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developed by JhackAbout Skeptikai
Skeptikai defends science and exposes pseudoscience. Living in Japan also allows for an interesting opportunity to discuss fascinating stories that go unnoticed elsewhere. Psychological phenomena and intriguing cases from around the globe are also regularly highlighted.
Should You Let Your Kid Date in Middle/High School? Science Gives a Surprising AnswerYoung love can show you things about yourself you've never known. It can bring you to…
In Japan, Strangers are More Likely than Family to Give CPR for Cardiac ArrestWhen it comes to Japanese people giving CPR to someone suffering a cardiac arrest, it…
Power and Rape – Part 2: How to Create a Breeding Ground for Sex OffendersAs I mentioned in Part 1, rape is tolerated in the military because the acknowledgment of…
Power and Rape – Part 1: Rape in the Military is a Career Killer… for the VictimIf you ever wanted to know just how bad "blaming the victim" can get, look no further than the…
Does Chewing Gum Help You Concentrate?If you want to be a rocket scientist, you might want to start chewing that stick of gum.…
Possessed by Demons, Animals, and Nonsense"Japan doesn't have that stuff. That's more of a Western thing." Just like I constantly…
SATIRAN – Part 3: “Judicial Theatre,” or Judgment for the 2010 IsraeliIn May 2010, the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" was sent to give humanitarian aid and…
Study: Close Relationships Aren’t Necessarily BetterIt makes sense, doesn't it? The closer you are to someone, the better your relationship…
Are Religious People More Charitable, Generous, and Altruistic than Atheists?According to a Canadian study from 2008, religious people are "more helpful, honest and…
Gender, Age, Socioeconomic, and Cultural Differences in Social Networking Site UsageOnline social networks has become an interesting platform for research, and hundreds if…
Tag Archives: natural disasters
U.S. Military and Law Enforcement Train for Zombie Apocalypse
It has just been revealed that a controversial new training program has been issued to take place next month in San Diego, California. The security firm HALO Corp. will have its annual Counter-Terrorism Summit – a five-day event with hands-on training, intensive courses and lectures, and realistic demonstrations. In attendance will be military and medical personnel, federal government workers, and law enforcement officials. In other words, this is serious business. America is making sure that they are prepared for what HALO Corp. president Brad Barker has called the “Zombie Apocalypse.”
Predicting Ten Thousand Deaths in the Next Big Tokyo Earthquake
Millions of people in Japan are getting ever more nervous that “The Big One” will come soon – the earthquake that strikes Tokyo, the heart of Japan. This concern is certainly justified, ever since the 2011 earthquake raised the probability so dramatically. The last time I reported, newest research from the Tokyo University’s Earthquake Research Institute (ERI) found that there’s a 70% chance that a magnitude 7 quake will hit by 2016. Though a M7 is not nearly as big as the M9 quake that caused last year’s tsunami, Tokyo is one of the most heavily populated cities in the world, so the death toll will likely be substantial.
How 3/11 Changed the People of Japan – Part 1: Fear, Trust, and Death
The March 11 tsunami left a scar on Japan last year. The confusion was widespread, and depression and suicides were imminent. But not enough people talked about how the tsunami has changed regular Japanese people since the tragedy. A while back, I looked at how Japan kept such strong national unity in the weeks and months after the crisis. However, I didn’t talk about the changes to the everyday Japanese lifestyle, or to the opinions and psychology of the people who were affected. Some of it is certainly surprising.
Tsunami Survival Guide: Japanese Culture is Not Conducive to Staying Alive
If you have Japanese values, you shouldn’t expect to survive a devastating tsunami – let me explain. After Principal Michiko Kishima of Nobiru Elementary School felt the magnitude 9 earthquake on March 11, she immediately started following protocol. She ushered around 350 students and teachers into the gymnasium, located about five kilometres from the Miyagi coast, instead of leading them to higher ground up the hills behind the campus. “We didn’t think about fleeing up the mountain,” she said, in an interview a month after the incident. “We were prepared for aftershocks, not a tsunami.” With internet connections and cellphone networks disrupted, there was no way to know that a tsunami was heading towards them. “We would have gone up the mountain road; but there was no information, so I had to follow official policy.” The thunderous tsunami drowned many, and more froze to death by the end of the night. Could this have been avoided? It’s easy to say yes in hindsight, but the truth is that there are places that had the foresight to prevent such casualties. And surprisingly, such survivors went against everything the Japanese culture stands for.
Posted in Activism, Culture, Japan, Psychology, Science, Social Psych, TED
Tagged earthquake, natural disasters, tsunami
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Everybody Hates Toby
The current and longstanding governor of Tokyo, who I affectionately call Toby, despite his birth certificate reading “Shintaro Ishihara,” is truly incredible. This controversial 79-year-old governor has publicly expressed his discontent with foreigners, gay people, and pretty much any other minority that overly conservative zealots tend to persecute. For the American audience, he’s quite like the Japanese version of Rick Santorum. I wrote about his impressive ability to alienate and discriminate against individuals, but now I’ll take the opportunity to show how he manages to disgust the locals as well.
Posted in Activism, Biographical, Culture, Japan, Legal Issues, Media, Translations
Tagged natural disasters, politics, Toby
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Toxic Racism Against Japan Since the March 11 Disaster (Part3)
In Part 1, we looked at how America does not seem to be over the Pearl Harbor attacks. In Part 2, we saw that almost 4 out of 10 Americans agree with the disturbing internet troll known as “Tamtampamela,” who said that the earthquake and tsunami in Japan were a result of God’s intervention. That is an alarmingly high number of idiots. But the U.S. does not exactly have a monopoly on bigotry, and there are many good Americans who fight back against discrimination. So now, let’s look at the fair way to consider the filth that has been spewing out of America.
Toxic Racism Against Japan Since the March 11 Disaster (Part2)
I haven’t written as much on any topic as I have on this one; this record of racism against Japan since the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake of last year. But I think it’s important to catalogue many of the things said, because it highlights a number of problems that America has in the way they deal with the past. It also provides an answer to the question “where do they get this reputation from?” In Part 1, we looked at how many Americans don’t seem to be over World War II – namely, the Pearl Harbor attack. Now, we’ll look at the “educated” people, and see how they compare to the public opinion.
Posted in Activism, Culture, Japan, Media, Skepticism
Tagged America, natural disasters, religion
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Toxic Racism Against Japan Since the March 11 Disaster (Part1)
After the March 11 disaster in Japan, the world focused its media attention here like never before; but for all the compassionate and good-hearted people wishing Japan well, there was some horrible joke or malicious epithet being slurred by the scum of the internet, or on live television. This article looks at the carelessness and callousness that plagues the public forum online, and catalogues some of the idiocy that helps perpetuate the myth that Americans are all idiotic racists. Is it ever okay to make fun of something so tragic? Where do we draw the line between humorous and hurtful? And why have anti-Japanese sentiments been kept alive for all this time?
Posted in Activism, Culture, Japan, Media, Skepticism
Tagged America, natural disasters, racism
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Blizzards in the North – Japan Simply Can’t Catch a Break
Japan just can’t catch a break. After one of the most powerful earthquakes in history plunged the country into darkness, we were getting scorched by record-level heats. While the East coast was busy (and still is) recovering from the devastating tsunami, the region of Kansai, West of Tokyo, was being flooded by the most powerful typhoon Japan has seen in over thirty years. Yesterday was the holiday known as “Setsubun,” which officially marked the transition from winter to spring, but many prefectures are facing another round of hardships that contrast to the debilitating heat. Blizzards have come to remind Japan that there’s still plenty more to be concerned about.
Earthquake Research Says Tokyo May Get “The Big One” Within the Next Few Years
I have been covering earthquake predictions in Japan for a few months, and unfortunately the news has been getting progressively worse. I wrote a detailed article about this before, explaining the risks and implications of a powerful earthquake in Tokyo, but researchers from the University of Tokyo are challenging those earlier predictions. The situation, they say, is much more worrisome than we thought, and the danger may come much earlier than expected.