More tax pressure on Japanese workers. The government of Kishida expects to collect 110 trillion yen ($753 billion). The draft needs the approval of the House of Representatives in December. I will post the final decision here, in this thread, if someone would be interested regarding this topic.

It's a mystery to me why this country, which is both developed and industrialized, is facing a significant amount of inflation and a government that is heavily indebted.

Japan budget requests likely to top 110 trln yen as rates rise.

The annual budget requests, to be submitted to the finance ministry by the end of August, highlight the difficulty of streamlining spending for the industrial world's most heavily-indebted government.
Under persistent pressure to reflate the world's third-largest economy, the finance ministry will scrutinise the budget requests before it compiles the draft annual state budget in December. This fiscal year's budget stood at 114 trillion yen.
Debt-servicing costs and defence spending will increase 10% each from this year's initial budget, while social security outlay, estimated at 33.7 trillion yen, will rise due to the snowballing costs of supporting Japan's fast-ageing society.

Hello again, friend. I have some interesting news which I recently read. Have you ever taken CBD after eating? I decided to start taking CBD after lunch because the following scientific paper motivated me to do so. Here is the main web page: CBD Blog

Should You Take CBD Oil Before or After Meals? There is research that found taking CBD oil with high-fat foods can increase CBD bioavailability. One study reported that bioavailability can be increased four-fold by taking CBD with a high-fat and high-calorie meal compared to taking CBD on an empty stomach.
The reason is that cannabis cannabinoids are lipid-soluble, so taking the CBD oil with or in foods with dietary lipids like butter, whole milk or vegetable oil increases bioavailability. You can also take CBD oil mixed with oil like sesame oil to increase bioavailability. Researchers found the primary mechanism for the increased bioavailability is due to the transport of the CBD via the intestinal lymphatic system rather than the liver.

I have put in practice the scientific research, and I can say that it is better for me to take CBD after lunch rather than in the night just before to go to sleep. It is difficult to explain, but it is true that the biodiversity kicks in harder. I mean, it feels more active in my nervous system and the relax comes quickly and efficiently. :up:

Six years have passed since this thread. The last time you were only was a year ago. Yet, I think you need more clarification of ideas because I guess you are brainwashed and maybe you still have the same wrong perspective on Spain and Catalonia.

Facts:

Puigdemont and Junqueras committed a Coup d' Etat. They decided to not respect the Spanish constitution and courts. Furthermore, they tended to even "kick" out those Catalonians who want to be part of Spain (because hey! Do not forget they are Spaniards too!).
But the tables had turned in the worst way possible. Pedro Sánchez (aka our naughty socialist PM) decided to let them free to become President. This dude even says now on: WhAt Do yOu prEefeR a 2017 CaTaaLoniA or 2023 Catalonia? Pathetic!!!!!!!!

Surprise! The intentional vote for independence has been decreasing since then. Barcelona (because let's be honest, nobody cares about the other three regions) is ruled now by Socialists who wants to be part of Spain in a federal way, as well as USA or Germany. A few years ago they even pretended to share the capital city with Madrid. Holly molly! How these folks change when their asses see money and power on the table.

Ding Ding! The bell of European court has rung in favour of Spain's state and constitution. They declare that Puigdemont and Junqueras were clearly surpassing the rule of law, they were forcing people to vote for an independence and guess what? The origin of the money collected for the 2017 horrendous campaign is opaque and there is evidence of washing money or tax avoidance. Didn't you say, as well as separatists, that our law was medieval? What about European Union law then? I wish you had the chance to see their faces after years and years refusing Spanish courts when the European sentence was published. Yikes!

After these years of cringe and international circus, separatists have given up on independence (and Catalonia particularly) because they ended up at the conclusion that it is impossible to live independently and it is better to suck up the resources of the State. One of the members of congress of the Catalonian political separatist parties said in the Congress: I will only stay 15 months in the Congress of the fascist state bla bla, because that's the time we need to get independence. He has been a representative for six years in a row and remains because there were national elections and he will still be in Congress. Is this a circus or am I losing something? Why don't we have correct politicians? Jesus Christ...

Maybe you will no longer care about this little Mediterranean Kosovo. But it is funny how the tables have turned. From wishing the independence of an evil state to see the Spanish National Team at the Camp Nou.

The Trump campaign is already selling merch of his mugshot. It will go down as one of the most famous shots in American history. I’m buying for posterity. — NOS4A2

$25 for just a coffee mug. Jesus Christ...
The price of the t-shirt is $34, holy molly!

I haven't exchanged words and arguments with you yet, but I appreciate your kindness. I think appreciation is one of the key features of each person.

Finished Don Quixote a few weeks back. — Maw

I always wondered how would be to read Don Quixote in other languages. If it is complex in Spanish, I cannot imagine in English or Japanese. It may be the same thought when Ulysses is read in a foreign language, as well as Genji Monogatari, and so on.

Translators have made it possible for us to read novels from all over the world.

Are you sure? Isn't that just as much about confidence? — Amity

I think more than confidence, it is finishing what it has started.

A way of carrying out the task. — Amity

I agree, and I couldn't have said it better. This is what is expected from a qualified person. Don't you think?

Well, I think perseverance is a method. It is about of maintaining the pace every day constantly. It doesn't depend on positive attitude because even in "bad days" those writers still have the attitude to keep writing because they developed such method. At least it is just the way I see it but, if I say I want to write a 1,000 page novel, I will do it for sure. That's what perseverance is about, the technique comes later on.

Aren't you considering perseverance as a method? :chin:

Exactly. Sooner or later, we urgently need help to face our mood. I discover this issue when I became mature and I started to accept that I need medication to help me out. To be honest, I do not like therapy, so that's why always tried to find another solution or option.

On the other hand, addiction to sugar is an important issue too, and I am worried about kids as much as you do. Well, it is another action by the hypocrisy of the state and corporations. I have already pointed out the big problem of alcohol and tobacco, but sugar is another one. While some get notoriously mad for consuming CBD, they allow children to become obese and letting their childish brain on the dependence of that trash... I cannot even understand this situation. Why it is allowed to eat food processing it is something that cannot behold with arguments. I wish some would have more responsibility for their decisions, but it seems that most do not care because money is more important anyway...

To be honest, when I was a teenager (around 12 or 15 years old), I thought that the people who were consumers were taking drugs out of self pleasure. I was totally wrong. I discovered with the passing of the years that it is acceptable to face life struggles, and I wish that the state would be responsible on this matter rather than just criminalize both producers and consumers.(Act with less hypocrisy, while it is permitted to consume alcohol and tobacco.)

I will need to read something by him, since my story received several comparisons. Never heard of him before then! — hypericin

I will always recommend his works. I understand that he is not everyone's cup of tea, but even those accept that he is an exceptional novelist.

For examples of someone trying to unsuccessfully ‘escape medication addiction’, I wonder if public violent meltdowns (and shootings) qualify? (Tangential but important question). — 0 thru 9

Good question.

I think it could be a causal factor. Given its complexity, we can never know about the meltdowns of a person who is struggling to get rid of psychiatric pills. We just briefly understand that they end up in "Drug withdrawal syndrome" and depending on each patient one could act violently.

I am not a doctor nor a psychologist, but I personally believe that those need like a "placebo" using plants or oil, for example.

Thanks for that valuable data friend. I already discussed with you the counter effects of mixing them up, but after such tragic experience :lol: I learned something important: Cannabidiol (aka CBD) is much better than mood medications. I did the clinical trial of not taking pills of bromazepam and only taking CBD. The results were fascinating. I feel better with myself and I do not have that grapefruit interaction nor Rebound effect.
I agree with you. Cannabis could be very helpful to face anxiety or mood disorders. It could be interesting to mix it with other plants like Valerian or Lavender. All of this natural... I ain't a doctor either but Jeez I guess natural gummies are better than chemical stuff...

My writing process is based on perseverance. I am not a professional writer or novelist, but I fully recommend a lecture on "novelist as vocation" by Murakami. He expressed his ups and downs during the process of his novels. It inspired me the fact that he he puts the effort of writing everyday, and he doesn't leave his desktop until he reaches five or more pages (written in Japanese characters)

As time goes by, and you get older, and you notice that was not true. Truth is that, everyone dies eventually, and they never come back forever. — Corvus

Exactly. This can be one of the universal affirmative premises.

The fact that everyone will die one day. — Corvus

I thought the same, but I supposed that was obvious.

By the way, glad to see you around again, Corvus.

Joji :flower: I think I already posted something about him here.

1. Read a philosophy text and attempt to understand it.
2. Read a different philosophy text, even by the same author, and attempt to understand it.
3. Compare and contrast the two texts. If able write some things down to attempt to solidify your thoughts. Share it with anyone interested!
4. Repeat, if desired, or add a rule. (Purposefully ambiguous) — Moliere

5. Try to search for a definition of a concept if it is not understood. :smile:

Javi is Spanish
But his soul is Japanese
He is passionate — T Clark

You know I love when you say my soul is Japanese. I have not visited Japan yet. What will happen when I would do so? A criss-crossed between my mind and soul?

Those three examples are not haiku. They are zappai (or even senryū, the last one) because there is not a kigo (a reference to summer, autumn, spring or winter) and they just reflect ideas, not feelings nor amazement.
It is not necessary to express a lot words in a haiku. It is about to be precise and specific. For example, this one by Bashoō is more philosophical than the rest:

Oh, tranquility!

Penetrating the very rock,

A cicada’s voice.

... What an excellent haiku for summertime, right? :smile:

Haiku is not a Zen souvenir. It is Japanese art and literature. To compose a haiku, you need to work out on Japanese aesthetics previously.

Underground, Haruki Murakami.

@Tom Storm Tom, you asked me a few months ago what were the best Murakami's books. I replied with a two novels and one essay, but now I must update it because the essay that I am currently reading is a masterpiece.

The book is about the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack. Between February and December 1996, Murakami works as a journalist and asks a few questions to the victims. He even went to the trial of the terrorists too. He did this with the aim to help the victims and their families to get more respect and recognition, because the press was treating them badly...

The testimonial of the victims and the talent of Murakami to transcribe it all, makes this essay very worthy to read. :up:

Why is the body so complicated lol. Jerry Seinfeld said if our car needed as much maintenance as our body, we’d get rid of it because of the hassle! — 0 thru 9

LMAO he nailed it! :lol:

I slept better this night. I found a trick: Drinking Valerian tea previously to take the dose of CBD. I think it helped me because when I took it I was like... Drowsy.

Yes, I still consume melatonin but even these were not so effective due to the heat wave of the week before! Crazy.

I am happy to know that the problem was not the Cannabis oil but this hateful summer time.

Here’s an article about how CBD might affect metabolism of medications. — 0 thru 9

Interesting. I think I could have one of the factors because I take one pill mood medications, such as to treat anxiety. Maybe this is why - sometimes, it doesn't happen always - I wake up with fatigue or I feel dizzy during the first hours of the morning. :chin:

Good morning :flower:

Hello mate, how are you doing! I see that the last time you were connected was one month ago. I guess you are in a summer break, but I have some information on Cannabis that I want to share with you.

I was trying 25 % oil CBD. The portion is used at night, just before to go to bed. I bought this from a third person who works in a Tattoo shop. We both were debating about the use of Cannabis for sleep purposes, and he recommended this little jar. It is very small, indeed. I think this proportion is even legal, but I bought so secretly... :lol:

I have a problem. Despite I take the dose everything I cannot sleep very well or even it takes a lot of hours to reach the sleep. Now, I am worried because I am thinking that it has its counter-effects. Nonetheless, we are having a big damn heat wave in Spain, and maybe this is the problem and not the Cannabis itself.

If it would have counter-effects, insomnia would not be one of them, right? I guess Cannabis is far of activate our nervous system. Did you ever have an experience like this?

I am not arguing if it is true or not, I am just trying to understand both of them. :sweat:

Aristotle is using categories to discover differences, whereas Wittgenstein is using categories to discover similarities — RussellA

Thank you RussellA, I appreciate your help and how you explained it so clearly. :up:

On the other hand, the Wittgenstein's text that I quoted previously is integrated in a book of Steven Pinker that I am currently reading and this psychoolinguist says: Concepts in the mind pick out categories in the world, and the simplest explanation of concepts is that they are conditions for membership in a category, a bit like definitions in a dictionary. Most of our everyday categories, and not just games, show Wittgenstein's family resemblance and crisscrossing features.

I understand now that language categories are listed for searching similarities instead of differences. For example: The word "vegetables" is criss-crossed by many different products but similar each other.

Glad to know that there is a thread related to Wittgenstein about commentaries on his work. Thanks to @Sam26 for starting it up years ago. I also want to share a brief paragraph of Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations.

66. Consider for example the proceedings we call "games." I mean board-games, card-games, ball-games, Olympic games, and so on. What is common to them all? - Don't say: There must be something common, or they would not be called "games" - but look and see whether there is anything common to all. - For if you loom at them you will not see something that is common to all, but similarities, relationships, and a whole series of them at that. To repeat: don't think, but look! -- Look fir example at board-games, with their multifarious relationships. Now pass to card-games; here you will find many correspondences with the first group, but many common features drop out, and others appear. When we pass to ball-games much that is common is retained, but much is lost - Are they all "amusing"? Compare chess with noughts and crosses. Or is there always winning and loosing, or competition between players? Think now of games like ring-a-ring-a-roses; here is the element of amusement, but how many other characteristic features have disappeared!

And the result if this examination is: we see a complicated network of similarities overlapping and criss-crossing.
I can think of no better expression to characterise these similarities than "family resemblances" [...] and I shall say: "games" for a family.

This paragraph had an important impact in the 1970s, psychologists and linguists. Many human concepts family resemblance categories rather than classical concepts (Aristotelian).

I consider all of this very interesting in terms of linguistics, but I am quite lost in distinguishing Wittgenstein's categories from Aristotle's. If someone could help me, I would appreciate it so much!

I would think a nomadic lifestyle is similar to travelling/backpacking. While I enjoyed the experience, I eventually missed the comforts and security of home, and it felt like a relief to come back. — Down The Rabbit Hole

Good point! :up:

I think you just posted some arguments to claim that you don't want to be responsible with yourself either the State you live in.

Words and rules: The ingredients of language.
By Steven Pinker.

Humankind had two very good inventions: clothing and writing, and two very bad ones: money and religion. — Vera Mont

Why do you consider religion as a bad invention?

Master and Emperor Mishima, yeah! :100:

Heroic death, yes :flower:
For me, this man will always be the representation of a legend.

He received more respect in Europe/USA than in Japan. :death:

I'm not disagreeing with what is the case de lege lata. I'm just questioning whether that serves as an argument in moral philosophy. There might be lots of reasons why the rules are as they are that are unrelated to a philosophical argument. — Echarmion

Laws are published with the aim of ruling a society objectively (at least that's how I interpret it after eight years of law researcher and public worker). The objective cause here is that every citizen has the faculty of exercise their rights equally. Otherwise, if we put limits depending on the abilities of individuals, the laws would be subjective, which is a terrible mistake.

I do not know whether it is defensible in a "Philosophy of moral" point of view, but a "Philosophy of law" one. What I exposed previously is a "warrant" or guarantee. Every lawmaker shall act with the aim of promoting guarantees for the citizens. Is this moral? I do not know! Let's see what the judges interpret. :smile:

It doesn't follow that it actually makes sense to ascribe rights to someone who isn't even theoretically capable of exercising them. It's the carer who really has the rights and obligations. — Echarmion

You are misunderstanding the concepts. The handicapped person is the one who holds the rights and the carer the one who exercises them. This is the main cause of naming a carer in court, to help others out. This civil rights are taught when you study law.

Non-human animals, as I said. Not sure where you're going with this. — Echarmion

I am lost here. I do not understand what you refer to.

You can unilaterally respect someone or something, but to have a right you need to at least theoretically be able to exercise it. — Echarmion

I disagree. For example: a handicapped person is not capable of exercising a lot of rights by himself. Yet, the state concedes benefits to help them out to exercise them through a legal carer.

Are animal rights really animal rights if no actual (non-human) animals are involved on either side of the process? — Echarmion

What do you consider as "actual" animals then?

Each species has its own characteristics. I am aware that it is a complex matter, but this does not prevent the fact that we should be more respectful towards the animal kingdom. Yes, you are right that it is not the same to be "ethical" with a dog that with a crocodile.

Animals have always been our truest allies ever. Thanks to them, humanity started to become sedentary. We owe them a lot of positive things. Nonetheless, it is proven that most humans acted dangerously against the integrity and perseverance of the animal race. We have destroyed their habitat, burned down their forests, polluted their oceans, etc.

So, in this context, it is necessary to rule on the protection of animals. It is not only an "ought" but a must. For example: In Spain, animals are already considered "sentient beings" and if someone treats them badly, he/she can suffer a lot of consequences in the justice.

I agree with the act of considering animals as part of our society and owning the same rights and respect. I wish most people would be tolerant of the environment and species.

more enlightened legal codes do place some official limits on how their citizen treat other animals. Those laws were no easy matter to legislate! — Vera Mont

I agree. It is true that they were not easy to legislate but it was necessary. I have full respect for those countries which rule towards the integrity of animals. My country is included there and we now recognize animals as "sentient beings". It is the only thing likable of my government indeed. :smile: