Noble713 comments

Posted in: An old scourge, syphilis, making a comeback See in context

@turbostat

“Among the carriers I believe are also women from Asian countries visiting Japan.”

It couldn't be men from Japan visiting sex tourist hotspots in Southeast Asia?

Agreed. I'm pretty sure the number of foreign women/tourists having sex in Japan is utterly DWARFED by the number of Japanese men having sex across Asia...

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Posted in: 9 ways Tokyo could become more foreigner-friendly in time for 2020 Olympics See in context

@kitzrow

How about the foreigners making an attempt to learn some Japanese before making the trip? Always good to have >that when traveling.

You want people to learn more than a handful of A: one of the most difficult languages on the planet B: one of the least internationally-widespread languages to boot.....for just a few short weeks of watching sporting events? That's just not going to happen. And from a utility-maximization perspective, it would be a terrible use of one's precious available man-hours.

And I'm just going to say I agree with all the "anti-smoking" comments....I LOVE to go out and party, but I'm growing weary of doing so, largely because I DESPISE coming home and needing a shower and being forced to wash my clothes because I smell like I smoked a pack of cigarettes. This problem isn't unique to Japan though (lots of smokers in Vietnamese bars/nightclubs too).

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Posted in: Japan plans to deploy troops near disputed islands See in context

@nandakandamanda

Noble, also think Ospreys.

Trust me, I haven't forgotten about them. I look forward to laughing my butt off when the Marines move out of Futenma......and it promptly gets converted into a JSDF Osprey base. LOL...

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Posted in: Better batteries to beat global warming: A race against time See in context

All R&D efforts are to be applauded, and this is a step in the right direction....BUT....

If batteries can get better, cheaper and store more power safely, then electric cars and solar- or wind- powered >homes become more viable

.........

“It’s a critical piece in the whole puzzle in how we stop burning fossil fuels completely.”

US household energy consumption in 2009 was 10 quadrillion BTUs. Source: http://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/

US total energy consumption in 2009 was 25,155 TWh. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_the_United_States#Current_consumption

Plug those into <WolframAlpha.com> (10 quadrillion BTU / 25,155TWh) results in households making up only ~12% of US energy consumption. It's going to take a LOT more than better batteries in households to bring the US below global-warming-inducing levels of fossil fuel consumption.

We need to get to the point where we can move a Maersk Triple-E container ship across the Pacific on battery power (or thorium power....).

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Posted in: Japan plans to deploy troops near disputed islands See in context

@CH3CHO

Near? Ishigaki is nowhere near. It is 170 km away from the Senkakus. And how can land troops go across the 170 km of >water? It would take hours before they land on the Senkakus on boat.

Good thing the JSDF has helicopters, then....

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Japan plans to deploy troops near disputed islands See in context

@therefugee

People seem to forget this is all in defense of some useless tiny islands that people don't and won't even live on

Right....because the sole metric governments use to decide their territorial interests is "where do our short-sighted citizens want to live?" /sarc.

All of these territorial disputes in the Pacific revolve around economic interests: usually some combination of fertile fishing waters and undersea mineral deposits (especially suspected oil & natural gas fields). Nobody gives two cow patties if "people don't want to live there". The stuff under the sea surface is potentially worth billions of dollars.

I wonder how crime rates will fair.

Generally speaking, military personnel have lower crime rates than the civilian population, and I suspect this is even more pronounced amongst the JSDF.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Posted in: University develops super-resolution technology for smartphones See in context

@HighLama

Can anyone please explain with an example what that means?

Almost all videos you watch have gone through some sort of optimization algorithms/processing beforehand. The software libraries that do these sorts of video data optimization are called "codecs". Usually you need the correct codec to A: create a video file of smaller data size, with the same apparent visual clarity or B: play back a video file created by A.

If you take a 4K camera, and tried to pump its video recording output directly to an existing smartphone....the playback would be REALLY sluggish, because the phone needs to run the existing optimization algorithms to render video data of that clarity. I think they are saying most phones get around this by having dedicated circuitry to run these algorithms as fast as possible to enable smooth, immediate playback. But the new algorithms that the university developed means you play 4K video without requiring a dedicated little circuit on the phone's circuitboard, which should reduce fabrication costs and complexity slightly while still delivering the same or better performance for 4K video.

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Posted in: Turkey says Russian jet violated its airspace, ignored repeated warnings See in context

@SuperLib

What do you think about the repeated warnings from Turkey? False? True? Technical issue?

Hard to say due to a lack of information at this time. Could be any of the following: language barrier, wrong radio frequency (Turks transmitting), wrong radio frequency (Russians listening)... I heard a radio clip on another website, supposedly of the Turkish warning. It was in slow, slightly-muffled English. No idea if its truly authentic, but I doubt pilots with a basic grasp of English would realize the nature of the transmission.

And any thoughts as to why a Russian plane would be so close to Turkish airspace?

Russian GLONASS satnav system could be erroneous (a comment on the previous article touched on this). Russia HAS violated the border before, which is itself a needlessly arrogant gesture. Maybe they expected a more measured response, instead of the Turks turning it up to 11?

The Russian aircraft was supposedly returning from an airstrike deeper in Syria. I've helped develop Airspace Control Measures/an Airspace Control Plan before, and I would not have Control Points used for routing aircraft that close to a clearly-unfriendly and highly territorial nation. Even if I needed to prosecute bombing missions close to the border, I would use killbox/keypad control for their Working Areas, and route them in/out of it along routes that take them clear away from the border. For example, we have something called "Minimum Risk Routes (MRR)". They are kinda like expressways for military aircraft. Given the lack of rebel high-altitude SAMs, you could put an MRR on the map almost anywhere, maybe just avoid certain hotly-contested areas, especially where artillery is flying (generally don't want to cross gun-target lines). Your aircraft that are returning to base should follow the MRR. ...you can change them every few days or so if you are really paranoid....but you shouldn't be RTB'ing sections of fighter-bombers by skirting the border.

If they just bombed Raqqa: "Move to Control Point Boris (get on the highway at Exit 1), follow MRR Natasha to Latakia AB".

If they just bombed Aleppo: "Move to Control Point Ivan (get on the highway at Exit 3), follow MRR Natasha to Latakia AB." Regardless of where the aircraft were just working it should be a trouble-free flight home.

But then, no nation on the planet has the USAF or USMC's level of institutional experience when it comes to operating a dense, tightly integrated airspace. The Russians are building their experience level the same way so many lessons have been learned in military operations: people die, and then someone decides "next time, let's do this a bit differently".

The other complicating factor is there are just too many different Air Forces all flying around Syria and not coordinating with each other. Maybe the Russians are even more concerned about having a close encounter with American pilots who might be highly concentrated in the middle of the country, so they decided to skirt around the whole Area of Operations and just take their chances at bumping into Turkey's border patrols instead?

Apparently the Turkish Foreign Minister called his Russia peer and expressed "condolences", saying they didn't realize the aircraft was Russian (Syria also operates Su-24s). http://sputniknews.com/russia/20151125/1030722974/russia-foreign-ministry-lavrov-press-su24.html

@JeffLee

Putin is being sucked into this messy regional conflict, with no exit strategy in sight.

Russia has had a long-standing relationship with the Syrian regime, probably close to 50 years. If a war breaks out in Korea or Japan, does the US already have an "exit strategy" mapped out? No...we have no intentions to leave either country for now, because being there is in our "national interests" even in peacetime. Same for Russia's support of Syria.

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Posted in: Turkey says Russian jet violated its airspace, ignored repeated warnings See in context

@SuperLib

You don't scramble planes after someone is in your airspace. Planes approach and planes are sent up, warnings to >break off of their current path, etc. It's not like you have to sit there and wait until they are actually inside of your country >before contacting them or reacting.

??? None of what you posted in any way contradicts what I said. I said "achieve a target lock and engage". I'm only talking about the aircraft actually firing its weapon system. Not about scrambling aircraft on strip alert, and not about sending radio warnings.

The missile used was either an AIM-9X (Russian reports state infrared-guided missile, the F-16s were @ ~25km range....kinda long range for an AIM-9 but possible with the -X version) or an AIM-120. The AIM-120 uses active radar during its terminal guidance phase, which should have triggered the Su-24s Radar Warning Receiver. Given the low speed and lack of evasive maneuvers based on the radar track supplied by Turkey, it doesn't appear to have reacted to an RWS/incoming active radar missile. So it's safe to assume it was shot down by an AIM-9X using passive infrared and the Russians never saw the missile coming.

Boresight firing mode is unlikely, it practically requires the F-16 to be chasing the Su-24 at short range. SCAN mode, though, takes a while to achieve a lock.

Here's a vid from a flight simulator to illustrate the two modes: https://youtu.be/VZ51tfsnFws?t=1m50s

Granted, it's a game, but it's probably safe to assume the IR SCAN could take 10-20 seconds to achieve a lock close to the max range of the AIM-9X.

The Tactical Air Operations Center (or whatever the Turkish equivalent is) should not be sending a "Cleared Hot" or "Kill" radio brevity code before the aircraft crosses the border. Nor should the pilot be working through the above weapons engagement process before receiving a Cleared Hot either.

So yeah, pulling that off with just a 17-second window while they are over your territory.....still = irresponsibly itchy trigger fingers.

A slightly-unrelated but very detailed reference: BASIC FIGHTER MANEUVERING (BFM) AND ALL WEATHER INTERCEPT (AWI) https://www.cnatra.navy.mil/local/docs/pat-pubs/P-825.pdf

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Posted in: U.S. economy grew at 2.1% rate in third quarter See in context

Damn, what a giant steaming load of economic propaganda.

Domestic demand in the U.S. economy remains very solid

The 20-30 demographic is facing significant underemployment, huge student loan debt burdens, unrivaled rent prices, and stealthily-concealed inflation on core consumable goods. And that is the age bracket that should be the primary drivers of growth in an economy: people at the beginning of their "peak consumption" phase where they are buying houses, making babies, etc... How much of this domestic demand is empty-nest Baby Boomers spending their childrens' inheritance?

The government reported that employers created 271,000 jobs in October, and the unemployment rate fell to a seven->year low of 5%.

Yet the labor force participation rate is at the lowest level since the late 1970's?

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-09-21/mystery-missing-inflation-solved-and-why-us-housing-crisis-about-get-much-worse

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/big-lie-56-unemployment-jim-clifton

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-10-02/participation-rate-crashes-americans-not-labor-force-soar-579000-record-946-million

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-04-03/no-country-young-workers-only-americans-55-and-older-found-jobs-march

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Posted in: Temperatures plunge across Japan; heavy snow hits Hokkaido See in context

@Brainiac

Extreme temperature fluctuations are partly caused by global warming.

This is why I prefer to call it "global climate instability". Personally I prefer the colder weather, and so does my car's turbocharged engine. Snowboarding in Sapporo in the dead of winter is one of my fondest memories of Japan so far.

Now I can finally wear a greater portion of my wardrobe, which I refuse to replace with "tropical" clothing despite 4 years in Okinawa.....I don't want to adopt behaviors that might suggest I'll be trapped on this sweltering jungle hotbox version of Alcatraz any longer than I have to.

If the planet will, generally-speaking, continue to get warmer, I'll definitely be moving as far north in Japan as possible....

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Turkey shoots down Russian warplane See in context

Video so far suggests that the Su-30s are busy escorting the much more valuable (and vulnerable) strategic bombers, especially the Tu-160s. The Russians brought a somewhat-small number of air superiority fighters (6, I think), so there's not enough escorts to go around. Also, the Su-24s are both slightly more capable of self-defense or evasion, and are more expendable, so it's unsurprising they've been flying around without escorts, and probably will continue to do so, at least if they are far from Turkish airspace.

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Posted in: Turkey says Russian jet violated its airspace, ignored repeated warnings See in context

Some interesting points in this ZeroHedge article: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-11-24/17-seconds-changed-world-leaked-letter-exposes-turkeys-hair-trigger-reality

The Turks claim the Russian jets were in their airspace for 17 seconds....but to cross 1.15 miles in 17 seconds the Su-24s would be flying at an abnormally low speed. Also, it states that the F-16's fired while the target was in Turkish airspace...that gives a VERY small window to achieve a target lock and engage....unless the Turks were locked on and ready to fire before the Su-24 even crossed the border. A pretty textbook example of an itchy trigger finger....

Don't even get me started on the whole "rescue helicopter was shot down by US-supplied guided missile......so obviously there are well-armed insurgents in the area" aspect.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Posted in: Turkey says Russian jet violated its airspace, ignored repeated warnings See in context

@noriyosan73

There is no evidence that Russia has destroyed any IS targets.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Russia+Raqqa which leads to:

Russia bombards Raqqa, ISIS headquarters in Syria http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/17/middleeast/russia-strikes-in-raqqa/

A U.S. defense official says Russia has conducted a "significant number of strikes" in Raqqa in northern Syria in the >past several hours.

So even the US Department of Defense seems to disagree with your conclusion.

@noriyosan73

So now it is important that a F-16 pilot of other nations to first look at the enemy, decide if it is a fair fight, then flight or >fight? What is this situation

First off, none of these nations should be considering other aircraft "the enemy"....they are all ostensibly there to bomb terrorists, and the terrorists don't have an air force, right? Secondly, you could call "this situation" Air Defense Warning Condition/Weapon Control Status "White/Tight". In other words, an encounter with a hostile aircraft is improbable and aircraft need to be positively identified as hostile before engaging. Reference MCWP 3-22 Antiair Warfare, pages 6-6 and 6-7. http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Publications/MCWP%203-22%20Antiair%20Warfare.pdf

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Posted in: Turkey shoots down Russian warplane See in context

@Fadamor

Russia is bombing rebel positions while pretending they're there to fight ISIS positions.

@ChopChop

Obviously, Russian military is bombing on all Syrian President Assad’s opponents and not jut bombing on ISIS and Al >Qaida affiliated militias.

Has Putin ever explicitly stated that he was solely interested in fighting ISIS? I think all along Russia has stated it's there to fight "terrorists", and they consider pretty much everyone who isn't pro-Assad a terrorist.....which is consistent with their domestic approach in Chechnya/Dagestan/etc.

The Russian is always acting arrogant and do not respect other country air space and territory.

Couldn't the same be said of the Turks, who are busy killing Kurds inside Iraqi territory? Nobody has the moral high ground in this giant mess...

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Posted in: Sharp asks all employees to buy its products See in context

@yamashi

I like products of Sharp. Good quality.

Have you owned or experienced comparative products? For example, LG/Samsung LED TVs? Sharp isn't the only game in town... Japan Inc. just wants you to think that way, so they can maintain their captive market (a stable revenue stream) without having to do difficult things like innovate and spend more money on R&D. Or make any attempt to understand a customer base outside of Japan.

@Hillclimber

Believe it or not, Sharp employees need appliances that Sharp just so happens to make.

But Sharp isn't the only one who makes those appliances. Nor do they necessarily deliver the best quality at a given price point. Should consumers, including your employees, have the freedom to chose how they spend their money? If you make the best product the choice is easy.... I'm sure every Lexus engineer buys a Lexus if he can....he's knows how reliable they are. The product sells itself. But let's look at Sharp and its competition:

For example, Sharp makes 43" Aquos LED TVs. Amazon US price? $380. Amazon Japan price? Well, there are NO 42-43" TVs on Amazon Japan...but their 40-inch TVs are ¥63,000 or more.

LG makes 42" LED TVs (ref model: 42LF5600). Amazon US price? $400. Amazon Japan price? ¥121,318!!!!!

Gee, domestic protectionism, much? And Sharp still can't manage to sell enough product without forcing their employees to buy specific quantities of their own overpriced goods?

Yeah, Sharp totally deserves to fail as a business.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Posted in: Turkey shoots down Russian warplane See in context

Scenario 1: Russian jet in Turkish airspace, shot down by Turkish jet. Response: Russia so far is claiming it was shot down by ground fire, perhaps to avoid the need to retaliate. Downplays incident and everyone moves along. Russia doesn't forget but screws Turkey over in the future. IMO the best Russian response would be something like "Hey, sorry we made a mistake and especially sorry because it cost the life of our pilot....but we are over here killing terrorists and doing good things. The French are with us and we cooperating. So, Turkey, are you part of the solution or part of the problem?"

Scenario 2: Russian jet in Turkish airspace, shot down by Turkish jet. Response: Direct Russian retaliation in some form, hopefully not an actual military response. Nothing positive can come from increased escalation/tensions in the region. Increased instability almost guaranteed.

Scenario 3: Russian jet in Turkish airspace, shot down by rebel ground fire. Response: ......who gave the rebels the MANPADs needed to hit aircraft @ 6,000 meters? Saudi Arabia or Qatar most likely.....No idea how Russia would handle this. Increased instability almost guaranteed.

Scenario 4: Russian jet in Syrian airspace, shot down by Turkish jet. Response: Turkey would be clearly in the wrong. Perhaps Russia demands reparations? Else see Scenario 1 Response.

Scenario 5: Russian jet in Syrian airspace, shot down by rebel ground fire. Response: see Scenario 3 Response.

Bottom line is.....expect things to get worse. I don't expect Russia to "turn the other cheek" on this one, so my Scenario 1 Response strikes me as unlikely.

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Posted in: In taking economic war to Islamic State, U.S. developing new tools See in context

@bass4funk

This is exactly what happens you have to follow the Rules of Engagment and then some.

That statement has no meaning. RoE are always in effect....but RoE are flexible. The question remains: if RoE was the restriction beforehand, why wait so long to change it? If the previous "strict" RoE was so important, why allow Russian actions to alter it? If RoE isn't the sticking point, then who is building the Joint Targeting List (JTL) and No-Strike List (NSL)? Who is putting together an Air Tasking Order that doesn't include oil tanker convoys (which are obviously going to NATO-member Turkey....discretely) but DOES include Syria's power plants? So civilian infrastructure has been on the table before now, but a primary source of ISIS funding was conveniently omitted?

You have a stubborn president that is about to leave office and worries more about his legacy than to worry about ISIS >and the war on terror. It's not going to happen and Obama could care less.

Iran being disconnected from the SWIFT network....happened on Obama's watch (2012). It was the final year of his first term. If he was worried about his legacy as you say, then dicking around while this Mess-o-tamian (hat tip to Jon Stewart) conflict threatens to drag in all of Eurasia and North Africa sure as hell isn't the best way to be remembered positively by historians.

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Posted in: In taking economic war to Islamic State, U.S. developing new tools See in context

Since last month, U.S. warplanes have struck Islamic State’s oil infrastructure in Syria in a stepped-up campaign of >economic warfare

So, the US has been bombing for a year but it took the Russians getting involved and stealing the limelight to get any serious efforts from America.

“We have done a really good job of largely keeping the Islamic State out of the formal financial system,”

The US was able to cut Iran off from the SWIFT banking system in a heartbeat. What was the holdup/difficulty here? Mixed priorities IMO...

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Posted in: 16 people injured in New Orleans park shooting See in context

@SuperLib

If the shooter is Muslim we need to seal the borders, start registries, and even open some camps. If he's American, no >changes needed.

Don't need to seal the borders, it's already reasonably difficult for Americans to flee without getting flagged by the Border Patrol. We effectively have registries also, things like Stingray towers listening in on everyone's cellphones and patrol cars with license plate scanners, in addition to the nationwide background check system. As for camps.....got those already too: the US has one of the highest prison populations in the world. In the slide toward becoming a police state, the US is a few steps ahead of Europe.

@PTownsend

Do any of the JT posters who are 2nd Amendment experts know if street gangs are considered militias and thereby >protected by the US Constitution?

I'm not an expert but I would say "No, because they are not considered 'well-regulated'."

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Posted in: Only 11% of Japanese people willing to fight for their country: Gallup survey See in context

As always, I wanna see the demographics of the poll. Polling a roughly even split of men/women, of all ages, really doesn't tell you much: the bulk of the fighting in any scenario will be done by 18-30yo men. It's THEIR willingness to take up arms that will matter. And since Japan is one of the oldest countries in the world, this is already a small cohort of the population. In fact, 15-29 yo males are ~13.2% of Fiji's population (Google Image search Fiji population pyramid) but only ~7.6% of Japan's (Wiki: Demographics of Japan).

However, topping the list were Morocco and Fiji, which were tied at 94%.

Fiji being at the top doesn't surprise me at all: nearly 10 years ago I was reading articles about Fijian mercenaries in Iraq. Something about that place makes it a breeding ground for men willing to do violence. Traditional warrior culture, poverty, and a history of military coups, plus the demographics that I mentioned above?

@serendipitous

Once your country has been completely defeated and virtually destroyed along with countless dead, the idea of risking >everything again would be a hard sell.

A hard sell for the elderly who remember.....but it shouldn't be a hard sell to 20-year-olds who can barely comprehend what being on the receiving end of a 1,000-bomber firebombing raid is like. I think "the grasseaters simply prefer their lives of comfort" is a more reasonable explanation.

@anotherexpat

War is rarely about fighting in defense of one's country, war is more often than not about expanding the territory and/or >wealth of those who run countries.

One thing that bothers me about modern "professional" soldering: all of the profits acrue at the top, or to the companies in the military-industrial complex. In the old days when looting/pillaging was much more tolerated, you could keep pretty much whatever you could get your hands on: weapons, jewelry, livestock, women. Even the low-ranking infantrymen could become wealthy after a successful attack on a city. Now you can't even keep battlefield souvenirs without scrutiny from higher. Pvt. Schmuckatelli doesn't have much personal economic/material incentive to participate in expeditionary wars of choice. Hence the need for nations to rely on heavy propaganda and trumping up the threats posed by "those other people".

@Mocheake

Wow. Way to trivialize their feeling of possibly seeing, say, Russia as a threat.

Yeah, that insult to Finland immediately stood out to me too. I doubt the author is all that keen on military history....or much of anything, beyond Asian women and other otaku subjects. Nobody goes to RocketNews for insightful geopolitical analysis.

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Posted in: Trio grab Y75 mil in jewelry in Harry Winston store heist See in context

@Brainiac

One thing about security guards I have noticed in Japanese stores - they look nice and official in their uniforms but are >completely unprepared for a robbery attempt.

There's a LOT of things about Japan that are essentially an inexpensive placebo effect meant to placate the masses of rather-unaware Japanese. And it largely works.

On a side note, I read the headline thinking "PLEASE don't be gaijin....please don't be gaijin" got to the "described as Caucasian" part....DAMMIT! Because you know we will be treated like we are all collectively guilty any time a foreigner does something wrong here.

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Posted in: Islamic State has become an existential threat to the West See in context

I don't understand this term "existential threat".

Its use in geopolitics/political science/international relations might be technically incorrect, but it basically means "a threat credible and capable enough to eliminate the existence of a nation state/group".

I agree with Laguna and kcjapan, the author's assessment of ISIS is totally overblown. Europe might be facing an existential threat, but the United States is not. Even if ISIS were to toss 1-2 nukes our way....the US as a nation, as a society, as a culture, would still exist. Partly due to geography (being separated from any potential invaders by 2 gigantic oceans, a frozen wasteland, and a desert) and partly due to demographics/history (a still-sizable industrial base, and a huge reasonably-educated population that is heavily armed)....the US is effectively unassailable by conventional means, and physically large enough to absorb the damage from anything less than a full-on nuclear exchange. Only Russia, China, the UK, France, and MAYBE India possess such a capability.

ISIS could pursue biological weapons, a Pandora's box that would fit their Doomsday-cult like proclivities rather well, but I suspect the CDC is competent enough to stamp out an outbreak. The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa was good practice.

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Posted in: India board censors 2 Bond kissing scenes in 'Spectre' See in context

There's 1.2 billion Indians and their population growth will have them surpass China within a decade. Clearly the only prudes in the country are busy staffing the film board.

So ridiculous. What is it about government bureaucracy that leads to such a concentration of fun-starved busy-bodies?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Posted in: IS executes Chinese, Norwegian hostages as bastion pounded See in context

Doing anything that might piss off China is beyond foolish, IMO:

1: Due to the one-child policy, they've got "excess military manpower" in the tens of millions. That's a LOT of pissed off men that they can effectively afford to lose in a war.

2: With the shaky economy, it's always useful to have an external enemy to rally against.

3: Joining the fight against terror would boost China's international influence without requiring a direct confrontation with the US.

4: Like the Russians, the Chinese probably don't give two cow patties about collateral damage.

So someone in Daesh is seriously dropping the ball to hand the Chinese a casus belli on a silver platter.

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Posted in: Drumming prodigy Senri Kawaguchi wows in new video supporting the Japan's soccer team See in context

I listen to a lot of death metal and black metal, mostly for the drumwork......

This was a surprisingly impressive performance. Kudos to her! m/ >_< m/

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Posted in: Gov't to step up measures to prevent terrorism in Japan See in context

Two more data points:

1: My friend's wife is half-Okinawan/half-Persian and is constantly mistaken for a total 100% gaijin. She was pulled over on her scooter this year. Why? The police said "They saw a foreigner on a scooter with license plates from [redacted village name, a fairly rural area], so they assumed she had stolen it." That place is her hometown. Not only did they jump to a ridiculous conclusion by stereotyping foreigners but their traffic stop also made her late for work. She has a pretty fiery temperament so needless to say she cursed them out accordingly.

2: I was dropping off a female friend in Naha, who incidentally lives barely a block from a major gaijin nightclub. A patrol car passes me....and they must have done a U-turn because they pulled me over about 2 minutes later. "What are you doing in Naha?" My Japanese isn't proficient enough to respond "The last time I checked there were no restrictions on travel in the city, so I came down to get serviced by your mother in the red light district." So I just said "...visiting a friend". They ask if I'm US military. "Gunjin jyanai!" They ask for ID....and I pull out my residence card...my Japanese drivers licence....AND my Japanese university ID. "Ohhhh, sugoi.....Ok, you can go." WTF..... I'm sure their thought process was the same as the above example: They saw a black guy with short hair in an area where military people frequent....but I was driving a Kanji-plate vehicle.... ERROR! DOES NOT COMPUTE! STOP AND HARASS DAMN DIRTY GAIJIN! HE MUST BE BREAKING THE LAW!

If the Japanese intend to get serious about stopping terror attacks at the Olympics without pissing off all the guests and crushing their tourism gains, they'll need to be more discerning and much more diverse and skilled in how they assess threats.

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Posted in: Muji enters tiny house game with line of wonderfully minimalist ‘Muji Huts’ See in context

@JeffLee

you need a car, which are really expensive to maintain.

??? Depends on what you drive, IME.....I've got a 280+hp rear-wheel drive Toyota sedan, and maintenance is the least of my worries: the ridiculous road tax schema and shaken are where all the money gets spent. The car itself doesn't need much more than regular oil changes (~$50), and then brake pads and tires every 1.5 years or so (maybe $1000 TOTAL, including labor).

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Posted in: Shangrila, a maid cafe staffed exclusively by cute 'plump' girls, opens in Akihabara See in context

Shangrila: where you go for the "marshmellows", but stay for the pizza....

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Posted in: No empty nest: Young U.S. women live with parents like it's 1940 See in context

“The job market has gotten significantly better (for this group),” Fry says. “Unemployment has come down, more have >jobs and some are even getting paid a bit more.”

Citation needed. The labor force participation rate is at its lowest since the mid-1970's, and while young people might be getting "jobs", they are underemployed: people with bachelors and masters degrees waiting tables or serving coffee at Starbucks.

Sholes is still a few credits shy of graduating but isn’t sure if she will return because her private school was very >expensive and she’s not confident she’ll be able to find a job in the film industry even with a degree.

She is living with her folks while she figures out her next step and has taken a holiday job at the same retail store >she worked when she was 18 to bring in some cash.

Case... in... point! Right in the damn article!

Some links to supporting data:

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-07-08/new-american-dream-no-jobs-young-no-retirement-old

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-11-02/why-do-so-many-young-adults-live-home-record-345-california-millennials-live-parents

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