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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Valmain
It's too early for iPhone 5 to come out, Apple has to wait until Android releases some more new features to steal. Oh, I mean make "revolutionary."
Posted in: KDDI to sell new iPhone in Japan, ending Softbank's domination
3
Valmain
@smithinjapan:
How is this phone copying Apple?
Posted in: Docomo unveils Xperia ray SO-03C smartphone
11
Valmain
Wait, giving TVs as a reward for not using electricity? Isn't that like rewarding abstinence with condoms?
Posted in: Compulsory power usage cut implemented for 1st time in 37 yrs
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Valmain
So, 31 people's opinion represents an entire nation?
Posted in: Norika has the ideal body
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Valmain
I got the call from Saison Card Services informing me that someone had been using my card to make unauthorized purchases. I had no idea how my number got out until I started to hear about this PSN issue. Based on what they purchased, I'm pretty sure it was taken as part of this breach.
Thanks for protecting my private info, Sony!
Posted in: Sony PlayStation disconnects 77 million user accounts after massive data breach
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Valmain
TIL.
Posted in: Ebisu Muscats form 'sexpendables' to promote Stallone movie
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Valmain
So says the urban myth. However, based on what I've read, it sounds like Hassan was such a pure follower of the Koran that it seems unlikely he would have allowed this.
Also, using cannabis for mind control?? I don't see how this could happen.
Posted in: For many Japanese, laid-back overseas vacations a one-way ticket to nowhere
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Valmain
Honestly, what is this article even trying to say? Don't travel abroad, you will become addicted to drugs or not be able to work in this over-standardized and rigid society upon returning? Bummer.
What a poor mix of reefer madness (seriously, "I’ve been hooked on the stuff" and "wild ganja parties"??), nationalistic propaganda, and general fear mongering. I think that Japan's thriving travel industry would frown upon this kind of publication.
As for the addictiveness cannabis:
There is no compound in the plant that is physically addictive. Any addiction that occurs from this is a mental association stemming from whatever you mix it with. It's like the psychological version of Pavlov's dogs: if you smoke weed every time you drink or smoke tobacco, your brain will associate the two. That way when the presence of one is detected, an expectation for the other is developed.
Posted in: For many Japanese, laid-back overseas vacations a one-way ticket to nowhere
0
Valmain
I believe it's a SUBTLE joke made by the title of the film, and the fact that these three are porn stars.
Only in Japan can porn stars be used to promote a big-ticket Hollywood movie.
Posted in: Ebisu Muscats form 'sexpendables' to promote Stallone movie
0
Valmain
I believe the city is called "Hita" and not "Hida."
Moderator: That has been corrected. Thank you.
Posted in: 7-year-old boy seriously injured in Oita hit-and-run
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Valmain
Because he is protesting for what he believes and as long as he stays within legal boundaries, I don't see any reason to stop him. It's not like he has malicious intentions or anything for the Japanese people.
Protesting != Dictation
Posted in: Threats keep dolphin protest out of Taiji
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Valmain
Not quite. A long long time ago it was fairly widespread, but now it's limited mostly to Japan, the Solomon Islands, and the Faroe Islands.
Posted in: Threats keep dolphin protest out of Taiji
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Valmain
I completely agree. I didn't say anything about Taiji being in the wrong. My comment was about belittling people's opinions based on their occupations, but I never said that anyone was right or wrong.
Posted in: Threats keep dolphin protest out of Taiji
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Valmain
@MrDog
Because the used the word "stab?" I hardly think that makes it biased. If they had said something like "brutally murder" or "slaughter" then that's a different story. But the word "stab" is commonly used in the media. How much nicer can they put it?? "The dolphins are gently nudged with spears until they cease to move."
So, because he runs a vegetarian restaurant his opinion is any less valid? They picked him because they wanted the opinion of someone who was at O'Barry's rally. Just because you disagree doesn't mean that his opinion is not worthwhile.
Posted in: Threats keep dolphin protest out of Taiji
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Valmain
grafton:
stigmata, plural of stigma:
a mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain or reproach, as on one's reputation.
Anything else in my post that you don't understand?
So, what would it hurt to legalize drugs, then? This is my point about the stigma, people can seek out help without fear of prosecution. Alcoholics today are a sad lot, victims who need to cure their "disease." But when drug addicts come forward it's harder because their ball and chain is an illegal one. If these substances are legal, these people can get help easier and cycled back into society.
This logic always makes me laugh. Alcohol is legal, but when was the last time your doctor reeked of booze when you visited? People have self control and understand that being intoxicated while working is not acceptable. Honestly, common sense. Sounds like you need to start keeping some better friends. Maybe your friends don't have enough self control to use drugs and operate in society, but I think most people do. Francis Crick - discovered the DNA double helix structure...while on LSD. Many amazing artists and writers use substances to enhance their work. Or just to relax. It's a personal freedom more than anything. If I were to contemplate the universe in my home on a Saturday, that doesn't mess with your plans, correct?
Posted in: Would legalizing drugs drive the crime out of the business?
0
Valmain
It does make sense to think so, but his hasn't been the case so far with countries that have legalized drugs. Portugal, Nederlands, and Czech Republic have extremely liberal drug policies and don't have any of these problems. They actually have lower rates of drug abuse than countries that still practice prohibition. This is probably because of the lack of stigmata that accompanies having a drug problem so people can seek help easier.
Posted in: Would legalizing drugs drive the crime out of the business?
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Valmain
To me it's on about the same level as flipping off a monk. Just makes you seem barbaric.
It is one of the reasons. Research has shown that cannabis does has the effects I mentioned. Why else do you think they make tablets from it like Marinol?? Are there people who want to smoke it for pleasure and don't really need it medically? Absolutely. Why is that so bad?
Why on earth would you assume that I live in SF? I have never lived in San Francisco. I don't even live in the states (those people I referred to earlier live in red states, FYI). Don't try to generalize people based on their opinions, it doesn't make you sound any smarter. Anyways, almost a third of all US states have medical cannabis laws. To think that people who use cannabis are limited to the Bay Area is a misconception. A few states even have proposed legislation to fully legalize and tax cannabis.
Posted in: Would legalizing drugs drive the crime out of the business?
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Valmain
Sure can't. You've got a solid argument there.
That's not the question that's being asked. The question is worded to state "drive the crime out of the business," the business I can only assume to be selling illegal drugs.
Posted in: Would legalizing drugs drive the crime out of the business?
0
Valmain
Wow. You just quoted me baseless early-90s US anti-drug propaganda? In one swift move, you have nulled your entire argument. Quote me some real research or data, then maybe you can redeem any semblance of a rebuttal.
Whether you believe in Shamans or not strikes me as irrelevant. Those substances are being used to treat addicts and people with mental disorders. This isn't the tooth fairy. Whether you believe or not, there are testimonials and data to back it up.
Take a look: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0603/features/peru.html http://www.ibeginagain.org/ http://www.biopark.org/peru/ayaheal.html http://www.ibogaine-therapy.net/
Are you arguing with yourself? I believe "the business" in question is sales of drugs. As you just stated, legalizing drugs would mean that pharmaceutical companies would profit, not illegal dealers. Admittedly, those companies are only a step or two above drug dealers, but at least it's a legit business.
Need some actual proof? http://stossel.blogs.foxbusiness.com/2010/05/19/drug-dealers%E2%80%99-nightmare-legal-pot/
Posted in: Would legalizing drugs drive the crime out of the business?
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Valmain
Really? Badmouthing shamans? That's a bit low. I would trust a shaman, with thousands of years of knowledge and experience passed down through generations, before I would trust a jockey in a labcoat whose research is paid for by corporations. Science does not always know best.
You also bring up another great aspect of the drug war: the social division. Despite what you might think, illegal substances are consumed by more than hippies and minorities. I know people in their 70s and 80s who smoke cannabis because they claim there is no better medicine. Plenty of average Joe (or Taro) tax-paying hard-working people enjoy expanding their mind in their own way.
Posted in: Would legalizing drugs drive the crime out of the business?