart...."

well there are some of us who take this with the proverbial grain of.

I'm more inclined to suspect the huge presence of synthetic materials across the globe as a main contributor to allergies and intolerances.

After millions of years of evolution, Chemicals that have only appeared in recent decades, surely must have an impact on humans.

Whether lead or mercury, phthalates, endocrine disruptors - pfas, pesticides - dieldrin/ ddt, etc etc etc, all such substances are known to cause damage to or disrupt negatively the human body.

Silent Spring was a warning that was never given the heed it demanded.

20th/21st centuries will be looked upon in history as the era of poisoning life through man-made acts.

Which brings to mind all of the daily newsreels shown on tv esp when disasters or misfortunes hit - who gains permission from all of those 1,000s of people, many suffering, for their faces and predicaments to be shown ?

I've witnessed some shocking images of suffering from the Gaza war - children brutality injured and the like - and there is no attempt to blur faces and I'm sure their permission was not given to have their situation broadcasted across the globe.

Oh - it's in the interest of the general public to report the terrible scenes of atrocities the Media Inc will blurt.

So what's different about Shiori's film showing the background leading up to and following on from the atrocity flung on her?

Does every single piece of film used in telling a factual story - ie the truth - need to be approved by all of those who appear?

If so the 7 o'clock news has been at fault for eons.

Double standards.

Trumpist123 - thanks for the info. I'll check it out.

Re making bucks. I doubt there's a pile of moolah coming Her way out of this.

The time and energy and own expenses to date would make the hourly pay rate pretty dismal imo.

Not to mention the abuse slurry that she has encountered on the way adding to the misery.

Very few documentaries are financially successful - even biggies.

I don't think BBD is going to change from this and be a sudden windfall.

A labor of Love to right the wrong.

Despite the name, the JET program is more about introducing young students in Japan to foreigners and foreign cultures. English & English learning is just a part of that.

Many kids have never interacted with a foreigner until meeting their schools JET/ALT teachers.

Many are enthusiastic about the opportunity. Many great times and experiences can be had.

But it all comes with caveats.

How skillful is the JET at communicating, relating to others? Do they have the ability to empathize with young people? Are they confident enough to be self-motivated, organized and have a strong desire to learn? Are they at least a little knowledgeable about components of the English language? And much more depending on locations - regional or urban, school policies, school heads, helpful kind staff, etc etc.

The salary incl all the mentioned benefits for JETs is usually fairly commensurate with their qualifications. Most are fresh out of college/uni and have little work experience in education.

Yubaru & Trumpist -

The Japan Today Spotlight 5 video says it is difficult to stream in Japan because of restrictions due to regional licensing agreements.

They said this

"...As of now there is no official streaming service offering to show the film within Japan..."

So do you guys have some insider info re able to watch?

Please let us know - many want to see it.

And re enough of metoo movement.

I'd hazard a guess that it's just starting and millions in this country are, if not getting on board, certainly are broadly sympathizing with the cause.

Just talk to people - esp women. They'll tell you.

Thanks for putting out the current status of the Black Box Diaries.

It's important for those both inside and outside Japan to get some background on this.

The gross injustice that Shiori Ito has had served upon her in addition to her original traumatic experience, needs to be displayed in the open, while at the same time drawing attention to the powerful protective forces that operate here in order to cover over any negative reporting.

No doubt at all that part of those "protective forces" can be found in the politically aligned world especially those close to ex prime minister Abe whose biographer Noriyuki Yamaguchi was the rapist.

Freedom of the Press is not so free in Japan which is why it's world ranking is so low.

So a democracy bans the free press because it doesn't follow to a T the whims of the leader.

And we're talking about benign words.

Not directives concerned with national security, sustainable economy or the like.

A renaming of a body of water - that is bordered by multiple countries - that has existed with the same name for over 400 years.

In fact it was named over 200 years before USA was even a thought in the minds of the revolutionaries.

To ban a media company over use of the traditional name recognized globally by the International Hydrographic Organization is infantile in the least.

Chuckles galore.

Trump said -

 "......the US would "take over" the territory...."

Now that's really going to work isn't it?

The most contested piece of land in the Middle East, inhabited in the main by Palestinians for centuries, is to become a US controlled "haven".

That strategy has really worked for the US in the past - not.

Imagine the security alone required to establish such a domain.

But it won't happen - not peacefully anyway - as millions of people are not just going to rollover because of outsiders rhetoric.

With the level of utter terror, death and destruction visited upon Tokyo and it's citizens in the fire bombing raid of March 1945, I've always wondered why the Japanese govt/military never capitulated soon after.

That so many ordinary people suffered so horrifically in the heart of the capital, must have signaled the end has come.

But sadly no - many hundreds of thousands more common folk had to die horrific deaths under the military's defiance for peace.

My wife's family were lucky - twice - to have escaped regional bombings long after The Tokyo Raid.

Such insanity.

Nothing learned - except more devastating ways to kill.

As others noted - it has become way too overcrowded, diminishing the quiet, reflective spirit necessary to take in all in.

Large groups of school kids, contribute to the packed/rushed atmosphere. They have every right to be there, but from observing I doubt many of them are taking much in.

I've been a number of times over a few decades, but last year with relatives from Australia was totally unsatisfactory. They were disappointed that they couldn't look and read at leisure and go back and check things again - all the while with buzz of so many around.

I'm not sure what the answer is. Bookings only, limited admissions at special times, charging more, restricting entries to match exits.....etc??? What do other museums do?

ATM I'm not willing to take visitors there again and have a repeat of the last experience.

How convenient - his Oh No big ban slots in perfectly between Grand Slams.

Is that why this wasn't dealt with last year like the majority of doping suspect cases in a short time?

Let's wait until after the Aust Open where he's favorite, and then give him 3 months off to prepare for the next grand slam in France, also allowing him to prep by warming up at his local Italian Open.

Nice eh?

The inconsistency in bans issued out to others is the real sticking point, together with the notion that a ban can be negotiated.

I think ATP & WTA want to protect their top players image as doping takes a shine off big sports.

Agent-Neo -

The only reason rice is so expensive is because of abnormal weather.

Actually that is not the case.

Weather plays a part.

Govt policies, middle-man control, insanely small rice plots, subsidies, withholding supply to create demand etc etc.

To think it's just the weather is one dimensional.