Notices by Minoru Saba (minorusaba@toad.social), page 13

@xeroxerox

Social insects like bees and ants are excellent mascots for public health because due to their densely populated nests insects invented some of the fundamentals of "public health" long before humans even existed.

Ants famously have grave yards. It's fun to imagine this is because they are sad about their fallen sisters and wish to remember them, but the real reason is much more simple: dead ants can be vectors of ant pathogens, so it's important to isolate the dead bodies.

"...if history’s any guide, Japan’s democracy is about to get the kind of cosmetic surgery that leaves the patient unrecognizable and the doctor whistling all the way to the bank"
https://tokyopaladin.substack.com/p/the-rise-of-japans-female-trump-why
🔸Never understood Japan's fascination for Margaret Thatcher. Perhaps distance filters out the gory bits.
#Japan

@MayaJRodriguez
They're very popular as good luck items for students facing exams.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/lucky-kit-kat/

#airplants #statusupdate

The arrest of James Comey may satisfy Trump’s demand for personal vengeance, but the norms against using the justice department to prosecute political enemies is also gone - entirely.

The targeting of Venezuelan vessels may satisfy Trump’s demand to be portrayed as a take-no-prisoner’s big man on the global stage accommodates his need to feel dominant, but it also spells the end of rules of engagement of any kind.

I could go on and on. But I hope I’m making my point clear. 8/

@mike_vlasman
"Dr. Emmett Brown:
Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads."
https://www.quotes.net/mquote/5864

Recall seeing as a kid illustrations of imagined cities of the future (before SF went "magic, swords and anything goes") where ground-effect vehicles would hover over the terrain obviating the need for roads.
Didn't realise then that hovercrafts would be deafening and impractical in urban settings🙁

Searching with the Moldova hashtag following Moldovan election results turned up a number of Russian-slanted disinformation trolls, interestingly with recent accounts opened on small, presumably self-hosted instances in Japan probably with lax or no vetting procedures for new users.
Seems to be a worrying vector for #disinformation.

"...there is currently a rising interest in incorporating insect-based products into the wider consumer base, including the Western countries where insect consumption is not popular"[2]
🔸Hadn't met anyone who tried them, but knew as a UG years ago that Harrods down the road sold chocolate-covered ants. So western ant consumption[1] probably shouldn't be surprising.🤔

1. https://mastodon.social/@arstechnica/115310840986028991

2. FAO Foresight Report: Thinking about the future of food safety
https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/0aa558d4-57c7-498d-87f7-b9e37577882f/content/src/html/chapter-4.1.html

"2,350 lithium-ion battery accidents reported in #Japan over 5 years"
"The Consumer Affairs Agency... found that smartphones [were] involved in most cases, around 350, followed by electric bikes and mobile batteries with about 300 each"
"...people [suffered] burns from wireless earphones or smartwatches"
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20251003/p2g/00m/0na/015000c
🔸Insufficient safety standards, technology not mature enough, dodgy manufacturing & businesses? All of the above?
Caveat emptor. Caveat utilitor.

@fgbjr Gives a whole new meaning to "hot line"😓
Probably need them for power banks (mobile batteries), too, as summers keep getting hotter.

"...said an executive at another of Japan’s major retailers. “I think we will run out of products soon. When it comes to Super Dry, I think we’ll run out in two or three days...“ "
https://arstechnica.com/security/2025/10/japan-is-running-out-of-its-favorite-beer-after-ransomware-attack/
🔸Always strange that a major company finds itself lacking contingency planning for backing up critical processes; same goes for #Japan's govt when "BCP" was all the rage a few years back. Meanwhile Asahi risks going "super dry"😬

Fudō Myōō (不動明王) is the wrathful deity of Buddhist wisdom. With his sword, Acala cuts through deluded and ignorant minds, with his rope he binds those ruled by their violent passions, and with flames he consumes the evil of the world.

His rock symbolizes unshakeable peace.
#不動明王 #FudoMyoo #Acala

Infection status
Released Oct 3, 2025.
- As of period from Sep 22 - Sep 28, 2025 -

No. of patients per medical facility (nationwide) 5.87
Change from prev. week -1.06
[Source: Health-Labor-Welfare Ministry weekly report]
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/001573178.pdf
🔸Week 15 of 13th wave
Saga at 7.0, Tokyo at 3.62, Akita at 6.12, Hokkaido at 3.62, Okinawa at 5.0, #Ehime at 10.11

#Influenza (nationwide) at 1.04
Change from prev. week +0.24
Okinawa at 8.98
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/001573336.pdf
#CovidIsNotOver #Japan

"The latest shutdown is unfolding... when both the TSA and the Federal Aviation Administration are already facing staffing shortages"
"If the system can't handle the number of flights that are scheduled, the FAA will slow down landings and take offs"
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20251002/p2g/00m/0in/012000c
🔸In #Japan the US govt shutdown caused goodwill events at Yokosuka and Futenma to be cancelled.
Small signs, but raises doubts re competence of US admin when push comes to shove.
https://english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/62068
#safety #deterrence

@ai6yr I'm getting major Calvin and Hobbes vibes from this...

Jane Goodall The Woman Who Redefined Man by Dale Peterson, 2006

This essential biography of one of the most influential women of the past century shows how truly remarkable Jane Goodall's accomplishments have been.

#books
#nonfiction
#biography
#JaneGoodall

"With the ability to dive to about 8,000 meters, the vessel can cover 98% of Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) [but] it cannot fully descend to the seabed to take photographs from the bottom or collect samples"

"For the ”Full Depth” challenge at the deepest point in Earth's surface, 11,000 meters, a system combining a seabed-installed observation device and a small autonomous exploration vehicle is being developed"
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20251001/p2a/00m/0sc/013000c
#Urashima8000 #JAMSTEC #Japan

Rous, who wrote her dissertation on Wettin dynastic marriages, studied early modern secret diplomacy in her habilitation. Currently, she prepares the 5th Saxon State Exhibition which will open in 2029 as curator.

https://www.steiner-verlag.de/Geheimdiplomatie-in-der-Fruehen-Neuzeit/9783515130523 (4/7)

#emdiplomacy #NewDiplomaticHistory #espionage #history #earlyModern #histodons #Wettin #Saxony

@MaxWeberStiftung @histodons @historikerinnen @earlymodern @womenknowhistory

"The sweltering summer is finally over in Japan, [but] experts warn that this time of year is actually peak mosquito season"
"...people with higher body temperatures, those who sweat a lot, or those who have just exercised or had alcohol are more likely to get bitten. Dark or black clothing also attracts mosquitoes"
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250923/p2a/00m/0sc/011000c
🔸So, stay cool, don't wear dark suits, and stock up early on mosquito repellent...Also, watch out for ticks😬
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15913819
#MosquitoSeason #Japan

@spocko @USelaine I can't imagine it's gotten any better.