Posted in: Pacific rim nations sign TPP deal amid protests See in context
Free trade, open markets, better employment, larger markets, economic growth... yeah.. what a drag - who would be interested in stuff like that? As for the rent-a-crowd malcontents in NZ. I can tell you the mood here is very "so what"?. These people are not representative of the general feeling in NZ at all.
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Posted in: Tokyo Turn On with musician/teacher Ashton Moore See in context
great...more middle of the road music to dull our senses....
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Posted in: New character designs revealed for 'Sailor Moon Crystal,' including Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn See in context
I think there are a lot of sailors interested in Uranus Shonabb....
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Posted in: Jazz greats Hancock, Corea announce 1st tour in 37 years See in context
going!
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Posted in: Scientist predicts another major earthquake in Japan by 2017 See in context
there is no such thing as earthquake prediction it is quackery
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Posted in: Controversial Japanese World Cup ref hits back at critics See in context
let's be honest - the state of refereeing in Japan for international sports is pretty abysmal.
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Posted in: English soccer clubs 'invade' U.S. for pre-season matches See in context
perhaps the players of 20th ranked England can get some tips from the players of 15th ranked USA?
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Posted in: McDonald's, KFC in China face new food scandal See in context
a proper functioning TPP would put an end to this kind of nonsense as competition from the agricultural giants allowed Japanese food chains access to the world's best food stuffs at competitive prices. Rather than the super inflated, inefficient Japanese sector forces business towards the unsafe suppliers from china... disaster all around.
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Posted in: Germany scores in extra time to win World Cup 1-0 See in context
from a neutral and non-soccer followers point of view that was a pretty dull advertisement for soccer. I could barely keep my eyes open as endless passes were made to nowhere and players kept falling over clutching their legs in tears.
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Posted in: Whaling dominates Abe's New Zealand trip See in context
the whaling issue in NZ is just window dressing. The real talks were on the TPP. NZ and oz want japan turfed out. Japan harps on about the size of the Japanese economy.... but in reality if none of that is opened up it would be better to pursue a strong agreement with like-minded countries. Let Japan try to get into an established deal; or sit back and watch the world economy rush past them.
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Posted in: Japan to face Maoris in two rugby games in November See in context
...there goes the end of your winning streak right there eddie.
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Posted in: Japan sees current TPP talks as key to final stage by year-end See in context
easy way to get these talks moving towards something useful would be to turf Japan out on their rear-ends. The restrictions they want to bring with Japan's chronically inefficient agriculture sector makes including Japan a nonsense. Send Japan packing and get on with the TPP!
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Posted in: 'Game of Thrones' most popular series in HBO history See in context
biggest illegal download ever too.
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Posted in: Japan has potential to win World Cup, says Honda See in context
Japan are no chance to win the soccer world cup - but good on the captain for saying they are. Confidence is key in footy - just ask the world's most successful football team - the All Blacks.
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Posted in: Does porn affect the brain? Scientists urge more study See in context
Test subjects??? Hands up!!!!!
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Posted in: Lawsuit looms over 'Stairway to Heaven' See in context
Gee - 60s band writes tune with an A minor arpeggio section and related tone chords... from this they decide it is plagiarism? It Taurus doesn't have the ascending counterpoint, nor does it resolve to the same chords as Stairway. The opening of stairway is based around (but develops on) a natural fingering that any guitarist could 'discover' whilst noodling away in Am. Can't imagine there will be a case to answer.
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Posted in: NHK governor praises rightist's suicide in 1993 as glorifying emperor See in context
Nomura clearly set an example that all right wingers should emulate.
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Posted in: Best beef See in context
Kobe beef is a scam for sure - massively over priced and not the equal of quality NZ Grass-fed beef.
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Posted in: Japan's next defense budget to post biggest rise in 18 years See in context
Well-spotted Jaymann - You have absolutely nailed it!
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Posted in: Korean campaigns for removal of Japanese flag from French stores See in context
The French business certainly accepted this peaceful student's views and removed what is an offensive symbol in many parts of the world. Well done that student, well done that French business.... "how sad, too bad, never mind" to supporters of Japan's brutal (and thankfully, utterly defeated) militaristic past
righteously good comment Jmann... as always
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Posted in: Stalker gets death sentence for murdering 2 relatives of his victim See in context
an excellent point as always Jaymann - the Death penalty is barbaric. To argue that cost is a factor in dealing with societies unwanted in facile at best.
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Posted in: Do you agree with Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto's comments on comfort women? See in context
No I hold a firm belief that the systematic rape and forced sexual slavery of anyone is deeply non-humanist behaviour. Attempting to justify these known actions of the Japanese government and military marks Hashimoto as a person not deserving of respect or my consideration. I certainly hope that Hashimoto is one day able to progress in his own humanity and understand why his stance is so appalling and both logically and emotionally indefensible.
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Posted in: Abe vows to seek talks with N Korea over abduction issue See in context
I'd be willing to support Abe on this... just as soon as japan commits to arresting the (largely) mothers of abducted foreign children and immediately returning the children to the countries they were abducted on - otherwise, if I were a (say...) US politician, I'd consider any international political help in this matter to be tied to abduction issues in general.
I think japan needs to realise that being a glaring hypocrite on abduction won't encourage any sympathy towards Japan.
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Posted in: Hashimoto says he lacked sensitivity to U.S. perception of prostitution See in context
"Lacked sensitivity" .... do you think?
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Posted in: Courtesy call See in context
She is an amazing woman - a true global symbol of defiance and the fight for democracy.
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Posted in: 'Twilight' star, 'Snow White' director say sorry for fling See in context
2 consenting adults - one single, have sex. Sorry, what again is the issue? Why does anyone even remotely care about this?
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Posted in: Education minister announces creation of anti-bullying task force See in context
I heard that other ministers held him down until he said he'd do it......
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Posted in: Gun culture thrives in U.S. despite cinema massacre See in context
... death by guns in Canada are comparatively low it should have read....
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Posted in: Gun culture thrives in U.S. despite cinema massacre See in context
At the end of the day it is the US that needs to address their issue about guns in society for themselves. NZ actually has incredibly lax gun laws and we have a huge amount of guns out there(although pistols require enormous efforts to obtain: special licence, affordability, police vetting etc) yet our gun deaths are largely caused by the state (i.e Police shootings). As I understand it (I haven't checked) in Canada guns are fairly available as well and the deaths by guns So, it cannot be 'just guns' that has led to the huge amount of shootings in the US - doubtless there are many other factors as well.
if you check the wiki stats http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_firearm-related_death_rate you'll see that the US features at 10th
Also, with the number of guns in circulation - how will this now be curtailed? That is quite a thorny policy question. Whatever the solution is - it is an issue that the US must solve for themselves
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Posted in: Cool Japan? With new resident system for foreigners, 'Cold Japan' fits better See in context
I had permanent resident status in Japan some years ago.... but it turns out that "permanent" doesn't actually mean that. In most countries PR status entitles one to stop needing re-entry visas... not the case here in japan (far too logical.....).
When we return I don't know If I'll even both trying to get PR the taxes alone make it more of a cost than a benefit.
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Posted in: On eve of summit with Japan PM, Trump reportedly meets U.S. Steel CEO
Posted in: Tokyo world athletics party can make up for Olympic lock-out, says CEO
Posted in: Baseball star Ohtani’s ex-interpreter sentenced to nearly 5 years in sports betting case