Rulebook

Dragon Quest Google Map

Dr.Kinky — 2012-04-01T14:00:00+09:00

As you know, today is April fool's day.
We are allowed to pull others' legs on this particular day.
That's why we are inclined to be vigilant to avoid capers and try to find something new or interesting.

Now it is 1 a.m in Japan. And a funny prank is catching people's attention on the web.
According to SquareEnix, which is a popular Japanese video game publisher, Dragonlord (the final boss of Dragon Quest) has conquered the world.
http://www.dragonquest.jp/news/detail/536/

If you visit Google Maps, and then click the part "ぼうけんをはじめる", the map will be turned into 8-bit taste.
It is quite similar to the map of Dragon Quest in old days.
If you browse the map, you could find a lot of monsters from DQ.

Dragonlord

It's a wonderful prank. Thanks SquareEnix and Google for the great collaboration!

ドラゴンクエストスマイルスライムクリアバンクブルー
(2008/09/11)
スクウェア・エニックス

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Blasphemous Deed

Dr.Kinky — 2012-03-13T00:00:00+09:00

A video posted by a Korean guy is going viral at the moment.

This type of video not only rub other country's citizens the wrong way but it is also degrading the country's reputation.
It is merely useless and no one gains anything to boot.
I cannot imagine what this guy's mentality is like.

We Japanese don't forget that people all around the world, are far or near, rich or poor, enojoy peace or are in the midst of conflict, prayed for Japan to overcome sorrow.
We know that they devoted themselves to put goodwill and pray of mourning.

Nobody would not criticize this Korean guy as long as he covered his feeling no matter how he hates, abhors, contempts and kills Japan.
Maybe this guy might have spoken only as a joke.
Maybe this guy will become a hero among his friends.
Maybe this guy will be forced to apologize foreign to his heart by people around him.
As a result, he may have grudge against Japan and hate Japan more and more.

But, what he did is something like spitting out on people's goodwill which has devoted on one year anniversary.
Besides, what he did is just defile his own country's reputation he takes pride in.

If he cannot understand that, he should never expose his face on the Internet.

To make matters worse, Koreans always tend to pretend to be Japanese.
In this video, some Korean guys admit they feign to be Japanese when they commit something bad in foreign countries.

Actually he changed the country of his profile from Korea to Japan right after he deleted the video.

I won't say all the Koreans are liars, but obviously they have strong animosity toward the Japanese because of its educational system.

The anti-Japanese educational system indoctrinates its students with this gut-wrenching antipathy.

My conclusion is that the Korean wave such as soap operas and K-pop music is fine and dandy. But I cannot tolerate this disgusting and sickening behavior.

How can we accept the Koreans who have grown up holding grudges?
If the Korean government is trying to maintain good relationships with Japan, they should abolish such a horrific educational system right away.

Ridiculous Patriotism

Dr.Kinky — 2011-12-18T18:37:17+09:00

The Wall StreetJournal - China Expresses Regret Over Korean's Death

The incident has inflamed passions among some in the South Korean public. A small group of South Koreans protested outside the Chinese embassy in Seoul on Tuesday. South Korea's government on Monday summoned the Chinese ambassador to express its concern over the matter, though Seoul officials have shied away from making stronger moves.

When it comes to patriotism, Korean people seem to be stretching things a bit. I have seen Korean people set fire to other countries' flags to show their anger so many times.
But it is my first time to see a Korean eating a flag. lol
I've heard that Korean people eat anything. But I'm surprised to see how voracious and gluttonous they are!

They are really radical and overzealous, aren't they?

They may "consume" a lot of flags within a year. So if you open a store which deals in the national flags from all over the world, you can make tons of money（ゝω・）v Korean currency (Won) is weaker than any other currencies at the moment though. lol

And if you invented a more fiercely combustible flag, like their temper, the flag could catch on in Korea.

It's really sad to see such a commotion in this civilized era.

On the other hand, Japanese legal system handles foreign country flags like this.
(excerpt from the penal code of Japan)
────────────────────────────────
Damage of Foreign National Flag:

Article 92 (1) A person who, for the purpose of insulting a foreign state, damages, removes or defiles the national flag or other national emblem of the state shall be punished by imprisonment with work for not more than 2 years or a fine of not more than 200,000 yen.

────────────────────────────────
Of course, provisions and contents of the articles are inclined to be obscure when we try to interpret them. Besides that, I'm not a specialist on legal issues. lol

But according to the judicial precedents,

Damage is "to lose or reduce the effectiveness that symbolizes other country's prestige or dignity in a way that destroys or impairs a national emblem itself such as tearing a national flag or slashing it."（Osaka High Court Nov.27.1963）

Remove is "to lose or reduce the effectiveness that symbolizes other country's prestige or dignity by physically moving a national emblem or covering it from the place where the emblem exists at present without damaging the emblem itself." (Judgement of the Supreme Court Apr.16.1965)

Defile is "to lose or reduce the effectiveness as a national emblem by attaching or placing something which would make people disgusted to the emblem itself." (Osaka High Court Nov.27.1963）

To make the story short, we shouldn't do despicable performances such as setting fire to other countries' flags, especially if you live in an advanced country.

Although we need not to be submissive, we should protest as necessary without losing our temper.

The Death Penalty

Dr.Kinky — 2011-11-25T00:00:00+09:00

There are lots of pros and cons regarding the death penalty.
I really support the death penalty.

I think the death penalty exists for the sake of public interest.
Death penalty is not to kill criminals but to exclude those who violate the public interest.

In regards to cost, the death penalty can be more cheaper than a life sentence in jail.
Who wants to shoulder the burden of the costs for criminals until they die?
We are already ripped off due to hefty taxes. I don't want our government to waste our tax money.
Due to the recession, I think our government can't bear the expenses to maintain jails any more.
When governments are on the verge of the financial collapse, they must adopt a belt-tightening policy.

Some people take up the risk of false accusation, and claim that false accusation can bring grave and irretrievable consequences.
But I could counter that claim by saying that the time a prisoner serves in prison is also irretrievable.
It is ridiculously nonsensical to discuss false accusations when it comes to death penalty.
Although there are some risks to driving a car, a car is very convenient.
But do you stop riding a car due to the possibility of being involved in an accident?
Maybe you will pay more attention so as not to be involved in an accident.
Likewise, you should pay extra attention not to fall prey to false accusation.
In fact, while a plethora of crimes take place every day all across the country, the percentage of false accusations is negligible.
It is funny to see that although people ignore the risk of car accidents, people emphasize the risk of false accusations.

What I can say for sure is that an abolitionist would claim that a criminal should be sentenced to death if his beloved family members or friends were kill without mercy by the criminal.
However strongly he opposed to death penalty, he would change his take on it in that circumstance.
No doubt about it.

Actually, one lawyer, who was a death penalty abolitionist before, changed his opinion after one of his peer lawyers was killed by a destructive cult group.
It is ironic to see that an ardent abolitionist switched his idea.
This saying may be helpful to empathize with a bereaved family.
"You can't really understand another person's experience until you've walked a mile in their shoes."

It is also stupid that a criminal's life is guaranteed under the aegis of law regardless of how many people he kills.
While many people have to live from hand to mouth in dire circumstances, he doesn't need to be concerned about affording a place to live in and/or having food to eat.
At least, his status is higher than that of homeless people.
In that sense, jail may have better living conditions than the general public.

I'd like to point out that criminals are like a rotten apple.
They undermine the entire societies just as malignant tumor damage the whole bodies.
Therefore, they should be nipped in the bud.
It isn't until criminals are exterminated that they can contribute to society.
Sadly enough, criminals are too rampant.
In order to eradicate them, the law should be more strict.
Lenient attitude is counterproductive.
You could be the one who is victimized by a murderer.

I would support abolitionist's opinion if a charitable organization paid the costs of prisoners and prisoners were isolated in a remote island or something.

As a closing remark, I would like to ask that death penalty abolitionists consider the questions as below.
Would you still stick to your view if one of your family members were victimized by a cruel murderer?
Can you imagine if one of your beloved ones were tortured? If my relatives were involved in a mass murder, I would go mad.　And if a law prohibited death penalty, I would retaliate against the offender.
If a guy commits a mass murder during the daytime and doesn't show any penitence,
does he still deserve to live?

死刑
(2009/10/11)
読売新聞社会部

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TOEFL

Dr.Kinky — 2011-11-13T00:00:00+09:00

Japanese people are notorious for their low average TOEFL scores compared to that of other Asian nations.
As surveys show, there is no doubt about it.

http://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/TOEFL-SUM-2010.pdf

But I don't care about it at the same time.

We Japanese don't need to go abroad.
Why bother? Why should we need to expose ourselves to the dangers?
Some people would counter this idea by saying, "Japan is suffering from radioactive pollution. There are lots of earthquakes. Tsunamis inundated coastal areas and washed away everything. Is it true that Japan is still safe to live and stay in?"
I must admit that there are a plethora of earthquakes, and so tsunamis do happen.
But we should differentiate natural disasters from crime.
The crime rate is still relatively low.
We can benefit from quality of life even without going outside.
Japan is still thriving, even though China surpassed Japan in terms of GDP.
(The prospect is not good in the face of shrinking population and aging society. It is a different story. I'll take up this issue in another entry.)

Unfortunately, poor nations, I don't elaborate what countries are poor though, have no choice but to learn English to earn money and make end meet, acquire technology from advanced countries and then bring it back to their own countries.
If you compare only the skill sets of English, Japanese people are inferior.

You should take other elements such as strength of the currency, technology and the like into consideration.
In addition, some Asian nations became independent of countries whose mother tongue is English.
For instance, India and Pakistan from Britain, the Philippines from the U.S.
Considering the history of those countries having been colonized, it is easier to understand why they can score better on the TOEFL.

I don't mean I want to slack off.
Learning English could give me an edge to stay one step ahead of the pack.
But I think all the Japanese people don't necessarily have to learn English.
In my case, I have never had an opportunity to speak English except for English classes in junior high school, high school and university.
Some people need to acquire English skills for work, but others need not.

I'm going to enjoy my insular life.