JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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Why do Japanese change their attitude when they communicate with foreigners?
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Confrontation
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U.S. Navy investigating how parts fell off aircraft near Atsugi
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Apple dethrones Google as company with most respected image in eyes of consumers
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JFA plans to hold Under-20 Women's World Cup match in Fukushima
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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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- Assistant Language Teacher - Kanagawa Prefecture - late-March start
- Interac, Kanagawa
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tigermoth
Is a metaphoric 'takeover' really that far off the mark, given the amount of $$ owed by the US to China? I think it's an over-exaggeration, but certainly not deserved of the 'nutter' tag for that one. And we keep getting deeper in debt as we spend more to get us out of debt (scratching head). Go figure. I've tried that economic plan in my home - it doesn't work.
As opposed to the Dems encouraging people to vote based on race, class and age. 'You must vote for me because I'm black and so are you'. Huh? Wasn't there a recent report of young people being encouraged to vote, but no literature or information was provided on the conservative side of things? That's fair and just though, right? C'mon, politics are politics - each side tries to prey on the voters that they think they can sway to their side. You can make the indignant cry of fowl all you want, but both sides do it and always have.
I'm sure Reid is just the cultural diversity mainstay. Of course, my bet would be there isn't a Hispanic living within miles of any property he owns in Nevada. Funny how that always works.
No, I think that perhaps it's more of a slap in the face to your own party; it means that the common American voter just isn't believing the hope and change party anymore, no matter how indignant it makes you to accept that fact.
Posted in: Nevada Senate race turns ugly with Hispanic ad
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tigermoth
I've noticed among my English friends that there is very much a growing anti-Islam/Muslim sentiment in the country, as well as generally an anti-foreigner slant. But before anyone based in the US condemns this you have to take into account geographical size of the country. If Muslims take over most of Flint, MI then it's one city in a vast country. If they do the same to Sheffield in a country that's the size of one of our smaller states - it's more of a big deal. Britain has held the immigration gates open with a friendly hand for too long, and with the vast cultural differences between your typical English man/woman and your typical practitioner of Islam, the problem is bound to stir discontent. I was in London a year ago and Soho could have been another country (other than England).
As others have pointed out I think the link to the tea party is just the leftist media's attempt to further try to soil their reputation, possibly/likely based on a single statement made by a single individual somewhere. Suddenly the two groups are intertwined when in fact some single individual likely made an off the cuff comment.
Posted in: British Anti-Islam group seeks ties with Tea Party
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tigermoth
I guess I just don't see why everybody gets so wrapped up with this issue. What are people so afraid of with someone being gay? Are they afraid they'll substitute the GI issue curtains with Channel drapes? Are the soldiers afraid they'll get raped in the showers? Come on, you have more of a chance of that as a twelve year old going to your local catholic church. What's the big deal - what are Americans so afraid of? Is it really that we still cling to some outdated moralistic code doled out by adherence to 'good Christian beliefs'? In reality porn sites record the most hits for a reason. All of these good old hypocritical christians are mostly the ones looking. If someone finds happiness in a person of the same sex, or for that matter a tree - if they aren't doing anything lewd in public or hurting anyone - who gives a sh*t. Why don't we spend more time focusing on the important things.
I'm not gay, and yes the idea of it grosses me out frankly. But what people do in the privacy of their own homes, and who they choose to be with is their own business, and should remain that way. Is it such a great fear that male soldiers will rape female soldiers serving along side them? Aren't they supposed to be adults and professionals? So why think someone who is gay will act as anything but a professional soldier? If someone is willing to fight and die for their country, my country, I say good on them and support them 100%. They're more 'manly' - whatever that is - that most of us. Just shows that for all of our progress we still have a very long way to go.
Posted in: U.S. judge orders 'don't ask, don't tell' injunction on gay troops
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tigermoth
Maybe - are you a sociologist? They do study such things - I don't. But I don't totally discard this view. For some - too many perhaps - there is a tendency for far too much anger for it simply to be a matter of some perceived manliness. Sure, when you're a kid in the schoolyard calling someone a 'fag' and having a laugh - while not behavior to be condoned - is is perhaps asserting this move to a supposed 'manliness'. But that's different than beating someone with a baseball bat because they're gay. Perhaps it's just gross ignorance, but I hate mimes and clowns - doesn't mean I'd beat one to death with a bat. Well, maybe.
Posted in: NYC police arrest 9th suspect in anti-gay beatings
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tigermoth
Although you're probably right - is there any proof to that other than the liberal media looking for sensationalism? I've seen lots of accusations of racism, issues with sexual preference, etc - but mostly from the press and the left; opponents of the tea party. Unless you're just going strictly by the likely demographic make-up. But the comment above seemed to imply that NY might have a great propensity for an anti-gay stance due to some hazy and ill-founded reference to the tea party. While I don't live in the City, I can say that upstate NY - from what I've seen as a transplanted southerner - has fairly liberal and even progressive ideas about folks being gay these days. The point of view I see most often is a big 'so what?'. Do your thing - I'll do mine and who cares?
The incident above is gang related - what do you expect from a NYC gang? If compassion was on your list, don't bother. To somehow equate that with a general denunciation of NY and the tea party seems more than a stretch.
My wife studied is a sociologist and studied the whole lesbian, gay, bi/transgendered thing and makes a valid point. The guys that so vehemently anti-homosexual are often that way due to some inward psychological issue/problem/misgivings with there own sexuality and view of manhood that seemingly makes them angry. Why else would anyone care? I'm secure in being hetero, but have no issue what-so-ever with people being gay. As long as you're happy in life, what difference does it make - and why should anyone care what someone else does as long as it doesn't hurt them? Human pettiness at it's worst.
Posted in: NYC police arrest 9th suspect in anti-gay beatings
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tigermoth
Only if you choose to make such a ridiculous connection. What does a Hispanic gang beating up a prospective member that they discovered might be gay have to do with the tea party, other than an obsession with tying anything evil to their ranks to satisfy your personal political agenda? C'mon. Why not go the full route and blame it on GWB as well.
Posted in: NYC police arrest 9th suspect in anti-gay beatings
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tigermoth
All of us (in the US) will be soon enough. As all of you are so fond of saying - he hasn't been in office long enough for his measures to take effect. With that idiotic health care bill and what lies ahead, make no mistake that you will very soon be paying higher taxes under President Obama.
Posted in: In Obama's 'backyard' visits, Republicans are the absent foe
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tigermoth
Someone earning $250K a year is a millionaire? By who's math?
Bright enough to know that 250K isn't a million, which apparently trumps some. What makes you so ruddy brilliant, and why does your party so arrogantly think that they are the intelligentsia while the rest are knuckle-dragging simpletons?
Liberals tend to fail to see the whole picture because their self-perceived 'intelligence' and self-righteous 'mine is the party of the down-trodden' don't allow them to see beyond their hatred of the other side. Perhaps it's because so many of you quite obviously do have a secret desire for a more socialist form of government that you're so quick to scurry away from. In our capitalist democracy, making money is the name of the game. Tax breaks for the wealthy, rather than being the evil tool of the conservatives that you so desperately wish to vilify is merely a tool for allowing the so-called wealthy to pump more of their money back into the economy to strengthen it. It's not rocket science. If people have more money, they will spend more money which makes infinitely more sense than giant spending bills that just increase problems rather than providing long-term growth and stability. Yes, it certainly can lead to abuse in some cases, but generally it's a sound principle. The knee-jerk liberal reaction is towards the mega corporations that they see as exploitative in nature. What tends to be forgotten that many of the so-called 'rich' are small business owners who employee a good number of our citizenry, but require these breaks to do so.
I tire of the 'punish the rich' mentality anyway. Because someone has the stones and determination to make money doesn't make them inherently evil. Isn't that what our free-enterprise system is all about?
Posted in: White House, Dems see tax cut vote after election
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tigermoth
The problem is perception - and whether you like it or not that plays a huge role. I was doing work for the USMC and my boss - a dyed in the wool Marine - would not hire a kid because he had an earring. It had nothing to do with his actual prowess as a worker, just didn't like the earring. Blindfold a boss to prevent judgment on colour, then get them to interview a person speaking correct English - not Old English - and one who uses 'axe' and 'flo'. Who do you think will get the job? Who would this company want representing them?
It starts in the schools and with the parents. All I'm saying is give these kids a chance so that white society doesn't judge them based upon how they speak. It's easy to say that people shouldn't be judgmental - but they are. And frankly, if I'm in the business world and dealing with customers, I don't want my company represented by people who cannot speak English in the grammatically acceptable way. You might call that racist but most of us would call it common business sense.
In short, why teach and promote bad grammar? Who does it serve other than detractors?
Posted in: Obama: Money alone cannot solve U.S. school problems
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tigermoth
That may be, but again I'm talking about basics just to start leveling the playing field a bit. You really don't need to be either lyrical or existential to be able to speak coherently and properly to give yourself a fair chance in competition with your peers.
Posted in: Obama: Money alone cannot solve U.S. school problems
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tigermoth
No, I don't believe intelligent people are the product of an "education system" - but having a decent one that actually teaches something of note can't hurt. I think to point the system rather does dumb people down. Part of the problem is the school systems, part is the parents and part is environment. I certainly think the President is correct, and more money needs to go into our schools; it's a high-tech world and kids need to have that advantage.
But it's not all about money. Forgetting the intelligentsia/future leaders comment, for your average kid to get a decent job to support themselves and possibly a family one day, they need certain skills. The most important of these in my mind is the ability to speak and communicate - in English if in the US - clearly. This is most often where kids are failed at home. The ability to speak English correctly and put together intelligible sentences and understand the basic grammatical structure is possible by mostly everyone. To refuse to do so is usually a choice, perhaps perpetuated by the parents or peer groups in order to fit in - but a choice none-the-less.
I use the prime example - the African American community - to illustrate my point. Label me racist, but there is point to my arguments and there comes a time when pulling punches to be PC is more detrimental than useful. I do understand that throughout the years of slavery education was nearly impossible, or at best unlikely. And given segregation and racism through the 1950's, 60's and even well beyond it was difficult. But in today's society, even in inner-cities, everyone has access to an education that will at least teach basic grammar rules and the ability to effectively and clearly communicate. What do I hear everyday on the bus on the way to work? 'I ain't got no idea what you is talkin' 'bout ni____'. These kids are in my community and go to the same school system my kids do. Problem then? Parents and cultural expectations.
So then we get white racist scholars who try to conclude that black people aren't as smart as white people (total idiocy) and black people trying to excuse it away with 'ebonics' rather than addressing the fundamental problem. It's 'Uncle Tom' to 'talk white' and so the problem is perpetuated and we have generations who can't get jobs and catch up due to the unwillingness to just simply learn the damned language correctly. Now as other ethnic groups pour in and the more liberal chime in with 'oh, we should all learn Spanish to accommodate these children' rather than teaching them English, the problem becomes more complex and the educationally elite are the white kids that go to private schools (or the non-white kids if your father happens to be President).
I would say that intelligent people are possible to a large degree products of genetics, but in the real world certainly our education system play a role in either nurturing or dumbing down, depending upon several factors.
Posted in: Obama: Money alone cannot solve U.S. school problems
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tigermoth
And this is a typical example of why our education system is not great, and why it never gets fixed. Even on this small forum we can see a microcosm of the norm. Every one plays partisan politics and avoids the real issues of our educational system. The children suffer and we get statistically dumber. Wouldn't it be great if all could stop pulling out the Bush or Carter cards and simply think 'hey, having smarter kids who will one day run this place and work on solving the challenging issues that we have might be a good thing, no matter who I choose to vote for'. Personally I don't think any administration from either party has done a very good job for a very long time, and I think it would be a difficult sell to argue otherwise.
Schools are horribly under-funded. We spend more money in killing people than we do in educating our children. I've been on here griping about tax increases. Hey, if you were increasing my taxes to pay for my kid's education, I'd be fine with that. Instead my taxes will go for some ill-conceived health care bill (that will also increase my insurance premiums by the way) and money spent on things like art programs so some guy can pee in a jar with a crucifix and say he's at artistic genius. Yes, that happens all the time.
They need to stop teaching to test. Here in NY they teach specifically so the kids can pass the state tests (which makes the school look good). It effects what they learn and wastes time teach to a result without real substance. There's a lot of griping about inner-city schools and the issues therein. Parents, specifically of other races - stop saying things like 'axe', 'flo' (for floor), 'waz up' and stupid crap like that. Kids repeat what they hear and 'ghetto talk' while perhaps cool in your world screws your kid from ever really getting ahead. It's not racist; perpetuating ignorance is stupid no matter what race, creed or color that you are. And behavior. In my day the principal of my school could crack you with a paddle. We were afraid of him, and what would happen when we got home if we got in trouble at school. Now the liberals all tell us how traumatic it is for our children to be disciplined, so there is none for far too many kids. Teachers spend their days trying to control kids that are uncontrollable, and all suffer because of it.
The truths and answers do go beyond just dollars. But they are truths that people don't want to hear, or that are too politically incorrect to utter without being labeled racist, archaic and all sorts of other things. It's difficult for a kid to learn when they have to worry about just surviving.
Posted in: Obama: Money alone cannot solve U.S. school problems
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tigermoth
It somewhat surprises me - although it really shouldn't - that so many on here seem willing to at least in form agree with what he said. This is a man who keeps a firm boot on the throats of his own people, and as an avid anti-Semite has stated that he would quite happily liquidate Israel. Sort of reminds me of a jackbooted little corporal with a funny mustache.
It also surprises me that the conspiracy theorists re 9/11 are so widespread - although that shouldn't surprise either as it gives US haters in other nations someone to blame other than radical Islam (be it the twisted followers thereof) and the rabid Bush haters further cause in their minds to frame him the anti-Christ.
Perhaps we should just put out trust in Nostradamus. Sorry if I put a bit more faith in truth and fact rather than theory and hocus pocus. But a do know a scumbag when I see one, and one leads Iran.
Posted in: U.S. walks out on Ahmadinejad U.N. speech after 9/11 remark
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tigermoth
should have said 'truth is stranger than fiction'.
Posted in: U.S. walks out on Ahmadinejad U.N. speech after 9/11 remark
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tigermoth
And just how do you know these 'facts'? Too often in these cases, myth becomes fact. Someone who claims they were there, or that they were a 'metallurgist' working at the site, or 'saw a report' - whatever - turn out to be nothing of the sort. People have sworn for years that information is true that in fact turned out not to be. It's in human nature - and particularly in American nature - to assume conspiracy in everything or to not believe what seems incredible. Often times truth isn't stranger than fiction. Just because you tend to believe the conspiracy theorists does not make it then the truth.
Posted in: U.S. walks out on Ahmadinejad U.N. speech after 9/11 remark
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tigermoth
Yes, we did perpetrate the 9/11 attacks. The holocaust was a fabrication done by Steven Spielberg in Hollywood. Bigfoot does indeed exist, and despite the question of how only badly faked grainy film and plaster casts of footprints exist of an eight foot creature that would surely have seen by someone without a defective camera, they live in large numbers in Utah. Space aliens who joined the Taliban were responsible for actually carrying out the 9/11 attacks in conjunction with GB, who is actually using the brain of Walt Disney that was preserved after his 'death'.
The point being that the degree and depth of human lunacy knows no bounds. Quite obviously some of you and Mr. Ahmadinejad seem to have delved into the world that keeps the National Enquirer and Weekly World News going.
Posted in: U.S. walks out on Ahmadinejad U.N. speech after 9/11 remark
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tigermoth
You know, I've never been able to figure this whole thing out. I mean, I get the whole thing, that Israel was given/took land owned by Palestinians and that has caused endless strife in a never ending hatred/feud between Arab and Jew (over-simplified a bit, but basically the gist). But if you look at the region and the population one can't help but wonder why one area of crappy desert rock and scrub is any better than the next. There is more than enough land for Palestinian and Jew to live on and never get in each others way. But instead they must squabble and fight over it and make everyone else's life miserable.
Posted in: Violence in east Jerusalem clouds peace efforts
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tigermoth
Personally I don't get this 'economy on the upswing bit and that the 'recessions is over'. Is it? Sure doesn't seem that way.
Posted in: Bill Clinton asks voters to give Dems more time
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tigermoth
Actually when I asked 'but how long does it take to clean up the damage?' I was referring to the damage to done by two more years of the Obama administration, particularly without any checks/balances.
Posted in: Bill Clinton asks voters to give Dems more time
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tigermoth
Of course they won't be able to - it's smashed up.
Ditto the U.S. economy that was handed to Obama.
Surely you can understand that.
Yes, but my local body shop can fix the car rather than just continuing to tell me it's broken and blaming it on the guy that hit me.
Famous last words. But how long does it take to clean up the damage?
Posted in: Bill Clinton asks voters to give Dems more time