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Completely not what I want. I have a laptop and iPad for skype/facebook/casual gaming/etc... I want…
Posted in: Microsoft touts Xbox One as all-in-one entertainment
@Chin4Sailor "This is Why Critical Thinking and Common sense are so very important," We know, I…
Posted in: Bad eggs
How about White House visitor/meeting logs, and the words of the leader of the IRS' labor…
Posted in: White House: Obama is no Nixon
CH3CHO: "smithinjapan, so you say there is an Japanese Imperial Order in 1933 for the recruitment…
Posted in: Hashimoto says S Korean troops guilty of wartime sex abuse
Or you can have a 100 more years of this....??? On March 1 2013, South Korean…
Posted in: Bad eggs
0
caffeinebuzz
I'm going on, but if the Bible is to be taken literally, polygamy, slavery, incest and genocide could all be acceptable under certain conditions or when "necessary". As society changes and modernises into an urbanised structure, it stands to reason that there is some leeway, but wickedness, greed and murder are all constant no-no's throughout the old and new testaments.
Posted in: Same-sex marriage gains traction around world
2
caffeinebuzz
Sorry, am I missing something here? How is paying the neighbourhood protection racket so much more enlightened than participating in alliances for mutual assistance?
We have to spell out each country's name in full with the Colony descriptions so the world know they are just a semi sovereign nation, not yet mature okay?
If these countries are smart, they will see China as a Protector like in the old days where tributary countries pay homage to China
Fortunately I think China is a bit more reasonable than wanting to be basically worshiped and paid off like a neighbourhood mobster protection racket.
Posted in: U.S. study sees China using 'coercive power' on Japan
1
caffeinebuzz
I too, thought the ranking categories were odd. Maybe they should have asked people's favorite branded snacks from each major category: Chocolate, chips, senbei etc.
Posted in: The 5 most popular snacks in Japan
0
caffeinebuzz
Seconded on the Angel Creams: Leave them alone! (Going by the name I'm not sure I wanna know what they're made of anyhow :p )
Posted in: Mister Donut Japan to change product ingredients for first time in 42 years
1
caffeinebuzz
Is it just me, or is that a bloodstained Ronald clapping his hands together with an "Itadakimasu". Cameraman is a goner...
Posted in: Free gifts, cheap coffee no help as McDonald’s Japan troubles continue
1
caffeinebuzz
If I'm not mistaken, the earthquake alerts depend on the location of the epicenter, your distance from it and the time it takes for the information to be relayed over the phone networks from the meteorological agency. You could be slap bang in the middle of a large quake and only find out about it in progress; but someone a bit further away might receive notification of the approaching seismic waves. Fairly complicated stuff and definitely not 100%, but if it saves any lives then it's worth it.
Posted in: 24 injured after M6.3 quake hits western Japan
-2
caffeinebuzz
I remember reading in a Japanese article that a lot of chain restaurant sushi chefs often just grab a nearby plate of what the customer orders, and put it on the express rail, rather than make something from scratch unnecessary. Since the conveyor belts converge in the kitchens, it's quicker and saves wasting time and food. Even with that in mind I didn't have any problems using the touch screen to order what I couldn't find on the belt- and never had any stomach trouble during my time in Japan.
Posted in: Customers’ behavior changing sushi culture in Japan
3
caffeinebuzz
Defiant smokers often claim that they are being unfairly targeted. Most cleaners however, will tell you just how lazy and uncaring the vast majority of smokers are of their surrounds. Where I worked, you could see cigarette butts piled up in outside alcoves of buildings, with dedicated bins only a few meters away which they could have used- but just couldn't be bothered with. In Japan, one of my peeves was with friends who would ask if they could smoke, while already in the process of lighting up. I don't think all smokers are selfish, but I think it's an addictive habit which overrides consideration of people who sensibly choose not to smoke. By the way, there is nothing more miserable than walking behind a smoker on a wet, and cold day.
Posted in: Have Japan’s anti-smoking laws gone too far?
2
caffeinebuzz
Some people forget the lessons of history and just how much more effective North Korea has been at sealing itself off from almost all outside influence; while holding its own population captive and perpetrating the kind of brainwashing and segregation that even the Nazis would find incredible. I've seen accounts of defectors to South Korea still tearing up at the sight of Kim Il Sung or his son/grandson on tv- and most will readily admit that when they were living in the North, they thought they were happy as they had no point of comparison with the outside world. This may be slowly changing as smuggled S. Korean and Chinese tv shows/movies have been making the rounds; but with a society in which your closest friends, neighbours and even family are keeping a close eye on you- we have no right to pass judgement over the average North Korean citizen. Throw that together with Korean history and its repeated invasions and subsequent extreme xenophobia (Keep in mind that South Korea still had military dictatorships into the 1980s), and you can see that North Korea still has a long way to go in breaking the ice internally and externally.
Posted in: Sanctions noose makes it harder for Japan's Koreans to help their own
0
caffeinebuzz
Kringis, what if that was another lie, and he wanted to demonstrate his uniquely Japanese work ethic;)
Since leaving Japan, I've had to deprogram myself from all the white-lie stuff. In my own country I'd never have to tell my workmates a "relative died and I have to go back to my hometown", so I could take time off for an overseas trip in holiday time, so I wouldn't provoke jealousy and be lumped with extra work as punishment for my audacity etc.
Posted in: Japan 4th in world liar rankings
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caffeinebuzz
For the love of God, whoever gave me a thumbs down for commenting that a song repeated ad nauseum on the radio might be irritating- surely has issues. I don't care what the band is, but if a song is played to death on across the FM spectrum, then I'll naturally want to shut it out and stick my fingers in my ears and wish one of the JT mods had the power to delete these songs as easily and readily as they do with trivial posts
Posted in: Mumford & Sons wins best album at Grammys
0
caffeinebuzz
*playing to death
Posted in: Mumford & Sons wins best album at Grammys
0
caffeinebuzz
I haven't heard any of their other material besides that "I will wait" track that Aussie radio is playing time death...I'm that sick of it I switch stations but it's a Hydra. Make it stop!
Posted in: Mumford & Sons wins best album at Grammys
0
caffeinebuzz
For the record, I've never come across a decent article on gym etiquette in mainstream newspapers.
I agree with quitting the gym and employing some imagination. I quit ages ago, took up running and got some weights for home, and saved an incredible amount of time and money each month. I noticed that because I was hitting the gym, I felt entitled to eat what I wanted and so while I was fairly healthy, I'm now far fitter from condensing my workouts and spending time on actual hobbies.
Posted in: Modern etiquette: Minding your manners at the gym
3
caffeinebuzz
The stakes are much higher than just Japan and China having a old school naval rumble. This situation ha<>s the potential to engulf the entire region already simmering over past and present territorial disputes. Japan, China, the US, South/North Koreas (for starters), would be dragged into an absolute disaster by all of this. The status quo might not be that palatable, but it sure as hell beats what is looking likely in the near future.
Posted in: Chinese frigate locked radar on Japanese navy vessel
0
caffeinebuzz
I haven't heard of any boycott movement, and I doubt most Aussies have. Not to say it doesn't exist but you can find green group opposition to just about anything. They'd want to boycott Chinese products if they could, but that would be all but Impossible. I for one think it's time that Australia beefed up its navy and prescence with patrols using the considerable wealth at its disposal.
Posted in: Australia protests to Japan after whaling ship enters its waters
7
caffeinebuzz
The Japanese government will probably barely notice the whole irony of this- and call for the waaaahmbulance the next time a fishing boat from China shows up.
Posted in: Australia protests to Japan after whaling ship enters its waters
0
caffeinebuzz
Whoever mentioned Germany is probably forgetting that most Germans are sincerely shocked and regretful at their actions in WII...Unlike the lip service that is paid by Japanese politicians every so often- and usually then sounding forced and merely sorry for having to apologise for that oh-so-inconvenient series of 'incidents'**. With an apathetic populace and a sense that Japan is surrounded by bullies who misunderstand it, things do not bode well.
Posted in: Abe says he intends to change constitution
1
caffeinebuzz
In the event the Americans are pushed out of Okinawa, someone high up in the military should make mention in their farewell speech about that area being ancient territory of China :p
Posted in: Okinawans stage anti-U.S. military rally in Tokyo
0
caffeinebuzz
Peak oil is not a myth, but I'm sure the industry is content to find ways to gouge us- as plenty of industries tend to do. Although on different timescales, it's akin to saying the world ending due to the death of the sun (within around 5 billion years), is a myth. Oil is finite and whether peak oil hits in a decade or a hundred years, it is a certainty.
Posted in: $20 trillion shale oil deposit found in Australia