JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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- Full-time English Teacher - Osaka
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hakujinsensei
nice to see there are some japanese organizations that are out there providing aid and responding to changing conditions. keep up the good work. maybe this will spill over and more japanese will realize the depth of needs domestically as well.
Posted in: NPO provides assistance in world’s most troubled regions
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hakujinsensei
solarbuster; of course I was being facetious. the issue is not the borrowing mentality. human nature, just like goldfish, always eats too much of a good thing until it destroys itself. we are in this mess because Nixon quietly erased the gold standard in '71 and the fed has been creating currency out of thin air ever since and the normal cycles orchestrated to provide those at the top of the food chain profit have increased dramatically in amplitude. there is a boogy-man and he is our apathy and refusal to understand the socio economic matrix that governs our modern lives. which brings me to,
elephantman... are you not actually Milton Friedman incognito? what kind of mental masturbation is that?
my actual point was that de luca et al. missed the point completely. of course I understand that he is using this medium to advertise his enterprise but society is not a zero-sum game. we should be rising above ourselves and think beyond survival. our goal should not be survival but prosperity. and prosperity is something far deeper and more intrinsic than cash in the bank. those at the shallowest level that succeed and prosper during this economic downturn will do so based on relationships. those that prosper will do so because of relationships. how much grander it would be if we enlarged our circles to include those that fall in the process whether it be by greed, ineptitude, or inability.
even Al Capone realized this when he chided his contemporaries to invest in charity lest the capitalist society that served his dream so well fall as did Rome.
for what it is worth, I have seen this before. I sold real estate in Oregon in 1982 when FHA loans were 18 percent. those of us that survived called more, asked more for sales and slept less. those of us that prospered called more, asked more for sales, slept less and gave more ; )
Posted in: Start of the 'not so great' Depression
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hakujinsensei
what a laugh. hatoyama is just a another re-run of inbred politicians that have led Japan down this road. his grand daddy was prime minister and he is just as out of touch with the average person as asokun. i have never heard him proffer any reasonable course of action that would bring any meaningful change on any issue that is crucial at this time.
Posted in: Opposition lawmakers say PM is 'out of touch'
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hakujinsensei
why are you guys jumping on smartpartner here? he laid out some solid things to think about given that we are in for a bumpy ride over the next few years. doesnt matter how it happened, nobody reading here was responsible nor has the position to change it. borrowing a little cash to have on hand to tide ya over till cash flow picks up sounds like solid advice to me. if you are already in such shape that a few hundred bucks a month is going to sink you, then you should have already closed the doors. and if you go down? going down big is way more fun then just disappearing unnoticed so borrow as much cash as possible ; ) sounds like maybe he was a boy scout and he is just reminding us to be ready. lets just remember that we should remember to help a few old ladies across the street while we are surviving our our surviving or prospering will be lack of meaning.
Posted in: Start of the 'not so great' Depression
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hakujinsensei
where did this 'it is my body' stuff come from anyway? it takes little common sense to understand that the additional head, legs, arms, heart.... are not the mothers....
where is the concept of women being a nurturer?
abortion is at best unnatural, and at worst wrong. weigh in the ethicists and apologists but for me to 'end' a life before it is born is outside the bounds of what society should allow.
in any developed country, the murder of a pregnant woman brings two murder charges yet killing a child in the uterus is legal if a doctor does it? how does that schizophrenic concept exist? 'because a wanted fetus is a person' is the answer...
rape? incest? hard choices, rare examples... but should the baby suffer the ultimate punishment?
just a bunch of multiplying cells.... in todays age of the internet, no one should be so naive... I was there to 'see the beating heart' of all my 5 children just weeks after conception. viability approaches 20 weeks yet people clamor for the right to crush the skull of live 8 month babies because the heads are too large too large to be expelled thru the cervix during the 'procedure'.
no baby should be unwanted. there are millions of unwanted walking among us, should they all be put out of their misery? and would that make us a better society?
we suffer the greatest financial challenge the world has ever seen today. perhaps Margaret Sanger and the other progenitors of eugenics were right. lets cull the population before it is too late. why stop at the unwanted unborn? think of the economic benefits of culling all the unwanted born world wide? lets draw a line at an IQ of 130 as the point of economic viability... I would make the cut, would you? but strength can be a virtue as well... only those who can dead lift 100 kilos are strong enough to survive and be a benefit to the gene pool...
in the end, everyone will believe exactly what they want to believe regardless of the facts. however all of us will bear the responsibility of societies actions. God/Buddha/Bhagavan... help us
Posted in: What's your stance on abortion?
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hakujinsensei
FDR gave us beer... The whole country could tie one on and forget that their house was in foreclosure. What miracles does the Bamessiah have to offer?
I do think it is ironic that in this time of financial uncertainty, that Bama's inauguration should be the most expensive ever by a huge margin. Hearing that the event needs to befit the nature of the event that it is... doesn't make it any more palatable. It seems that he has missed his chance to really make a statement. A spartan affair to underscore his resolve would be much more befitting a messiah.
Posted in: 'Anything possible,' Obama tells roaring crowd
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hakujinsensei
There is no genocide on the part of Israel, they just want to exist in peace. Though Israel has no written constitution (amazing as that may seem ; ) the drafts contain no preamble seeking to eradicate other states or governments and contain strong wording protecting the rights of all citizens including arabs. In contrast, Hamas is a religious entity/government that exists primarily to eradicate Israel and the semite bloodline from the region.
The bloodshed continues because Hamas refuses to accept the existence of the state of Israel. Though Israel has ceased hostilities, Hamas continues to barrage Israel with missiles today. When I was a kid, my daddy taught me not to poke dogs with sticks lest I get bit. The inference of my harsh old man was that it would be my fault if I were to be bitten.
I really cant understand the Hamas position as there was not a significant indigenous population in palestine. The original inhabitants were most likely from Greece or abroad. And the arab population only arrived in numbers after the Romans booted the Jews out.
It takes two to dance and if the existing islamic population in Gaza has any sense and desire for peace, they will refuse to be represented by Hamas. Should they not, continued bloodshed is assured.
Posted in: Fighting rages in Gaza as death toll nears 1,000
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hakujinsensei
all notions of fairness aside... if you decide to immigrate, you had better never expect rights and privileges unless you plan to be naturalized. learning the language well and increasing your skill set with regards to ones future are not bad ideas either ; ) bottom line, tough economic times are hardest on those on the bottom of the food chain.
Posted in: Brazilian workers protest layoffs
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hakujinsensei
The onsen is most wonderful aspect of the Japanese experience, to miss out on it because of self consciousness is a pity. Should I ever return to the U.S. the only thing that I will truly miss would be the onsen/sento. Dont think it would ever work in the states though, they closed the public bath houses in S.F. for a reason ; )
Posted in: How to beat the onsen blues
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hakujinsensei
For most of the 20th century, America had essentially a pegged exchange rate as the currency was backed by gold and the price of gold fixed, thereby fixing gold prices world wide. It served America well and created stability in the world financial markets. In 1971, the Nixon administration abandoned the gold standard and speculation on gold and dollars ensued. The current financial crisis is the culmination of the inflated money supply due to the valueless currency the Fed has been printing ever since. One can not peg the exchange rate unless there is intrinsic value in a currency beyond a nebulous promise. The result would be economic isolation which would collapse any nations economy that sought to do in light of the internationalization of worldwide economies.
loitehinterwebs is right. It would benefit the vast majority of the worlds people on many fronts and for that reason, the few that actually benefit from it long term will make sure that the currency will never be backed and that the exchange rate will never be pegged.
Posted in: Would pegged exchange rates stabilize the global economy?
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hakujinsensei
The Jewish state of Israel is a cold and heartless entity. That being said, they are not new-coming carpet baggers that have ripped off somebody's land, they have a historical claim to the land that goes back thousands of years. Seems to me there is enough sand and olive trees to go around.
The women and children of Gaza are as much victims of Hamas as they are of Israel. Violence begets violence and that is just what has happened. There is a time for armed resistance when your life is threatened but that is not the case here. There is no agenda of genocide on the part of Israel. They govern fairly with regards to those that are not Jewish as long as they are not shooting missiles at the suburbs and sending suicide bombers to push their agendas.
All the bloodshed can stop today as the Israelis will cease their response if Hamas stops its aggression. The Palestinians can establish their state thru peaceful means if they establish a reasonable plan and understand that the process of education and establishing political influence will take time and must begin with creating credibility thu the lack of aggression.
Posted in: Israel tells Gazans to brace for war escalation
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hakujinsensei
Shintoism had nothing to do with the war. First, most Japanese are about as kuwashi on their state religion as Asokun is on Christianity. Second, the war was proffered by the Japanese conglomerates pure and simple. Analogy of the short skirted girl asking to be raped? Japan was not guilty of tempting America, they were guilty of refusing to end the war and take responsibility for their actions. There would have been no place to test the bomb had they simply surrendered. The invasion of Okinawa or before would have been a good time to surrender. I suppose it would have been appropriate for the allies at that point to just have said that Japan learned her lesson and went home. Lets not let our idealism lead us into gross naivety. Lets ask Aso what he thinks? I am sure he has read many mangas about the war. The reason that the war was drug out? So Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, and Mitsui could fuel the war effort to the very end. They knew they would emerge unscathed. Though the smaller zaibatsu suffered, the larger ones became yet more powerful and wealthy as they were given the task of rebuilding the nation. I think the point that Aso missed is not what the world could learn from Japan but what Japan learned from the western world with regards to just how much more powerful a monopoly becomes when it emerges from an agrarian economy and adopts industrialism. That is what fueled the Japanese 'work ethic'.
Posted in: Aso says world religions can learn from Japan
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hakujinsensei
smith: He did not touch her. He did not stalk her. He did nothing besides capture what was in his field of vision. Public domain. I would have nothing to say to someone taking a picture of myself or my wife or my daughters. They all dress fashionably but not whorish. Do I get angry when some guy hits on my wife? No, I congratulate her on being attractive enough to warrant the attention. Would I intervene if his behavior escalated and he touched her or followed her. Of course. There is a big difference between putting mirrors on your shoes or taking up-shots with a cell phone and snapping a nice smile or a set of yams. I suspect that she was like the myriad of senseless whores that sit on the train with their legs apart showing off their panties. If they are showing it off, then taking a shot for posterity is just fine in my book. jigojitoku.
Posted in: Cop arrested for taking picture of woman’s legs on train in Kanagawa
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hakujinsensei
This is just ridiculous... if you can see it, it is fair game to take a picture of it. Goes for the dumb ass school girls rolling their skirts so short their little cotton panties hang out. Freedom cuts both ways. If the guy didn't like the guy snapping pics of his girls legs, he should have told her dress in a gunny sack. She knew exactly what she was doing when she dressed, and she dressed in such a manner as to provoke people look at her legs. Is that wrong? Not at all, vanity is as old as the hills and a multi billion dollar industry. Been by the Channel booth lately? This selective abuse of process is nothing more than gyakusukuhara. What, can I sue JR, all the municipalities in Japan, and all the stores n banks that take my picture without my permission daily? Anybody here sign a waver lately when they left their house waiving their right to privacy for the hundreds of cameras we pose for daily? Would her boyfriend have tried to haul me into the station masters office if I said 'na- ne-chan, kirei ashii yana-' . I would have dropped the whiny little ass in his tracks had he tried to lay a hand on me. Cant believe the old guy let himself be cowtowed that way. Men, grow some oysters. Now everybody go home, nothing to see here, move along...
Posted in: Cop arrested for taking picture of woman’s legs on train in Kanagawa
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hakujinsensei
Notginger, had to look that expression up.... very nice!
Posted in: Aso says world religions can learn from Japan
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hakujinsensei
I can't imagine why the Japanese people put up with having the quality of leaders such as Aso. Take America for instance with great leaders like Bus.... oh, forget that..... : )
In Genesis 2:15 Adam is given a job. Much before his banishment from the garden (gen 3). In fact, the very first thing that God gave to Adam was work, before he received his wife he was given his life's work.
The Judeo/Christian doctrine does not discount work, nor does it view it as punishment. To the contrary, it views work as a 'calling' something in which man expresses both his God given talents and learned skills in order to fulfill his destiny. He was not set to work as a slave as in the neo-feudal system that exists in Aso's world that the privileged like himself have no knowledge of, but to work in freedom to exist as a peer of God.
Adam's punishment was not work, but a demotion. Not so different than the way a Japanese company punishes someone by 'promoting' them to the office of pencil and bungoku management ; )
Japan has nothing to offer the world besides its superior products built with slave labor. Japanese do not work hard out of ethic, they work out of fear because, though the labor labor laws establish rights similar to the western countries, if a worker were to rock the boat, they could jeopardize their bonus which is not protected under law. And since bonuses can amount to up to a third of a workers wage, that is a risk few are willing to take. Not to mention the notorious lack of job mobility in the Japanese workforce and the fact that if one were to be fired, it would be even more difficult to find gainful employment outside of construction or labor. Japanese companies routinely shun experience workers in order to recruit fresh recruits straight out of college that they can house in dorms to extort loyalty from in a play straight out of Tokugawa's book.
Out of personal experience, having been a building contractor both in America and Japan, my crews in America worked circles around the Japanese carpenters that I employed here. So much to the point, that we recruited Americans, Australians, and British and paid their transportation and living costs on top of their wages.
We all hope that Aso begins to take his job seriously and begins to read books with more words than pictures.
Posted in: Aso says world religions can learn from Japan
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hakujinsensei
Whats with all the need to own your partner? I can't stand horomon, my wife does. She goes to enjoy what she likes with people that seem to enjoy it and then comes home and shares the rest of her life with me. Sometimes I go out and play and then come home and enjoy our lives and family together. Whether someone does that with their clothes on or off is irrelevant. If you are not adult enough to have an adult relationship, then dont get married and create a personal hell for you and the person you claim to love. Now before you get too high n mighty with me, remember that David, the man that God loved, Gods annointed had many wives and concubines and his father, also annointed had a thousand concubines... God is far more concerned what you do outside of the hotel rather than what you do inside.
A gaijin but ordained pastor
Posted in: Monogamy vs a bit on the side: What makes a person promiscuous?
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hakujinsensei
There is nothing to judge here except the inaneness of the comments. Is there a problem because she had sex? Because she had sex on tape? Because she got paid for it? There is not a woman alive that has had sex that has not done it to better her position either emotionally or financially. It was a job, nothing more and nothing less.
R.I.P
Posted in: Former porn star Ai Iijima found dead at Tokyo apartment
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hakujinsensei
Although I got my first card here without being married, I was 42 and that could have made a difference along with having a job at an international company. If you have been here for anytime at all, you realize that Japanese expect you to heading home anytime so regardless of what you put on your ap, there is a credibility issue. For most credit of any substance you will need to have a permanent residence status. My suggestion is to get one in your home country, it will work fine here sans you will have trouble at many cashing machines : )
Posted in: Try to get a credit card in Japan
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hakujinsensei
So what exactly are the pristine cultural attributes is that would have been lost had Buddhism lost its monopoly as the chosen religion of those of the warrior class and below? And is not possible that something positive and uniquely Japanese could have sprung from that as well?
Posted in: Japanese Christian martyrs to be beatified