sangetsu03's past comments

  • 0

    sangetsu03

    What a load of rubbish. Education does not, and never has been a prerequisite for success. "Income inequality" is par for the course in a world where people are not equal. I cannot bat 400 in baseball, I cannot run a mile in 5 minutes, and simple math equations leave me confused. But that has not stopped me from starting my own business and earning a good income. My parents were not "elite", and they did not pay one cent for my education.

    "Those that can, do", those who can't end up having to work for those who can. There are no "haves" or "have-nots", there are only "do" or "don-nots". The article gives the impression that there is no hope for anyone but the "elites", which contributes to the problem. Before ever blaming someone else for your difficulties or poor quality of life, take a look at yourself first, and see how much you may be to blame.

    Posted in: Poor little rich kids

  • 3

    sangetsu03

    As of June 1st of 2008, bicycles were required to share the road with cars. But, like many laws in Japan, this law is selectively enforced (or not enforced at all).

    Posted in: Road traffic laws in Europe and the United States are simple, whereas in Japan pedestrians are always exposed to the risks of bicycles bumping into them from all directions...It is time for us to go back to the original point of the road traffic law, where bicycles and cars share the road.

  • 0

    sangetsu03

    Another money-losing venture by the fast-sinking Goldman Sachs. Almost no investment in alternative energy in any country has been an economic success. Huge amounts of money have been "invested" are huge, but the results of this investment has been less-than-huge. If Goldman are playing their cards properly, they'll build up some green energy momentum, and then cash out before before the momentum carries their projects over the edge.

    The problem in Japan is less a problem of generation than it is a problem of misuse. Buildings use far more lights than necessary, insulation in most buildings is either non-existent, or inadequate. 75% of electricty is lost simply through transmission, changing the power grid to shorten the transmission distance, and relocating power plants would be significantly more cost-effective than the current alternative energy boondoggle, which is tailor-made to provide yet another industry to waste subsidies and provide kickbacks to bureaucrats and politicians.

    Goldman-Sachs may be looking to exploit renewable energy, but Mistui, Mitsubishe, et al, are putting their money in shale gas.

    Posted in: Goldman Sachs to invest in Japan green energy projects

  • 0

    sangetsu03

    The cost vs benefit of a university education is becoming a concern, particularly as the cost of tuition goes up, and as students seem to favor degrees with little professional significance. A degree in Gender Studies (my auto-complete tried to use the word "stupidities"--I almost used it), Hospitality, or Political Science costs about the same as a degree in engineering. The market is flooded with hospitalical-political-gender-scientists, whilst there is a tremendous shortage of engineers. An entry-level hospitality job for a person with such a degree pays about as well as a full-time cashier at McDonald's. Most Gender/Poly-Sci students will end up with a masters in education, and end up as school teachers, making not much more to start than a full-time cashier at McDonald's. And of course they are saddled with 6 figures in student loans, which are steadily accruing interest.

    My grandfather valued a university education, but not for himself (he never finished high school), he usually hired educated people to work for him.

    Posted in: Is college worth it?

  • 2

    sangetsu03

    The Consumer Affairs Center should also prohiibit the sale of glucosamine in Japan. Glucosamine is claimed to effective against joint pain, and was widely sold in America until the USDA found it to be completely ineffective. So sales of Glucosamine were stopped in America, only to begin being sold in Japan.

    Posted in: Coca-Cola advised to correct misleading TV commercial for ginger ale

  • 11

    sangetsu03

    5 days of no food and water....but then the Japanese military had asked them to surrender peacefully but the US forces with their slaves Filipinos decided to fight to the death and inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese army. When they ran out of ammo, they decided to surrender. In return, the Japanese army decided to have their revenge by having them march for 5 days without food and water.

    This is war. And its a good thing they were not massacred.

    Hmm, the reason that the Americans and Filipinos did not "surrender peacefully" is that during their conquest of Asia, the Japanese took few prisoners, and those few prisoners became slaves, who in most cases were worked to death. Japan itself said clearly that "Nippon does not greatly admire those who surrender". And those few whom they did take alive in the heat of battle received no worse treatment than those who "surrendered peacefully".

    My grandfather was in the Philippines, and was an adjutant to General Wainwright, who commanded Corregidor. He knew the Japanese quite well, as did the rest of the allies fighting in Asia. The Japanese starved, beat, and murdered without reservation or impunity, and performed such acts even against civilians, whom had done them no harm at all.

    After the Japanese conquered, non-military industry and agriculture collapsed. People were paid for their work or goods in scrip which had no real value. Merchants and farmers who did not accept this so-called money simply had their wares stolen by the IJA. As a result, shops and factories stopped producing, farms stopped growing. The IJA brought in opium dens, addicting the people, and extorted from them anything of value. A wonderful occupier Japan was. The story was the same throughout the lands they conquered.

    And of course, besides the millions killed outright, we can't forget the hundreds of thousands who died as slave laborers, many of them being prisoners of war.

    Posted in: Filipino director takes new look at Bataan Death March

  • -5

    sangetsu03

    Truly, Obama is no Nixon, Nixon was a leader, not a political figurehead. Unfortunately, Nixon was also a liar and a "crook". Obama is a more honest man, but he couldn't lead a child to the toilet. How low we have fallen to have either Nixons or Obamas as presidents.

    Posted in: White House: Obama is no Nixon

  • 1

    sangetsu03

    Of course there is no way in hell they would use a real Indian (native American) to play the part. At least Jay Silverheels was the real thing. But then again, a grown man riding around in a black mask in the late 19th century isn't all that authentic either.

    Posted in: Will Disney's new Tonto be any better?

  • -2

    sangetsu03

    Hmm, are these Chinese and Filipino women who are always trying to take my arm and lead me to a massage parlor "comfort women"? Are they not "recruited" in a similar way as the women who were "recruited" during the war? The more things change, the more they stay the same.

    My grandfather was a soldier in the Pacific during the war. The allies were quite surprised that Japanese "Army-issue" comfort women existed, while allied soldiers simply used common prostitutes (whom they were warned against as being 100% infected with VD) who were often pimped by children. Certainly the allies didn't require comfort women to fight effectively, and it never has been (and never will be) hard to find a representative of the world's oldest profession.

    Posted in: Hashimoto says comfort women system necessary for wartime troops

  • 2

    sangetsu03

    MRI was never an investment company, it was yet another ponzi scheme. Much of the blame lies with Japanese regulators, which licensed and allowed MRI to operate as an investment company in Japan. MRI's own description of their company was enough to raise red flags with anyone who had half a brain. "A fool and his money are soon parted". I hope the president of MRI rots in prison, but I don't have great symapthy for fools who "invest" their money foolishly.

    Posted in: Lawyers to pursue case against MRI in U.S.

  • -8

    sangetsu03

    Everyone here is just blabbering about the US automakers not having access to an equal and open market, I would seriously like to know what exactly is it that is stopping them. And why in the world Japan is more open to European Automakers and not the US.

    The first and foremost reason I can see is that the US automakers think that the Japanese people are actually not worthy enough to own US made cars. If not then why else would they not bother to manufacture their popular cars conforming to the basic necessity of having the steering on the right-hand side, with the exception of Chrysler and Tesla. I mean , seriously cars like the Corvette, Camaro, Mustang, Viper, Charger and even their people haulers and SUV's, are not conformed for the market here. Comparably all European manufacturers do offer their cars in both right and left-hand driver versions.

    The second reason is size. US automakers make bloated cars which are not suitable for Japanese roads and the frosting on the cake here can be the unavailability of suitable parking spaces for such cars. To prove my point try sizing up a Toyota Landcruiser (already a big car here) next to a Toyota Seqouia you will know. Even Japanese Automakers have specially bloated cars for the American market. Rural Japan does not need trucks, they are happy and content with their long-lasting Kei-Trucks which are small (3.4m x 1.48m), economical (approx 25km/litre,660cc engine) and cheap to purchase (new cost around 700,000yen). Any automaker beating or even competing those odds has a chance of selling something but, alas, no one bothers.

    The third argument can be on the mileage. As much as we would like to, people in Japan do not pay the same for gas at the pump as Americans do, which makes for thrifty shopping choices. All those decision makers in the auto industry should come and take a stroll down any popular road in Japan. They would be shocked to realize that half the cars plying Japanese roads are econo-cars mostly popular because they are running on 25-30 km/litre mileages.

    Many fallacies in your post. Most high-end performance cars in Europe are not availalble in right-hand-drive, which is why most of these cars sold in Japan have the steering wheel on the left (including my Porsche).

    660cc K-cars cannot be sold in America or Europe because they do not meet even the most minimal safety standards, and cannot keeo up on American or European highways where the speeds are 100kph and up.

    The most popular car models in America are not the large-sized cars. Cars like the Focus, or Cavalier are the same size as a Corolla, and are smaller than Tokyo taxis. The market for large SUVs is not big, but I have seen Hummer H1 and GMC Suburbans navigating Japanese raods with no problems, they are much smaller that the Japanese delivery trucks which you see on nearly every Japanese road every day.

    The issue at hand is Japanese protectionism. Japan is the world's third-largest economy, but it is more or less closed to American and European sellers. Cars, televisions, and countless other goods made elswhere are simply not available in Japan, or are priced out of the market. America and Europe have allowed Japan free access to their markets, but Japan has not done likewise. This is not fair.

    Posted in: Big three U.S. automakers to skip Tokyo Motor Show

  • -4

    sangetsu03

    Hmm, the Ford Fiesta was the top-selling car in Europe for a number of years, and the Ford Combi Van has been popular for generations. American cars have sold well around the world, and continue to do so.

    80% of the cars in the world drive on the left side of the road? America has about half the cars in the world, add Canada, all of the Americas, most of Europe, much of Africa, and much of the middle east, all of which drive on the right side of the road--that statement is an outright lie.

    Japanese cars are no better made than most other cars, and cars built for the Japanese market do not meet basic European or American safety standards. The typical Japanese car will see about 60,000 kilometers of service in it's life, an American market car will see more than 100,000 miles. American-market cars have far better warranties than Japanese market cars. Quality must be good in a lawsuit- happy country like America, which is home to more than half the world's lawyers. No car made in Europe or America is deemed unsafe in Japan.

    Technically-speaking, Japan charges no tarriffs on imported cars, but mountains of red tape add a lot to the price. That, and the typical collusion between sellers to fix prices (which is patently illegal in all other developed countries) also adds to the price. As a result, these safer, better-quality, foreign cars make up only 7% of the cars on Japanese roads. This side-stepping to charge more for non-tarriffed items is why many countris do not want Japan to join the TPP.

    I have to agree with the American car manufacturers, much as I don't like them.

    Posted in: Big three U.S. automakers to skip Tokyo Motor Show

  • 0

    sangetsu03

    Ethical business in a social sense is effectively an oxymoron because business really only has one primary aim, which is to make money. Everything else is just marketing to improve the way they are perceived. True corporate responsibility is something that has to be regulated by government, possibly globally, so that similar conditions exist where ever they do business. Realistically though, this would be very difficult to achieve. Recently in Australia, the Government introduced something called the Mineral Resource Rent Tax, which effectively taxes mining companies making over 75 million in profits, a little more. The companies hate it of course, and it has it's teething problems, but it allows the people and the country to get a little more from these corporations that are making a fortune in this country, and I support these kinds of initiatives for the exact reasons cited in the article.

    But who regulates the government? Certainly not you or I. Do you really think that businesses are more corrupt or greedy than politicians? At least we can choose what companies we do business with, whist politicians answer to no one. If you look at America, the congress has an 18% approval rating, yet more than 90% of it's members are reelected each year.

    Posted in: Business, taxes and responsibility

  • 2

    sangetsu03

    You don't say. When the average American must work 6 months just to pay a year's worth of taxes, it's not a surprise that they will try to find a way to avoid them. Those who are able are of course going to find amway to reduce their tax burden, and with some governments eager to bring business and money to their countries they offer lower taxation. I am considering incorporating in Singapore just for this reason.

    If I thought my government was spending my tax money wisely and productively, I would have no qualms staying where I am, and continuing to pay what they ask. But in a system of rampant waste and zero fiscal responsibilty, and signs of yet increasing waste, and accumulation of debts which outweigh the annual GDP, one can't be endure being squeezed harder and harder each year.

    So, businesses move to greener pastures, taking their money and jobs with them, whilst their home governments refuse to run their ships more efficiently or effectively. Debts accumulate more quickly, and the situatuion deteriorates even more quickly, taxes and fees are yet again increased, which in turn drives more businesses to move, or simply shut down.

    What exactly is the "fair share" in regards to taxes? The bottom 49% of wage earners in America effectively pay no income tax. The top 1% pay 36% of tax collected, the top 5% of wage earners pay 59% of tax collected, the top 10% pay 70% of all taxes collected. Is this fair? The top 10% of wage earners provide more than half the jobs in America, the more taxes they have to pay, the less they have to spend to enlarge their businesses, or hire more workers.

    Posted in: Business, taxes and responsibility

  • 2

    sangetsu03

    Maybe if GM, Ford & Chrysler started making cars with steering wheels on the right side and made more effort to sell cars in Japan, they might sell more than the handful they sell now.

    American car manufacturers do make cars with steering wheels on both sides, and have since they began selling cars in the UK and Australia about 60 years ago.

    Japanese car manufacturers have blocked blocked American manufacturers (and European manufacturers) from importing cars into Japan through limitng the number of imports, and subjecting imported cars to "safety inspections", even when safety standards in Europe and America far exceed the safesty standards of Japan.

    Only 7% of the cars on Japanese roads are imports, what is the percentage in your home country?

    Posted in: Every increase in the yen results in fewer American exports and jobs and is a further reason why Japan should not be included in the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

  • 3

    sangetsu03

    Politics as usual. Lots of drama, mud-slinging, and talk, but precious little real work. The whole lot of them should be censured and shown the door.

    Posted in: Kawaguchi censured in upper house for extending China trip

  • 0

    sangetsu03

    "Set in Tokyo", which means it will actually be filmed in Los Angeles. It is next to impossible for foreign movie producers to get permits to film in Japan, and Tokyo in particular, hence films like "The Last Samurai", "Memoirs of a Geisha", and even "Tokyo Drift" were all fimed outside Japan. Go figure,

    Posted in: Next 'Die Hard' movie rumored to be set in Tokyo

  • 0

    sangetsu03

    "40% of the money spent returned to the donor countries"? That leaves 60% in the hands of the county which was assisted. 40% may sound like a lot of overhead, but it's a fraction compared to most UN-sponsored projects. 30% profit to the contractors? Is this pretax or post-tax profit? How much profit should a company expect? And let's not forget that many of these private contracting companies are actually publically-owned, wih shares being held by a variety of large and small investors.

    Posted in: From Afghanistan to Syria, an anemic U.S. civilian effort

  • 5

    sangetsu03

    Probabaly an old parking attendant who was a fan of Ferris Bueller's Day Off....

    Posted in: Car goes off bridge after being rear-ended by Ferrari

  • 5

    sangetsu03

    Of course there is a vacuum in leadership, how could it be otherwise when we never elect real leaders? Barack Obama became presedent on the force of his appearance and speaking ability, like many other polticians. What resume did he have? No professional experience, no military experience, and absolutely no leadership experience. He was a professor, and a "community organizer", whatever tha is. During his time as a senator, he didn't write or sponsor any legislation, and the majority of his votes were simply "present", not yes or no. Hardly the description of a decisive leader.

    American politics is a machine which is steered by special interests, and these special interests fo not want leaders in office. Obama was "selected", just as people said Bush was selected. The people only choose between those candidates whom their parties choose for them to vote for. To be a candidate you need an Ivy League education, some greed, all of your hair, decent looks, and a record that is not too dirty to clean up. Common sense, leadership, or character are not requirements.

    The fault for this system lies with the voters, who for the most part don't care who is in office, or what they do there. Need an example? A good deal of Americans do no know the name of the vice president. Do you? If so, can you also tell me the names of the 2 senators from your state? And how about the names of your local congressmen? If you can actually tell me their names, can you tell me what legislation they have written or supported? And, if you remember voting for them, did you vote because you approved of their performance in office? Or did you vote for them merely because they belonged to "your" political party? If you simply voted along party lines, you are part of the problem.

    The power vacuum in America is the result of a common-sense vacuum in the American electorate.

    Posted in: The global power vacuum is expanding

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