Asiaman7 comments

Contributing to Shizuoka’s displeasure over this 8.9 kilometer tunnel is residents’ discomfort with the fact that trains on the new maglev line will not stop in Shizuoka.

@didou

Below from the ICC web page, a quick summary

Your excerpt is NOT from the ICC web page, as you likely knew when you made the claim.

— Quote from the website of Unfold Zero, a United Nations initiative for a nuclear-weapon-free world

In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly established a negotiating forum for an International Criminal Court (ICC), which would prosecute individuals with respect to crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The definition of war crimes, over which the ICC has jurisdiction, includes the use of poison or poisonous weapons, and the use of asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases, and all analogous liquids, materials or devices. There was a proposal to include the use of nuclear weapons as a crime under the jurisdiction of the ICC, but this was rejected by nuclear armed States (with the exception of India) and other nuclear reliant States (NATO allies) and so was not included.

Historians say Japan was also working on nuclear weapons during World War II and would have almost certainly used them against other nations, Shinju said.

“This movie can serve as the starting point for addressing the legitimacy of the use of nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as humanity’s, and Japan’s, reflections on nuclear weapons and war,” he wrote in his commentary on “Oppenheimer” published by the Tokyo Bar Association.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has jurisdiction over the definition of “war crime” and does not include the use of nuclear weapons as a war crime.

However, if the use of nuclear weapons were considered a “war crime,” all nations capable of using nuclear weapons are prepared to commit a “war crime” when nuclear weapons become the only means of repelling a violent attack by a powerful outside force or preventing the resurgence of a demonstrated violent aggressor.

The Cardinals have a 2024 payroll that is about $120 million less than the Dodgers.

And $46 million of the Dodgers 2024 payroll is for Ohtani. So give the Cardinals two and a half Ohtani’s to even the sides, and the Cardinals could likely compete against LA!

Los Angeles beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-1

Not a surprising result. The Cardinals have a 2024 payroll that is about $120 million less than the Dodgers.

Reminds me of when the Kanto Bus drivers would strike or threaten to strike yearly. I don’t rely on them anymore, so I don’t know what the situation is like today.

Q) Why would an illegal bookmaker extend millions of dollars of credit to an interpreter earning a salary reported at around $300,000-$500,000?

 A) The same way a bank gives a housing loan. Casino do it all the time. It is called casino credits. it is common in the industry.

According to the LA Times …

—

Would a bookmaker extend millions of dollars of credit to someone?

According to a longtime Los Angeles-area bookmaker who requested anonymity to protect himself from prosecution, doing so would be reckless and potentially cripple the business if the debt went unpaid. Only if the bettor provided collateral or proof that an enormous debt could be paid off would a bookmaker extend credit in the millions.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/shohei-ohtani-leaves-unanswered-questions-160150457.html

According to the LA Times …

—

Would a bookmaker extend millions of dollars of credit to someone?

According to a longtime Los Angeles-area bookmaker who requested anonymity to protect himself from prosecution, doing so would be reckless and potentially cripple the business if the debt went unpaid. Only if the bettor provided collateral or proof that an enormous debt could be paid off would a bookmaker extend credit in the millions.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/shohei-ohtani-leaves-unanswered-questions-160150457.html

This year, I have come across no Easter-themed items at American Pharmacy, Seijo Ishii, or (Sony) Plaza. Kaldi had Disney-themed “Easter Pasta.”

Additionally, a lot of questions remain. MSN published a story titled “Shohei Ohtani’s side of gambling scandal story doesn’t add up.”

An excerpt is below.

—

Why did Ippei have access to Ohtani’s banking accounts?

Regardless of the fact that Ippei was a close friend and Ohtani’s translator, it’s wholly bizarre that he would have the kind of extensive access to money required to initiate a wire transfer. This is a man who wasn’t Ohtani’s personal assistant, nor was he ever listed as a financial advisor of any kind. 

It’s unclear how, or why Ippei had the kind of control over an athlete’s money typically only reserved to high-level bankers or legal representatives who are on retainer. 

Why did nobody else manage this money?

Ohtani is represented by CAA Sports, one of the largest agencies in the world. The amount of access to money managers, financial advisors, and bankers purelybecause of his representation is second-to-none. 

There are people in Ohtani’s orbit who are experienced at managing money of athletes and handling their finances. Obviously someone advised Ohtani on his back-loaded contract he signed with the Dodgers. So why, with so many people in the room, did Ohtani lean on Ippei to handle this role instead of literally anyone else?

How was Ohtani unaware his money had been stolen?

Part of the mystique of Shohei Ohtani has always been this mythos of his laser-focus on baseball, with an aloofness about everything else in life. Whether that’s true, or part of the branding behind him, it’s really the only way you can imagine he would be unaware of $4.5 million leaving his bank account.

To be clear: Ohtani is very wealthy, but he’s not stratospherically rich yet. To this point he’s earned approximately $42M from MLB, with other funds coming from endorsement deals and his earnings in Japan. 

It would be one thing to simply not notice $4.5M missing when you have hundreds of millions in the bank, but the nature of Ohtani’s back-loaded Dodgers’ contract means that he needs to manage his money closer than most athletes. It’s very difficult to imagine that this kind of sum of money could simply leave his account without anyone noticing.

Why did Ohtani’s representatives take Ippei at his word when they released their first statement to ESPN?

When the media reached out to Ohtani’s camp for comment on the gambling controversy it was met with an initial response to ESPN that Ohtani was paying off Ippei’s gambling debt. That would have been a tremendous expense, but understandable when it comes to their relationship, and Ohtani being an incredible friend.

Now why, when it comes to something as serious as a payment to an illegal bookmaker, would representatives for Ohtani simply take his translator at his word, instead of immediately finding out what was happening from Ohtani? The profound difference between “paying off a friend’s debt” and “he stole $4.5M from me” was worth confirming with Ohtani himself — but we don’t know what exactly happened.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/shohei-ohtani-s-side-of-gambling-scandal-story-doesn-t-add-up/ar-BB1kzyUi

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts echoed my comments from yesterday when asked if he was concerned about Ohtani no longer having a person like Mizuhara in his life: "Actually, I would argue that it's going to help relationships internally, because there's no longer a buffer. I've already seen it. The last couple days, I think Shohei's been even more engaging with his teammates, and I think there's only upside with that."

As I emphasized yesterday, Ohtani should really use this opportunity to develop his own English voice.

I realize that many Ohtani supporters argue that he is so wealthy that he can afford to pay others to maneuver his chopsticks for him, but learning to interact with others is part of becoming a balanced adult.

Ohtani read quickly in Japanese from a document and did not take questions.

If Ohtani is simply going to present a written statement, is it really necessary for him to read it? Can’t he just release it? Moreover, why the interpreter? Can’t Ohtani read the English release himself?

Ohtani should really use this opportunity to develop his own English voice.

I realize that many Ohtani supporters argue that he is so wealthy that he can afford to pay others to maneuver his chopsticks for him, but learning to interact with others is part of becoming a balanced adult.

Marunouchi division Makuuchi division

Another victim of auto-correct.

Congrats to Takerufuji and all the Fuji-men at the Isegahama Stable in the top Marunouchi division: Yokozuna Terunofuji, Atamifuji, Midorifuji, and Nishikifuji. And a special mention to older “statesman” Takarafuji, who secured a winning record in the juryo 1 position.

It’s nice to see some sumo news at Japan Today — a true rarity these days!

Q: Who’s going to interpret? 

A: It's in the article. 

The article was updated after my post.

A serious accident just waiting to happen. And when it does, reform will likely occur — too late unfortunately.

Who’s going to interpret?

There is zero proof he has engaged in any illegal gambling.

Other than huge sums of money being transferred from his account to a bookie in California, where sports betting is illegal.

The vultures are already out. His interpreter stole money from him and gambled it away but somehow Ohtani was involved and is complicit. 

I guess we’re supposed to believe that simple ol’ Shohei had no clue giant sums of money were disappearing from his account again, again, and again — because knowledge of any transfers would make Ohtani complicit in a crime.

“Are they trying to say to us that an interpreter had access to his account that would enable him to get an additional $3.5 million out of that account on top of two $500,000 wire transfers?” — Stephen A. Smith, ESPN

Fighto!  09:45 am JST

*He has the perfect wife.*

Wife???

—

Mocheake 09:28 am JST

Amazing how people fall in love with some stars and think he or she is perfect just because they do something well and the press tells them. Kids, there is no such thing! He hits and throws a baseball very well, and, last time I checked he was a flawed human being, just like the rest of us. If he were an average baseball player, all the people here holding onto his jockstrap wouldn't give a damn nor call him perfect nor spend all of their breath defending him. Get a life already!

—

Yharnam Resident  11:27 am JST

In the wise words of Hannah Montana, "Nobody's perfect".

Ohtani apparently lost his only close friend — sadly.

According to the LA Times, the two typically drove to the ballpark together. They were rarely seen apart around team facilities. Mizuhara performed grocery runs for Ohtani. And their wives had started to share time together.

Ohtani should have just transferred the money to the interpreter's bank acct and let the interpreter pay the debts using his ownaccount

That’s what Otani will do now. Billionaires don’t leave their only friend in a financial bind.

She pointed out that the Lancet study predicts the global fertility rate will fall below replacement levels around 2030, "whereas the U.N. predicts this to occur around 2050".

Good. Our planet wouldn’t benefit from more people.

Fighto!

He had his 15 minutes of fame, but it turns out Mizuhara is a very shady individual!

Ohtani and Mizuhara were together far longer than 15 minutes. Ohtani even stayed with Mizuhara after learning of the gambling scheme.

According to the LA Times, “Mizuhara has been a constant companion of the extremely private Ohtani throughout the player’s MLB career. The two typically drive to the ballpark together. Mizuhara performed grocery runs when Ohtani was injured. They are rarely seen apart around team facilities. Their wives even appeared to have struck up a relationship recently, spending time together during the team’s current trip to South Korea.”

Major Red Flags. 

We just learned a lot about Otani’s decision-making process. 

First, he doesn’t seek advice before moving large sums of money. Second, he’s willing to become involved in his friend’s shady gambling schemes. (“Mizuhara said on Tuesday, Ohtani logged onto his own computer and sent the wire transfers under Mizuhara's supervision in installments over several months last year.”)

He’s a darn good baseball player though.

While federal law prohibits the use of campaign money for personal expenses, Trump has been able to use donor money to pay some of his lawyers’ fees, saying his legal defense is campaign-related.

What a scam this has become. The Republican National Committee (RNC) paid Trump’s mounting legal fees in 2021 and 2022. Additionally, donors backing Trump raised $188 million in 2023, of which $48 million was spent on legal fees, according to the Wall Street Journal. Anybody supporting this is a fool!

Our local resident association provided ¥6,000 to each household for the Hanami celebration.

Your local taxes are obviously ¥6,000 too high.

When asked in a multiple-choice question where they planned to travel to in order to see the blossoms, the largest at 73.1 percent picked a "location nearby, during the daytime,"

If 73% are viewing blossoms at a location nearby, the “mean” cost is likely far lower than the “average” cost of 6,872 yen per person.

Toblerone

yet he brings in illegals in the US while they take away jobs from the American people. What a hypocrite.

Over the past three years, the Biden administration has carried out 4 million expulsions and deportations — more than the Trump administration ever did.

Republicans won’t pass an immigration reform because they need that cheap labor for their under $10 IHOP meals.

Taking away jobs? U.S. unemployment in February 2024 was at 3.9%, the 25th straight month in which joblessness has remained below 4% — the longest such streak since the 1960s.

Trump? When he was inaugurated in January 2017, unemployment was at 4.7%. In October 2020, the month before Trump was voted out of office, unemployment was at 6.9%.