borscht's past comments

  • 3

    borscht

    users of heavier drugs often start off with soft drugs in their teens

    Very, very few people wake up one day and say, today I'm going to start using heroin and cocaine. In fact, almost all 'heavy drug users' start off with mother's milk or formula. Then, probably, beer and whiskey, because they are the 'socially accepted' depressants. So, of course, herbs are gateway drugs. So are beer and whiskey.

    Posted in: Japan gets tough on law-evading hallucinogenic herbs

  • -6

    borscht

    No protective cage around the driver? Wish his family well in the sadness.

    Posted in: Construction worker dies after being hit by metal pipes falling from crane

  • 5

    borscht

    Good question. Consider this from Europe (esp. France & Germany)

    Fixed employment comes with four to six weeks of holiday as standard. (wikipedia)

    Can anyone imagine what Japanese workers would do with a month and a half paid holiday? Would the economy crumble?

    As to the question: I believe a lot of workers stay late because it is expected of them. The company expects 24/7 loyalty and fealty, wives expect husbands to come home late, co-workers expect everyone to be the last to leave. No one likes it but it is 'expected' therefore it is done; it is the social norm.

    Are Japanese workers the most efficient in the world? No, according to a variety of sites. The US (lazy bastards that they are) come in at number one often, France is slightly higher than Japan and Germany is slightly lower. Not so odd, the Netherlands comes in near the top end and increasing year-by-year while working hours decrease. Fewer working hours, more efficiency. Hmmm.

    Posted in: Why do Japanese work such long hours?

  • 4

    borscht

    We must remember that we are human beings and not cyborgs.

    This particular society with its 'Beautiful Japanese Culture' must definitely remember that humans are humans and not cyborgs. Japanese relatives of mine spend a lot of time wondering what the neighbors would think if the relatives did X or Y instead of Z and they always come to the conclusion to do Z because that is 'what is expected of us' even though they hate doing it. And, through discussion, most of the neighbors hate doing Z, too. But, it is 'what is expected.' They are self-censoring their lives because of what they Think the neighbors will Think. Cyborgs indeed.

    Posted in: Depressing suicide prevention posters cause controversy in Kobe

  • 2

    borscht

    Teacher: You have two choices - a class where you have to participate, add to the discussion, create something new OR sit, listen, and take a test - just like always. You'll get the same degree regardless. Which do you prefer?

    Student: The easy one.

    Employer: You have two choices - hard work in a foreign land as the only Japanese OR sit in the office and look busy. You'll get the same pay regardless. Which do you prefer?

    Employee: The easy one.

    It's not a university problem, it's a universal problem.

    Posted in: There's a perception gap between universities and students. It's essential to develop an education system that helps students get accustomed to a more active learning approach.

  • 9

    borscht

    Of the few incidents I have seen where Japanese policemen were trying to subdue a violent/unruly/disruptive person, the most common first response seems to be talking gently to person to persuade them to be 'reasonable' and to realize how they are affecting others. This is what these policemen probably were doing for the first 20 minutes. Realizing that wasn't working, they gang-jumped her.

    About holding her arms and legs. Don't the police here have handcuffs?

    Posted in: Woman dies after heavy-set police officer sits on her

  • 0

    borscht

    In Japan, husbands often hand over their pay packets to their wives,

    In Japan, I believe most people are paid via bank deposits, are they not? I mean, in the decades I've worked here and been paid, only one company gave me cash and then they only did it for about six months. Anyone have differing experiences?

    Basically this article says you schmooze, you win. Be friends of the people who promote you and you get promoted. Not unlike many countries in the world, I suspect. It's often called "networking." Why promote someone you don't know? On their ability? Come on, be surreal.

    Posted in: Don’t like drinking with the boss? No promotion for you

  • 6

    borscht

    Yubaru -

    You don't get Nobel laureates from people "haven't an ounce of original thought in their heads" And they are not the exception either.

    Of the 19 Nobel prizes awarded to Japanese citizens, four laureates graduated from Kyoto University (in science-related fields) and six graduated from Tokyo University (four in science, two in literature, one for peace).

    As far as I could find out, the literature (Kawabata & Oe) and peace (Sato) did not teach at Todai. Of the science-related laureates, Negishi spent most of his research/teaching at Purdue; Nambu teaches at the University of Chicago and is an American citizen; Koshiba also taught at the the University of Chicago & Todai; Esaki did his research at Sony in Japan and IBM in the US.

    While they graduated from Todai, their research for which they got the Nobel was done overseas. These four Todai graduates must have had more than an ounce of original thought but, unfortunately for Japan, it was allowed to bloom somewhere else.

    Posted in: Are Tokyo University students cleverer than other people?

  • 2

    borscht

    Copyist/Modeditor

    Kimura had seven children, 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grand children and 14 great-great grandchildren,

    Did they all die? Or should it be: Kimura has seven children....

    Also the title exposes the writer's youth. "World's oldest ever man..." vs "World's oldest man..."

    Congratulations on the record. Please record your biography so we can relive a century of memories.

    Posted in: World's oldest ever man turns 116 in Japan

  • 9

    borscht

    you can speak English. But that doesn’t mean you’re qualified for a job.

    Students looking for jobs in the US often ask me if their ability to speak fluent Japanese (as they are Japanese) can get them a job. I used to hand them want ads for secretaries in Los Angeles who must be able to speak three languages AND are well-versed in Microsoft Office programs. With starting salaries in the high poverty range. In Japan, fluency in English can get you a job you have no ability to do. I like Japan.

    'TOEIC is meaningless!' we concluded.

    While TOEIC might be meaningless, they drew on a sample of three students who know how to Cram-and-Forget it; which is probably how they got into Todai in the first place. i.e. Faulty logic; welcome to the Japanese banking system, eh?

    Posted in: Required or not, English knowledge no guarantee of success

  • 0

    borscht

    Both understand what it means to be under house arrest; one literally and one since birth. Nice photo and it shows how the world has changed since her arrest 20 years ago.

    Posted in: Courtesy call

  • 2

    borscht

    sangetsu03,

    Your comment about the right-to-carry laws and crime intrigued me enough to googled it. I have read that crime in the US has decreased over the last 20 years - something that has been attributed to fewer young men (among other things). I was curious to find out if more guns lead to less crime. I came upon this article in the Washington Post:

    Do Concealed-weapon Laws Result in Less Crime?

    "No link between right-to-carry laws and changes in crime is apparent in the raw data, even in the initial sample; it is only once numerous covariates are included that the negative results in the early data emerge. While the trend models show a reduction in the crime growth rate following the adoption of right-to-carry laws, these trend reductions occur long after law adoption, casting serious doubt on the proposition that the trend models estimated in the literature reflect effects of the law change. Finally, some of the point estimates are imprecise. Thus, the committee concludes that with the current evidence it is not possible to determine that there is a causal link between the passage of right-to-carry laws and crime rates".

    And

    "why crime fell in the 1990s. Levitt said four explanations held up under scrutiny:

    increases in the number of police,

    an increase in a rising prison population,

    the receding crack epidemic and even

    the legalization of abortion (which resulted in fewer unwanted births).

    By contrast, "there appears to be little basis for believing that concealed weapons laws have had an appreciable impact on crime."

    And

    Rep. Gohmert's (Repub, Texas) statement was declarative and sweeping: "The facts are every time guns have been allowed, concealed-carry has been allowed, the crime rate has gone down."

    The actual evidence is much murkier - and in dispute.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/do-concealed-weapon-laws-result-in-less-crime/2012/12/16/e80a5d7e-47c9-11e2-ad54-580638ede391_blog.html

    citing

    National Research Council of the National Academies report titled "Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review"

    In other parts of the article it also states that concealed-weapon laws also did not contribute to an increase in crime. It will be interesting to see how the concealed-weapon laws affect crime rates in the future.

    Posted in: U.S. gun debate revives questions about self-defense

  • 2

    borscht

    Last time I went to a 4D movie (about five-six years ago) I was more distracted by the vibrating chair, the water vapor sprayed in my face, the air jetted across my ankles, and the screams of the woman beside me who didn't know it was a 4D movie and kept up a running commentary about what was happening to her. i.e. "My chair's loose!" "Water's hitting my face!"

    I can't tell you what the movie was because I don't remember it. Just the 'special' effects and the mouthy patron.

    Posted in: Forget 3D - Nagoya movie theater to go 4D with moving seats, wind, smells

  • 2

    borscht

    I realize translations take time but Hakuo University has been giving out free breakfasts for

    some 14 years now.

    Why is this in a NEWS site?

    Also, just to continue being pedantic, there are about three million university students in Japan. Three-fourths are not first-year students. So, it's hardly

    millions of university students

    who are experiencing life away from home for the first time. At most it is closer to 750,000 (including those who go to university but live at home.) Okay, pendanticism off. Back to feeding my students.

    Posted in: Tochigi university offers free breakfasts to new students

  • 0

    borscht

    RonBarnes and TheInterstat have it right.

    If all those junky pictures of kittens and info about what your 'friends' bought and ate yesterday bores you, you have the wrong 'friends'. My facebook news feed is populated with some of the world's best practitioners of their particular skill and believe me, it isn't taking pictures of pussy cats.

    They share insights, techniques, and photos of their creations plus links to sites related to their skill. I learn a lot everyday. (I also learn when one of their spouses dies, child marries, or their ongoing divorce battles rage but that just makes them human - spice of life.)

    Jettison those cat-loving 'friends' and find better ones.

    Posted in: As Facebook matures, is it losing its edge?

  • 5

    borscht

    all he's doing is boosting the juku/private tutor business

    He said he was going to improve the economy.

    They also didn't mention what the minimum score is. It could be 250 (just below the guessing level) or it could be 800 (which most English majors don't have when they graduate from university), but this is Japan so I'm guessing it will be a 'guideline' that the government will 'recommend' but that individual universities will be able to 'adjust' as 'necessary' until anyone who can put their name on the test answer sheet will achieve the 'suggested' minimum score.

    Posted in: LDP education proposal includes TOEFL prerequisite for univ entrance

  • 10

    borscht

    what has the word "marriage" meant over the last 2000+ years

    Look up monogamy, polygamy, polygyny, and polyandry. At least two Roman emperors married men (one emperor married two men).

    Mitt Romney once said (to a gay veteran) "Marriage is between a man and a woman." Ignoring, of course, his own grandfather who had five wives. (polygyny).

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRN9Y5Nvdqk

    In the early Christian era (30 to 325 CE), marriage was a private matter, with no uniform religious or other ceremony being required.

    There was a same-sex marriage between the two men in Spain in 1061. They were married by a priest.

    (wikipedia)

    I agree with the veteran in the video; spouses should have the same rights regardless of their gender.

    Posted in: Do you support same-sex marriages?

  • 1

    borscht

    sengoku38,

    The private sector should rebuild the area.

    True, but the private sector was abandoning this area long before the tsunami hit. That's why there is so little industry or service-sector jobs up there. Fishing & farming are the options. Or moving to a bigger city.

    I still think the government should act on their going-on-25-year decision to move some agencies out of Tokyo. The agency responsible for nuclear power should be the first to move into the Fukushima area. Then the private sector might follow.

    I hope this family only suffered the loss of their house and not family members as well.

    Posted in: All gone

  • 1

    borscht

    Don't tell us what is in the drinks; just give us a vague description of its creation. The Man Who Fell to Earth - 1000 yen: rum, vodka, a couple of tabs of LSD, a spoonful of sugar?

    Posted in: David Bowie Cafe to open in Ginza for 2 weeks

  • 16

    borscht

    He is a hero for saving his daughter, no doubt about that.

    For future reference, if the blizzard is bad, stay in your car and turn on the engine infrequently and just for a short time. To keep warm, move as much as you can: sit ups, changing seats, rolling around like a dog on newly mown grass.

    You might - maybe - want to get out and clear the snow from around the exhaust pipe; when you get back in your car, you'll feel warm. But always keep one hand touching your car so you don't get lost in the blizzard - very possible.

    If the blizzard is as bad as they say in this article (109 k/h winds) your car is your best protection.

    I hope the girl manages her grief of losing both parents in such a short time.

    Posted in: Father dies sheltering 9-year-old daughter from blizzard

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