Tuna's End

Tuna's End is a VERY long article in the New York Times, written by Paul Greenberg, on the eventual extinction of blue fin tuna. It is adapted from his book “Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food”

Japan unapologetically consumes 80% of the world's blue fin tuna, so have to be included in the "who to blame" list.

The usually reserved and polite Japanese take on a smug and ignorant tone when this issue of over fishing of blue fin is brought up - as if they are all-seeing and all-knowing. They are likely to throw a tantrum like a three year old, or better, a thirteen year old who feels victimized by a mother that just doesn't understand her need to have her tongue pierced.

What used to be very rare and expensive is now on every corner and in every grocery store. The same for beef and dairy - used to be special. Now it is everywhere. No halos over the heads of the beef industry - but that's a story for another time.

So, just a reminder to the Japanese, remember to take your "ECO" bag when you buy your bluefin tuna at the supermarket, you wouldn't want to hurt the planet by using one more plastic bag. Though, you should note that the sashimi they will buy from the grocery store is housed in plastic and then placed in a small plastic bag before it is placed in their ECO shopping bag.

Read the NY Times article: Tuna's End

It is interesting to read the comments written by readers of the NY Times - compared with other publications. Seems that knuckle draggers are less likely to read the NYT and wouldn't read such a long article. The comments tend to be quite long - takes a long time to write - and informed.


I live in Japan. It is an insulated world here. While people are outwardly humble, there is an underlying smugness.
I would love to hear people in government in Japan stand up and support what the countries of the world are saying. They won't. It is a pompous and greedy place. The world won't tell Japan what to do.

The future is so easy to see. The shock that is coming to the Japanese will be just like their penalty kick loss in the world cup - from let's happy, happy to a bitter wake up to reality.

Let's Ignorance!

What does the world think about Canada's role in the world?
According to the Japanese: not much.

Ipsos-Reid conducted a survey in advance of the G20 summit in Toronto. It polled over 18,000 people in 24 countries asking them a dozen questions on Canada's role in world affairs, peacekeeping and human rights, international aid, economy and economic power, the safety of the banking system, and healthcare.

It is pretty easy to see that the Japanese have a very low image, likely based on little knowledge and awareness [read: ignorance], of Canada in comparison to the other countries in the survey. Most of the 24 countries has a positive image, especially the up-and-coming BRIC nations. Sweden, too, seems to have a low image of Canada. Perhaps for them it is jealousy? Likely the Japanese would have ranked Canada high if asked to respond to the statement: Canada is a global leader in maple syrup.

As a Canadian, it is an interesting report with some very surprising results. Take a look for yourself.

Read the results here:
What the World thinks of Canada: Canada and the World in 2010
International Affairs, Economy & Business

A Perfect Storm?

The following is an excerpt from a submission published on The Market Oracle:

But the coast guard, the media, BP and Obama don’t seem to be aware of the caliber of disaster affecting the Gulf Coast and the nation since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20.

The BP Oil spill has the makings of a perfect storm because one can visibly see the cracks in the ocean floor when reviewing tapes of the live BP feeds. In the tape dated 6/13/2010 you can see oil spewing up from visible fissions

The pressure at the base of the wellhead deep under the ocean floor is approx. 100,000 PSI. There is no known device to cap a well with such a high PSI pressure. To further complicate things geologists using a GPS and Depth finder system have discovered a large gas bubble 15-20 miles across and tens of feet high under the ocean floor.

A bubble of this magnitude if able to escape from under the ocean floor through a crack would cause a gas explosion that can only be described as Mt. St. Helen’s under water.

The explosion would take place 50 miles off the Louisiana Coast, instantly releasing a toxic cloud that the winds would carry to the shorelines. This explosion would also create what is called a Cavitations’, sinking any ships, oil structures virtually anything floating atop the water instantly within at least a 10 mile radius, and thus could create a Tsunami which would travel towards the coast of Florida at a speed of 400-600 miles per hour. This has the potential of putting the state of Florida under water. Gulf Coast Disaster, Is it The Perfect Storm?

SOURCE: The Market Oracle, June 20, 2010

Man punched in the face by fellow train commuter over bad phone manners › Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion

Man punched in the face by fellow train commuter over bad phone manners › Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion

Wonderful. The quiet, serene and polite Japanese culture. It's the beginning of the end.


Note the comments posted. A fair indication of foreigner sentiment.

Buy the Skyy and sell the Skyy

Spotted June 2010:

A 750ml bottle of SKYY Vodka at the British Columbia Government Liquor Store: $23.75


The same bottle at Seiyu [Tokyo, Japan] Y980 [$11.13].

This is a difference of $12.62 [113%]



According to WineLaw.ca, the BC Government Tax on spirits is 163%