JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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Why do Japanese change their attitude when they communicate with foreigners?
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Confrontation
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U.S. Navy investigating how parts fell off aircraft near Atsugi
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4
California court to decide if SeaWorld whales are illegal 'slaves'
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5
Kuroki reported pregnant 2 weeks after denying relationship with Akanishi
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- Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Kanto region
- RCS (RCSコーポレーション), Kanto
- Salary: ¥180,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month includes performance bonus
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- Assistant Language Teacher - TOKYO - late-March start
- Interac, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥230,000 ~ ¥255,000 / Month
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- Assistant Language Teacher - Kanagawa Prefecture - late-March start
- Interac, Kanagawa
- Salary: ¥230,000 ~ ¥255,000 / Month
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Alphaape
I guess I had finally better get rid of those old casettes from the 80's that I used to record off the radio in order to play the songs whenever I wanted to hear them. I thought that in commercial television, the money is generated from the selling of ad time, and also product placement in shows. So if I Tivo something from the free airwaves and watch it on my pc, and send it to someone who missed the original airing date, is that a crime?
Posted in: 30 arrested for illegally sharing manga, music, movies, TV shows online
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Alphaape
@SushiSake3: I would say he stopped reading newspapers back in 1992. Remember all the women who came forth with accusations against Bill Clinton? Of course it was a "right wing conspiracy" but none of the allegations were proven false. Even made a few of the accusers "celebrities" in the reality show medium. Also to be fair, there was considerable conversation and still is about Gingrich and his past maritial affairs. Though I don't think some of these things should really be brought up in an election, but they way that they are handled by the media is telling.
Posted in: Woman alleges affair with presidential hopeful Cain
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Alphaape
@ The Munya Times: Good point.
I would say those 61% single men may be smarter than we think.
Posted in: 61% of single men aged 18-34 have no girlfriend; 49% of women unattached: survey
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Alphaape
I tink that is a root cause of the issue also. Have you ever seen the titles of some of the JAV that is out there. I know some of the translations may be off but names that deal with incest and "taboo mother love" seem to be some of the ones that I have seen. Of course these are actors playing the roles, but the thought of the titles that gives some to live believe that they are watching their fantasies is sometimes disturbing.
I think the ease of getting sex without work for both parties, i.e. men going to the soaplands and other areas and women who can join the cell phone clubs or go online for quick hook ups, has taken over in the way of people developing relationships. It is hard to build a relationship through what would be a "normal" courtship process, and you do get rejected. But if young people don't know how to handle rejection, I think they will go the easiest way and try to buy "it" and not put in the effort to build a long term relationship.
Posted in: 61% of single men aged 18-34 have no girlfriend; 49% of women unattached: survey
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Alphaape
This is what confuses me about Japan. Just as you say about the "foreign spouse abuse" card and why the child should stay in Japan, but yet I bet the child is probably bullied and treated as a "second class" person because the child is mixed. Especially if the mix is with a darker skinned person and not white. At least in America, the child would not face this problem as much as they would in Japan.
Curious, why would she want to renew her residency status if she lives in Japan. She would have to come to the states at least once a year and have a permanent mailing address in the states to keep living in Japan. Only if she is married to a person who works as a government employee overseas and has an overseas letter of employment or is married to a person in the military, she would be able to keep permanent residency without actually being in the USA (as is my case).
Something tells me that there is more to her story and background. If she had no desire to come back to the US, why bother renewing residency.
Posted in: American father wins custody of daughter taken to Japan
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Alphaape
If the lady was walking down the street minding her own business and the police beat her with a baton, I would be outraged.
But she made the decision to go to the protest. Mind you she has every right to do so, but in doing so she is also taking the chance that if things go sour at the protest, she could wind up getting caught up in the mix and getting hit. It's all about personal responsiblity.
Posted in: 'Occupy' protesters clash with NY traders, police
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Alphaape
Don't understand much Japanese, but the TV I do see seems to be somewhat childish in some manners. No real discussion seem to be going on about the issues of the day. It seems from what I pick up is that everyone seems to be following the same political line. Don't they have any type of point/counterpoint shows that actually carry on discussions about issues and not just tow the same line?
They don't need to get as polarized as the US media with the left/right agenda, but for Pete's sake actually have a show about what is going on in the world, and don't stack a panel with a bunch of hacks who sit and gaze at amazement while viewing a video tape of some person in a third world country living below the Japananese standard and marvel at how people could actually live like that.
Posted in: Japanese viewers tuning out, turning off their TVs
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Alphaape
It's about time the government of the PI started to look after their own. Now they need to start tackling the graft and corruption in their own country, which is one of the reasons why the poor there have to leave and go to these banned countries to find work.
Posted in: Philippine workers banned from 41 countries due to abuse
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Alphaape
Not true. If he was released early, he would still have to face prosecution in the US for his crime. It is not "double jeapordy" since he wasn't convicted in a US court. While he is in prison, he still will be considered a US soldier until such time as he is released. I know people here in Yokosuka whose job is to go and visit Americans in JN prisons, and the stories they tell are pretty bad.
People in these situations still face criminal charges when they get out. Some who were "high profile" cases are still in, no time commuted.
Posted in: U.S. soldier in S Korea gets 10 years for raping teenage girl
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Alphaape
What people really don't understand is that everyone has drank treated sewer water. At a treatment plant, they remove the sludge and sewage and then release the treated water back into the eco system. That same water starts the process all over again. If it is dumped into a lake or river, it is evaporated and falls back to the earth in the form or rain or other forms of precipitation. Considering what is found in nature and where the water goes, good thing we treat it before it gets into the tap water system.
Posted in: Lawmaker drinks decontaminated water from Fukushima plant
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Alphaape
@tmarie: To answer your question, they will get about 3 1/2 years for raping an American GI. Back in October 2011, a South Korean man was sentenced last week to 3 1/2 years in prison for the rape of a Camp Casey soldier in Uijeongbu last summer.
"The man, a 25-year-old convenience store clerk identified only by his last name of Ju because of privacy concerns, met the soldier at a Uijeongbu nightclub on July 10." So much for naming and shaming him like they did this American.
To quote from the article that was in Stars & Stripes: "He danced with her and then followed her as she walked to the restroom, according to a Uijeongbu District Court judge. He raped the woman around 3 a.m. in the building’s staircase, police and court officials said. The 18-year-old victim had arrived in South Korea only a week before the incident, according to a Uijeongbu police officer. 'We also took into consideration the fact that Ju is a first-time offender, and committed his crime unintentionally after drinking and regrets his wrongdoings,' he said."
Just goes to show I think we should let South Korea fend for themselves. Instead of people demanding an apology from Obama, I think their president should offer up an apology for this crime too.
Posted in: U.S. soldier in S Korea gets 10 years for raping teenage girl
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Alphaape
Same thing was done by ADM Rickover, the father of the Nuclear Navy to prove the same point. Wate in itself can't become radioactive. However, the particles in water can carry the radiation if they are irradiated. That is why in reactors, the water used is distilled as best as possible. They try for 99% purity.
So as long as he is confident that they water was properly distilled and no particle were in it, then it should pose no problem.
Posted in: Lawmaker drinks decontaminated water from Fukushima plant
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Alphaape
This is true. I can see in the past when you needed land to grow food, but Japan import mosts of it's food. And for the food that is grown here, there have been great advances in farming techniques to grow food where it was not able to grow before.
What we see in Japan is a matter of people not wanting to really do anything about it. Think about it, you now have people taking shinkansens to Tokyo to work everyday from far places. Japan has the best rail infrastructure in the world. It would just be a matter of telling the people, "It's ok to not live in Tokyo, spread out a little." But you still have that mentality of having to be in Tokyo to be proven successful, in my opinion.
I am not talking about deforesting all of Japan and taking away the green areas, but I do think the land area could be managed more effectively.
Posted in: World's 7 billionth person will be born on Monday
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Alphaape
I remember back in the 80's with the Iran-Contra scandal and how it affected Reagan. Press was all over it because a Republican was in the White House. Also with the lead up to the Iraq war and the WMD's, press was all over it again when it was found that there weren't any.
But somehow, the press is not really pushing this issue too much about the "Fast and Furious" case. Sure you get some hits and you probably have to look at Fox to get continuing coverage, but where is the NYT and other media demanding an explination from the Obama Admin. I guess it is good to have the press on your side.
Posted in: 21 killed in series of shootouts in Mexico
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Alphaape
@realmind: What does China and the USA have to do with this? It's a Brazil problem. Also, if they were going to make solar power plants in Brazil, they would need electricty to run them. Obviously if Brazil feels the need to build the 3rd largest dam in the world then they need electricity.
Brazil is also a leading producer of oil and natural gas too. And the US is not as big as a polluter as India and some of the other nations in the world. We do have tough standards in regards to environmental protections, more so than China.
I will agree with you on preserving the rain forest. They need to be kept as best as possible. But if you take a look at where a lot of the word that is cut and raw materials that are mined are going, and you will probably find out that they are headed to China.
Posted in: Hundreds occupy dam construction site in Brazil
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Alphaape
@yabits: I am well aware of the history and understand fully. If you can't get nominated from a "smoke filled room " (thank you anti-antismoking in public do gooders), then you need some way to stack the deck in your favor. Hencs the superdelegate. They may be elected officials, but what gives them the right to decide to cast an additional vote, after the supposed party caucuses have made their voce heard and send a delegate that is supposed to vote on what his caucus wanted. So under the Dem plan, as long as you have that extra delegate in your pocket that you paid for, you are guarenteed a nomination.
So you are telling me that is a good thing?
Posted in: Obama waits for GOP race to end 'Survivor'-style
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Alphaape
He decided himself, as Kennedy did in 1980 to take on the incumbent. It's not a "party" thing; it's a personal thing.
@yabits: That is my point. You mean to tell me that there is no one in the Dem party who would want to challenge the current president. It seems that they all are trying to avoid being seen with him when he makes visits.
Sure the guy who tried to challenge RR was a long shot, but at least he tried. Not seeing that from the Dems.
As for your comments on if I don't llike the rules change parties, I have. I just find it amazing that a party that supposedly speaks for the "working class" will nullify their vote (in the primaries) by nullifying their vote with a "superdelegate" whom they did vote to represent them, but decided by party bosses.
FYI, if I would have been posting here in 2004, I would have made the same comments about the GOP and them not putting up a candidate.
Posted in: Obama waits for GOP race to end 'Survivor'-style
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Alphaape
Very nice picture, and models too. Something about simple beauty and elegance, and not being too made up with outlandish hair colors and immodest clothing.
Posted in: Tokyo Kimono Week
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Alphaape
@globalwatcher: It will be a good read. You will read it and see history repeating itself today with the same thing that went on in the PI back then. It will provide excellent detail on why the Moros did not like the Tagalogs from the other parts of the PI (and vice versa).
Posted in: 10,000 flee fighting in southern Philippines
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Alphaape
@yabits: Answer, no real challenger, and that was wrong for the GOP. They needed field a candidate just as much as the Dems do now. Funny, I seem to remember everyone decrying Bush then and how the GOP had no one person to challenge him. Many libs thought that was not right. I guess once they get into power, they can do as they wish.
Not being dumb, I see you managed to not answer my comments about the Dems having to use superdelgates in 2008 to ensure their annointed one actually gets the nomination. Instead of answering that you resort to petty name calling.
1992: GHW Bush was faced against Buchaan, and Perot. 1984: Reagan was in competition against Harold Stassan 1976: Gearld Ford vs Ronald Reagan
Looking at the 1976 primary election, at least the GOP had a chance to get RR in the public eye to be seen more as future presidental material. Sure he was known for being the Gov of CA and a movie actor, but he wasn't taken as a serious presidental contender before that. I submit to you, if the Dems want to at least make an attempt to keep the White Hose in 2016 (if Obama actually wins in 2012), they had better get someone out there campaigning to make a name for themselves, otherwise a GOP candidate will get elected.
Posted in: Obama waits for GOP race to end 'Survivor'-style