Sequels in August 2018

Sunday, August 19, 2018
Murder trial for Kim Jong Num proceeds

The trial will be continued for a long time. Unfortunately, the suspects who were deemed to have taken the crucial role in the murder of Kim Jong Num have already escaped to North Korea.



Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Motorway bridge collapsed in Italy

The bridge was too important for citizens to be shut down in advance of the collapse, according to the media. If the authority had prohibited the use of the bridge, people would have been intolerable to the inconvenience. It is so-called "Cassandra's curse."

It means that similar cases will occur also in Japan.


Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Summertime debate in Japan

Previously, NHK, the national broadcasting organization, published the result of a poll in which the majority of Japanese were affirmative to the introduction of summertime.

Now, however, the media are together against summertime. What happened in the media and citizens' attitude in these days? I have been against the introduction of summertime. To be honest, I hardly understand the necessity of considering the introduction of summertime in Japan.

Heatwave and suicide

It is extremely hot this summer. The situation looks similar in other countries, as I see foreign news regarding heat wave. Though we should be careful to discuss the environmental issues, the current climate is so cruel that I have to believe global warming is rapidly growing.

In Japan, several people died due to the heat stroke. We should be aware of the dangerousness of the hot temperature. Also, some studies suggest heat wave increase the risk of suicide. In general, cold temperature and the lack of sunshine is associated with the increased suicide rate. But, is it true too much heat is also relevant to suicide?

I have not read the published papers discussing the relationship between the heat and suicide. Why suicide rate is high in cold regions is sunshine or any other kind of light, has a preventive effect against depression. There seems not a persuasive explanation to connect the heat and suicide. Perhaps, rapid change of environment can cause you distracted mood.

Anyway, keeping your surroundings comfortable is essential for your health. I hope no more people are killed by this summer.

Maybe six to eight hours sleep is the best

How many hours fo you sleep? The duration of optimal sleep in a night depends on your physical status. But, it is certain that excessive sleep, as well as lack of sleep, is harmful to your health.

Some studies suggest that six to eight hours in a day is the best sleep. Abnormal sleep pattern is a risk for cardiovascular diseases.

Independent: Study reveals how many hours sleep to get each night for a healthy heart

There is still discussion around sleep time. Some researchers claim eight hours of sleep is necessary. In my opinion, just six hours of sleep is a little too short for maintaining your health for most people.

Anyway, sleep deprivation is quite dangerous. I recommend you not to save your night sleep.

Living abroad for low cost

Recent years, not a few American people went out from the US for a cheaper living cost, according to this article below.

Forbes: Quit Your Job: 5 Countries Where You Can Live For Under $1,500 A Month

There are several nations you can live for under 1,500 USD per month. The article lists Cambodia, Panama, Ecuador, Portugal, and Costa Rica. They are actually candidates for living after retirement, I believe.

However, each county has their own merits and risks regarding the daily living. In general, countries with a weak currency has a financial problem. As well, some nations have political conflict both inside them and internationally.

For example, Panama is well known as a tax haven. At the same time, many developed countries are considering to dismiss the advantage of Panama legally. Also, Ecuador has a problematic relationship with the US.

After all, we cannot avoid all risks with any strategy. When you save your money, you have to face other risks in your life.

I, myself, am considering to move from Japan when getting old. But, I have to prepare for several risks.

Why power harassment frequently occurs in Japan

Shamefully, several kinds of harassments are spread in Japan, I feel. Japanese tend to be exclusive, in general. Many people dislike touching other culture. Sexual harassment is focused just recently after discrimination against women candidates to a medical school was revealed. Expecting mothers hardly continue their job because work security is not guaranteed in many cases. There are lots of other examples to describe the difficulty to adapt yourself to Japan culture.

Regarding power harassment, I believe there are many unseen cases. According to the article below, one-third of employees experienced power harassment in their three years. I think this result is correctly representing the current situation. Some workers take an action against harassment. But many of them will not be saved because they are deemed as a difficult person by any companies. Therefore, many workers, especially young people, decide to quit the job, otherwise, continue to obey their terrible boss.

The Japan Times: Reports of power harassment in workplaces continue rising

In most cases, the bosses are not conscious of the agony of the employee who feels harassed. Therefore, conducting a seminar about harassment is almost useless. Modifying the consciousness of the bosses is necessary to reduce the risk of power harassment.

In my opinion, the lack of coaching skills is one of the dominant causes of power harassment. When you have to train a subordinate who is not smart, or simply dull, you have to change the way to teach him. It takes more time to train a non-skilled worker. You have to tell the essential things repeatedly. You have to let him understand why he cannot do correctly. However, many bosses omit the time to get the subordinate learned by himself. In reality, many small companies cannot spend the time to train rookies. As a result, the boss scolds him instead of guiding him. Repetitive scolding is no more than harassment. But the boss cannot distinguish scolding from training.

Japanese tend to think spiritually rather than logically. Many bosses, especially in elders, believe making efforts with great pain will solute any problems. I do not deny the importance of effort. But, telling your subordinate to make more efforts is no more coaching. People without understanding the fact are always at risk of taking harassment.

F6's live viewing

Yesterday, I saw F6's music show on cinema.

This show was "live viewing." Thus, the music concert was performed in Osaka city. I saw the broadcasting of the show on the cinema screen. There were many audiences who want to see the show concurrently. We were excited though we could see the show only through the cinema screen.

Do you know about F6? It is a little difficult to explain this group.

F6 is the musical unit seen in Osomatsu-san, an animation program. But F6 is not described as real humans. Each member of F6 projects the ideal of Matsuno brothers, the protagonists of Osomatsu-san.

Furthermore, Osomatsu-san is an animation recently created as a sequel of Osomatsu-kun, a comic work by Fujio Akatsuka, a popular Japanese cartoonist passed away a decade ago.

To sum up, F6 is an imaginary unit seen as an imaginary human in an animation modified from the original work.

And now, F6 is so popular in some Japanese women that the actors play the real F6.

After all, Japanese culture is so high-context.

Future of authors and publishers

Nowadays, it is said that books are hardly sold. Many authors are suffering from decreased sales. One of the domestic reasons is the rise of the internet, of course. Most people do not want to pay the information which is available on the internet for free.

However, the book sales are not shrinking, according to some publishers. HarperCollins recorded increased sales by 83 million USD in the quarter this year. The UK publishing industry is also growing by 5%.

Forbes: Why Authors Are Earning Less Even As Book Sales Rise

The author of this article above guesses that complex factors cause the gap between authors' income and book sales. Mary Rasenberger, the executive director of the Authors Guild suggests publishing industry consolidation is responsible for it.

On the other hand, some authors became independent of publishers. Nowadays, Amazon.com and some providers offer authors the opportunity for selling their books, mainly on the online form.

Considering these facts, the publishing industry is reforming itself. Selling a book from a famous publisher will be no more honor, neither an excellent earning way. Popular authors will create their private publisher. Then, conventional publishers will support rather young authors, perhaps.

Chicken Noodle is 60 y.o.

This year is 60th anniversary of Nissin Chicken Ramen.

The Japan News: World’s 1st instant noodles to commemorate the 60th anniversary

Nissin Food Products Co. was founded by Momofuku Ando. Its most significant product is the instant noodle. Nissin developed a way to deeply fry the noodle to preserve it for a long time. Nowadays, the instant noodle is sold in many countries especially in Asia.

To be honest, Chicken Ramen is for children, I think. It tastes a little too oily. Instead, Nissin provides a large number of noodles. You must find a favorite flavor.

High-protein milk reduce your blood sugar?

Good news for patients with diabetes. Drinking milk with cereal at breakfast will prevent from becoming obese.

This outcome was reported by a research group at the University of Guelph in Canada. In this study, participants taking high-protein milk with cereal at breakfast showed lower blood glucose and modified appetite at lunch compared to participants taking normal milk.

Independent: DRINKING MILK AT BREAKFAST MIGHT HELP MANAGE DIABETES, STUDY FINDS

This study was conducted with a double-blind method. Therefore, the result is relatively reliable, though I have not examined the full text of the article.

Journal of Daily Science: Effect of milk protein intake and casein-to-whey ratio in breakfast meals on postprandial glucose, satiety ratings, and subsequent meal intake

However, this study suggests only that you may get reduced appetite at lunch when taking high-protein milk. If you eat a massive amount of food at lunch, your blood glucose remains high. As well, people without a habit of eating at morning will not be benefitted because cereal contains high carbonate.

A simple test to measure your stress at work

Do you feel exhausted about the work? You may think the tasks in front of you are too burdening. But in general, work stress is so invisible that some people notice it only after being broken down.

Therefore, there are several ways of stress checking. In Japan, mental health screening of employees became mandatory for most companies some years ago.

Here, I suggest a very simple, but valuable method testify your stress level at work. This is one question: "Do you worry about your work performance today on the way to going home?"

If your answer is "yes, always," you must be failing to deal with your working stress.

This method is useful especially for consulting persons such as clinician and lawyers. They, including me, are always exposed to the stress of the clients. To maintain the mental health of the consultants, stress should be dealt with in the workplace, ideally. Otherwise, you can talk about it with your family: be careful to adhere to the confidentiality.

On the other hand, rumination thinking about the client's complaints often happens in your mind. In this case, you may be overwhelmed by the stress.

Rumination is known as a symptom suggesting the risk of depression. So, I recommend you to consult with another person to eliminate your stressful feeling.

Samsung Galaxy Note9

Samsung Galaxy Note9 was published recently.

South China Morning Post: Samsung Galaxy Note 9 first impressions: bigger screen, S-Pen goes Bluetooth, huge battery and AI cameras the highlights

Galaxy series has been the flagship of Samsung's products. But recently, unhonorable firing accidents did damage its reputation. At many airports, Galaxy Note was named as a prohibited baggage for passengers.

Considering it, Samsung hesitated to enhance the battery level in the previous model Galaxy Note8. But now, 4000mAh is equipped with the latest model. Also, the size of the heat spreader was tripled.

These enhancements seem to aim not only security but also the availability of modern gaming apps. The large screen of Galaxy Note9 will contribute to exciting us through gaming experiences.

In addition, Samsung announced that it would proceed to the future in which several devices around you would be connected with each other automatically for your convenience. Samsung's smart speaker will take the core role of its portfolio.

I have used Nexus 5X for one year. But there are several errors in daily use. I am considering to change my smartphone. Galaxy Note9 is one of the candidates. 

Apple is suspected to pressure Yahoo Japan

Apple is suspected to have breached competition law in Japan.

According to the media, the Fair Trade Commission doubts that Apple Japan had pressured unlawfully to Yahoo Japan. Yahoo planned to launch Game Plus, a new platform of online gaming. But Apple interrupted the operation of Yahoo with threatening it.

Nikkei: Apple accused of pressuring game rivals in Japan: Nikkei

As Apple has the greatest market for online software, so-called App Store, Yahoo could not cut the partnership with Apple. Thus, any similar services cannot be realized unless Apple approves it, from the view of competitors.

It is possible that Yahoo has accepted Apple's request not to grow Game Plus as big as competitive to App Store. In this case, their agreement will not be revealed to the public. The investigation of Fair Trade Commission will not be successful without the cooperation of Yahoo Japan.

In the business industry, there are complex relationships among companies anywhere. Continuous competition is necessary for the growth of the market and the satisfaction of consumers. For ensuring it, the regulators such as the Fair Trade Commission should take a censoring as far as necessary. But its efficacy is doubtful, unfortunately. It is the difficulty of the economy itself.

Murder trial for Kim Jong Num proceeds

Malaysian Court decided the Kim Jong-num murder case to throw into the criminal trial.

NDTV: Malaysia Court Rules North Korea Assassination Trial Can Proceed

Kim Jong Num, a half-blood brother of Kim Jong-un, was assassinated at Kuala Lumpur airport. He was poisoned with VX gas. The direct attackers were two women who were arrested, to be charged with murder in Malaysia.

If the court had believed there was insufficient evidence, the two women would not have been sent to the high court. Thus, it is probable that the verdict of guilty will be given to the women. In Malaysian legislation, the criminal for murder will be executed.

The media reported that the two defendants looked fearful and wept. Their families and the team of lawyers claim that they were only tricked to take the critical behavior.

It is logically possible that the women simply obeyed to the order of the boss. But I suspect they knew the characteristic of VX gas. Otherwise, the gas had been accidentally spread.

Anyway, the women were far from the core of this assassination. Any decision of the court would never take damage to North Korea, I am afraid.

Work stress leads vulnerable male to premature death

A recent international study revealed the relationship between work stress and premature death in male workers.

In this prospective cohort, thousands of people were tracked for 14 years. As a result, men with diabetes, heart disease, or who had previously suffered a stroke, had an increased risk of fatality by 68% when they had little control over the workload.

The Guardian: Work stress raises risk of premature death in vulnerable men - study

I have not read the original manuscript. But the outcome of this study seems to suggest many things how to prevent the critical result.

First, premature death in the workplace occurs through several trajectories. It is well known that some vicious habits such as smoking raise the risk of sudden death. Working stress should be named on the list of the risk factors as well.

On the other hand, it is not true that all workers have the same risk. Many people are willing to work harder than others. Most of them have a lower health risk, especially in the younger age. It is doubtful that they should be regulated equally regarding work. Instead, vulnerable people should be deliberately treated.

However, mandated treatment for workers with high risk will lead to social discrimination for them. The government should deal with this complex issue.

Finally, little is revealed regarding women's risk. Working women may be less vulnerable to working stress. Otherwise, vulnerable women could not continue working. The gender difference about resistance to working stress is yet to be broadly investigated.

Combination medication for hypertension

Hypertension is a traditional, but even now severe, disease. If untreated for a long time, you will suffer from deadly complications such as cerebral infarction.

Therefore, many pharmaceutical companies have been attempting drugs to decrease blood pressure level. There are dozens of drugs available all over the world.

Recently, a combination of three drugs is promised as an effective way to treat hypertension. The triplet is composed of telmisartan, amlodipine, and chlorthalidone. Each of them is used as a medication. The researchers claim that this combination will effectively reduce the risk of heart events in patients with slightly high blood pressure.

Independent: Blood pressure triple pill could help protect millions from heart attacks and strokes, trial finds

Indeed, newly developed drugs are very expensive. Also, they have a potential risk of adverse effects that have not been identified yet. Traditional cheap and well-known drugs are good alternatives for several patients.

On the other hand, I am doubtful of the efficacy of combination drugs. There are no examples of successful combinative drugs at least in the region of psychiatry. The more elements are, the more risks of allergic reaction and other side effects emerge due to their complexity.

If this "Triumph" is truly effective, the situation in the medication of hypertension may be dramatically changed. Nonetheless, taking care of your daily life will still be important for maintaining your blood pressure level, as the researchers say.

Summit between North and South Korea expected

The summit between South and North Korea is going to be realized.

In recent, it was reported that the leaders of these nations agreed with the implementation of the summit at Pyongyang. It will be held in this September, though the exact date is yet to be fixed. If realized, it will be for the first time for President Moon Jae-in to enter Pyongyang within this decade.

AFP: Koreas to hold Pyongyang summit in September: Yonhap

President Moon has been rather sympathetic to the North compared to previous leaders of South Korea. Therefore, this movement is not so surprising. Nonetheless, it is splendid that both nations are proceeding to understand each other.

I do not believe that, however, the Korean peninsula will be integrated. Both nations do not want to do it. For the South, North Korea's poor financial status will be too much burden to overcome. For the North, combined with the South means the North's extinction. Neither both nation will make an agreeable line. Broadening demilitarized area is a feasible goal for this expected summit. The situation is far different from Germany after the WWII.

Anyway, I expect the summit will be completed fruitfully for both nations.

Motorway bridge collapsed in Italy

In Italy, a motorway bridge collapsed, taking more than 30 people's lives.

According to the media, it happened at the center of the Morandi bridge in Genoa. Up to 200 meters of the bridge were fallen to the ground.

South China Morning Post: Motorway bridge collapses in Genoa, Italy, killing about 30

The Morandi viaduct was built in 1967. There were several factories under the bridge. Even fortunately, the factory next to the bridge was almost empty because it was a national holiday. If on a different day, the victims would have been far increased.

We are hardly aware of the aging of infrastructure which we usually rely on. Without regular and adequate maintenance, similar incidents will occur everywhere.

Summertime debate in Japan

Suddenly, at least for me, the introduction of summer time was suggested by Abe Shinzo, the Prime Minister of Japan.

Japan is located more southern than many European nations. Therefore, the effect of daytime saving is not expected for summer time. Instead, Abe
seems to intend to reduce the burden of athletes in Tokyo Olympic planed in 2020. It is extremely hot in the summer in recent years. If the time clock is shifted, we might avoid the hottest time. Indeed, some researchers hypothesize the introduction of summer time will save much cost for electricity.

The Japan News: Prospect of daylight saving time draws mixed reactions

On the other hand, starting summer time is very problematic. In my opinion, it is ridiculously infeasible.

First, shifting clock needs entire replace of electric systems. Its cost will be astronomical. European nations introduced summer time several years ago before many IT devices were spread.

Second, shifting time causes health risks. Abe intends to shift the clock by two hours. Thus, citizens have to wake up two hours early. It will be burdening a lot. Several reports suggest many people feel sick on the day of shifting.

Third, the economic effect is doubtful. Introducing summer time only for the Olympic is completely absurd. On the other hand, the annual introduction of summertime has little impact on our lives because sunshine is continuous for a long time in summer.

I expect the Prime Minister to abandon this silly idea.

Journey to Enoshima

Last weekend, I visited Enoshima. Enoshima is an island located in Kanagawa prefecture. It was for the second time for me to visit there.

I visited an aquarium near to Enoshima. I could see much fish there.

This is a ray. What a big creature! This ray swims gracefully, but its shape is a little odd.

The Enoshima shrine was so crowded that I did not stop by it.

Afterward, I enjoyed the dinner.

I enjoyed the day very much.

Postnatal depression in male

Among many kinds of depression, postnatal depression is the most serious one. Some mothers kill their baby because of calamitic delusion caused by the depression. Although more than a tenth of mothers are said to have a risk of postnatal depression, the caution and prevention for it are not adequately addressed.

In recent, some researchers day that postnatal mood disorder is not limited to women. According to them, 10% of new fathers will experience depression after being given a child.

The Guardian: Postnatal depression: fathers can suffer similar issues to women, say experts

Hormone imbalance during pregnancy or after birth is hypothesized as the cause of postnatal depression. Compared to it, male postnatal depression is unlikely to be a hormonal disease. Perhaps, environmental changes and psychological stresses are responsible for bringing the father depression.

Recently, some researchers suggested menopausal disorder is seen in the men. They are suffering from decreased secretion of androgen in middle age. Yet, the male menopausal disorder is not so focused in Japan. Only a few physicians address it. We should be more aware of the psychiatric risks in men's lives.

Italy's stupid decision to abandon vaccination

Italy decided to scrap the mandatory vaccination in children.

Italy's upper house voted to abandon the rule demanding children to take 10 kinds of vaccination before entering the school. It will come into force after the vote in the lower house.

Five Star Movement and the League, which consist of the ruling coalition led this argument. Matteo Salvini, the deputy prime minister, claims that vaccination is useless and dangerous.

Independent: Italian upper house votes to overturn mandatory vaccinations despite surge in measles cases

It is no doubt this Italy's decision is entirely absurd. This stupid policy will take a significant number of people's lives, I believe.

In addition, some Italian children will not be able to study in the UK and other nations. Most countries request foreign students to certify their vaccination history.

You will not be infected in the society most of its member take vaccination even if you do not take the vaccination, because nobody would bring the virus to you. Your safety is guaranteed by others who are vaccinated. Once an outbreak emerges, the outcome without no vaccination will be terrible.

It is a fundamental principle of epidemiology. People with anti-vaccination cannot understand this simple fact.

Also in Japan, some people hate vaccination. Recently, HPV vaccination was no more recommended by the government because of some reports of adverse reaction. Indeed, there are a few people suffering from allergic reactions. Nonetheless, I do not support the idea to decline the vaccination because its benefit is far greater than the risk.

As well, decision making by politicians without scientific literacy is far more dangerous than any strong drugs.

Argument continuing about banning niqabs

Denmark decided to ban niqabs and burqas in public, following France, Belgium, and Austria.

Borris Johnson, the former foreign secretary, was criticized for his impolite comments about Islamic clothes. As he is infamous for his rude behavior, I was not surprised to know this.

Independent: Which countries ban wearing niqabs and burqas in public?

The Denmark government claims this legislation is not for suffering Muslims. Indeed, full-faced helmets are inhibited in several public spaces for security reasons. But, I am doubtful this rule should be applied nationally.

Fortunately, the UK and Germany are opposing this regulation. Theresa May and Angela Merkel are correct at least politically, I believe.

On the other hand, I am afraid some evil persons mimic Muslim to commit a robbing with a veil. If happened, the movement for the banning of such clothes would be ignited.

Apple, a trillion-dollar company

The value of Apple, a gigantic IT company in the US, reached a trillion-dollar. It is the world record of the history of the stock market.

The Guardian: Apple becomes world's first trillion-dollar company

Apple is 42 years old. It was founded by Steve Jobs, as you know. And he was once exiled because of internal conflict. But Jobs returned to Apple after reviving Pixar Film company. Then, Apple invented iMac as the evolutional machine.

Jobs seemed a genius, but a difficult person. His successor, Tim Cook, looks tenderer than Jobs. He made Apple greater with improving its products and services.

It is no doubt that Apple is the greatest company in the world. However, it is uncertain Apple will keep its dominance. In a sense, Apple has only invented Mac and iPhone. Users are always curious to see something new. We are all expecting the next innovation by Apple, or other companies.

Cat cafe in Chiba

Recently, I often visit a cat cafe near my home.

Cat cafe is a type of service providing enjoyment with cats. You may visit a zoo in which you can touch some alpaca or other animals. Cat cafe resembles it. You can touch and play with pretty cats in the cafe.

The room is built for cats. There are some spaces for cats to stay relax. You can touch cats, but you are not allowed to hub them because cats do not like it.

In Japan, many people live in an apartment where you are not permitted to have cats or dogs. Also, it is costly to breed cats which have certified blood. In a cat cafe, you easily enjoy seeing such noble cats.

Cat cafe became popular for this decade in Japan, I think. Unfortunately, some cat cafes are terribly managed. I heard a report of a cat cafe in which several cats were killed by infectious disease due to inappropriate hygiene.

My favorite care seems to be administered sincerely. I will visit there again.

Swiss airplane crash accident

A tragedy in the sky was reported just recently. An airplane owned by a small Swiss company crashed into a mountain yesterday, leading to fatality of all of passengers and crews. The victims counted twenty.

Independent: Swiss Alps plane crash: Vintage aircraft crashes into mountain, killing all 20 passengers and crew on board

This airplane was 79-year-old. I am not sure if such an old aircraft is utilized for usual flight. According to the company, there might be no troubles regarding the maintenance of the plane.

On the other hand, it is a little odd that this plane did not carry a black box. The lack of flight recorder will make it difficult to discover the cause of this accident.

Anyway, pray for the victims. I hope similar tragedies will never happen.

Greece revival

Greece was suffering from severe wildfire just recently. To be honest, I was surprised to know that Alexis Tsipras was still in the seat of Prime Minister.

Interestingly, Greece's economic status is improving. Its GDP has been changed to an increasing line.

The Economist: Greece is emerging from crisis. There is a huge amount left to do

Greece is still in a serious situation. But considering the fact that it had been disguising the fiscal status for decades and therefore it was in long-lasting confusion, Greece must have made significant efforts, I believe.

Tokyo Medical School discriminates female candidates

Tokyo Medical University, a college to train medical students to be a physician, is harshly criticized for discriminating against women candidates.

(This picture is not relevant to the entry.)

According to the media, the administrator of the entrance examination of Tokyo Medical University had been modulating the score of the candidates. Thus, the scores of all women candidates were reduced by some percentages.

CNN: Japanese medical school allegedly rigged exams to keep women out

The purpose of modulation was clear: preventing women from becoming a doctor. Indeed, female doctors are more likely to leave the job after getting the license compared to male colleagues. The university was concerned about the shortage of medical doctors in the community due to increased female physicians. Therefore, the administrator seemed to decide to suppress the pass rate of female students.

The media also reported comment of an anonymous ex-worker of the university. He said that similar modulations were conducted in every other university. To be honest, I am not sure his comment is correct or not.

It is no doubt that the treatment of Tokyo Medical University is inappropriate regardless of the reason. Equality is an essential element for the entrance examination. Gender, as well as race, religion, and other factors not relevant to the ability to become a doctor should not be justified as the standard of the acceptance.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology accepts some kinds of discriminative policy for colleges. For example, there are some women's colleges in Japan. They aim to improve the situation of education for women. Therefore, male students are not allowed to enter them. By the way, a women's college began to accept male students whose gender identity is female, recently. It is a cool treatment, I think.

Thus, discrimination should be visualized. As far as seeing the discriminative policy, we can judge it based on each idea. The validity of affirmative actions is often discussed. It is just because we know it is a deliberate policy.

However, invisible discrimination cannot be examined. I never accept Tokyo Medical University's policy.

How to build your muscle

Many men, as well as some ladies, want to gain a body with rich muscle. They are eager to shape the optimal body by resisting the temptation of sweets and a lazy lifestyle.

Nowadays, the proper way to grow your muscle has been established to some extent, though there is no silver bullet. Exercise and diet are essential, as you know. Muscle grows after it was damaged. It is the reason why you need heavy resistance exercise to gain musculus body. Longitudinal but non-resistant movement such as walking is not beneficial to grow muscle, while it can make your fat burned.

Also, a protein-rich diet is helpful to convert your intake into the muscle. In Japan, "Salad-chicken," usually smoked chicken fillet, is popular in recent years. It contains a large amount of protein with low fat. I sometimes eat it. It tastes good, but continuous taking is boring.

Independent: THIS IS HOW MUCH MUSCLE YOU CAN GAIN IN A MONTH, ACCORDING TO EXPERTS

A benefit of gaining muscle is improving your metabolism. Musculus body consumes high energy. Thus, you are unlikely to gain excessive fat. Also, muscles prevent you from aging. Elder people with poor muscles are likely to cause fractures.

You need not be powerful physically thanks to the modern technology. Nonetheless, muscle is important for your better life.

Lack of CO2 make Mars illivable

There are many dreams we have not achieved. Terraforming Mars is one of the universal desires of the human being.

In the previous centuries, some Sci-Fi writers described octopus-shaped aliens living on Mars. Nowadays, it is highly likely that there are no intelligent beings on Mars. Evidence suggesting some bacteria are on Mars is limited, while the discussion is yet to be resolved.

As well, studies to investigate the environment on Mars are proceeding. There is water on Mars, but most of it evaporates in a short time. Since the gravity level is only one-fifth of that on Earth, the density of the atmosphere is quite low.

A recent report was disappointing. Mars does not have enough carbon dioxide (CO2), according to the latest investigation. CO2 is one form of green gases. Lack of CO2 makes the surface temperature on Mars to low for humans to survive. Also, CO2 is essential for plants to grow. According to the article below, we have no technology to produce enough CO2 on Mars.

Independent: Mars cannot be terraformed so that we can live there because there is not enough carbon dioxide, scientists reveal

It is ironic that excessive CO2 makes the Earth warm. The cosmic plantation is not a fantasy. It will not, however, be feasible for decades.

North Korea to launch the missile again

Just a few weeks after the historic conference with the President of the US, North Korea seems to revolve its military activities.

North Korea is suspected to be developing a new missile according to the Washington Post. US' satellites took photos in which a trailer to carry an ICBM and workers around it was seen.

AFP: N. Korea developing new missiles: report

Before the summit with the US, Kim Jong Un, the North Korea's dictator, detonated a domestic missile base as a pose for showing the friendly attitude on the side of the US. But finally, he has not promised to abandon to possess nuclear weapons even at the summit with Donald Trump. He may consider that he would perish when dropping the opportunity to grab ths US in sight of the nuclear missile.

Also, it must be prospected by the US government. The negotiation will enter the next stage, simply.

Fake marriage for cosplay in Japan

Several people are planning to enter a foreign nation illegally. The hope for a better life motivates most of them. But in this case, the motivation of the immigrant seems strange: cosplay.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested a 29-year-old Canadian lady. Her crime was identified as a fake marriage.

According to the media, she begged a false record of marriage with a Japanese resident for gaining a visa. Actually, there are several fake marriage cases for residency in many countries. But the reason she wanted to stay in Japan was surprising. She desired to enjoy a cosplay safely in Japan.

Japankyo: Canadian Entered Into Sham Marriage So She Could Cosplay In Japan, Tokyo Police Say

Cosplay is now an established subculture. Not only in Japan, but also in several nations, we can enjoy cosplay in an event. I saw foreign people wearing a handmade suit with pleasure in the UK. However, this lady liked to wear lolita fashion. Highly exposing clothes are unpopular in some countries. Japan is known as the most tolerant nation for lolita fashion, or sexism of little girls, in the world.

To be honest, I do not blame the lady. Some people in Japan are very hostile to immigrant illegally entered Japan. But, in my sense, no more foreigners will visit Japan in the future unless the Japanese amend their exclusive attitudes to aliens. While fake marriage is a crime, I hope she enjoyed cosplay in Japan.