JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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- Core Developer - コアディベロッパー
- Midokura Japan K.K. - ミドクラジャパン株式会社, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥4.0M ~ ¥10.0M / Year Negotiable
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- Translator
- ZAIHON, Inc. (日本財務翻訳株式会社), Tokyo
- Salary: ¥6.0M / Year Negotiable
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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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CavemanLawyer
Har yourself. Energy prices have already increased LOADS without Obama's help. Once again you have gone all partisan on what is an inescapable fact for EVERYBODY.
I would comment on the rest, but I don't have time right now believe it or not.
Posted in: Obama's grandmother dies as presidential race nears end
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CavemanLawyer
Amen to that.
Posted in: Obama sweeps to victory, says change has come to America
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CavemanLawyer
That would depend of if one is going by the post mark or not. If they already have the votes in hand, then obviously the post mark is before Nov. 3. And it would just not be fair to allow the post office the chance to make votes "late". But, I have a vague memory of the post mark date needing to be a bit earlier than Nov. 3. Maybe those post marked after the recommended date are being called late? Or is it just those arrived "late" due to post office delays?
Nope. Active duty military mostly support Obama. The military as a whole, including those retired and possibly senile, support McCain.
But I think its safe to say that most of the absentee ballots are from active duty personnel. However, statistically they could not change the tide, and factually, the absentee ballots will not be included in the final tally even if some of them do actually get "counted".
Nice gesture by McCain, but its just a gesture. Nothing is going to change.
Posted in: Obama sweeps to victory, says change has come to America
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CavemanLawyer
That is a much more accurate statement than before. The biggest trouble with John McCain is not John McCain, its the people who run the party he belongs to the he would not be able to oust even if elected president. America certainly does not need them, if it ever needed them.
While the Republicans are belly-aching over their impending loss, no doubt the sympathy generated by the death Obama's grandmother will be cited as the sole reason they lost. Some of the hardcore rightwing conspiracy nuts might even suggest murder. Yeah, I am talking about you Rush Limbaugh.
Posted in: Obama's grandmother dies as presidential race nears end
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CavemanLawyer
No doubt completely sober.
As much as I would like more details on this case, I suspect they won't matter. Once the driver is found, he will be run through the ringer, even if Matsunaga jumped out from between two parked cars right in the path of the car that hit him, bottle in hand.
I really hope that one day Japan will change the rules so that driver's will feel safe to stop and call an ambulance. As it is the rules are simply designed to make driver's feel totally responsible to make them more careful to avoid accidents, and not designed to sort out what happened and be fair to all after an accident. If you are not going to be fair, people are going to run. Its common sense.
Posted in: Man killed in hit-and-run in Saga
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CavemanLawyer
You need to talk to God about that one. I would rather the punishment were an occasional severe headache or something. But sometimes it is death, and no rule is going to change that.
The article could be wrong, but this would be just as stupid when there are sidewalks on both sides. Stupidity gets you dead.
I never deal in sympathy until I get as my facts as I can and determine fault. When that is all done, then sympathy is allowed. You see, a lot of people start with sympathy for the dead guy, his dogs and his family, and then they absolve him of his stupidity and recklessness, and then they blame the drunk driver 100 percent. Emotions get in the way of fairness and rational thought.
I already have. Drunk driving and speeding are wrong, he knew it, and he should be punished for those. Not doing those things probably would mean Mr. Dogwalker would only be injured or maybe the accident could have been avoided. But none of it changes the fact that is really easy to avoid getting run over but really difficult to avoid a pedestrian that has jumped in the way of your car.
I do find fault with the driver for the accident. Hang on to that fact. But most of the fault I put on the pedestrian.
That being established, I feel sorry for the old guy even if he was stupid. I feel sorry for the driver because he has to live with having run someone over, which is not pleasant even if a person fell from the sky in front of your car, and I feel sorry because I know the system will give him total blame despite the foolishness of the pedestrian.
Posted in: Man held over fatal hit-and-run in Chiba
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CavemanLawyer
How can fairness ever be beside the point???
Look, I am not saying he should not be punished for drinking and driving, or even for speeding. I am saying it makes no sense to completely blame him for an accident the other guy had 20 times the power to prevent.
It would be different if his drunkness caused him to drive up on the sidewalk and kill someone there. But that is not what happened. The pedestrian, with no blind spots but those we all have, far fewer obstructions to vision than anybody in a car, moving at a speed so slow he can stop instantly and without fear of getting slammed from behind, no one to worry about but himself and his stupid dogs (unlike the driver who has to watch everybody), walked off the sidewalk onto a long straight stretch of road despite there being NO CROSSWALK there. That is what happened. Anybody could have hit that fool. He was breaking the rules and common sense as much as anyone. He may have been punished too much for his mistake, but I do not think the driver should be over-punished if we have the choice, and we do. Because fairness is never ever beside the point.
Maybe many of you take glee in making examples of people. Well, I think the best example here is the fool who wasn't paying attention crossing the road. Anybody could have hit him sober, and it does happen. Oh sure, maybe if the driver was sober he could have locked up the brakes and narrowly avoided hitting the guy. Is that the way you think it should have happened? Or if he had been going a slower speed, perhaps he could have stopped dead on the road to let the guy cross. Is that the way you think it should have happened? Because I imagine this scenerio, and I cannot see how it would have been completely different for anything the driver did differently. Anyway I slice it, it comes down the driver having to react to the pedestrian crossing the road where and when he shouldn't, and that does not seem right. It seems dangerous and irresponsible, even more so than speeding and drinking, and I have done both those AND jaywalking, and I am finding the jaywalking to be the real problem here.
Posted in: Man held over fatal hit-and-run in Chiba
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CavemanLawyer
When was The Surge again? I believe it was last fall. Oh well, six months, five years, eight years, who is counting, right?
Well, I hope Iraq gets really peaceful and safe really soon, and I don't care much what kind of government Iraq gets so long as it stays that way and Iraq doesn't bother anyone.
But I have a sneaking suspicion we will see another strongman at the helm before too long, and our dignitaries will be shaking his hand and supporting what they will see as a bulwark against Iran.
Posted in: Iraq expects answer on security deal after U.S. vote
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CavemanLawyer
So, let me get this straight: Many of you are actually defending a man's right to cross the road where ever he wants, whenever he wants? Is that correct?
Or does it only count when the man is walking Lassie and Toto? Or does it only count if the driver has been drinking and/or speeding, so walking in front of drunk speeders is totally sound practice?
Posted in: Man held over fatal hit-and-run in Chiba
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CavemanLawyer
smartacus, yes, I know what the law says. But the law is not God's truth my friend.
The reason that the law is so hard on drivers is because they want to impart a sense of doom on drivers to make them extra cautious. After all, a pedestrian should have a very strong sense of doom when crossing the road by common sense alone. We should not need to do much to convince the pedestrian to save his own life, or so one would think.
But if we tell drivers the simple truth that a pedestrian can save his own life far easier than than drivers can, then the stupid drivers (and there are many) are going to interpret that as they can be less cautious. But we want everyone to exercise as much caution as they can. So the truth would seem to be counter-productive for the intents and purposes of reducing accidents.
I think the trouble in Japan is that the pedestrians have totally bought the idea that the driver is at fault, and focusing on that, have lost the sense of doom they should have. They think "well, that car has to stop and let me pass, or he is in the wrong". Instead of thinking "If the driver of that car has somehow not seen me, I will be a pancake if I cross his path. Better wait." Giving pedestrians the right of way has back-fired in Japan if you ask me. But again, as good intentioned as that rule is, it is still not the truth of what is happening. Many of you are just refusing to part with the programming that the authorties have instilled in you. Maybe that makes the world a safer place, but it sure does not make it a fair one.
Have you ever considered why bullets have the right of way? Even if they could stop and 99.9999 percent of the time were nice enough to do so, I would still give all bullets the right of way, and wait for all to pass if I saw them coming. Think about that.
Posted in: Man held over fatal hit-and-run in Chiba
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CavemanLawyer
I think I clearly stated it was mostly his fault, but not all his fault. And not mostly because of the lack of a zebra crossing, but because he moved in front of a speeding vehicle he obviously did not take the time to look for.
Considering how little time it takes to clear just one road land for a pedestrian, the guy must have either stepped right in front of the guy or walked extremely slowly. Even when a car is moving quickly, it still has to be pretty close when you stepped on the road for it to actually hit you.
Another person who could not be bothered to examine the evidence. Why do you people even argue with me?
It probably did. I never said anything to contradict that. What I am saying is that we do not really know if it did. The driver may not have been looking forward for a variety of reasons, including a pretty skirt on the other side of the road which even sober drivers look too long at. Its one of the many reasons I never expect a car to stop for me, not even when the pedestrian light is green.
It was more of what he didn't do.
Do think there is nothing this guy could have done to prevent getting hit by a car? Come on now, think!
Its funny the way things happen, but what I am about to tell you is completely true. I went to the grocery store last night and stepped in front of a car. I think I missed it because it did not have headlights on and a pole and other cars blocked my vision. What did I do? I stepped back, full reverse almost instantly. The driver of the car, much like a driver of a train, could not do anything remotely like that to prevent hitting me. And if he had hit me, I truly would only be blaming myself (and maybe the people who designed the parking lot).
Posted in: Man held over fatal hit-and-run in Chiba
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CavemanLawyer
Well he was not hit at the side of the road. He moved directly in the path of a moving vehicle.
And if you watch the video linked above, you can clearly see the sidewalks. Yes, there are sidewalks on both sides. But Mr. Dogwalker could not be bothered to use them to get to a zebra crossing, let alone stand there and wait for the steel death box to pass.
Posted in: Man held over fatal hit-and-run in Chiba
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CavemanLawyer
A lot of Japanese wouldn't. A lot of Japanese totally buy into the whacky idea that they are 100 percent responsible just because they were driving and the other was walking, (even some of us do) and therefore, they do not quibble or make a fuss, and just quietly take what they think they would receive anyway. Its a very Japanese thing to do. The fact that he was drinking and speeding only adds to his own sense of guilt.
But if the dogs were pulling the guy, he should have let go of them. Again, he could easily have saved his own skin with ease.
Posted in: Man held over fatal hit-and-run in Chiba
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CavemanLawyer
There is this little thing I have called a "list of priorities". On that list, I have "number of unnecessary deaths" placed before "crime rates". See, I would rather have 10 people robbed than one person dead. Do you have one of these lists too? Is yours different?
Posted in: S Carolina shooter feared 12-year-old trick-or-treater was robber, police say
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CavemanLawyer
Why is it that I just tune out after those two words? Experience perhaps?
Posted in: Bush says U.S. election sets example for budding democracies
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CavemanLawyer
that iraqi political parties can even discuss the arrangements outlined in this article means of course that the biggest news out of iraq, the one that the mainstream media is deliberately avoiding, is that mccain was spectacularly right and obama was wrong.
I cannot figure out how the heck the part I bolded fits in with the rest. Maybe you could help me out here?
Posted in: Iraqi PM pushing idea that U.S. departure is in sight
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CavemanLawyer
Nobody who is not Iranian supports Iran getting nuclear weapons. Give it up dude.
Posted in: Iraqi PM pushing idea that U.S. departure is in sight
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CavemanLawyer
Thank you for the video RogueFive. As I thought, not a zebra crossing in sight.
You know, its interesting that I have not said one word about letting the driver off the hook. I have merely been pointing out how the pedestrian could easily have saved his own life. The driver was drunk and speeding, and those things in themselves are wrong, regardless of an accident or not, and he should be punished for them. (However we do not know to what degree he was drunk or speeding, and I bet speeding down that straightaway is as common as the asphalt its made of and the pedestrian knew that).
But the pedestrians have the choice of whether to enter that road or not. The drivers cannot use the sidewalk or jump into fields or people's yards. The drivers have almost no choice but straight ahead. Everybody knows it. And anybody who jumps ahead of a car should expect to get plowed.
Are you saying that pedestrians have no responsibility for themselves or even the drivers? You know, sometimes the occupants of the vehicles also die because of the carelessness of pedestrians. I will agree the EVERYBODY should be as careful as the can. I sure do not want to hit anyone even if its totally their fault. But to totally absolve the careless and put all the blame on another because he was careless too and the other is dead? I can think of several reasons to do that and none have anything to do with an honest analysis of what happened.
So was this guy blind or what? The blind are supposed to have one dog, not two, and that dog should be trained to cross at crossings. If this guy could not be bothered to get the seeing eye dog, or actually judge the speed of on-coming traffic on such a straight and clear stretch of road, then I find him more than half responsible for his own demise. The fact the car was speeding makes it more difficult to judge, and the driver was wrong for that, but come on! How long does it take to clear one lane of the road? How hard is it to judge that you and your dogs won't make it before the car hits you?
One ton plus masses of steel should be respected when they are going so much faster than a man can run. Everybody knows they cannot stop instantly like the gosh darn Road Runner. One look and you know exactly where they are headed and you have to be a darn fool to just get in front of it when you could just wait for it to pass.
Speeding is wrong. Drunk driving is wrong. But it is also wrong to blame a man so much for the death of another when that other could easily have saved himself.
The video contradicts what is said in the article. The video says the guy was not looking ahead enough. Another bad of the driver, yes, but the pedestrian still could have saved his own butt.
Posted in: Man held over fatal hit-and-run in Chiba
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CavemanLawyer
You don't see any reason at all why a man walking his dogs should not be on the street before making absolutely certain that it is safe to do so?
If the dogs did pull him, or say, distract him, do you not think that even a sober driver might not have been able to react to that?
Would not? Try should not. I have seen a million idiots walking the streets here, and yes, some have dogs.
My posts are simply not bound by the assumptions most people's minds have been trained to jump to. Like this:
If you mean that in the legal sense, its as true as it is stupid. But if you mean it in the real world sense, as in a question of what actually happened, well, you just don't have the details for that. You would basically be saying that it is impossible for a sober person to hit a pedestrian, even though it happens as much or more as sober drivers doing the same.
Now, I have said this before and I will say it again: It is ridiculously easy for a pedestrian to either get out of the way of cars or not even get in front of them in the first place. Cars are big. They are generally noisy. They travel almost exclusively on certain paths and courses. Pedestrians can jump, turn, and stop all on a dime. You have to be really dumb, careless, or practically an invalid to get hit by a car while walking. Really.
Posted in: Man held over fatal hit-and-run in Chiba
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CavemanLawyer
Actually, I think she was hurrying to use the money to get a legal name change before the story hit the press. --Cirroc
Posted in: S Carolina shooter feared 12-year-old trick-or-treater was robber, police say