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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ca1ic0cat
There are problems with the existing health care bill at so many levels that I find it amazing anybody can defend it. First, it leaves a lot of people without coverage. So what about the people who aren't covered? Especially during the "phase in." Second, the bill is a big giveaway to Liebermann's buddies in the health care insurance business. Like they need money. The perks keep rolling. Nothing is done to reform malpractice, so the lawyers get to keep their filthly lucre too. In the end the bill doesn't cover everybody, costs a lot, and hands money to the vested industry interests. That is not a good bill. Whatever changes you think will be made the industry groups are just going to be that much further entrenched. So what does this accomplish? Not much from what I can see.
Posted in: Obama open to adding GOP ideas to health plan
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ca1ic0cat
I'm of two minds on this one. I prefer an approach like Singapore. But a lot of crap does wash down from Zushi too. So you can't blame the beachgoers. There are beach clean ups every spring and a fundraiser always costs more than it's worth - that's how it raises funds! Give it a try, you might meet somebody interesting.
Posted in: Fujisawa beach cleaning fundraiser planned for March 14
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ca1ic0cat
Fine NHLers all around. It was a good game. But it's over and the olympics are too. Now it's just a wait to see who get's the Wheaties cover. But then I don't eat Wheaties so, now that it's over, none of it matters. If your real life sucks so bad that you are this wrapped up in who won the most medals or whatever I think you should make some changes!
Posted in: Canada beats U.S. 3-2 in overtime to claim ice hockey gold
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ca1ic0cat
I would think this is good advice for anybody....if you're going to pick on somebody for not breaking a habit like smoking, maybe the politicians should swear off pork barrel spendng? Naw, can't happen...
Posted in: Obama told to kick smoking habit, eat better
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ca1ic0cat
Guys, you forgot that the dems caved to Liebermann and so they had their 60 votes - except that they couldn't get the other dems to agree. I guess getting the dems together is like herding cats. In other words, Obama can't get the job done.
To constantly blame the republicans for this is just idiocy. Kool-aid all around then. Blame Liebermann then? Blame the democratic leadership for not including enough republicans like Olympia Snow to get the 60 votes? Maybe you should try that instead of just repeating the mantra of "it's all the republican's fault."
What you have with the health care bill is something that is so far left of center and loaded with bribes and gimmies that it can't get the support of all the democrats. The democratic leadership has botched the job. The republicans have been cut out of the discussion. Can't very well blame somebody who wasn't even at the table.
Now that the dems can't get 60 votes - one lousy seat - and all of a sudden there is a "summit." And you guys are saying that the republicans have been blocking this? It would seem that the dems have realized that they can't get the job done.
Of course they are talking "resolution" now. But that is considered a terrible option because of the precident it would set.
As far as gitmo, cap-and-trade, Iran. Anybody want to post successes? No? I thought not.
Lame, lame, lame. It's just the same drivel over and over again. When are you guys going to come up with some original thinking? Oh, wait. You're part of the bunch that can't pass health care and is desperate to find somebody to blame. Silly me. My bad.
If the dems had put as much effort into crafting a well thought out bill instead of bickering amongst themselves and blaming the republicans for the dem's failures there might be a health care bill already. A complete lack of leadership if there ever was one. Makes Jimmy Carter look downright decisive.
Posted in: Obama, Republicans clash at heated health summit
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ca1ic0cat
Getting a supreme court justice appointed with a 60 vote majority in the senate is a walk in the park. But there is no cap-and-trade bill, no health bill, Gitmo is still open, Afghanistan is an escalating mess, Iran is still thumbing it's nose at the world, and NK isn't back to the six party talks. OK, getting NK to do anything reasonable is impossible but the Democrats OWNED the senate until the debacle over Kennedy's seat. They could have passed ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING the democrats could agree on. You can't blame the republicans. They could whine all they wanted but they could not change or stop any legislation that the democrats wanted to pass.
The fact that the dems left so much undone - especially Gitmo, where no vote was even needed - shows a total lack of leadership. I don't think the democrats could fight their way out of a paper bag.
Let me say it once more: with a 60 vote majority in the senate there was nothing the republicans could do to block any legislation. Nothing, nada, zip, none!
That the democrats STILL couldn't get anything serious done is probably what lost the Kennedy seat. Game over.
I think that when you try to blame the republicans for saying NO when in fact they had no ability to stop any legislation either shows a complete lack of understanding of how the senate works or is an example of Goebbel's dictum that "if you tell a lie often enough people will begin to believe it is the truth."
Go ahead guys, drink the kool-aid. Pathetic. Just pathetic. Obama is an empty suit.
Posted in: Obama, Republicans clash at heated health summit
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ca1ic0cat
The democrats had a "fillibuster proof" 60 vote majority in the senate for a year and couldn't get anything done. There was no leadership by Obama to push for an agreed to democratic bill. They couldn't even get their own party to work together. That is truly pathetic. So yabits' constant whining that the republicans are blocking Obamacare is a red herring.
By the way yabits, maybe the mods don't understand that "teabagging" means putting one's testicles on another's face but a lot of the rest of us do. If you think that epithets like "knuckledraggers" and "teabaggers" does anything to further the debate you are far wrong. I've lost all respect for you.
Posted in: Obama, Republicans clash at heated health summit
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ca1ic0cat
The nice thing about unmanned aircraft is that you can load them up with fuel and ordinance and double the range by making it a one-way mission. Since Israel already has nukes we will soon have a new mutually assured destruction confrontation in place. So much for the new world order.
Posted in: Israel unveils new drone fleet that can reach Iran
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ca1ic0cat
People have been getting themselves killed by fooling with wild animals for a long time. Dancing bears, big cat shows, "pet" pythons killing the baby. Where do you think the phrase "putting your head in the lion's mouth" came from?
If you're going to take a wild animal out of the wild and put them in unnatural surroundings things can go wrong in a hurry. The whale might have thought it was playing a game. It might have gotten pissed off. But either way it's waaaay bigger than you are and it has teeth...
Posted in: Whale kills Florida SeaWorld trainer as spectators watch
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ca1ic0cat
I'm with the folks who say a soapland and an contrived story are involved. Either that or a terminator just came through time...."give me your clothes" "What?" "Your clothes, give them to me. Oh, and I'll need some yen too."
Posted in: Man robbed of cash and clothes on way home in Tokyo
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ca1ic0cat
Yep, Toyota screwed up and all the other auto manufacturers are busy making sure their a$$ isn't the next going into the wringer. The latest report is that the study that highlights the Toyota problems was commissioned by the law firms suing Toyota. But yeah, Toyota screwed up by letting the situation get to that point. Can you say "Pinto?" So much for lessons learned.
Posted in: Reticent Toyota president typical for Japan Inc
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ca1ic0cat
That was an ugly game. The Finnish women had no offense to speak of. They could only resort to penalities to try to get advantage. Never the less, long live the Finno-Ugric Empire!
Posted in: Canada beats Finland 5-0 to set up women's ice hockey final with U.S.
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ca1ic0cat
Over the weekend NPR reported that only 1/3 of the stimulus money had been spent and that many of the jobs created were in the government. That doesn't bode well for how things are going as unemployment is 2% over where it was predicted to be if the stimulus were approved.
There is also considerable discussion in the Economist that the recession could easily "double dip" as credit remains tight, consumer spending weak, and job losses stay well over the "replacement" rate. 2010 may be a very bad year.
Posted in: Obama says stimulus bill saved U.S. economy
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ca1ic0cat
The Chinese government does seem to be more paranoid than usual. The truly fear losing control of their dictatorship - they probably think that without the communist party the country would fall into chaos. Perhaps they see Yake lizards in every shadow?
Posted in: China tells schools to shun British agency Oxfam
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ca1ic0cat
You can take anybody to court but that's no guarantee that you are going to win. The Japanese are correct in that they are not violating any international law. Oz and some others unilaterially declaring a "sanctuary" is not an international agreement any more than the US invading Iraq without UN support was, for example.
The Japanese are also hunting only types of whales that the IWC allows. They aren't going to "drive whale populations to extinction."
The hysteria surrounding the issue would be amusing except for the tactics that the SS are engaged in. SS has simply stiffened Japanese resolve and makes the job for anybody who wants to negotiate a complete halt to whaling that much more difficult.
It would be better if Oz rounded up the SS fools and then put the screws to the Japanese to get back to the negotiating table. That might give Oz the moral high ground. Right now the Aussies just reek of rancid butter and vitriol. Might play well in local elections but it will not stop whaling.
Posted in: Japan says its whaling is conducted under international accord
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ca1ic0cat
I imagine that all the automakers have engaged in the foolish behaviour that Toyota has been caught up in. Best to not gloat. But Toyota has been excessively stupid in their handling of the whole mess. Articles compiled in manufacturing.net say that documents have been leaked from Toyota showing that the managers of Toyota USA have been discussing their efforts to deflect safety inquiries as a "win" for Toyota and a way to save money. $100M saved for keeping the acceleration problem from being a full recall last year, for example. Additional safety issues include rusting and breaking frames in Tacoma pickup trucks and the now infamous Prius brakes. In the meantime Toyoda-san is bowing and saying that customer safety is ichiban. Unfortunately actions speak louder than words; this is no longer a "win" for Toyota. Toyoda-san may not commit seppuku but the US Congress is going to skewer him just as badly. It's an election year and congress smells blood like a school of sharks. The Toyota USA managers might have saved $100M but at what cost?
Posted in: The Toyota story set to run and run
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ca1ic0cat
Hmmm. I wonder what the payload weight is? Radar cross section? Nice job of engineering, to be sure. Time to look at the aviation rags for some details.
Posted in: Israel unveils new drone fleet that can reach Iran
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ca1ic0cat
It is a good picture, there's more pathos there than most will ever suffer. When you work that hard just to have it come to naught it's going to hurt. She did her best. Way better effort than any of us could make, I'm sure.
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ca1ic0cat
OK, this is just warped on so many levels.
There are more than a few moms who have snapped for a variety of reasons and killed their kids. The whole thing is tragic. Pity the people didn't get help.
Posted in: Bodies of two infants found in supermarket freezer
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ca1ic0cat
I wonder if the Council of Ministers has issued any statements condemning the barbarity of the Taliban? It is tragic that civilians have died but this wouldn't happen if the Taliban would give the government a chance. Instead of the Taliban trying to work for the people of Afghanistan we've got acid thrown at schoolgirls, extrajudicial killings of village elders who won't accept Taliban rule, etc. etc. Let's put the blame where it belongs.
Posted in: NATO air strike kills 33 civilians in Afghanistan