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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TheQuestion
Good. It should have never been passed in the first place and should never have been extended. Both parties have been passing this monstrosity for years and a wonderful twist of shortsightedness finally killed it. I can only hope the rest of the provisions will fall through in time.
I take issue with that. Buffett, Shleifer, Armey, Stein, and other notable economist seem to think that the U.S governments mismanagement and overregulation of U.S industry has created an environment in which the large corporate entities you seem to hate so much are virtually unassailable. This is thanks in large part to regulations passed by both democrats and republicans in roughly equal measure over the last 20 years or so. Current and proposed regulations only serve to protect the interests of the large corporations by making it increasingly difficult to take away their market share.
The only economists that I can think of that support the kind of fire, ready, aim regulation coming out of the white house the past few years are all on the government's payroll.
So you're judgments solely based on party politics are always right up until someone acts like a person and screws it up? Pretty lousy way to judge people.
Posted in: House rejects extensions of Patriot Act provisions in U.S.
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TheQuestion
HSR could have worked if there was better infustructure for when commuters got to their destination but that ship has sailed. Now when they get to their destination they'll still need to take a cab or some other automobile and the congestion will be largely unaffected. If Amtrak hadn't screwed the pooch so many years ago and had been able to create a proper light rail system within cities it could almost be viable, but as it stands it's just another $53 billion down the drain.
Proper 'green' technology is still in its infancy and does require more investment. However, the view most people take on it is a little to restrictive for my taste. I'd prefer more robust research into Generation IV nuclear reactors, the waste degrades in decades and the energy yeild can be up to 300 the current for the same amount of fuel and could even use current nuclear waste to produce energy.
I'm tired of gasoline and coal but ethenol, solar, and wind just don't pack enough punch for a deathblow.
Posted in: Obama calls for $53 bil for high-speed rail
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TheQuestion
And they deserve financial ruin. I say let people and businesses run themselves however they like and if they fail and take a few thousand jobs out with them then that’s how it should be, they picked a loser to work for and now they're paying the price.
Strip away the safety nets for people at all levels and you'll see responsibility kick in. No bailouts, no welfare, no Medicaid, no SS, no tax breaks, no unemployment, and I guarantee that people will start saving their money.
Ha! The biggest joke is that there is no whip. Virtually every financial reform and even the Healthcare bill was crafted by industry leaders, do your really think they'd allow themselves to experience unacceptable losses? Democrats and Republicans are in their back pockets. Heck, the bill was just a gimme for the insurance industry and financial reform effectively crushes any chance of a new company challenging the old industry standards.
The CEO's have already won and they have reform and regulation to thank for it.
Posted in: Obama to CEOs: Ask what you can do for America
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TheQuestion
Very cool, sure as heck beats a swan.
Posted in: Green ice
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TheQuestion
The Swiss have publicly stated that they have no intention of prosecuting President Bush so I don't know why people keep congratulating them. This was due to security concerns rather than any chance of a legal case. So hooray for preventing a person you don't like from speaking.
"Swiss officials told human rights groups recently that they had no plans to try to prosecute Mr. Bush" New York Times
Posted in: Bush visit to Geneva canceled after protest threat
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TheQuestion
Get rid of the Department of Education and you're already to the halfway mark on that 100 billion. It's a failed institution as far as I'm concerned.
Raise the SS age to 80 or some other relatively uncommon number like when it was first set in the 30's when almost nobody lived long enough to collect on it. Or just abolish it all together as it's joined at the hip to the general fund.
Sell off Amtrak, as of now it's a pipe dream. Maybe some investor can make it work but right now those trains may as well be burning money for fuel.
Place downright draconian requirements on those collecting federal aid whether it be Medicaid, welfare, or otherwise. It's gone from a safety net for those down on their luck to a lifestyle passed down from generation to generation.
Revise the tax system. I've always liked the flat tax but I'm willing to compromise so long as whatever we get looks nothing like the current one. Close loopholes and cut down the paperwork because it's eating up money the whole way through.
Put serious consideration towards cutting any program not related to defense, R&D, or infrastructure.
Posted in: House Republicans move to slash domestic programs
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TheQuestion
This whole thing gets meaner every day. First it's peaceful protests, then you get looting, then burning down police stations, now they're throwing Molotov’s at each other and waving machetes. I'm surprised more aren't dead.
Leave the trench coats out of this, they don't deserve the bad publicity they get and I'll not be ashamed to wear mine. The tan one is nice but sometimes black is more fitting for the situation.
I get it in Detroit but then again I have satellite, but then so do most people these days. Plus, if you can stream it on the internet, which they do, then anybody can, in fact, watch it whenever they please.
Posted in: Egyptian army moves to stop assault on protesters
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TheQuestion
Wear a mask I won't stop you. I only smoke in my house and in cigar bars anyway so if you're around me when I'm smoking then it's your own fault. If you go to an establishment that allowed smoking and then complain about it you brought it on yourself.
You made a phalic joke, you must be proud. The level of class displayed by some people never ceases to amaze.
Posted in: Smoking, obesity are why U.S. lifespans lag a bit
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TheQuestion
Whatever, choice is a double edged sword. Let people smoke, drink, eat, and do drugs to their hearts content. There is enough information available about the effects of such habits and people should take it upon themselves to make their own decisions about what to put in their bodies.
I smoke cigars, and I have since I was in my teens, I understand the risks associated but I do it anyway because I enjoy it and have no intention of quitting. I also drink and eat poor quality food most of the time but I exercise and take other steps to ensure my good health and considering my latest blood test showed perfect cholesterol and blood sugar levels I'd say I'm doing pretty well with my personal choices.
I don't give a rip about average life expectancy so long as I'm able to live the life I want. Let businesses decide whether or not to allow smoking, it's their business after all, let people decide what they want to consume, it's their life after all. Choice requires responsibility; those who try to regulate what people can and can't do are flawed.
Posted in: Smoking, obesity are why U.S. lifespans lag a bit
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TheQuestion
If you're going to ride on the top of a train at least try to stay alert, it's not like the bridge came out of nowhere. As for them being on top of the train in the first place, you gotta do what you gotta do. Before my company started paying for my travel expenses I used to pay off cargo ship crewman to put me up going across the pacific to save a couple hundered bucks.
Posted in: 18 killed while riding on roof of Indian train
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TheQuestion
You see, that's the line of thinking that keeps the rest of us from being overwhelmed with joy at the thought of Mubarak being removed from office. Nobody wants to see the Muslim Brotherhood get into another place of power including, probably, the Egyptian military that has elected to take a respectable path.
The first thing radicals would want is the last thing any not crazy person in the military would want to do, attack a country armed to the teeth that has proven its mettle more than once.
Posted in: Egypt's military promises no force against protests
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TheQuestion
Depends on the facility set up. If containment failed and the fuel melted into the resivoir it's possible that a fairly substantial steam explosion could occur due to the rapid boiling. That would require a fairly large lapse in judgement on the part of the designers but it's still possible.
Posted in: Report warns of Iran nuke disaster due to computer worm
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TheQuestion
I guess that works but a word of advice for the next country; try thinking outside of the box. It's almost as unoriginal as naming yourself after a parent that beat the living hell out of you until there was no other choice but to go to a different country. At least their capital sounds alright.
Posted in: Over 99% in Southern Sudan vote for secession
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TheQuestion
Who cares? I was flipping through some channels at a russian hotel a year or so ago and a popular show was featuring my president playing basketball and eating fried chicken. There are racist jerks in russia, I have no doubt they exist in china, and there are in the U.S. Some just know how to profit off of it better than others.
I don't even know why people still get upset by what he says anymore. Or why people still get upset about rasists in general, they exist, there's a lot of them, and they're everywhere.
Posted in: Asian-American lawmakers demand Limbaugh apology
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TheQuestion
Yes, good, compete. Competition is good. Start getting better trade deals, push school vouchers and increase educational standards for students, offer tax breaks for R&D, revamp the tax system, and start up new energy programs. Not new energy as in the same old solar, wind BS lets get some more research into nuclear power. Hell, I'd even buy his sputnik thing if he set the goal of having a Generation IV reactor in the next 10 years.
Pay for it by ripping apart failed institutions like the Department of Education, thats a few billion right there, and selling off money holes like Amtrak to private companies, maybe they can make people think of trains as something other than a novelty.
Posted in: Obama calls for new era of competitiveness
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TheQuestion
It's gotten to the point where I think they're just killing people for the sake of it now. Worst part is that in many cases the drug cartels are able to think more tactically than the Mexican government, they've certainly done more damage to the state than the state has done to them.
I don't think it's working.
Posted in: Gunmen slaughter 7 in Mexican border city park
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TheQuestion
He hasn't been diagnosed with anything, the only reason I use the term mentally ill is to illustrate the fact that his behavior is deviant.
It could be argued that anybody that could justify killing another human could be classified as mentally ill. Were that so most people I know, myself included, could be considered as such. My, and other people's, standars are merely much higher as to what would justify such an act.
You seem to be under the impression that just because we don't understand his motivation he must have a condition that forced him to act in such a way. He had a reason to kill her that doesn't make sense to us but makes perfect sense to him, he made preperation, and he acted and, in the process, killed several others near Giffords.
Right and wrong are almost as subjective as my use as the word 'evil'. Right and wrong are determined by the society we live in, a perfectly reasonable person in their own mind may display socially unacceptable behavior without ever percieving it as wrong. That is part of the reason a persons perceptions of right and wrong are not used as a justification for the insanity defense. There are certain circumstances in which I could kill another and wouldn't feel in the wrong in the least bit and I doubt I would have a valid insanity defense.
If he had no felony convictions and was never diagnosed with a mental illness then there was no reason not to sell him a firearm. No linking 'system' appears here. My belief he should be executed stems from my views on equitable exchange, very basic, very cut and dry, and very efficient. I view long jail sentences as cruel and unusual while corporal punishment serve as an effective and potentially efficient solution if handled correctly. My view on the subject is not socially accepted and may be viewed largely as 'wrong' yet I am not classified as mentally ill. Judging from my lifestyle and how I conduct myself socially and in the workplace I may even be seen as significantly more stable psychologically than a majority of people.
Posted in: Case in Giffords shooting likely to take years
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TheQuestion
Again you attempt to classify Loughner with a political movement he showed absolutely now involvement in. He wasn't in line with anything judging from his actions, youtube videos, and his selected booklist I can say with some certainty that he is one of a kind.
It's not a contradiction. I don't see the execution of a murderer as murder. I don't go around killing people I disagree with, I don't go around killing anybody. Loughner has been convicted of murder, he took someones life without consent, and has proven himself nothing but a danger to himself and others.
Thanks for categorizing me, really appreciate it. Must be easier to criticize others when they're all fit into one neat little box labeled "not like me".
Being mentally ill and having a valid insanity defense are not the same thing. I've said that over and over so I'll say it again. Being mentally ill and having a valid insanity defense are not the same thing. Being mentally ill means that he displays aberrant behavior and a disregard for accepted social norms. Having an insanity defense would require him to not be in control of his actions. From what we know he was in control of his actions, so he does not have a valid insanity defense.
Posted in: Case in Giffords shooting likely to take years
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TheQuestion
Ah yes, pick a point and disreguard the entierty of the arguement. Lovely. A person is responcible for their choices, if one kills one should be killed. I don't see execution as murder, merely the system rectifying an imbalance.
Posted in: Case in Giffords shooting likely to take years
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TheQuestion
No, it could be simple as he wanted to kill her. Then he bought a gun, did a quick search of where she would be speaking, and went there. A crazy person is capable of planning, their reasoning for wanting to kill someone is irrelevant to an insanity defense. Most of what's been presented shows that he targeted Giffords because of his anger about her not being able to answer some illogical question he posed to her at a similar rally.
You keep assuming that mental illness means a valid insanity defense, it doesn't. The insanity defense is only applicable if the defendant is proven to lack control over their actions at the time of commiting the crime, nobody thinks the defense is credible given the length of time that went into his preperation.
I can't make a case for insanity if it doesn't exist. It's clear that he did plan, largely clear that he did so for his own warped reasons, and that he was in control of himself when he did it.
There is absolutely no evidence about that. What we do have, through observations of people close to Loughner, is that he was becoming increasingly erratic and was seemingly fixated on Giffords for not responding to his question. Fit or unfit didn't seem to factor into this, he was angry, she was at a rally, he had an opportunity, and he took it. Why you keep trying to add conventional political spin to this is what I find insulting because there is none.
Whatever politics Loughner believed in they were so twisted and incomprehensible as to be inapplicable to either of today’s major moving forces. He was an outlier, a nut, and a killer, nothing more.
Because the case highlighted the obvious flaw in the judicial system several states abolished the insanity defense and the thing was rewritten as a whole to avoid similar successful defenses in the future. If Hinckley was tried in today’s court systems he would have been found guilty so your comparison is moot.
And I'm saying that's highly likely. But your attempt to place him in line with conventional U.S politics is flawed as his political ideology fails to mirror any accepted movement within the country.
That's what I've been trying to tell you. It was targeted, nobody doubts that it was targeted, nobody supports the insanity defense as you assert. It's merely the only option he has, it will fail, but his lawyers will try their hardest to prove diminished capacity. Not full fledged insanity which is nearly impossible given what’s known.
That only proves he's a vindictive, dare I say evil, murderer. Maybe he just wanted to create chaos or saw Giffords supporters as equally deserving of death, I can't fathom how that person thinks. But Giffords was obviously targeted. We don't, as you assert, know why she was targeted but she was. This was a planned crime, the insanity defense will be thrown out, and only those few close to him will regret seeing him get the death penalty.
Posted in: Case in Giffords shooting likely to take years