My new job as a Highly Successful Fortune-Teller

I really try to not watch the Japanese news anymore.
It's not because of the smothering censorship though. Being able to speak and read Japanese fluently I could find the information on what is really happening if I looked around for it. The fact is I already saw it coming.

What I predicted back in April, low and behold, is happening now:
* mass numbers of people suffering from heat exhaustion/stroke because of the "energy saving" measures.
* planned/unplanned blackouts because there isn't enough energy to go around.

August 11 - In just ONE DAY, almost 1 thousand, or specifically more than 900 PEOPLE were sent to the hospital for heat exhaustion/stroke. (TBS)

August 12 - Another day, another city, a blackout of 2+ hours in the middle of 95+ degree summer day. (TBS)

If we were still in Japan, Ranmaru would be DEAD.

I stuck it out through a lot, A LOT of 5h1t, but when it became apparent that these kinds of situations were on the horizon (not to mention another M9 for our region), I packed him up and bid a sad and final farewell to a country I had loved for so long.

The fact is there's simply not enough energy to go around even with all the "energy saving" actions.  And even through the highly, extremely censored news, you can find the the government admitting that there will be over a 6% shortage through summer and the coming winter.
(Makes you wonder what the Flu epidemic will be like this time around.)

Now, admittedly, the August 12th blackout in the middle of 95 degree weather was unplanned.  TEPCO, however, is calling for even MORE CONSERVATION or there will be the infamous(ly fuddled) Planned Blackouts that we saw right after 3/11 to look forward to again by the end of August.  (Sankei,)

Oh, and I hope you have been following the recent August earthquakes.
Already, two rated at Magnitude 6+.
We saw those coming, too.
(Again, just August.  This is the July list of biggies ..)

So consider this my official application for a position in the fortune-telling business.
So far, we've been right on the dime.  :p

(Seriously, get out of that country if you can. )



 Cheers! (^_-)-☆

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All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

false(?) rumors flying

I encourage all to send a request to this Minister to ask if he is seriously saying "It is the fault of the private (animal welfare) groups that pets can not be brought out of the no-go zone."
Because that is the rumor being spread far and wide by this local vet.

Is this true? Can someone in the government really be trying to place the blame on Humane welfare groups?

Maybe and Maybe not.
After all, it was posted by the vet, not directly by the member of the Diet.
Not directly or officially by the speaker.
It could be yet another case of this is what the poster (vet) wants to hear.
OR it could be he really did hear those words.

But it is all the same in the end.

If this is true, it is reprehensible.
Do NOT let the Japanese government get away with "starving the animals out" as a solution. Let them know that the world is still watching.

If this is false, it is just as dangerous.
Citizens that were actively working to save the animals from starving to death will now take a step back and cease their efforts falsely believing that they have done something wrong.

email addy: info@takamura-five.com

subject header: 本当ですか？獣医師の語る議員の本当のお言葉？？

copy and paste message:
～～～～～start～～～～～～

これが議員の本当のお言葉でしょうか？

"一時帰宅の際のペットの連れ出しは、ないですが、これは時間の関係もあります。
。。。
民間団体が入れないのは、残念ながら一部の団体が現地に強硬に入る様子などがネットで流されたことが原因でもあります。。。警戒区域を突破したのも確認されたのかな？そんな噂も関係して念には念をの感じです。

善意の団体でも一部の暴走があったことが行政の目にうつり、残念な結果です。。。"

http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/shinjo_ah/62765441.html#62765441

～～～～～end～～～～～～

Even though the quote above is taken directly from the original blog, by now, the original blog may have been removed.

And if you don't trust the translations of a professional, please feel free to plug the above quote into google translate.
Although it does make one wonder why professional translation companies would choose to pay for my translations rather than use a free service like google if machine translation is so much more reliable.

(Yes, I am being facetious. It's a long standing issue that we as professionals are tired of dealing with. I can't tell you how many times I have had to rewrite from scratch a more "accurate" machine translation or a translation by a non-native speaker for that matter.)

All we are doing is asking for an answer to a question - Did you really say this?
What real harm is there in that?

Beyond letting them know that WE KNOW.


Cheers! (^_-)-☆

Thanks again for stopping into my little corner of the 'net, and Happy Browsing!!

All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Barks, Hisses, and Tweets

Finally got to the point where there is some real collective action being taken as there is now more information being collected and dessimated from stable sources.

Where are they? Online, naturally.
And just as naturally, in Japanese.
To that end we dookfully request that if you want to help and have a twitter account to please please please retweet this information.
Often.
As often as you can.

Please tweet/post these no matter where you live. The hashtags (words preceded by the #) make the post/tweet searchable by ANY search engine. The Japanese language of the tweet just makes the info more readable by the native Japanese speakers who are the ones that need this information. Even if you can't read it, someone reading your tweets may be able to read it and pass the info to someone who needs it.

The most important thing is to keep tweeting the info ESPECIALLY in Japanese. The more you tweet it, the more the info stays in circulation and the more chances there are that it reaches the people/animals in need.

The two separate tweets are as follows:

【拡散希望】 行方不明のペットを探しですか。ＵＲＬで登録下さい。http://bit.ly/dEiFnJ http://bit.ly/goePGN http://tiny.cc/f0saz http://bit.ly/fR1cJF #311pet #jishin

【拡散希望】 迷子を見かけた知っている人ですか。ＵＲＬで登録ください。http://bit.ly/dEiFnJ http://bit.ly/goePGN http://tiny.cc/f0saz http://bit.ly/fR1cJF #311pet #jishin


Many wet-nosed Thank You's!! (^_-)-♪


Cheers! (^_-)-☆
Thanks again for stopping into my little corner of the 'net, and Happy Browsing!!

All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Sometimes Big Brother IS on our side?

Thank you CNN.

As much as I have little regard for the current degenerated state of American journalism, that is not to deny that they still have their moments.

In a sea of frivolous to downright useless information out there, my posts and similar posts by other organizations are surely being ignored, but the good news is the media isn't ignoring us. Or at least CNN isn't.

What have we been engaged in since the 3/11 triple-header?
Things like this...



Dazed Animals Still Found In Empty Japanese Cities

Japan's 4-legged Survivors, by CNN.


I've said it before, and I will happily say it again:

Only way to get ACTion is to let them know the world is WATCHing.

Please consider helping by donating through one of the sites listed here or directly through the group I do volunteer translation for, Kinship Circle. (KINSHIP CIRCLE is a 501c3 public charity. All contributions are tax-deductible.)


Cheers! (^_-)-☆

Thanks again for stopping into my little corner of the 'net, and Happy Browsing!!

All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Donations for Japan's Voiceless

Got a very nice list of donation sites worked up so reposting!
(You repost and pass the word too. ;) )


THE ANIMAL RESCUE SITE has direct and credible online donation abilities.

The Humane Society International (HSI) is now prepared to accept donations for the welfare of animals affected by the recent disaster in Japan. Secure donations can be placed to their International Disaster Fund. (Paypal, in addition to credit cards, are accepted.)

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) finally has a fund specifically dedicated to fund rescue efforts in Japan. Accepting secure online donations through credit cards only.

CARE2.com has a a collection of links for donating offsite.

PETA is also finally on the ground in Japan and offering help. Onsite donation abilities.

A group of 3 local JAPAN animal welfare societies have created this site for donations. Credibility not assured.

FBCusa, the largest importer of American home products, food stuffs and various necessities for the foreigner in Japan has also opened up donations for pets. FBC is offering a way for you to purchase items that will go directly to shelters and those they identify with needs.

Global Animal Foundation functions like a Red Cross for animals, distributing donations to established and vetted animal rescue organizations worldwide. Donations received during the ongoing crisis in Japan will be donated to Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue & Support (JEARS), a coalition of three animal rescue groups that are on the ground providing rescue and supplies to animal victims of the earthquake and tsunami. (Paypal, in addition to credit cards, are accepted.)

Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support (JEARS) is a collaboration of three established and registered no kill animal rescue NPOs in Japan. The intention behind the creation of JEARS is to coordinate rescue and support efforts for animals in crisis due to the March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami in Northern Japan.

MANY ways to donate including tax deductible donations for US citizens.


Finally, there is WorldVets.org (the non-human version of Doctors without Borders). They don't specifically have a donations for the Japan Earthquake fund, but they are on the ground working in affected areas.


Cheers! (^_-)-☆

Thanks again for stopping into my little corner of the 'net, and Happy Browsing!!

All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

DONATIONS for Japan ANIMALS

Finally some donation sites poping up.

THE ANIMAL RESCUE SITE has direct and credible online donation abilities.

The Humane Society International (HSI) is now prepared to accept donations for the welfare of animals affected by the recent disaster in Japan. Secure donations can be placed to their International Disaster Fund. (Paypal, in addition to credit cards, are accepted.)

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) finally has a fund specifically dedicated to fund rescue efforts in Japan. Accepting secure online donations through credit cards only.

CARE2.com has a a collection of links for donating offsite.

PETA is also finally on the ground in Japan and offering help. Onsite donation abilities.

A group of 3 local JAPAN animal welfare societies have created this site for donations. Credibility not assured.

FBCusa, the largest importer of American home products, food stuffs and various necessities for the foreigner in Japan has also opened up donations for pets. FBC is offering a way for you to purchase items that will go directly to shelters and those they identify with needs.

Global Animal Foundation functions like a Red Cross for animals, distributing donations to established and vetted animal rescue organizations worldwide. Donations received during the ongoing crisis in Japan will be donated to Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue & Support (JEARS), a coalition of three animal rescue groups that are on the ground providing rescue and supplies to animal victims of the earthquake and tsunami. (Paypal, in addition to credit cards, are accepted.)

Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support (JEARS) is a collaboration of three established and registered no kill animal rescue NPOs in Japan. The intention behind the creation of JEARS is to coordinate rescue and support efforts for animals in crisis due to the March 11 Earthquake and Tsunami in Northern Japan.

MANY ways to donate including tax deductible donations for US citizens.


Finally, there is WorldVets.org (the non-human version of Doctors without Borders). They don't specifically have a donations for the Japan Earthquake fund, but they are on the ground working in affected areas.


Cheers! (^_-)-☆

Thanks again for stopping into my little corner of the 'net, and Happy Browsing!!

All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

EVACing pets in JAPAN

Much to my disappointment, less than 20 hours after the first earthquake and tsunami waves, a reporter in the air reported spotting dogs left wandering around in the wreckage.

Japan is by far the far-most advanced? modernized? Asian country in terms of its attitude to non-human family members, but much like with Hurricane Katarina, animal companions are being abandoned at home to fend for themselves while their families flee to higher ground.

I will translate later today or this weekend, but this was posted for EVCing pets if u live in Japan:
http://pet-clinic.info/toppage/saigaijunbi.htm
#tsunami #pet #earthquake #emergency #evac

There is also a general disaster preparedness kit for FERRETS (list) compiled by the experienced members of F.E.R.R.E.T.

The American Humane Society offers a general list for disaster preparedness for general pets and livestock.

The ASPCA offers a general list for disaster preparedness for general pets.

The United Animal Nations also offers a general list for disaster preparedness for general pets. They also offer a wonderful list of sites to search for pet-friendly hotels covering the USA, Canada, and International hotels.

Pet Hotels / Boarding in Japan.

If you have lost your pet OR you have found a lost pet, here is a place where you can post the information sponsored by the Veterinarians Information Network.
It's all in Japanese so if you want to post, either send me a comment here (It won't post automatically. Confidentiality is respected.) or you can try google's web auto-translate.

FERRETS WORLD HELP on Facebook is a place to post and share SOS for ferrets (urgences, lost/found, etc... ) everywhere in all the languages.


May or may not have anything (so far nothing), but these are the two major Ferret Societies in Japan:
JFA (AFA counterpart in Japan)
IFS (International Ferret Society)


Please, PLEASE share any other information, suggestions, or notifications of dead links.
As any expat overseas knows, the only one helping us is US.


Cheers! (^_-)-☆
Thanks again for stopping into my little corner of the 'net, and Happy Browsing!!

All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

DELTA strikes again

I'm getting pretty damn disgusted with the rampant airline abuses.

If DELTA had a human face, they'd be listed as a repeat offender and thrown behind bars where they belong!

Have you guessed already?
Yep, just to show they're not friends of cat-people either, DELTA KILLS another pet.

As a refresher, you can find more travel nightmares in our previous posting, Planes, Trains, PETS!!

But that one at least has a happy ending.

Cheers! (^_-)-☆

Thanks again for stopping into my little corner of the 'net, and Happy Browsing!!
All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Planes, Trains, PETS!!

It seems, looking back, that I have not shared with you my Korean pet transport nightmare.
And I was using a pet transport company in going from Korea to America!!!!

But it is the whole reason that regardless of cost I completely advocate employing a professional transport company. I can not imagine what would have happened if they were not there to oversee, redirect, and basically just pick up after everyone else along the way who was dropping the ball.

Problems occurred on both sides - Korea and America. They started the day of pickup and just kept going.
Much like a rock rolling down the hill.
Or like a snowball - one that keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger.

On the Korea side, the native contact was supposed to hire another company to pick up Ranmaru and deliver him to the domestic airport so he could then hop to Seoul (Incheon) and board the international flight from that airport.
The pick-up company arrived promptly.
On a MOPED.
Keep in mind, I speak more Korean now having left that country than I did while there. So in my state of shock and horror (I could just see them weaving and swerving in and out of traffic, Ranmaru being thrown around in back, whacked against the walls, drenched in his water and likely scared piddle.) all I could do was mime talking on the phone and repeat, "NO. NO. CALL "SUN"!! "
He called the native contact, "Sun" and she called me, terribly apologetic. She had requested they send a van for pickup, but the just-out-of-High-School kid that showed up probably didn't bother to read that part of the order.
So naturally, as we were waiting for the proper vehicle to show up, Ranmaru missed his flight to Seoul meaning "Sun" had to try and find him another domestic flight somewhere that day soon so he could still board his international flight on time.

About 2 hours later the van finally showed up with a new destination - an airport one hour south of us. (Incidentally, in the completely opposite direction from Seoul.) Then and there I decided I was traveling with him to make sure Ranmaru got on the plane whether the driver liked it or not.
I myself was leaving the country in less than 12 hours.
I wasn't taking any chances with this company.

The ride down was fine and Ranmaru managed to board his plane. "Sun" and I spoke again about current plans through the driver's cell phone in the airport. Now I was stuck on getting back to my hotel and luggage.
But not really. One great thing (only?) about Korea is the bus transportation system. So I was all set to hop a bus back when the pick-up company driver waved me back (with a drink in hand) and motioned me to get back in the van.
The verbal exchange was something like
"Pohang?" *drink extended*
"Nee, Pohang." (Yes, Pohang.) *drink accepted*

That sounds all cozy until he contacted "Sun" or his boss again and then "Sun" spoke to me saying it would cost me $45 for the trip back.
HELL NO. Stop the van. I'll take a bus, thank you!!
(As I explained vehemently to "Sun", He was going back anyway so why am I paying? And frankly, I wouldn't even be here if his company did their job right in the first place.)

There was even a bus stop right around the airport. Apparently, however, it was invisible as he was completely unable to find it and kept driving around and around and around all over this freaking unknown city. And the whole time all that kept going around my mind was *I* don't have *time!* for this!

He was back and forth with his boss on the cell for awhile and then "Sun" asked to speak with me again. Turns out he would take me halfway and drop me off 'near' another bus station.
Fine, whatever! timetimetime.

We arrived in the area and from my drop-off, I could just make out the bus station over and across the bridge, x-number of blocks away. But whatever, fine, at least I could get on a bus that was definitely going in the right direction with no spontaneous side-trips. (And considerably cheaper.)

BUT! Yes, but, as I was exiting the van his boss came walking up, jumped in, and motioned me back in. (ahhh, the magic of sign language.)
Yeah.... OK.
But I didn't close the door until he assured me in reasonable English there was "no pay".
Between having hardly any sleep the night before, the current pickup disaster, and the whole nightmare plane trip looming in front of me in less than 8 hours, of course I got in.

The rest of Ranmaru's trip from the Korea side went smoothly with "Sun"sending me pictures of his arrival at her office and then another one before he boarded his Delta flight to the US.

Yes, Delta.
Remember Delta?
The same company that lost a family's dog to certain starvation at some international changeover?
Well, they certainly didn't let us down with any show of competence this time either.

After I arrived safely in America, I checked my email the following morning to see about picking up Ranmaru per our pre-takeoff plans. At once, I found several emails (never a good sign) from my US-side contact. Turns out Delta put Ranmaru on the wrong flight.
In other words, much like Paco the dog, Ranmaru was supposed to arrive with me but did not because he was not put on his pre-scheduled flight for some unknown reason. However the pet transport company had been following this the whole time and when I finally got the emails in the morning after my late night arrival, I was told one of their agents had been taking care of Ranmaru in the meantime since his early, unexpected arrival.

Again, I can't stress this enough, if the transport company had not been there to clean up after all these people, Ranmaru would have been sitting on some cargo bay with no care or anything for 12 hours or more.
Or worse.
It's just as perfectly likely that Delta might have shipped him not just on the wrong flight, but to the wrong place. And in that case, as a lone, unimportant consumer, could I or anyone naively expected Delta to have gone all out to locate him?
Or would they merely have tried to throw a $200 compensation at me like in Paco's case?

No.
Hire a Professional Pet Transport company, please.
You will pay in blood, but it is soooo worth it as no amount of monetary compensation is ever enough to cover the life of a loved one.


Cheers and see you again! (^_-)-♪


Thanks again for stopping into my little corner of the 'net, and Happy Browsing!!

All translations copyrighted and owned by myself. All copyrights of their respective owners. No part of this web site may be produced, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner.

You're a WERE-what?!?!

You thought European commercials were a hoot. They've got nothing on the Japanese. From naked women to singing business men... still I like this one the best so far:
The Online interactive Laptop computer commercial where you can hang out with BUNNY-man!

WHERE TO GO:
http://www.fmworld.net/fmv/usataku/main.html

HOW TO PLAY:
There are a set of 4 boxes, usually at the bottom of the frame. One is a set of 3 grey buttons with either an ! or ?. Next to that is a blue button with an image of a door.
The 1 grey, !-button just tells you a little more about the product. The 2 grey, ?-buttons let you play with BUNNY-man and the blue button lets you choose other rooms in the house to play in. If you click on the blue door button a diagram of his house will pop up over the current frame. You can go to any room that is shaded red - there are 4 rooms to pick from.

EVEN MORE TO SEE!:
You can see the original commericial that birthed this site, too! No matter what room you are in, at the bottom of the frame you will see 4 "tabs". The first one will have Japanese and these letters somewhere in it- CM - standing for commercial. Click on that one and a new window will pop up with your pre-set Real or WMP player . You know what to do from there!!

BTW, on the right are 2 more links with the numbers 15 and 30, respectively. Those show you other versions of the commercial.

Come.
Enter the brave, new world and LIMBO with the BUNNY-man.

---

Woman: "A werewolf!?! You're A WEREWOLF!!?"
.......
Woman: "What the hell? A were-bunny?!"
Man: "I told you I wasn't any good with the moon."

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International Travelling with Animal Companions

The best advice is DON'T DO IT!

Here's an example of why you don't want to:
Barbaric conditions in the airline industry, by a shelter mom.

DOMESTIC
If you are forced to, if it is inescapable that you must travel with you animal companion, one of the very important things to remember is don't assume any thing. Many airplanes these days will not accept animal companions. The ones that do, accept only certain types. Also, if you are able to have your companion ride with you in the passenger cabin, you must make sure that your carryons fit that plane. All airplanes are not the same. Check with your specific the airline for regulations on animal companions and dimensions of the carryons for transport especially cabin transport.

INTERNATIONAL
International travel is a whole other nightmare.
Very, VERY risky.
First off, most airlines do not allow animals in the passenger cabin. They get thrown in the hold with the baggage. On each and every airline site, you will find a statement like this:

"Pets As Checked Baggage"

Do you really want to take that chance seeing as how your luggage is treated??

Another major problem is that frequently the information and policies that you need about the receiving country (the country you're flying into), are not available or WORSE, not up to date in your home country. I ran into that problem with Japan. Not only could I not get the info I needed from the US side, their official Japanese site didn't have it either.
I played it safe and turned out to be right in not trying to transport them with me.

Yet another problem with international travel is the QUARANTINE procedures--there's papers you need from licensed vets and a quarantine stay that requires additional fees. It can be a quite a lengthy stay, too.

Sites Specializing in Traveling with Animal Companions:
Pets On The Go: lots of information. Basic but MINIMAL fee to join. Well worth the cost.
Animal Airlines: company specifically geared to transporting your loved ones safely.

Direct Links to the Most Common American Airlines:
Delta
United
NWA
Continental


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Year of the Bore... BOAR

Everyone counts down at the end of the year--they count the seconds before the ball drops, they count the top 10 news stories of the year... The end of the year is ALL about counting. So...

THE TOP TEN SIGNS YOU KNOW YOU ARE IN JAPAN!
10. You frequently leave your bag/purse sitting in your grocery cart or in your bicycle basket and turn your back on it to look at something else. AND it never wanders off.

9. One apple costs 3 dollars and a mango costs 7.

8. You see signs like this--"For a Regulation of a Customer" and have to read the Japanese "translation" below it to figure it out.

7. You have to use a crank attached to your bathtub to light the gas in order to heat your bathwater. (Didn't that go out of existence in the early 1900's??)

6. You can watch programs that use Madonna's LIKE A VIRGIN and other classic hits to teach English.
-Seriously, how better to teach the phrase "You made me feel ---- "?

5. Rock-paper-scissors is a national sport.

4. New Year's celebrations include men running around in their underwear on their way to diving into a bathtub filled with ice cold water...OUTDOORS.

3. The pokemon children's magazine is displayed next to the "middle-aged" man's pornographic magazine on an outdoor bookstand.

2. You wear your pajama bottoms to work and no one cares. (I've been doing that for over a month now. Admittedly, they're a solid color, but still.)


And the number one sign you know you're in Japan when.....

1. A young mother helps her 1 year old son pull down his pants so he can relieve himself at a telephone poll on the way home from grocery shopping in the middle of the day.

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