socrateos comments

According to data from NASA's satelites ("GRACE" and its follow-on):

Antarctica is losing ice mass (melting) at an average rate of about 150 billion tons per year, and Greenland is losing about 270 billion tons per year, adding to sea level rise.

https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/ice-sheets/

ANTARCTIA

2002 - base

2004 - 488.0Gt loss

2008 - 727.0Gt loss

2012 - 1148.5Gt loss

2016 - 1930.4Gt loss

2020 - 2777.2Gt loss

GREENLAND

2002 - base

2004 - 378.3Gt loss

2008 - 1346.0Gt loss

2012 - 2718.1Gt loss

2016 - 3741.9Gt loss

2020 - 4793.8Gt loss

Yubaru:

This article is hardly a story about a "pink flower" but of an athlete. It's time to retire this outdated nickname and start to treat these women as rightful "samurai".

"Nadeshiko" in their team nickname actually refers to "Yamato Nadeshiko" (大和撫子). "Yamato Nadeshiko" is a symbolic term that means "Ideal Japanese Women" since Nadeshiko flower symbolizes "beauty, purity, humility and strength." As such, it is often used in pair with "Samurai", which of course means "Ideal Japanese Men." Since Japanese men's national soccer team was named "Samurai", its counter part was named "(Yamato) Nadeshiko" to follow the tradition. Samurai and Nadeshiko are a pair.

For example, a Japanese pop group "Samurai Otome" (Samurai Girls) has a song about themselves: the title is "Well done, Yamato Nadeshiko!"

In short, Yamato Nadeshiko is "Samurai Women" already. No change is necessary.

I thought US was in the form we used to know - dominating - during the game unlike any of their previous games in this world cup. But at the end of the day, it turned out that it was not so, failing to finish every possesion and chance they had. They have lost something important.

Sweden's defence was incredibe, particularly their goal keeper! I think that going for penality was their plan.

Congraturations, Sweden!

Japan will be awaiting the winner after another impressive display in defeating Norway 3-1 on Saturday.

Yes. Against USA or Sweden. This is going to be a very tough challenge for Japan. Good luck to Japan and I hope Japan wins another exciting victory.

sunfunbun (said a few days ago before this game):

Norway actually has more top end talent...

Norway could easily put up a quick goal or two....

That did not happen. Japan won 3-1 against Norway.

Here is the history of matches between these two national teams.

2023 Japan 3-1 Norway

2018 Japan 4-1 Norway

2013 Japan 0-2 Norway

2012 Japan 2-1 Norway

2011 Japan 1-0 Norway

2008 Japan 5-1 Norway

Japan won 5 games

Norway won 1 game

sunfunbun (said a few days ago before this game):

Boy are the Japanese followers over confident, or what?

Norway actually has more top end talent...

Norway could easily put up a quick goal or two....

So where are you, sunfunbun?

sunfunbun:

Norway could easily put up a quick goal or two, and no one yet knows if Japan can play from behind.

No one knows if Japan can play from behind? Are you kidding?

Here is the famous Worldcup final between Japan and USA when Japan beat USA coming from behind, twice, to become a world champion:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNMTCT1lyhs

Mat:

I don't understand why drugs are illegal.

Here are reasons:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7vPhw1yQlU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl0fDm7HSQ0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWBzxr3c29s

Beijing criticizes Japan, Britain over 'anti-China' G7 summit (Article Ttile)

Russia said a sililar thing. This verifies that G7 summit was a great success. A good job.

President Biden would expand his 2020 margin of victory over former President Donald Trump if a rematch were held today, according to a new poll exclusively shared with The Post Wednesday.

The WPA Intelligence survey of 1,571 registered voters found Biden, 80, leading 76-year-old Trump 47% to 40%. By comparison, Biden defeated Trump by 4.5 percentage points in the 2020 popular vote, while former President Barack Obama won re-election over Republican Mitt Romney by 3.9 percentage points in 2012.

https://nypost.com/2023/05/17/biden-up-7-points-against-trump-in-2024-election-poll/

Nikkei is up. GDP is good. Wages are up. Inflation has peaked out. Yen is cheap (Good). Tourism is back. Manufacturing is coming back to Japan (one out of four Japanese manifacturers have brought it back to Japan). Investors are investing in Japan again.

My family and area (Okayama) did not have a custom of eating Natto. I grew up without Natto. When I ate it first time in Osaka, I was very very hugry. And you know, if you are really hungry, everything tastes good. So it was easy for me to become a lover of Natto.

Nadrew:

You are forgetting about their slow roll to BEV. And, PHEV don’t count anymore.

Toyota's BZ4X is doing well, for example in Norway, being the second best EV seller after Tesla's Model Y. Toyota is adding 10 more EV models by 2026, aiming to sell 1.5 mil EV worldwide.

(https://cleantechnica.com/2023/04/10/the-toyota-bz4x-shines-in-norway-perhaps-its-time-for-toyota-to-seriously-look-into-adding-the-bz3-there-too/)

When I heard her song "Jolene" for the first time, I fell in love with her immediately.

Natsume Tsunoda is an amazing female Judoka. Her process of using a Tomoenage to take down her opponent and works on submission is really something to behold.

It was a good visit. It is now quite clear that Yun administration wants to develop a good relationship with Japan, KNWOINGLY THAT THERE ARE OPPOSITIONS WITHIN HIS OWN COUNTRY. Yoon has a good chance to become one of best Presidents in Korean history.

It's a good time for all travel industries.

Septim Dynasty:

The ghost of Abenomics lives on! Weak Yen will be the national policy.

MarkX:

Wow, look at the dollar climb. I guess some people thought that there might be a change. But this fool has said he will stay the same course as Kuroda did...

In early 1985, Japanese yen was $250 and Japanese economy was at its heighest.

In Sep 22 1985, there was an infamous Plaza Accord, in which world leaders decided to force yen stronger.

Ever since, Japanese yen has been about $100, and Japanese economy was hurt.

With Kuroda, the rate was restored to $130. January data showed 1 out of 4 Japanese manufacturers have moved production back to Japan from abroad.

Today it is $136. Hopefully, BOJ continues its policy and restore Japanese economy.

Clay:

EV wave MASSIVE, Toyota not only way behind but has no EV 'merits'. Environmental types HATE hybrids FYI, Toyota's stupidity on STEROIDS.

Never underestimate Toyota or hybrids.

Here is the EV/Hybrid sales figures in the world's most populous nation: India.

India Passenger Car Sales: EVs vs Hybrids

PERIOD EV sales (Hybrid sales)

2021-Q1 2,348 (190)

2021-Q2 2,247 (127)

2021-Q3 4,034 (384)

2021-Q4 6,025 (277)

2022-Q1 9,535 (459)

2022-Q2 10,471 (722)

2022-Q3 13,155 (2,525)

2022-Q4 14,478 (15,841)

2023-Q1 21,109 (22,389)

Septim Dynasty

Nokia used to have the best last year performance before the release of Apple's iPhones. We all knew how it turned out.

The big difference is that EV had been arround more than two decades and still a way behind ICE. Automobile is not a cellphone.

To put it in a perspective, Toyota was the top automobile seller last year with 9 mil and VW was the distant second with 8 mil while Tesla was 15th with 1.3 mil. Toyota sold 2.6 mil hybrids alone.

Japan's population projected to shrink 30% to 87 mil in 2070

Even then, it is larger than UK, which is 68.8 mil today.

Samit Basu:

Washington Post released the full original transcript of the interview in response, which affirmed it was YOON who could not accept the idea of Japan kneeling down and not JAPAN, thereby strengthening Yoon's domestic reputation as a hardcore traitor. Yoon's current nickname in Korea is "Traitor Yoon".

A good man. He is called "traintor" by those people; that means, he must be doing a good job.

A story of Akechi Mitushide, a samurai attacking against his own lord, is such a good theme for a film maker like Kitano.

When I first read the news title "Former Indian lawmaker slain", I thought it was a political assassination. But as I read more about the incident in other news media, the situation seems much more involved.

Atiq Ahmed, his brother and their wider family were notorious gansters in the Uttar Pradesh criminal underworld, accused of running a crime syndicate embroiled in murder and extortion, and the former politician had more than 100 different cases filed against him, including assault and murder. He was jailed for life in 2019 after being convicted of orchestrating a kidnapping while he was in prison.

The Ahmed brothers had been in police custody relating to the murder of lawyer Umesh Pal, who had been a key witness in the case of another killing they were implicated in...

Uttar Pradesh, which is India’s most populous state of more than 200 million people, has a reputation for criminality and nearly half the ministers, the chief minister included, have pending criminal cases against them.

(https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/16/atiq-ahmed-former-mp-brother-shot-dead-live-tv-india)

Those who have agreed to accept the government plan are bereaved families of 10 deceased victims among 15 in cases where South Korea's Supreme Court ordered Japanese firms to pay reparations in 2018.

10 out of 15. No bad, not bad at all considering what we have been seeing in the previous administrations.

Three new "Star Wars" movies are in the making...

Oh, no!

Uemura still vividly recalls her first professional dive at age 43. "Crystal clear water, seaweed growing everywhere, fish swimming vigorously...it was just as beautiful as if I had been swimming in an aquarium tank. I still can't forget it," Uemura, now 69, said.

What have we done to the earth...

sakurasuki:

Wait where's the money for promoting birth rate, even expensive defense initiatives still need soldiers which come from young people right?

You need a place to live (and live in freedom) before being able to give births.

Defence protects a place so that people can live.

Zizi

Don't punish the general public. Punish scum like Putin and Xi...

Those people enabled Putin and Xi to be their own dictators and invaders of their neighbors. The 80% of Russians support Putin's war in Ukraine and the people from China are protesting against a visit by Taiwan's leader, Tsai. They are actively enabling Putin and Xi. They are not innocent.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday he wants to “engage China toward a shared responsibility for peace” 

China and peace do not mix. These two do not co-exist.