SushiSake3 comments

Entering Japan is easy compared to New Zealanders trying to return to New Zealand.

Which is now a lottery with thousands vying for 2-3,000 spots every month.

I challenge anyone to provide evidence that NK has detonated >any< nuclear devices.

Radiation traces, etc.

I don't believe NK has ever set off a nuclear device. This latest 'nuclear test' was the latest in a run of falsehoods, IMO.

It was declared a nuclear test the day it occurred. Funny thing is, US and Japan sent up radiation 'sniffer' aircraft that can detect airborne radiation, and their results were due out nearly a week after the actual test. The results have not been widely publicized.

Has anyone seen anything about actual radiation in the air?

China and South Korean authorities both said they did not detect any abnormal levels of radiation above their countries.

So what exactly was detonated?

I've been down there every summer for 13 years. LOVE the place. Beach, then head to the island for an ice cream and lazy walk to the restaurant at the top of the stairs leading down to the caves at the far end of the island. The outside deck of that restaurant is arguably the best place to drink beer in the country. Amazing views out over the ocean. <>

Interestingly, the plane was flown by a U.S. pilot since no Japanese pilots have a license to fly a Zero. Not too surprising since none have been built for decades.

Video of the flight

http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/videonews/fnn?a=20160127-00000760-fnn-soci

Backstory: Zero fighter plane being prepped for first flight since WWII

www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/07/13/national/zero-fighter-plane-prepped-first-flight-since-wwii/

Extra funny: Cruz has promised to "repeal every word of Obamacare."

I'm not quite sure why because he signed up for it.

So did his wife.

They're both on it. :-)

Really impressive performance from Japan.

Great stuff! Onwards and upwards. 

Wah? I thought the GOP controlled both Congress and the Senate and wielded more power than they have for years - and they still fail to do anything constructive?

What's up with that?

I stopped going to McDees fast food restaurants when I realized they don't sell food. 

"Republican pollster Frank Luntz said Trump could siphon off enough votes as a third-party candidate to cost the party the White House.

“If you tell me Trump is running as an independent, I will tell you that the next president will be Hillary Clinton,” said Luntz,"

That's amazing.

A lunatic fringe extremist like Trump pulling off such a significant number of conservative voters  that the entire party goes down?

If that's even remotely possible it goes to show how many nutjob conservative voters there are out there in the heartlands. But we already knew that.

This looks like the beginning of the end of the GOP even before the debates start.

Trump will have enough support to get into the 10 candidates permitted on stage for the GOP debates.  He'll shred the other 9 who will be too petrified to attack him if he is actually nominated and wants a Veep. While he's doing that, he'll out-extreme all of them, his support base will swell proportionately, and all the other candidates will be pulled even further to the extremist fringe right - if that's even possible. 

Cruz - who let's remember is the ultra extremist who led the charge that actually shut down the government - will be left looking like a moderate, while most of the rest - including Jeb - will look like Liberals in Trump's shadow.

As I've said many times before: conservatives NEVER learn. They are making exactly the same mistake they made in 2008 and 2012: putting up largely un/under-educated extremist candidates in a debate schedule that sees them tear themselves - and their party's hopes - to pieces.

The key to their ongoing record of election year failure is education, or rather lack if it.   

But what happened to the 11 brand spanking new sports stadiums that were built in Japan prior to the soccer world cup it co-hosted only 4 years ago?

"Japan is a rich country, but it doesn’t have cash to spare. More than two decades of economic stagnation have left the government saddled with debt, and the rapidly aging nation faces soaring pension and health care bills."

Heh? Japan's a "rich country" that is "saddled with debt." Yup, that makes sense. Japan is the most heavily bankrupt nation on the planet. Hardly "rich."

Conservatives, the conservatives think they have no choice but to slam this deal because Obama's behind it. Fox News, Rush Limbough and the GOP Talking Points tell conservatives they must spread the same lies and misinformation .....because Obama's behind it.

The programming is too strong....thinking is banned....exercising intellectual rigor is anti-American on issues like this for all conservatives..... because Obama's behind it - which he's not since as some posters have already stated this is multi-nation pact so the conservatives screwed up yet again and proved yet again they're not fit to run a lemonade stand let alone the US government. 

My pleasure. :-) 

A-heh. :-)

The Commumity-organizer-in-Chief's administration has been "talking with the enemy" and done a deal.

That's called "diplomacy." It's what grown-ups do and what the Republicans would be completely unable to accomplish. They'd all be singing along with John McCain "Bomb Iran, Bomb." 

The GOP should only be considered potentially viable to run the country if they agree to drop the child bombastic rhetoric and start acting like adults with regards to international diplomacy. 

None of this (what some people are calling) "economic blackmail" would be happening if respective Greek governments had better managed the country's finances.

I doubt there's a single EU nation that >wants< to bail Greece out again. I'm not sure whether other EU nations are obliged to provide financial assistance to other member couriers, but that's largely beside the point now. This financial crisis isn't any other EU nation's specific problem, but collectively it's all of their problem. 

The other countries are creditors and want their money back - and have every right to do so. I think a key point is they now all acknowledge they >aren't< going to get their money back; which means this next bailout will be more of a gift than a loan - given by governments that don't really want to give, don't have to give, but will anyway.

Based on that, I think the other EU nations that are participating in this bailout deserve a whole lot more credit than they are receiving, as - at least to me - they want to preserve the unity they created the EU for in the first place. 

I think the high construction costs will fade from the spotlight when athletes start dying. The Olympics will be held between July 24 - Aug 9. That's around when the temperature hits 36-38 deg C.

This is an insane time to hold a major sporting event. Just think athletes coming in from colder countries who are not prepared to compete outside in temperatures that will be borderline 40 degs if not hotter. And the people who placed the bid for Tokyo mist have known this.  The outdoor events won't be a display of peak performance, more like survival skills.

Incompetence and negligence at its finest. 

FANTASTIC news, exhilarating, in fact. :-)

History is pivoting right in front of us.

Absolutely amazing to see how (relatively) quickly attitudes have changed in just the last decade - especially in the US - wrt this issue, which shouldn't even be an issue IMO.

Looking back, first slavery got the boot. Then opposition to mixed race marriages (illegal in America until circa 1965?). Now opposition to gay marriage.

We are on a roll! 

Key point I came to realize about gay marriage is that it's way more than just a gay rights issue - it's a human/civil rights issue, which - to me - puts the drive to legalise GM right up there with the civil rights movement in the US in the 60s, only in a different area. 

This is big stuff. Epic.

PS: Funny to see so many heads exploding on the Right. 

Is this going to be Rodney King all over again?

Jeb bush: “I hope I’m not going to get castigated for saying this by my priest back home,” Bush said. “But I don’t get my economic policy from my bishops or my cardinals or my pope.”

Climate change is acidifying the oceans, melting glaciers, changing rainfall patterns, affecting seasons, etc.

Um, how is any of that in any way related to "economic policy"?

He's already going off the rails and it's only day 1 of his campaign. :-)

"In the Italian version of the 192-page document, posted on Monday by the weekly magazine l’Espresso, the pope again backs scientists who say global warming is mostly man-made and says that developed countries have a particular responsibility to stem a trend that will hurt the poor the most."

That's why bush is critical - like most conservatives, he rejects facts-based scientific data and prefers instead to believe the lies spin by Faux news and other conservative blowhard media.

On the other side of the aisle, we get this: "But Vice President Joseph Biden, a practicing Catholic, invoked the pope’s encyclical at clean energy conference at the White House on Tuesday. “Usually encyclicals are only issued on what the church thinks are incredibly important initiatives,” Biden said. He cited a growing consensus about the need to fight climate change, adding, “This doesn’t only have a moral component to it, it has a security component to it, as well as it has an economic component to it."

Now that's smart. Realize climate change is an issue and do something about it - as Obama has been doing for years to his immense credit - do not ignore a problem your own scientists are clearly stating is a problem. 

Even the US military recognizes the threat of climate change to global security.

Meanwhile, pretty much all we get from the Right is flawed logic, dangerous ignorance, and a refusal to do anything.

Bass: "What a bunch of BS! No, they want an affordable alternative where the system doesn't burden other tax payers.That's what they want."

Haha! If the Republicans really wanted an alternative healthcare system they would have proposed one by now. Paul Ryan's your man for that and - wait! - to date he hasn't proposed anything, in fact he hasn't even planned any meetings to discuss it.

What's this telling Americans?  It's telling Americans that this bunch of GOPpers don't give a rat's ar*e about Americans' healthcare.

And what's the end result of that? People fending for themselves and those without the means to pay for treatment possibly dying..

Sorry if that's uncomfortable to digest but that's reality - the GOP doesn't give a toss about Americans' health.

And with you constantly going on about your situation, your business and your financial situation. It seems pretty clear you don't give a toss about other Americans' plights either.

No wonder your country is heading down the tubes! 

Bass: "You mean, LATE TERM, so we're talking about 9-10 months which makes NO sense, how about adopting, or libs just care about easy process of elimination."

No, there's conservatives out there who are battling for abortion to be banned pretty much from the moment of conception.

Bass: "Gay marriage is not a serious issue now."

Haha. :-) It's pretty much all the Christian conservatives bemoan about at present. Just check ChristianPost.com and you'll see what I mean.

Bass: "Michelle Obama telling and forcing people and schools what to eat..."

LOL! What, like healthy food? Bass, do you have a problem with the president's wife encouraging schools to feed healthier food to American children?

REALLY?? :-)

But I agree - it'a terrible because she's infringing on school's freedoms to choose to feed cr*p to kids!  Socialism ! Big gubmint!! Haha. :-)

Bass: "Hmmm...So then why is it that over 57% of people hate it and that a large majority of people are OVER paying on their premiums and picking up the tab for others,"

Picking up the tab for others? Um, mate, that's how universal healthcare works. Ask anyone in the nearly 100 other countries (including Evil Socialist Nations like Sweden) that have had universal healthcare programs for years.

Bass: "If Obama took it upon himself to change and give Obamacare to 11 million that didn't have it, fine."

Glad you're finally seeing sense! 

Now, when Republicans holler about gutting or getting rid of ObamaCare, here's their alternative:,-->  [ N O T H I N G......]

That's right - nothing. 

Republicans and many conservatives are quite happy to strip 11 million Americans of potentially life-saving healthcare and let them fend for themselves.  If they can't fend for themselves and make their own way, let them die is the conservative message, and let's not forget how much conservatives love to trumpet about how America is a "Christian nation" under God who also let poor people die and made the rich richer.....hey, hang on!!!! 

"Hundreds of thousands of consumers nationwide who bought insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act will face a choice this fall: swallow higher premiums to stay in their plan, or save money by switching."

Um, mate, again, welcome to the real world. Find me a country where health insurance premiums aren't going up. I used to work my country's largest private health insurance company. Premiums go up if customer counts fall, if people migrate to cheaper plans, and as medical tech costs rise.  Premiums are like taxes: if there's not enough premium income to meet costs, premiums will probably rise It's basic economics. 

Bass: "I thought in the US, we had freedom of speech and choice or does that apply if liberals dictate what freedom is?"

LOLOLOLOL!!!! Gotta love the selective amnesia/hypocrisy! :-)

Conservatives love talking about how important their "freedoms" are while going all out to restrict women's freedom to choose whether or not to have an abortion, restricting teaching of other religions (non-Christian) in schools, restricting homosexuals from getting married, where does it end? If you guys want people to respect your freedoms, first, try respecting theirs.

Bass:"People are having a tough times paying their premiums on Obamacare."

Haha. :-) It's called healthcare. It helps keep people healthy. It doesn't grow on trees or come out of a cereal packet. Yes, it costs money, welcome to the real world. 

Obamacare is helping 6-7,000,000 more Americans to afford to pay their doctors and health professionals and yet according to some conservancies, Obamacare is "destroying America!"

Moonbats, for sure. 

Bass: "No, I am not a partisan, I just don't like and don't accept liberal hypocrisy."

LOL! This, from the same guy - who as pointed out above, exhibits exactly the same characteristic he criticizes. 

Bass: "Maybe, I am just passionate about my country and tired of liberal moonbats destroying it."

Hahahahaha! :-) Hey, man, you gotta stop this, you're wearing me out. :-)

Liberals destroying your country?  After bush and co. sent the deficit into the stratosphere, started 2 unwinnable wars that directly led to the deaths and maiming of nearly 50,000 Americans, and the rest of the Republican cabal who are completely ignoring slash denying climate change, the greatest threat our species has ever faced, and you're going off about liberals????????

Bass, why do you always support, stick up for and defend candidates who......lose?  What is that telling us about your judgement?

It was like this before the last 2 elections - lots of "tough" "fightin'" talk from the conservatives, and then they got steamrolled by the Community Organizer-in-Chief.

After watching USS GOP slowly sinking beneath the waves, the same conservatives started hassling their president's community organizing skills, the same skills that sunk their ship of fools.

Pretty funny. :-)

If you want to win an election in the US and your political philosophy and election strategy involves hating on and opposing:

Women's choice and rights over their own bodies

Immigrants 

Muslims

The LGBT community 

The entire middle/bottom class 

Rights to clean air and water

...while ostracizing anyone who isn't Christian, claiming to be Christian while supporting bombing of other countries and persecution of LGBTs, and propping up a bunch of largely undereducated loser candidates every time ......you're just not going to win.

Blatantly obvious, largely why the GOP has lost 2 straight, and they STILL don't get it.

On the Dem side, if it isn't going to be Hillary, it'll be Warren, and both women could mop the floor of any and all GOP candidates.

Point of interest - Obama is going to be instrumental in choosing the next president of the US (who will not be a Republican). Whoever he gives the keys to his ground game election machine to is going to win.

Yes, that's the same ground game election machine that conservatives have been deriding for nearly a decade that was based on something else conservatives love to belittle;: the "community organizer" skills of candidate Obama.

And those are the same "community organizer" skills that Obama used to bury the GOP in 2 straight elections, soon to be 3. :-)

Looking forward to the next round of GOP "soul searching" as they try to figure out why they lost yet again in 2016, the answer to which is blatantly obvious and has been for years.

That's it - game over lights out for the GOP.

BTW, this election is most likely not going to be Bush vs. Clinton.

Trump's going to announce he's running soon, yet another sign that the Repugs have no idea what's good for America.

We all know what republicans are against - here's a shortlist:

Immigrants Women's rights The middle class The lower class The environment Mexicans Education Infrastructure Healthcare (Obamacare) for their own mothers Socialism Jobs bills Anyone who doesn't speak English  'Liberals' Anything Obama thinks, says and does except TPP, which will only enrich their fat cat handlers 

.......but what are they for?

Oh, hang on - we know that, too. Republicans' voting records show exactly what they are for:

A dirtier more polluted environment for everyone (including their mums, kids and grandkids) Exporting American jobs (via TPP) The elite 1% Supporting terrorism by launching more useless wars A deteriorating infrastructure that they refuse to fund Lower educational standards for all Americans Poisoned GMO food for all Americans to enjoy and share with the world Less freedoms for women Less freedoms for the LGBT community "Biblical science" Scientific research to study the planet, etc.

Bottom line here: if the GOP keeps putting up extremist, clown candidates, they're just gonna keep on losing.

They've been doing well in mid-terms of late, but when it comes time to step up to the big plate, they collapse. 

2016 is going to be no different.  

Only one group of people to blame for wrecking this man's life and those of the people he killed - bush and the other GOP war criminals who launched the war against a  country that was never a threat to the US.

WilliB, you think Clinton's going to win? Good luck with that.

No, after the entire GOP line-up do what they do best and implode one-by-one like fireworks, Hillary is likely to have been attacked by her rivals even while each of them is slowly sinking beneath the waves of failure. 

If she goes down with the ship, Elizabeth Warren will be ready and waiting to become the first female president of the United States.

As I said above, the GOP just never learns. They also never adapt, and are always boxed in by their own corrupt Christian-based ideology that doesn't tolerate the LGBT community, rejects Latino immigrants, marginalizes women, and ignores blacks.

They defeat themselves. 

Every time. 

It's hilarious. :-)

Jeb Bush ....yawn.....he will fail like all GOP candidates will in 2016.

It doesn't matter who they are - if the party continues to alienate blacks, women, Latinos and LGBT voters they will continue their losing streak.

The GOP alienated blacks, women, Latinos and LGBT voters in 2008 and got beat. They had a sit down, pumped out some reports and said they would do it differently in 2012 - and guess what? - they learned nothing and got beat again in 2012.

At present, there's no indication they won't make exactly the same mistake in 2016.

Some people just never learn.

I thank them for that. :-)

Only 11 years after millions of people worldwide protested against the oncoming Iraq invasion, bass4funk is finally seeing the light as to the epic screw-up the bush-GOP invasion was. 

Saddam knew the cultural, ethnic and tribal differences and boundaries between his country's tribes, and while not respecting all of them, he knew how to keep them apart.

In contrast, bush, cheney and co. rampaged in and shredded everything, unleashing hell that now conservatives like bass still blame Obama for, a president who didn't even vote for the war and who campaigned to get out, which he's almost done, except now, folks like John McCain - who supported the war - now want to exacerbate by sending more troops back in !! 

How insane are conservatives going to get??

One of Obama's greatest legacies is (as mentioned above) what he hasn't done: - 

No. New. Idiot. Wars.

That is absolutely awesome. 

And Obamacare, or "Giving a toss about Americans" - is also good, and yet conservatives criticize the president for both.

The real terrorists in America are conservatives - socially, fiscally and militarily.