TheDonald comments

This is what happens to people when they get uber rich - they lose their hunger to perform.

Who has that ever happened to? lol.

Usually fame and riches are addicting things that keep you trying to stay in the spotlight and on stage well into your 40s.. ages after you've lost the talent that made you famous to begin with.

I can't see Utada losing her singing voice or doing something to ruin her success even by that time, but I'm glad she isn't indignant or desperate enough to try and go that road.

She obviously is one star who knows when to hold 'em and knows when to fold 'em. There's a lot of artists who just might want to do the same.

And sorry for the muti-posting, the "smart" filter drove me mad trying to figure out what in that whole speech was "potentially offensive". As it turns out, it was just an ellipses that the filter didnt like..

I think a lot of people just couldn't understand her work and that's why people in the west didn't appreciate it as much.. that or we're far too desensitized by the mediocre music that's too often made here to know it when a real artist comes. One or the other. I will admit her creative style is one you have to be pretty familiar with to get it. But it definitely is deep and legitimate and well thought out, every time she makes something.

All this being said, it breaks my heart to see this one go, though not nearly as bad as it would to see her career crashing down because of personal drama, infamy or other cool stuff that fame usually leads people into. I have thoroughly enjoyed her music, almost from her very beginning and it will definitely be missed.. by me.

I definitely wish her good luck in the rest of her life's endeavors and I hope she pursues them as well as she did music. I am glad to see her music era end with grace and on a good note.

I didn't enjoy everything she released post-U.S debut but I will definitely tell you that this woman is a classic previous to that, the likes of which is few and far between and some of her later U.S. releases were at least reminiscent of her best style and time. She was also one of those artists who actually could sing without studio help... if those even exist anymore.

Anyway, she did say a number of years ago she'd quit music after a time and go on to something else. She planned to do that ages ago. I guess now she's cashing in on it. I guess I'm one of the only Americans who appreciates this woman's entire musical career.

I take it most of you are people who've only heard of her since she came here to the U.S. and for that reason I forgive all the writing her off as just another Japanese pop artist.. though I have to tell you, it offends my eyes to read that.

Question for all the Palin haters:

Did you think John Kerry's vice presidential running mate John Edwards was a good choice? Yeah? Then how come y'all can be considered to be qualified to judge Sarah Palin?

Because she's an idiot. Very simply. This is a content-of-character judgment. Not more. Not less.

And also because John McCain picked her purely to pander American women into voting for him. Because she is a woman. Because Hilary lost and he thought he could rake in all the butt-hurt feminist voters who really wished for a Madame president, this time around. Any woman with active brain cells should have seen right through this & been capitally insulted by the gesture.

She makes no sense whatsoever, accept for when she stands there. In those cruel and unusual moments between the opening and closing of her mouth (accept maybe for Todd Palin..), migraines activate, Jesus cries, small children also cry. And veteran reporters punished by being assigned to listen to it.. contemplate suicide.

If you can listen to her speak and not suffer from either an aneurysm, or a fit of nonsense-induced rage.. then not only do you deserve a medal but I wish to know where you acquired your vaccination.

If you can listen to her a glean from it a coherent expression of coherent, original and/or factual thought, then I demand to know which Rosetta Stone volume showed you the way.

I think they've simply gotten bored trying to catch him in the act of f***ing up on something.

They media is just dying to uncover some adultery or.. laundering or.. international cover-up so they can call it Obama-gate and feast on it for the next year.

But since he isn't giving them anything, just yet, they rather sink teeth into the fact he doesn't want to make the wrong moves with domestic and war policy.

I thought we agreed, as a nation, we'd had quite enough of both?

As I recall, thinking about what you do before you do it lands a man in good graces and good places, regardless of the context.

As I also recall, in every respect possible, the US is in positions where mis-steps may result in a compromise in the integrity of the union, not unlike the Soviets ran head-on into.

If he makes the wrong domestic economic moves, which the bottom line facts don't really say he has, we fall apart economically and people dissent.

If he makes the wrong moves in our current overseas commitments, we end up overextending, overstaying and not streamlining in order to get the job done and go.

These are decisions and balances few people can or should make in snap motions. He might still make wrong moves but I doubt they will be so thoroughly wrong as what we've all very recently seen.

I very much suggest we let the president decide on his move. I also suggest we defer our concerns to our own age old wisdoms about patience, about haste, about the glory of thinking about what you do before you do it.

All our lives we're taught and we live these lessons.. so why conveniently forget them now, because the media is bored and wants more politician flesh to feed on?

The bottom line seems to be they just want him to do something.. and be in the complete wrong. Now they're bored because he absolutely wont.

I agree, watching chess players who are any good is boring. But, at the end, the more patient and more calculated player prospers. The one who panics or gives in to intimidation, or simply compromises his intellect for speed usually regrets it, upon losing.

Let's not forget the media thrives on impatience, sound bytes, context disembowelment and anything else that gets attention. The more attention they have, the more they benefit from it.

Let's also not forget that we exist in the real world which thrives, as a whole and individually, on principals which are polar opposite; patience, thorough detail, comprehension and so forth.

The only people who should be disappointed are those who expected quick fixes and superman-like actions.

The government just needs a proactive plan for the people they let in. Every country desired destination does, because I think the reality is that no developed place is ever going to stop being the sought after destination for people looking for opportunity. And the cycle has been.. in Britain, Japan, America and elsewhere.. people come.. in droves, some of them.. the government coddles them with either a planless asylum.. or free this and free that.. meanwhile the domestic population builds up a resentment both for the foreigners and for the policy that provides for them.

Instead, these places need some sort of systematic determination of how these people will hit the ground running, and it should be based on things the host country needs more of, without literally taking from the hands and the opportunities already scarce among the citizenship.

That's just my thought, though. You can't answer this problem by closing borders because then everyone calls you xenophobic and reclusive.. and you can't answer it by welcoming everyone and doing your utmost to accommodate anyone who wants to come as if you have infinite resources to do so, without making use of them.

"I apologize for causing trouble. I would like now to do my best to be able to improve my game".

For a country that is supposedly so advanced, it is so emotionally way behind. To be embarrassed because you were caught out in the open with a new boyfriend, it just so lame it itself is so embarrassing. How many times have we seen simlar articles on JT with someone making a silly comment like because they don't know how to handle the situation.

I think her apology is for the lapse in discipline that she herself must know she's exhibited. Not for being caught having a life.

we are talking about a country where abortion is the common birth control and teens think it's normal to catch an STD.

Which country is that? You just described a dozen countries, in the first world, alone, (albeit including Japan).

We thought it wasn't a problem for us, too, until those sailors and their constituents brought it to the states, and our science woke up and smelt the roses about this virus and what the implications were.

That's to be expected when you're new to a disease, as a country.

Is bush going to glue all the drawers in the oval office shut as Clinton is reported to have done for him?

Nah, Clinton didn't do that. He just didn't find out there were drawers until the 3rd month :p.

So.. lemme get this straight.. Palin gets to have a field day taking a "lipstick on a pig" metaphor out of context ..but no one dares ask her what she means callling him a terrorist (cuz of an association from.. his.. ancient history to someone.. at a point before they were even an ecoterrorist).. and no one says much.

Also.. isn't she the one who tried tusseling biden about looking back instead of forward.. only to rifle through Obama's yearbook and find this guy xD. Next she'll be talking about that outfit he wore while in Kenya.

Seriously, though. The guy denounces the activities of said associates (he's only got Micheal, and his parents left un denounced, at this point). Big deal. He's a former colleague of someone who blew up some grass.. meanwhile, you married a successionist. Who cares? Neither person matters.

Talk about your positions on the issues, Sarah, and say them in your own words, if you please.

He won't flash the judge unless he intends to call his member to the witness stand to testify :D.

Anyhow.. there is no reason why a guy would do that, anymore than there's a good reason people rape or streak or murder. That's all a lack of self control, and you will find this in any hyper-accelerated society.

I dunno what to say about why he didn't get foot-spammed in the groin, because he almost certainly would've had that happen, where I'm from. It could be that she was stunned or feeling close to that, and nobody does what they would think to do if they have the time when caught off guard, or maybe she was offended/intimidated entirely too much.

I could be wrong, but from what I've been told, the JP woman at large doesn't really go through their day with a defense mode or a self defense protocol.. which I also understand is being changed in a few ways. That could be why he went away from that totally uninjured :D.

@ ca1ic0cat: He is attempting (rather fruitlessly, at this point) to turn the table on the view of his irrational policy the last few years, no doubt in an effort to stop it from reflecting on the rest of his party members, most likely so people can stop seeing John McCain as a spitten image of him, policy wise.

What I find funny is that back in 04, he harped mercilessly on JFK's changing positions (actually he just repeated the statement that he changes, like a broken take recorder or a brainlagged R-tard, and the crowds ate it up for some reason) and now this.

At least its.. some sign of accountability, since he's trying to cleanup the (political) mess(?).

@ zurcronium: It is? Most people here use the term "liberal" to mean clueless kid who probably doesn't know any better than to go with what's popular. They use that term to say we're a ragtag party with too much inconsistency to be taken seriously.

Despite the fact that for the last 8 years and in almost every conservative administration before that since the end of the second world war, that cluelessness and ragtag decision making has been seen more than speculated, concurrently, liberalism is what's popularly given that stigma... or at least this is what I've seen as I've gone about life living in mostly conservative, and yes real-live bush supporter inhabited neighborhoods.

Wow, you guys are total germophobes lol. Looks like they're having a day at the pool to me.. no different than at any other pool site.. probably no better or worse.

That is one beautiful woman. Nuff said.

lmfao @ Joe: I really think it is about time they re-examine things on that note, also. I mean, on the one hand.. they DO prove to the world that you can be a woefully underarmed nation in the midst and bombing range of half a dozen countries who hate you.. and still be relatively safe.

At the same time, it's kind of a national indignity that's gone on long enough.

From what I can see, the SDF has to start taking itself seriously if ti expects the Japanese perspective boys and girls too. Enough with the cartoons and songs and dance. Make with the parades, or annual arms displays or something. Every other country does it ..and that's how they maintain young enthusiasm in enlisting.

For every country that whines about it, screw them. All of them are guilty of the same or worse type of things to someone else at some point and it doesn't matter if it was 200 years ago.. it counts if somethin 50 years ago does :D.

Personally, if I were one of those Tokyo string bean boys, I'd join up just for the excercise and the ability to shoot things, not have much of a chance at getting killed and be able to help in one of my country's all too frequent natural disaster related emergencies.

To me its all the better than I don't have to be a weapon of policy, like most soldiers are today.

All they had to do was get a permit first... tsk tsk. Nice ball drop on the producer's part.