Fox Cloud Lelean comments

I'm all for seeing a woman become POTUS, just not this one. Her lack of concrete results and the Benghazi issue are going to be major hurdles for her, and I don't see her having the intellect or the charisma to overcome them. Only corruption and brutality will get her past those hurdles, and the US doesn't want a tyrant in charge. She might have a lot of experience, but she clearly knows nothing about her fellow Americans; a fatal flaw possessed by too many politicians these days. If she cannot connect with the people and deliver on her promises to them, she's going nowhere.

I thought immediately of Original Characters: a term used by fan fiction writers to describe a new character to an existing franchise. But hey, that's just me. I'm not exactly the sharpest tool in the ted.

China uses D-Day anniversary to praise Germany, slam Japan

That's fine. I use the Tiannemen anniversary to praise those protestors who were standing up against their own tyrannical government and slam the Chinese government for their mindless slaughter of these citizens who were murdered for knowing the difference between right and wrong. It's a bit rich (ok, that's an astronomical understatement) for China to lecture Japan, given its own history of invasion, bullying and genocide. I mean, millions of Chinese were killed during the Cultural Revolution versus what? 30,000 during Nanjing? They say you can't put a price on the value of a Human life, but at the end of the day: the number of Chinese lives killed by the Chinese government to date massively exceeds the number claimed by Japan. And have the CCP ever made any apologies for their own atrocities? Have they apologized to Tibet? To East Turkminestan? To their own citizen? I didn't think so. Pot, kettle, black. At least Japan have apologized and made reparations, as well as taking steps to change their ways for the better.

Oh yes, a man sought shelter. In North Korea. An American seeking shelter in an anti-American country. The smell of fish is overpowering my nostrils. Th US has a policy of not negotiating with terrorists, so these kidnapped... I mean, these "detained criminals" won't be getting bailed out any time soon. Not unless North Korea "detains" enough "criminals" to provoke the US into sending in Navy SEALS to "negotiate". Give me a break.

Amazon is pretty useless if, like me, you're into Japanese music, anime figures and Cosplay. Overpriced and dreadful selections. There are specialist sites for that, which I regret not finding sooner. Could've saved around £300 on figures but hey, I'm not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. But for things like books, DVDs, video games, jewellery, and many other things, it's pretty much up there. Amazon was the only place I could find the Starship Troopers book by Robert A Heinlein. It is also my go-to for replacement parts for my Nintendo 64. I've bought two Memory Paks, a set of component cables, and a new controller from there. All new, all reasonably priced and quickly delivered. Also bought a new game for it on Amazon. Overall Amazon is a good store to shop from, just not for everything. Somethings you're better off shopping around for. So, I think I'll stick with them for all my general consumer needs, and go elsewhere for the more unusual purchases.

Having unilaterally expanded it territory to claim well established Japan territory,

Baloney.

Really Mr G? Then tell me: Who approved China's ADIZ? The UN? No. NATO? No. ASEAN? No. No-one approved China's planned ADIZ. No-one even knew about it until China declared it. That is the definition of "Unilaterally". No-one had any say in the matter, China just imposed this ADIZ and imposed rules to be followed by all aircraft flying within the ADIZ. Both of these are outside the parameters of international protocol. Baloney you say? Read it and weep I say.

Beijing hit back Thursday at Tokyo’s claims of “dangerous” flying near disputed islands, accusing Japanese fighter jets of coming recklessly close to a Chinese aircraft last year.

Once again, China brings up the past to justify its actions. A bit late to complain now, don't you think China? Oh wait, thinking requires intellect. There is no justification for sending armed fighter jets into Japan's ADIZ and flying within 30 metres of a surveillance aircraft. China has a reputation for being aggressive, from sending armed jets into another country's ADIZ, to ramming (and subsequently sinking) Vietnamese boats. I don't think I need to tell anyone who the villain is here.

Then how did they do it?

By not flying normally. Onodera was referring to standard fight patterns and patrols within each nation's airspace. In that scenario, approaching so close is impossible, since planes from either side would have to fly into the contested airspace to make an approach. This is not normal flying, and is exactly what China has done. The Chinese ADIZ extends beyond China's recognized airspace. Their fighters were flying outside of the airspace in order to approach with a few dozen metres of Japan's surveillance and early warning aircraft. Typically an aggressive manoeuvre.

Strangerland: Is that your only argument? That China doesn't follow the tenets of Communism, so cannot be Communist? So please explain two things. First of all: Explain why their ruling party is the Chinese Communist Party. And Secondly, explain why in the Hell that makes any difference whatsoever. As I have said in the past, the nature of their political system does not change nor jusitify the fact of their aggressive actions and expansionist ambitions. The nature of their political system is entirely irrelevant in this debate, and indeed in all debates about China's actions that I have participated in. Please stop flogging this dead horse, and focus on the matter at hand: The matter of China's blatant bullying of its neighbours.

China’s defense ministry said jets were scrambled in the East China Sea on Saturday after Japanese aircraft entered its air defense zone

Considering that China claims pretty much all of the South and East China Seas, in their eyes it is impossible for Japan to fly anywhere without it being Chinese airspace. China is going way too far now. The US needs to fly some more B52's through China's ADIZ. Armed ones this time, to show that they really are protecting their ally, and that they really do opposed China's aggressive expansionism. China has been amping the tension for the past couple years now. They're angling for war, a war they can't hope to win. How pathetic.

I am sure you want to believe that, but my posts are full of names, dates and facts of history

Funny thing about the facts of history: They change. It was once a "fact" that the world was flat. It was once a "fact" that women who could solve math problems were witches. It was once a "fact" that the sun revolved around the Earth. Facts of history are unreliable at best.

Fun fact about histroy #2: Maps are redrawn almost constantly. Therefore, historical maps cannot count as a reliable source of evidence. With many old maps, it is up to interpretation. There have been several ancient maps alleging to show Atlantis, yet we have never found it. Ancient maps tend to use the stars as guides, but stars don't stay in the same position in the night sky. The constellation of Orion is only visible in the Northern Hemisphere for half of the year. There are many constellations that seem to do this as well. Even the Pole Star. That won't remain as a marker for North forever, due to the Earth's tilting. In about 14,000 years, it'll no longer point north.

The "facts" that you have presented, Spokesperson, are all contestable in one form or another. Be it the usage of ancient maps as evidence, the case of Clipperton Island, or your analogy about the watch. In this day and age, there are too many people who would simply take it upon seeing it. China is like that finder, particularly with the Senkaku Islands.

If you still feel the need to present irrelevant names, random dates and questionable facts, go right ahead. Just know that you will not be taken seriously. China is in the wrong here. They are wrong on so many issues. They are trying to change the status quo by force, and they are trying to stop other nations from interfering, from protecting these nations that are being bullied. That is a fact. It is abundantly clear to everyone not blinded by China's propaganda.

“We require the Japanese side to consistently take realistic actions to protect the region’s peace and stability.”

They are taking realistic actions to protect the region's peace and stability...from a tyrannical expansionist China that is trying to claim other territories as its own. China tries to pass itself off as the responsible adult, as it childish claims ownership of everything within sight. Bravo China. I seriously didn't think you could appear any more pathetic, but lo and behold; you've done it.

@Strangerland: You keep going on about how China isn't communist, despite the fact that that is of no importance in this or indeed any issue. They are still in the wrong here as they try to change the status quo by force, and warn their neighbours not to do just that. So they don't follow the tenets of Communism. So what? Point of interest: The ruling party is the Communist Party of China, the CPC. Whether they follow the tenets or not is their business. If you want to take the issue up with anyone, take it up with the CPC. None of us here want to hear about that time and again.

If they both fall for the same girl, neither one of them will go after her

Never happened to me. In all three instances, I've ended up having arguments, and on two occasions it came to blows. If you want something, you go for it. You don't ignore it. That goes for women as well. So if two guys fall for the same girl, they both go for her. I've never encountered this situation. It seems completely unfeasable as well.

"I love this girl."

"I love her too."

"Let's not go after her. Let's settle for someone we don't love instead." Just doesn't happen.

Did you seriously put this forward as an example of you rationally addressing Snowden's revelations

Did you even read my comment? At what point do I talk about Snowden? Please, point out where I mention him, in name or otherwise. I think you'll find that I don't mention him. This isn't about Ed Snowden. From what I gather, the overall jury is still out on whether his leaks are genuine or not. Both sides make claims and counter claims. I'm not inclined to make any kind of decision on that matter. I see no reason to. As to your point about admitting guilt: That doesn't really mean a lot. I can admit to being responsible for 9/11. Does it mean that I actually am? Of course not. I'm not going to get into the possible reasons the NSA have for admitting guilt, if they actually did. There's probably several reasons.

Again, without evidence, nothing that has been revealed can be confirmed. Seeing reactions does not constitute evidence. It is much more likely to be damage limitation. What, you've never taken the rap for someone else's mistakes? Same scenario here I reckon, but of course, I have no evidence to substantiate that. I'm just going off intuition. Not being a paranoid conspiracy theorist, I tend not to assume that the NSA is reading my emails. To be honest, I'd feel sorry for them if they did.

It's easy to sit back and criticize me. That doesn't require thinking. You should try seeing things from my point of view, but that would be expecting too much. It would also stop you from trolling me. We can't have that now can we? I've said everything I needed to. I'm ending this conversation now.

Xi said a rising China would seek “peaceful” means to resolve territorial disputes

Yes, that's true. After Xi has had all of his neighbours killed, there will be an abundance of peace. The dead don't talk you see. That peace will last all of five seconds, before China is nuked off the face of the planet. You want peace Xi? Here's a suggestion: shut up. Stop claiming other countries' territories as your own, stop making aggressive unilateral movements, stop deploying oil rigs in disputed waters, stop bullying your neighbours, and start acting like the adult you're supposed to be. China is the root cause of all this tension, and statements like this only escalate the tensions. Xi is the God of Idiots.

Well, I suppose that depends on how we're defining "Detectives". If we're talking only about the Sherlock Holmes type, then he is indeed the only detective I've encountered in literature. That said, if we're including "detectives" from Lethal Weapon and Dirty Harry, then I would argue that the Butei (armed detectives) of Aria the Scarlet Ammo count, in which case my favourite detective is Reki. Now watch me get downvoted for liking anime.

I just love it when the average Joe (or troll) spouts this naive BS.

I love it when legitimate internet trolls and Anti-americans decide to criticize anyone who shares an opinion that doesn't bash the US. Accusing the NSA (or any US government agency it seems) of wrongdoing appears to be very popular amongst non-americans in particular, even though they have no reason to behave that way. That you would believe a whistle blower shows just how naive you really are. They can't be trusted to provide legitimate information. They're turning against the NSA. The National Security Agency. I don't know about you, but if I heard someone spreading slanderous comments about a security organization, with allegedly confidential records as evidence, yet with no actual means of verifying the accuracy of the records, I'd be pretty sceptical. As would any rational person. Conspiracy theorists on the other hand would jump all over the information and blow it massively out of proportion. You say I've been had, I say prove it. You provide links, I'll refute the authenticity of the links. At best, we achieve a state of Stalemate and decide to agree to disagree. However, I know your type. You're determined that you are right, even though you do not have concrete evidence to substantiate that viewpoint. You'll argue your case relentlessly nonetheless, and criticize people like me who call you out on it. If you've read this far, you're probably thinking that I'm some overly-patriotic Liberal right winger. Probably from a red state. Er, no. I'm British, living in Britain. I'm not a big fan of the US, I just don't buy into all this Anti-american propaganda about how the NSA are spying on all of us and infringing upon our freedom. Call me naive if you want, and I know you will, but I don't care. I refuse to believe in something without evidence. Whether it's allogations of spying or God, if you can't substantiate, I won't believe you. It's as simple as that.

Hmm. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe it won't be dreadful then. I'm not big on Hollywood remakes of foreign movies, but Godzilla seems to be absolutely trouncing the '98 version. Maybe I'll give it a looksie then. Wonder what they have in mind for the sequel as well. Godzilla vs Rodan perhaps? Or will they give Mothra a complete overhaul and make it a cool monster instead of a lame duck?

I guess it was all those "haters" irrationally choosing a platform that had games that appealed to them rather than buying a console with the same kiddie games version after version.

Yeah, because Need for Speed, R:Racing, Eternal Darkness, Resident Evil, Medal of Honour, Turok Evolution, James Bond, Rainbow Six, Conflict Desert Storm, Baldurs Gate and countless other games are really kiddy. If you are aiming to slander the Mario, Zelda, Pokemon and Donkey Kong series' you might want to take into consideration that those games are outselling "adult" games like Halo, Medal of Honour, Call of Duty, Battlefield and so on. If you don't like them, that's your call, but using your dislike of them in this argument only invalidates your point. Let's not forget that "kiddy" games such as the Zelda franchise have been popular with gamers of all ages since the 80's, and that isn't changing any time soon. Same with the Mario franchise. The Pokemon franchise has been staying strong for almost twenty years, and shows no signs of weakening any time soon. Then there's the Metroid and StarFox franchises. Both immensely popular. Metroid is the older, but StarFox is just as successful, and has been since it's SNES debut.

Nintendo will weather this storm. It wouldn't be the first time, and it won't be the last. They'll pull through, turn things around, and they'll show the world why Nintendo is here to stay, and why it should stay.

China has in the past accused the United States of hypocrisy as Washington conducts sweeping surveillance around the world.

There's a pretty big difference between surveillance and industrial espionage. Washington's efforts are in the interest of national security and antiterrorism. China's efforts are for profit only. When you hurt innocent people and cost a country $300 billion a year, you deserve to be hit with harsh penalties. So go ahead China, get irritated. The US has said that they will use all available means, and if you want to support this illegal activity, then they will use all available means to bring these shameless hackers to justice. Just be grateful that it's only these five, and not the entire Unit.

I don't understand. How can the school and prefectural government be held responsible for a natural disaster? Are they suggesting that this could have been prevented? How? As I understand it, no-one could have predicted that the tsunami would be as big as it was, or that it would reach so far inland. Sure, it's possible that the staff may have been trained for the situation, but training is not reality. You can try to prepare for any situation, but until it confronts you, you have no way of knowing for sure how you'll cope. Fear is a powerful emotion to try to overcome, and in the face of this tsunami, it's only natural that people would be gripped by it. There is no training that can change that, not unless you can block emotions completely like a Vulcan.

In addition to this, don't you think that the school and government have suffered enough from this ordeal themselves? Do you seriously believe that they aren't tormented constantly by their "failings"? This lawsuit isn't going to do anything more than cause additional harm.

Hmm, let's see, unnecessary pain, weeks of taking care of an unnecessary wound that could get infected, and of course the risk of serious diseases such as Hepatitis is the tattoo artist doesn't clean their equipment properly

Point One: Tattoos aren't really all that painful, it depends on which part of you body you get tattood, and your pain threshold. Obviously, tattooing your scrotum will have you screaming like a little girl. I've experienced far greater pains, and so tattoos didn't bother me. For the most part, it just feels like a minor burning. It hurts a little more the next day, but that's it.

Point Two: What are you being tattood with? A paint soaked knife? Unless you rub faeces into the tattoo, you won't get an infection. All that is required for the care is to wash it with warm soapy water 2-3 times a day, followed by applying a moisturising cream (such as a rash cream) to prevent serious scabbing. Even then, scabs are commonplace with tattoos, and tend to get washed off by the warm soapy water.

Point Three: That's why you don't go to back alley tattoo parlours. Find a parlour that comes highly recommended by several colleagues. One with its own website preferrably, and one that displays Health & Safety certificates publicly.

I have three tattoos at present. I have "Kitsune" on my right forearm (The Japanese for Fox), Zorro on my left forearm (The Spanish for Fox), and a phrase in Japanese on the back of my neck. The latter I regret getting now. It didn't turn out how I expected, but hey, we learn from our mistakes right? You can't learn if you don't make mistakes. I'm planning on getting that phrase removed, and I'm toying with the idea to go for something big and admittedly ostentatious. I'm just trying to decide how big I want to go: All over my back and right shoulder, or go the whole hog and have it extend down my right leg as well? I'll have to come up with some designs and see what looks best. It'll be a blue dragon either way.

I don't see anything wrong with getting a tattoo, just as long as you think carefully, and don't make my mistake with the phrase in Japanese. Not every tattoo artist can write Japanese characters, so there's a risk that it'll come out wrong. If you must go that route, I suggest getting tattood by someone fluent in the language. My other tattoos came out just fine. Honestly, it's not as painful as people make it out to be. I went in terrified, came out surprised. As long as you're smart about it, and you get a tattoo that doesn't lose relevance, then go for it. But for the love of "God", don't tattoo your partner's name. You might think you'll be together forever now, but how will you feel about the ink when you catch them cheating on you?

China says U.S. must be objective about Asia tensions

Yes, they should be more objective. More objective in putting a stop to China's aggressive expansionist actions that is. China is backing itself into a corner with North Korea. Soon enough, both will be pounded into dust and forgotten about. It's no more than they deserve. China has become a joke. They are the embodiment of the spoiled child claiming everything as "mine!" and throwing a tantrum every time someone says "no!"

@Jim Poushinsky: When I try to call out for help, my voice vanishes. I can barely hear myself at that stage. I have only myself for protection, and I very rarely manage to do anything at all to prevent the inevitable.

Suki da yo? I'll try to bare that in mind. I like learning Japanese, but I keep getting tripped up by things like this, or the 14 ways of saying "I", or the multiple ways of saying "you". Still, it's interesting to see so many reasons that Japanese men hesitate to say Aishiteru, or Suki da yo. The most ridiculous of course being "Cool guys don't fall in love." Really? So why do all the best protagonists in movies, tv programs, anime, manga and novels end up falling in love? That response makes me want to beat people over the head with a frying pan. I can understand shyness, being introverted myself, and I can understand not wanting to say it too soon, or being uncertain of your own feelings, but the cool guy excuse is pathetic and warrants a kick in the...actually I don't know the Japanese word for those.

On another note: the utter b*****d who reckons you should only say "I love you" to get laid deserves to be castrated. You're not a man. You're a dog. Keep up that attitude and you'll be put down like a dog as well.

Wait what? The Vietnamese are expressing their anger with China's aggressive action, and they're being criticized by this? In what insane dimension does that make sense? China has brought this on themselves. They should be slapped with the bill for the damage caused, as well as making compensations for the harm. It is China's aggressive actions that have lead to this unrest, and they should be the ones to pay the price for it. I'm not surprised the Vietnamese are angry. Hell, I'm displeased with China, and I'm British, living in Britain. If I lived out in Vietnam, I'd be pretty pissed with China as well, and rightly so. No-one in their right mind would be happy with China trying to claim all of the SCS as aggressively as they have been.

Voss does not foresee a commercial market in lucid-dreaming machines.

That's a shame. I could really use something to increase my rate of Lucid Dreaming. At present, I can achieve perhaps five Lucid Dreams per year. For the rest of the time, I have to endure confusing dreams about travel and paranormal abilities, or else face horrific nightmares centred around zombies, alien invasion, warfare, or just the dark side of my personality taking on a form of its own. Often I am afraid to sleep. It's gotten to the stage where I'm trying to become an insomniac, which is having adverse effects on my health. Regular nightmares affect my health as well, so I can't win either way. If I could experience Lucid Dreams, then I could, at the very least, make them normal, as opposed to confusing or terrifying.

Hundreds of Chinese families seek wartime compensation from Japan

Eff off. The issue of compensations was settled decades ago. China agreed to that at the time, and now they're going back on their word. Speaks volumes about them doesn't it? Of course, this move is perfectly timed don't you think? Kinda distracts from China's aggressive actions against Vietnam. Well, it would if we had the attention span of a gnat. Take a hike, and stop antagonizing your neighbours. This seeking of compensation is nothing more than a smokescreen.

Without an independent varification, this poll is meaningless. It's just rebels fabricating the results that they want to see, regardless of the actual vote results. "Farce" is putting it mildly. A proper election poll should be held, without militant thugs in attendance, with independent and impartial adjudicators varifying the legitimacy of the results, and we'll see what the people really have to say, not what the separatists want the world to believe the people are saying.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is keen to make progress on the project as he seeks a tighter relationship with the United States in the face of an assertive China.

As he should, but unfortunately, many people won't see this as sufficient reason for accelerating the timetable. Indeed, most will call this an underhanded tactic. I'm not saying it isn't, but with China bullying Vietnam like there's no tomorrow, Japan seriously needs to increase its defensive capabilities and build a tighter relationship with the US, before China tries to employ the same aggressive tactics to get the oil under the Senkaku Islands.

Beijing—which prefers to negotiate directly with its smaller, weaker neighbors

The key word here is weak. That is how China sees Vietnam, which is why they're being so aggressive in this issue. China is absolutely confident that it has more than enough strength to repel Vietnam's ships and illegally claim this oil. They're doing it here because they know they can't take the oil under the Senkaku Islands. China knows it doesn't have the ability to go toe-to-toe with Japan. China has, in taking this action, shown the whole world that they are nothing more than cowardly bullies, picking on its weakest neighbours, knowing that they can't do anything in retalliation. If the US do nothing here, it'll cause problems, and weaken their own image. The US has to stand up for Vietnam against the thug nation that is China, lest they be emboldened to try the same tactics against stronger neighbours like Japan. A Navy SEAL strike against the oil rig would be sufficient enough to send a crystal clear message to China: Stop bullying your neighbours and trying to change the status quo by force. They have more than enough sovereign territory, they should not be trying to steal it from other countries, regardless of what resources may dwell there.