JAPUNDIT would like to take this moment to wish all of our readers and contributors a very Merry Christmas…. And if you do not celebrate Christmas, Happy Whatever!

We have a clearly defined and pretty strictly enforced policy concerning commenting on the JAPUNDIT News Site, which is posted on the About Japundit page here.

Though everyone is by now probably familiar with our long-standing ban on any discussion or even mention of U.S. politics and policies (except those that are directly related to Japan and East Asia), a comment also may be deleted for other reasons as well, including the following.

• Drive-by sniping
• Complaints or comments about site policy
• Complaints or comments about site content
• Comment flooding with unrelated subject matter in a way that is judged to be placing a damper on an ongoing discussion.

For full details, see our About Japundit page here.

We recently have had people posting in the comments section of the Japundit News Pages about an organization called Automart Japan.

Japundit has never done business with Automart Japan and so we are not in a position to comment either way. However, we are providing this space as a public service to those who have been posting notes on the news pages.

The whole thing started with the following post by member dmogwe.

Early in August this year while looking for a bargain of a used car I came across this site http://www.automartjapan.com. I then made enquiries regarding a particular vehicle that I was interested in and subsequently I was sent an invoice for US 2,300.00. the Name of this company was AUTO MART JAPAN and i was dealing with some people called Richard Bent and Suzuki Junko. subsequently i wired the funds on the 19th. August 2008 and some days later the website changed and these guys were silent. I have tried to get help from The Japanese Used Motor Vehicle Exporters Association without any success. The details of the bank where I wired the money are:
The bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFG Ltd.
Ueno Brach,
1-14-4 higashi Ueno, Taito Ku, Tokyo, 110-0015 , Japan
the account holder: Auto Mart Japan
Account Number: 5463066

to date no one has helped me in getting to the bottom of this.

A lot of bizarreness taking place in the so-called “climate change” front in the U.S. this weekend, and since it does not fit our posting rules, here is an Open Thread for this weekend.

Just about anything else (except spam and real bad stuff, of course) goes.

• Proposed tax on smelly cows, hogs angers farmers…
• Georgia county imposes $500 fine on residents for not recycling…
• State of RI wants to tax drivers based on their mileage…
• Climate protesters demand swifter U.N. action…
• Climate scientists say ‘08 will be coolest year of decade…

I was flittering around on Twitter today and noticed a question posted by someone who had just been in Japan (Dr. Beth Meyer), asking why buffets over here are called baiking (viking).

I replied it was because of: buffet > smorgasbord > From Sweden > Land of the Vikings

Dr. Beth then told me she had found a longer (and much more interesting but unsubstantiated) story of the origins of the term here.

Would any of the Japundits like to chime in on this?

With all of the action here at JAPUNDIT these days, we have decided to raise the required vote threshold for promotion from the UPCOMING page to the TOP STORIES page from 5 to 6.

The following is the general JAPUNDIT policy for handling multiple postings of the same news item.

1. A news item that is double posted soon after having been posted originally will be deleted without notice.

2. A news item that is double posted after some time has passed after having been posted originally will be allowed to stand without deletion.

We really don’t want to get into the business of closely monitoring posts, so the above general policy will be applied solely at the discretion of JAPUNDIT Admin.

The JAPUNDIT News Pages are very lively, with new members joining almost daily. Thanks to all of the members who are doing so much to make the site a success.

A high level of activity also increases the possibility that some overlap will occur in the stories being posted.

The following are some ways contributors can help avoid multiple posting of the same story.

1. Before starting to post a new story, use the search box in the right side bar to search for a key word in your story. If your story is about polar bears, for example, searching for “polar bear” is a good way to find out if your intended topic already has been covered.

2. As you enter a URL, title, and description on the “submit story” tab, a list of related stories will appear at the bottom of the tab. Check these stories to see if someone already has posted something similar.