Raoul’s Two Cents: April 4, 2025

Those Japanese

For the past few weeks you may have noticed that I babbled on and on. I do apologize for that. Coming up with these articles isn’t easy. We writers have our off days too.

I appreciate that a dear friend pointed that out to me the other day. He suggested I come to my point more quickly. Our talk reminded me of the beautiful Japanese poetry called Haiku. They are short, to-the-point and leave the reader admiring the brevity and the powerful message packed inside.

Coincidentally, last Sunday I had a conversation with a church mate who just retired from the marketing division of Toyota. He said that Toyota’s quality control was so stringent that there are only 10 parking slots at the end of the factory’s production line. There is where the inspectors measure every single gap in the doors, the tightness of the steering wheel, the flashing of the signal lights, etc. Each car comes with a fixed number of parts that are supposed to be assembled in that model. If they discover a solitary screw that is unattached, an alarm goes off and the whole plant stops production until they figure out where that screw should have gone. Compare that to factories of General Motors where there are hundreds of parking slots at the inspection line. Quality for the Japanese vs. volume for the Americans.

We wondered when the Japanese started their attention to detail. I theorized it was perfected during the reconstruction era after World War II. But, the next day, a Japanese-American friend said this has been honed for centuries.

The Japanese remind me of the bees. According to an article a friend sent me, you will never find a cemetery of bees in the beehive. Why? When an old bee realizes he is about to die, he doesn’t return to the hive anymore after his day’s work. He snuggles alone inside a flower for the evening’s sleep. If he wakes up to a new morning he collects honey as he normally does. Then waits again inside a flower for a new day until that day never comes.

Japanese and bees. What an impressive, selfless efficient society. Very Christian if you ask me. Many lessons to learn.

But this is just me. TGIF people!

Some delightful haiku I found:

I love this guy, (Nolen Lee). He mixes poetry with humor and illustration.

“If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if an hour, I am ready now.” — Woodrow Wilson

“Be open minded, but not so open minded that your brains fall out.” — Groucho Marx

“Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” — James 4:14

JOKE OF THE WEEK

Thanks to Wyne of Metro Manila, Philippines

Parting Shots

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA

Thanks to Wyne of Metro Manila, Philippines

Thanks to Juan of San Diego

Thanks to Colleen of Washington State

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Thanks to Norm of Encino, CA

Thanks to Joanne of Hacienda Heights, CA

Thanks to Drew of Anaheim, CA

I found these:

My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with these.

Got any good jokes? Come share it with rest of us!

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