Blue_Tiger comments

Though I am an American and I am proud of our guys, the prelims don't mean a thing: its the medal roudn that has all the meanng. The USA can beat Canada 10 times outta' 10, but if Canada beats the USA for a medal, that is where it matters....

They'll need their A-game to take on Kim Yuna....

Himajin, the USA doesn't allow dual citizenship....

Actually, I've not been watching....

No, it shouldn't have....

Hokkaidoguy - Tonga is not in Africa. Perhaps you mean Togo?

Women's Ice Hockey (Title IX on 'Roids) and Two-person luge (what, even, is the point of two people on those things?)....

Well said, Disillusioned. I, personally, have no disciplinary control over my students. If one of them decided to totally disrupt class for the entire period, there is, really, nothing I could do to prevent it from happening, stop it from taking place, or would there be any kind of consequence later. Only thinkg I can do is report troublesome students to the respective English Department chiars of the Jr. and Sr. High. The nly thing they do, in turn, is "talk" to the students, and have them "apologize"...

Jesus was not gay.

Mr. USA, proof please? And, please, let's not involve Dan Browne's fiction...

lpManDisciple - Who's taking a soft approach? Naming the wife's name in public is --- for lack of a better word --- childish and immature. Do you seriously believe that Mr. Del Vecchio's naming of his wife's full name in public will do ANYthing to change the court's opinion against him, or to get his wife to let him see his daughter? I mean, seriously? So this is the way Mr. Del Vecchio can effectively "get back" at his wife? Were I in his shoes, I'd have signed nothing, agreed to nothing outside of court and without the judge or at least my attorney present. How effective was it for him to agree to his wife's conditions? What benefit? He still doesn't get to see his daughter, and now his wife has the agreement on paper and Mr. Del Vecchio is, therefore, subject to his wife's whims. Further, what legal satisfaction can he gain now? Seriously? If you're going to point fingers, lpManDisciple, please, take soem time and answer these questions. Yes, Mr. Del Vecchio needs to show up at his daughter's life events, at her school, at her recitals, at her graduations, what have you....but really, what else can he do? Put up or shut up, lpManDiscille. If you're going to point fingers, at least do the grown-up thing and answer these questions...

So now Japan is importing talent in order to win a medal? No home-grown ice dancers? Interesting....

I like how people here are defending his "personal" life, as if adultery with multiple partners, let alone not using proterction is somehow "okay" because its his private life. Let's just gloss over the fact that he can't keep his private vows that he made between himself and his wife. Let's just forget that he passed off his image as a squeaky clean family man, all thew while swinging it with nearly 20 other owmen (and made millions off of that squeaky-clean image in the first place). Let's just sweep under the rug that he has broken trust at the most basic level (if you can't keep the trust of your wife, who can you keep trust with?). No, let's, instead, defend Tiger because it is his "personal" life. I agree that there does need to be some privacy, but come on, folks: see the forest for the trees. This is about trust, and if Tiger can break trust with his wife hundreds of times with nearly 20 mistresses, who legitimately believes he'll keep trust with anyone or anything else?

bdiego - seems like there wasn't much of a gain for him to sign either. He still doesn't get to see his daughter, and the courts are still not enforcing this agreement between him and his ex...so why even bother? And just because the wife is a "b" with an itch, and she has decided to lock her husband out of their daughter's life doesn't mean he has to go about and publish her name for the whole world to see. Talking about digging one's own grave, pretty much he's doing that by naming names.

Yes, Smokeater, for my part, I would. There is soemthign called "forgiveness", soemthing that, if practiced much more often than just rushing to court and making a mess of things, would make this world revolve a lot more smoothly. Who's rushing to judgment? This man judges himself by his own words. Obviously, in this case, one of the parties is obsessed with "self" insomuch that they chose not to try and keep it together. Yes, unfortunately, divorce does happen, 99.9% of the time because of the hardness of one's (or both parties') heart.

They're all beauties!!!!

Agree, ratpack - every one of my junior high and senior high students must be, too!

If the US Bases ever close and US Forces head home, watch and see just how "dark" it'll get here, all because of China....

So the sloppy punk got himself punked. Figures....

Firefighters the world over say it; paramedics say it; doctors repeat it almost as if it's a tape recording; nurses also tend to say it often:

"Inhaling smoke is dangerous to your health"

A six-year-old can easily understand this, and yet, adults, after inhaling smoke for decades, expect to be awarded (rewarded?) millions of $$$$ because they didn't "know" smoking was dangerous? These people DO know that the original Malboro Man died of lung cancer, right?

Those knockign the US Embassy? I disagree that they aren't helpful: they've always been to my wife and me, especially in our many visits and much paperwork for my wife's visa. And further, just what can the Embassy do to answer grievances which, basically, run above their heads? Protest the J-Governments decision to fingerprint and foto inbound people who aren't permanent residents? Just what good woudl that do?

Interesting anecdote, browny1 - sorry for your friend. Will pray for him. Too bad his father-in-law was such a jerk. Too bad, too, his wife, mother-in-law, and grandmother didn't stand up to the father-husband-son...

This all fails to take into account that the US Bases in Japan -- and elsewherei nthe world -- pay RENT on the land they occupy....

What about skydiving, Mr. Litke? Its a dangerous sport, but people do it. Should Skydivers "bring it down"? How about baseball? Batters and even coaches have been killed by errant pitches or foul hits, should baseball "tone it down"? What about American Football or Rugby? Shoudl these sprots be "regulated" as well, seeing how Rugby and American Fotball players regularly get injured (severely, sometimes) or killed? What abotu Golf, Mr. Litke? People have been injured by errant and stray golf balls....should golf "modify" its standards so that people will be safe?

I do not say this lightly, glossing over this Georgian Athlete's death. It is a tragedy, and one that threwe a pall over the Opening Ceremonies, and has thrown a pall over the games themselves. However, he knew the risks. He knew that the luge, wherever it is performed, is a fast, dangerous sport with high speeds and high risks. Ditto that for Dale Earnhardt before his last race; ditto that for Hank Gathers prior to his last game with Loyola Marymount; ditto that for Davey Allison before he hoppedi nto his helicopter. This list could go on and on.

The fact of the matter is, many fine and wonderful sports are of high risk. I should know, as I played American Football for ten years, and have driven a car for longer than that. Accidents happen, and often they are tragic. However, blaming this or that person for this or that thing that they had little control over, Mr. Litke, gets noone anywhere. It certainly will not make safety a priority any sooner...

I'm still praying for you, KyokoSmile.

My take on this is abit along with a few others: Mr. Del Veccio's bringing up his wife's name out nto the open is pretty low, and agreeing to only see his daughter when she felt like it was a cop-out for the mother to do whatever she wanted: he shoud have agreed to nor signed anything.

Folks, all of this is just another tale of two people, two parents, using their child as the weapon in an endless tug-of-war. It just goesto show how important it is to communictate before you marry, and, even more important, to make the decision to stick with marriage through thick and thin, and not get out at the first sign of warts on the significant other. Did Mr. Del Veccio and Reina marry for love? Probably. Did they take their marriage seriously? Probably, again. Did eithero ne of them decide that, no matter what, they were going to stick together like super glue? Obviously not. It takes that kind of decision, and it quite often takes that kind of decision being made every day for the rest of your lives together.

My wife and I are biracially and biculutrally married. She is Korean, and I am American. We have bothmade the deicision to stick it out with each other through thick and thin, and we told each other so long before we married, talking openly and honestly about our fears, desires, dreams, hopes, and wants for the future. In other words? We took each other seriously and deeply, and keep communication lines open. Is it easy? No. Does it take work? Yes. Is it all worth it? Most Definitely!

I also agree with kirakira and MichaelTodd about having a good relationship with the significant other's family. I love my Korean Mom, Korean Grandma, and Korean brother and sister who just had a baby boy last month. Oma in Korea wanted me to come to Korea before my wife and I ship back to the States, and I just got back yesterday from a theree-night, three day stay. It was a refreshing, wonderful time, despite the fact that it was so short (my wife has been in Seoul since mid-Januyary to helpwith our nephew; I was unable to go until recently because I have Jr./Sr. High Classes to teach at school), and Oma was well-pleased.

Please, anytwo considering marriage, talk it all out, open your hearts and minds to each other, and decide early, early on that no matter what happens, you will be in it for the long-haul. Marriage needs to be taken seriously, both for your sakes and any future children yu may have....

Loox like we gotta' couple o' frogsi n this photo.....but I ain't kissin' either of them ('sides, I've already my princess, and she never was a frog to beign with)....

All that's missin7 is the reward bounty, Sarge. The girl does look cute, though....

Hard to believe that there are knuckleheads herei n Japan who actually revere these two clowns....

I S'pose kissin' babies isn't his forte'....

I believe that way, Himajion, because similar things have happend to gaijin in other sporting venues here in Japan. Had that not been the case, then, yes, a healthy amount of blame I would have placed on Asashoryu, but seeing how foreigners in other Japanese Sports have been treated similarly, I think I'll keep believing that this was all racially based....

Waste of time and money....

'Scuse me, sharky, but I teach in a Japanese Jr/.Sr. High, so I have first hand info. I have not only the Sr. High English Department Chair's word on that, but the Head Teacher's, the Principal's, and the Jr. High English Department Chair: Thirty percent (30%) is passing. As far as High School not being a guarantee, that is a load of rubbish, and the "limited seating" thing to, as is the "go(ing) all the way back to 1st grade". Lotta' baloney there, as the school I teach in - while having pretty good standards - has no lack of seats. In fact, I was told by another teacher that my J/S High School of 400+ students had 1,200+ just two decades ago. Dion't know where you get your info, but the sort of thing you describe is probably limited to the top flight high schools and universities, not to lower-tiered private schools and public schools....

Speedskater girls are usually hawt....these here are no exception....

Well said, limboinjapan: my wife and I are cross-culturally married (my wife is Korean and I am from the USA), and we both have made the choice to accept and embrace each other's culture. I even offerfed mty wife to take Korean Citizenship and take her family name (she only has a younger sister) and if she had agreed to that, I would've done it, even going so far as serving in the Korean Military. She said "No" and instead wants to be coem a US Citizen. This is a decision we have made, and it has made a big difference in our marriage. I love Korea, Korean people, and the Korean Culture, and my Korean Mom (that's what we call my wife's mother) is wonderful, as is all of my orean Family. Our Family in the States have welcomed my wife with open arms. It just makes life much better when both sides choose to give and keep open minds. If only the Japanese government would realize this with regards to Japanese-Foreign marriages....