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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Wow, this is sure to be a front runner for best foreign language film at the next Academy Awards, I can really see a significant overseas market for this film. What star power, an absolute non-entity playing the leading role of a convicted hardcore druggie who just happens to be Japan's national sweetheart.
Does anybody have any additional information about this cinematic masterpiece? Is the film going to be in color, or will they go for a grainy black and white look like Schindler's List, considering the dark nature of the subject matter? Moreover, which non-entity actor will play the counterfoil, the "pro-surfing" substance-abusing husband?
Moreover, how far are the producers willing to push the envelope regarding subject matter? Will they show the main character tying-off and shooting up with her husband? The suspense is killing me!!!
Posted in: Movie on Noriko Sakai gets new lead
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Seems that some people in the Secret Service are about to change assignments. Goodbye POTUS, hello chasing up photocopied US tender in backwards like Armpit, Mississippi.
Posted in: White House dinner crashers met Obama on receiving line
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Good one JT, great to have a good news story every once in while. Also kudos to the woman for choosing to act rather than just standing there. The school, however, is another matter. Irrespective of the difficulty, teachers are entrusted with the welfare of students at all times. The kid being on the ledge only has him self to blame, but the teachers in question also have to 'fess up to their own failings.
Posted in: Woman catches 10-year-old boy who falls from 3rd-floor window
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Very photogenic. If this hardcore druggie is to star in any form of video, shouldn't it be one related to convicted felons who have been sent down for 5-8 years hard labor. Or she might be given a staring role in a documentary, playing the part of a pumped up junkie who neglects their children to the point of endangerment?
As Ramzel points out? What sort of role model does this person offer?
Posted in: Welcome from NoriP
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Maybe I can elaborate. A champagne glass, a high heeled shoe, a garrotte made from tied napkins, a shard of a broken mirror or picture frame, a molotov cocktail, poison darts, the old Putin radioactive pellet, etc.
Taking this advice into consideration, any future state dinners held by President Obama will require that all guests get changed once they arrive at the White House. The new fashion will be the so-called "Gitmo" look, with everybody, foreign heads of state included, required to wear sheik orange jumpsuits with "White House Dinner Guest" stenciled front and back. Moreover, to eliminate the risk from cutlery, guests will now dine literally on the floor, with White House catering staff dolling out dinner (course-by-course) from a bucket.
Posted in: Couple slips though security to crash White House state dinner
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Any other Aussies remember the "Redback on the toilet seat" ditty
A redback on the toilet seat when I was there last night,
I didn't see it anywhere, but boy I felt it bite,
Now I'm here in hospital a sad and lonely sight,
Cursing the redback on the toilet seat when I was there last night.
Sorry,the passage of time has dimmed my brain. However, I do remember singing this song all the time as a little fella. I also remember getting clipped around the ear by my Grandmother, who thought that toilet was a swear word.
Posted in: Venomous Australian redback spiders invading Japan
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Seems that some members of the secret service are going to be joining the ranks of the unemployed, sooner rather than later. Furthermore, this "lucky couple" should receive an award for their actions, what about 3 to 5 hard labor for starters?
Posted in: Couple slips though security to crash White House state dinner
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This sort of thing is really upsetting. Over the years, a number of Japanese have been arrested in Australia, trying to smuggle out Australian native animals, etc. I have no sympathy for such people. When and wherever arrested, they should be locked up for life.
Furthermore, such animals are ill-suited to living in other countries. This is particularly apparent when the owners decide that the animal is no longer cute, and release it into the local environment. Unfortunately, however, because laws in Japan are so weak with regard to such issues, the importation of exotic animals into the is country represents an ecological disaster just waiting to happen.
Finally, if you want a pet, and are willing to see it through to the end, there is probably nothing better than a dog.
Posted in: Lucrative market for exotic pets worth the smuggling risk
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Learning martial arts and keeping yourself out of trouble are two different things.
Firstly, despite what all these martial arts practitioners would have you believe, if some big chap weighing in at 300 pounds decides he does not like you, you are going down like a sack of potatoes whether or not you have a black belt in origami.
Secondly, you can practice everything under the sun, however, when S hits the F, you have to be able to use it. To quote a close friend of mine whose resume is definitely not polite dinner conversation, "Aggression, Aggression, Aggression"
Posted in: What is the most efficient martial art to learn for one's protection in the real world?
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Just what the US needs, another blowhard in Washington. This guy was unbearable on CNN, just imagine him on the hill on the public dime.
Posted in: Former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs weighs Senate run in New Jersey
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clearing the way for the fugitive director to move within days from a Swiss jail to house arrest and electronic monitoring at his Alpine resort chalet.
Poor chap, can you imagine facing such hardship? (cynicism off)
Posted in: Polanski wins $4.5 mil bail; house arrest likely
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*Well, there might not be too much of a strategy if they keep on trying to sentence soldiers and SEALs for busting lips of the enemies. *
And so they should be sentenced. I thought we (the US and its allies) were supposed to be the good guys in this whole war on terrorism lark, the good guys who at least attempted to hold themselves to a higher standard.
Having people beat up prisoners just for fun does not just show a lack of discipline on the part of troops, it also shows a lack of leadership on the part of the officers who command them.
Posted in: Obama to release new strategy on war in Afghanistan next Tues
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Great we are going to have an official press unveiling for all the beautiful people in Washington, both democrats and republicans alike. We will then have a raft of "experts" appear on news shows (and FOX as well) who will then proceed to analyze and dissect this earth-shattering event. Once everybody is on the same page, then some political a-holes will fly off to Afghanistan and present the "new" strategy to the commanders on the ground (all in front of the press).
What a complete joke. Please Mr. President, sign off on this strategy and issue your orders to the professional military yesterday.
Posted in: Obama to release new strategy on war in Afghanistan next Tues
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This is not enough. As with imported baby strollers here in Japan, Toyota vehicles in the United States are obviously dangerous. Indeed, the head of government agency that handles consumer affairs in the United States should take a leaf out of Japan's book. Specifically, a press conference should be organized and the official in question should actively dissuade US consumers from buying these Japanese deathtraps.
Posted in: Toyota to replace gas pedals in 3.8 million vehicles in U.S.
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As Osakadaz points out, it depends very much on the health of a person bitten by a redback. I know a couple of guys who have been bitten over the years. One of them walked away with a bit of a headache, the other ended up in hospital (on a ventilator for a couple of days).
Anyway, redbacks in Japan are not a new thing. I remember the locals going into a panic about 10 years ago over an infestation that was found on some wood imported into Osaka.
Some general advice, don't put your hand into dark places, or go around turning over old bits of corrugated iron, etc. Redbacks like dark secluded places where they can spin a web.
Moreover, if you are worried about whether there are redbacks around you, look to see if you can find their egg sacks, which are like a little white puff ball.
If bitten by a spider, try to kill it (it helps to identify what you have be bitten by). If you cannot kill it, do standard first aid procedures while not going overboard in the cleaning of the wound site (venom splashes are also helpful in working out spider species).
Also under no circumstances try the Hollywood trick - sucking the poison out. This is both ineffective and can lead to ingestion of the poison via ulcers, etc.
Finally, start praying that Japan never experiences infestations of Australian snakes or Funnelweb spiders.
Posted in: Venomous Australian redback spiders invading Japan
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A decision at last, the wait was intolerable. Now hopefully the military can start getting on with the job without being second-guessed by every politician in Washington.
Posted in: Obama promises to 'finish the job' in Afghanistan
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What on earth did they teach you at Duntroon?
Surprisingly little, I'm afraid. Bit of tactics, bit of military law, bit of combined operations planning, and lots of academics. Most of the handy stuff I picked up at the school of infantry on the platoon commander's course.
Anyway, perhaps I made the point poorly, however, at a point in time as a military commander, decisions have to be made, whether you are a commanding just a platoon or a whole army. Such decisions have to be made irrespective of the casualties that result. Indeed, this is a core fundamental of what people in the military appreciate as leadership. It is also what you are paid for. That is just the nature of the business, well at least the business on the front lines when commanding infantry units. Furthermore, the most dangerous situation is the one that currently exists. You have a case of not going forward and not going backwards - an uneasy status quo exists. Such a situation is not good for morale, because it only results in attrition (what some people call acceptable losses - I would disagree with such sentiment), which can suck the blood out of an army (excuse the pun). What I want from Obama is a clear decision. If the US wants out, then it should get out. If it is going to stay for the long haul, then the head boys in charge at the moment should be let off their leash, without political interference.
Talking about political interference, I would like to point out what Sushi mentioned regarding the quagmire that became Iraq. Now irrespective of whether that conflict is justified or not, the issue that really caused so many problems was the politicians (you know who they are) double guessing the military regarding troop numbers and materiel. Think back to General Shinseki, who was given the boot for basically standing up to Rummy when the Rummy wanted to do an invasion on the cheap (outsource everything to Haliburton and all that). What was the result? Anarchy and no plan to win the peace. To quote the famous t-shirt that Shinseki's Westpoint classmates made. "Eric was Right!"
Fast forward to the present day. You have another chap in the White House who seems to be afraid to make the hard decisions, rather vacillating backwards and forwards in response to public opinion polls. Such indecision does nobody any good. Indeed, what I hate about politics is the ease with which soldiers are put in harms way, despite having their hands effectively tied behind their backs. Furthermore, the commanders are not allowed conduct the so-called "science of war" without having some politician perched on their shoulder like a pirate's parrot.
Again, I would call on Mr. Obama to act in order to move forward, as the time for prevaricating on this issue has long past. Either America (and by default its allies) ramp up the effort in Afghanistan, or they decide that an exit strategy is a better option. Only by giving those in command on the ground a clear set of instructions can the whole process move forward.
Furthermore, my argument is not one that is diametrically
Posted in: White House braces for tough sell on Afghan policy
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This whole "whether to or not" drama is infuriating. The folks on the ground need to know what direction things are going to take. Making policy choices while sniffing the winds of public approval can do no good for anybody. There comes a time when decisions have to be made. Whether such decisions are right or wrong is a secondary consideration. Indecision weakens morale and gets people killed. The sooner Washington comes to grips with this rather harsh reality the better.
As I have said on numerous occasions, make up your mind Mr. President. Either you are in for the long haul (which means letting the commanders act as they see fit without having to worry about politicians playing general back in Washington), or you decide to pull up camp (which again will mean that the field commanders will need room to maneuver). As it is, however, the current indecision is doing nobody any good.
Posted in: White House braces for tough sell on Afghan policy
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Doesn't really matter.
They have this guy banged to rights on evidence. Lots of witnesses, some really dodgy accomplices, and a public that is baying for his blood.
Indeed, they could skip the trial (save some taxpayers money) and just get to the penalty phase. This chap is going to die for his actions (and quite rightly so), and there is nothing that anybody can do to stop it from happening. His actions set in train a series of events that can only have one outcome.
Posted in: Fort Hood suspect may use insanity defense
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Growing up in rural Australia, I still remember seeing old film footage of kangaroo/human boxing events, and old blokes telling us stories about kangaroos chasing people.
I also remember being put up a tree by a big red kangaroo after my cousin shot it with a pellet gun.
Posted in: Kangaroo tries to drown dog; attacks owner