The totally off-topic thread

[drron]

The Japanese are proud of their racial purity though don't like talking about it.That doesn't make them racist.
As a gaijin I had such an incredible time on our first visit that I went back to Uni and did 2 years of Japanese.Now language is not my forte so I murder the spoken word.However I took to the kanji-after all just recognising patterns.I can tell you when a gaijin can say I'm not sure how to say it but I can write it and then produce the goods you are certainly not looked down upon but regarded as a friend of Japan.
I love spending time with the locals helping them practice their English.
We are probably between 40-50 visits to Japan now.There is so much more to see though.

 

[Denali]

I'm a terrible road tripper. Took the tourist coastal route through creepy coughd towns with creepy coughd shacks/houses they live in and small lane roads. Give me a freeway. See, terrible road tripper.

 

[amaroo]

I left home at 18 and thought I was pretty competent.

I'm similar, left school at 15, home at 17. I'm now 50, and pretty content with how things have turned out.

 

[amaroo]

Hi there all from Rarotonga. Lovely (but short) family holiday. Was very interested to see that in the Cook Islands they charge a sugar tax - ie a can of Coke is $3 in the supermarket, but a can of diet Coke is $2. And a 1 litre botttle of "original" coke is $6 !! Wow!! As in many "indigenous" type cultures in affluent nations, the locals are suffering huge health problems, not through poverty, but the opposite.

It's certainly a massive issue in Mexico, the locals are absolutely addicted to the stuff. https://www.coca-colacompany.com/annual-review/2011/pdf/2011-per-capita-consumption.pdf

We've seen a decent chunk of the country, the stats would appear to still be accurate.

 

[Quickstatus]

Gee, I guess "the Australians" like to extrapolate a lot from single experiences.

Well that’s just a sample if you like but yes targeted against non Japanese asians. He has been living there for 8 years. Speaks fluent Japanese.
No need to detail every little tidbit.

Here is a bit of Japanese trivia. Due to their hierarchical structure on their society, police officers are seen as “lower rung” so it’s ok to be rude to a Japanese police officer in the way a senior Japanese can be rude (or talks down) to a junior who is apologetic.

Gaijin friend is more or less tolerated - he feels he does not fit into their hierarchy because he is not one of them. So in a way immune but as he understands Japanese he knows when they talk about him behind his back. And he know when they do they are quite benign towards him compared with the non Japanese Asians. He finds it fascinating to be able to be a fly on the wall. On occasion he would “stir the pot” a bit by asking an unrelated question in fluent Japanese.

That’s not to say Japanese are bad. To the contrary, I find them inviting and friendly. I don’t get offended if they want to talk about me behind my back.

 

[Quickstatus]

Yes, I was a very naïve 17 year old when I started nursing back in the 60s, boy that is a sharp learning curve and an eye opener

Flying nun starched hats?. Did you have to stand in a line when the honorary does the rounds?. What did get up to when Matron had her back turned?

 

[JohnK]

Keep passport and cash with you at all times.

Is that a normal boarding message?

That should be normal practice at all times.

 

[Quickstatus]

Business class and First class passengers can be really dodgy.

Paying to sit in bizzo does not mean the seat occupier is classy.

 

[Quickstatus]

Is it rude to peak into a lounge prayer room, when you have no intention to pray? Basically being a sticky beak?

I don’t think so,

What would you expend to find?

Most places of worship allow visitors to have a look around so I don’t see the issue.


.......

That should be normal practice at all times.

I’ve always struggled with this. What happens if you lose both?

 

[Quickstatus]

Flight Centre fined $12.5 million over international flight price fixing

The Chief Justice of the High Court wrote a dissenting opinion which I think is quite significant - essentially the relationship between FC and airline could not be characterised as direct competitors.

I know the majority disagreed but food for thought

 

[Flashback]

Paying to sit in bizzo does not mean the seat occupier is classy.

Especially those scummy people who have paid using miles!

 

[JohnK]

I’ve always struggled with this. What happens if you lose both?

Would you be sent back at destination?

 

[love_the_life]

Yes, I was a very naïve 17 year old when I started nursing back in the 60s, boy that is a sharp learning curve and an eye opener

And then you met drron?

 

[LadyC]

It's certainly a massive issue in Mexico, the locals are absolutely addicted to the stuff. https://www.coca-colacompany.com/annual-review/2011/pdf/2011-per-capita-consumption.pdf
We've seen a decent chunk of the country, the stats would appear to still be accurate.

Jamie Oliver covers a little of the Mexican perspective in his documentary Sugar Rush. It shows how much soft drink has infiltrated everyday life.

 

[drron]

And then you met drron?

Wasn't I lucky.

 

[Limewood]

Ever tried to advertise on Google Adwords or Facebook?, yikes what a mighty mess, not logical to business owners both large and small, oh no, has page after page settings, so dam complicated, it's for computer buffs or pay a consultant, I wish they could just make it simple like Gumtree with one page of settings and performance.

 

[Pushka]

Ever tried to advertise on Google Adwords or Facebook?, yikes what a mighty mess, not logical to business owners both large and small, oh no, has page after page settings, so dam complicated, it's for computer buffs or pay a consultant, I wish they could just make it simple like Gumtree with one page of settings and performance.

We used it for a while. For the key words we wanted it was expensive. A couple of clicks and our budget went down the gurgler. And we didn’t get any benefit from memory. It really depends on the business I think.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Ever tried to advertise on Google Adwords or Facebook?, yikes what a mighty mess, not logical to business owners both large and small, oh no, has page after page settings, so dam complicated, it's for computer buffs or pay a consultant, I wish they could just make it simple like Gumtree with one page of settings and performance.

Google Adwords is close to a scam with click factories located in many parts of the world. We used them for a year and traced (as best we could) the cost and bidding for keywords and clicks and how this turned into sales. In a year we spend XX and received just 0.7X in traceable sales. We gave up padding Google profits.

 

[Pushka]

Google Adwords is close to a scam with click factories located in many parts of the world. We used them for a year and traced (as best we could) the cost and bidding for keywords and clicks and how this turned into sales. In a year we spend XX and received just 0.7X in traceable sales. We gave up padding Google profits.

Never thought of scam clicks. Agree with your thoughts. What a powerful scam that would be if so.

 

[Denali]

Another food health warning.

Pomegranate blamed for hep A cases