JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
-
1
Teacher nabbed for using miror to peek up girl's skirt
-
2
Japan's nuclear safety standards flawed, says commission chief
-
3
To be healthy, live in the big city
-
4
From carnivores to herbivores: how men are defined in Japan
-
5
Why do Japanese change their attitude when they communicate with foreigners?
-
- English Instructor (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe)
- Berlitz Japan, Inc. (ベルリッツ・ジャパン株式会社), Kansai
- Salary: ¥125,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month
-
- FT English Teachers for Kids - Osaka
- Kohgakusha Co., Ltd. （株式会社興学社）, Osaka
- Salary: ¥255,000 ~ ¥275,000 / Month Travel Expenses, Encouragement of Japanese learning*
-
- Translator
- ZAIHON, Inc. (日本財務翻訳株式会社), Tokyo
- Salary: ¥6.0M / Year Negotiable
0
Azrael
Maybe 'large physique' just means, she should be tall, with large skeleton frame? Maybe over 1.70m tall?
... Yet yes, from the request it does seem like they want someone stereotypically fat.
Posted in: NHK casting for foreigners for drama
0
Azrael
On December last year I found roasted turkey legs at the supermarket, imported from somewhere and just sitting there next to packaged chicken. Apparently they were not on demand. I got one for me, it was passable and not too dry. However it was impossible to find turkey breast pieces. I guess Japanese don't like turkey.
Posted in: People may think it's expensive, but it would be perfect for a party.
0
Azrael
Actually, stealing their keys would be a good move. They'd be forced to take a cab, and next morning you can return the keys - of course this works best if the drunken one is someone you actually care about, your best friend, significant other, your parent or sibling. If they are -that- drunk, would they notice anyway? I prefer to have a fight with a living one that mourn them later. Or be asked for bail money.
As for the original questions, yes to both. One for omission and the other for complicity.
Posted in: Should bar owners who serve alcohol to customers knowing they are driving be liable for prosecution if the customer is involved in a traffic accident? Should passengers in cars driven by drunk drivers be also liable for prosecution?
0
Azrael
Maybe they need a Union or other legal organization to push for changes.
Indeed, care-giving is one of the most ungrateful and psychologically demanding jobs in medical career. Caregivers need not only a better pay, but a system of support for them too, including psychology and counseling. Japan in general is so passive-aggressive it's easy for employers to push the employees to the edge of sanity and physical exertion without batting an eye, and then labeling employees as lazy when they reach breaking point. All they need is to manage their wording and requests. Even having a strong will it's sometimes exhausting to ward off the passive-aggressiveness prevalent in Japanese work environment. I am almost certain that is one of the reasons karoshi happens. Employees do not have the tools (nor psychological or legal) to defend themselves and employers just don't know when to stop (since it's almost a norm to ignore human suffering and common sense). Even school-bullying is a sort of training into such a social ill. It's inhumane.
As for people who claim nurses and caregivers that break down psychologically are incompetent, get real. Humans are not robots.
Article Unavailable
0
Azrael
Yep, DVDs look just fine to me as well, and being cheaper than Blue-ray the decision between the two is a no-brainer. Plus in Japan buying a DVD from Amazon.uk is cheaper than buying it from Amazon.jp (shipping fees included! It's incredible - I think the Japanese are made to pay dearly for those Japanese subtitles). I never spend more than 1500yen on a DVD. Blue-ray is SO expensive.
Posted in: Can Blu-ray save Christmas for Hollywood?
0
Azrael
The video looks fun. I'd love to go to the museum and experience the pool exhibit :D.
Posted in: Art installation
0
Azrael
I have no idea why, but this photo reminds me of REM's Orange Crush c.c;
Article Unavailable
0
Azrael
The whole Akihabara incident only made me wonder about spontaneous cruelty that often runs free in the safe anonymity of mobs. Not only in general, but also how it is possible to visualize in their impunity, the impunity of war criminals such as the Japanese soldiers that invaded Asia. Certainly, from the point of view of the people agonizing on Akihabara streets with hundreds of excited people avidly shooting their agony, the whole incident was monstrous. All these people did not see human beings, but only cool images to take and share with their friends; they were too excited and eager to shoot pictures to remember these were human beings. The fact that people pleaded for mercy and went unheeded makes it even worse. The spontaneity, the joy of the people snapping videos and the despair in which human lives ended... is unfathomable.
After the Akihabara incident, I still sometimes look at the crowds in the street where so many elderly may have been part of the Japanese armies, and I wonder if Akihabara and the fall of Asian cities have something in common that is still alive in the crowds around me. When the US Army invaded my city more than a decade ago, I saw mobs of looters, robbers and anarchy as people grasped for food and need, others simply looted for greed - but I didn't see anything like this.
Posted in: The day Japan’s netizens turned news on its head
0
Azrael
Due to my graduate studies in Japan, I have stayed in dozens of ryokans with my group (classmates and professors). Maybe because I am very obviously in a Japanese group, I've not encountered problems with the ryokan staff often, even if my Japanese is not exactly awesome. Specially the ryokans with old oku-sama in charge are friendly towards guests. In Sharakawa-go, we stayed at a big family ryokan that looked ancient but the attention was excellent. The owner (an old lady) would even entertain dinners with some stories about the area and conversation (kind of like Geisha do, I suppose - minus the dancing and music). The staff was very nice to me and when we left, the cook gave me a bowl to mix green tea as a gift. That was very nice.
The only time during a school trip that I noticed possible racism going on was in Nagano, during a ski trip. Our professor took us to a big Onsen to go to the baths and dine at the Onsen's restaurant. When we got our locker keys, I was putting mine on my wrist when the clerk saw me, in the middle of the girls. She looked alarmed and tried to speak, but the group quickly steered me away and into the baths. No one else got in our way. I couldn't help but notice my group had "sneaked" me in, since names are not asked and we were traveling as a large group. I thought quite a bit about it, but we never talked about it.
My experience traveling in Japan is that of a graduate student, always in a group of peers and professors. Perhaps because of this and the places where we stayed were chosen by our office, I found friendliness in most places. As for shops and visits to historic areas, it's been very much the same. Since we went as a group we'd have a guide waiting for us, and local professors would give us speeches. Sometimes there's been English pamphlets, sometimes not. Never in Spanish, though. Sometimes there's pamphlets in Korean.
Something I've noticed is that the pamphlets in various languages do not say the same exact things Japanese pamphlets say. The translations are way too short and simple, omitting information that makes people miss out on the exhibits and places. This makes me wonder if translations are charged by the word e.e;. More information available in various languages would be quite helpful. The sites in general (cultural sites, village museums, city museums, temples, historical factories turned museums and so on) do not seem happy and eager to receive foreign visitors. The general impression is, when there's for example English information it is short, curt and unsatisfying as if the foreign visitor is welcomed but expected to leave as quickly as possible. The side effect is, Japanese cultural treasures seem unworthy of explanation, the foreign visitor cannot understand the importance of the exhibits and places, and when going abroad they do not entice other possible tourists with their stories as much as they could, if better attended by Japan.
Posted in: What does Japan need to do in order to attract more tourists?
0
Azrael
Skipthesong made quite a concise explanation; I agree with him. People have the right to disagree and to defend what they consider right. Homosexuality remains undefined - is it an imbalance of the body, a choice, a mental disorder? Certainly it is an incongruity of the human body, where body and mind are dissociated. Apparently, there is a great diversity of cases and their characteristics, unlike the standard which is heterosexuality, biologically speaking. In that context, the extent of concessions society gives to such individuals is up to society. People voted against certain measures and that must be quite food for thought for some activists.
"Bigot" is a word too easily tossed around in the name of "political correctness" to bully into silence those who do not agree with the speaker - not because right or wrong, but because some people in minorities think they can insult others with impunity. Disagreeing on such a topic is not being a bigot; it's exercising the right to disagree. Disagree not with violence, but within legal frames and calm discussion. Disagreement does not mean hate. It means a boundary has been reached.
Posted in: California voters approve gay-marriage ban
0
Azrael
This is not regular "carrot and stick" diplomacy; it's religious diplomacy. In that context, the Catholic Church takes a firm and yet conciliatory posture. The Catholic Church won't turn Muslim any minute (that'd be absurd) but the Muslim as well cannot be expected to turn into a Catholic standard or so to speak. In order to reach an agreement, careful negotiations need to be held. Besides, it's already been stated this is not about Dogma or the religions themselves, but the relationships between them. The Muslim may be preposterous as you suggest, but that doesn't mean they are not willing to negotiate. Their willingness is stated by sending the letter. The Catholic Church is responding - and the Catholic Church is one of the best mediators on Earth, regardless the beliefs of the ones who ask her for mediation or peacemaking. So, the tone of the letter itself is irrelevant - the motion is what matters. Only from the meetings start and onward we may know if there'll be success in bringing peace and understanding closer or not.
Posted in: Historic Catholic-Muslim forum opens at Vatican
0
Azrael
Japanese banks are awful. They don't give interest rates and yet, charge you every time you use the ATM.
Posted in: Japan stocks surge on weaker yen, U..S election
0
Azrael
Looks like a coconuts bra.
Posted in: Jury bra
0
Azrael
Let there be hope for peace. If the Catholic Church and the Muslims are able to reach understanding that allows fellowship, it is likely that the Protestants will listen to them and want to participate (or so I hope). This won't be easy dialogue, but it cannot be postponed any longer. I am glad the Muslims took the initiative sending such a transcendent letter.
Posted in: Historic Catholic-Muslim forum opens at Vatican
0
Azrael
I think the Best Gaijinist would be something more like, for contestants with foreign partners, with points given by how good-looking the foreigner is on a scale from 1 to 10, mostly based on Anime standards. Any resemblance to Johnny Depp (without accessories such as hats and facial hair) earns brownie points (if the foreigner is male, of course).
Article Unavailable
0
Azrael
Wow, from the title I thought this would be an award meant for make-up artists, not their canvases.
And I agree with Mrs. Cleo. What sort of make-up could possibly go on a dog without making it uncomfortable? It's bad enough some people dye their dogs and put them fake nails with hellokitties and rhinestones!
Posted in: Izumi Mori wins 'Japan Make-up award'
-1
Azrael
Ack, I didn't edit before submitting... The 5th paragraph should read,
"Also consider that there is a number of children falling behind in education not only due to lack of family support as you suggest, but due to other social ills that bring about the break-down of families. I don't get your point as, why to consider demonizing a school curriculum that contemplates math, literature and biology - I see what you aim for, but I ask you to see the reverse in which to survive in the modern world and prosper, certain scientific knowledge is required - knowledge our great-grandparents may have done without. To understand the world beyond our doors, such broader human studies are indeed, necessary."
If any of the mods could replace the above paragraph into my previous post, please do.
Posted in: Should sex education be taught in schools?
-1
Azrael
Browny1:
Thanks for your reply. Indeed, informed and relevant sex education is part of broader human studies - but to a point, included in the existing curriculum, in the existing class hours. Not in the perfect world, but in this one we have, down to the ground.
I think, the more responsibility is taken away from people, the harder it is to get people to feel responsible because it will the the government's fault, yes?
That is the direct effect of Big Brother policies. If you take a look at "perfect world" utopias in books and party politics, they tend to call for total government control. You imply it is likely that someone will be offended and curiously you mentioned -families could do that, too. Did you mean, families (their views?) could offend others? I would like you to consider that our freedoms are limited by the freedoms of others. It is true, someone will always be offended - it is unavoidable. When I elaborated about standarization in my previous post, it was precisely that I was alluding to. Is "being offended" by certain policies wrong? I would say, it is not wrong. People have the right to disagree. Standarization of something as delicate as sex education would remove the right to disagree from a family/cultural context from parents and families by establishing a standard view on which basis of learning their children would be graded. That is forceful and imposing. Each family has its own beliefs, belong in a culture or cultures, have particular views on ethics and morals which are inexorably entwined with sexual education.
Also consider that there is a number of children falling behind in education not only due to lack of family support as you suggest, but due to other social ills that bring about the break-down of families. I don't get your point as, why to consider demonizing a school curriculum that contemplates math, literature and biology - I see your point, but I ask you to see the reverse in which to survive in the modern world and prosper, certain scientific knowledge is required - knowledge our great-grandparents may have done without. To understand the world beyond our doors, such broader human studies are indeed, necessary.
To summarize, I disagree that removing the right to choose their children education from the parents is a solution to anything in something as sensitive as sex education. Comprehensive human study enhanced by support from parents/caretakers is what is needed, not the contrary.
Posted in: Should sex education be taught in schools?
-1
Azrael
Browny1: Thank you for your comments.
If you look around you, you will find that the sector pushing for "sex education" in schools is the same that calls itself "liberal." This "sex education" they push for largely ignores what is already told in schools and asks for sex education more along the lines of lifestyle than biological facts. It is true, such attempts have been more or less present in previous time periods - but never before had they overtly tried to remove patria potestad and give control from personal (parents) to impersonal (governmental agencies and education institutions). So I don't think the comparison before today and past ages is appropriate.
"Big Brother" is a term from a book famous enough for you to find. "Big Brother" in popular culture is also understood as the government taking care of all your needs to the point of taking away your freedoms in exchange for commodity, stability and removing the basic need of thinking from the masses. I use the allusion to Big Brother because once the paternalist hand of government (this is a generic way to allude to governments everywhere. Generic is the keyword) it is nearly impossible to defend your own personal space. Once the power of deciding what to think, what to consider proper or what to teach to your own children is effectively removed from you and bureaucracy leads your life, Big Brother has taken over.
There is one point that people neglect when they ask for "betterment" of curriculum without examining closely what is available to them: the children themselves. It is no secret that in a classroom there will always be a number of children that sleep through class, do not study, do not have study habits and graduate form schools with astounding ignorance. The system can only do so much. There's average students and bright students, too. One of the approaches that could actually help is, to support the students who learn the less, and try to capture their attention.
Highschool graders are found to be learning less than previous generations of students at world level. The Finnish achievement - world-class highschoolers - called for much attention in Japan and in other countries because of this phenomena of students learning less worldwide. Where are the roots of the decay? Family for one, needs to be strengthened as it is the first school in a human life, one that we never graduate from. Taking the responsibility of teaching basic Humankind social basics such as sex education away from the family is tantamount to standarizing all the baggage of sex education (which is inexorably entwined to morals and ethics in every given culture). Which standard should men and women conform to? It cannot be one given by the government (as in the government in every country), obviously; that would surely remove ancestral traditions and curtain cultural freedoms.
The United Nations in their UNESCO programs list the freedom of education as a human right, and the freedom to practice one's own culture within the frame of human rights. These two rights must not collide in any way. Sex education is a very delicate matter which must be the responsibility of parents and their culture; not of something as anonymous, depersonalized and changing as governments and their education policies.
Posted in: Should sex education be taught in schools?
-1
Azrael
Schools where science is taught (namely, Biology, Anatomy, Natural Sciences) sexual education is generally one of the topics of normal classes. What else is needed is beyond me. I think the "sexual education" the liberal right asks for is a kind of paternalism, devised to removing the patria postestad from parents in order to teach children the "moral" or the Brave New World.
Biology and Natural Sciences are all that is needed. In those classes people learn about anatomy, how the body works; sexual communicable diseases and how are they transmitted, contraception, the menstrual cycle, the stages of human fetus through pregnancy, basic post-natal care, and other strictly scientific topics. Mental health, hormonal imbalance disorders, sexual deviations are also present. I think the sexual deviations are also mentioned in Social Sciences. What else on Earth is needed?
Sex is deeply entwined in the social fabric of every culture, and the way sex is seen and understand is not the same. I think the right to teach their own children is not only a right but a duty for parents everywhere. The Big Brother approach as never been good to any society; why should people allow Big Brother to teach their children what is sexual health and what isn't? Yes, sexual deviations included. Imposing a standard view of sex and anything goes philosophy cannot be allowed. I for one, would not allow it.
Posted in: Should sex education be taught in schools?