/jp/ - Otaku Culture

Nation puts youths at risk of autism

>Parents and teachers search for solutions to autism. Childhood developmental problems associated with autism typically affect how children think, speak, listen and move.

>Although experts have concluded that excess childhood exposure to lead causes severe learning problems and significantly reduced intelligence levels, they will not go as far as to confirm an absolute link of lead poisoning and childhood autism.

>The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a maximum level of 40 parts per million of lead be allowed in children’s products.

>However, 17 percent of children’s products were found to have had much higher lead levels. Furthermore, 35 percent of Chinese-imported toys had levels of lead above 600 parts per million.

>When it comes to children’s toys and jewelry, U.S. authorities admit that just 23 percent of our youngsters’ toys manufactured in China are inspected.

No human being can be expected to develop normally or act rationally if they ingest high levels of toxins at their most vulnerable stages of life.

Japanese Politician Takes a Stand Against Parents Naming their Children Pikachu

>Kirakira (lit. sparkly) or DQN (from the onomatopoeia word dokyun, the sound of being struck hard or shot in the chest) names are allegedly on the rise in Japan, and are causing more and more kids unnecessary distress as other kids make fun of them each time the teacher calls “Suzuki Goomba” during rollcall.

>Political hopeful and victim of recent TV blunder Shinzo Abe, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party made a stand against kirakira names last week when he stated that giving a child a name like Pikachu, which could be written something like 光宙 (“light” and “space”), is tantamount to child abuse, saying: “Children are not pets; we have to provide guidance for parents who would name their child in such a way.”

>Naturally, this has sparked quite a debate both online and with national newspapers picking up on the comments, some suggesting that parents should be free to name their child whatever they like. Others, however, suggest that Mr. Abe is right to take a firmer stance against the yankii (coming from the English “Yankee” but meaning delinquent youth) parents who wish to adorn their child with a ridiculous name.

More Facebook friends means more stress: Report

>A wide circle of friends on Facebook may make you feel popular but it can also give you stress! The more people you have as your Facebook friends, the more likely you are to get stressed trying not to cause offence, according to a new report.

> The report from the University of Edinburgh Business School has found that the more groups of people in someone's Facebook friends, the greater potential to cause offence. In particular, adding employers or parents resulted in the greatest increase in anxiety.

>Stress arises when a user presents a version of himself on the social networking site Facebook that is unacceptable to some of their online 'friends', such as posts displaying behaviour such as swearing, recklessness, drinking and smoking.

Prolonged loneliness can transform the brain to make you more antisocial

>Prolonged loneliness can affect transform the brain in a way that makes those who suffer it less able to relate to others, a new study suggests.

>Research showed that animals kept in isolation for long periods produce less myelin - white matter - in parts of their brain crucial for complex emotional behaviour.

>The findings from the University at Buffalo and Mt Sinai School of Medicine shed new light on the brain's ability to adapt to environmental changes - a phenomenon known as brain plasticity.

>In an experiment, adult mice - normally social animals - were isolated for eight weeks to induce a depressive-like state, before being introduced to a mouse they hadn't met before.

>While mice are normally highly motivated to be social, those who had been socially isolated did not show any interest in interacting with the new mouse, a typical model of social avoidance and withdrawal.

Possible kingmaker calls for nuclear-armed Japan

>Former Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara, a potential kingmaker in next month's general election, said Tuesday Japan must acquire nuclear weapons if it wants to be taken seriously.

>At very least, avowedly pacifist Japan should examine what it would need to do to join the club of declared nuclear powers, the 80-year-old arch conservative told foreign journalists in Tokyo.

>“I think Japan should at least carry out an analysis on going nuclear,” Ishihara said.

>“The diplomatic voice of countries without nuclear weapons is overwhelmingly weak,” he said.

>Ishihara has a long track record of saying controversial things and breaking cultural taboos. He has previously expressed the same thoughts on Japan -- the only country on which a nuclear attack has ever taken place -- getting atomic weapons.

BBC : Are 'geek' and 'nerd' now positive terms?

>The classic current use of "geek" as a self-description is typically accompanied by something else - "stats geek", "physics geek", "history geek" and even "cocktail geek" all being standard usages.

>Some lexicographers have been slow to reflect the new status of "nerd" and "geek".

>In Sweden, an online petition to change the dictionary definition of "nerd" - a "simple-minded and laughable person" - has gathered almost 4,000 signatures.

>According to reports, the Swedish Academy says it might change the definition to something more neutral in the future.

>But the hardcore take to forums like Reddit to deride those who think they are nerds and geeks but are perceived as lacking the right credentials.

>One writes: "In my mind, a nerd is someone who is passionate about (and very good at) something - be it math, Irish literature, D&D, botany, whatever. Somewhere along the line, this changed to being part of a certain culture, watching this TV show and wearing that type of clothing. And that's such a different concept. Many think it devalues the word."

>With the words "geek" and "nerd" primarily self-descriptions now, says blogger and game designer JR Blackwell, there are many different interpretations.

>And as Gaiman says: "Nowadays, people own their nerd-dom."

Researchers claim our intelligence is diminishing as we no longer need it to survive

>Our intelligence and behaviour requires optimal functioning of a large number of genes, which requires enormous evolutionary pressures to maintain.

>Now, in a provocative theory, a team from Stanford University claim we are losing our intellectual and emotional capabilities because the intricate web of genes which endows us with our brain power is particularly vulnerable to mutations - and these mutations are not being selected against our modern society because we no longer need intelligence to survive.

>'The development of our intellectual abilities and the optimisation of thousands of intelligence genes probably occurred in relatively non-verbal, dispersed groups of peoples before our ancestors emerged from Africa,' says Dr Gerald Crabtree, lead author of the paper published today in Cell Press journal Trends in Genetics.

>In this environment, intelligence was critical for survival, and there was likely to be immense selective pressure acting on the genes required for intellectual development, leading to a peak in human intelligence.

>But it was downhill from there on in as, from that point, it's likely that we began to slowly lose ground, the researchers claim.

>With the development of agriculture, came urbanisation, which may have weakened the power of selection to weed out mutations leading to intellectual disabilities.

>Based on calculations of the frequency with which deleterious mutations appear in the human genome and the assumption that 2,000 to 5,000 genes are required for intellectual ability, Dr Crabtree estimates that within 3,000 years, about 120 generations, we have all sustained two or more mutations harmful to our intellectual or emotional stability.

4 men arrested in connection to Aomori woman’s death while imprisoned

>Aomori Prefecture police say that last week they arrested three men, in addition to another on October 5th, on the basis of abducting and imprisoning a woman who was found dead in an apartment. The group have been accused of abduction and confinement after the 31 year old victim was discovered on the kitchen floor wearing a dog collar and found to have previously been tied up. Maki Saito, 40, Katsutoshi Ebina, 38, Masato Ogata, 37, and Takashi Kuwano, 38, have given little explanation at this point.

>The woman’s body was found on October 5th when Kuwano, who had been living with her, called for emergency services. She was found lying face-down, and pronounced dead shortly after medical workers arrived. In addition to the dog collar, lead wire was found nearby and matched what she appeared to have been tied up with. An autopsy was conducted on the woman’s body and found the cause of death to be multiple organ failure caused by injuries to several parts of her body.

>Aomori Prefectural Police say the three other men, who were friends with Kuwano and the victim, worked with him to confine the woman in the kitchen sometime on October 4th. Kuwano stated to investigators that he tied her up because she was acting crazy and he didn’t want her to get hurt. Police are still looking what roles the other three men played in the incident, as well as whether the woman’s injuries were a result of abuse or somehow self-inflicted.

Smartphones Linked to Higher Rates of Teen Sex

>A new study shows that many teens use the Internet to seek partners, and those that do are more likely to engage in unsafe sex.

>“We wanted to know if the risk was real rather than just hype,” says researcher Eric Rice, PhD, a researcher with the School of Social Work at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

>The study analyzed data from a 2011 CDC survey conducted among more than 1,800 Los Angeles students ages 12 to 18. The survey asked questions about being approached online for sex, seeking sex partners online, having sex with online partners, using condoms with those partners, and about their use of technology, especially smartphones.

>The study also shows that about a third of the students carried a smartphone with Internet access, and nearly half of those kids said they were sexually active. Among teens who did not use a smartphone, only a third reported having sex.

Among teens who did not use a smartphone, only a third reported having sex.

Colorado Legalizes Marijuana

>On Tuesday night, Amendment 64 -- the measure which sought the legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults -- was passed by Colorado voters, making Colorado the first state to end marijuana prohibition in the United States.

>Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a vocal opponent to the measure, reacted to the passage of A64 in a statement late Tuesday night, 'The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will. This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug so don’t break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly.'

Colorado Legalizes Marijuana

>On Tuesday night, Amendment 64 -- the measure which sought the legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults -- was passed by Colorado voters, making Colorado the first state to end marijuana prohibition in the United States.

>Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a vocal opponent to the measure, reacted to the passage of A64 in a statement late Tuesday night, 'The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will. This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug so don’t break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly.'

Colorado Legalizes Marijuana

>On Tuesday night, Amendment 64 -- the measure which sought the legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults -- was passed by Colorado voters, making Colorado the first state to end marijuana prohibition in the United States.

>Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a vocal opponent to the measure, reacted to the passage of A64 in a statement late Tuesday night, 'The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will. This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug so don’t break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly.'

Colorado Legalizes Marijuana

>On Tuesday night, Amendment 64 -- the measure which sought the legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults -- was passed by Colorado voters, making Colorado the first state to end marijuana prohibition in the United States.

>Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a vocal opponent to the measure, reacted to the passage of A64 in a statement late Tuesday night, 'The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will. This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug so don’t break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly.'

Colorado Legalizes Marijuana

>On Tuesday night, Amendment 64 -- the measure which sought the legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults -- was passed by Colorado voters, making Colorado the first state to end marijuana prohibition in the United States.

>Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a vocal opponent to the measure, reacted to the passage of A64 in a statement late Tuesday night, 'The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will. This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug so don’t break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly.'

Colorado Legalizes Marijuana

>On Tuesday night, Amendment 64 -- the measure which sought the legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults -- was passed by Colorado voters, making Colorado the first state to end marijuana prohibition in the United States.

>Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a vocal opponent to the measure, reacted to the passage of A64 in a statement late Tuesday night, 'The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will. This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug so don’t break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly.'

Colorado Legalizes Marijuana

>On Tuesday night, Amendment 64 -- the measure which sought the legalization of marijuana for recreational use by adults -- was passed by Colorado voters, making Colorado the first state to end marijuana prohibition in the United States.

>Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a vocal opponent to the measure, reacted to the passage of A64 in a statement late Tuesday night, 'The voters have spoken and we have to respect their will. This will be a complicated process, but we intend to follow through. That said, federal law still says marijuana is an illegal drug so don’t break out the Cheetos or gold fish too quickly.'

The Next Wave: Autistic Students in Higher Education

>Jordan said that he didn’t realize he had autism until he was either 10 or 11. “I was like, ‘what is autism?’” he recalled. After begin asked by his father to read up on autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), Jordan said he had to re-evaluate who he thought he was. “I thought I was just a normal kid, like a shy kid,” he said.

>In high school, Jordan said his toughest challenge was note taking. He remembered stressing over trying to write down every “single little thing” his instructors said, even though he made high marks in his classes. “I aced the whole thing,” he recollected.

>Earlier this spring, Jordan posted a video on YouTube in which he did an “unboxing” review of several Happy Meal toys from McDonalds. The clip quickly went viral, and many of the responses Jordan received were biting and caustic.

>“The Internet is so full of mean people,” Jordan said. The comments caused a great deal of “distress” for him, but he said he wouldn’t let them keep him down.

>“It’s more of a psychological concept,” Jordan said regarding his Internet aggressors. “Some people wear different masks. When they’re online, they might end up putting on an ‘I hate you’ mask, and that’s the mask they wear when they try to type stuff in, but in real life, they wouldn’t do that.”

>Jordan’s father has seen several of the comments, many of which that focus on his son’s disorder.

>“What you have to do is, you just have to ignore it,” David said. “You’ve got to keep doing what you do, understanding what your purpose is in this life, and to not let any comment stop that purpose.

The Internet is so full of mean people

'Under Obama's plan, you wouldn't have to work and wouldn't have to train for a job. '

>In Tuesday's ad from the Romney campaign, an announcer points to Clinton's achievement, and claims Obama's directive would "gut welfare reform by dropping work requirements."

>"Under Obama's plan, you wouldn't have to work and wouldn't have to train for a job. They just send you your welfare check," the announcer continues. "And welfare to work goes back to being plain old welfare."

>"Middle-class Americans are working harder and harder to make ends meet," Saul wrote. "Under President Obama, they have fewer jobs and less take-home pay. And now, President Obama wants to take their hard-earned tax dollars and give it to welfare recipients without work requirements."

Increase in number of middle aged people living alone

>The number of middle-aged people living alone has soared by more than 50 percent since the mid-1990s, new figures show.

> Almost 2.5 million men and women aged between 45 and 64 have their own home and live in it with no spouse, partner or other family member.

>The ONS report suggests the growth in the number of 45 to 64-year-old’s living on their own could be partly explained by the growing number of middle aged people in general as the post-war baby boomer generation reaches their 50s and 60s. But the report, whose fiigures were taken from a Labour Force Survey, added: “The increase in those living alone also coincides with a decrease in the percentage of those in this age group who are married – from 79 per cent in 1996 to 69 per cent in 2012 – and a rise in the percentage of those who have never married or are divorced, from 16 per cent in 1996 to 28 per cent in 2012.”

>Family researcher Patricia Morgan warned of the financial implications for the state. “The growth of numbers of people living alone is very expensive indeed, in terms of state benefits, the need for more development and health and social services care, because people who live alone are more likely to need the NHS or social services,” she told the Daily Mail.

>“People think that it is cheaper if people don’t form families. It isn’t.”

People think that it is cheaper if people don’t form families. It isn’t.