JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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- Corporate Business English Trainers
- ACT Systems, Inc.（株式会社アクト・システムズ）, Tokyo
- Salary: ¥269,500 ~ ¥280,000 / Month
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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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smartacus
In a word, intolerance - one of the biggest blights in every society today. It's all about me, me, me. We all think our opinion is the right one. Another factor is that society is becoming polarized on just about every issue you can think of.
I remember my university debating club. We used to have really invigorating debates on all sorts of topics and there were no insults. I remember my professor instilling in us the idea that we may find the other side's point of view abhorrent but we must be willing to listen to it, not insult them and perhaps try and convince them how they are wrong.
I'd like to see Japan Today readers debate that way. Fat chance, though.
Posted in: Why are so many people unable to debate contentious issues such as whaling, gun control, politics and so on without getting acrimonious?
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smartacus
The cell phone is the best example. Japan is way ahead of the rest of the world in terms of producing content for cell phones, cell phone cameras, use of cell phones to make payments, etc. While the economy was good, there was no need to expand beyond their borders. Now that things are not going well, Docomo, Softbank and others have no idea how to make inroads overseas. So they keep coming out with 25 new lines of cell phones every season and expect gullible consumers to upgrade.
Posted in: What do you think of the expression "Galapagos effect," that refers to some Japanese companies that prefer to focus on their domestic market and be less influenced by global technology trends?
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smartacus
Is making that Vee sign for photos in the DNA of every Japanese woman?
Posted in: Happy day
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smartacus
I wish the media wouldn't make a big deal out of the fact that the 9-year-old girl who died was born on 9/11, 2001, as if there was something symbolic about it. There is no relationship between her birth date and this tragedy.
Posted in: Arizona Rep Giffords shot, 6 killed, including judge, 9-year-old girl
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smartacus
It's not just donor fatigue. Many people have suffered pay cuts. My salary was cut by 15% last April, so I had to cut back on my charitable giving.
Another factor, I think, is that nowadays I can't be sure of where the money is going, and which charities are reliable and which ones aren't. It seems like every time I go to Roppongi, I get accosted on the corner by a group collecting money for earthquake relief in Niigata...and I can't even remember when that earthquake was.
Posted in: Many global charities reported a drop in private, corporate and governmental donations in 2010 due to the ongoing recession and "donor fatigue" over the numerous requests for help in the aftermath of disasters throughout the year. What are your thoughts on this?
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smartacus
Looks freezing there.
Posted in: Tomb of the Unknowns
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smartacus
It's easier when you are single and young. In my 20s, I used to play tennis, soccer, go cycling, bowling and swim. But after getting married, it becomes harder to find time to do any of that. One of my friends in his 50s, who is married, gets up at 5 a.m. every morning to be at the gym by 6 a.m. That's the only time he can find time for exercise. But getting up that early requires a lot of will power, especially in winter.
Posted in: Why do most adults tend to exercise less as they get older?
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smartacus
A camera and a home entertainment system
Posted in: Which item is on your must-buy list for this year?
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smartacus
fishy
The report I saw on Fuji TV this morning did not say that they were sent home with a police officer, as if they were naughty schoolboys. Police do not do that. From what I could tell, they remained at the scene until their car was pulled out of the rice paddy, and then they drove away in it (most likely with a stern warning)... only to get into trouble again a few hours later.
Posted in: Drunken driver crashes car; back behind wheel 4 hours later
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smartacus
It's impossible to say because technological innovation is happening so fast. Look back to 10 yeas ago. We didn't have iPads or iPhones or e-readers, though I never wonder how we ever did without those particular products (I grew up in an era without those items, cell phones, email and the Internet, and we all managed quite nicely). It will probably be some device that is useful to all people of all generations, including the older generation, not just computer-savvy people - and hopefully something that is not anti-social like a lot of the gadgetry we have today.
Posted in: What do you think will be the biggest technological development of the coming decade, so that when we look back in 10 years' time, we'll wonder how we ever did without it?
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smartacus
Why can't moviemakers come up with anything original? All we seem to get these days are remakes and sequels. Are screenwriters that bereft of ideas? Id love to see a story that has never been done before.
Posted in: Coens part ways with Wayne in their 'True Grit'
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smartacus
Australia always gets hammered by nature one way or another in summer. Usually, it's droughts and bushfire savaging the rural areas, and now this. Most people had forgotten what heavy rains were. That's how long it has been since this sort of rainfall has been recorded.
Posted in: Flooded communities across eastern Australia face long cleanup
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smartacus
Zenny11
Nobody will be eating their words. It doesn't matter whether he touched the child or not. He kidnapped her and that's enough for some serious charges.
Posted in: Unemployed 30-yr-old man arrested for kidnapping 5-yr-old girl in Chiba
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smartacus
"The Last Airbender" and "Sex and the City 2"
Posted in: What are some of the worst movies you saw this year?
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smartacus
Advertising is a fun industry. I like seeing how a country's cultural quirks come into play in ads.
Posted in: Filling the world with Lovemarks
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smartacus
I wish I knew. After all the Christmas parties I have been going to recently, my stomach rumbles all night. I am trying to stop eating and drinking at least two hours before I go to bed, but that is hard to do.
Posted in: Which foods and drinks should you avoid before going to bed, if you hope to get a good night's sleep?
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smartacus
The problem with this case is that the police didn't restrain both men. However, if the victim had wrested the gun away from the intruder and was holding it when the police arrived, then it's only natural that they would have restrained him first.
Posted in: Lawyer's widow disputes police version of husband's murder
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smartacus
The arena looks spectacular for Christmas.
Posted in: Holy night
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smartacus
I think I preferred the "I feel Coke" slogan to the current one of "Open happy," or whatever it is.
Posted in: Drinks all round
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smartacus
The world has gone mad. The only explanation I can think of is that the bridegroom might have thought his new wife had been unfaithful with the best man, but who knows what goes through a sociopath's mind in the 24 hours before a crime like this.
Posted in: Groom kills bride, best man, then himself at wedding in Brazil