Posted in: U.S. launches first global marketing campaign to attract international travelers See in context
I hope that this initiative is a success. Many foreigners (particularly Japanese) want to visit the U.S. but are hesitant because of the images portrayed in the news media or even on TV shows. Hopefully advertising will give some "assurance" of safety and/or hospitality.
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Posted in: Racial profiling at U.S. airports? Here's an app for that See in context
The TSA is a band of rejects who so obviously racially profile without the slightest regard to the social consequences. They contribute to citizens and foreign nationals feeling ostracized and awkward. I hope this app brings positive changes to their practices.
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Posted in: Does violence in movies contribute to violence in society? See in context
Yes
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Posted in: U.S. health care spending highest, Japan lowest: study See in context
Top specialists in various medical fields exist in every country, however, there is a large concentration of these specialists in the United States. One can presume that prestige and salary are contributing factors to this well-known fact. One of the major reasons America's health care expenditures are so high is undoubtedly attributed to a small fraction of the population who use the majority of our most expensive health care resources because they are chronically ill, terminally ill, or the like. This accounts for about 10% of patients. In America, for better or worse, we don't (generally) stop a life saving $900,000 treatment because it will only add 4 months to someone's life. In a socialized system, the cost-benefit analysis would deem such procedures absurd.
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Posted in: Secret Service Colombia scandal deepens; 11 placed on leave See in context
Should street walkers/call girls (sorry, I don't really know the caliber of prostitute these agents go for) be able to identify U.S. Secret Service Agents ahead of the Summit of the Americas? Seriously? A hotel worker described the men as drinking heavily? Really? Keep it classy.
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Posted in: If you want a child, do it before you're 30, says leading obstetrician See in context
When entertainers speak, the world listens, and one message they are delivering lately is profoundly disturbing to at least one leading obstetrician, namely, that giving birth relatively late in life is okay. It's not.
Please broadcast this across the world! Particularly, in the US, women view motherhood as a right, not as a "duty" (with certain moral expectations) so in instances where an older mother (40+) is seeking to have children, there is little to no regard for anyone but the mother until the child is actually born. It is really annoying/outrageous.
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Posted in: De Niro: I meant no offense with first lady joke See in context
@TigermothII
for example a Berkeley professor who has zero black neighbors and grew up in a white area of a small town in Massachusetts hardly has a right to say how racially accepting they are when they've essentially been mostly insulated from race, poverty and the general the general slog.
I would respectfully and wholeheartedly disagree. For any person to suspend judgement despite what their socioeconomic status is, whether high or low, shows great character. I don't actually have to live next door to a [insert race/ethnic group here] to know that I would be tolerant/accepting/open-minded toward him/her? That is the absolute beauty of being open-minded, you live your life without senseless prejudice.
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Posted in: Obama hits back in Russia 'hot mike' row See in context
Strong negotiation is about certainty and instilling confidence. Why the hell would I want Russia to assume I wasn't going to remain in office? Sometimes people can be so crass. Obama is arrogant? No, stop attempting to spin what seems to be a typical conversation between allies.
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Posted in: Amnesty: U.S. ranks 5th on global execution scale See in context
The United States seems deeply divided on the issue.
The segment of the population that seems to be shafted when it comes to capital punishment are mostly socioecononomically disadvantaged. If you don't have proper legal representation (whether innocent/guilty) your life can be ruined.
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Posted in: Donald Keene obtains Japanese citizenship; shows off 鬼怒鳴門 as his name See in context
Keene is officially a national treasure of Japan, in terms of academia. When I found out he resigned from Columbia and moved here, I was eager for him to start lecturing :-| It is THE equivalent to importing the "Adam Smith" of Japanese Studies to Japan (from US). Congrats to Keene on his citizenship.
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Posted in: Coke, Pepsi make changes to avoid cancer warning See in context
Sometimes there is too much democracy. So some lay voters who know nothing about acceptable risk are overriding the county's watchdogs (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). For what reason?
As far as "overriding the county's watchdogs"... I would respond with an overwhelming, YES! The USFDA and other federal agencies typically have a revolving door with the corporations they regulate, sooo it would only be in citizens' best interests to further review their findings. I appreciate CA and their diligence requiring companies to disclosure potentially cancer causing agents in products sold in their state.
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Posted in: Did jealous wife and deputy betray bin Laden? See in context
from the article... "He has no evidence, but offers a tantalizing image of a frail man resigned to death and betrayed through one of his wives in an al-Qaida plot—which if true would shed new light on the demise of the world’s most-wanted man.
Well, okay. No evidence, huh... so I guess there is no credible story here?
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Posted in: Grenade attack on Nairobi bus station kills 5, injures 60 See in context
Cowardly acts, again, claim the lives of innocent civilians.
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Posted in: Palin movie 'Game Change' premieres in U.S. See in context
If only for a recap of the 2008 US election cycle, I will definitely tune in to this when it is available for viewing online.
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Posted in: Filmmaker James Cameron to explore Earth's deepest ocean trench See in context
Simply fascinating!
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Posted in: Los Angeles Times to begin charging for online access See in context
I blame the Huffington Post! I read/subscribe to the the NYT so...
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Posted in: U.S. moves to isolate Japanese, Russian crime groups See in context
If you honestly believe that most "established," "transnational," criminal organizations are street level (mainly prostitution, drugs, etc.) please do not begin to criticize US efforts to purge its financial system of this "dirty money" because you clearly do not understand the SCALE of this problem and how the US, however bureaucratic, specifically combats financial corruption (very hard to type, but since these are criminal groups I know authorities will be aggressive). The groups mentioned are from Japan, Russia, Italy, and Mexico... well established and well beyond the traditional or typical criminal activity associated with your Hollywood organized crime ideas.
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Posted in: Whitney Houston buried in New Jersey See in context
Whitney Houston is a pop icon! Her legacy will live on in her great music! Such a shame after all the years of illegal drug use Rx drugs was her immediate cause of death (the irony). There is no doubt that the years of illegal drugs were a contributing factor but still...
RIP Whitney Houston
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Or you could have voted early or by mail as provided for under law. and your ballot can be received…
Posted in: How important is Wisconsin? Trump's now visited 4 times in 8 days
Posted in: How important is Wisconsin? Trump's now visited 4 times in 8 days
Posted in: How important is Wisconsin? Trump's now visited 4 times in 8 days
Three million Americans living overseas will use mail-in ballots.
Posted in: How important is Wisconsin? Trump's now visited 4 times in 8 days