JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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To be healthy, live in the big city
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Teacher nabbed for using miror to peek up girl's skirt
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Japan's nuclear safety standards flawed, says commission chief
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From carnivores to herbivores: how men are defined in Japan
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Why do Japanese change their attitude when they communicate with foreigners?
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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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tkoind2
She hit it right the first time. They were busy and there was no table for anyone. Fair enough. No apology needed.
What is it with people and royalty? Didn't thousands of years of repression, violence and domination by "royal" classes teach people anything at all? How many died world wide to throw off the chains these people forged over all those centuries? And here we are still longing for kings, queens, princesses and princes.
Shameful! No one individual, no matter what blood flows in his or her veins is any more or less important than another human being.
Posted in: Swedish royal couple turned away from German restaurant
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tkoind2
Breit, " no one even listens anymore." I am sure more people are listening to him than you may limit yourself to thinking. While I am not encouraged that Obama will do well for America's urgent needs. In part because he has been too soft in pursuing his own ideas, and in part because he has an intransigent and polarized congress to deal with.
Certainly, and to be fair, we are also all listening to the new GOP contenders. Though, in the hearing, may well be the undoing of the more extreme and frightening candidates who will soon be weeded out by their own vision of the future for America. Perry will be the first to fall off the election wagon as his insane notions for changing the constitution will only hold water with other rightest extremists and will soundly rally everyone else to oppose him.
The real message on the wall is that the working class people of America have very little hope that either party's president and their deadlocked congress will do what is necessary to really help turn jobs, health care and the future of working people around. All sides have failed the working people with equal perfection.
Posted in: Obama hits beach after Libya briefing
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tkoind2
Ok...Ready??? Start your timers.... All bets are final. How long will Noda be PM before he comes out the other side of that revolving door.
Anyone holding hope that this "change" will result in improved governance is an extereme optimist.
Posted in: Noda seen as frontrunner to replace Kan as PM
5
tkoind2
This is a tough topic. I think the writer handled his situation poorly and that has more to do with her leaving than anything else. But.....
I am a very social and outgoing person with a strong international circle of friends here and abroad. And yet after years in Japan I have few people who I feel are truly trusted friends.
About 80% of the women I have met here are looking for one of the following. 1. English teacher. 2. Token Gaijin guy to hang out with. 3. Gaijin boyfriend 4. Someone with a good job to marry.
I am not an English teacher, never have been and don't want to be. I am also not a brand bag to be shown in public as a trophy. So that clears up why I quickly escape from those seeking options 1 and 2.
Option 3 and 4 were maddening. Meet a nice girl and start dating only to realize that her interest in you has more to do with nationality than say, who you are. And on the polar opposite, when I mention where I work, I have had more instant potential marriage partners than one human should have to sort through in a lifetime.
So I do feel for the writer to some extent. It can be hard to find people who just have an interest in mutual friendship and companionship in Japan. There are too often role expectations that cast us in positions that are less than comfortable.
Posted in: Was I a date, a friend or just a potential English teacher?
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tkoind2
Breit... you do the cause of civic peace and order a great disservice by trying to see this topic in black and white. It isn't! And doing so robs you of any ability to intelligently address the problem and thus reduce the risk of having it happen again.
Not every person in that riot acted out of the same motivations. Where there people just out for opportunistic crime? Yes! I am sure there were. Were there people acting out social and economic frustrations? I am sure there were.
My point is simple, you cannot solve a problem unless you understand it and learn to understand the perspective of the people involved. When you do that you have greater capacity to take workable steps towards a solution.
The knee jerk punitive approach does not work, never has and never will. It is far more likely to insite greater conflict and social strife.
Posted in: British PM unveils tough anti-riot measures, including social media controls
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tkoind2
" that the separation between home and work is now less pronounced than it once used to be.” "
Ok, I don't think this guy used good judgement, but the above rationale is far scarier than a rant on FB. Does work really have the right to expect greater connection between work and home? Isn't that a violation of individual privacy and right to free speech?
If they guy did not make threats of violence, then why can a company dictate or make decisions based upon what he wrote in his personal life?
I do think that people should exercise good common sense. But I also feel that the infringement upon privacy and personal life by work is wrong. Afterall how many people can refuse, without some consequences, friend requests by co-workers on FB or other sites?
Posted in: Australian man fired for Facebook rant
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tkoind2
Ishihara has lost his already very broken mind.
Posted in: Ishihara recommends World Cup team captain Sawa for PM's job
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tkoind2
He is responsible for creating the source of much of the horror that is J-pop music. Maybe he will be inspired by this trauma to stop torturning the world with the likes of SMAP.
Posted in: Man arrested after barricading himself in home of Johnny's president
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tkoind2
"Obama has never really accomplished anything."
So your answer to that was McCain? Give me a break, we would be having the same conversations swapping out his name for Obama's if this had gone the other way. As no president would have been able to turn this thing around that quickly with a congress in the pockets of interests contrary to the people.
So give it a rest.
Posted in: Obama to lay out new jobs plan in Sept speech
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tkoind2
There is so much polar hatred between these parties that nothing is likely to happen. Certainly nothing to help the people. There will be too much stone walling and resistance by congress.
As for Obama being "toast", wishful thinking on the part of the right who have no viable candidate to make that happen. More likely 2012 will just be more of the same intransigence and stagnation.
What America needs is a new FDR. A president willing to put the people first, spend money creating jobs and put people to work. No GOP or DEM candidate out there today has that kind of courage.
Posted in: Obama to lay out new jobs plan in Sept speech
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tkoind2
HumanTarget.
You can't defeat the more insideous stuff without taking on the blatant stuff. They are one in the same.
Housing discrimination is only inconvenient for those of us with more or less white western appearance. But for Asians and other nationalities it can be a major barrier to their lives here.
The state tolerates racism, ageism, sexism and discrimination. It does so by not having greater legal protections and recourse. But it also does so in failing to view this as a problem in the first place.
You cannot expect to teach society about the wrongs of this kind of discrimination unless you first start to fight against even the most modest injustices. Only then can it gain enough momentum to result in pressure for change.
Posted in: Have you ever experienced racism or sexual harassment? If so, what did you do about it at the time?
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tkoind2
Finance/Insur/RealEst Health Energy Ideology/Single-Issue Defense
Some of the top topic issues of lobbys and corporate interest groups. Again often in conflict with the needs and interests of normal working people.
Posted in: Obama hits Republicans on anti-tax stance
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tkoind2
Do I really need to tell you this? Ok...
GE AMA Pharmaceutical Rsrch & Mfrs of America American Hospital Assn Blue Cross/Blue Shield National Assn of Realtors Northrop Grumman Exxon Mobil Boeing Lockheed Martin General Motors Pfizer Inc
List of the heaviest spenders. Includes pharmas, military R&D, Oil/Energy etc... All with interests often in conflict with American working people. Most who have exported jobs. Many who have a vested interest in the continuation of conflict around the world. And others with strong interests in preserving the commercial approach to health care.
3.51 billion in spending in 2010 and over half of that so far in 2011. And this is just the top tier of those who have strong political lobbys.
How do ordinary working people compete with these entities for control of their political representatives? The answer is they cannot.
Posted in: Obama hits Republicans on anti-tax stance
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tkoind2
Breit... Nonsense. People are starting to see that the Tea Party people are an obstruction to progressing towards recovery. They are seeing that these people are willing to crash the economy rather than compromise. And they hear these ranting lunatics on TV and on the web. They don't want to talk, compromise, discuss issues etc....
Wealthy interests? Corporations.
Posted in: Obama hits Republicans on anti-tax stance
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tkoind2
What do we do about these things? Ignoring them makes us complicit in them. Racism, sexism and ageism cannot be tolerated.
When someone is racist to me in Japan or anywhere else, I confront that person directly. I can be quite agressive for a quiet and small foreigner. And have given a few J-racists an earful.
The thing that has me in a bit of a rage recently is the extent of age discrimination in Japan. Two very bright and talented women I know are wonderful designers, web programmers and experienced translators. Something that should make them both very desirable for companies doing web based business.
But both have been refused jobs with companies saying, "you are too old." Now note that both of these ladies are progressive, youthful mid 30's women. They are media savy, trend savy and have fingers on the pulse of both business and creativity. Yet these companies say "if you were younger we would be so happy to hire you. But you are mid 30's and must be out of touch, or ready to have children."
This needs to stop. I am considering fighting back with their help by creating web sites pointing out these discriminatory practices. With careful use of SEO, searches for Company A, will also bring up results illustrating their unfair practices. If the government won't resist this kind of discrimination, then consumers and potential clients should by not buying or using services from companies that practice racism, sexism, ageism or any other discriminatory practices.
Posted in: Have you ever experienced racism or sexual harassment? If so, what did you do about it at the time?
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tkoind2
Breit.... It is increasingly obvious to the grass roots end of the Tea Party that they were sold a lemon in the last elections. They voted for people who claimed to have working class interests and traditional values in mind. But got people with no regard for working people and only corporate interests in mind.
I guarantee you that support for this party going forward will be far less grass roots and far more supported by wealthy interests.
Posted in: Obama hits Republicans on anti-tax stance
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tkoind2
This was back during the period when people from HKG were immigrating to BC and there was a lot of racial tension there. But still there can be racism against Asians in some isolated cases there.
Posted in: Have you ever experienced racism or sexual harassment? If so, what did you do about it at the time?
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tkoind2
I do wish they would do a proper search for a suitable leader. But the cruel reality is that they probably already have their guy in Noda. More of the same grey oyaji leadership we have grown accustomed to. And guarantee that we will have another revolving door PM a few months down the line.
Hopelessly mired is the only image that the future seems to hold for Japanese governance.
Posted in: Candidates should discuss policies and present their ideas to the public.
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tkoind2
I have experienced racism personally and through people I have been with.
In Japan I was told no Gaijin at many realtors. I have been insulted by salarymen and by teens as a foreigner.
In Vancouver B.C. with my Asian girlfriend, when shop clerks refused to help her and restaurant staff ignored her and would only talk to me.
In Texas as a child my cousins, from the African American side of my family, were treated very poorly in shops and grocery shops. While I, with blue eyes, light skin and sandy hair, had comments of "hi cutie" and given smiles. Though I was six or seven, I remember this clearly and it is why I still dislike the American South.
Growing up I was a white looking kid with an African American mother. This resulted in white kids treating me badly for my mixed race. Black kids would not accept me because of my white appearance.
I will say this. I am thankful for all these experiences. They have helped shape my political and social ideas and have shaped my empathy for people who are unrepresented or outsiders. The racists in the world fail to see the humanity in others. I am lucky to have been taugh to see both the dark and light in people at a young age. This gives me hope that one day the light will overcome the dark.
Posted in: Have you ever experienced racism or sexual harassment? If so, what did you do about it at the time?
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tkoind2
Laguna.
We can debate the positive and negatives of a two party system for weeks and not reach mutual ground. So let's spare the other readers that discussion. I will say this, while the system worked in the past, it clearly has not for nearly 12 years now. And it is arguable that it had run aground in the 80's and 90's.
These polar swings do not serve the people. And that is quite clear.
As for the good intentions of our leaders. I remain doubtful. There is too much influence by corporations, strong interest groups, lobbys and others for most of our leaders to hear and heed the needs of the people. When combined with their career intentions, this does not bode well for people having their voices heard.
Are all politicians in Washington bad? Certainly not. But are they more heavily influenced by factors other than the needs of working people, I think that is a pretty clear yes.
A multi-party system would help break the polarization problem and force greater competition for office. This is a good start. Beyond that there should be greater direct representation, meaning that we want to see more peers in office rather than the priviledged class having the only viable access to the funds required to achieve office. This means campaign finance changes as well as a major re-engineering of the campaign and election process to make it more fair and equitable for people to seek office.
That two party system worked better when people like Lincoln could hope to rise to office. In our modern world, Lincoln would only rise with the backing of the wealthy or of interest groups. And that is a big part of the problem with the current two party system.
Posted in: Obama hits Republicans on anti-tax stance