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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donkusai
I guess by blowing up schools and keeping them ignorant, they can perpetuate the hate.
Posted in: Girls school attacked in Pakistan
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donkusai
Bushlover, I totally agree with you on this one, though MildredRoper's are more 'short-sighted' than 'leftie'. What happened in Iraq was stupid, but we need to be in Afghanistan for the long haul.
Posted in: Taliban leader tells 'invaders' to study history
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donkusai
Actually, most Pakistanis are as sick of the radicals as we are. Unfortunately, where they live, to speak up really is to put your life on the line. The environment that allowed these radicals to flourish is unfortunately manifesting in places like Malaysia now, where Islam specific laws are removing people's rights over lifestyle choices. These sorts of laws mean that, if you are born into an Islamic family, you can be tried under religious law regardless of whether you choose to believe in Allah or not.
What is happening in Indonesia is far more heartening. After the most recent hotel bombings, groups of Indonesians lead protests against the bombings and there was widespread condemnation. Despite Indonesia being the largest Islamic country in the world, they have embraced democracy after years of virtual dictatorship and are doing what they can to weaken the fundamentalists there. They've worked hard to track down Noordin Muhammed Top and this week they finally got him, after a number of very near misses. Well done to the Indonesian forces.
Posted in: Targeted deaths curb al-Qaida's expansion
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donkusai
So, the courts ordered the man to be flogged 6 times and spend a year in jail, but if the religious authorities had been the ones to catch him, he would have only got a warning? That's seriously messed up. So the Malaysian law is even more extreme than the religious authorities?
Posted in: Malaysian judge orders Muslim man to be caned, jailed for drinking
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donkusai
Most likely they're related and they'll find a family member did it. Sad, but statistically probable.
Posted in: 7 found slain in Georgia mobile home
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donkusai
Don't they have it mark on their ID card/driver's license, or have I got this mixed up with something else?
Posted in: Malaysia bars Muslims from Black Eyed Peas concert
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donkusai
Wow. We had the PLO who became Fatah, then they started being pushed aside by the more radical Hamas, and now Hamas are fighting running battles against more radical groups. We West Bank is indeed going down the drain fast. All this rhetoric Hamas uses is coming back to haunt them. Never thought I'd be cheering for Hamas, but if someone doesn't keep some sort of control there, it will be even more chaotic.
Posted in: Hamas crushes challenge by al-Qaida-inspired group
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donkusai
It's a fair point that has been raised about the media focusing on the protests rather than the issue, but this is the way it has been for quite some time now. Who wants to really look at the system and its successes and flaws and then improve it when you can just yell "communist" and be done with it. If they want to wallow in a system that is almost third-world standard, then let them. It's all fine as long as you're in the "covered" band of society, but just pray you don't fall below that line or you're on your own. Is Obama's package better? Who knows. I know I haven't read it. If it is, embrace it, if not, shoot it down in flames.
Freedom of speech is a great thing, just make sure you've actually got something to say. The media focusing on the extreme fringes simply takes the focus away from those actually debating the pros and cons and trying to improve the package. When that happens, you end up stagnating as everyone becomes too scared to move forward.
Posted in: Obama denounces media emphasis on health care protests
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donkusai
Its good to see our representative of the whaling lobby is with us again for another season. :)
In this case, though, I have little problem with small-number coastal whaling in the name of tradition. As long as it is managed well and the species isn't threatened (I must admit I don't know the details in this case), then there is definitely an argument for it. Mass commercial whaling on the other side of the planet, though, is definitely a different kettle of fish (or whale)!
Posted in: Japan whaling town gets season's first catch
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donkusai
It all seems like the racist gun-totting far-right pot calling the commie socialist leftist loon kettle black. Haven't ya'all grown tired of this argument yet, or do you fear you'll have no justification for existence without continuously repeating the mantras.
Posted in: White supremacist charged in U.S. Holocaust museum shooting
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donkusai
It's worth keeping in mind that the lady in question is the host of one of those TV shows that would not exist without making everything an over-sensationalised scandal. This 'offence' that she has suffered is probably exactly what her producers want, hence her talking it up and getting more 'news' out of for days afterward. Storm in a teacup, spun (somehow) to 'world news' by the PR men...
Posted in: Aussie TV journalist calls chef Gordon Ramsay 'arrogant narcissist'
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donkusai
Gun laws will not work when there is easy access to guns just across the border. That's why the bad guys have them. Rigs83 was very, very clear about that. It must be incredibly frustrating to the Mexican government.
As for the rest of what Rigs83 said, I couldn't disagree more. Most of the rest of it is just US bashing. It would be closer to the truth to blame drug problems in the US on the Mexican cartels than the other way around. It would be in the interest of both countries to shut these people down.
Posted in: 16 killed in shootout at Mexico's Acapulco resort
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donkusai
So the Taliban send a suicide bomber into a mosque in a nearby region to kill as many people as they can. Muslim killing Muslim, in the name of Allah, so as to glorify their religion. This fight will never be won until the majority of Muslim people stand up and say "that's it, I've had enough of these idiots murdering in the name of my religion". Until that happens, this war will continue in one form or another.
Posted in: Ambush kills aides to pro-Taliban Pakistani cleric
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donkusai
You've got to love a philosophy that aims to "save lives" by taking the lives of others. Talk about a messed up ideology. Can't blame "Christian fanatics" either, because those sort of actions certainly aren't following any Christian teachings. This is just fundamentalism, based on 'pro-life' and devoid of all other reasoning. As Franz75 put it, no better than the Taliban.
Posted in: Kansas abortion doctor killed in church
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donkusai
Of course, the Bush administration only came to the table after NK tested the first bomb. Before that, they refused to even talk, hence the original escalation. Personally, I don't care who is in power in the US, but I'm in total agreement with you when you say 'the north korea engagement process must continue'. But that is always difficult when you're dealing with a regime that are about 5 cans short of a 6-pack.
Posted in: North Korea threatens to attack South Korea if ships checked
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donkusai
Boys and girls, the word for today is "responsibility". It's where a government makes a decision, and after that they get a flow of advice from experts that shows it had further implications than realised, and said government doesn't have it's head so far up it's proverbial that it is strong enough to change it's decision for the good of everyone involved.
Of course, some see this as a weakness and would rather the government continue on with a silly decision despite all the best advice to the contrary, putting lives at risk and causing problems it would take years to fix. Imagine if the previous administration had "flip-flopped" over Iraq, then thousands of lives would have been saved and we wouldn't have had the mess over there that we had...
Now, if you want to criticise, you should criticise the original decision that they now realise is wrong. That decision is fair game. :)
Posted in: Obama says releasing detainee abuse photos would endanger U.S. troops
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donkusai
From what I've read, Fiat will use Chrysler to make/market/sell Fiat cars in the US. That's why they want it, not so much for what Chrysler is now.
As for "Obama's take-over of the auto industry", I was under the impression that if the US govt didn't pour money into the industry, it would have gone belly-up creating mass unemployment and stuffing up the economy even more. Now the hand is forced, it would be wrong as an investor not to want the companies to be profitable. "Business as usual" is what got these manufacturers in this problem in the first place. Things had to change.
Posted in: Japan wary of Chrysler fallout on parts makers
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donkusai
Wow, and not an original idea in the entire list! I wouldn't be surprise if, 2 or 3 years from now, we see pretty much the same titles in the list come around again.
The Star Trek one looks good, though.
Posted in: Hollywood blockbuster season begins
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donkusai
I had frequent flyer points with Ansett Australia and had enough points for a free return flight to the US or Canada, but was just short of a trip to London (which I was hoping for) when the stupid airline failed and went out of business. Everything was gone.
Posted in: What is your experience with airline frequent flyer programs? Are they a good idea or not?
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donkusai
As was touched on earlier, in countries like Japan, the "Idol" experience is much more than music. It's TV, fashion and the like, a whole package. In the West, they can't get their foot in the door because the model is different and the music often can't stand up by itself without all that other stuff, and so those who are successful at home are successful in a way that actually limits their chance of success overseas.
On top of that, there's the cultural divide. Western society tends to be more cynical/sarcastic and music reflects those attitudes. As you can see, a "happy happy smile" song is not going to cut it in the West, though it could be very popular in Japan.
Posted in: Why do Asian pop stars have a hard time succeeding in the U.S. market?