whitepocky comments

By no means do I like Blair, but unfortunately his best legacy, the Northern Ireland Peace Process will be tarred by his actions of 2003.

Then tear of them denims, throw yer nikes in the trash, turn off yer rock music, stop using products via "mass production", give up plastics- silicon- velcro, food labeling-packaging-inspection laws, never go to a movie again, hope and pray you or any of your relatives ever needs emergency medical care- or worse yet a transplant, best head on over to North Korea, Cuba, or Zimbabwe if you think they offer a better form of government and leadership, and most of all... stop using the damn internet- it's just another "hypocritical American invention" anyway !

Hmm, interesting. Some of the things you stated are by no means 'American'. Velcro was invented by a Swiss, www. by an Englishmen. Will you tell us next, that Henry Ford invented the automobile, IBM the computer? I seem to recollect that Adi Dassler and his brother were making footwear far before Nike even hit the market.

As much as I 'hate' the US, that country has contributed more, both good and bad than most countries on the planet put together, to the world.

What an absolute idiotic comment that is! Are you seriously suggesting that America has contributed more than the ancient Romans/Greeks, and closer to date, the Chinese, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, French and British, to name a few. The way our society runs today was pretty much orchestrated by these countries. E.g. The Dutch created the banking system as we know it today, along with the first publicly traded shares of the Dutch Indian Trading Company. Don't even consider comparing America to the Britain in the way it managed to ascertain it's authority under it's empire.

With the exception to some of the excellent products to come out of Silicon valley, I'm struggling to find anything that America does exceptionally well, bar being a hypocrite!

Pet hate about the language is when the traditional word is substituted for a loan word. i.e. ジャンプする - what ever is wrong with 跳ぶ? Any phrase with the word 'get' in it...

On the contrary, saw a guy in Australia a few years back with '台所' tattooed on his neck. What a pleb!

Good point ! Because there was NOTHING ! . . .LOL . . just another GM marketing strategy backfiring . . . . . . Stats show that complaints @ Toyota hit 1500 in January 2010 ( just mass hysteria) and plunged to neglible figures of @ 100 In July

No doubt because the daggers have moved over to BP.

Wrong my friend, Iniesta was offside the first time, before he got the ball, but hey see what you wanna see.

The new offside rule states that for a player to be interfering with play, he must be a) impairing the view of the goalkeeper, or b) actually touch the ball. Hence, as I said before, Iniesta was not offside as the initial pass never reached him and he was not impairing the vision of the goalie.

A quick check at Graham Poll's report in the Daily Mail, under assitants, will confirm this for you: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2010/article-1293926/GRAHAM-POLLS-WORLD-CUP-OFFICIAL-LINE-Tetchy-final-impossible-Howard-Webb-shine.html?ITO=1490

approved a goal which was clearly offside

Take your head out of the sand and look at it properly. Iniesta was a full yard onside! Webb's only fault was not sending off De Jong for his Bruce Lee style kick on Alonso.

Seriously though - I'm English, and our game was over the second Lampard's goal was disallowed.

The game was never in dispute Ironbeard. Based on previous performances, England were poor and deserved what they got!

As for the use of technology, video replays is not the way to go. Simple technology that would prevent the stopping of the game would kerb the most erroneous decisions made by referees. Hawk-eye, as used in tennis would be ideal as it's instantaneous.

As for players diving and pretending they have been uppercut by another player, this would be eradicated overnight if the football association's had the balls to overturn major decisions through the appeal process.

FIFA should put it to the vote on their website and see what happens.

Seeing as the IFAB have the final say on all matters, for which all the home nations are represented with a vote each, I don't foresee any changes in the near future! Only England & Scotland have pushed heavily for the use of technology in football.

too much photoshop ?

Users of photoshop learn how to master the program. A photographer will learn how to master the camera and their subject. No one knows whether the photographer used Photoshop for this calendar, however it's rather harsh to tarnish all with the same brush.

the calendar pic doesnt look anything like her, how much photoshop went in to that i wonder

diggerdog, every photographer worth his salt knows how to 'capture' a good shot without the use of Photoshop!

Ishihara scrubs up very nicely, however she looks damned fine without make-up in my book!

Police believe all three men were foreign, two of whom were about 160 cm and 175 cm tall and wearing T-shirts.

Sherlock Holmes in disguise.

I don't really think it comes down to manners. If and when you meet somebody in person, I'd be quite shocked if they weren't polite and/or considerate. End of the day, they only mirror the who they are relating to.

I s'pose you could put it down to the fact that people of today are just taking advantage of what they can get their hands on. Be it free treats from the supermarket or bustling for that elusive train seat. It's dog-eat-dog out there my friends!!

Agree that society is going to the dumps, however on the return flight back to Japan after a holiday a few weeks back, it dawned on me how self centred some Japanese can be. Even my wife had a snipe, which is kind of out of character.

Uh, yea. These companies received bailouts during the worst modern crisis and now have their companies moving along. Now you cut the pay from what they are promised? Of course they are leaving.

azzassa, they were promised nothing, just to remain in business. Talk about taking from the hand that feeds the mouth. They should have left months ago, with a boot behind their backside for poor performance.

Bottom line, if she knew she was pregnant (and how could she not?), she should have gone to a hospital to give birth

Given the high costs involved with giving birth here in Japan, I don't think that is a valid comment.

sad, sad, sad!

here are more hit and runs here than any other country i've lived in

neverknow2 explained why this is. The law is not on the driver's side!!

The government should have awareness information regarding this subject.

It's hardly rocket science sfip330. Any loving, caring parent wouldn't leave their little ones to fend for themselves whilst feeding their addiction. The problem lies in the social ills of seeking help for addictions and mental problems. I imagine this case is one where the mother uses her pachinko addiction to divert her away from other problems.

Well done mighty US of A!! You've created a fantastic 'DIPLOMATIC' country for all to appreciate and imitate.

I can imagine that the majority of the parents on this board would have done the same thing. To protect your child from danger, even if it endangers yourself, is a high priority. The sad thing is, this could happen to any one of us on our visits out.

Prevention, prevention. It shocks me how badly behaved the Japanese are around water.

While this may be true, the story gives away very little about how the boy ended up in the water.

How many thousands more will die before someone respected and in power finally steps up and says, "My fellow Japanese, what are we DOING?"

I don't think such a person exists!!

Considering most airlines pay for their oil up front, and oil prices a few months back were around the $50 range, why does ANA stipulate it's now going to charge us. Stop trying to pull the wool over our eyes for your incompetency. I will make sure my yen never lines the pockets of such incompetent fools. Particularly when there are many more better carriers here in the Asian region.

Parents don't teach them...

That's because they rely on the education system to do it for them. Absolutely no common sense whatsoever.

And now we see the landlords struggling with low occupancy rates.

Reap what you sow fat cats!

The issue reverberates around the issue of saving face, something all of us know about living here in Japan. The government keeps the door open in order to save face with the UN and other nations, yet slams it shut once the foreign community arrives. This is not simply a race issue, even Japanese nationals who were born overseas can be discriminated against.

Why is JT promoting a named individual here?

...because the said named individual granted access to the auctions!

the public strictly forbidden<

Exactly how much information can you gain from this exactly. It lists the very basics only!!! You'd still need a professional opinion of the cars condition/history.

Maryhinge, thanks for the link. Gives a bit more details into the auctions.

I had to rely on family sending me stuff from England, subscription to a book club, etc. Cost me a bomb.

Exactly the same as what I do now. Research the books online and get my brother to buy them from the shops and post them over. Most books here are American English. They usually come with a CD too, with some twit attempting to narrate it. In order to access good books, best order direct. Costs me a bomb too, ordering in bulk every six months keeps costs down, it's well worth it!

I know that it's the dad who is working and there is little other English input. The wealthier have international schools etc. to help them along of course, so getting bilingual kids is easier for them.

Reading is the key here, not DVD's or TV programmes. TV is mind numbing. Use your time wisely and interact properly with your tykes for maximum exposure. Get a book and spend lots of quality time together. You should be aiming to spend at least an hour every night with your little ones. I get through three or four books a night personally, and not only does the little tykes vocabulary grow, it's a great introduction to reading. After a while you will find that they will be able to finish the entire sentence through memorisation. Alternatively, you should use picture books and get them to explain to you what is happening in the picture. You can fill in the blanks and assist where need be.

I know an acquaintance who grew up in Moscow, Russia until the age of 18, who then went onto university in the UK. He now speaks with a well spoken British accent. Granted his parents were both English, however the fact his mum and dad had a large library from which they encouraged him to read was the key to his development. He said so himself. Given the motivation and tools to develop, they will, end of!!

Just wanted to add my sixpence to the argument. Our sons English ability, aged 4, is quite breathtaking. From a native speakers point-of-view, there are times when it is not grammatically correct, however his timing is impeccable. Reading the situation and knowing what to say at that specific time, means that he is really in tune with not only the language, but the culture behind the language. FYI, I am British, and he can be at times quite sarcastic in his comments.

In regards to the L and R patterns in Japanese, I have found that if my son, or wife for that matter, speaks in a non-cognitive way, the correct pronunciation of each syllable will naturally flow. This is true of general conversation. On the contrary, when he's asked to slow it down and think about his pronunciation, some words can get sloppy. My particular pet hate of the increasing number of gairaigo that the local nurseries are teaching kids does not help matters. Typical words such as lion, or raion, is one that springs to mind. Not that I worry too much, though my wife will beg to differ, as these can be ironed out when teaching how to read and write.

As for when to speak which language, I feel it is key for the home to be immersed in the non-dominent language. This means that, in the case of our son, he naturally speaks in English to both me and my wife whether in the home or not. He does not mish mash his language and he is comfortable speaking in either. Though he is part of the Japanese educational system, his English ability is most probably on a par, if not superior to his Japanese.

Lastly, commenting on what Cleo mentioned earlier, I heard him say to grandma once that daddy would like 'koppu no kocha'. Clearly a direct translation of 'a cup of tea'. Quite amusing really! Though only 4yrs old, he also understands that he has the edge over his friends. It's not uncommon for him to throw English phrases to his peers, in a way mocking them for not understanding him. I've also heard from his teachers that he likes to do this to them too, amused by the puzzled looks that come his way.

I think the best thing about the whole experience though, is the ability for our children to naturally absorb the language and use it in the correct way, timing and manner. Something that hours and hours of teaching will never achieve!