zaichik said...

zaichik at 02:22 AM JST - 29th April

Alpine cretinism in Europe

What does hypothyroidism resulting from iodine deficiency have to do with this case, redacted?

Dreadful case, though - even worse than the other girl in Austria (Natascha Kampusch?) and the lass in Kashiwazaki.

Posted in Austrian had seven children by daughter locked in cellar for 24 years at 02:22 AM JST - 29th April
zaichik at 02:17 AM JST - 29th April

Effectively a haiku blog, then, but without the artistic merit....

Posted in Twitter launches in Japan at 02:17 AM JST - 29th April
zaichik at 01:59 AM JST - 29th April

It doesn't sound like this woman was in a normal frame of mind - hardly surprising, given that childbirth is not an everyday experience. Maybe she was in denial about the whole pregnancy. The fact that the balance of this woman's mind was probably disturbed at the time should certainly…

Posted in Woman arrested after trying to flush infant down toilet in Nagoya at 01:59 AM JST - 29th April
zaichik at 01:49 AM JST - 29th April

I have to agree with Northlondon and Nuts. The tabloids did a pretty comprehensive hatchet job on this woman, painting her as a selfish, money-obsessed harridan, but I can't feel sorry for her late husband. As you sow, so shall you reap, and all that.

Posted in Woman gets 15 yrs for killing husband, dumping dismembered body at 01:49 AM JST - 29th April
zaichik at 01:42 AM JST - 29th April

I thought the mayor of Kashiwazaki did quite well in reacting to the situation - summoned the director of the plant to his office, told him to shut it down immediately, and gave the man a dressing down in front of the world's media. (I'll admit to being slightly biased…

Posted in Japan to create 1st guideline on complex nuclear-related disasters at 01:42 AM JST - 29th April
zaichik at 06:19 AM JST - 28th April

Fukuda should ask the Russians to stop harrassing Japan on the islands to the north. They are Japanese territory!

Yeah, right. Like that's going to cut the mustard with Vova and Dima.

Posted in Fukuda arrives in Moscow for talks with Putin, Medvedev at 06:19 AM JST - 28th April
zaichik at 06:17 AM JST - 28th April

Kazuhiko Togo, a former ranking Japanese Foreign Ministry official and key negotiator with Moscow

(namedrop alert) I've met the former ambassador a few times at conferences and translated a paper for him for one of them. He's a very nice man. Used to be very friendly with Boris Yeltsin.

Posted in Fukuda takes 1st step with Russia but domestic problems cloud island row at 06:17 AM JST - 28th April
zaichik at 06:12 AM JST - 28th April

I believe the Japanese tendency to refer to the Korean language as hangul is to try to avoid offending those Koreans who are not from the ROK. Granted, DPRK Korean has variations from ROK Korean, but effectively calling the language "South Korean" seems a little odd.

As for Kimutaku, who…

Posted in SMAP star Tsuyoshi Kusanagi chats in Korean with Lee at 06:12 AM JST - 28th April
zaichik at 06:05 AM JST - 28th April

What I was trying to say was:

Wouldn't "san" be more appropriate for a UNICEF ambassador? "Chan" seems a tad familiar to me.

LOL! On excellent form today, Nessie.

I wonder if she remembers me, I was well known, extremely high profile in Tokyo when she was a "star".

What,…

Posted in Agnes Chan campaigns for providing school lunches in developing countries at 06:05 AM JST - 28th April
zaichik at 05:58 AM JST - 28th April

Papasmurf - LOL!

I used to rather like the Domo-kun ads on NHK. Didn't stop me playing the dumb foreigner when the NHK guy came round, though!

Posted in NHK's 'Domo-kun' to be aired in 101 countries at 05:58 AM JST - 28th April