Sperry comments

Funny thing. Target has just announced they are closing all 133 stores in Canada as well.

Is there something going on in Canada we need to know about?

For what purpose? Hotel labor? Stoop labor in the rice fields? Dock workers? For what purposes would Japan want to bring in or allow "unskilled" workers. That is the primary question that needs answering before this overly generic one.

More people die each year from the flu than all of the deaths attributed to ebola ever. So, stop worrying about ebola and get a flu shot.

I support it, but it will never happen. Russia will probably veto it, and China most certainly will veto it.

Ideally, media organizations should remain neutral. But...

Those owned by conservatives or conservative-owned corporations will support conservatives. Those owned by liberals or liberal-owned corporations will support liberals. There don't seem to be any centrist or moderate outlets anymore and no one really seems to care.

It is very unlikely to change any time soon, even if the government makes rules to force them to be unbiased... which no government ever will.

sigh

Between the religious wars, the tribal wars, corrupt leaders (mostly educated in Europe and the West), there's little that can be done. The African peoples have to take control of their own destinies. Throwing money and U.N. "Peacekeepers" at the problem only makes the people more dependent on Europeans.

All of the above plus extra fees for pretty much everything, uncomfortable seating, screaming children, and passengers who do NOT have a close personal relationship with soap and water.

@YongYang. While you are correct that the iPhone doesn't use the spare battery concept, as my old Motorola did, the battery can, indeed be replaced. You simply take it to an Apple Store or any of dozens of mobile phone repair shops that are cropping up everywhere. If you take it to a third-party shop, you may void the warranty.

Whether or not Apple's products are Buddhist (how is that even a factor?) or 'green' is immaterial to this discussion. And for the record, ALL mobile phones contain toxic materials, are difficult to recycle completely, and create toxic wastes during manufacturing.

Also, ALL corporations are out to make money. That's how they can continue to be corporations and employ people. Microsoft is out to make money, lots and lots of it. Google is out to make money, and will be evil to do it if needs be.

Time to face reality. The business of business is money. If you want to try and live without money, I suggest you become a monk and join a monastery.

I use both iOS and Android. One is personal, the other is for work. They both have their pluses and minuses.

That being said. Use whatever suits you and stop ripping on people for their preferences.

The U.S. used to have something akin to this. Except it was called Civics (or Citizenship) and Ethics. It's not taught much anymore.

Where it is taught, it's mostly jingoism/American Exceptionalism and bible belt "morality". Both are mostly rote repetition of the views of whatever political and religious hacks control the local government and neither help make, or even encourage, the students to be better citizens.

Good luck Mr. Abe. You'll need it.

Recent reports say that Kennedy was first shot by Oswald, then by his own Secret Service agent who's pistol went off as he scrambled over the back of the limo. It will be very interesting to learn more about the agent and what the SS actually know and cover up.

We prefer our guests to remove their shoes. We also have simple, washable, home-made slippers available for those who would prefer something more than stockings to cover their feet. Some friends take them home then bring them back when they come over. Used slippers are washed, dried, matched, and put back in the bin next to the door.

We've only had one complaint in over 30 years. And that was a "guest of a guest". She eventually conceded and wore the slippers. We noted that she took them home with her as well.

As others have pointed out, this is not a valid yes/no, either/or question.

It completely and totally depends on what the information is. If it's that the PM wears Sailor Moon undies and sleeps with a Hello Kitty nightlight, who really cares? That's not a state secret. But if it's the recipe for an antibiotic-resistant strain of the Black Plague, they heck yeah! That needs to be kept under lock and key, hidden away until they need it to figure out how to combat said plague.

There are precious few valid, binary questions. Most (99.99999%) black & white issues are actually a wide variety of grey.

U.S. Government requests are not requests, they are demands. If the companies do not give up the information in a form, completeness, and time period that the Gov't deems appropriate, they will take it, by subpoena if possible, by force if that fails.

Thus the illusion of "freedom" is maintained.

Very interesting. This hasn't hit the major U.S. news outlets yet.

Having lived on Guam for a couple of years, I can say without any hesitation that the Guamanians will not appreciate having an additional 4K U.S. Marines stationed there.

And, if I read the article correctly, having Japanese training centers on Guam and/or Tinian, Rota, or Saipan will not go down well at all. The people of Guam really, really, really don't like the Japanese.

They STILL remember the treatment by the Japanese occupational forces during WWII and this will definitely stick in their craw.

If it was non-carbonated, I'd give it a whirl. But carbonated? Not a chance.

"There has been no news on whether the Hollywood remake will keep to the Asian roots of the story, or try to transplant it into an American setting...."

NONONONONONO. Speaking as an American, Americanizing the film would ruin it completely.

Doesn't anyone remember the ghodawful 1998 Godzilla, or even the Americanized version of Gojira? Or ANY Americanized version of ANY foreign-sourced film? In most cases, the result is not only an abhorrent mess, but a box office bomb.

Leave the film true to it's source. It will be far, far, far better.

Wow! Boeing just can't catch a break, can they.

"The children were given the opportunity to ask questions in English. As opposed to what other language? I mean what's the point of adding this little bit of useless information? "

As opposed to Japanese and having to use a translator. It is an opportunity for the children to demonstrate their mastery of a foreign language, something which they are justifiably proud.

And not a stick of Pocky to be found. heh.

The U.S. should only give back the land between the north, south, east, and west boundaries. No more than that!

Given the rhetoric from NK and the bellicose nature of both the North and South, it's a given that NK will find some provocation (real or imagined) from SK and launch a strike.

They'll get mangled for it, but they have demonstrated that they are foolish enough to try, given that in the recent past, NK has shelled an SK island and sunk one of SK's littoral naval ships.

Neither side is all that bright, but NK seems a bit dimmer than the South, so yes, yes North Korea will attack.

Wow. Looks like diplomatic immunity does have some uses.

Amazon has no more right to those TLD than WalMart has to .com.

It is a safe bet that both strategic and tactical targets in North Korea are in the American's cross-hairs. It is an equally safe bet that appropriate weapons platforms are already in place to put a solid end to any serious aggression by NK.

The main question is, what does Darling Leader, or whatever he's called this week, REALLY want?

One other note, to my above. Trying them under the UCMJ does NOT constitute double jeopardy. Since they were tried and found guilty under specific sections and articles of foreign law, they are still eligible to be tried under U.S. Law. The "Double Jeopardy" provision only prevents the accused from being tried twice under the exact same section of the U.S. Criminal Code. Even then, it's subject to a very, very narrow interpretation.

In short, they're not going to be free for a very, very long time.

For those who think they're getting off light, know this; After they finish their imprisonment in Japan, they will still be in the military and subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ).

As such, they will be tried under the UCMJ, most likely found guilty, be imprisoned in the U.S. - probably Ft. Levinworth - for a significant number of years (up to Life) and be given Dishonorable Discharges with loss of all pay and benefits including VA.

Again, this is AFTER they finish their Japanese imprisonment.

When I lived on Guam in the 70's, the Guamanians made no secret of their hatred of the Japanese. This was due in no small part to what the Japanese army did to the Island and its people in WWII, some 35 years earlier.

Apparently there's still some people with problems there. Sad.

Better solution: Remove the statue. Take it completely away.

If they don't want art, then they don't get art.

Wouldn't the primary questions be 1 - Why are these batteries overheating? 2 - What is drawing so much current as to cause this reaction? 3 - Is the aircraft's electrical system undersupplied so much by these batteries? 4 - If so, why?