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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likeitis
One day. Closed court. Probably the two most significant statements in the whole article. Sounds like a complete hose down.
I approve of Obama's stance toward Iran in general, but I think he should be crying foul over this one. That is not to say that he should be demanding special priviledges for an American, or to criticize the whole of Iran, or to even claim that Saberi is innocent. Rather, he should be condemning the Iran Justice system's shoddy handling of the case, which reeks of corruption and seems completely rigged, and is frankly an embarrassment to the rest of the country of Iran. (Even though Iran is not the only country with an embarrassment involving justice right now, and we all know this.)
I feel sorry for Saberi, but frankly, she never should have left the U.S. Our side should work to try to get her a re-trial in a fair court, a court based on some hard evidence rather than these flimsy confessions alone. But I would NOT let this get in the way of improving relations with Iran at all. In fact, better relations will most likely help Saberi in the future.
Posted in: U.S. 'deeply disappointed' as Iran convicts reporter
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likeitis
I think that some government officials also get dealt with pretty harshly when they go too far. And lets face it, even in our so-called democracies law makers are often not held accountable for certain infractions.
But the people don't run their countries. They have elections. Its not the same. I think its better than not having elections, but elections are not really all THAT great. There is more going on than that that makes our societies better and yet workable I think, and how we are raised has something to do with that.
A fair observation I think fds. The Chinese are, as a people, very entrepreneurial and very quick utilize any advantage they may find, regardless of what we may think is fair or not. Now consider that there are a billion of them. I do not like the way the Chinese people are controlled, and I do not think Chan does either. But both he and I realize that the Chinese are psychologically strong willed and not very good at self-policing, therefore, they may need a strong hand, especially with so many of them. But I do feel that that strong hand may be a bit too much. It needs some improvements and some loosening up. But then again, I think the Chinese people could make some adjustments too. They need to police themselves better, and I do not think most westerners are even aware of how much they police themselves (with the exception of many of our rich and powerful, who do not).
But imagine if that nation of one billion came unglued for too much freedom. A scary thought. Whatever freedoms come, I hope China takes it slow and we don't see China fall into chaos.
Posted in: Jackie Chan's China comments prompt backlash
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likeitis
Yelnats, yeah it sounds like double talk. At least we could say they were encouraged to disarm themselves by the Canadians, and that means something.
I do not view this as such a set-back. Nor do I view this as some sort of encouragement for the pirates. I think the people who say such things are impatient, and want a 100 percent solution to this problem yesterday.
The pirates might be thinking to push their luck and try again. They might be thinking "Hurrah! we get off easy every time!" Sure. Its possible. But they might also be thinking "That was a close call. We got pursued for hours and I thought we were dead meat. Plus we lost our weapons, and its going to cost to replace them."
I think they also realize that the world is paying more attention, and this incident shows this. And gee, I am happy there were no deaths or even kidnappings!
The pirates are not indiscriminately killing people; not even taking slaves. We can afford to take our time and follow laws and morality, and I am glad to see the Canadians doing that while at the same preventing ships from getting hijacked, which is the paramount thing here. Enough repeats of this action and the pirates will have to find new jobs. They cannot fail all the time and survive even if they are let go.
So I say good job to Canada, and keep up the good work.
Posted in: 7 Somali pirates freed on technicality after NATO pursuit
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likeitis
Further to that, a lot of inheritence occurs BEFORE the big cheese dies. If your father pays for your Harvard education, it may not be inheritence according to the IRS tax code, but obviously you benefited by circumstances of birth.
Posted in: Anti-Obama 'tea party' protests mark U.S. tax day
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likeitis
For clarity, let us use the term wealth instead of money. And yes, the rich sit on the wealth. The money they spend. It comes back around anyway.
This brings up what the definition of "scam" is. Renting residential property is not viewed as a scam by most people, even if they pay for the property twice over through renting. Getting paid a fixed wage for labor while the owners of the company make out like bandits in excess profit is also not generally viewed as a scam. But when you get into it and examine the details, they most certainly look like scams. The only difference is, this scam is sanctioned by society.
Some other scams, not sanctioned, seem to be even less detrimental. The question just seems to be: "Does it threaten the status quo?".
No it doesn't. It does not ask the right questions. Throughout my posts I have been clarifying my comments, yet you still do not understand. Its not that the majority of the wealth is inherited, in the strict sense of the term, its the particular inheritence that counts. Yes, stricly defined inheritence might be only ten percent of your wealth, but if that inheritence generated the remainer of the 90 percent of your wealth, just because you own it now, then I am going to say that wealth was basically inherited. Maybe you are happy to say they earned it, but I say say "bullcrap". Merely owning something is not earning.
And here we go with the commie parry again. Its getting old. Maybe you some rich guy racked with guilt from your hoarding and seek anything to deflect? I send one rich guy packing from this board when I made him see his own selfishness and irresponsibility.
Look, I know that plenty of those we call rich bring more to the table than the hard work they so often don't. Expertise, creativity, general solutions, an eye for markets and profitability, etc. Those things have value and I value them. But there are sneaky things about the system and they need to be worked out. Some of the things I mention are being grossly overvalued, and your excuses for overvaluing them ring hollow.
Never said or suggested it was. My understanding is that people just get ripped off there by the OWNERS (big surprise), who set the unfair rules, and those people getting jipped usually are not even locals, so lots of outside case coming in.
Uh, yeah, I do blame the poor too for some things. If we are going to keep doing this, would it be too much to ask you to read my posts?
Bullcrap. If you want more you have to live and work with that goal in mind. You might say "work and live smarter". Especially if you want to become rich from nothing. It has to consume your every thought and action. Its possible, but I do not find it to be worth it. Which is why I am not jealous. But the situation still needs fixing, and you do not have to be jealous to see it. Those who have more, make more, and not because they actually worked. Those with less can barely save no matter how hard they work. That is because working harder and being more productive will NOT make them significantly more money because they have ZERO claim on the output of their own labor or the profits generated. They will get the same fixed wage.
Did I just say they should have 100 percent claim on output? NO I DID NOT. So please spare me the tired commie claim, m'kay?
Some taxes I am for and some not. The government has to survive somehow.
There was a time when only the wealthy paid taxes. The reasoning was obvious: it was because they could afford to pay! Far and away, they could and still can, afford to pay.
Posted in: Anti-Obama 'tea party' protests mark U.S. tax day
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likeitis
Some communist rebels? Not all of course.
Posted in: Can Islam and the Western world coexist peacefully?
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likeitis
So would fewer guns in the hands of pirates. But granted, that may not be possible.
Anyway, operative term in the sentence I quoted is "capable hands". For starters, its a tall order. Second, it limits the numbers of people armed against the pirates. Even with France and the U.S. using armed vessels to partrol the area, the protection is still very thin. More ships and the cost/benefit ration goes to hell.
More armed commercial vessels you say? Well, it was YOU who said "capable hands" wasn't it? I think it would be easier to disarm the pirates than turn the average commerical seaman into a "capable hand". Mercs on the ships? Another cost/benefit problem.
My answer to this is same as before: convoy. There is no reason why these ships have to travel alone except pure laziness.
Posted in: Pirate hostage captain praises SEAL 'superheroes'
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likeitis
Mostly, you are correct. But its not true for everyone. The causes of obesity are many, and disease is one. Also, the habits of many a thin person would make another one obese. I am one of those lucky people with an extremely fast metabolism. Modern excesses are doing nothing to me except maybe steering me toward an early grave.
Posted in: United Airlines to charge obese passengers double on full flights
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likeitis
Fine. Now if concerned parties such as yourself could take your minds off your paranoia that everyone is trying to take away your guns (must be, given your mentioning of the second amendment), and focus on a way to regulate them (your car is far more regulated. How riduculous is that?), then we might be able to prevent a lot of these incidents from happening.
For example, a teenager should not have unrestricted access to firearms and bullets, even if they are not goths or loners. (Please not that I did not just suggest that everyone's firearms be taken away, m'kay?)
Posted in: 10 years later, Columbine's shadow remains strong
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likeitis
Incredible how this thread is so convoluted already. I guess the words of Phillips did not help much, but you guys above really need to step back and think about this all for a bit.
First, the superhero bit. I think Phillips is going waaaaayyy too far in his praise. A superhero does not need to kill anyone to resolve a situation. They exist only in comics. Are SEALS trained killers? Yes. Does that make them less of heroes, in this instance? It most certainly does not. They are trained killers AND heroes, at least as far as this incident is concerned. They saved a life at most. They rescued a hostage safely at least. Heroes either way.
And killing kids? They were not kids. They were young men. They were teenaged adults, I have no doubt even more so in their own homeland. Plus, they were armed, and I cannot tell you what a difference that makes. Even a ten year old pointing a weapon at someone and making threats is not likely to be disuaded by the offer of a cookie. Get real. The military played nice with those guys right up until they looked like they were about to do an execution. At that point, you have two choices: take them down or wait and see. And wait and see carries a large chance you will see the hostage's brains blown out all over the boat. Should we take that chance just because you have a soft spot for deadly teens? Again, get real. They knew they were in the red zone, and they held out for days.
oneof6billion got those points correct. But then he said:
In fact, the pirates in the area went on a piracy spree immediately after. It was in the news.
The whole of Somalia is NOT responsible for the piracy. And there are other solutions besides your murderous ideas, including DON'T TRAVEL THOSE WATERS.
Posted in: Pirate hostage captain praises SEAL 'superheroes'
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likeitis
And, AGAIN, you provide no proof! Amazing how you just keep doing that.
At last, a belated admission.
Tell that to the IRS. I am sure those planning our economic policy would also be interested in that idea.
Boy, you just cannot say ANYTHING against the rich without that one coming up unless you are talking about the Middle Ages or early 20th century strike breakers. No, I am not jealous. I am pretty happy with my life. I also do not think that posting here is going to land me a million.
Further to that, I am aware of a lot of the scams that people pull to make money. If I were so jealous, I would just copy them. Yet, I don't.
Earlier you claimed to know more than me about economics. What a joke that you would claim to know more than anyone and come up with this! Please, be honest, if not with us, then with yourself. What is this fronting crap?
Those are from here: http://multinationalmonitor.org/mm2003/03may/may03interviewswolff.html
And THAT, is something known as proof. Yes, most of the wealth is NOT recirculated, but pooled at the top, just like I said. So apparently, only Las Vegas is blooming.
Hahahahaha! You are one to talk!
You need to re-read my post. Or perhaps get a real education to replace all the bluster and claims of knowing more than others.
Moderator: Niseigaijin, likeitis, please stop sniping at each other. Focus your comments on the story, not at each other.
Posted in: Anti-Obama 'tea party' protests mark U.S. tax day
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likeitis
So anyway, when was Obama put in charge of our justice system??? Thought he was only in charge of the executive branch!
Posted in: No charges against CIA officials for waterboarding
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likeitis
My previous comment was made without reading anything here but the comment I replied to. Now I go through the thread and see several things, like I just repeated someone else's line. Glad it is not just me seeing the fat double standard.
Naive statement of the month if not the year. And the fact that you acknowledge the torture, by specifically using the word "torture" while at the same time condoning it is very telling.
Well I got some newsflashes for you: there are indeed some bad apples in America and even in our military and secret services. I cannot vouch for the latter two, but the former? I have seen very bad Americans in spades. Many make the papers every single day.
Second newsflash: Torture is against everything America stands for.
Of course its a fair comparison. Not everybody that gone done over in Nuremburg killed a Jew you know. People were executed for a variety of reasons, like Alfred Johl, for signing an order to move people from Denmark into concentration camps, Jews and non-Jews alike, as if the allies had never done the same. Julius Streicher was executed for writing anti-Jewish propaganda. And here is nice one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Pleiger
15 years for having something to do with slave labor. Does not even bother to make it clear.
Compare those to the actual hands-on torture of people. Torture does not become untorture because someone tells you so. They knew full well they were torturing. And if they didn't, neither ignorance nor orders are valid excuses anyway. This double standard STINKS, and this another day that I am not proud to be an American.
Posted in: No charges against CIA officials for waterboarding
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likeitis
SuperLib: Horrible as this is, do these laws give foreigners the right to interfere?
Come on Super, you are more intelligent than this. None here are interfering. In fact, I can't think of any who are even trying. Voicing an opinion is not interfering. Its an opinion. You can either take it or leave it, and it won't kill anyone to do that politely (ie quietly).
Posted in: 3 dead in California hospital shooting
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likeitis
"Just followin' orders" did not work at Nuremburg.
Posted in: No charges against CIA officials for waterboarding
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likeitis
Well, even though it makes zero sense, you are probably right and this is probably the kind of reasoning those morons are applying. It makes zero sense because if they truly believe, then those people are going to hell anyway. This law hardly changes God's law, and its not like they are being made to endorse it.
Posted in: New York governor introduces gay marriage bill
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likeitis
What religious angle? The state is not passing a law that makes it obligatory for churches to marry gays. There is no difference between this and a Christian church's opinion on a Shinto wedding: null and void in the eyes of the Lord.
Posted in: New York governor introduces gay marriage bill
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likeitis
This your proof???
Look, I did not say the rich got every single dime they had through inheritence. But when we are talking about rich people, we are talking about people with so much money that dividing it into halves and thirds still amounts to a fortune. And that fortune can used to buy investiments (which is not work) and the means of production (still not work.)
Further, inheritance is not money only, but also the investments and the means of production themselves, and those things generate even more wealth, just in the owning of them. Neither inheritence nor ownership is EARNING jack diddly squat.
And your wage example is bogus. You are talking about things which raise and lower a wage in small parts. I am talking about how the base wage is determined, and no, its nothing to do with the sale of product. If it were, CEO wages would be equivalent to floor wages.
Posted in: Anti-Obama 'tea party' protests mark U.S. tax day
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likeitis
What is the difference really? The name?
Posted in: New York governor introduces gay marriage bill
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likeitis
Now, now, lets not insult all Republicans here. I believe Obama was ridiculed by Americans who cling to their guns for that comment, not any particular party. And yes, some Dems do cling to their guns, and seem to be afraid they might not make the cut, should some restrictions ever be applied.
Posted in: 3 dead in California hospital shooting