zaichik said...

zaichik at 06:23 AM JST - 12th April

I also have been told this is a worldwide problem.

Indeed - it's most concerning. The varroa mite has decimated honeybee populations in the UK and the British government has taken no notice, despite the fact that beekeepers have been trying to elicit some action from them for some…

Posted in Shortage of honey bees found in 21 prefectures at 06:23 AM JST - 12th April
zaichik at 06:20 AM JST - 12th April

considering Joetsu is my favorite place in all of Japan

Really, Taka? What's your connection with the city? I was CIR there from 1998 to 2000.

I'm reassured to see I wasn't the only one who thought this wasn't the best example to set the kids.

Posted in Niigata school vice principal under fire for ordering soccer team to lose game at 06:20 AM JST - 12th April
zaichik at 07:04 PM JST - 10th April

I'm happy to bow to the judgment of those who are better versed in football rules and etiquette than I :-)

Happy Easter, everyone.

Posted in Niigata school vice principal under fire for ordering soccer team to lose game at 07:04 PM JST - 10th April
zaichik at 05:18 PM JST - 10th April

Any professional soccer coach would do exactly the same if it meant the difference between facing a Barcelona or a Tottenham Hotspurs

Seriously? To the point of getting players to score 6 own goals?

Posted in Niigata school vice principal under fire for ordering soccer team to lose game at 05:18 PM JST - 10th April
zaichik at 04:21 PM JST - 10th April

Somewhat sharp practice and not really the best example to set to kids.

When I was CIR in Joetsu, one of my friends was the ALT at this school. It was one of the better local schools, not a breeding ground for delinquents like Kasuga-chu was.

Posted in Niigata school vice principal under fire for ordering soccer team to lose game at 04:21 PM JST - 10th April
zaichik at 03:56 PM JST - 10th April

Dairy produce prices here in NZ aren't as high as in Japan, but there have been significant increases, despite the fact that the dairy industry is one of NZ's biggest sectors. Apparently prices are supposed to be decreasing now, but they're still on the high side.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/dairy-industry/news/article.cfm?c_id=168&objectid=10550912

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/statistics-nz/news/article.cfm?o_id=53&objectid=10545631

Posted in Dairy households face crisis over rising feed prices at 03:56 PM JST - 10th April
zaichik at 06:03 AM JST - 9th April

I still like my Vitz, though I do wish I'd gone for a slightly bigger engine - she struggles to do 80 up the Harbour Bridge in the mornings. Still, the fuel economy's good and she's easy to manouvre....

Posted in Toyota banks on tiny, green but pricier iQ model at 06:03 AM JST - 9th April
zaichik at 05:59 AM JST - 9th April

Personally, I think the remark is quite amusing....

I remember the fuss that MoFA made when the institute where I used to work produced a publication containing a map of Northeast Asia that showed the Kuriles as Russian territory (the same colour as Russia was on the map). We ended…

Posted in TBS clarifies Mino Monta’s remark that Japan should buy back Northern Territories at 05:59 AM JST - 9th April
zaichik at 05:54 AM JST - 9th April

If you can't do the time, don't do the crime (/cliche).

She should consider herself lucky that she avoided the death penalty - she'd have been in much the same position, except that she would go from day to day, not knowing whether it would be her last.

Posted in Akita woman appeals life term for killing 2 children at 05:54 AM JST - 9th April
zaichik at 06:07 AM JST - 8th April

Why is Japan is the only country that I read about that has panty theft???

Because it doesn't make the news in other countries - doesn't mean that it doesn't exist, though.

Posted in 60-yr-old man in prison arrested for murder of 15-year-old girl in Kyoto last May at 06:07 AM JST - 8th April