Droll Quarry comments

Afghanistan:

Russia tried and failed.

USA tried and failed.

China, can't wait to see them in the quagmire.

Defense arms manufactures are greedy to an unbelievable degree. I have been associated with the US military for all my working life, the cost of anything defense related is 10 times it's actual cost.

You might not like the Olympics but that's not a reason to use them as a scapegoat for covid.

The sharp increase in cases has nothing to do with the Olympics.

I don't think anyone is pushing the idea that the virus is being brought in by the athletes. Go back and read the part about the guy who traveled from Tokyo to Sapporo to watch an event and multiply that by a few hundred thousand, that is the cause of the virus spike. The sheer number of people put in motion by the Olympic event spreads the virus. Athletes, volunteers, contractors, drives, support staff, VIPs, etc. etc. and the list goes on. I read an article yesterday how Symone Biles hired a private gym and hour away from the O village to practice, along with her coaches, medical personnel and staff.

RC is correct, started when people would bite a coin to check if it was gold or not. 24K pure gold is relatively soft. Just note, most gold jewelry that is advertised as 24K is not, it has enough other metal to make it hard enough not to scratch.

Great photo! Sailing is awesome.

Sailing is awesome, been sailing most of my adult life, own a sailboat... BUT there is no way in the known universe it should be an Olympic sport!

Agreed! Don't mess with perfection.

nobody cares about this sort of stuff. Getting on with our lives is our priority.

It is never a good idea to not care about this "sort of stuff" when the government or such entity is involved. You may find out the government has other plans for your getting on with your life. A healthy and wary eye to circumstances is prudent.

It's only countries like China and USA where you can get into trouble for this.

Well no, there are a lot more, but you are correct about the two named. The process is different, but the results are the same.

That is the funniest thing I have seen in days - YouTube as an authority which can be relied on for the truth :P

yeah, anything like this should be verified on Wikipedia.....

and you have this reality check.....

Through five days of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, NBC’s average primetime audience of 15.2 million viewers is down 47% from Rio in 2016 and 57% from London in 2012. The opening ceremony, delayed a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, drew 16.7 million viewers for NBC on Friday, the smallest audience for the network broadcast since the 1988 Seoul Games.

Yes, prefer heavier crusty bread such as sourdough, rye or such. The Japanese large slice white bread is great for occasional sandwiches and munching, not so much for meals. Not a fan of mozzarella cheese on sandwiches, I like a cheese that lets you know its there, something like sharp cheddar or pepper jack.

Hang on a minute fellow posters, I need a bit of time to come up with something in this article to be "enraged" about.

@Michael O’ Dereiter

I'd love to be a fly on the wall at the meetings

My adult beverage is now spewed all over my computer screen. Best post of the day!

Well, it seems that after having the band continue playing on the upper decks to entertain the plebs, the captain and crew seem to get a little bit worried about the water reaching their kneecaps...

No worries mate, Bach has a Gulfstream idling with the Champaign chilled and the money bags stowed. The Captain will be long gone before the ship slides to Davy Jones Locker.

There used to liberals, moderates and conservatives in American politics. Now there is only left, right and hate.

despite having spent all their time with their heads buried in Fox “News.”

What news sites are on the approved list so I don't get insulted?

Okinawa should have a referendum on the bases

There was a referendum a couple of years ago, 80% voted in favor of removing the bases, problem was only about 40 percent of the population voted. The results were filed away in a cabinet and the drummers moved on to something else.

Korea and Germany pay a much small % of the costs (I think Japan pays 70% and the ROK and German pay 30-40%). Is the US asking for more from these countries too?

Korea has full authority to engage in military offensive engagement, Germany as well. This means if the US calls them for help, they can come. Japan can only stand on the beach and yell good luck. Germany also falls under the NATO alliance and members all contribute to a central fund. Last but not least, the US asked and got more from Korea in the recent negotiations.

The US is not here to defend Japan. They are here to ensure the world that Japan would never try to colonize the rest of Asia like in the 1930s and after.

Japan has a fleet of black vans on standby to deploy at a moments notice. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Maybe it may be true, but no US soldiers died for Japan for 76 years. because no war and ever.

You just made my point! No Japanese solders either. .......... Rent well Spent.

japan should ally more with south korea. Japan doesnt need more USA bases and what not.

Korea and Japan allies? ......You're not from around here huh, Pilgrim?

But the US been lately provoking China surprisingly. That is a worry.

I keep forgetting how peaceful and benign China is. They have every right to absorb the all the islands in the South China Sea as well as to make new ones. Hong Kong is now brought back to fold and pretty soon Taiwan will be showed the path. The Rhyku's are a worry though, may have to enlighten them as well. The world will be a better place.

Zichi

 But over the years many Okinawans have protested against the bases. I believe their voices should be listened to. They especially want the Marine unit to leave.

When it comes to Okinawa and the CJG, it quickly becomes a carbon copy of the CJG and the Olympics. After WWII, the US military ended up on Okinawa because it was off the mainland and the easiest/best location to occupy. The Japanese government was happy not to have the US in view to remind them they lost the war and Okinawa was somewhat sparsely populated for a Japanese prefecture. There is a very robust political machine in place here that drives who becomes governor and many other key government jobs. It also keeps the drumbeat for ousting the US military. It is well funded and when you look at the reality of the local population verses the perceived "outrage" there is a void that don't add up. Who has the most to gain from the US leaving the region? I agree the Okinawa PEOPLE should be able to have a dialog with the CJG and have their voices heard, as well as getting some or all of the US moved out, IF that is what the people want, not just a small vocal group with an agenda. Okinawa deserves to be the beautiful place it is capable of, not just a political pawn between the US, CJG and and another foreign country.

1.That’s ridiculous, but that money comes from the department of state, so it has nothing to do with the defense budget.

The defense budget pays for the military and all associated costs.

they should cut the amount of money they pay for people to live off the installation…

Military personnel only live off base when sufficient housing is not available, or it is more advantageous to the government. Due to the high cost of rent on Okinawa, you can be sure the Military would have everyone on base if there was enough housing.

Why does not Japan defend itself? Has nothing to do with the United States. All Japan would have to do is make changes to it's Constitution to allow its Military to take offensive military action. The US does have military forces in Japan and it's not all about protecting Japan. It has always been the US policy to fight wars on foreign soil if possible. That in itself is not totally a bad thing, if you don't think a hulking B52 or a swarm of fighters drilling down on your position is a deterrent to aggression, then you need a reality check. Little Kim would be slinging a lot more rockets out in the Pacific if he did not have to keep an eye out over his sholder. As far as Taiwan not being attacked.. The Chinese consider Taiwan as part of China. One day in the very near future, China will roll up on the Taiwan beaches and deploy Hong Kong diplomacy. Will Japan be there waiting for them?

Not the most shining example of Olympic competitor intelligence, but the bed manufacturers should be looking for a copy of that video fast. I would say it is a testament to the design, quality and durability of said bed.

I'm sure the consensus will be that it is the older drives fault, drag him out and rip up his drives license. BUT, in a country where there are few sidewalks and kids have no fear of traffic there needs to be more emphasis placed on continual training and safety training for the children. Kids here know drivers will try every thing possible to avoid hitting them and thus push their luck to the limit as a game of chicken with cars.

As a counterbalance to China and Russia, the bases are worth their weight in gold. It’s a shame that many Americans don’t understand this.

I personally don't like fighting other peoples battles and I don't like my tax dollar supporting such, especially when it is unappreciated.

How about the US looks at cost cutting measures first, like troops reduction, pay cuts for their overpaid administrative staff and looking into all the wastage in procurement contracts ? They probbaly can reduce operational expenses easily by 20-25 %, before asking other to pay for service not needed!!

Agreed! But the JOG needs to go first. As soon as they use their saved money to get defense up to speed, the US can start.

The rent is ¥500,000 per month. This is their housing allowance. It seems to me that if the US military needs more money, they might try saving money here and there. Okinawa is not Tokyo

50k in yen on Okinawa will get you a house or apartment of about 186 square meters IF you are military. This is a large house, but not huge. You are correct that Okinawa is not Tokyo, in a lot of aspects it is more expensive. The rental price to a Japanese would not be the same, probably about half or less. Military personnel are required to rent houses that are on the military approved list. If your friend has a housing allowance of $5000, then they are higher ranking or civilian. If you go to rent a house on Okinawa, the first thing the rental agency will ask you is what is your rank, they look up what your housing allowance is and that becomes the price of rent for all the houses you are interested in.