gaijinTechie's past comments

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  gaijinTechieAug. 20, 2012 - 08:15AM JST

  The IAEA says nothing. "Significant progress", "increased attention", "focus on vitally important areas"? These are mere marketing buzzwords, they don't mean anything!

  What else one can expect from IAEA director Amano. By the way, he already got his amakudari position.

  Posted in: IAEA sees significant nuclear safety progress since Fukushima

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  gaijinTechieAug. 17, 2012 - 11:10PM JST

  It is just ridiculous and completely unscientific to assume that the situation is now over and we should be able to see the effects (or lack, thereof) already. Saying that anything definite has already come up is purely political nonsense with a purpose to obfuscate reality.

  There are no scientists who can say what is a safe level of exposure, because science does not know such a thing. Politicians decide "acceptable casualty levels" based on perceived impact on their ideology.

  Since Japanese academia is more schooled than it is educated, it is completely acceptable to question their methodologies, such as criteria of who gets to be a sample. Should they be up to international standards, great, their results will be just one paper for the huge pile of research that has already been made over the decades. Nothing will be based on just one research paper. Ever.

  Posted in: Study shows low levels of radioactivity in people living near Fukushima plant

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  gaijinTechieAug. 09, 2012 - 05:10PM JST

  If Tepco has nothing to hide and did everything correctly as they claim, there should be no problem in releasing all the footage in full. Obviously there is something to hide.

  Afraid to take responsibility of what was done and left undone? So childish. Apparently Tepco executives never grew up beyond junior high school level. Too bad, since now they're criminally responsible, no matter how they try to disregard that.

  Posted in: Kan slams TEPCO over nuclear crisis video footage

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  gaijinTechieAug. 08, 2012 - 10:09AM JST

  where staff and customers will yell at each other in loud voices — a scene that would leave any Japanese person stunned.

  Then there are lot of stunned persons in every mall and shopping center. Ever visited Akiba Yodobashi? I didn't think so either. All the yelling and mindless screaming inside Japanese malls and shops is just so mind-boggling to a westerner accustomed to lower noise pollution levels.

  Posted in: Customer service in Japan vs Europe

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  gaijinTechieAug. 07, 2012 - 08:17AM JST

  ...of selected video clips from the total footage.

  Selected by who? Why not all? There were 150 hours of footage, where is the rest? Why were even the released parts edited?

  Posted in: TEPCO video shows tensions as Fukushima crisis unfolds

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  gaijinTechieAug. 06, 2012 - 04:16PM JST

  Discrimination against disaster workers/victims has a long tradition in Japan. Only increasing education standards in schools can people be brought to understand what these people are going through. To foreigners, this behaviour is akin to "kicking a man when he's down". A sign of true cowardice.

  Tepco's attitude is getting more and more revolting. Instead of supporting workers who have real-life problems, they comb their barcode hairstyles in front of shining mirror, oblivious to the world around them:

  "Hopefully as that improves, it will boost the workers’ spirits"

  Seriously?!? This is truly narcissist arrogance beyond comprehension! Tepco's pathetic arm polishing will help nobody! First thing they need to do is get their own regulations to European levels: Nobody without a valid radiation safety training and a dosimeter visibly attached to chest outside clothes won't be allowed anywhere near their disaster area.

  Posted in: Fukushima nuclear plant workers face stigma, threats

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  gaijinTechieAug. 03, 2012 - 08:41AM JST

  It's good to make all kinds of promises when one cannot be sacked for five years, and especially in a culture that sees feedback generally as unpolite and therefore highly undesirable.

  Remember, japan is dwindling.

  Already numerously disproved argument. Japan was already dwindling during the full nuclear depolyment. The high yen and falling quality productivity has their reasons elsewhere. The stopping of the power plants had as verifiable effect on economy as the contaminated food has on cancer. Maybe yes, maybe not, maybe then again or maybe not...

  Article Unavailable

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  gaijinTechieAug. 03, 2012 - 08:17AM JST

  Interesting to see how strong the Japanese "black or white" thinking is still strong. Why on earth would non-nuclear power generation would have to mean coal?

  Even the chief executive of General Electric has said that nuclear power is hard to justify in the world of cheap gas (http://tinyurl.com/c93uenm), at least in countries where economics decide. And we are talking about geothermally active Japan here, there are numerous options available that have no negative side effects of nuclear, coal or oil.

  There is absolutely no need for centralized maximization of electric power. It is just plain stupid to increase elecric production and consumption 1000% so that one could be 10% more efficient. Japan is so old-fashioned, even locals are losing faith in it.

  Posted in: Fukushima residents say 'no' to nuclear energy

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  gaijinTechieAug. 02, 2012 - 08:18AM JST

  They welcomed it because they were blatantly lied at. People now say "no" because now they know better. Now they know the people who run it.

  Posted in: Fukushima residents say 'no' to nuclear energy

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  gaijinTechieAug. 01, 2012 - 11:03AM JST

  Well, if one needs (and Japan does not) to restart, Onagawa is as safe as it gets. Good place, high ground, although incompetent, out-of-date and toothless supervisory body (non-existent at the moment, actually).

  Nuclear energy with all the safeties on is much, much more expensive than shale gas, and impossible to justify with economics. But Japan's response is to remove the expensive safeties. Riiight! Seems legit, Japan.

  Posted in: IAEA group inspects nuclear plant at Onagawa

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  gaijinTechieAug. 01, 2012 - 08:41AM JST

  I'm glad Japan's team hasn't lost the fighting spirit after being thrown out of the opening ceremonies like that (http://tinyurl.com/cjbxrue).

  Posted in: Nadeshiko Japan advances to Olympic soccer quarterfinals

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  gaijinTechieAug. 01, 2012 - 08:21AM JST

  I suppose they're decent enough to delay it's recommissioning also? Yeah, I didn't think so either.

  Posted in: Completion of Hamaoka plant tsunami seawall delayed

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  gaijinTechieJul. 31, 2012 - 09:57PM JST

  Rick Kisa, there is a 26 year old and still ongoing research on just that. Japan is not a special case nor first and definitely not unique, they need to accept that and foreign research on Chernobyl if they want to learn fast enough to help their own. A wise man learns from his own mistakes, but it takes a genius to learn from the mistakes of others.

  Yoshida is an employee of a company infamous of it's decades long radiation safety failures. He may have not been exposed much after 2010, but he's been in the company longer than that. It's the total that counts in the end. I sure hope he pulls through.

  Posted in: Former Fukushima plant chief rushed to hospital with cerebral hemorrhage

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  gaijinTechieJul. 31, 2012 - 09:07PM JST

  Japan needs an environment where women feeling threatened could receive help from police. Obviously this was not the case here, nor in the recent identical Chiba stalker case.

  Posted in: Mother, daughter fatally stabbed in Aichi apartment

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  gaijinTechieJul. 31, 2012 - 01:09PM JST

  Exactly the same reasoning that denies radiation's effect on anything can be used to claim that the hemorrhage and this cancer IS radiation's fault. Word by word.

  Posted in: Former Fukushima plant chief rushed to hospital with cerebral hemorrhage

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  gaijinTechieJul. 29, 2012 - 09:58PM JST

  Star-viking:

  You can start with this: http://tinyurl.com/bmeb7zu. Tepco was the only entity who decided that the tsunami couldn't be higher than five meters. Years up to 2011 are full with congressional hearings and meetings where nuclear scientists and tsunami experts alike were ignored "because it was convenient for Tepco".

  We have been through this, even on this forum. Tepco ignored all the warnings, it ignored even the geological data from the area showing marks of tsunami several kilometers inland. One can pretend over and over again that Tepco wasn't warned as a method of propaganda, but since Tepco went too far, there will always be people who will remind everybody of the fact. Tepco's obfuscation techniques might have worked better before the time of the unforgetting internet.

  Posted in: Anti-nuclear protesters surround Diet building

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  gaijinTechieJul. 29, 2012 - 09:11AM JST

  The giant utility largely cleared itself of blame, saying the size of last year’s earthquake and tsunami was beyond all expectations and could not have reasonably been foreseen.

  That's a laugh! They were warned that this would happen. By Japanese scientists. And Onagawa nuclear plant defenses didn't have problems deflecting the same tsunami. I guess it wasn't souteigai for them to put big enough tsunami barrier and position the backup generators on higher ground, like all the other NPP operators around the world.

  Tepco is criminally behind modern times. Even their excuses reek.

  Posted in: Anti-nuclear protesters surround Diet building

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  gaijinTechieJul. 25, 2012 - 08:22AM JST

  Japanese design concentrated mostly on fashion, trends and the appearance of "comfort". There is little in the way of functional design. I live in my fourth Japanese apartment, none of which are as functional as my dad's log house I helped to build when I was 14.

  There are lot of good suggestions in comments on design that would have saved this boy. Their implementation, however, would cost more and might even (gasp!!) reduce comfortability!

  Posted in: 4-year-old boy crushed to death by parking garage car elevator

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  gaijinTechieJul. 25, 2012 - 08:15AM JST

  Heatstroke increase that could be statistically tied to electricity savings would make very good investigative journalism.

  In 2010, 53 843 people were taken to hospitals for heatstrokes (http://tinyurl.com/ch2lm8f). That was a four-fold increase from 2009. Extrapolating the present rate, peak of 2010 might not be reached this year.

  There seems to be lots of info on how to prevent heat strokes that is not going through. Those taking preventive action being ridiculed and put back in their place, perhaps?

  Posted in: Record high 5,467 people taken to hospital for heatstroke July 16-22

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  gaijinTechieJul. 24, 2012 - 10:02AM JST

  Japanese tolerance towards monster parents is unfathomable. Any such interference from parents would destroy the kid's career in the said company. Obviously a "mommy's boy", can't handle real life.

  The rest might seem spoiled, but they are indeed saving their careers by not accepting just any job. If you won't respect your own education, why should anybody else?

  Gogogo, you're dead on. Work should never be a priority. If you have to work for a living, make yourself and your customers happy by doing what you like (such as hobby turned living, etc).

  Posted in: New hirees quitting in droves