JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
-
- 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
fordtuff
This is a bad deal for Chrysler. US automakers are about to get some serious assistance from the US government. The money will be used to forge ahead of Japanese automakers with revamped factories to build electric cars. Chrysler absolutetly does not need Nissan tagging along ! Sorry but the Japanese work ethic is, and has been, in decline for years... no need to work with Japan on this. Cut yer losses and bail !
Posted in: Nissan-Chrysler deal on hold
0
fordtuff
Oh the irony ! Years ago the Japanese government interfered in US shipments of American beef citing one ridiculous reason after another. The result was the shutting down of a multi billion dollar industry affecting ranchers, distributors, and restaurants on both sides of the pacific. Now the Japanese have taken to the streets to moan and complain about the state of their economy. Gee, I can think of thousands of jobs basically eliminated, downsized, or negatively interfered with here in Japan. In this world you reap what you sow ! You gotta sleep in the bed you make. Sorry Japan, your government is a reflection of you the people, myopic, distant, and selfish. Deal with it ! Moo !
Posted in: Ginza rally
0
fordtuff
ihavearrived..."both teams were giving their best."
I disagree. It was obvious that Australia was content with a tie. They sat back on defense for most of the game just daring Japan to score. Now, if that had happened, if Japan had scored... now that would have made for an entertaining game. But 0-0... ho hum, and Japan loses out on two points. Congratulations Australia... you got yer point, now lets hope you can show more enthusiasm when Japan comes to play on your turf.
Posted in: Japan, Australia draw 0-0 in World Cup qualifier
0
fordtuff
But yabits... thats the problem, its "all" you know !
"All I know is that I'm paying less than $1.70 per gallon to buy it, like any consumer in my state. (Unlike over $4.00 a few months ago.) Nevertheless, the economy is still down the tubes and banks are not lending."
I have delivered a timeline to your front door that clearly shows how the surging price of oil destroyed the worlds economy. And the best you can do is... "so what, why arent banks lending" ??? In light of that viewpoint, maybe you can tell us all on exactly what day, hour, minute, did the realization that "sub-prime loans" was the reason for the current economic crisis ? In addition, if that was true, then why did the housing industry improve so quickly... like a 6% jump in December. Now, with all this talk of stimulus package from the Obama camp... why did the stock market barely flinch, up 50 points, when the package was approved ? Beecaaussee... factories will not re-open, sales will not increase, consumer spending will not change, and speculators will not budge... until the current, highly expensive, oil is completely used up and 38 bucks a barrel becomes the norm again. Shame on OPEC ! They destroyed the world economy and have been happy to just sit back and let America take the blame. I personally will do my best to hurt these dogs in every way imaginable... I walk, ride a bike, wear hand made clothes from sheep I've sheared and deer I've skinned. My shoes are leather, hand made from the cobbler up the street. I buy local foods and grow my own. A middle finger salute and a bold "screw you" to OPEC.
Posted in: Senate struggles on Obama's economic stimulus bill
0
fordtuff
As for magpie... Integrity of the game are you serious ? Integrity ??? Gee didn't that go out with the designated hitter, pine tar, chin music, the hard slide into second, artificial turf, night games, the free agent, squeezing the strike zone, raising the mound, oversized gloves, the Oakland A's, Reggie Jackson, Curt Flood, Pete Rose, Gaylord Perry, the double header, the dead ball era, corked baseballs, or legalized gambling ??? Baseball has been a business, nothing more nothing less, since the middle 70's... integrity ? Are you serious ?
Posted in: A-Rod admits using performance-enhancers
0
fordtuff
northlondon and magpie... you disappoint me.
Northlondon quips:
"fordtuff, quite a few issues here. First of all, Barry Bonds would never have hit half as many balls out of the park if he hadn't 'enhanced' his muscle size and weight with steroids from when he was a slim built player."
Really ? Arod has hardly bulked up since his rookie year, and he hit 40 and 50 plus dingers during his admitted steroid days. European soccer leagues are beseiged with average size players on steroids, as is track and field, swimmers, etc. Sorry but you seem to have fallen for the stereotype that steroids are used to add bulk, wrong. And if it were as simple as adding bulk and hitting a ball a ton, well... every pro golfer, tennis player, cricket batsmen, and ping pong player would be dabbling in the stuff... but why don't they ? Could it be the rigors of the schedule as I mentioned ? I believe so. I mean you do realize that when MLB got started way back in the 1870's the league schedule consisted of 64 games. Yep, 64 ! Not 162 !!! And then playoffs ! Like I said, every pro sport that demands so much from its athletes should be prepared to allow them the necessary means to "recover"... and steroids does that. It won't help you find the sweet spot of the baseball if you never knew where it was in the first place. It will however extend your skills and abilities throughout the duration of the season. Players like Bonds, Mcgwire, Sosa, and Arod already have god given talents... what they don't have is the genetic ability to play at an extremely high level day in and day out for 4-5 months out of the year... as the public and ownera demand. The choice is simple, allow for a certain amount of anabolic steroid for recuperative purposes... or go back to a 64 game schedule as originally designed. You decide, but whatever the case, pointing fingers and name calling of these athletes is unfair. Rumours surrounding drug use in pro soccer and cricket in Europe are just as rife.. yet they don't make it to the headlines of the local papers like American athletes do. How about some objectivity out there. Steroid use is rife in all sports... time to come to grips with the reality of the "business" .
Posted in: A-Rod admits using performance-enhancers
0
fordtuff
Wow we got some history illiterates around don't we. Umm guys, my reference to France and Britain is quite simple as both nations are guilty of sowing the seeds of discontent that have led Afghanistan to where it is today. Fact is you would have no Taliban if it weren't for the Brits misguided attempts to colonize the region in the 19th century. Study up a bit would ya !
History books spell it out as such...
"During the nineteenth century, following the Anglo-Afghan wars (fought 1839–42, 1878–80, and lastly in 1919) and the ascension of the Barakzai dynasty, Afghanistan saw much of its territory and autonomy ceded to the United Kingdom. The UK exercised a great deal of influence, and it was not until King Amanullah Khan acceded to the throne in 1919 that Afghanistan re-gained complete independence over its foreign affairs (see “The Great Game”). During the period of British intervention in Afghanistan, ethnic Pashtun territories were divided by the Durand Line. This would lead to strained relations between Afghanistan and British India – and later the new state of Pakistan – over what came to be known as the Pashtunistan debate. The longest period of stability in Afghanistan was between 1933 and 1973, when the country was under the rule of King Zahir Shah."
As for the French ? Well... once again, guilty as charged ! The plight of the middle east, and the surrounding regions, can be laid at the doorsteps of both England and France, as these were the two nations responsible for dividing up the property lines between countries after WWII ! What a shame they didn't have the common sense to consider ethnic diversity when doing so. The middle east has been a powder keg of hatred ever since... and you all wanna skip ahead to the war on terrorism as the first stage of this long and drawn out conflict ? Ha, how quickly we forget !
Posted in: U.S. military wants to add 30,000 troops to Afghanistan
0
fordtuff
One only has to look at the huge photo on the backpage of todays sports sections to know what Australia was up to. Grins a mile wide, back slaps and high fives... they got exactly what they wanted, another shut out and another point ! Yer fooling yerself out there if anyone thinks a tie was what Japan was hoping for. Playing at home, full strength, WC qualifying... nothing short of a win is a major disappointment. Japan has only itself to blame. Their strategy was faulty from the opening kickoff. In the first 20 minutes we saw the Samurai blue flail about and take one "rewarded" dive after another. It seemed obviouse that Japan was hoping to get that first goal via a Nakamura free kick, but alas the wall was too tall and Shunsuke was off target... way off ! My advice to Japan is thus... stop the theatrics, especially in yer own half. It killed your fast break opportunities and a team built around ball handling and speed can't be playing for "deadball" situations. Not to mention that once you get to S.A. the refs are not gona play that game... not like the third worlders you get refing the matches here in Asia. I mean get real, the first free kick awarded to Shunsuke was a quick left foot right foot push that had the ball out of bounds before he threw his leg into the defender and hit the ground. At the WC tourney the ref will laugh it off and clearly state the ball was unplayable, get up and knock off the nonsense. In short, Japanese fans need not worry. Fifa and a very weak bracket all but guarantees Japan a place in the Cup. The current job at hand is to prepare for a higher calibre of talent that awaits in SA. This game, on both sides, was poorly played and if not improved on will find both Australia and Japan flying home early. As for other action... a superb performance by the Americans as they beat Mexico 2-0 ! Watch out for this team in Africa. They are fast, talented, and if they can get past the typical biased officiating, they could make some noise... quarterfinals again ?
Posted in: Japan, Australia draw 0-0 in World Cup qualifier
0
fordtuff
"We would not have such a horrendous mess in Afghanistan if we had used all the resources diverted to Iraq to finish the job of defeating the enemy, stabilizing the country and rebuilding Afghanistan into a productive economy"
Yeh goodonkey and the rest of the Middle East would have been straightened out a lot quicker if France had agreed to send troops in to take out "terror training funding Saddam Hussein" 7 years ago. And if the UN had stopped pouting and had helped train Iraqi military forces to protect their own, there's no telling how more efficient and generally peaceful the whole of the ME would be today. The US should cut all ties with both France and the UN.. they have cost Americans hundreds of lives and the Iraqis probably thousands !
Posted in: U.S. military wants to add 30,000 troops to Afghanistan
0
fordtuff
What the hell ? Is this the "change" Obama talked about before becoming president ? More US troops fighting overseas ! I can't help but feel I've been takin advantage of. I mean for months, years, decades it seems the press... and the usual cast of characters here at Japantoday have been mouthing off about the evils of the Dubya administration and it's unnecessary involvement in wars overseas. Now Obama does the same damn thing ! I thought he was gonna bring the troops home... all the troops ! Leave Afghanistan to the Brits and French. Hell they created that mess, they can clean it up.
Posted in: U.S. military wants to add 30,000 troops to Afghanistan
0
fordtuff
"Performance enhancers" my arse ! Hitting a baseball, of unknown speed, direction, and spin is the single most difficult thing to do in sport. And steroids have never been proven to help a major league baseball player hit the ball or make contact in the 1 yen size "sweet spot" even once ! Sorry, but the name is all wrong here. Steroids are not performance "enhancers" ! Instead they are performance "maintainers" ! The only things steroids do for major league ball players is help them recover from the long and exhausting 162 game schedule. One only has to see how the average Japanese player in MLB peters out by midseason. Pitchers need extra rest time, field players get hurt. So, if yer looking for someone to blame, try the owners and fans. The ones insisting on high level entertaining performances day in and day out for 4-5 consecutive months. Sorry, but the body, nor the original game, was ever intended for such a schedule. I say allow each and every player in every sport around the world to take a measured and professionally administered amount of steroid to simply mintain their health. Hell it aint like these guys are sittin on the sofa every night downin beers and chips and are then expected to go to work the next day like Joe sixpack out there... and we know how juiced up the average forklift operator is. Caffeine buzz, nicotine high, handfulls of vitamins, and don't forget all those weight gain/loss/muscle building powders you find in every gym across the world. Is A-Rod a cheat ? Yes ! He broke the rules... but that doesn'T mean the rules shouldn't be changed.
Posted in: A-Rod admits using performance-enhancers
0
fordtuff
"The fact that oil prices are back down to around $40/bbl as of this writing and the economy is expected to remain in bad shape for many, many months blows your position out of the water."
I disagree ! Oil prices may be down but inventories remain the same. The oil you are using now was probably purchased at over 100 bucks a barrel. Not until we wade through that mess will be feel the affects of $38 a barrel. But even then, a lot of damage has been done. American factories, distribution systems, etc were forced to shut down or alter usual plans. Until factories have some form of guarantee or see a sign of recovery, they aren't going to open anytime soon. Too bad the Saudies didn't listen to Bush when he visited in January of 2008 ! The world, especially OPEC, would be sitting much prettier... but hey, you overplay yer hand and, well, here ya go... an economic crisis not seen since the 30's ! I want to hear from OPEC ! Was this economic terrorism ? Sure as hell appears that way.
Posted in: Senate struggles on Obama's economic stimulus bill
0
fordtuff
yabits, where were you in the 70's ? I remember clearly how the oil crisis sent shock waves around the globe, its affect on the stock market was no where near the impact today because of the baby boom that kept Americans employed at home in the USA and the fact that oil prices didn't quadruple in a matter of months. Todays environment is much different, many Americans lost jobs to cheaper labor overseas, foreign competition in the US is massive compared to the 70's, and there wasn't a chance in hell Wall Street could continue to ignore oil prices over 100 dollars a barrel... that triples the price of manufacturing and distributing almost everything on the planet. Any businessmen worth his salt knows you can't make a profit on those kinds of numbers, thus, let the dominos begin. I agree, OPEC is absolutely to blame ! Funny, how quiet OPEC has become since they threatened 160 a barrel. I for enjoy the current state of affairs. The uS now has the opportunity to really rake in some money off exports.
Posted in: Senate struggles on Obama's economic stimulus bill
0
fordtuff
Athletes, I tend to agree. This is really all for show. To let the world know that this new president is nothing like the previous one who accepted blame for everything. Face it, everyone knows you don't have to put "buy American" in writing... you just do it when it comes time to award contracts. I must say it is an interesting approach as once again Obama clearly declares "an America for Americans". Nothing wrong with that now is there.
Posted in: Obama warns of trade wars from 'Buy American' stimulus provision
0
fordtuff
Spudman, seems the topic is market access, not whether or not a company makes a profit. And Yes Chevrolet makes a miniwagon that is RHD, they have for years... where have you been ? However, you may be onto something with your last sentence... maybe the Americans could kill two birds with one stone, simply take over some foreign auto makers that have set up shop in Japan and hand them over to GM, Ford, Chrysler. Thus eliminating some competition while keeping Americans at work.
Posted in: Japan auto sales plunge 27.9% in January