dmacleod comments

Let’s get real for a second. Inflation did spike under Biden—but acting like it wasn’t caused by a global pandemic, broken supply chains, and a war in Ukraine is just ignoring reality. Every major economy saw inflation, not just the U.S. You think Trump would've magically avoided global economic fallout?

Also, you say “eggs cost 67% more”—yeah, in early 2023 due to an avian flu outbreak that wiped out millions of chickens. That had nothing to do with fiscal policy.

Gas prices? They peaked in mid-2022 because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, then dropped significantly. By late 2023, they were lower than during parts of Trump’s term—remember 2018?

Your point about wages and employment is straight-up false. Real wages have grown in the past year as inflation cooled. Unemployment has been under 4% for over two years—that didn’t happen under Trump, even before COVID. More people are working now than ever before in U.S. history.

So yeah, the economy took hits—but pretending we weren’t recovering or that people weren’t struggling under Trump before COVID hit is revisionist at best. Want to criticize policy? Cool, but at least be honest about the context.

No matter what he does, after he complete his studies, he will always lead a sheltered life. Going to Tsukuba University will be nothing more than a short respite from the tedium of the daily lives of the Imperial Family, but it's all pretty much meaningless in the end. Think about it: After he gets out, will he have to find a real job like normal people, or will he just return to the cushy life in Akasaka and perfom "duties" until one day, he might become the next emperor? The fact is, members of the Imperial Family don't have to worry about their lives after going through the motions after high school while trying to somehow project the image that they have to struggle like everyone else after their university lives are over. Ask yourselves these questions: Do they have to job hunt and get a real job? Will they really be independent? Does it really matter if they go to college or not? Does an imperial position require a college degree? In other words, what's the point here?

Yeah, like a phone call is going to somehow change things. This is nothing more than performative theatre on the Japanese government's part that will change absolutely nothing. Perhaps looking at what the new Canadian Prime MInister had to say would be a better approach? Grow a spine!

Nope--having Type-2 diabetes has its advantages: no rice, bread, pasta, or junk food. Yeah, some vegetables are a little more expensive, but other options like chicken, pork, and tofu remain affordable.

 DJT constantly reminded voters he started no new wars his first term, only President since probably Ford. Reagan was close, had only minor CIA backed coups in Central & South America . . .

Factually incorrect. That president was Jimmy Carter.

"Facts matter"

The company is called "U.S. Steel" for a reason. As much as I don't want to say this, both Biden and Trump got this one right. This is more than just a simple "business deal." I'll take the union workers' opinions on this "deal" over their management interests any day, so U.S. Steel should either turn things around on their own or fail--that's the capitalist way. Oh, and Trump supporters are missing a big marketing opportunity here by not selling "Stop the Steel" hats--think of the revenue that you could give back to U.S. Steel (then again, maybe not).

I agree. I'm firmly against the national holiday system. This year, I left Japan well before shogatsu and am returning well afterward. That's the way to do it."

Wouldn't it be nice if everyone in Japan had the same employment conditions that you did where they could leave "well before Shogatsu and return afterward"? The fact is, many don't. Too bad that you didn't factor these realities into your post.

What a stupid waste of money. The people who grossly over-paid for this fish could have done the following:

(1) Paid their workers a fair wage calculated with respect to the current inflation rate.

(2) Reinvested their profits into improving their restaurants' equipment, infrastructure, or expanding their franchises.

(3) Broadened their choices on their menus since not everyone loves over-priced tuna.

Let the intellectually lazy "thumbs down" without a counter-argument begin . . .

What's Charlie Brown's dog doing in the spy business? Perhaps you mean "snooping"?

NewgirlintownToday 02:25 am JST :"How about putting our pay up by 2.7%?!" and how does that help? Where are these figures coming from?

You don't "climb" Mt. Fuji--you hike it. The question is incorrect since there is a big difference between mountain climbing and hiking.

Mountain climbing is a more strenuous and risky activity. It involves scaling steep and often vertical rock formations or peaks where climbers need to use equipment such as ropes, harnesses, and carabiners. When was the last time that anyone needed these things to get to the top of Mt. Fjui?

Hiking, on the other hand, involves walking or trekking through rugged or hilly terrain. It does not often require specialized gear or technical skills, which is why just about anyone who can walk can make it to the top of Mt. Fuji.

As far as the fees go, yes, hiking or climbing any mountain in Japan should be required, especially since there are many people who have to be rescued during the year because some of them are not prepared to make their journey. They should also be required to carry GPS devices which should require them to put a 10,000 yen deposit and then get it back once they return.

In true Orwellian fashion, previous accurate reporting on the EPA site was memory-holed.

You grabbed this from a site talking about data compiled from the U.S. about temperature conditions in the U.S. during the 1930's but chose to say that the EPA did not keep records about Japan!

Go back and read the article which states that the data cited in this article was collected from Japanese record-keeping and not from the U.S.

In my 27 years of living here, I've never had a problem with them. Maybe I'm just lucky.

"Retirement: It's nice to get out of the rat race, but you have to learn to get along with less cheese."

--Gene Perret

This summer has been awful. I honestly think we are going to have to start wearing those "Stillsuits" that the Fremen wear from "Dune" because there are times where I think I am on Arrakis rather than Earth. In fact, I fully expect some giant worms to pop out of my neighbor's garden after the next earthquake.

" The earth has actually become cooler over the past eight years, shown by the fact that the Antarctic ice has grown thicker."

Demonstrably false!

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/12/21/fact-check-arctic-antarctic-ice-didnt-reach-record-highs-2021/6503500001/

“Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.”

― Charles de Gaulle

I use it as a plagarism checker.  

I also told my students that if they are going to use ChatGPT to do their assignments that I was going to use Chat GPT to grade them.  

'Nuff said. . .

Making

Accountability

Great

Again

"Nutcracker Suite" by the Brian Setzer Orchestra

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" - Andy Williams

"Happy Holidays" - Andy Williams

"Holly Jolly Christmas" - Burl Ives

"Please Come Home for Christmas" - The Eagles

"Sleigh Ride" - Johnny A.

"Feliz Navidad" - Jose Feliciano

"2000 Miles" - The Pretenders

"Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You" - Billy Squire

"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" - Rubber Band (a Beatles Tribute Band)

"I Believe in Father Christmas" - Greg Lake

"The Nutrocker" - Emerson, Lake & Palmer

The entire "Carpenters Christmas" album

Several of the electronics store chains such as Edion have collection boxes for batteries and other electronic devices near their entrances.

Charles Dickens put it best:

"There are many things from which I might have derived good by which I have not profited, I dare say," returned the nephew, "Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas-time, when it has come round-apart from... the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that-as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!"

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol. Speech by Scrooge's nephew, Fred.

Elf

A Christmas Carol - 1999 (Patrick Stewart)

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (original - 1966)

Polar Express

"Night of the Meek" ("Twilight Zone" episode - 1960)

Tom and Jerry - "A Night Before Christmas" (1941)

President Trump was helping make progress on the abductee issue because North Korea respected him.

Please provide some concrete examples of this "progress." I'm sure that the families of the abductees would like to see it.

The Olympic games will bring Delta Coronavirus strain Covid-19 into the country.

It's already here.

https://japantoday.com/category/tokyo-2020-olympics/Ugandan-team-member-arriving-in-Tokyo-had-Delta-coronavirus-variant

What crime organization, the lawyers from the 2nd District of NY couldn’t even prove it, they had 30 years to prove it and couldn’t, but we know, just give them a little more time, eh?

Time to refresh your memory then. In 2016, prosecutors from New York had Trump's fraudulent "Trump University" shut down, and he was forced to pay $25 million dollars in restitution. In 2018, Trump's so-called "Charity" was also closed down, and he had to pay various organizations 2 million dollars--and those are just two examples.

More will follow . . .

Despite the massive American media censorship, the majority of Americans insist on a forensic audit, seven months later.

How about providing some actual evidence for this claim. The only "majority" you are going to find is going to be among die-hard Trump loyalists and other hyper-partisans.

If Democrats are confident they won an honest election, why are they so desperate to stop the audit?

Democrats and others want to stop the Arizona-style "Fraudit" from continuing. Many audits of the election results were done after the election (and quite a few by Republican-led auditing committees), and no fraud was ever found. You cannot hand over federal election ballots to crazy partisan groups like the "Cyber Ninjas" and expect to get any credible results. The sad fact is, Trump supporters will never be happy until they get the results that they want--no matter what the evidence is to the contrary, and that is dangerous for democracy.

Because I wasn't addressing your point, I was commenting and making my point.

Then why bother highlighting and then commenting on my post?

Liberals don't want to talk about opposing viewpoints I get it, the coin "doesn't" have twin heads.

Someday, I hope that you will outgrow the tired "liberal this" argument. People don't want to talk to others who continually engage in bad faith arguments--no matter what political side you are on.

The officer that the Dems have dragged his name through the mud and we still haven't seen 5 hours of video that hasn't been released to the public which every American is entitled which makes it seem more suspicious as to why the Federal government and the DOJ are not transparent, but at the same time it answers the question as to why these people weren't charged with Insurrection and that seems to be that a charge like that wouldn't pass the test and would have to be legally thrown out because that incident carries a trespassing charge and that's it.

I haven't read a stream-of-consciousness screed like this since Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury." However, no matter how you try to dismiss it, there's plenty of video of Trump supporters assaulting police officers that day--and until some of them stand trial for what they did, you cannot simply point to a "tresspassing charge" that one person just got off on who wasn't charged with assaulting a police officer.

Neither do you, but I'm not buying what the MSM has been trying to force down our throats. I will make that decision whom to believe, no one else.

And I never claimed that I did! However, I know what I saw on January 6, and from what I've been reading about all of the Republican-led voter suppression laws and threats to election officials by Trump supporters, I'd say that my grasp of reality far exceeds yours.

But when Dems do it, it's ok? Why? 

There you go again . . . "but , but, but." I'm for getting rid of all gerrymandering by any party. Can you say the same? Ditto for the other provisions in the "For the People Act" as well as the "John Lewis Voting Rights Bill." How about sending a link that is not an opinion piece but instead just giving your own thoughts--or is that too much to ask?

I also made a comment on a PUBLIC FORUM.

Unfortunately, that comment did not address my point.

But Dems didn't heed that same advice 4 years ago, just an hour after Trump was sworn in, the NYT headline read "the Impeachment begins" and for 4 long years it was resistance all the way. So it was basically ok to oppose the former President, but not this one?

"But, but, but...." more "whataboutism" from you--typical. The difference here is, democrats did not rile up their supporters to storm the House and Senate which resulted in deaths of police officers, now did they? They also didn't try to pass over 250 voter supression bills like the current Republican-controlled states are doing, now did they?

We know what happened, we're not obsessed with this the way the left is, 

No, you don't know what happened, and it's been proven time and time again. Not obsessed? Explain all of the voter supression legislation and more calls for the Arizona-style "Fraudit" circuses by nut-fudge grifters and their Republican enablers in state after Republican-controlled state.

Well, that's the left's position, not the right and the right will continue to talk about it 

So, I guess the right is obsessed with it after all. Nice contradiction!

And we feel the opposite about the current party that will stop at nothing to make the nation a one-party system, that won't happen

Who is "we"? The only party that is trying to make a one-party system is the Republicans with their gerrymandering, voter suppression laws, and takeover of voting by state legislatures. What hypocrisy!

Actually, he was and it was trending his way and then all of a sudden, the counting stopped for a bit and then it started up again, and then for some odd reason more ballots came in and it went late into the night and counting stopped until the next day (that's the msm reporting even though there were staff counting) and the rest just went all over the place after that, then when everything resumed, Biden was ahead miraculously, interesting.

I commented on this earlier in this thread. Obviously, you missed it or just chose to ignore it.

All Americans have to right to question anything they feel odd or something they feel that is undermining their political way of life. If you are going to afford the right to liberal pundits to take on and challenge people on the right, then the left needs to reciprocate as well.

And then there comes a time when you have to stop questioning something just because you don't like how things turned out, especially when it results in something like the attack on Washington on January 6. If not, it's up to the free press to call out and expose those who continue to spread lies and misinformation as well as their enablers in the government.

Just after the election and all the way up to President Biden's inauguration, Republicans had over 60 court challenges to various election results in states and lost them all, so no, their voices were heard and their arguments were rejected--some by Republican-appointed judges. Many audits were also conducted by GOP election officials in states like Georgia, and no fraud was found. Just the other day, the Michigan GOP put out the following report. You can read it here:

https://news.yahoo.com/gop-led-michigan-committee-found-201519501.html

So, it's way past the time to put this nonsense like the Arizona "Fraudit" to rest. The Michigan GOP said it best when they called for criminal investigations into those who continue to perpetuate this fraud, and I hope that the free press continues to shine a spotlight on those who are determined to destroy democracy in an attempt at holding on to power at any cost.