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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aedfed
If the "inherently abnormal" part is a predisposition to drug addiction and if we don't know who has this predisposition, then it makes sense to stay away from potentially harmful addictive substances. Of course, if part of the abnormality is poor impulse control, then there doesn't seem to be a lot of hope.
Posted in: Brains of drug addicts inherently abnormal: study
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aedfed
So who was being fairly compensated for a day's work when copyright was extended from 50 years after the creator's death to 70 years to stop Mickey Mouse from entering the public domain?
I'd like to know where Reid came up with these figures. The studios and recording companies are fond of trotting out similar figures, but I've never been able to find who did the research on which they're based. I think they're pulling them out of the air.
Posted in: U.S. Congress puts online piracy bills on hold
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aedfed
I don't think napping in the park is what the writers of the song had in mind when they wrote "Afternoon Delight" which popularized the expression.
Posted in: Afternoon delight
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aedfed
A scenario they didn't mention, but which blurs the lines even more is the case of virtual worlds such as Second Life. If your avatar does something you wouldn't do with another avatar, is that the same as cheating?
Another way of looking at it might be the same as the discussion that goes on about how much of a book's characters actually reflect the opinion of the author.
Posted in: Is Internet sex cheating?
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aedfed
It's pretty hard to argue with someone who believes that a lack of evidence supporting their theory is actually evidence of how good a conspiracy it is.
No evidence = a perfect conspiracy.
Posted in: What makes conspiracy theorists tick and what is the best way to combat their beliefs?
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aedfed
The iMacs were last updated in July 2010. The new Intel Sandy Bridge quad core processors in this update were released in January of this year.
Posted in: Apple upgrades iMacs with quad-core processors
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aedfed
My favourite Japanese curry powder was the "Red Indian" brand that came in a jar, complete with a picture of an Indian of the North American variety in a full feather headdress.
Posted in: Popular curry restaurant runs out of stock due to quake shortages
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aedfed
Here's a typical bit on the earthquake from Canadian TV: Announcer: We've just been watching footage of the worst earthquake to ever hit Japan. We have on the phone, Phil, an English teacher who's lived in Tokyo for a year. So, Phil, tell us, Japan gets a lot of earthquakes, but have you ever experienced one like this before?
After about five moronic interviews like that, I turned the sound off.
The best part was watching an eager interviewer trying to get a cautious academic to say something headline-worthy about the nuclear situation. All he would say is, "I don't have enough information to comment on that."
Posted in: What would you say are the main differences between the way the Japanese and foreign media are covering the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and the ongoing nuclear crisis?
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aedfed
I flew through London in 1980, when the IRA was alive and well, and was patted down as part of airport security procedures. It was neither invasive nor traumatic. Some of the hysterical writers above need to get a grip -- or find something truly outrageous to get excited about.
Posted in: Scanners and pat-downs upset airline passengers in U.S.
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aedfed
Perhaps before commenting on whether the JET program has been a success or not, writers would do well to have a look at the goals of the program:
"The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme aims to promote grass roots internationalisation at the local level by inviting young overseas graduates to assist in international exchange and foreign language education in local governments, boards of education and elementary, junior and senior high schools throughout Japan. It seeks to foster ties between Japanese citizens (mainly youth) and JET participants at the person-to-person level."
I don't see anything about improving TOEIC or TOEFEL scores, or improving language education at school, so it seems unfair to criticize the program for failing to succeed in an area in which it never set out improve.
Posted in: Grounding the JETs
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aedfed
Back in the late '80s I wanted to cash yen traveller's cheques (issued by a Japanese bank), but the local bank couldn't do it. I had to go to a "bigger" bank in the next town. All the while I'm thinking that a grocery store at home is capable of more sophisticated financial transactions than this bank.
I know that 's a while ago, but I wouldn't bet they've changed.
Posted in: What do you think of the banking system in Japan? What are the pros and cons?
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aedfed
This dates me, but I remember trying to get the Japanese Post Office to allow me to put an extra sheet of air mail paper in an airform (remember those?). It didn't weight significantly more, but it was the fact that there was something extra in there that resulted in an impasse.
My long-suffering Japanese colleague who interpreted all of this must have thought I was nuts (although perhaps it was entertaining watching a foreigner try to do something no Japanese would ever attempt). The discussion ended when they photocopied the page out of their manual saying that nothing extra could be in an airform.
The up side to this is that the Japanese post office generally provided much better service than Canada Post ever has (I realize that's not much of a standard to beat . . . )
The best part of service in Japan is developing a long-term relationship with a small shop owner (in my case a bicycle shop) and getting second-to-none service.
Posted in: In Japan, the customer is not king
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aedfed
The restaurant with "Fine dinning" on its sign. Makes me think family restaurant.
The driving school named "Flushyou."
And my all-time favourite on a glass given away with Blendy Coffee -- "I wonder why coffee tastes so good when you're naked with your family?"
Posted in: What are some of your favorite examples of the way English is misused in products, advertising and pop culture in Japan?
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aedfed
He's an actor. He only acts tough. The only one who qualifies as tough is Couture.
Just because they didn't use CGI doesn't mean the fights were real. Actors seem to live in this universe where they figure just because they play a part in a movie, it somehow counts in real life. How would you feel if you were injured in an accident and the first person on scene said, "Don't worry. I played an emergency-room doctor on ER, so I know exactly what to do."
Posted in: Stallone back to big action in 'The Expendables'
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aedfed
Review of goals is a must, review of off-sides that result in goals is a close second, and retroactive red cards for players who embellish fouls would help to clean up the images of a game that has far too many divers.
PS Blatter is a corrupt old fool who should be sent off permanently for doing such a poor simulation of an executive.
Posted in: Blatter apologizes for referee errors; says FIFA will reopen debate on video tech
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aedfed
Well, if "the guy" you're looking for is a middle-aged actor, then Cruise might fit the bill.
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aedfed
Perhaps the NK players can defect to SK, or better yet to Canada -- our team didn't even make it that far.
Posted in: Portugal pulverizes North Korea 7-0 as N Korea broadcasts game live
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aedfed
I'm for any ball that goes in the net more than the old ones.
Posted in: Complaints about World Cup ball continue
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aedfed
Looks like some sort of club -- presumably to knacker the groom should her outfit start giving him second thoughts and he tries to escape.
Posted in: Sancta Karina
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aedfed
Two paragraphs; two mistakes. I quit reading after that. Japan's population is 127 million, not 135 and Russia isn't a member of the OECD. But hey, why let a few facts get in the way of opinions?
Posted in: Bare statistics mask human cost of Japan’s high suicide rate