ThonTaddeo said...

ThonTaddeo at 06:54 PM JST - 19th July

I love the abacus -- requires no batteries, works anywhere, and connects people from across the centuries. I have a Chinese model with two beads on the top row and five on the bottom, which is rare in Japan these days but was once common.

My only problem with abacus…

Posted in Abacus enjoying renewed popularity in Japan at 06:54 PM JST - 19th July
ThonTaddeo at 06:38 PM JST - 19th July

Raise the retirement age to 75 for women (who already live 7-8 years longer, karoshi being unknown for them) and 70 for men.

Do it now before the baby boomers get to that age and stop anything like it from happening. That generation will happily bankrupt the world as long…

Posted in Tax revenue fall couldn't come at worse time at 06:38 PM JST - 19th July
ThonTaddeo at 06:25 PM JST - 19th July

Jahrine, while the cops had no business giving you the third degree, you still shouldn't have run the red light. Cops are just waiting for people to make little mistakes like that so that they can go and harass them -- it's bad enough even when you haven't done anything…

Posted in My first run-in with the police at 06:25 PM JST - 19th July
ThonTaddeo at 02:28 AM JST - 18th July

"Gosh, that guy's driving drunk, but he looks Russian and I don't speak Russian. I think I'll sit back and drink some tea instead."

You're missing the point. If a cop stops someone for actually doing something wrong, then the suspect has a duty to speak Japanese. But when…

Posted in Policeman suspended for issuing tickets to foreign traffic violators for wrong reasons at 02:28 AM JST - 18th July
ThonTaddeo at 10:59 AM JST - 17th July

Give 'em hell, Chotto. There's no excuse for harassment of innocent people based solely on the fact that they look foreign. And kudos to your co-workers for sticking up for you.

Posted in Policeman suspended for issuing tickets to foreign traffic violators for wrong reasons at 10:59 AM JST - 17th July
ThonTaddeo at 10:54 AM JST - 17th July

Timtak, I think the article is just badly worded. If men lived 79.29 years, it could be phrased as, "Japanese men saw their average life expectancy reach a record high for the third consecutive year at 79.29 years, but fell to fourth in the world from third in 2007," with…

Posted in Japanese women's lifespan longest in the world for 24th straight year at 10:54 AM JST - 17th July
ThonTaddeo at 03:54 PM JST - 16th July

If the bases are dismantled in favor of homes for Okinawans, fine. But my fear is that they'll be retained and occupied by the Japanese "Self-Defense" Forces, which would be a truly awful and unfair outcome. Even in 2014, there will be many Okinawans still alive who remember how the…

Posted in Do you support the planned transfer by 2014 of U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam? at 03:54 PM JST - 16th July
ThonTaddeo at 05:34 PM JST - 10th July

I love the Asian Series and with it would be held every year.

One of the problems is that Japan's representative is gong to be much stronger, at least for the foreseeable future, but as an internationally-minded baseball fan, I much prefer this kind of championship over the World Baseball…

Posted in Asia Series could be scrapped for foreseeable future: NPB at 05:34 PM JST - 10th July
ThonTaddeo at 05:22 PM JST - 10th July

It can also lead consumers to put off purchases on the expectation that prices will fall further, and increase debt burdens.

Government propaganda.

Only if the fall in price were so large as to outweigh the increased utility of having the product now rather than some months or years…

Posted in Wholesale prices fall 6.6% in June at 05:22 PM JST - 10th July
ThonTaddeo at 05:16 PM JST - 10th July

The use of the word "victim" in this article is irresponsible. It presumes guilt, which won't be established until the trial concludes. Use the word "plaintiff" or 'accuser" or even "alleged victim".

I don't have a problem with trial participants requesting anonymity, though. The accused party should have the same…

Posted in Group seeks privacy for rape victim in Aomori lay jury trial at 05:16 PM JST - 10th July