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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davidattokyo
Yeah he already has. Shuzo's PB ranking was 46 IIRC. Nishikori missed the better part of the previous two seasons due to injuries so good to see him coming through now.
But go FedEx in the next tourny!
Posted in: Federer beats Nishikori to win Swiss Indoors title
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davidattokyo
Spidapig24,
Let's just try to help the moderators keep the playing field level by refraining from impolite comments, shall we? One impolite comment tends to draw another, so if we are both able to refrain from rudeness, problem solved.
That Japan's food culture includes whales is not inconsistent with the history of whaling in the Antarctic whaling grounds.
In any case the whaling convention is the relevant international law, and it doesn't prescribe discrimination against Japan's whaling activities in the Antarctic whaling grounds. In my opinion suggesting otherwise is to demonstrate intolerance of Japan's food culture, which includes whales, which can be harvested in the Antarctic whaling grounds (which is why there is a whaling convention).
I know you personally are against whaling in the Antarctic whaling grounds, you are quite entitled to that opinion.
Posted in: Brigitte Bardot urges Japan to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
Yet more impolite comments from Spidapig24, but let's let it slide.
That appears to be of no relevance to the whaling convention.
But seeing as you mention the notion of arbitrary discrimination against certain signatories of the whaling convention, it ought be recognised that the whaling convention does say that whaling regulations shall NOT involve restrictions on the nationality of those vessels involved in whaling.
The whaling regulations also "shall take into consideration the interests of the consumers of whale products and the whaling industry".
There is nothing in the whaling convention that you can use to discriminate against Japan's whaling. Without the law on your side, all you are really able to claim is that you don't like Japan's whaling. And you are welcome to your personal opinion, but that ought not be confused with international law, which must guide us in resolving disputes. Clearly Japan is in the right.
Posted in: Brigitte Bardot urges Japan to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
Japan's whale eating culture and desire to conduct commercial whaling (not only in the Antarctic but also the North Pacific) are 100% consistent.
Indeed Japan was allocated quotas for such whaling for decades until the rise of intolerance in anti-whaling nations in around the 1970's culminated in devious imposition of a de-facto whaling ban in the guise of "moratorium" on whaling in 1982.
To question the notion of such a harvest now is to ignore historical facts and international law.
We can never lose sight of the fact that the whaling convention was created for the purpose of regulating whaling of whale stocks, for the benefit of whale product consumers and the whaling industry.
Posted in: Brigitte Bardot urges Japan to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
How is intolerance for other food cultures showing compassion or brains?
Posted in: Brigitte Bardot urges Japan to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
Spigapig24, how did you slip that sort of comment past the moderators? Very impolite to other users.
Posted in: Brigitte Bardot urges Japan to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
all the more for the rest of us ebisen :)
Posted in: Brigitte Bardot urges Japan to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
Cricky, if the "waste of money" is an issue for you then why not let's abolish the long-invalid commercial whaling moratorium, and let private business people risk their own money on it? This would then reduce the cost to protecting citizens from going about their legal business from lawless bandits. I'd prefer that too, it'd probably make the cost of a meal a bit cheaper.
Christina, I like to see them both wild and free as well as on my plate (You aren't expected to eat them if you don't want to). This is what the whaling convention is all about - conserving whale stocks and developing the whaling industry.
Posted in: Brigitte Bardot urges Japan to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
Sea Shepherd themselves deny that they are a protest organization, so that line of argumentation doesn't stand up to proper scrutiny.
Posted in: Brigitte Bardot urges Japan to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
smithinjapan,
Call them what you will, but it's the eco-terrorists' lack of respect for the law (UNCLOS and ICRW) that is the root of the problem. Blaming the Japanese government for protecting it's citizens who are going about their legal business from outlaws is simple common practice.
And for your information, coastal Tohoku is one region of Japan with close links to Japan's whale culture. I doubt they of all Japanese would be siding with Sea Shepherd on the issue...
Posted in: Brigitte Bardot urges Japan to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
Patrick Smash,
Unfortunately the only way to make whaling fund itself again would be for the anti-whalers to agree to let the whaling commission lift it's invalid "moratorium" provision, and then use commercial whaling license fees to fund any public-good research that is necessary to facilitate it's development, thus eliminating the current need for public support.
By the way, it doesn't seem to be the case that a majority of African and Asian nations are upset about people eating whales, so at best your idea that "every country on earth" has a problem with it is a whale of an exaggeration.
NetNinja,
Mmmm, but none of the people I eat whale with are old men nor even Japanese in some cases, and we do eat it because it tastes good. I sure wouldn't pay money to eat it if I didn't like it.
Let's remember that what's important is that the whaling industry be given the chance to develop in the context of conservation of whale stocks, in accordance with the spirit and letter of the whaling convention.
Posted in: Brigitte Bardot urges Japan to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
If a washed-up 1960s sex kitten believes “Whales are endangered" then maybe Japan should stop whaling huh.
That's the best excuse I've seen round here lately.
It isn't banned, commercial catch limits are just temporarily set at zero right now.
It's the eco-terrorists that are precluding this option.
Posted in: Brigitte Bardot urges Japan to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
HumanTarget,
I see. Interesting logic. Of course if they try it and it works, that'd be great. But my personal experiences me that it'd end in tears (just my personal opinion mind, I'd love it if I were wrong, but I think there's a lot of people who feel the same way as me and seeing this stuff go on makes us less confident).
I don't think jobs is only on the consumer side. Consumers will buy stuff but only if that stuff exists and they want it. iPhones weren't developed because millions of people wanted them, Apple had to take the risks of bringing their ideas to the market. So we need to make it easy for businesses to take more risks so that we get more good products come out, which will help stimulate demand.
Possibly the answer is a mix of policy, maybe then everyone will feel better.
Posted in: Occupy Wall Street movement flexes muscles one month on
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davidattokyo
I see that student-loan debt is one of the issues for OWS.
So who do they think should be paying off their debts, other than they, the recipients of their education?
Well if I take a guess, the students should pay the debts off themselves, because they opted to take the risk they took to spend money to better themselves.
To do this, they need jobs. How do they get jobs? They can either start a business themselves using their great education (and become one of the top 1% even) or pray that the government stops holding businesses back from job-creation with their excessive regulations and unconventional monetary policies which have created uncertainty in the economic system.
If the government were for example to "bail out" the students then that will inevitably result in unintended consequences such as the housing bubble that we are currently sitting in the splat of.
Hopefully we'll learn.
Posted in: Occupy Wall Street movement flexes muscles one month on
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davidattokyo
HumanTarget,
Yes, a disproportionate chunk. They aren't paying only 1% of the taxes don't you know. (By the way I'm not a "Republican", and I never intend to be.)
You should, like me, thank goodness for these wealthy people throughout the world because without them we'd all be living like the poor North Koreans.
As for America's jobs problem, the problem as I see it is the US government leadership and monetary policy officialdom. Creating massive wads of new regulations and unconventional monetary policy together has created huge uncertainty in the markets, which makes the environment for job-creation worse.
Democratic governments have proved that they can not successfully micro-manage economies, they can only succeed by establishing a healthy environment within which economies can operate. The problem with politicians is that they pander to their interest groups which simply put, screws everything up. (US tax code is, speaking of this, a good example.)
Posted in: Occupy Wall Street movement flexes muscles one month on
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davidattokyo
All QC needs to do is fess up and admit that he put a cheap shot on Richie, apologise for it, and then promise to put on a good exciting display for the kiwi fans in the crowd at the 3rd/4th game.
Kiwis will forgive him if he would but show a little humility rather than endless arrogance. The biggest problem he has is that he has his supporters, and he cowers behind them rather than stand up and be a man. He's still only 23 though and obviously not the brightest lightbulb in the appliance store.
As for the game - a telling same came straight after the Haka. The ABs turned and went straight for their marks, whereas the Aussies were still standing there in a line, trying to do their post-Haka "stare-them-done" crap. The All Blacks were there to get straight down to the business of playing a world cup semi-final, whereas the Aussies were trying to play mind games. That was a big difference.
They had also been softened up the previous week by the Boks, although the All Blacks have had their fair share of injuries...
Beware the French going feral in the final... they've beaten the English, have no one expecting them to win, they'll go out and play the game of their lives now.
Posted in: All Blacks batter Australia 20-6 to advance to Rugby World Cup final
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davidattokyo
Yeah with 1% of the people paying such a huge disproportionate chunk of the taxes that the government sucks in to run the country, and creating the jobs that employ millions of other Americans, who wouldn't be angry about disparity.
The biggest problem with capitalism is that it produces poor results when "elites" in government who "know what's best" start to meddle with the markets (as they did with the housing market, which is largely the reason we find ourselves in the current mess).
Still, it has produced better results than redistributionist socialism ever has, and it will again in future, unless some really REALLY elite people can dream up a better system (not holding my breath).
Posted in: Occupy Wall Street movement flexes muscles one month on
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davidattokyo
Forgive my ignorance but will South Sudan actually be needing any harbor infrastructure? They don't seem to have any sea border but they might have a big old river I guess...
Posted in: Noda confirms Japan will send SDF engineering team to South Sudan
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davidattokyo
Yes, I know this already. So it's established that you don't want whaling in the Southern Ocean, or as in your prior post, in the breeding grounds either.
Let me confirm... are you saying you'd live with regulated whaling on whales during their migration from the breeding grounds (outside the Southern Ocean) to the feeding grounds (the Southern Ocean whaling grounds / illegal "Sanctuary")?
What do you mean by "controlled"?
I never said anything about conservation in my statement, you quoted it for yourself but then took it to mean something about what I think about conservation. You are accusing me of flip-flopping when you put words into my mouth in the first instance!
That's why I am taking much care above in my question to you about your beliefs about hunting whales on their migratory routes between their breeding and feeding grounds... I don't want to assume anything - I want to hear it from you first, and I'm giving you every chance to clarify what you mean by "controlled".
Posted in: NZ, Australia condemn Japan's plan to go ahead with whaling
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davidattokyo
Spidapig24,
Oh sorry, my bad... I assumed that you're talking about one or the other. So you actually meant to protect whales on the feeding grounds AS WELL AS their breeding grounds... (the whaling industry will be even less happy...)
That leaves the migration routes between the feeding and breeding grounds... So can we catch whales on the migration routes between the feeding and breeding grounds? (I'm guessing your answer is no, but if yes then maybe we still have something to talk about)
You extrapolated what I believe about conservation based on my comments about not making it needlessly difficult for business to operate. In my comments (which you quoted) I didn't refer to conservation explicitly, and you exploited this by inserting some completely outrageous statements to me to the effect that I don't believe in one half of the whaling convention's mandate.
But I know that you won't end this until you have vilified me into submission, so on that note, I now leave the final word to you (unless you want to explore that giving the OK to whaling on the migration routes topic, that is):
Posted in: NZ, Australia condemn Japan's plan to go ahead with whaling