Alan said...

Alan at 07:22 AM JST - 22nd October

JmannGod: "if I hear another idiot make the moronic, lowbrow comparison between eating cows and dolphins again ..I honestly think I may scream." Where's your evidence that a dolphin is sentient and a cow is not? All I've ever heard from "save the.." mob is subjective, emotive drivel. What puzzles…

Posted in 'The Cove' gets mixed reaction from Japanese audience at 07:22 AM JST - 22nd October
Alan at 10:06 AM JST - 21st October

This reminds me of Queen Elizabeth's "annus horribilis" statement a few years back. Royalty live in taxpayer-funded luxury and have no concept of what life's like on this planet. Their posturing about caring means nothing.

Posted in Empress, on her 75th birthday, expresses sympathy for people hit by recession at 10:06 AM JST - 21st October
Alan at 05:10 PM JST - 20th October

I feel sorry for the hotel and the people who found him hanging. That must be a nightmarish experience.

Posted in Musician Kazuhiko Kato found hanged at Karuizawa hotel at 05:10 PM JST - 20th October
Alan at 01:46 PM JST - 20th October

At one restaurant I went to they had whale listed on the menu as "scientific sushi." I've yet to hear anti-whaling groups explain lucidly why it's ok to kill terrestrial mammals but not marine mammals. What's the difference? Four legs bad, no legs good?

Moderator: Readers, once again we remind…

Posted in Japan catches 59 whales off Kushiro at 01:46 PM JST - 20th October
Alan at 08:36 AM JST - 19th October

It's amazing that they would take such a risk for a few million yen. People are understanably nervous about food imported from China after recent problems with milk, eels and gyoza. I hope the prosecutors have the bamboo shoots tested for chemical contamination.

Posted in Two food company execs arrested over false labeling of bamboo shoots at 08:36 AM JST - 19th October
Alan at 08:25 AM JST - 19th October

Do these people even consider how the children feel about being used as pawns in this parental war? I'm amazed at their arrogance. They make a chaos of their own lives and then expect the judicial, law enforcement, immigration and political systems in two countries to protect their so-called parental…

Posted in 8 ambassadors urge Japan to solve global child custody disputes at 08:25 AM JST - 19th October
Alan at 04:54 AM JST - 13th October

This was someone's son. Instead of being treated for his mental illness, he was thrown in jail for a victimless crime. The staff in the "medical prison" should have been aware of suicide risks, and if they had done their jobs this young man would still be alive with a…

Posted in State ordered to pay Y20.9 mil over suicide of prisoner at 04:54 AM JST - 13th October
Alan at 09:08 AM JST - 4th October

Why didn't the hotel security officer make a call to the local police station to check this man's ID? Didn't he think it strange that a police detective would take a suspect away on the back of a motor bike? I hope the real cops (if Bali has any) are…

Posted in Japanese tourist was murdered for resisting attacker, Bali police say at 09:08 AM JST - 4th October
Alan at 08:47 AM JST - 4th October

Grafton: I'm not condoning this woman's actions. I despise stupidity. However, I also despise hypocrisy. The Japanese government not only allows the sale of tobacco, it actively peddles it, knowing that it kills people. How can a government be an effective regulator if it is also a vendor? Like you,…

Posted in Int'l school principal, husband nabbed for marijuana smuggling at 08:47 AM JST - 4th October
Alan at 08:39 AM JST - 4th October

Sydenham- "Don't be facetious"? Don't make me laugh. A rock star, however transient, aging and washed up, is going to influence a lot more kids than any school principal.

And I was commenting not on this lady's behavior, which was foolish in the extreme, but on the hypocritical nature of…

Posted in Int'l school principal, husband nabbed for marijuana smuggling at 08:39 AM JST - 4th October