cleo said...

cleo at 02:44 PM JST - 7th May

northlondon -

And you clearly do not read JT very much, or else you would know that I do have 2 very wonderful children to whom I am devoted and on the subject of which I will happily freeze the ears off any captive audience. I also have two very…

Posted in Gov't looks to immigrants as population shrinks at 02:44 PM JST - 7th May
cleo at 01:47 PM JST - 7th May

f'n'c -

Complaining about getting an unprovoked punch in the face can never be described as "whining" in my book.

Assuming that it is unprovoked. Mr. Scott tells us this happens to him with surprising regularity, leading some of us to surmise that maybe it wasn't as unprovoked as he…

Posted in A punching bag on the Odakyu line at 01:47 PM JST - 7th May
cleo at 01:40 PM JST - 7th May

katakana -- a non-language created simply to keep Japanese people from having to really learn English

You're right that it's a 'non-language', just like the alphabet is a 'non-language' - they're simply marks on paper roughly corresponding to sounds. If you really think that katakana was invented to keep…

Posted in Movie titles in Japan: Jack, we understand your frustration at 01:40 PM JST - 7th May
cleo at 10:27 AM JST - 7th May

f'n'c -

I agree, which is why I said I didn't think it would go down too well. It's all in the naming and the way you look at it, I suppose. The child allowance is a kind of childlessness tax, since people without children don't get it; but because…

Posted in What changes are needed in Japanese society to stop the falling birthrate? at 10:27 AM JST - 7th May
cleo at 09:42 AM JST - 7th May

Monetary rewards are probably a big part of the answer, but the simplistic notion of chucking a lump sum at new parents to cover the costs of childbirth is totally out of focus. If a couple feel they can't afford the initial outlay, there's no way they're going to feel…

Posted in What changes are needed in Japanese society to stop the falling birthrate? at 09:42 AM JST - 7th May
cleo at 02:36 AM JST - 7th May

If they had an area penned off for kids you'd be complaining that they were being sectioned off like dogs.

Dog areas are sectioned off so that non-dog people (and kids) can run around without being bothered by some out-of-control Irish Wolfhound, or some yappy snappy Yorkie. (Mmm.. makes an…

Posted in Gov't looks to immigrants as population shrinks at 02:36 AM JST - 7th May
cleo at 02:07 PM JST - 6th May

Sarge - Bean burgers and lentil burgers have more bite to them than any sad ol'tofu burger. I've got a recipe for healthy curried lentil burgers that would blow your organic cotton socks off. Safely.

:-)

Posted in What differentiates a really good hamburger from an average one? at 02:07 PM JST - 6th May
cleo at 12:25 AM JST - 6th May

It's ground-up charred animal flesh stuffed in a bun. The term 'really good' does not apply.

Posted in What differentiates a really good hamburger from an average one? at 12:25 AM JST - 6th May
cleo at 01:56 PM JST - 3rd May

Why should America continue to be a nation of buyers ? Why is it so wrong for the Americans to be sellers ?

When you put out a quality product like a Mac or an ipod, people are more than willing to buy, and pay a premium. It's the…

Posted in More bull over U.S. beef at 01:56 PM JST - 3rd May
cleo at 01:52 PM JST - 3rd May

I seem to recall that there are more than 100 cattle ranches in the US that can provide nothing more than grass fed beef by the tons. So why is that also banned in the EU ?

I seem to recall that there was an agreement between the US…

Posted in More bull over U.S. beef at 01:52 PM JST - 3rd May