Wednesday February 15, 2012

timtak's past comments

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    timtak

    "what the collapse of WTC7 has to do with anything?"

    You are right, WT7 is largely irrelevant.

    Or rather its relevance is psychological.

    I met a guy that studies the psychology of conspiracy theorists. He said that when there is a catastrophic event, such as the assisantion of a President, or death of a princess etc, people find it difficult to believe that the cause could have been small, one man, a mere accident, so they invent conspiracies so that the magnitude of the cause matches the magnitude of the catastrophy. In fact the reality is often more mundane. One man can blow someones head off. It happens every day. Drunk drivers have car crashes. It happens everyday.

    I like this theory, but perhaps at the same time, it cuts both ways.

    When we saw the World Trade Centre buildings collapse, straight down, symmetrically, very rapidly (at almost free fall speed), very few people suspected a bigger conspiracy.

    I think that the main reason for this is that we had all seen massive 150 ton aircraft fly into the buildings.

    In other words, we had witnessed a compelling cause, that in its magnitude and rarity seemed to match the magnitude and rarity of the events.

    Huge planes laden with fuel had come into catastrophic collision with the towers, so we were prepared to believe that reinforced concrete towers would come down in the catastrophic manner that they did.

    In controlled demolition buildigns are felled like the towers, or in similarly symmetrically and speedy ways all the time. Buildings falling symmetrically at free fall speed is a common event. It happens every day.

    However, in all the world and all the history of accidental damage to concrete buildings, with its millions of tower blocks, tower block fires, explosions, earthquakes and shoddy building techniques (e.g. Ronan Point), never has their been anything, anything like WTC1 and WTC2.

    But, few watching on television did not assume the everyday cause, because they had just seen something equally weird - passenger flying into the towers.

    This to me is the first psychological aspect of the day. "The Boeings did it." "Large planes and fanatical terrorists were to blame."

    The second psychological moment for me was watching WT7. This was many years later.

    There were No boeings. But there was free fall and symmetry. What is the cause? A mere accident? If a mere accident, then why aren't there other similar accidents? Why doesn't it happen every day? But it does, in controlled demolition. Why don't I assume it was controlled demolition, rather than a wildly rare (unique) event?

    Am I seeking a fictional 'catastropic cause' for a catastrophic event, when I should simply believe that the building was on fire? Or should I look for the common cause, the everyday answer?

    Posted in: Do you believe that Al-Qaida was responsible for the events of 9/11

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    timtak

    Yummy.

    Posted in: Dolphin-hunting town begins annual pursuit

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    timtak

    Three world trade center buildings collapsed through themselves at speeds approaching that with which they would have achieved had they fallen through air. Their concrete turned to dust.

    The few times that reinforced concrete structures have collapsed due to accident, they have left far bigger bits (even in the very rare pancaking accidents, clearly distinguishable layers of flooring).

    The towers fell in reverse order of being hit. The tower that was hit second fell first, in spite of the fact that (or because) the fire in the second hit tower was going out more rapidly. There was a woman waving from the hole where the plane hit the second tower to be hit, as can be seen clearly from photographs.

    When the Empire State Building was hit by a B25 bomber, a 10 ton plane, it did not affect the integrity of that tower at all. The Boeings (B767 about 150 metric tons) that hit the twin towers were about 15 times heavier. Though the towers were designed to survive the impact of very similar sized planes (B707 about 140 tons), one might expect some damage, perhaps even a top, or chunk of a building top to fall off. But to collapse, with their concrete turning to dust?

    Concrete buildings collapse and turn to dust quite regularly when they are demolished using explosive charges. There are lots of videos on the Internet.

    No planes hit the 47 storey World Trade Center Building 7, but the video of it falling needs to be seen to be believed. 47 stories is a tall building. Whatch the video of its collapse (google, or youtube). Compare the collapse with some pictures of concrete buildings that have been on fire, and with videos of some concrete buildings that have been demolished.

    Immediatelly prior to the collapse of the three World Trade Center buildings new wiring was put into the ducts throughout the two main towers.

    Posted in: Do you believe that Al-Qaida was responsible for the events of 9/11

  • 0

    timtak

    "Remember that God has enabled you to become an example of love, forgiveness and brotherly coexistence."

    Posted in: Attacks in Iraq kill 56

  • 0

    timtak

    Why hope tokyochris? Just but your UK pounds now.

    Posted in: Soaring yen threatens disaster for most, but profits for some

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    timtak

    Eight years old.

    I would like to teach my children not to mind the "die" thing so much. I have been told to "F.O.A.D." more than once and it did little to gaijin me.

    "Die" seems to be the worst thing that one can say in Japanese and people take it more seriously than one might expect. Generally there is a dearth of swear words, and some words are very taboo.

    While in many situations in Japan words are not taken all that seriously (white lies are more okay, political manefestos are wishy-washy and often ignored, rules are often bent, flattery and phatic acts of communication abound, and the Japanese pride themselves in their vaguaeness), but at the same time, certain words are taboo at weddings for instance.

    The author of Japanese book on debate claimed that this is related to the belief in the spirit of words ("kotodama shinkou"), that words have the power to effect their meaning. The author went on to claim that this belief in the power of words produced a paucity of debate since debate usually involves going over the the possible negative outcomes each course of action, and saying such negative outcomes is likewise considered to bring about that outcome.

    The Japanese believe in words, but, partly as a consequence, not in dialogue (c.f. Nakajima's "Taiwa no nai Shakai"). If the girl had been able to talk more about the word I guess she would have been saved from its power.

    As Jane Bachnik argues "indexes" are important in Japanese society. Indexes are a type of sign (the most famous subclass being icons, as in those on your computer, or the Nike swoosh symbol) that has a contiguous relationship with that which it represents. I.e. signs simply go together in a binary pair with that which they represent. Our logo-linguistic signs on the other hand, mean what they do by virtue of their relationship to other linguistic signs. Death is the opposite of life. So, while thinking about the word death puts everyone in a bad mood (see "terror management theory"), if you are a linguistic sign/logocentric sort of Western person, then death can remind you of its opposite, but if you are into indexes, then death is more likely to remind you of the state and event itself.

    Posted in: 8-year-old girl hangs herself at home in apparent suicide

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    timtak

    According to Japanese sources, yes there were head and face injuries.

    We have 24 ribs apparently. Some Japanese sources say that more than 20 of his ribs were broken, wereas at least one say that his ribs were broken in at least 20 places (but perhaps a lesser number of ribs).

    Sounds like more than one person kicking him while he was on the ground.

    According to Kahoku news, the victim had dealings (kakawari) with a "violent group" (i.e. the Japanese mafia) and are asking mafiosi about the case.

    Posted in: Man dies after beating in Fukushima Park

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    timtak

    Where does prostitution begin? There are lots of shades.

    Is a smile of a shop assistant, or falsetto and bow of an elevator girl, or behaviour of a maid cafe' waitress prostitution?

    Or the ”here is your change” touch prostitution? (convenience store assistants are taught to hold the bottom of your hand as they pass you your change)

    Are, the hand touching, or knee touching, or breast touching bars prostitution? Which of them? All of them? Should they all be illegal?

    Is manual massage, or oral masage, of sex organs prostitution? (I believe that under Japanese law these are legal as massage. Please correct me if I am wrong.)

    As far as I am aware, coitus (I let you define it) for money is prostitution in Japan, and forbidden by law.

    I guess it is illegal partly because it can result in more diseases (AIDS, for instances), and in caregiver-less children.

    The Japanese legal system, afaik, allows all but coitus. Only coitus is prostitution. (But Of course, there are establishments that break the law).

    But, it is very probably that some Japanese "massage" is considered the selling of sex, and thus "prostitution" from the point of those from other countries.

    William Clinton was considered to be a liar for claiming that he "did not have sex with that woman" when he had a form of Japanese legal "massage."

    The (eighteen year old) authoress of "Bonjour Tristesse" opines that marriage is a form of prostitution. Is she wrong?

    If she is not wrong should only one form of prostitution -- marriage -- be legal, even for those, disabled, that are unlikely to be able to partake in that system?

    Posted in: Business caters to sexual needs of disabled

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    timtak

    In the UK the waiting staff deign to serve you if you are nice. If you are not nice, the will throw the food at you. In Japan you can pretty much ignore the waiting staff if you want to.

    Posted in: What are some differences you have observed between waiters and waitresses in restaurants and cafes in Japan and other countries and also the way in which customers treat them?

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    timtak

    For a philosophy of sound trucks, I recommend Nakajima Michio "Taiwa no nai Shakai" (A society without dialogue) or "Urusai Nihonjin no Watashi" (Loud Japanese that I am) my review here. http://www.burogu.com/2010/04/election-sound-trucks-yoshimichi.html

    Posted in: It’s time to get rid of sound trucks

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    timtak

    More emphasis should be given to Nagasaki, as a seperate event to Hiroshima, and yet occuring only 3 days after the first bomb, while generals in Tokyo were still denying that the Hiroshima bomb was atomic.

    Posted in: Do you think that ceremonies for victims of the A-bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki should include references to the victims of Japan's acts of aggression before and during World War II?

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    timtak

    Cinemas will never go out of style because sometimes (particularly when dating) it is meaningful to watch a movie with other people, in a public place.

    The seats will move and shake like in those simulated rides at fun fairs, and video game joysticks.

    Perhaps for those that want to really empathise with the characters, we will be able to plug ourselves into recieve electric shocks when the hit by bullets etc.

    3D, yes. But will smellorama come back into style? There were a couple of movies made, and the technology has been possible for a long while, but I don't think that smell is so important. It is also difficult to change smells in real time.

    Posted in: What do you think the movie-going experience will be like 50 years from now? For example, will people still go to cinemas to see movies?

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    timtak

    There is at least one psychology paper which shows that gentlemanly beliefs/behaviour towards women correlates with belief that women are inferior to men. Glick and Fiske (1996) "An Ambivalent Alliance: Hostile and Benevolent Sexism as Complementary Justification for Gender Inequality" http://www32.homepage.villanova.edu/robert.w.caverly/00000487-200102000-00001.pdf

    Posted in: Do you think a man holding a door open for a woman, holding her chair for her when she sits down, or giving up his seat for her are outmoded gestures of politeness or do they still have their place in today's society?

  • 0

    timtak

    Track suits and gold medalions Black sweat pans on fat legs Eyelid glue So called "Japanese Style" T-Shirts with cursive kanji and dragons Negligees worn over jeans Shaved eyebrows All types of bouffant hair on men if it means that they have to keep touching it

    Posted in: Which fashion trend do you most wish would die?

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    timtak

    More photographs here http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2126742092254768201 What does a "powerful core" (芯が強い) mean exactly? http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1012816290 Someone who listens to what other people say, but makes their own decisions.

    Posted in: Maiko Itai looks to the universe

  • 0

    timtak

    I changed my name after marriage to my wife's name and was happy to do so.

    Posted in: Japan split over maiden names, foreign suffrage

  • 0

    timtak

    I wonder if the lack of comments here is related to the fact that the comments regarding the Okada's prediction that the Samurai Blues would reach the semis were overwhelmingly negative. Lost your tongues have you:-)?

    To be honest, I did not think that they had a hope either, but now...

    There is a cultural psychological theory that the Vuvuzela are an advantage for Asian Teams.

    Posted in: Okada prepares Japan for scrappy Paraguay team

  • 0

    timtak

    His mother is a Serb.

    Moderator: Please clarify.

    Posted in: What do you think of the quality of refereeing so far in the World Cup?

  • 0

    timtak

    MistWizard "Even if not an important call, what is the big deal if his volume of voice was reasonable?" Komachi0Jim "I am forever struggling to see the difference between having a conversation with a person on a train or a bus and having a conversation over the phone. I'm down with "manner mode" and all that, but I see no reason for library silence on public transportation."

    I agree.

    For an interesting answer read Nakajima Yoshimichi's "Taiwa no nai shakai" - Basically he claims that Japan is very tolerant of public speach (such as announcements) but very intolerant of private speech.

    Posted in: Man punched in face by fellow train commuter over phone manners

  • 0

    timtak

    The Yomiurin and Asahi articles have "jusei" (lit "the voice of a gun") for "gunshots," which is surely a mistranslation in this context, moderator?

    Nakashima was using a shotgun and shot his friend, Miyake, who was using a rifle in the head. I have no idea why Mr. Nakashima shot himself in the chest but he did so after reporting the incident to his relative, who then phoned the police. The group were very experienced. The hunting club kills 2500 boar a year.

    Posted in: Hunter commits suicide after accidentally shooting friend

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