Wednesday February 15, 2012

smartacus's past comments

  • 1

    smartacus

    I don't see anything wrong with Iran having a nuclear program, as long as it is for peaceful use. So all the U.S. and EU need do is quietly say to the Iranian rules, "If you ever use nuclear weapons against any country, you'll be bombed back into the Stone Age." That should be enough to keep the peace.

    Posted in: What can be done to ease tensions between Iran and Western nations?

  • 4

    smartacus

    I wish I had 400 million yen in spare change lying around my 1 LDK.

    Posted in: Ozawa: Nothing unusual about keeping Y400 mil in cash at home

  • 1

    smartacus

    Prison breaks are rare in Japan. I can't recall ever hearing about one until now. I'm surprised other prisoners didn't also use the scaffolding to make a bolt for it. I guess Japanese prisoners dutifully do as the guards tell them.

    Posted in: Inmate escapes from Hiroshima prison

  • 2

    smartacus

    It's interesting to hear Komiyama's view that handing out jobless benefits would not motivate unemployed people to look for work. That is exactly what my dad and grandparents used to say. I wonder if it is a generational thing. In those days, nobody took charity for nothing. They worked unthinkable (by today's standards) long hours and in harsh economic conditions.

    Unfortunately, a lot of people in Tohoku need to be retained. But how do you teach a fisherman or a laborer another trade? What if someone has no computer skills?

    The best hope is that reconstruction projects will spawn a lot of new industries, so hopefully the barbers, bakers and tradesmen will still be needed.

    Posted in: Unemployment benefits won't be extended to those who lost jobs due to March 11 disaster

  • 2

    smartacus

    People who join cults usually have no sense of self-esteem or no "boundaries." During their teen and young adult years, they may also have been made to feel unwanted or left out and they are looking for a place to fit in.

    Cult leaders are very skillful at finding such people and suck them in slowly, first by making them feel welcome and important, then giving them some responsibility within the group. After awhile, the cult and its activities become the center of that person's life - giving him or her some meaning in their life. The boundary between a person's sense of identity and the cult becomes blurred until there no longer is a boundary ... and the person cannot exist without the cult.

    I've known a few people who joined cults and that is how it happened. None were as destructive as Aum Shinrikyo but in all cases, these people donated huge amounts of money to their cult and they would be totally lost without the cult. They define who they are by what the cult does,

    Posted in: Why do people join cults?

  • 2

    smartacus

    Why isn't he already under arrest?

    Article Unavailable

  • -5

    smartacus

    I bet it has been many years since Sawa wore a kimono.

    Posted in: Sawa named FIFA Women's Player of the Year; Messi world's best player

  • 2

    smartacus

    I'll never understand why the Olympus board, knowing how much they had to hide, agreed to hire Woodford in the first place. What did they expect from him? Surely they must have known he would uncover the skeletons in their closet. You'd think they would have picked their execs from within the cozy corporate culture.

    Posted in: Woodford to sue Olympus, citing lack of investor support to get his job back

  • 4

    smartacus

    Tanigaki has been saying the same thing since Noda took power last August. First, the LDP opposed the child allowance policy, demanding an election. Then they opposed the TPP talks, demanding an election. That was followed by opposition to the third budget. Now it is opposition to tax reform.

    I used to be a big believer in democracy, but fascism is starting to look more appealing to me.

    Why can't countries be run like a big corporation? With a CEO and board of directors. Why even have an opposition? Do they do any good in any country?

    Posted in: Opposition refuses to discuss tax reform with DPJ; calls for election first

  • -2

    Brainiac

    What if someone stuck in the middle suddenly feels the urge to go to the toilet?

    Posted in: Packed in

  • 0

    smartacus

    Somebody asked me the other day if Japanese were religious after seeing all the activities at shrines during the New Year. I don't know if you could call this "being religious" or "being superstitious."

    Posted in: Packed in

  • 2

    Brainiac

    I'm still not clear on what this means for permanent residents.

    Posted in: Changes coming to foreign registration, visa system

  • 0

    smartacus

    What Tokyo badly needs is a train connection between Shibuya and Roppongi stations, but that would have to be a subway rather than JR.

    The new station between Shinagawa and Tamachi would need to be a junction station to really bring in the traffic.

    Posted in: Yamanote line likely to get first new station in 40 years

  • 1

    smartacus

    There are too many political parties already.

    Article Unavailable

  • 3

    Brainiac

    I've been to Wakanui. The cuisine is superb but expensive (fortunately, I was a guest).

    And, Mabo, lamb does not smell. That is an old perception that Japanese people have because 20-30 years ago, mutton was imported and stored for a long time before being eaten.

    In fact, it has been my experience that most Japanese people today who think lamb smells haven't actually tasted a grilled lamb chop. It is a perception handed down from generation to generation. When they do taste it, they love it - as was the case when my party dined at Wakanui.

    I buy my lamb at Nissin.

    Posted in: A taste of New Zealand comes to Tokyo

  • 1

    smartacus

    Let's see. When I am in the shower, toilet or sleeping.

    Actually, I grew up in an era when we weren't connected all the time. There was no Internet, no email or cell phones. So I never became dependent on these devices like most people who grew up in the 1990s and 2000s. It's very easy for me to switch off.

    Posted in: In our plugged-in culture, with all its devices, how often each week do you switch off, tune out or enjoy some alone without any electronic distractions?

  • 1

    smartacus

    Wendy's leading the pack, I see. I prefer Burger King, then Wendy's.

    Posted in: What's your favorite hamburger chain?

  • 5

    smartacus

    I thought it was one of the better editions of the show in many years. Many touching moments because of the sad memories of the disaster.

    And, almostshat, your one-word message tells us all we need to know about your lack of ability to judge what an entertaining variety musical show is about.

    Posted in: 'Kohaku Uta Gassen' sings for Japan

  • 2

    smartacus

    Every year we all say the same thing. Good riddance to the year past. I don't think I have ever heard anyone say the year past was a good one. And then we all hope that the next year will be a better one. And it never is.

    When did we start celebrating New Year's Eve anyway? It's just another night to people suffering or in trouble.

    Sorry to sound so negative.

    Posted in: As year ends, Japanese reflect on fragility of life

  • 0

    smartacus

    Crimes like this are very difficult to solve after so long. The best chance will be through DNA, if the perpetrator is caught for some other crime.

    Posted in: Setagaya family murders remain unsolved after 11 years

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