cartman comments

no, America does not consume 24% of the worlds energy. that was 20 years ago when we had an indsutrial base. We no longer have one. It has since been shipped to China, along with every other indsutrialzed nations manufacturing base. (Japan included). Ironically, the US produces les chlorophlorcarbons (did i spell it right?) then Canada, our criticizing neighbor to the north.

thats some info, Alphaape, on the Tsunamai. i didn't know the level of US govt support. about half of my friends contributed through private charities like Amazon.com and other businesses' online efforts, but i did not know about that level of US govt aid.

and lets not foroget one very important thing with regards to asia in general, there is NO integration. xenophobia ranks high in Japan and even other non-island based countries. The people of asia are fed, primarily through news outlets, the fears and negatives regarding "westerners". we are ALL westerners to the asian, not Cacausians, Latins or Blacks, but WESTERNERS. we are clumped into one pile.

that said, i feel at home, somewhat, in both Japan and Singapore and going to HongKong and Taiwan this winter. Was probably asian in a prior life. lets just put this article, and its racist nature behind us. IF the day comes when China is the worlds sole superpower, then they will bear the brunt of the worlds hatred. its just the nature of the beast.

i meant "level" of xenophobia. tired, its 2am in Miami right now

thats correct, Americans are bred with a deep seated skepticism toward authority, for better or for worse. direct involvement has always delivered more aid than any govt body can. remember USA for AFrica or Live Aid? how about the non-profit red-cross, who has long surpassed the UN in terms of aid. and lets not remember, dropping a few bags of rice on some poor farmers head in Afghanistan is not nearly as effective as providing security and education.

Government is slow, people are fast. (Katrina, thats right)

its just a divergent opinion: in America "the squeaky wheel gets the oil". in asia, the "nail which sticks out gets hammered down"

this JapanToday news source is a perfect example. I would love to live amongst the Japanese people, the warmest and most polite i have ever met, I have a serious affinity liking for their punctuality and etiquitte, but the news papers seem to do little more than fan flames, much like western media. its when ugly headlines liek this rear their ugly face, that i realize i will always be a gaijin, no matter the leel of xenophobia.

nothing embarasses me more than the apologetic, whimpy American. (same goes for other self loathing westerners from Europe, ect... ) As a US citizen, i take pride in our divergence, enough so that at times the gaudy rise to the top, and at other times, the meek. Only, when i see or hear fellow compats in foreign places apologizing for our perceived shortcomings, which i can assure you are merely the symptoms of being human, it sickens me at their cowardice. Any intelligent Japanese or world citizen at any rate, should be able to draw a distinction between the US citizen and the US government And for the record, the US DOES in fact account for almost an identical contribution from the evtire collective UN in most areas of charity and foreign aid. remember, the UN stands for "UN-able" to do much.

And for JapanToday to flash such a misleading headline, should bring the shame of a thousand cowards upon them. Anyone who studies the Kyoto's protocols without just a knee jerk reaction will see how it punishes larger, industrialized nations like the US and China, while giving a blank pollution check to "emerging filth perpetuators like India and other not-so-third-world countries.

I find it ironic that Japan today criticizes American greed, while i know firsthand, that mid to low level employees can hardly afford a day off. this i know from a peer who worked in Japan's multi-billion yen Anime industry. the owner had three luxury vehicles while the animators, whom typically worked 12 -14 hour days had to live at home and ride bicycles. who's greedy????

sad, i love Japan, at least based upon a visitors experience. been there twice, and it comforts me to have friends there whom i know disagree with this single news source's opinion. remember, Japan is the Isreal of Asia, surrounded by hostile countries, hardly in a position to spit on its lone ally, the greedy America.