JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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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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- Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) in Kanto region
- RCS (RCSコーポレーション), Kanto
- Salary: ¥180,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month includes performance bonus
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- Assistant Language Teacher - TOKYO - late-March start
- Interac, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥230,000 ~ ¥255,000 / Month
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freakashow
To add, it is now known that Bush is asking for in excess of 500 billion dollars to use for this radical bailout plan. Where is he going to get that kind of money? We've already spent billions of dollars on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Posted in: Asian stocks soar on possible US rescue package
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freakashow
We should all remember that this bailout plan has not been approved and passed by Congress yet, and thus we may not see the results of it for some time. It is also not assured that it will be a total success at all. At best, it will probably stop the dramatic decreases in housing prices, but banks will have to start trusting each other and consumers more. Overall, analysts are cautiously optimistic and fear more home foreclosures and troubled banking institutions are on the horizon.
Posted in: Asian stocks soar on possible US rescue package
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freakashow
How many more investment giants have to fall before the U.S. government realizes that they have to get their act together. The U.S. government is all "reactionary" and no "precautionary". Well, guess what Bush, it's too late. Your 300 dollar per taxpayer economic stimulus plan didn't work, and your "possible" U.S. rescue package has a lot of holes in it as well. After all, you don't use band aids to fix a severed leg.
Posted in: Asian stocks soar on possible US rescue package
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freakashow
Yeah, right. Little by little, Americans are losing their confidence in the economy. Whatever happened to the economic stimulus package that Bush handed out? Hasn't done much good if you ask me. This is only the tip of the iceberg, as more investment banks will find themselves fighting to stay afloat.
Wall Street? I think not; more like "Fall Street" to me.
Posted in: Meltdown in U.S. finance system pummels stock market
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freakashow
Sad, so sad. The dilemma that U.S. forces are facing is all due to Bush's failure as a Commander in Chief. There are not enough forces in Afghanistan in place, so they resort to bombing tactics, which are safer (for U.S. forces) and require fewer ground troops, but leave open the huge possiblity of civilian casualties. It is too bad that more of the forces in Iraq couldn't be shifted to Afghanistan.
This news comes after I saw a special report last night on NHK about the growing number of vets returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, who suffer from PTSD and many of whom have taken to booze and in extreme cases murder. One guy that was interviewed (who was wearing a dress at the time), even mentioned how the army never prepared them for what it was really like in Iraq. This is also a good website which lists all of the murders that have taken place by veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/01/12/us/20080113VETSDATABASE.html
Of course, not all murders may have been caused by PTSD, but it is telling that they only list cases of murder (121 in all) and no mention of the many more who are suffering from PTSD, yet have not committed murder, yet.
Posted in: Afghanistan: U.S. bombing killed civilians after false tip
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freakashow
I gotta agree with you. Halloween has become more and more commercialized, and it has become less of an event that's followed in the States. I suppose part of it has to do with how expensive it has become, part with the apathy towards the tradition, and part with safety. I still remember having fun going with my friends in our neighborhood with our costumes and getting loads of candy, but at the same time always being reminded of not eating anything until our mothers checked them out, and having to wear some reflected tape on our costumes so as to avoid being hit by cars (according to the CDC, kids are hit by cars up to four times more on Halloween than at any point throughout the year). It was great fun, but sadly, I see less and less houses leaving their lights on outside (signaling that they have some sweets to offer).
Posted in: Halloween
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freakashow
I gotta agree with you. Jerk Chicken is the bomb! KFC sucks everywhere, but at least they don't have chicken with heads in them, like this:
http://members.lycos.co.uk/lyto/chickenheadnugget.jpg
I suggest y'all watch what kind of "chicken" parts you be eatin' in the States.
Posted in: KFC shoring up security for secret recipe
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freakashow
I would have to agree, since looking at the numbers at first glance (8,000 troops) many Americans would say "Wow! That's great. So many troops returning home." However, considering that there are 146,000 troops in Iraq now, that represents only a small fraction (5.4%). It would still leave over 130,000 troops in Iraq alone. If Bush wanted to seriously make a significant change, he would allow a greater portion of the troops to return home.
I am however, all for this move, since more troops are needed to be shifted to Afghanistan, as it is increasingly becoming overrun with the Taliban again. I for one have no idea, why Bush and Co. didn't make sure stability was reached in Afghanistan first, before invading Iraq. It is what policymakers like Obama were espousing all along: "Put out one fire before starting another." Now, we are dealing with two "Hydras" that seemingly won't go away: Iraq and Afghanistan.
Posted in: Bush to pull 8,000 U.S. troops from Iraq
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freakashow
Here is an interesting post concerning Japanese prisons to look at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/16/AR2006041600852_pf.html
Moderator: The purpose of the discussion board is for you to post your opinion on the topic, not just post URLs.
Posted in: Cozy prisons coddle foreign inmates
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freakashow
ColAmerica,
I do agree with you, that violence happens in every prison in the world, Japan included. I'm just asking kindly that you post a few sources so that I could check them out myself. That would be greatly appreciated. Please note that in a court of law, someone who quotes from actual sources and evidence will more often win the jury's verdict, over "recalled testimonies".
As for the topic of this article, I don't agree that criminals actually think about the level of violence within a potential prison they may end up in, when they are committing a crime. Yes, you may have a point, that there are a few incidents of violence in Japan.
Moderator: The subject is Japanese prisons.
Posted in: Cozy prisons coddle foreign inmates
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freakashow
ColAmerica
That may be true (although I'm wondering why you haven't included any sources - I have), but I'm just reiterating the facts (as evidenced by my sources). I'm searching for your sources, as we speak.
Posted in: Cozy prisons coddle foreign inmates
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freakashow
I also like Uniqlo. High-quality clothes at a cheap price. I especially like the "Dry" line of clothing for summer that they have. No matter how much you sweat in them, they dry quickly; thus no "gym-locker, moldy" smell from them. Also, I have several Uniqlo shirts and jeans which have lasted me for several years now and still look good.
Posted in: Fast Retailing to open Uniqlo clothing stores in Russia, India
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freakashow
Exactly. The American media outlets love to blow things out of proportion and make something out of nothing. Shame on CNN, Fox, The New York Times, The Washington Post, of course AP and other major U.S. news outlets for jumping on every single scandal to sell a newspaper. But hey, that's what they do to make a living; even if it calls for dragging people through the mud. God bless the First Amendment!
Posted in: GOP convention opens amid talk of Palin's unmarried daughter being pregnant
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freakashow
It is good to see Obama do the honorable and right thing by not focusing on Palin's unmarried daughter. Boo on the American media that always love to create something out of nothing. It is time media outlets in the U.S. get their acts together and show real news and not scandal after scandal after scandal (even though it is what the American public wants).
Posted in: GOP convention opens amid talk of Palin's unmarried daughter being pregnant
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freakashow
“I still can’t believe it. I was playing great and he was playing great too. That was the biggest win for me,” beamed the 18-year-old, who collapsed on to his back after sealing victory.
Great victory over the fourth-ranked player in the world, David Ferrer. Keep up the great work, Nishikori!
Posted in: Nishikori reaches 4th round at U.S. Open
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freakashow
Quality win against a high-caliber team by Matsuzaka. He pounded the strike zone and was extremely efficient (104 pitches in 8 complete innings) and allowed only 2 hits and 2 walks. A rotation of Lester, Dice-K, Wakefield, and Byrd does has a good shot at making a strong push towards the playoffs.
Posted in: Matsuzaka equals Japan MLB win record
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freakashow
http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/blog/fourthplacemedal/post/NBC-withholding-live-Olympic-events-from-west-co?urn=oly,99683
More quotes from this blog titled:
"NBC withholding live Olympic events from west coast viewers" Sun Aug 10, 2008 12:13 am EDT from the Yahoo! Sports Fourth Place Medal blog:
"NBC shows a wonderful formula on why American television is so damned horrible. Commercials in the middle of the opening ceremony??? Tape Delay and editing of the events??? Not showing as many sports as you can on the MULTIPLE channels you own??? No immediate replays or looping of your program??? " - SamF
"Yeah, I haven't caught a single glimpse of events I'd like to see in Los Angeles, because everything is on tape-delay. I hang-tough to watch TONS of matches for the World Cup when I lived in Tokyo, but this tape-delay thing has me recalling tough mornings, when I'd cover my ears in an elevator, as people talked of the teams that won going "Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na, I'm not going to listen to thisssss" as I had it on tape...(only in this case DVR). It's ridiculous, nonsensical, and shows how major corporations like NBC view an East-Coast persona (Along with the government, nightly news, Yankees orginazation) view the West Coast as "secondary". Fact from the East, fiction (Burbank) from the West. It's wrong and should be changed. We're not "lazy fans, getting tans in the sun, and occasionally tuning in", and that perception just shows right through in NBC's coverage of the Olympics, and that is sad. They should really change it. " - Dougie
"NBC is horrible. I am so tired of the "fuzzy warm" back stories on the athletes. The internet coverage is better but still, not all events are available. Also, the GE commercials interupt the events. I was unable to see the finish of a rowing race because I had to watch a commercial about turbines. Lets hope the 2010 winter olympics are live as they are in Vancouver. I wonder if NBC can handle that." - Brent L
Posted in: Curtain comes down on Beijing Olympics as baton passes to London
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freakashow
http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/blog/fourthplacemedal/post/NBC-withholding-live-Olympic-events-from-west-co?urn=oly,99683
Nice comment:
"NBC has again snatched defeat from he jaws of victory for us West Coasters. I will cut back my viewing and search for new media feeds" - Roger B
An even better one:
"We're trying to watch beach volleyball and have missed several points because NBC keeps interrupting its coverage to show commercials! And - they are political commercials, which we certainly don't need to see during the Olympics." - Mary R
Touche, touche:
"NBC is really doing a horrible job on covering the Olympics. Every 10 minutes they cut to Coca Cola or Visa commercials. Thank God for Yahoo, I don't have to give NBC ratings. **** NBC!" - Jeff H
Posted in: Curtain comes down on Beijing Olympics as baton passes to London
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freakashow
imgold,
Why is it so difficult to win against a team three times? I see it all the time in sports. Heck, baseball teams do it and thus they call it a "sweep", hence the use of brooms to signify it. In fact, baseball teams play the same team three or four days in a row, without a break. I've even seen several doubleheaders where they beat the same team on the same day. It even happens in basketball, hockey, and American football. Teams "sweep" each other often enough that some go without winning against a particular team for years.
Posted in: US softball team loses gold to Japan
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freakashow
croscris, read this article for more comments about the NBC debacle:
http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/blog/fourthplacemedal/post/NBC-withholding-live-Olympic-events-from-west-co?urn=oly,99683
In particular, you should reader the many comments from Americans all across the nation. It seems that it was all about money and politics. True, there were a lot of coverage of Chinese athletes, but very little in the way of other countries. I would've loved to seen more of the little known sports we don't hear so much about, like the modern day pentathlon, or fencing, but all we got was Phelps and Chinese athletes. Oh, and a lot of commercials. Of course, none of this was live on the West Coast. Here's hoping that London does a better job of it in 2012. I'm glad that the "baton" was not dropped in this one.
Posted in: Curtain comes down on Beijing Olympics as baton passes to London