Wednesday February 15, 2012

borscht's past comments

  • 1

    borscht

    The company said, however, human health should not be affected even after eating sea food caught in the area for every day for one year.

    Once again TEPCO fails to understand PR. Image is as important as facts. If the image of fish caught by Tohoku fishermen is one of radiated fish, people will avoid buying it (if clearly marked as such).

    I'm surprised they even asked, though. I thought they'd just dump it and when caught say, "It has no immediate health risks" and "Sumimasen, won't get caught again."

    Posted in: TEPCO must get fishermen's OK before dumping radioactive water into sea: Edano

  • 2

    borscht

    I liked these old shotengai, too, but, sadly, they're disappearing rapidly. However, one shotengai near me has, over the past decade, gone from small veggie shops, meat markets, etc to boutique coffee shops (not Starbucks), used and specialty clothing stores for the young, handcrafted zakka shops, even a used bookstore/bakery combo, and other unique and unusual shops with a decidedly younger group of owners. And almost all the shops have entertainment and classes on a routine basis. New-style shotengai that maybe will be around for another 50 years?

    Posted in: Forget the glitz and find the real Tokyo in its shopping streets

  • 6

    borscht

    However, in the U.S., I have realized that many people (not everybody) come with their own agenda and insist on their way of doing it without thinking about the ultimate goal for the group or organization.

    Not exactly. Many people come with their own IDEAS about how to achieve the ultimate goal for the group or organization. Sometimes, in a thinking environment, people have different IDEAS. The purpose of meetings is to hash out the ideas and come up with a good plan.

    If we want generalizations, how about this: In Japan, if the boss says do something, no one objects even if it is illegal (Olympus & Daiwa Paper) and could potentially destroy the company. Notice, it took an outsider to blow the whistle on Olympus. It took a THINKING person (Yoshida) to ignore his orders to stop pouring seawater into the nuclear power plant, an act that could have destroyed the entire region even worse than it has.

    I do agree, somewhat, with her idea of accepting People as they are (not accepting their 'agenda' - that's different). If we know how our co-workers and business associates tick, we are better able to understand their point of view (and manipulate them) which aids in a useful dialog.

    Posted in: Accepting it as it is

  • 1

    borscht

    "Nowhere in our corporate sponsorship of volleyball games do we advertise our cigarette brands or products," the company said in an unsigned email.

    Let's see, they have JT written all over the place, hand out packages to children, and require players to wear their logo on their uniform but they don't advertise a 'brand'' so it's not advertising. Even though you can't buy a fag except through JT. Good logic here, if you're working for JT.

    Posted in: Is Japan's 2020 Olympic bid going up in smoke?

  • 1

    borscht

    Why do Islamic countries act so childish. Why do they get so upset over such trivial matters...

    Meanwhile American Christians are up in arms about what to call a tree.

    http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/christmas-tree-or-holiday-tree

    Posted in: Australian sentenced to 500 lashes in Saudi Arabia for blasphemy

  • 2

    borscht

    And the government wants to make getting rifles easier? If this guy had a rifle, he could take out people from the comfort of his second floor apartment and they wouldn't be wounded or escape. They would die.

    Posted in: Two knife attacks against students on streets in Chiba, Ibaraki

  • 2

    borscht

    Smartacus,

    A Buddhist priest is often called in at the start of a new project, so true. I agree the traditions are followed. But how often are the tenets of Buddhism followed? Tenets including:

    no lies or insults. (Nihongo wa jozu desu ne! Baka!)

    no harm to others. (Ham in every sandwich in the country; bullying.)

    Posted in: How religious do you think Japanese people are?

  • 0

    borscht

    Those who can't deal with the history of it can move to a country that doesn't have them. Places like the US and Canada have had this tradition for years.

    Of course the Yule tree didn't originate in the US or Canada. In fact, before it's profitability was discovered, the church attempted to abolish celebrating Christmas. As to the history of the tree:

    Early Romans marked the solstice with a feast called the Saturnalia in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture. The Romans knew that the solstice meant that soon farms and orchards would be green and fruitful. To mark the occasion, they decorated their homes and temples with evergreen boughs. In Northern Europe the mysterious Druids, the priests of the ancient Celts, also decorated their temples with evergreen boughs as a symbol of everlasting life. The fierce Vikings in Scandinavia thought that evergreens were the special plant of the sun god, Balder.

    But it doesn't matter. I've never felt comfortable when a government endorses one religion over another, especially when it's done to woo voters or cash.

    http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-christmas-trees

    Posted in: Christmas tree or holiday tree?

  • 17

    borscht

    The intelligence of the gun owner is as important as the legal right to own one. While most Swiss have guns, crimes involving guns is nearly non-existent. Most gun owners in Japan are probably responsible. Most gun owners in the US are probably responsible, too, but there is a substantial section of the population that uses a gun for their brains.

    How large is that guns-for-brains section of the population in Japan? I don't want to find out. But if they're willing to run cars into crowds of people, randomly stab children in schools, and slice their neighbors over 'a slight' then I suspect the guns-for-brains section needn't have access to more weaponry.

    Posted in: Police oppose proposals to liberalize Japan's gun laws

  • 3

    borscht

    Oyaji Drift?

    Love it. I see a series like Tsuribaka Nisshi or the Tora-san series.

    Plus the accident was in Shimonoseki. This means, if they were going from Kyushu to Hiroshima, they barely made it off Kyushu. Good driving, eh?

    I vote with the following-too-closely as the cause of the accident.

    And that's what causes people to undertake which causes accidents.

    Actually, what causes accidents are inattentive drivers thinking everything is great when it is raining, they're following too closely, they're speeding, or they change lanes without looking in any of the three mirrors. It's not which lane they're in.

    Posted in: Speeding blamed for pileup involving 8 Ferraris, 1 Lamborghini

  • 1

    borscht

    Higashi Kokumaru

    Or even Hideo Higashikokubaru, who drummed up a lot of business as governor of Miyazaki.

    It's interesting that Villaraigosa's going to talk business with South Korea and China but disasters with Japan. No business talks with Japan?

    Posted in: LA mayor to drum up business on Asia trip

  • 1

    borscht

    Energy to produce a Prius vs a Hummer:

    http://sierraclub.typepad.com/mrgreen/2007/11/prius-versus-hu.html

    Less for the Prius than a Hummer.

    Environmental damage of internal combustion vs hybrid and electric:

    http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2759/are-electric-cars-really-more-energy-efficient

    Posted in: Nissan Leaf electric wins Japan car of the year award

  • 0

    borscht

    Aren't Windows machines equipped with IE and that is why IE has 50% of the market; people are too busy to change their browser? I also read that many IE users are one or two versions behind the most recent. Anyone know if that has any validity?

    Posted in: Google's Chrome web browser challenging Firefox

  • 2

    borscht

    going too far, way to far," Edano said

    Editors, in the above phrase you're missing a 'o'. Hint: either before the o in 'to' or after the o in 'to'.

    The Japanese government is currently revising its Company law

    To make it easier for companies to hide losses or more difficult?

    Posted in: Edano says Japan's corporate governance on par with U.S.

  • 5

    borscht

    The second paragraph is not needed but more to the point, 30 years ago I read this same article. It was written by a government official (retired) and shortly thereafter (about 25 years ago), the government actually requested companies to consider thinking about moving out of Tokyo. As you can see, the government didn't move an inch so neither did the companies. I hope I'm around in 30 years to re-re-read a similar article.

    Posted in: Don’t concentrate everything in Tokyo

  • 0

    borscht

    I was under the impression that it was indefinite, which is why people were so upset when Japan unilaterally decided to restrict international licenses to one year.

    Last time I used an international license in the US I was told it was good for only one year.

    Posted in: Honda employee cited for breaking Alabama immigration law

  • 4

    borscht

    Nicky,

    I wonder if his injuries killed him or if he drowned, since he was found face down in a drainage ditch. No mention of water in the ditch, however.

    Still, to be injured and alone and not be missed is sad.

    Posted in: Man killed in hit-and-run incident found in drainage ditch days after death

  • 1

    borscht

    Does the clear evidence include the video of a Thai soldier shooting Muramoto point blank that was replayed a thousand times on Japanese TV ?

    Posted in: Clear evidence Thai troops killed Japanese cameraman, official says

  • 0

    borscht

    If the zoo is a glorified holding pen for the animals - concrete, glass, and iron - with little for the animals to do, then close it down, sell the animals to a real zoo, and turn it into a parking lot. If the zoo is a place where animals can enjoy the semblance of their natural habitat, where they seem content, and biology-zoology students can study the animals without interfering with the animal, then okay.

    For example, I went to a zoo once whose elephant enclosure was about 200 tsubo, made of concrete, with a concrete tree, and a pile of straw the elephant (one) could munch on. However, the elephant spent the entire day pacing back and forth. Not a happy elephant.

    In contrast, the Seattle zoo's elephant enclosure is huge. I mean, sometimes it's hard to see the elephants. People are kept on paths that are behind tall grass and trees. There was food for the elephants everywhere. And there was a family of four or five elephants when I saw them; running, walking about, nuzzling each other. Happy elephants, I suspect.

    Most of the zoos I've seen in Japan are the former.

    Posted in: What do you think of zoos and aquariums in Japan?

  • 2

    borscht

    "I could hardly believe it because he was someone that has won twice at the Olympics,"

    Once again, I fail to see the logical connection between sexual harassment and former employment. It's not unlike saying, "I can hardly believe it because he's a Catholic priest." Okay, bad example. On the other hand, a teacher should never take an underage student drinking, or sexually harass him or her.

    he made the advance on the girl, "on the basis of mutual consent."

    Obviously not, as she reported him for it - and it only took some committee three months to conclude it was not mutual. I hope he wasn't coaching her for those three months.

    Posted in: Olympic judo gold medalist fired for sexual harassment

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