Tuesday February 14, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

hakujinsensei's past comments

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hakujinsenseiMay. 01, 2011 - 12:31AM JST

Klein2, you hit the nail on the head. Most of these do-gooders are whack jobs. Especially the ones that could only make time to go on golden week. And the shelters need no volunteers. what volunteers can do is shovel mud and help stack debris.

I can an do know the exact situation because I am in contact with many organizations throughout Miyagi and Iwate. Like I said in my previous post, I have personally gathered ton after ton of rice, vegetables and supplies. Exactly what they asked our group for. If you would like first hand information, feel free to call me at 08053076441

Posted in: Golden Week volunteers overwhelm some disaster sites
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hakujinsenseiApr. 30, 2011 - 04:42PM JST

Big misconceptions propagated by the media/authorities so they don't look bad.

There is not enough food and besides housing it is the greatest need right now.

I have been transporting food and supplies from kyoto for kozmoz since the quake. Most of the victims right now are receiving one meal a day. I just got back with a truck full of fresh vegetables. It was the first veggies that the five shelters have received.

And yes there are a lot of creative things that people can and should be doing but take your own food and tent and have a real plan. But surely the most overlooked for of help is at home if you live in japan. House a victim, contact a group and help them gather necessities, lend a truck, etc. Just do something! This is far from over.

Posted in: Golden Week volunteers overwhelm some disaster sites
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hakujinsenseiApr. 30, 2011 - 12:34PM JST

It is awesome to see the number of people with a desire to help the stricken. This truly marks a turning point in Japanese history. The law changes in 1998 did spur an increase in small aid organizations but there were mechanisms in place before that would have enabled groups to operate legally such as tbe shadanhoujin and others.

The thing that kept them from forming was simple apathy. Having their paradigms turned upside down after coming off the bursting of tbe economic bubble and further the embarrassment of foreigners flooding in to volunteer after the Kobe disaster, coupled with the government's ineptitude led to great changes here.

As for volunteering, There can be too much of a good thing 1. people would do best to see what they can do in their own communities first. 2. they should contact agencies FIRST to see how and when they can be of the most help. 3. companies can offer time off to employees wishing to help to even out the workload by providing a steady workforce. 4. They would do well to understand that by expecting agencies to feed and house them, they ate using valuable resource that could be used to help the victims

In kansai a good group to contact would be KOZMOZ INTERNATIONAL

Posted in: Golden Week volunteers overwhelm some disaster sites
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hakujinsenseiDec. 22, 2010 - 09:28AM JST

Awesome, so nice to see foreigners investing in Japan.

Posted in: NPO makes a difference for orphans by providing mentors
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hakujinsenseiOct. 29, 2010 - 09:44PM JST

Am I the only one that thinks this smacks of hypocrisy? Japanese seem to get awfully upset when kim jon's military shoots off a missile, but apparently its different when the Japanese self defnse force does it because they are on the good side? Its about time that this country quits trying to emulate their big red white n blue brother seriously think about diplomacy. and not the kind used to shoehorn Japanese corporations in to take advantage of less developed countries but invest in humanity, share their technology and make it their goal to prosper their neighbors. this is not a zero sum game and the returns could far outweigh the returns their selfishly motivated moves to date have yielded.

Posted in: Japanese ship intercepts ballistic missile in test off Hawaii
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hakujinsenseiSep. 22, 2010 - 02:04PM JST

poor family, scared girl, very sad situation.

over the past couple of years, japan has entered the modern world concerning maternity care. though the insurance here still covers absolutely zero concerning maternity care, pre/post/delivery, the allowance for birth has been raised to 42 man yen or about 4500 dollars us.

one of the most serious issues is that this allowance was only paid after delivery but now there is a process where you can assign the allowance to the hospital and vouchers are now available for prenatal care as well. my wife, after having recently conceived found this out when we went to the clinic last week in Kyoto. before, it was necessary to have 5 to 6 thousand bucks (50 man yen) in order to have prenatal care and give birth, now a person can essentially go thru the birth process for a couple man yen.

the local goverments and ngo's need to get this information out and a lot of these tragic cases might be avoided. for the first time in 16 years on this rock, I have begun to seen modern movement socially and as we become aware of dramatic changes like this if we can spread the word things may change for the better.

in this case, a little prenatal care and a mother not facing bankruptcy at the prospect of her daughter giving birth might have saved this infants tragic death. rather than calling for the girls head, lets place the blame where it belongs with a society that allowed this situation and applaud the recent efforts to bring social advance.

Posted in: 18-year-old schoolgirl arrested for dumping newborn infant in garbage
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hakujinsenseiAug. 30, 2010 - 02:36PM JST

because a new company here would need to pay key money, deposits, and find cosigners for phone/water/rent and even then, only less than 10 percent of available office space is even a possibility for a foreigner/ foreign company. suppose they dont have japanese staff? practically everyone they talk to will smile and tell them how smart they are then ignore them. spending twice as much per month for the extra service that places like this afford is a smart investment for the vast majority of those wanting to set up shop here.

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hakujinsenseiAug. 24, 2010 - 10:50AM JST

ehrrr, seems he was gainfully employed to me. what with the hate for taking a cut of the income? he did his share and the girls knew exactly what they were getting into. 70 over the year? sounds like she enjoyed her job or she would have quit and prostituted herself for a lower paying job at a respectable company ; )

Posted in: Osaka man arrested for employing 50 high school girls as prostitutes
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hakujinsenseiAug. 24, 2010 - 10:38AM JST

why the posts hammering the drunk? could have just as well have been a heatstroke victim or an elderly person that lost their footing.

the most obvious question is when will we put enough pressure on the railroad companies to enter the 21st century? railway crossings with nothing but a bar and open platform stations should have ceased to operate a hundred years ago. there is no excuse for this kind of accident with todays level of technology and resource. and the president of Keio Railways should be indicted as an accessory to manslaughter and professional negligence.

these railways have tons of money to spend on safety improvements and modernization but they spend it wringing profits out of their antiquated and unsafe technology. where I live, the keihan railway completed a remodel of their mall and construction of a 50 story tower a couple of years ago. those jobs and investment should have been provided making their 'public service' safe for consumption rather than adding outlets for designer goods leaving the real estate investments for the real estate investors.

operating a business that provides goods and services essential to the public good carry with them a commensurate level of social responsibilty. same old conflict between human life and profits. once again, life lost

Posted in: Drunken man arrested after man falls to death off train platform
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hakujinsenseiMay. 20, 2010 - 07:36AM JST

the point of the article is for us of non japanese decent to dutifully bow our heads in public so as not to inflame any stereotypes or prejudice that j-folk may have. I will do my best to not stand out today

Posted in: Dear Angry Western Guy
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hakujinsenseiMay. 16, 2010 - 05:10PM JST

ahochau

Posted in: I-Fairy
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hakujinsenseiMay. 15, 2010 - 05:23PM JST

Perhaps he is smarter than we have given him credit for. Anyone jumping on his fashion is obviously unable to pay attention to the grander things of life, economics and politics and it may be that in this way he is separating the chaff from the wheat.

Posted in: Hatoyama's style
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hakujinsenseiMay. 13, 2010 - 11:13AM JST

I like

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hakujinsenseiMay. 05, 2010 - 10:04PM JST

the average american diet is far healthier than the average japanese diet in terms of the balance of nutrition and lack of fats. costco hamburger? 90% lean. j ham/pigburger (aibiki for the unitiated) is 50% lean and half of that fat is lard. where it falls down is that for some reason americans have gotten in the habit of eating twice on average of what would be a reasonable caloric intake daily.

no osteoporosis in asia? come on, haven't seen all those old men n ladies bent over that cant stand up? ?

japanese people live longer for two reasons. one is that they are just smaller on average. small people live longer, just like poodles live longer than st. bernards. the second is that people with lower daily caloric intake live longer. there have been many studies to these points. with the sudden increase in hormone laden milk and beef will soon bring the life expectancy here into line with the western countries as the average size of people increases.

finally, the healthiness of a diet has to take into consideration of the safety of the food. any benefits from a lack of red meat is far more than made up from the parasites, 0157, pesticides etc...

great post by tessa, the average j person has a diet far different than the diet they claim to have.

Posted in: How healthy is Japanese cuisine?
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hakujinsenseiApr. 08, 2010 - 09:39AM JST

Japan's food culture.... why is so much focus on whales n tuna? traditionally costal people dined on fish but with the capitals having been in Nara and Kyoto, fresh fish products was not part of the food culture for a large number of j-folk. I really wonder where some of these non sensical ideas come from? sushi? morphadite product originating in korea and other areas as a way to preserve fish and then evolved to include fresh fish as we see today. At what point to we establish 'authenticity' of something that by nature and definition evolves and adapts.... It seems that there is very little understanding of what j-folk ate here a hundred or more years ago before refrigeration, prosperity, and modernization. Food self sufficiency? Well of course a small overpopulated island will have to deal with such an issue and allowing the food culture as well as the culture evolve, adapt, and mature by considering the environment that it is a part of is a good thing.

Posted in: Japan's food culture is an endangered species
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hakujinsenseiMar. 23, 2010 - 10:59PM JST

what a freaking moron. americans needs foreign corporations raking profit of the backs of americans like they need a hole in the head. cars. america needs cars. if there were no toyotas to be had, then the public would simply buy another brand and that brand and its suppliers would employ people... might have some hardship in some cities with toyota plants if other brands were not to use the facilities but that hardly seems likely. unused plants with cutting edge technology for pennies on the dollar? it would hardly be a hickup before Ford took them over and tarus' and F-150s would be rolling out the doors.

Posted in: U.S. needs Toyota more than Toyota needs U.S.
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hakujinsenseiMar. 08, 2010 - 08:29PM JST

for gods sake, a sensational politically charged drama/documentary takes the prize. sounds like shrewd insight from the directory and investors paid off. good on em, hope they take all those earnings and buy the freaking cove n put those dolphin cowboys out of business... doubt that will happen though because they are most likely all talk like most of the 'activists' out there. as for the dolphins? who gives a rip.

Posted in: 'The Cove' wins Oscar for Best Documentary
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hakujinsenseiFeb. 24, 2010 - 08:33PM JST

franky~complaints are the root of positive social change.

when officers here act incompetently, us tax payers have not only the right but the responsibility to call them to the carpet.

arresting someone without clear evidence, denying them due process, investigating something in a haphazard manner and bringing harm to the innocent is outside the bounds of what is acceptable in our modern age and is an affront to the constitution which protects naturalized citizens and foreign visitors alike.

I, for one are not willing to go back a hundred years and change when the upper class could just go out and whack up a hapless villager to test out their katana. the last century has seen japan become a first world country and acknowledge human rights, I am sure that the majority of those born in japan are just as eager to see the process continue.

Posted in: Police arrest wrong woman for supermarket theft
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hakujinsenseiFeb. 24, 2010 - 05:50PM JST

tkoind2~they aren't even good at giving directions anymore because the ones hired over the last 5 years cant even read a map now that they have navi.

called the cops this week when an old man crashed on his bike and was injured. we were less than 500 meters from the koban on the same road no less... they confirmed our location on the 110 call with gps? and it took almost 20 minutes for the imbecile to arrive.. by scooter of course because the ones under 40 cant change gears ; )

dolphingirl, good call on the time... the investigation probably took that long because the boys n blue were busy hassling school girls for registrations on their bikes in order to cop a possible upshot.

met many of kyoto and osaka's finest... the lot of them are worthless at best.

cant imagine what this poor woman had to go thru.... you would think it was rocket science to conduct a basic investigation... I want my tax dollars back ; )

Posted in: Police arrest wrong woman for supermarket theft
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hakujinsenseiFeb. 22, 2010 - 05:02PM JST

it's a womans right before birth to 'terminate' her children in most industrialized countries, why is everybody so freaked out just because these suddenly frozen and abandoned little ones became babies instead of embyros after birth?its a brave new world right? we will see nothing but more of this the more life is continued to be legally marginalized.

Posted in: Bodies of two infants found in supermarket freezer