Hanaguma

Isn't there a bit of irony in the free democracies defending a country that isn't one?

In other words, NABAT. Funny that your very first post in this discussion was: It's clear that there's a very strong case against him (Trump) for obstruction of Justice. Whereas in the Biden case, it's not at all clear that it was Biden who took these documents. In other words, NABAT.

This was an interesting and I thought rather evocative interview on a Canadian news show called "The Agenda". The guest is a native man who went from alcoholism to being a Crown prosecutor- he wants alcohol banned from all native reserves, as it used to be. Definitely worth a watch IMHO;

Much the same problem on isolated Indian Reserves and communities in Canada. It is dark and freezing cold for 6 months of the year, there is no economic base, people are going to do whatever it takes to get through the winter. Even off the reserves, heavy alcohol use among native Canadians is 60% higher than non natives.

Predictably, this discussion has turned into a "NABAT" festival- "Not As Bad As Trump". How about letting each situation rise and fall on its own merits?

They go together. His advice was based on his observations, which are questionable. From my observation and experience, the most important factor in child rearing success is ability in the Japanese language.

Thanks! No problem, I found it. See above.

Your quote does not appear in the article, which was written by a student for a job hunting website. ETA: I did find his article eventually. He gives terrible advice, telling parents to send their kids to international schools. Unaffordable for most people here and also again an expat choice. If you want your kids to go to university here, the international schools make it almost impossible to do so.

The government here could build fewer bridges to nowhere and trainlines to cities that don't need them. There is a lot of pork and duplication of activity at all levels of government. A lot of paper gets shuffled, printed, and disposed of that could easily be done online by far fewer staff. And, God forbid, perhaps a slight rise in taxes.

That is part of it. A big part is the corporate/business culture. There is a whole culture built around men as the warrior/businessman, devoting their heart and soul to Big Poppa Corporation. There are many government programs to encourage both men and women to take parental leave etc. but few men actually take advantage of them. There is a LOT of social pressure put on men to put work ahead of family. IMHO a much easier answer would be just to simply bribe people. Five hundred bucks a month per child would probably do it.

Actually these days many Japanese DO spend their golden years overseas- in places like Thailand. But they only do so if they can have services rendered in their mother tongue for the most part. And they would still draw their national pensions just as if they stayed home, and still are eligible for national health care benefits just as if they stated home. So exporting the oldsters really isn't a solution. It would not decrease the cost of their care in any appreciable way. As for wealth concentration, Japan is already quite egalitarian. If you look at the Gini Index, Japan ranks more towards equal than most other developed countries- on par with most European countries and better than the US/Canada/Oz. What do you mean by "redistribute the wealth" exactly? Have the government rob people at the point of a gun and give their wealth to others?

If you think Japanese women are subservient to their husbands, you haven't met very many Japanese women! (my wife included). Women run the consumer economy here nearly 100%. I think a lot would happily be stay home mothers if their husbands weren't worked to death by their employers.

Yes. It has happened to many of my friends, as well as (perhaps a random example) the fact that Miss Japan winners lately have been biracial. Other than that, there are many successful biracial ladies here.

The author is wrong. I have lived here more than twice as long as him, worked in the public school system, and sent my son through it as well. If anything, mixed kids get the superstar treatment. I suspect he lived a rather sheltered expat life in Tokyo, as do many international journalists.

Given the huge problems of public debt here, yes they do. More people are retiring and fewer people are paying into the social safety net. It is not a sustainable model. Perhaps not a quickly increasing population, but even a stable one, would make for a better future.

Yep, 15 million is a record for gun rights groups. But compare it to other lobbying efforts and it is a drop in the bucket. The health care lobby spent more than $500 million. Finance spent $450 million. https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/ranked-sectors So the gun nuts spent 3% of the largest lobby group. You really think this is a problem?

Well, the NRA is not a major player in lobbying according to Open Secrets. Care to flesh out your assertion a little? The NRA is the constant boogeyman and pales in comparison to Big Pharma or Big Business in lobbying.

I am sure thousands of men would be more than willing to volunteer! I did... still have my visa too. ...guess it works!

You are absolutely right. But the sad fact is that most Japanese would rather see their country slowly depopulate and keep its culture intact, rather than allow immigration and face the spectre of change. For most young people, having kids just isnt a priority. Companies basically have no accommodation for parents and their responsibililties. Women who get pregnant are 'encouraged' to retire, and men who ask for paternity leave are given the serious hairy eyeball.

Gotcha. So this is like "rape rape" being a different crime than "rape". Guess hatin' on the gays is racism now too... Hard to keep up with language these days. Silence is violence, words are violence too.

How is it racist to burn a religious text? Muslim is not a racial group. If someone burns a Bible, are they racist too?

Really? The "gun lobby" didn't even make the top twenty lobby groups according to this list. https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/top-spenders The NRA spent about $5 million. By contrast the US Chamber of Commerce and US Association of Realtors EACH spent more than $50 million.

Why would anyone want to live in such a country? Maybe you should ask the million people who naturalize every year. Or the 15 million plus who risked their safety to enter the same place illegally.

A shooting in a state with among the strictest gun laws in America. Chance of "a good guy with a gun" being present in California is probably the lowest in America. Watch the cameras evaporate if the suspect is, indeed, Asian in descent. Or perhaps he will be one of those dreaded "white Asians"...

The insanity is that the teacher warned the students about it, gave them time to decide whether or not to see the image, allowed them to choose to turn off their screens (it was an online class) and also told them when the image was gone so they could safely rejoin the class. And STILL someone managed to be offended. That takes a lot of effort on the part of the "victim". The threat is real though. The only solution is for all industries and academia to simply say "no more". Blasphemy laws do not apply in free countries. Those who demand them should be ridiculed and mocked mercilessly.