Think Pieces reviewed and written by Lakshmi and Seetha Ram

Moment of truth as Japan eyes review of foreign 'trainee' workers - Japan Today https://japantoday.com/category/national/focus-moment-of-truth-as-japan-eyes-review-of-foreign-trainee-workers ?

Is travelling to work always a waste of time? from TheEconomist Public transport, which a lot of commuting involves, remains the most democratic way of going to work.  https://www.economist.com/business/2022/08/25/is-travelling-to-work-always-a-waste-of-time

Ancient cultures could have stopped at the symbolic phase, using stylised, stripped-down images to stand for important things and ideas, without intending to represent full sentences.  https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/06/30/the-everyday-miracle-of-writing -- Best regards Seetha Ram "Life is a journey. The destination is within oneself."

https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/08/26/how-new-cardinals-are-changing-the-roman-catholic-church -- Best regards Seetha Ram "Life is a journey. The destination is within oneself."

Calendar of photos from often maligned train otaku community to be sold by JR East - Japan Today https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/calendar-of-photos-from-often-maligned-train-otaku-community-to-be-sold-by-jr-east ?

Prevention and Control of Diabetes: A Public Health Leadership Forum | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2010/05/17/diabetes-symposium/

NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and Harvard School of Public Health sign MoU - Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health https://sph.nus.edu.sg/2011/10/nus-saw-swee-hock-school-of-public-health-and-harvard-school-of-public-health-sign-mou/

Japan weighing end to pre-departure COVID testing, report says | The Japan Times https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/08/23/national/predeparture-covid-testing-dropped-considering/ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/08/23/national/predeparture-covid-testing-dropped-considering/?utm_source=pianoDNU&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=72&pnespid=4LabjotX4.rF_6a9px72sucF9E9Ppjd4hgIvDktrqk6Vpk_uVzH2QUCBQ.QUoOdWuWnO

Malaysia hopes to revive KL-Singapore high-speed rail project, says PM Ismail | The Straits Times https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysia-hopes-to-revive-kl-singapore-high-speed-rail-project-says-pm-ismail https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysia-hopes-to-revive-kl-singapore-high-speed-rail-project-says-pm-ismail?utm_source=emarsys&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ST_Newsletter_PM&utm_term=Malaysia+hopes+to+revive+KL-Singapore+high-speed+rail+project%2C+says+PM+Ismail&utm_content=23%2F08%2F2022

Japan set to allow more tourists to enter, ease Covid-19 test rule | The Straits Times https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/japan-considers-easing-strict-covid-19-tests-for-travellers-to-enter

Consumption of ultra-processed foods increases risk of COVID-19 Nutrition is the key source of energy and is considered to be a major determinant of human health. A balanced diet is associated with maintaining a healthy gut microbiome, which is an important factor that regulates the immune system. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220821/Consumption-of-ultra-processed-foods-increases-risk-of-COVID-19.aspx

When to trust your instincts as a manager from TheEconomist Gut instincts can also be improved (call it "probiotic management"). Plenty of research has shown that intuition becomes more unerring with experience. In one well-known experiment, conducted in 2012, volunteers were asked to assess whether a selection of designer handbags were counterfeit or real. Some were instructed to operate on instinct and others to deliberate over their decision. Intuition worked better for those who owned at least three designer handbags; indeed, it outperformed analysis. The more expert you become, the better your instincts tend to be.  https://www.economist.com/business/2022/08/18/when-to-trust-your-instincts-as-a-manager

Excelling as a musician takes practice and requires opportunities – not just lucky genes - Japan Today My research regarding children's musicality suggests measures of singing skills are normally distributed in the population. That is, pitch ability follows a bell curve: Most people are average singers. Not many are way below average or excellent. My team's most recent research suggests that this distribution is true for rhythm in addition to pitch. https://japantoday.com/category/features/opinions/excelling-as-a-musician-takes-practice-and-requires-opportunities-%E2%80%93-not-just-lucky-genes ?

Govt decide ¥87 bil. in assistance to African countries - The Japan News The aid package is part of a series of government support measures that were decided from April onwards for African countries in preparation for the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), to be held in Tunisia on Aug. 27 and 28. https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/general-news/20220822-53001/ https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/general-news/20220822-53001/?utm_source=piano&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=8464&pnespid=5PDNgYkLu.bU_bbtuR_85PhG_hNGsnZ5wRZxEBFo7hWV.Cy43agLK9spBoqz4Y1HlFeguw

Japan looks to sewage to gain new insight into state of pandemic | The Japan Times Masaaki Kitajima, associate professor of environmental engineering at Hokkaido University, says wastewater surveillance has several benefits over other infection monitoring tools. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/08/21/national/science-health/coronavirus-wastewater-monitoring-projects/ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/08/21/national/science-health/coronavirus-wastewater-monitoring-projects/?utm_source=pianoDNU&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=72&pnespid=.vPMnote.aTEo7HrqAenvqUT.gsLvShtwVE3Fkgws1WVUpEbIJBvPl0elQZzxh.c0cHB

Begin forwarded message: From: "Lakshmi and Seetha Ram (KES)" <keslsram@gmail.com> Date: August 20, 2022 20:26:37 JST To: keslsram.thinkpieceskesls@blogger.com Subject: Japan and the World: Through Travelers' Eyes: Edmund Morel  http://japan-travelers-eyes.blogspot.com/2014/08/edmund-morel.html

Railway engineer, Edmund Morel - Tokyo Metropolitan Government https://www.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/ENGLISH/ABOUT/DATELINE/MOVIE/made_in_Tokyo_Railway_engineer_Edmund_Morel.htm

Railway Systems and Punctuality in Japan and the UK - 大和基金 https://dajf.org.uk/event/railway-systems-and-punctuality-in-japan-and-the-uk

Sastra varsity plot to remain under Madras HC's custody till case disposal | Latest News India - Hindustan Times https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sastra-varsity-plot-to-remain-under-madras-hc-s-custody-till-case-disposal-101660071432203.html https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sastra-varsity-plot-to-remain-under-madras-hc-s-custody-till-case-disposal-101660071432203-amp.html

What kind of prime minister will Britain get? from TheEconomist Britons will not choose the next prime minister: he or she will be imposed by the Conservative Party's factious members. They are facing a choice between an urbane technocrat, with a sounder grasp of what needs doing, and a tested politician, with a cannier instinct for how to do it. As prime minister, Mr Sunak would be unlikely to act foolishly, but the job is inherently political. Ms Truss would be a riskier bet, but may also be more likely to succeed. Whatever their reasons, it looks as if the Tories have opted to be risk-takers. They may be proved right.  https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/08/18/what-kind-of-prime-minister-will-britain-get

Can the Visa-Mastercard duopoly be broken? from TheEconomist Competitors might make little headway if the perks for sticking with credit cards are sufficiently juicy. But merchants can offer their own incentives. When your correspondent recently went to purchase a pair of linen trousers from Everlane, an online retailer, she was encouraged to pay using Catch, a fintech app. The app linked to her bank account via another payment startup called Plaid. As a thank you for avoiding the card networks, Everlane offered a shop credit worth 5% of the transaction value. Catch has signed up a handful of fashionable, millennial brands including Pacsun, another clothing retailer, and Farmacy, a skin-care firm.  https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2022/08/17/can-the-visa-mastercard-duopoly-be-broken

Why monsoon season will not solve India's water crisis from TheEconomist https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/08/15/why-monsoon-season-will-not-solve-indias-water-crisis

安定した歩行を実現する脚長差補正靴 | &MIKI https://andmiki.com/story/%e5%ae%89%e5%ae%9a%e3%81%97%e3%81%9f%e6%ad%a9%e8%a1%8c%e3%82%92%e5%ae%9f%e7%8f%be%e3%81%99%e3%82%8b%e8%84%9a%e9%95%b7%e5%b7%ae%e8%a3%9c%e6%ad%a3%e9%9d%b4/ https://andmiki.com/story/%E5%AE%89%E5%AE%9A%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E6%AD%A9%E8%A1%8C%E3%82%92%E5%AE%9F%E7%8F%BE%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E8%84%9A%E9%95%B7%E5%B7%AE%E8%A3%9C%E6%AD%A3%E9%9D%B4/

Should "data" be singular or plural? from TheEconomist https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/08/11/should-data-be-singular-or-plural

China's mortgage boycotts are a symptom of a broader crisis from TheEconomist In the longer term, China's developers need a less frenetic business model. They will have to rely less on selling flats in advance and starting the next project before finishing the last. In China, the demand for housing is vast. But it is not infinite.  https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2022/08/09/chinas-mortgage-boycotts-are-a-symptom-of-a-broader-crisis

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala: Tributes for India's 'stock market king' who died at 62 - BBC News A decade ago, he told Reuters in an interview that he didn't like being called "India's Warren Buffett", adding that the Berkshire Hathaway CEO was "far, far ahead" of him. "I'm not a clone of anybody. I'm Rakesh Jhunjhunwala," he had said. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-62538324

https://www.tamilbrahmins.com/threads/thiruchendur-sri-murugar-sannadhi-marikozundu-alankaram.52046/

Despite the rapid and significant changes in consumption patterns witnessed during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japanese households maintained their normal levels of greenhouse gases emissions. The "anthropause" — reduction of human activity due to the pandemic — made headlines last summer, but factory shutdowns and broken global supply chains did not translate into the adoption of eco-friendly lifestyles for the average household. https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/focus/en/press/z0508_00176.html -- Best regards Seetha Ram "Life is a journey. The destination is within oneself."

https://twitter.com/chopsyturvey/status/1556917205152854016?s=12&t=CCoLNciRfT2Q8_kLZvrtJQ

JMIR Infodemiology - Analyzing Social Media to Explore the Attitudes and Behaviors Following the Announcement of Successful COVID-19 Vaccine Trials: Infodemiology Study https://infodemiology.jmir.org/2021/1/e28800

COVID pandemic exacerbates decline in marriage - The Japan News According to the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, the lifetime unmarried rate — the percentage of people who have never married by the age of 50 — was 2.6% for men and 4.5% for women in 1980. By 2020, these figures had risen to 25.7% and 16.4%, respectively. https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/original/perspectives/20220809-50273/ https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/original/perspectives/20220809-50273/?utm_source=piano&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=8464&pnespid=8e.IgpMEvq2ZpLWzpA_ir.0K5hxM.nd.gx12H1U5s1yVw2dzbtb5AAeyFsiozWaWLuj.Pg

AIT Interim President Designate Professor Kazuo Yamamoto - Asian Institute of Technology https://ait.ac.th/2022/08/ait-interim-president-designate-professor-kazuo-yamamoto/

Ahymsin - Historical View of the Swami Tradition (Sanyasa) https://www.ahymsin.org/historical-view-of-the-swami-tradition-sanyasa/

https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2022/07/27/evidence-for-behavioural-interventions-looks-increasingly-shaky nudge research is highly susceptible to publication bias—academic journals tend to favour publishing studies that report the largest effect sizes.  -- Best regards Seetha Ram "Life is a journey. The destination is within oneself."

How to save yourself another pointless guilt trip | Psyche Guides https://psyche.co/guides/endlessly-beating-yourself-up-wont-help-anyone https://psyche.co/guides/endlessly-beating-yourself-up-wont-help-anyone?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1659609204-1

Japan has more to do as Africa's true partner - The Japan News Excellent article.  https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/editorial/insights-world/20220805-49486/ https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/editorial/insights-world/20220805-49486/?utm_source=piano&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=3629&pnespid=5LWBgoVO5KzE76upvBiq5_IP7xROrj1vlQI0R0w4qkiV0usPo.Kh2Uid7i2.igXrJhVANQ

Global inequality is rising again from TheEconomist Is this interpretation correct? https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2022/08/02/global-inequality-is-rising-again