JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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- Corporate Business English Trainers
- ACT Systems, Inc.（株式会社アクト・システムズ）, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥269,500 ~ ¥280,000 / Month
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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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LFRAgain
Lunchbox,
We're going to have to agree to disagree here. Sports and politics have no business being mixed together. The world lets Kim know he's wrong on so many other levels that an international soccer tournament, which at its foundation is friendly meeting of sports enthusiasts from around the globe, is hardly the venue for voicing political beefs.
The "talk loudly and carry a big stick" approach to North Korea's political leaders got the world what, exactly? Two nuclear bomb tests, that's what.
Besides, seeing the a North Korean sports team come out onto the world stage and get its clock cleaned was a pretty good message in and of itself to Kim that things in the DPRK aren't exactly perfect. And the the North Korean public (those of them with access to TVs, that is) got to see it unfold live.
With every sports tournament that involves real folks like the North Korean players getting out and meeting real people from around the world and seeing they aren't monsters, that's one more opportunity for a regular North Korean to take back to the DPRK ideas that maybe Kim's way isn't the right way. More flies with sugar than vinegar, and all that.
Posted in: Portugal pulverizes North Korea 7-0 as N Korea broadcasts game live
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LFRAgain
Honestly, I do think the North Korean team deserves a lot of credit for stepping into the World Cup ring after a 40-year absence. That takes guts and no small amount of effort, considering they had to qualify to get there in the first place.
I also think it's incredibly unfair to pin the sins of the North Korean government on a squad of footballers who have about as much to do with the North Korean political situation as we do. They're athletes playing a sport they love: Nothing more, nothing less.
Posted in: Portugal pulverizes North Korea 7-0 as N Korea broadcasts game live
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LFRAgain
Lots of interesting comments here. I’m no expert on soccer, but I don't think I've ever seen a match quite that lopsided before. I think more Americans might get into the sport if the scoring was like this on a regular basis. ;-)
On a more serious note though, a few thoughts:
1) Re: “Portugal played a brilliant/skillful/great game.” Umm, no, they didn’t. They played against a team that is ranked 105th in the world, and it showed. North Korea was obviously outclassed in virtually every category. And by the time the third ball sailed into the net, everyone, including the Koreans, knew it. In the competitive sports I’ve played, a general rule of thumb is that you can only be as good as the competition you face. In other words, when you face an opponent of comparable ability, you play to that ability. If you face someone a little better than you, you either step up your game or lose. And if you play someone who is several factors weaker than you, your play tends to suffer as well. There were two occasions in the later part of the second half when the DPRK almost made goals because the Portuguese squad was getting lazy and complacent. The only thing we should really be congratulating the Portuguese team for is being lucky enough to draw North Korea for this match.
2) Re: “Portugal didn’t need to rack up the score”: While it was painful watching the clearly outclassed North Koreans let goal after goal slip through (some might say, “amble through”), the advancement scheme of the World Cup doesn’t give pity points or compassion points. Portugal would not have seen any appreciable benefit in holding off on a 5th, 6th, or even 7th goal (except, perhaps, to earn the admiration of LoveUSA ;-)), but there are numerous benefits in scoring as many points as possible, including securing a berth in the finals. Every goal counts towards standings, and up until this match, Portugal was in a bit of trouble with no points scored yet after their first match. Again, drawing a game against the vastly unprepared North Koreans was an amazing bit of luck, yes, but it’s the kind of luck you don’t turn your back on in the World Cup, especially when you want win.
3) Re: “Portugal should played nice because of A) NK players’ pride”, B) NK’s poor showing, C) it’s the nice thing to do”: In the world of competitive sports, the only thing I imagine being worse than a complete drubbing by an opponent is an opponent who holds back out of pity. I don’t think the NK players would have much appreciated being patronized by Portugal with intentionally kinder play. Besides, it's the World Cup, a competition that ostensibly decides who is the best team in the world, not in terms of mercifulness, but in playing ability. If you choose to field a team at the World cup and you get your clock thoroughly cleaned, well, that’s the gamble you made when you stepped onto the pitch.
4) Re: "Australians like to root for the underdog": Right. Like when the Aussie squad hammered American Samoa 31-0 in a 2002 World Cup Oceania qualification round match? ;-)
Posted in: Portugal pulverizes North Korea 7-0 as N Korea broadcasts game live
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LFRAgain
It is quite possible. Happens every day, actually, contrary to popular belief.
Posted in: Wives still have passion, but how to get their husbands to realize it?
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LFRAgain
Yumimoto,
What an incredibly irresponsible statement to make.
Extensive research over the past 15-20 years, culminating in a comprehensive analysis of some 54 international studies from 25 countries by over 200 researchers, found that only certain types of cancer risks saw an increase in conjunction with oral contraceptive use, and only because the hormonal component of oral contraceptives slightly complimented an already existing risk of cancer due to the body's own naturally occurring hormones.
Additionally, evidence indicated elevated risks for breast cancer were more dependent on individual pre-existing genetic risks for breast cancer than specificially due to oral contraceptive use.
And most notably, the majority of studies showed that oral contraceptives in fact reduced the risk of ovarian and uterine cancer, two of the most common types of cancer for the female reproductive system, and continued to provide protective benefits for up to 15 years after discontinued use.
That might very well be because these women were as successfully duped by rumor and misinformation as you seem to have been.
Do keep in mind that the Japanese Ministry of Health took 35 years to approve oral contraceptives, allegedly because it did not trust the safety of the drug, despite it having been extensively researched for years in foreign countries. In reality, ample evidence shows that Kōrō-shō allowed itself to be manipulated by outside interests, including doctors who did not want to see oral contraceptive cut into lucrative revenue generated by abortions (still the leading method of birth control in Japan), and political interests, including social critics who feared an upset of a gender role balance which overwhelmingly favored males.
And yet, the Ministry of Health, using foreign date, took a mere six months to approve Viagra after spending 35 years claiming foreign data regarding the safety of oral contraceptives was not to be trusted.
I’d highly recommend you reexamine your sources for this rumor that oral contraceptives are “highly carcinogenic”. You may just be surprised to find that the government wasn't (and still isn't) being very truthful with the Japanese public.
Posted in: Wives still have passion, but how to get their husbands to realize it?
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LFRAgain
The study she is citing may have been the one I mentioned. Sorry if the link in my post above doesn't work. You can find the report on the study here:
http://www.hawaii.edu/PCSS/biblio/articles/1961to1999/1999-pornography-rape-sex-crimes-japan.html
Posted in: Liberation of sexual expression clearly helped to reduce the number of rape victims in Japan.
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LFRAgain
She's not quite bonkers.
I'm about as staunch an opponent of much of what passes for porn in Japan as you can find, particularly the bizarre fixation with rape fantasies that seems to dominate Japanese porn, but a legitimate study has found that there is an apparent correlation between increased availability of porn and a decrease in occurances of rape.
Don't ask me how. I'm just sayin'.
Posted in: Liberation of sexual expression clearly helped to reduce the number of rape victims in Japan.
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LFRAgain
I agree. Looks like a fun job. And this guy seems pretty good at it.
Posted in: Face off
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LFRAgain
Those HORNS!! They are loud, annoying, and utterly obnoxious, and lend nothing of value to the game other than noise purely for the sake of noise. Honestly, I'm more than a little surprised and disappointed that South African fans would think this mindless, incessant droning would be appropriate for an international tournament of this calibre.
A poster earlier nailed it on the head: If SA fans insist upon ruining the World Cup for the rest of the planet with this quaint tradition of mindless noise, then perhaps the World Cup should choose to avoid the shores of South Africa forever more.
Posted in: Constant drone of vuvuzelas killing World Cup atmosphere
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LFRAgain
Dubya,
Someone here in Japan has developed a relatively recent penchant for translating "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" as "partner." Political correctness gone amuck?
Don't know when it started or why, but you're right; It stands out like a sore thumb when you read it.
Posted in: Woman drowns while trying to rescue child at Chiba beach
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LFRAgain
Illsayit,
From the article:
" . . . 11-year-old Rina Miyagi, slipped into an area of deep water."
Posted in: Woman drowns while trying to rescue child at Chiba beach
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LFRAgain
It's going to be the same problem that has plagued film anytime there's a technological innovation. Most of the effort is going to be put into showcasing the new toys and less into actual stories. It was the same thing with CG when it became economically feasible. It was a long, painful two years from Jurassic Park to Toy Story 1. It'll be the same with 3D. Viewers will have to wade through a lot of dreck for the next couple of years before the industry finally gets out of the honeymoon stage and starts focusing again on better screeplays -- at least until Smell-O-Vision gets perfected.
Posted in: What do you think about the whole 3-D thing, with PC and TV makers rushing out new models, and more films being made in 3-D?
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LFRAgain
Horsefella,
Addicted to music? There could be worse things, like the morning espresso from Starbucks. Besides, some people said the same thing about cell phones not too many years back, a la, "Anyone who needs to be able to make a phone call that quickly has serious instant gratification issues."
MP3 players are small, light, and unobtrusive, and becoming even less conspicuous. There's even research underway to create headphones that transmit sound through bone tissue in the head via vibrations, and there are emerging products where the electronics of a cell phone are practically impervious to jostling, falling off, or water damage because they’re implanted under the skin. I can’t think of a single sport out there where that wouldn’t be useful.
C'mon, man. You know it's cool. Embrace the tech. Embrace the tech.
Posted in: Headphones for sports lovers
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LFRAgain
"Avatar" got rave reviews from fans in the U.S., but once it got to Japan, the story was met with a resounding, "Meh." Different strokes for different folks and all that.
"Sex and the City" will do fine here in Japan. And if the story, characters, and stars are what Japanese fans like, well, so what? It's great news for everyone involved. And if you don't like the story, characters, or stars, then simply don't go see it.
Kudos to the team that made the film and the fans who can enjoy it when it opens here.
Posted in: Japan puts out welcome mat for embattled 'Sex and the City 2'
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LFRAgain
This really says all that needs to be said about the intelligence and maturity level of these morons threatening protest.
OssanAmerica at 08:10 AM JST - 4th June,
Well said. The approach taken by activists wasn't very far removed from basically smacking the people of Taiji in the back of their head with a ball peen hammer. I'm no fan of the dolphin hunts either, but deceit is not exactly the best way to win friends and influence people.
Posted in: Dolphin hunt film canceled in Tokyo after protests
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LFRAgain
Wow. Some of us got off to a running start today with "snarky" at full-throttle.
They're just headphones, folks. And you don't have to buy them if you don't want to.
Horsefella,
What music are you listening to? I do some of my best thinking with my favorite music playing in the background.
Venetian,
No kidding! Off the top of my head, cycling, running, lifting, hiking, climbing, motor-cross, hang-gliding, skiing, snowboarding, and yes, even swimming, are all sports where a little music helps set the mood.
Kudos to those who find their "runner's high" sufficient motivation, but I like a bit of music to make my morning ride a bit more fun. If these headphones can help me do that without crapping out from too much moisture rusting out the circuitry, great! But can they reach the deeper base frequencies? What's a rhythm without a good beat?
Posted in: Headphones for sports lovers
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LFRAgain
Liquidate the entire government and replace it with a tribal council made up of nobodies.
Can't be much worse than that Japan's had to put up with for the past 30 years.
Posted in: Calls for Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to resign are mounting among lawmakers in his own Democratic Party of Japan as well as opposition parties. Should he resign and if so, who do you think would do a good job as prime minister?
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LFRAgain
You'd think all the free Market disciples would be rejoicing at this revelation.
Taka,
You nailed it right on the head. We've got the Chicken Little Improv Club running around, wringing their hands silly as they proclaim the end of capitalism as we know it with government efforts to reign in a morally bankrupt banking industry:
Then we get the opposite all of a sudden, with outrage expressed along the lines of:
Gotta' love it.
Posted in: Obama says U.S. government in charge, not BP
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LFRAgain
As for what that says about those who support the law.... ;-)
Posted in: Obama to send 1,200 National Guard troops to U.S.-Mexico border
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LFRAgain
Sarge,
Because it does nothing serious to address the underlying problem of why illegals keep crossing the border, namely the wide availability of jobs, and the Arizona State government's apparently unwillingness to truly punish those who would continue to entice illegals to come to the U.S.
It's basically a law that goes only after the users, but not the pushers. In other words, pointless and dumb.
Posted in: Obama to send 1,200 National Guard troops to U.S.-Mexico border