JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
-
1
To be healthy, live in the big city
-
2
Teacher nabbed for using miror to peek up girl's skirt
-
3
Japan's nuclear safety standards flawed, says commission chief
-
4
From carnivores to herbivores: how men are defined in Japan
-
5
Why do Japanese change their attitude when they communicate with foreigners?
-
- 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
-
- 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*
-
- Translator
- ZAIHON, Inc. (日本財務翻訳株式会社), Tokyo
- Salary: ¥6.0M / Year Negotiable
0
brotokyo
They look just like those three dogs in "A Fish Called Wanda"
Posted in: A dog's life
0
brotokyo
Azabu:
They'll sell to you.
Article Unavailable
0
brotokyo
Saves tons in love hotel expenses, although after (bad/unhappy/unfulfilling) marriage, those expenses could return.
Posted in: What are the pros and cons of living together with someone before you marry that person?
0
brotokyo
blacklabel, thanks, Yes, I like her much better fully dressed.
Article Unavailable
0
brotokyo
So, is this Japan's idea of "pitching a perfect game"?
Article Unavailable
0
brotokyo
Cleo:
I am going to imagine a death panel is a rung or two below "postcode lottery." I also imagine Americans worry about this "Brave New World." If you aren't familiar with 33 year old Patsy Parsons, mother of four, ages two to 14, and her struggle with cancer (post cancer), here is the link:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1262483/Cancer-survivor-refused-breast-reconstruction-operation-NHS-officials-dismiss-cosmetic-surgery.html
Americans are inundated with these types of true stories, thus the outcry on this healthbill. And back to the "taxman"
smothered in that 2000 page bill is an "eye opener." Tanning salons across the US will pay a 5% tax on tanning services because tanning is deemed a luxury. Wow! Is this not racism. I have actually seen black people on beaches but I have never heard of one going to a tanning salon. So, if getting a tan is a luxury, wouldn't getting one's curly haired straightened or one's straight hair permed not be a luxury? I have no doubt that the tanning tax will end up in the courts (expensive for both the small businesses who bring this to court and the govt to defend it) and I would bet, giving great odds, that the govt would never approve of the "hair" luxury tax I raise because black America will cry racism on the grounds that the changing curly hair to straight "targets" blacks specifically, thus will be deemed racist. Last I checked, the First Lady did not don "nappy" hair, hair in its natural state. A tan done at a tanning salon is considered luxury as the skin is altered from its natural state.
Again, I don't come to this thread to agree with the either side, left or right but return to your "not understanding why so many Americans are against this". If there is one thing I love about the US, it is that Americans protest, and don't go into the herd mentality. And while we have added words like "karaoke" and "sushi" to our English dictionaries, it will take a long, long time before the word "Shoganai" is added. I am for the things you ask about, but I can't wait to see this "racist" tanning tax have its day in court, just to cite one example from the "comprehensive" tax law just penned. It is sad that it was allowed in in the first place and that is why I said in an earlier post that this bill should have been sliced up and made into a bunch of new laws and not one "too-big-to-fail" law. And having a sister that lost a breast thanks to cancer, I hope the US system isn't reduced to the "postcode lottery" we so often read about in countries with NHS.
Posted in: U.S. Congress completes overhaul of health care; more threats come in
0
brotokyo
Frungy, can't disagree with you. I also think that if a Japanese puts the hand of another in his/her hand instead of a keitai ... just seems to be sooooo much lonliness and wanting to connect or waiting for a connection everywhere I look, and sadly the connection usually comes from the electronic gear one holds rather than the warm touch (or God forbid smile in this country) of another. I read a few days ago here (forgive me for forgetting whose post) that "more hugging and less bowing" is a step in the right direction. It was the best post I've yet to read in this forum.
Posted in: Bare statistics mask human cost of Japan’s high suicide rate
0
brotokyo
"but upon closer inspection found out it was a cheap imitation of it"
Seems to me this is common throughout Asia as I've passed up countless opportunities to buy a "Rolex" watch for about $30 in Tokyo, Taipei, Bangkok, Saigon ... need I go on?! To be fair, I was offered a "sugoi" inexpensive "Rolex" in Manhattan as well, but the flood gates seem to be open in this part of the world. The sense or nonsense is simple: Wow! people are making money from this, let's do it! Never mind intellectual property rights. The idea is, hey good "thinking" there buddy, you've done me well.
Posted in: China making anime push as Japan hits slump
0
brotokyo
Gaijin:"Is it just me, or is her arm bent the wrong way in the photo?"
You're right! I didn't notice coz my eyes were glued to that sexy navel.
Posted in: Law student Nana Tanimura decides music is a better career
0
brotokyo
tk: "Is it for oil or stategic placement of US forces. Probably so."
Guess you're not a lone in this thinking.
http://members.localnet.com/~jeflan/jfafghanpipe.htm
Posted in: U.S. wants Canada to stay in Afghanistan
0
brotokyo
Cleo, I knew I could depend on you to be both civil and genuine. Again, good questions from you: "Death panels? What are those? If you're old and incurable, you don't get medical care? As opposed to being poor and probably of colour? Where do these people get these ideas?
Remember, please, that I responded because you wrote: ""I'm asking questions in an attempt to get an understanding of what it is about the present set-up... ."
Hey, who in the world does know what a death panel is? I can't answer that question but one can always google (I prefer Yahoo search) "health care death panels" and get lots of "literature" on the topic. Nonetheless, many older Americans want to understand how this new law affects their health care. You said you want to understand "what it is about the present set-up that makes a sizable part of the population so dead set against .... "I know why so many Americans are against it--it is because they don't understand it.
And yes, the IRS is the taxman and yes you are right, "I have been led to understand from doing my kakuteishinkoku that people working in Japan are not obliged to pay double taxes - what you pay in overseas taxes gets set against what you're obliged to pay in Japan."
I have never paid double taxes! Nonetheless, I go back again to your original statement: "I'm asking questions in an attempt to get an understanding of what it is about the present set-up that makes a sizable part of the population so dead set against what appears to be a pretty sensible attempt to get affordable health care to more Americans." The answer is as obvious as my earlier comment about foreigners going against Japan's new law on Visa renewal: no one wants Big Brother watching everything, period. That includes me, and I file taxes properly every year in both countries and have nothing to fear. However, I confess I don't like it, either. In the end, the average American always does the right thing and one of the biggest questions that weighs heavily in the American psych is: if it is right for America, why are the "rich" elected officials exempted? I never profess to have the answers and I certainly don't dispute your questions and reasoning for the items you place in this thread. I simply address your curiousity (above). What is happening in the USA is normal. Thank God for that, because if Americans don't question and make demands, then all kinds of unwarranted BS will be placed on the masses. I applaud you for having "a problem personally with the idea of going back to the UK just to get free medical treatment, knowing I hadn't paid anything in for years. But maybe that's just me."
But back to an earlier comment "sharp slap on the head" just doesn't seem proper to me (for those who get around the system). That is worse than a "proper" Japanese "bow", you know, the one that miraculously wipes away all sins (perhaps the Chinese dumplin tainter should takes notes!). This new American law is a very costly and I might add a necessary "evil/blessing". However, it needs to be ironed out. I personally dislike the "all or nothing" approach and believe America should work on health problems, one problem at a time; one law at a time: not all in a basket of "health care" and deal with questions later. It is much easier to digest one new law, a few necessary pages at a time, than a raft of "related" laws jumbled in a 2000 plus page package.
You and I have both been here long enough to realize Japan will have its way with the "Visa" question (item 8, above) and foreigners living here and skirting the aforementioned system. I just hope the USA can do the right thing here with health care. Again, thanks, I truly believe you have a heartfelt interest in the members of society who struggle, as I do, too, but neither you nor I can save the world. Let America deal with this issue because no matter what you say in this forum (it is Japan Today, not the USA Today), it has little to no impact on what will happen. Thanks for your curiousity in the American system, though.
Posted in: U.S. Congress completes overhaul of health care; more threats come in
0
brotokyo
Cleo, thanks for the response. I begin by stating I do enjoy reading your comments on this board because you actually bring reason and solid genuine questions. The first unforeseen consequence is the role of the IRS. Americans are so fearful of this "band" and it is estimamted that 16,000 new IRS "hounds" will be hired to ensure ..... I'll leave this part blank simply because it is an unknown and scarey as hell. I imagine British subjects living and working in Japan for Japanese companies aren't required to "do" British taxes (I'm no expert on this so forgive me if I'm wrong), but Americans are, so there is no doubt fear from the US expat community. There is other uncertaintity: Americans, for example, truly worry that Palin's (and a number of others) claim that the system will have death panels. Hey, the number of seniors worrying about this is alarming. Anyway, I don't want to go into each and every reason Americans worry about this new law; suffice it to say "politics" is heavily involved, but many Americans do have genuine questions that need to be addressed.
Secondly, I did not say YOU "jumped for joy" and I have read your posts in the last comment you made above and I quite agree with you that "I think those who choose not to join the national scheme, thus putting everyone else's premiums up, deserve a sharp slap up the back of the head and an injection of IARJ antidote." However, I would take it a step further. A slap might not be enough as I know there are a number who live/work here and have no insurance at all, a clear violation of Japanese law. This is criminal. I don't advocate they be shot, but a sharp slap doesn't sound quite enough.
I have a question: Can a British subject who lives and works in Japan really not have to file taxes in his/her home country and at the same time return to England (during summer holiday, whatever) and enjoy the benefits of Britains National health care scheme? Thanks for your take and comments. I am not challenging you, but simply have curiousity. When I watched Michael Moore's documentary on healthcare (or lack thereof) in the US, I noted, with alarm, that when he went to France, one Frenchman he interviewed proudly claimed that he got free medical attention/care in France. The alarm came for me because this Frenchman had lived and worked in the US for a number of years, didn't join a health scheme there, paid no taxes back in his homeland France, and then returned (from the way I interpreted it) because he needed health care. I heard from Englandman here that he could return to England to enjoy those health benefits even though he doesn't pay for it and one friend even bragged that he returns there to get his dental work done (simple dentistry involving fillings, not cosmetic), yet doesn't pay into the British system. Just curious, and thanks.
Posted in: U.S. Congress completes overhaul of health care; more threats come in
0
brotokyo
Debucho, agreed
Posted in: Everlasting sprout
0
brotokyo
Cleo says: "I'm asking questions in an attempt to get an understanding of what it is about the present set-up that makes a sizable part of the population so dead set against what appears to be a pretty sensible attempt to get affordable health care to more Americans."
I see. I have been wondering what piqued your curiousity with something that has no effect on you. I noticed you like to cherry pick the 2000 plus page bill. Who in his/her right mind could/would disagree with a couple of things you question? I surely couldn't. But, I am curious about where you are trying to go with this. I am sure most people are not against insuring what you question, but this is a complex, comprehensive bill that can and will have unforeseen consequences for US citizens. This bill, the way it stands, is an "all or nothing" law, so coming into the debate with statistics that show that a "slightly" higher percentage of Americans die before reaching the age of 60, than say UK subjects and then asking why is that, is surely cherry picking and in fact, that statistic you offer has little to do with health care because if you actually delve further into that category, click mortality and start chosing causes of death (in the nationmaster you cited), you will discover that many in the US die from causes that all the medicine in the world can't save: traffic accidents: highest in the world (all motorists must have insurance, so there is no debate about lack of insurance not saving them), accidental deaths, violence (it ends up a huge number as there is a great list of non-health related causes to choose from, but I will simply say that the stat you offered has little to do with health care, so I cannot even wonder why you brought it up in the first place. But since you did bring it up, then I wonder if a 9.9% (2.9% lower than the US) in England is something to brag about, what with universal health care across the pond. Again, the US bill is all or nothing. There are many wonderful things in the bill, but there are bad things, too. Thus, controversy. I find it interesting how the foreign community here in Japan jumped for joy when the JP govt decided to strike out a provision for foreigners in the Visa guideline:
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/visa-guideline-on-health-insurance-deleted#comment_496609
The Japanese govt had the luxury to strike out an "upsetting" provision: note 8 provisons became 7 (not an all or nothing: take it or leave it). Interesting how "Free Choice Foundation", an organization set up by members of the foreign community, could have such a profound impact on Japanese policy, yet you can't seem to understand what it is "about the present set-up ... a pretty sensible attempt to get affordable healthcare ..." There might be a whole lotta "no free choice" in that "sensible attempt" and thus a "sizable part of ..." so dead against it.
Posted in: U.S. Congress completes overhaul of health care; more threats come in
0
brotokyo
3RENSHO: "Brides are illegal?"
Nope, just real expensive.
Posted in: Club hostesses hold first protest over working conditions
0
brotokyo
I wonder if Jack Bauer will get a chance to use the bathroom in the final season, his last 24 hrs. Haven't seen him use a toilet yet.
Posted in: '24' canceled after eight seasons
0
brotokyo
Cleo, "And according to Nationmaster, a person living in the medically-advanced US has a 12.8% chance of not reaching the age of 60, while a person in 'socialist' Britain or Japan has only a 9.9% or 8.2% chance of not living that long. Why is this OK?"
I've never used Nationmaster, and just checked it out now at: http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php
However, going through the search engine I can't seem to locate statistics on the quote above. I am curious to see how they come up with those percentages, especially thinking about US deaths do to firearms--illegal in both Japan and England. If you can give me a link, I'd appreciate it. Meanwhile I'll keep searching.
Posted in: U.S. Congress completes overhaul of health care; more threats come in
0
brotokyo
marushka:
"unquote lol" You don't unquote a quote, you end a quote. quote, end quote.
Posted in: Train shame
0
brotokyo
nobo: "The minute he touched you it was assult. You should have hit him."
Wow! I can't believe you actually believe this minor incident should bring police involvement, because as soon as you (a gaikokujin) "hit" a passenger (a Japanese) on the train, I am almost certain the police will arrive because after all the writer, Anna did say, "politely tapped me on the shoulder." If a polite tap on the shoulder is assault in your books, I would hate to end up in your court.
Posted in: Train shame
0
brotokyo
nisegaijin, thanks for the youtube feed. Enjoyed seeing some intellect on an otherwise boring thread
Posted in: Obama signs $938 billion health care overhaul into law