amida comments

"Decide the first word of each sentence and hit that word hard. Allow no other noise to escape your mouth before continuing with the sentence. Once you get to the end of that sentence, SHUT UP!"

But what if the first word you think about tends to be "well..." or something similar to that? Those words fulfil the same purpose as "Um": buy some time before getting to the point.

Hopefully this stays away from Fukushima...

"GDP data released earlier this month showed the economy expanded 2.6% on an annualized basis in the second quarter of this year, slowing from 3.8% growth in the first quarter."

Don't let this BS fool you. Japan's GDP has actually crashed if measured in other currency than the yen!

Truly highly skilled IT workers don't have to be unemployed in the West, even during these times of Bangalorization.

"the best prosperity-creating system humanity has come up with so far"

And at what cost? There's absolutely nothing great about a system that leaves behind a dead planet and immeasurable pile of debt for our children.

Any riCe which exceEds thresholds Will noT make it to marKet.

Do you seriously believe that?

"Gay marriage"? What is that?

Umbrella, Abe can not do whatever he likes. His destiny is tied to Abenomics. If Abenomics fails, then Abe fails as well.

I hope Nikkei crashes before Abe's right wing agenda is passed into law.

With lower yen increasing import prices, Abe's 2% inflation target is reached sooner rather than later. Abe has promised to stop QE then. But can he do that since it would bring forth an epic stock market crash? No!

Japan is probably facing massive inflation. Be careful what you wish for, for it may come true.

Because Japan is the world's 3rd largest country it is materially large enough to impact, not because it is unique and irreplaceable.

Yes. The world economy is so fragile that even a small country like Greece collapsing would be a major shock worldwide. If/when Japan collapses, the impact will be huge.

Wow, crime must be low in Japan if this makes it to the national news!

Those who say that the middle class will suffer from weak yen via increasing prices should understand that it is better to be little bit poorer than it is to be unemployed and penniless.

Hagman wrote that for the past 15 years he had been drinking about four bottles of champagne a day, including while on the “Dallas” set.

And he still made it to 81?! Unbelievable.

Norwegian salmon is so good... going eat it today!

Against whom?

Isn't it obvious? The US!

I wonder how much longer this mania is going to last...

As far as I know, there's nothing special about this new phone. It's all just hype.

Oh, yasukuni. If it were a woman's world, women would HAVE the money. Not have to leech it off men. :P

No. If women had the money in the first place they would then have to work hardly to earn that money. It's a much better deal to do some easy job and leech money off men.

He says he wanted to grow the mohawk to rebel against the conformity of Japanese society.

Respect!

Wow, why so much resentment towards Kitano here?

I like his movies and can't wait to see this new one.

I, for one, want to drink Pocari Sweat. A very refreshing drink and taste is better than Aquarius.

A Japanese company made profit? Wow! Such news have been rare recently.

They'll arrive soon.

Is there any major Japanese company NOT bleeding money? What's going on? And how long can this last until some ugly consequences kick in?

At least he admitted it. Most politicians in my home country wouldn't. They'd evade and lie until media gets bored and people forget.

An unhealthy lifestyle is not something to be proud of.

$452 million? What a joke. These guys most likely made billions by manipulating the index.

In this sense, Europe is much worse.

Let people marry who they want - for whatever reason.

No, no, NO! Marriage would become meaningless if society followed your logic.

Dogs can't become cats and gays can not get married.

And this is not discrimination at all. Just like it isn't discrimination that I can not call myself a doctor since I am not a doctor.

How long can Sony and Panasonic bleed money like this until they go bankrupt?