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Biohazard 6
Posted in: NZ admits overreacting to flu scare on plane from Japan
poor man died young
An experienced Japanese interviewer of my aquaintance, and quite a few books in Japanese on this…
Posted in: Job interviews - 'Fools using a foolish method to pick fools'
@st240 I think situation in Japan will change in 10years, because more foreigners live around us,…
Posted in: Why do Japanese change their attitude when they communicate with foreigners?
Symbian+Nokia all the way (even though Nokia is switching to Windows) Both iOS and Android have…
0
DS
Both parties are similar in the approach candidates have to securing the nomination. Republicans drift to the right during the nomination, and then back to the centre for the general election. Democrats drive left during their primaries, then back to the centre for the election.
Although in one way, Obama's policy mirrors that of other democrats. Historically, Democrats have been warmongers and republicans generally more isolationist. Obama is continuing that trend with troop increases in Afghanistan, drone strikes on US citizens, maintaining Guantanamo Bay, etc.
Posted in: Republican contenders tear into each other at Las Vegas debate
2
DS
Bob wrote;
> Well, except for the major killers of the 20th century......Mao, Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, The NK Kims, etc.. Other than them...
Plus, within religious groups, some seem to have more trouble than others in living together. Not too many Buddhist or Jainist terrorists around, are there?
Posted in: Why Japanese values and morality confound us so
2
DS
I always heard that thorough cleaning was unnecessary at best, and harmful at worst. The wax is there for a reason, to protect and lubricate the ear canal. It is self replacing and old wax should be pushed out naturally. By scraping down the inside of the ears, you leave them open to infection. Plus, it leads to overproduction of earwax to replace the wax scraped away.......... vicious circle. Doing it every day is just too much.
If the fetishist in the story loved it so much when his mom swabbed out his earholes, why doesnt he go home and ask HER to do it again? For old time's sake. Plus, he would save the cash.
Posted in: Japan's ear-cleaning salons offer childhood fantasy
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DS
I would trust Israeli justice far more than that doled out by Hamas. Israel pulled OUT of Gaza and this is the thanks they get.
Posted in: Happiness, tears as Palestinians greet hundreds of freed prisoners
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DS
Looks like Romney vs. Obama. I'm looking forward to those debates. The businessman will eviscerate the part time teacher on issues of economics and jobs. He will have a whole term of mismanagement to use as ammunition. Foreign policy will be a wash as Obama has basically continued the Bush policies forward with little change.
Wondering who will get second slot on the ticket... Huntsman would be a good fit there. I'd personally love to see it be Newt Gingrich, if only to see him take on Joe 'Mumbles' Biden in the VP debates. But ol' Newt is carrying way too much baggage.
Posted in: Republican contenders tear into each other at Las Vegas debate
-1
DS
There does seem to be an unhealthy Oedipus Complex strain in Japan. I know a number of foreign men, married to Japanese women, who call their wives "oka-san". I don't mean referring to them that way when talking to the kids, like saying "you should talk to your mother about that". I mean speaking to them directly! "Oka-san, can you pick me up at the station?" It's creepy.
Can you imagine feeling the urge to get a little "physical" with your wife, and saying something like "oka-san, how about a quickie while the kids are at juku?"
yeeech
Posted in: Japan's ear-cleaning salons offer childhood fantasy
-2
DS
IMHO, a course to make bentos healthy would be time better spent than making them cute. White rice and deepfried crap are still just that. Nitrate sausages are still mystery meat, even when you cut them to resemble cute little octopuses (octopi?).
In a way, it DOES seem very Japanese, though. Concentrating on form instead of taste or nutrition.
Posted in: Make your bento look like your favorite anime characters
3
DS
I think this kind of business shows that the Japanese are, at heart, very lonely people. Paying money for things that should happen in the normal course of life (ear cleaning, chatting over drinks, etc) exposes the weak points of the society. Japan can be cold and lonely for the Japanese.
Freud would have a field day with this on so many levels.
Posted in: Japan's ear-cleaning salons offer childhood fantasy
2
DS
This situation shows the relative value placed on human life by both sides, though. One Israei is worth 1000 Palestinians. Or, one Palestinian is worth 1/1000 of an Israeli. Could you ever see the Palestinians trading 1000 Israelis for one Palestinian prisoner?
To paraphrase the late Golda Meir, "there can only be peace when the Palestinians love their own children as much as they hate Israel's"
Only hope that Mossad installed tracking bugs on the thugs and murderers they released, and can borrow a few drones from Obama....
Posted in: Happiness, tears as Palestinians greet hundreds of freed prisoners
1
DS
There will always be poor among us. One feels sorry for them, but there it is.
Obama had 2 years of an absolute majority in both houses of congress to put together an economic agenda, and failed. Failed to close Gitmo. Failed to exit Iraq, Increased troop levels in Afghanistan. Increased drone and missile attacks exponentially. Sounds like Bush 3 to me...
Barack is a smart man, no doubt. But he is very poor at politics, and is not a leader. He never had to be in his past, and has been trying to learn on the job. Hasn't worked.
Posted in: Obama blasts Republicans for blocking jobs bill
-1
DS
People who call for yet more government intervention are forgetting two very basic concepts:
a/ every dollar/Euro spent by the government comes out of somebody's pocket. Governments do not create wealth.
b/ every dollar/Euro borrowed by the government comes out of somebody's child's pocket. Borrowing money is stealing from your children to pay for your own stupidity.
Government and government workers need to realize this and treat the money they are responsible for with much greater respect.
Posted in: Drowning in debt, EU hits moment of truth
1
DS
The Bush legacy can be debated and discussed. However, Amnesty's grandstanding and political posturing is beyond doubt. They collected a 1000 page dossier on Bush. Do they have similar dossiers on OTHER world leaders? Or only on the ones they disagree with.
It costs AI credibility to pull this kind of stunt while ignoring far more egregious crimes.
Posted in: Amnesty calls on Canada to arrest George W Bush for authorizing torture
0
DS
I think the difference is that in Japan, retired polticians go to private industry, in the US they become corporate lobbyists.
Washington may be the problem, but it isn't confined to one party. Bush, for his faults, did serve in the National Guard. His father was a navy pilot in WW2. John Kerry is a decorated Vietnam war vet, as is John McCain.
Posted in: U.S. debts forcing big military cuts, but where?
1
DS
Ninja, both parties have their share of blame for the debt. It's just getting higher and higher under Obama. Four billion dollars of fresh deficit every day. Not really a partisan political issue imho.
Government can't create jobs.
Posted in: U.S. Senate kills Obama's jobs bill
2
DS
I think Japan pays a majority of the base operating budget, but not the cost of equipment or salaries for the actual military personnel. Could be wrong though...
Posted in: U.S. debts forcing big military cuts, but where?
-1
DS
It's folly to use defense spending as make-work projects. Instead, it should be left to independent committees to decide how best to spend the money, and to scrutinize the budget. Ideally, members of congress should be forbidden to vote on projects that would involve their state or district. Hopefully, it would bring some measure of sanity to the procurement process.
You know, I wouldn't blame the US if they just decided, "fvck it", and pulled out of their military commitments around the world. They've been shouldering the burden for too long, and taking a lot of stick for it. Let's see Japan try to defend itself... good luck.
Posted in: U.S. debts forcing big military cuts, but where?
0
DS
Obama isn't a good enough politician to pull that off, yabits. And going to each district would be just the kind of petty political gamesmanship that he was supposed to be above.
Remember, they aren't voting "no" to jobs, they are voting "no" to increasing the debt. The US government is already borrowing $4 billion every day to cover what the government is doing. Yes, that's right. Four thousand MILLION dollars every day. Just in borrowing, not spending. Actual spending is closer to 10 billion. It's criminal to add to that total.
Posted in: U.S. Senate kills Obama's jobs bill
0
DS
As long as they call for the arrests of Obama and Biden, I dont see a problem. After all, Gitmo is STILL open and in business nearly three years after their election.
But seriously, what a ridiculous announcement. Given the human rights situation in places like Iran, China, and Pakistan, to call for the arrest of Bush? I would rather see them call for the arrest of Ahmidinejad (sp) next time he comes to the US or Canada. The myriad cases of egregious abuse and murder are ignored, just so Amnesty can get cheap publicity.
Posted in: Amnesty calls on Canada to arrest George W Bush for authorizing torture
0
DS
I'm sure discrimination exists in Israel, but it is far different than Egypt. Not state sanctioned, legally enshrined, etc. Israel has Muslim/Arab members of parliament. Can the same be said for Copts/Jews in Egypt? And you are right, mosque burning is also despicable. However, following that crime a group of 1000 rabbis issued a public statement denouncing the act. If only we could see similar support for the Copts...
Anglo;
My information is from the World Health Organization and also UNICEF. Not biased sources at all.
Posted in: Christians under siege in post-revolution Egypt
0
DS
Obama's bill was useless. It would not have even made a small dent in the unemployment problem. Best case scenario, it may have reduced unemployment by 0.5%- hardly a radical or extreme change.
The problem is the debt. The US government is borrowing 4 BILLION dollars every day to cover expenses. You could have the IRS confiscate Bill Gates' entire personal fortune and it would only keep the government running for 2 weeks.
All these attempts at a soft landing are only prolonging the inevitable agony. It's like taking off a band-aid. Is it better to rip it off swiftly, or to slowly peel it off? I say the former.
Posted in: U.S. Senate kills Obama's jobs bill