JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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- 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
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- 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*
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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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DS
Great illustration of why having a "live in" boy\girlfriend is a really really bad idea for a single parent. If you want to date, that is fine, but a shack up is a recipe for trouble. Your kids shouldn't be involved in your romantic life at all. Especially, you don't leave your child alone with an unrelated person for days at a time! At least take her along to visit her grandparents. Poor girl, to be stuck with such an irresponsible and selfish mother.
Posted in: Bruise-like marks found on body of dead 3-year-old girl
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DS
War is terrible. The only thing worse is losing a war you started.
Tragically, there were no viable alternatives to using nuclear weapons to force Japan to surrender. Dropping a "demonstration bomb" was out of the question- the US had only two working weapons at the time. Wasting one in the faint hope that it would shock Japan's wartime leaders into surrender was not a good bet. If the firebombing of Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya didn't work, why would a demonstration?
Negotiations were also not practical. The Allies gave Japan the chance to surrender in July 1945 after the Potsdam Conference, and this was ignored. That left military options- a starvation blockade, a land invasion, or atomic weapons. The former two would have resulted in millions of citilian deaths, an invasion would have also cost the Allies upwards of a million battlefield casualties. The best option remaining was a quick 'one-two' punch with the a-bombs. Sad and tragic, but in retrospect the most humane (in terms of lives lost) of the options left to the allies.
Posted in: Hiroshima not shy about its atomic bomb legacy
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DS
Successful? She's the daughter of a political family, and has been nothing but a political operative her entire adult life. She has never had a real job, had to make a payroll, etc.
Bright? She has a BA in political science from a snobby all girls university in (of course) Washington DC. That's all.
In short, she is the classic Washington insider, born into Democratic Party politics and comfortable spending her entire life there, not caring what happens in the real world.
Posted in: House Democrats keep Pelosi as their leader
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DS
The easy and obvious solution is one that is not allowed in Japan;
joint bank accounts
Go to any bank here and they will tell you it is not possible. However, an account which both husband and wife contribute to, and both can also access, would solve the situation immediately. This simple change would end the pocket money system forever.
Posted in: The shrinking state of Japanese salarymen's pocket money
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DS
It is the sign of a totalitarian state to punish someone for having an opinion.
The best defense to offensive speech is MORE speech, not less. Punish the guy by ridiculing him, socially ostracizing him, proving his views to be idiotic. Silencing him with the coercive power of the government only gives his views power, and makes them attractive. It gives the conspiracy believers and nutcases ammunition: "see, he must be right, or the government wouldn't go after him".
Posted in: Bishop convicted for denying Holocaust
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DS
I dont think the governor is far off in his comments. Think about it: gay marriage seeks to redefine one of the fundamental cornerstones of marriage. Currently, marriage is defined by;
a/ number of people involved (2) b/ age of people involved (varies by jurisdiction) c/ gender of people involved (male and female) d/ relationship of people involved
It is only simple logic that if "c/" can be redefined, then so can any of the other three. How greedy of gay advocates, to try to get what they want and then slam the door on all the polygamists and polyamorists out there.
Polygamy at least has some traditional value and cultural standing in many countries. Can the same be said for same sex marriage?
Posted in: Huckabee likens gay marriage to incest, polygamy
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DS
The big problem is that the Democrats under Obama haven't gotten the very simple message from the protesters- don't spend money you don't have, and don't go into debt without a plan for paying the money back. It's the equivalent of me borrowing a ton of cash to have fun now, and expecting my son and (future) grandchildren to shoulder the burden after I die.
Posted in: Palin rallies tea partiers with anti-tax message
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DS
I dont think any industrial countries are reproducing at a rate that even keeps their populations stable. The demographics are remorseless, just look at places like Italy and France. The modern welfare state is built on the assumption that the population will always grow. Otherwise, it will fail. Ever increasing numbers of elderly and frail will depend on fewer and fewer healthy workers to support them.
Making it attractive for women to stay home and raise families is the way to go. Tax breaks for kids, etc. Plus, people need to be encouraged to marry earlier- waiting until 30 or 35 really cuts down on the years of fertility available.
Posted in: Where are all the babies?
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DS
I agree that true liberals would support the right of SS to protest, although in a legal and safe manner. My beef is with the "limousine liberals", who fetishize animals and practice checkbook environmentalism without fully thinking through the consequences.
The collision would not have happened if the skipper of the SS boat had been at all safety conscious.
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DS
When you are in a boat 1/30th the size of the one you are approaching, it behooves you to be a bit cautious. The limo liberals must be peeing themselves seeing their million dollar toy get broken.
The blame for this incident falls entirely with the Adi Gil. The AG captain put himself, his crew, and even the crew of the whaler in danger by choosing to stupidly approach far too close for safe manoeuvering. Common sense dictates that you dont ever approach closer than a couple hundred yards to a ship 30 times your size. You have to remember, the whaler only goes 12 knots, but the batboat goes more than 40. So, who should get out of whose way?
Plus, the other boat, the bob Barker, "just happened" to be in the area and filming everything. It sounds like a big PR stunt by the SeaStupherds. They bit off a bit more than they could chew though.
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DS
When a small, fast boat comes close to a large, slow one, it is obvious who bears the greater responsibility. Also, consider that;
1/ the larger boat is engaged in a legal activity.
2/ the smaller boat was the one that started the whole situation by approaching dangerously close to the large one. The large one wasnt looking for a confrontation.
3/ it isnt necessary to approach within 30 feet of a whaling vessel to conduct a legal protest.
There is no comparison between this incident and the one with the destroyer and the fishing boat. The fishing boat wasnt trying to upset the destroyer, or approach it close enough to touch it.
The captain and crew of the AG got what they deserved. They wanted to play with the big boys, and this is the result. Bottom line is that if the AG had stayed a safe distance away, there would have been no collision.
Posted in: Which side do you think looks more in the wrong following Wednesday's clash between Sea Shepherd and Japanese whalers?
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DS
It seems that Obama's handlers have forgotten to tell him that the election is over, that he IS the President now. He still behaves as if he's on the campaign trail- gladhanding, chatting people up, trying to be everything to everybody. I guess he hasn't found President Truman's old desk sign, "The Buck Stops Here".
Posted in: Obama's failing: Too much head, too little gut
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DS
I was happier without the local Asian content. If I want that, I'll watch NHK or one of the other local networks.
Posted in: CNN finding that prime-time success is elusive
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DS
Anyone else except me hate the ridiculous CNN "International" we are forced to watch here? So many useless shows, from yachting to golf. I miss the 'real' CNN broadcasts from the mother ship in Atlanta.
It would be lovely if Foxnews got back on SkyPerfect.
Posted in: CNN finding that prime-time success is elusive
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DS
Add these "pirates" to the list of people who need a good killing.
I would like to see more merchant ships in the area be armed, or have armed guards on board. Perhaps the occasional ship sailing with a concealed party of Marines would be enough to make the pirates take notice...
The problem is that the armed patrols can't really do anything. They aren't allowed to shoot up the pirates' boats, arrest them, or bombard their onshore facilities. All they can do is intercept them and 'persuade' them to go away. Pathetic.
Posted in: Somali pirates: Western boats 'loot' Somali fish
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DS
I dont see a problem. There is no reason for 11-13 year old children to be hugging and displaying affection to the "girlfriends" or "boyfriends" while at school. It is good for them to learn a little self restraint and some good manners, as such behavior wouldnt be accepted in the workplace.
Posted in: No hugging allowed for preteens at Australian school
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DS
I think Tsvingali (sp) from Zimbabwe would have been a better choice. He literally risked his life for freedom and democracy.
It is patently obvious that the Nobel just wanted to give Bush a shot in the nuts again......
Posted in: Do you think U.S. President Barack Obama is a good choice for the Nobel Peace Prize?
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DS
He got it because a group of left leaning Euro-snobs felt like giving it to him. Maybe a bit of subtle pressure perhaps? Hell, even Time Magazine was lampooning the Nobel folks' selection of BO.
The fact that he is continuing the vast majority of the Bush administration's foreign policies should tell us something. Either Obama is far more of a pragmatist than people think, or once he got into office and realized the true state of the world, he wised up.
If you want to REALLY see an undeserving winner, check out Al Gore. Take the time to look up Irena Sendler, who was beaten by Gore and his docudrama about global warning.
Posted in: Obama's Nobel honors promise, not action
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DS
Joke. Basically, this is the third time the Prize has been awarded as a kick in the nuts for George Bush. Obama hasnt done anything, hasnt been at risk of danger or death (like Tsvangili (sp) from Rhodesia). All he has done is blow hot air.
Posted in: Obama's Nobel honors promise, not action
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DS
As long as the whales being hunted aren't in danger of extinction, and not being hunted in a nation's territorial waters, who cares? They are a great renewable resouce, and chock full of vitamins too!
Any enviro-nuts from Sea Shephard who get in the way of men earning a lawful living are taking their chances. If they get hurt, they have nobody to blame but themselves.
Posted in: Okada asks Australia to help stop attacks by anti-whalers