Surfing the net

Today was a pretty productive day. I spent the morning with my family and the afternoon surfing the net looking for some useful information.
After my wife and son left it was just me and the PC and the internet. So much information and junk it is easy to kill one day. (I think that space will be like the internet we people start colonizing space.) Lots of junk but every now and then you find a gem. Today I found one!
I have been in Japan for a long time and I have been looking for a train schedule site for mobile phones (cellphones) for a very long time. And today I finally found one. Click Here
to visit my web site for the information. I also stumbled across a list of Prefecture government web pages. That is pretty much all that happened today.
The newspaper was not too interesting.

Enough Is Enough

I just sent a flaming email to the Japan Times about their advice column Lifelines with Angela Jeffs. The lady could not give advice on how to tie your shoes. Her advice is baffling, if you have ever read one of her columns then you know what I mean. Here is the letter.

Dear Sirs,

I'm writing to you about your advice column with Angela Jeffs. Ms. Jeffs I hope you receive a copy of this email.

In the 20 plus years I have been reading the newspaper and there have been many, good and bad. Ms Jeffs colum is the worst advice column I have ever read. In referance to this weeks column (March 20th) Ms. Jeffs writes a reply about the French lady whose dentist told her to find a new dentist because of the column. She said the dentist was confused, I was confused by Ms. Jeffs column! I showed that article to my coworker and he was just as confused.

The correct answer to the lady's question should have been.
That Japanese dentists have a set of rules from the Japanese health insurance system. When you have your teeth cleaned it has to be done it two treatments. Unlike western dentist where you go in to get your teeth cleaned and they do the upper and lower at the same time. In Japan they are not allowed to bill the insurance company that way. I think most dentist who treat foreigners at one time just fix the paper work and have them pay dubble, because it is easier than explaining why the can only do half at a time.

The advice this lady gives is not only bad but at times ridiculous.
She told a woman who could get her child to eat meals but only wanted snacks to take the child to a herbalist! What?!?

Every time she writes I wonder what in the heck she is talking about.
This week she recommended a flag to a lady who wanted to give, "something truly Japanese" as a wedding gift! I have no doubt that the flag is nice but a wedding gift!!
Why not a traditional Japanese wedding gift. At this time I don't know what that would be, but I could google an answer in 2 minutes.
In her advice column she ALWAYS recommends a shop or service that people have to pay for. It makes me wonder if she receives money from these businesses for her moronic advice.

Here is my EMAIL ADDRESS PLEASE REPLY!!!!
*****@gmail.com

Truly Disgusted,
Dennis ****
Yokohama, Kanagawa

**I removed my last name and email address. If you wish to know that information please ask :)

I'm wondering if anyone will reply. I just could not take it anymore. That email is the first time I have ever sent an email or letter to a newspaper.

My Weekend

Well on Saturday I read in the newspaper that Horie (Livedoor) got 2 1/2 years. I wounder how much time he will do in jail. Normally in Japan company executives don't do jail time. Horie just made some of the Old Boy Network mad. He was making too much money, too fast.

I think 99 percent of Japanese companies do the same things he did. But he made the mistake of taking advantage of the lose rules companies have to follow. Because of Horie maybe the government will close the loopholes that many companies use too make money or make it seem they are making when they are losing alot.
A good example is the stock trading company Nikko (I believe that is the name) they were raided by the police but then later the charges were dropped because of lack of evidence... Yeah right. They were about to be bought by an American company. That didn't set will with the Old Boy Network, so someone pull the strings and had the case dropped. But it may be too late.

Anyway...
In my world not much happening. It seems I going to be the owner of a K-car. It is pretty nice. I have given in to the powers of my wife. She has been wanting one for a very long time. Now that we bought a house in the Burbs of Yokohama she makes many good points. I just did want to buy a car in Japan yet. It will only get driven on the weekends. But I think it will be nice not having to go by bus everywhere. Other than that not much happening here.

If you would like to post a comment to my posts, please feel free.

Matane... Dennis