Notices by Minoru Saba (minorusaba@toad.social), page 11

🔸Likewise Britain's stance:
"...to understand why Yvette Cooper studiously avoided saying whether the UK viewed the kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro as a breach of international law...on Monday night, a joint statement was expected in [Paris] by the coalition of the willing – and a draft included the US promising binding security guarantees to protect Ukraine..."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/06/yvette-cooper-criticise-trump-venezuela-ukraine
🔸It's like trying to avoid provoking "terrible twos" temper tantrums from the heffalump in the driving seat

Now that y'all know the basics of celestial navigation, how about trying my latest printable slide rule to calculate the Computed Height of a star given your latitude, the star's declination, and the hour angle between your positions? https://trmm.net/navwheel/

"...if USA offers concessions to Russia on Ukraine, it would likely exacerbate anxieties in Tokyo about whether Washington could do something similar to China regarding Taiwan"

"...what implications would it have on Japan's plans if the United States threatens to reduce its current [Indo-Pacific] force posture"

"[What if] Washington begins to call into question Japan's role in the alliance"
https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2025/06/us-japan-ties-perfect-like-before-or-changing-it-all.html
🔸Probably explains Japan's recent stance re Venezuela
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260104/p2g/00m/0na/022000c

@LordWoolamaloo Thanks for the photos of the Edinburgh Zoo Giant Lanterns. They reminded me of the huge floats paraded in the streets of Aomori City during the Nebuta Festival that takes place every year in August.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aomori_Nebuta_Matsuri

Gibt es auch schnell spielende Kinder? 🤣

#Kinder #Spiel #Spielstraße

Last year, got the hang of ordering via the dedicated tablets at a local conveyor-belt sushi restaurant. This ended up being more convenient as it bypassed the hit-or-miss waiting for a desired item to turn up on the conveyor belt.
However, more recently was stumped by an izakaya requiring ordering by smartphone. After reading in the site QR code, miniscule-font menu took ages to load and then item buttons froze😬
So...used "digital dinosaur" card to nab human staff and place order F2F!

THE FRIDAY READ
15 Scenarios That Could Stun the World in 2026
Futurists, political analysts and other forecasters on the possible “Black Swan” events of the new year.
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/01/02/black-swan-events-2026-00708074 #2026predictions #NewYear2026 #RiskAnalysis #USPol #AI

My favourite meme of 2025. What's yours? (Please alt text your memes and CW Trump/Epstein stuff. No AI trash please.)

#askfedi #memes

There was a time when I would've spent the rest of the day, and possibly several days, watching developments constantly. Hypervigilance and hyperfocus and moral clarity are not easy to live with.

These days I try to draw a line. I still struggle, though.

La Russie condamne l'attaque militaire américaine contre le Venezuela, estimant que "l'hostilité idéologique" avait prévalu sur la diplomatie. "Ceci est profondément inquiétant et condamnable", dénonce le ministère russe des Affaires étrangères. Mieux vaut en rire tant qu'on le peut encore... Le président Maduro n'a toujours pas donné signe de vie. Il est probable que Trump va l'exhiber devant les caméras s'il a bien été kidnappé.

#Politique #Venezuela #Trump #USA #Guerre #Kidnapping

Spent New Year's Day in Aomori City amidst heavy snow showers. Snow ploughs cleared the main roads in the early hours of Friday which eventually turned out sunny.

Tonight's Kōhaku Uta Gassen on NHK will probably end with the traditional rendition of "Hotaru no Hikari" (蛍の光=Glow of the Firefly) which is sung to the tune of "Auld Lang Syne" with completely different words, i.e. no attempts at translation, so it always sounds like Hogmanay got mangled and reimagined when Japan was rushing to reinvent itself with European imports.
Have also wondered why shops in Japan play "Hotaru no Hikari" at chucking-out time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotaru_no_Hikari

Personally, the weakening of the yen becomes acutely visible this time of the year when paying annual subs.
Current exchange rate for the UK pound is over 211 yen, but memory was stuck at about 160 yen to the pound (circa Dec 2022)... so wallet fainted.
Keep telling myself, need to go on a diet anyways.
#BoilingFrog #WeakYen

"「しらせ」接岸 (”Shirase” docks)"
"Japan's antarctic research vessel ”Shirase” docked in sheet ice 1700m off-shore from Syowa Station at 12:44 local time (18:44(JST)) on Saturday, 27 Dec 2025"
" ”Shirase” carried out 20 ice-breaking ramming manoeuvres on the outward journey (to reach its destination)"
https://nipr-blog.nipr.ac.jp/jare/20251227post-678.html
#JARE #Shirase #Antarctica #Japan

"RIP Ken-chan: The Cat Whose Epic Battle with Museum Security Guard Captured Hearts Across Japan"
https://spoon-tamago.com/onomichi-museum-cat-ken-chan/
#Onomichi

"Even with strong govt support for cashless payments, Japan remains unusually cash-heavy"
https://japanhandbook.com/cash-vs-cashless-in-japan-navigating-a-society-in-transition/
🔸Have found IC cards for public transport fast & convenient, but paying by digital wallet apps in shops tends to be tests in patience: search bag for phone, unlock phone, wait for app to start, hit with 2FA so start mail app for passcode, find app has timed out, retry whilst noticing the restless queue growing behind me... give up & pay with cash😓

@eleanorrees @afewbugs At work, we get asked annually if we'd recommend our ambulance service to friends and family.

You know, I'm not convinced many people use our ambulances out of choice. I don't think a lot of stroke patients spend their time checking to see how we're rated on trustpilot before dialling 999.

Infection status
Released Dec 19, 2025.
- As of period from Dec 15 - Dec 21, 2025 -
Next report: Jan 8, 2026

No. of patients per medical facility (nationwide) 1.24
Change from prev. week +0.03
[Source: Health-Labor-Welfare Ministry weekly report]
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/001622486.pdf
🔸End of 13th wave?
Saga at 0.33, Tokyo at 0.59, Akita at 1.8, Hokkaido at 4.4, Okinawa at 0.4

#Influenza (nationwide) at 32.73
Change from prev. week -4.23
#Miyazaki at 94.75
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/001622514.pdf
#CovidIsNotOver
#Japan

I love pictures of the Holy Family that recast them in the modern time, or in other times and places. For example, this drawing, by Everett Patterson. (1/2)

Always interesting to see how Japan modifies and assimilates items and customs from abroad, but calling a sponge cake covered with strawberries and cream "Christmas Cake (クリスマスケーキ)" takes the biscuit.
https://savvytokyo.com/christmas-cakes-in-japan-an-affectionate-history/
Used to bake a Dundee cake for the festive season (in protest) until getting overwhelmed by the feeling of "Bah! Humbug!" to over-commercialised events some years back.