JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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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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Betzee
Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of NYC, publicized this in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings which were perpetrated by someone in lawful possession of firearms despite having been involuntarily committed to a mental hospital. The Binghamton shooter was also in lawful possession of firearms.
Nope, and neither will owning a gun. Maybe in the afterworld there are guarantees, but not in this life. However, if you are going to accuse people of being responsible for any mishap that might happen to you in the event laws were tightened, then you have to accept they have the right to blame you for defending the status quo when something happens to them.
Posted in: Gunman kills 13, then himself at New York immigrant help center
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Betzee
The most violent cities in America are the ones with the strictist gun control laws. How do you explain that?
Those cities implemented gun control laws in response to higher crime rates. Guess what? In NYC four out of five guns used in the commission of a crime were purchased south of the Mason-Dixon Line where laws are laxer.
Posted in: Gunman kills 13, then himself at New York immigrant help center
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Betzee
In the aftermath of the Oakland shooting the one letter in my local newspaper which posed questions, rather than blaming someone else, was written by a 13-year old. Sometimes children have a clearer perspective:
The Second Amendment states that we have the right to bear arms, but how much is too much? When our founding fathers created the Constitution did they envision a country where criminals could possess assault weapons?
...How is this right, where the public can own, and use, weapons that are larger and more powerful than those of our protection?...I think the government must ban assault weapons. At a minimum, the weapon arsenal used by officers should be superior to those available to criminals.
Posted in: Gunman kills 13, then himself at New York immigrant help center
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Betzee
I've yet to see it happen in locations where armed security is present or the targets might be able to shoot back.
That requires money, and I bet this center was scraping by even in good times. As for the students, to their credit they were trying to learn English which requires concentration. If they have to ready to open fire in the event an armed nutcase appears on the scene, in this case someone who was licensed to carry firearms, their progress is probably going to be quite slow.
I resolved to give up reading letters to the editor after the Oakland police killing. "The NRA is responsible," "No, it's liberals who think criminals should be paroled." No wonder we have lost the ability to solve problems in this country; too many are focused on pointing fingers.
Posted in: Gunman kills 13, then himself at New York immigrant help center
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Betzee
Police did not mention a motive. Rep Maurice Hinchey, whose district includes Binghamton, said the gunman had recently been let go from IBM in nearby Johnson City.
Immigrants, particularly those from high achieving groups, are much more vulnerable to mental illness than commonly recognized. When the chips are down, they don't have a lot to fall back on. And the perception in places like Vietnam is, "You're in America, you got it made."
For years I had a boat person refugee hairdresser who grew up in Saigon. She told me on more than one occasion, "I can't go back. Everyone in my father's village is going to expect me to help them out. They don't understand the cost of living here and however much I give, it won't be as much as someone else got from his overseas relatives."
If you're not contributing to the remittance economy, you can't show your face.
Posted in: Gunman kills 13, then himself at New York immigrant help center
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Betzee
Poly Technologies, you know your stuff!
I had a Chinese classmate in the 1980s whose well-connected hubby worked at Poly Technologies. It was known as a place where the sons and daughters of the PLA top brass were earning big salaries and traveling abroad when most Chinese still worked for the state or as private entrepreneurs (peddlers). Such opportunities were out of reach for the masses.
Posted in: U.S. questions growing Chinese military power
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Betzee
Is the US military involved in defending them? No. That was the distinction I drew in my first post in response to someone who asked, "Doesn't the US do the same thing?"
Moderator: Back on topic please. This thread is about China.
Posted in: U.S. questions growing Chinese military power
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Betzee
"Isn't it ironic that the US questions the expansion of Chinese military power, yet accepts Chinese money to buy $1 trillion in US Treasuries and other forms of US debt securities, which in turn is used to fund the US military?"
I think it's more ironic that we allow, in fact rely, on them to finance our deficits and then criticize their human rights record.
As for their military build-up, it's of much more concern to the smaller nations of SE Asia who have long memories of Chinese historic aggression than that of the United States' involvement in the region. This is even true of the Vietnamese despite the immense devastation of what they refer to as "the American War." Their history, regardless of ideological perspective, underscores the need to resist Chinese domination.
Posted in: U.S. questions growing Chinese military power
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Betzee
The US historically preferred military conquest over dilly dallying with territorial claims.
Wouldn't that also be true of the Chinese and Tibet?
Would the Chinese prefer to be strong enough to assert sovereignty through military conquest rather than dilly dallying with territorial claims? You betcha.
Posted in: U.S. questions growing Chinese military power
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Betzee
|The Navy is there to keep shipping lines open,??????? who has blocked ? Till now they couldn't stop Somali pirates and now China and some other countries send ships.
Well, ya can't be everywhere at once. The US has beefed up its presence in the Gulf of Guinea owing to civil unrest in Nigeria, a major oil supplier. Keeping the pipelines open is a strategic interest of the US. It works out to the benefit of the rest of the oil-importing world as well. Is this altruism? Certainly not. Would the Chinese like to be in the same position? Of course.
Posted in: U.S. questions growing Chinese military power
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Betzee
Territorial claims no. But what about political claims?
US military bases overseas have varying strategic objectives. One can certainly argue whether they are appropriate or not, but I can't think of any which fall under the category of "political claims." Unless you mean propping up leadership we put in power.
The Navy is there to keep shipping lines open, something the Chinese are not yet in a position to do. Their concern is the US is capable of blockading them in a dispute.
Posted in: U.S. questions growing Chinese military power
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Betzee
Doesn't America do the same thing?
No, because the US don't have any disputed claims.
The Spratley Islands, in the South China Sea, are claimed by six (?) governments. Though little more than a couple of rocks there's reputed to be oil underneath. China is by far the farthest along in establishing sovereignty and could finish the job with a stronger military.
China's also got unresolved border issues with India.
Posted in: U.S. questions growing Chinese military power
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Betzee
Part of the Chinese incentive to buy greenbacks was to keep the value of their own currency from appreciating. This maintained the competitiveness of their low-tech exports sold by big box retailers in a world full of countries teeming with surplus labor many of which could also supply these goods.
Owing to the economic downturn, however, those businesses are suffering and a lot of the workers have returned to their villages. So the real fear is that China, which is being forced to reorient its economy, will become a center for the design of innovative high-tech products with better profit margins, accelerating the migration of high-value added jobs across the Pacific.
In less industrialized parts of the USA, like the South which has become an auto assembler for foreign brand names, that may be acceptable. But accepting it also means acknowledging America's waning star as a center of innovation.
Posted in: China calls for new global currency to replace dollar
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Betzee
Gorgeous blaze of spring color. As a step climber, the stairs look pretty nice, too.
Posted in: Plum blossoms
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Betzee
"I'm simply stating that U.S bans historically have little or no impact on murder rates (I am assuming that pro-ban people are against the violence commited using them and not anti-gun simply for the sake of being anti-gun, that would just be silly)."
They tend to be implemented in response to high crime rates involving firearms. So to get a sense of whether they are effective you need to compare communities with similar demographics which opted to ban guns with those that didn't. Say Washington and Baltimore (where crime rates are about the same despite different gun laws).
I think there are better ways to address the problem. Four out of five guns used in the commission of a crime in NYC, for example, were purchased south of the Mason-Dixon Line. So NY's stricter licensing requirements don't do much to protect its residents given the ease with which firearms can be purchased elsewhere.
Posted in: 3 police officers dead, 4th on life support, suspect killed after traffic stop in California
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Betzee
What a thankless job, being a police officer,
Indeed. They deal with people at their absolute worst day in and day out.
Posted in: 3 police officers dead, 4th on life support, suspect killed after traffic stop in California
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Betzee
I was stopped a few months ago for the first time in my life. Two police vehicles followed me half a rural block. One cop on the passenger's side had a gun pointed at me while the officer outside my window asked for my license, registration, and proof of insurance. I knew not to reach for them before being asked. It was very intimidating but I understand why they need to do that to protect themselves. After all that, they let me off with a warning. And I haven't rolled a stop since....
Posted in: 3 police officers dead, 4th on life support, suspect killed after traffic stop in California
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Betzee
They will have to grow into those big paws, though Mama's paw is a lot bigger. So cute!!!!
Article Unavailable
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Betzee
More likely some problem with blood clotting given the fall itself did not appear to be serious.
Posted in: Actress Natasha Richardson dies after fall on ski slope
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Betzee
Poor Family. Natasha Richardson could do "women on the edge" so well.
After she married Liam Neeson I remember her once indignantly asking, "Everyone wants to know, 'How did you get him?' Why doesn't anybody ever wonder, 'How did he get me?'"
They appeared happy. In addition to talent, that sets them apart from most Hollywood celebrity couples.
Posted in: Actress Natasha Richardson dies after fall on ski slope