HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: k3amichi@student.business.uwo.ca (Kentaro Nakamichi)
Subject: Re: D O E S   A M E R I C A   S A Y   Y E S   T O   J A P A N ?
Organization: University of Western Ontario
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 00:41:45 GMT

baden@inqmind.bison.mb.ca (Baden de Bari) writes:

>         I know that at the high-school level, that Japanese are about one 
> year ahead in their education... that is not to say that they are anymore 
> intelligent than Canadians or Americans.  Another LARGE factor is the 
> social structure in North America.  If you look at the way the average 
> person is brought up here compared to in Japan, you will see that our 
> discipline basically BITES.  They are 'programmed' to act and behave in a 
> certain manner the rest of their lives, which is how it's been done for 
> centuries... (ug)  But it really has to do with study time.  Most people 
> in North America seem to think that they can just get by with 'ample' 
> studying time, etc.  This ample time does not exist for the Japanese, so 
> on, so forth...  North American's test scores can be just as high if not 
> higher with the proper study habbits/time.

Considering that the Japanese get almost no summer vacation and attend 
juku fot part, they should probably be about 5 years ahead instead of 
just one.  Maybe North Americans are a lot brighter :-)

I'm of the opinion that how much work one does in Grade 3 really doesn't 
have a strong correlation to performance later on in academic life or in 
the job market.  If anything, I'd want to see people with a backbone.

k3amichi@student.business.uwo.ca (Kentaro Nakamichi)
Western Business School  --  London, Ontario
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: cmr@world.std.com (Charles M Richmond)
Subject: Re: Texas Southern University marching band in To^kyo^
Organization: Integrated International Systems Corp. One Longfellow Place, Suite 3309, Boston, Ma.
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 04:02:27 GMT

dwwillia@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (David Williams) writes:


>Charles Richmond very kindly pointed out to me that the Japanese condemning
>black people for the behavior of these students is racist and that it is wrong
>for me to find comfort in the racism of others.  I see my error now.  So,
>I am now officially mad as hell again.  Maybe a little wiser about racism too.

>My purely emotional reaction to the news changed when I figured out that they
>are black students.  In my effort to intelectualize the reason for the change
>I decided that it must be because my reputation as a gaijin was not tarnished
>to the degree I thought.  Now, I wonder if that was entirely it.  Being
>a non-racist requires more than careful thought, it takes self-examination
>and occasionally help from others.

>However, I am not so politically correct that I can blame their behavior
>entirely on the American system.  I believe that people can control
>their own lives.  The best thing I learned when I was in Tokyo was what it
>is like to be a minority.  For once in my life I held no prerogative.  Granted
>this is just an eye opener, and not a lifetime of abuse by a hostile system,
>but from it I judge each of them corrupt.  Descent people work for what they
>want.  Intelligent people appreciate and respect foreign countries.  How
>could 120 people be so ignorant of themselves and the country they were
>visiting? 


Anyone who can come forward publicly as Williams-san has shows both courage
and good character. 

Charlie

-- 
*****************************************************************************
*  Charles Richmond 	Integrated International Systems Corporation        *
*  cmr@world.std.com	(Temporary) cmr@koneko.shr.dec.com		    *
*  Specializing in UNIX, X, Image Processing, and Communications.           *
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: jwb@capek.rdt.monash.edu.au (Jim Breen)
Subject: Re: Picking on Canadians (Was: PEN-PAL WANTED)
Organization: Monash University, Melb., Australia.
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 22:01:01 GMT

s-ko@cibbs.UUCP writes:
>jwb@capek.rdt.monash.edu.au (Jim Breen) writes:
>> s-ko@cibbs.UUCP writes:
>> >Hey! I'm Canadian!  Don't get us Candians mixed with Americans!
>> 
>> Well if you insist on copying their accents, and driving on the wrong
>> side of the road, and not playing cricket, ......, what do you expect?

>Wrong side of the road?  Well since your on the bottom side of the planet 
>and you invert that to the top side like we in north american then 
>wouldn't you be right side up?  So then really we're on the right  if you 
>were in Canada.  Make sense?  

Good to know that sophistry is alive and well among Candians.

-- 
Jim Breen                           JIS:$B%8%`!!%V%j!<%s(J
Department of Robotics & Digital Technology. Monash University. 
PO Box 197 Caulfield East VIC 3145 Australia (ph) +61 3 573 2552 
(fax) +61 3 573 2345  AARNet/Internet:jwb@capek.rdt.monash.edu.au
From: jcliu@four-lab4.Berkeley.EDU (James C. Liu)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: D O E S   A M E R I C A   S A Y   Y E S   T O   J A P A N ?
Date: 14 Dec 1992 17:32:10 GMT
Organization: UC Berkeley Dept. of Nuclear Engineering
NNTP-Posting-Host: four-lab4.berkeley.edu

In article <1992Dec14.114326.5718@sun0.urz.uni-heidelberg.de> y41@aix320a.urz.uni-heidelberg.de (Jeffrey Hazelwood) writes:

>Smittie, you missed the point of the argument.  Everyone says the system is
[stuff deleted]
>aren't cool.  Tell an American how much the average Japanese studies and the 
>response will likely be, "What a bunch of nerds...". That's why a very large
>proportion of the research done in America is done by foreigners.  The question
>ought to be, How can we make the average American student study more
>efficiently and devote more time to studies in general?  Instead of....how
>much more money can we spend? Why are are teachers lousy?.....$$$$$$

1st point:  Yoooo!  Smittie!  Welcome back!

2nd point:  right on Jeffrey-san!  I've always had the notion that with
the California public education system, I could manage it for 30% less
than what their spending now, AND increase test scores.  Cuts can be
made at the sacrifice of class size, groundskeeping, textbooks, capital
equipment and administration.  Then the message has to be sent out that
parents have to take more responsibility for their kids, the kids have
to learn not to vandalize the school, and groundskeeping and classroom
cleaning should be as done in Asia, by the students.  Sorry for the
union custodians...we can't afford your labour!  Textbooks, need to be
kept in good condition or else the parents will be charged for the text
and students suspended or expelled.  I know it sounds draconian, but you
need solutions...don't say it can't be done until you try...

the majime na James
=======================================================================
James C. Liu |    KARAOKE Addict!     Karaoke: You're the STAR!!!!    |
             |    Wanna go? Need someone who sings worse than you do? |
             |    Know about a cool karaoke bar? send e-mail          |
=======================================================================
From: SFLEWIS@GENVAX.COMPUTER-CENTRE.POLY-OF-WALES.AC.UK (Stuart Lewis - Dept. of Computer Studies - 44 443 482242)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: (none)
Date: 16 Dec 92 15:17:54 GMT
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu


   I am planning to come to Japan around July 1993 and stay until September
   1994. If you have any position you could offer me either full or part
   time  during the above period I would to pleased to receive further
   details and explore possibilities.  I can supply a full curriculum vitae
   on request. To briefly summarize, I am a senior lecturer in Computer
   Studies and my skills are in the area of computer systems, software
   engineering, various programming languages and I also have some
   experience teaching English as a foreign language. My prefered locations
   within Japan are Niigata, Kita Kyushu or Tokyo although I am prepared to
   consider others.

   Any help, advice or contacts for other possible employers will be greatly
   appreciated.

   Please contact me for further details if required.

   		Stuart Lewis
   		Computer Studies Dept.
           	University of Glamorgan
   		Pontypridd
   		Mid Glamorgan
   		CF37 1DL

   e-mail SFLEWIS@UK.AC.POW.GENVAX

   Telephone	(44+443) 480480 ext. 2242 (work)
   		(44+443) 482242 (direct line)
      		(44+222) 489189 (home)

   Thank you 
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan,alt.sex,soc.culture.usa,soc.culture.african.american,sci.electronics,misc.consumers,misc.education,misc.entrepreneurs
From: underdog@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dwight Joe)
Subject: Re: DOES AMERICA SAY YES TO JAPAN? - Off track!!
Organization: Miners for a Heart of Gold
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 92 21:02:05 GMT

In article <1992Dec17.151058.20274@oakhill.sps.mot.com>
rvkl60@aus18a25.sps.mot.com (Tom Mathes) writes:
>In article <1992Dec17.085537.11269@leland.Stanford.EDU>
>underdog@leland.Stanford.EDU (Dwight Joe) writes:
>>Remember early 1980's?
>>That was the year when Silicon Valley firms were touting themselves as 
>>invincible against Japanese trade barriers; they claimed that they were
>>so competitve that they could beat 'em Japanese even with the barriers.
>>They claimed that all this hollering about barriers (from Detroit) was
>>much too much noise about nothing at all.
>>The American automobile companies were viewed rather haughtily by 
>>"mighty" Silicon Valley.
>>Well.  Well.  It's 1990.  I recall that several Silicon Valley companies
>>endorsed President Clinton because he is willing to save them from the
>>onslaught of unfair Japanese competition.
>As one working in the semiconductor biz, I agree with your analysis
>for the most part.  What we want, though, is not protection at home,
>but access to the market there.

Oops.  I hope that I did not verbally blunder here.

I believe in free trade; I support the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA).  However, by "protection", I meant precisely what Mr. Mathes
suggests--free and _FAIR_ access to overseas markets and _NOT_ protection
at home.

I did not mean "protection" in the sense of "protecting weak and failing
companies" (like the French strategy to save their main computer company).
I did mean "protection" in the sense of "retaliating for unfair trade
barriers overseas"; however, if an American company is losing to a foreign
company whose home nation _does_ _maintain_ fair access to its markets,
then the American gov't should basically do nothing to protect that American
company.

------------------------------------------------------------------+------------
Jinsei no imi wa nan desu ka.                Sister, can you      |   \|  |`
Shitte itara oshiete kuremasen ka.           spare a coin?        |    | -+-
                                                                  |   /| / \
Copyright 1992.  Disclaimer:  1 + 1 = 3                           |
------------------------------------------------------------------+------------
Xref: sparky soc.culture.japan:12227 alt.sex:39420 soc.culture.usa:9142 soc.culture.african.american:12808 sci.electronics:20575 misc.consumers:20539 misc.education:5173 misc.entrepreneurs:3578
From: elg@elgamy.jpunix.com (Eric Lee Green)
Date: 10 Dec 92 19:41:35 CDT
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan,soc.culture.asian.america,alt.sex,soc.culture.usa,soc.culture.african.american,sci.electronics,misc.consumers,misc.education,misc.entrepreneurs
Subject: Re: D O E S   A M E R I C A   S A Y   Y E S   T O   J A P A N ?
Distribution: world
Organization: Eric's Amiga 2000 @ Home

From article <1992Dec9.205405.18741@fcom.cc.utah.edu>, by freier@mail.physics.utah.edu (rodney james freier):
> I don't think there's anything genetic or inherent going on.... their culture and
> their education system are just more effective in producing well educated
                                                              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> (I really hate that term.... any alternatives?) people.

How about "well indoctrinated" people?

--
 Eric Lee Green  elg@elgamy.jpunix.com   Dodson Elementary
 (713) 664-6446                             Houston, TX
                "Kids are kids, no matter what"
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: username@leland.Stanford.EDU (Chad Iverson)
Subject: Re: The Beauty of Hangul: A few National Living Teasures...
Summary: What on earth?!?
Organization: DSG, Stanford University, CA 94305, USA
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 92 17:56:31 GMT



	Rikiya Asano writes:
>Ladies and Gentleman,
>
>     I would like to extend my dedication to the Nation of North Ko-ryu and
>to In-Ho Shin. This is also a personal dedication to Mark Choi who
>showed me the warmth of friendship and confidence.
>
>
>The Beauty of Hangul: A few National Living Teasures- Ko-ryuan style! Part One
> [Possibly interesting, but certainly irrelevent stuff deleted]

Of all the arguments I've heard for Mr. Asano to tone down his 5-10 posts/day
pace, how about this one:  only _rarely_ do they have _anything_ to do with
Japanese culture!  Without the secondary debate regarding whether
or not Mr. Asano is, in fact, Japanese, I can't really think of any reason
for his posts to clutter this group as they do.  Mr. Asano spends far too much
time ragging on the evil white man and effusively praising all other cultures.
I'm bored stiff.  Take it to the appropriate group, or better yet to email.
I, for one, have had enough of alt.rascist.riKKKi.tirade-and-response...

Chad
username@leland.stanford.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: yoichi@carson.u.washington.edu (Yoichi Ii)
Subject: Re: strange beverages
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 08:56:40 GMT

robohen@ocf.berkeley.edu (Henry Robertson) writes:
>Midori is a color that is recognized only in postwar Japan.  Before that,
>the poor diet of Japanese caused mass color blindness between blue and
>green :). 

I don't know about the "poor diet" bit but it is true that older people
don't seem to distinguish ao(blue) and midori(green).  To them both are
ao.  It's not to say that they are incapable of distinguishing the colors.
My grandfather knows "green" but he doesn't bother to give two colors
different names.  Phrase like "ao ao to shita kusaki" (verdant greenery)
seems to indicate that this ao-midori thing goes deeper.  Also there's
(at least) two kanjis for ao.

>This is why they still insist that their signals are red, yellow, and blue.

If you look at it closely, the "green" light in Jp traffic light is indeed
blue.  Also the lights are always aligned in horizontal fashion.

>As for the case of the violin prodigy, is that her real name, or for 
>the green bow in her hair that brings out the hazel flecks in her 
>half-ish eyes so well?

Well, you know, a beautiful, long, flowing black hair is sometimes
described as "Midori no kuro-kami" ("The green, black hair").  Honest!
I'm not making this up!

>She performed here the other day, actually.  I have known several other
>lesser violin-dwarves in my time, but the problem is that stage presence
>has an inverse proportionality to age, an increasing factor.

She looks young, but how old is she exactly? 20?

Xref: sparky soc.culture.japan:12175 alt.sex:39335 soc.culture.usa:9117 soc.culture.african.american:12769 sci.electronics:20519 misc.consumers:20492 misc.education:5150 misc.entrepreneurs:3564
From: wheelusc@sunrise.cse.fau.edu (Charles Wheelus)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan,soc.culture.asian.america,alt.sex,soc.culture.usa,soc.culture.african.american,sci.electronics,misc.consumers,misc.education,misc.entrepreneurs
Subject: Re: D O E S   A M E R I C A   S A Y   Y E S   T O   J A P A N ?
Date: 11 Dec 92 20:32:30 GMT
Organization: Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton

In article <1992Dec9.185154.14428@mtu.edu>, cmwolf@mtu.edu (christopher m. wolf) writes:
|> harkcom@spinach.pa.yokogawa.co.jp (Alton Harkcom) writes:
|> > =} In this era, a well educated country may be more
|> > =} powerful than a well armed world.
|> >
|> >   I totally agree.
|> 
|> We constantly hear that the "japenese" are smarter than Americans based on theirtest scores.  Has anyone ever compared the tests?
|> 

Come on we ALL know that test scores have very little to do with intelligence :)

--
	Charles Wheelus
	wheelusc@sol.cse.fau.edu
From: jcliu@four-lab4.Berkeley.EDU (James C. Liu)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: D O E S A M E R I C A S A Y Y E S T O J A P A N ?
Date: 11 Dec 1992 19:02:22 GMT
Organization: UC Berkeley Dept. of Nuclear Engineering
NNTP-Posting-Host: four-lab4.berkeley.edu
Keywords: Bad Spelling

In article <Bz3utp.5G5@ncifcrf.gov> masuda@fcs280b.ncifcrf.gov (Michiaki Masuda) writes:

  >In article <1g82c9INN1lj@agate.berkeley.edu> jcliu@four-lab4.
  >Berkeley.EDU (James C. Liu) writes:

    >>Louis Vetton Hand bags, $9.47 a bottle Clos Du Bois 1989 Merlot,
    > ^^^^^^^^^^^^
    >>nado, nado, make America a really fun and AFFORDABLE place to enjoy life
    >>in.

  >Yappari neeee. I thought that $35 is too cheap for a Louis Vuitton bag...
  >Doesn't the casette player have the brand name "SOMY"? If someone finds
  >"Spermy" on your Topsiders, that would be embarrassing...B-)
  >
  >--Michiaki

Gomen.  I spelled it wrong...The bag is the GENUINE article.  The
cassette player is from Matsushita (Panasonic), like my $399 Fax
machine, and they are real Sperry's, except, now, the place is selling
Bass shoes and not Sperry's anymore.  You just need to know how, where,
and when to shop.  Why pay full price?  This is America!  The only 2
exceptions to this rule of lower American prices that I know are in bicycle
components (gruppos and individual components - Tokyu Hanzu is cheaper
than even mail order in America) and Japanese CD's and LaserDiscs.  

Jaa, James
=======================================================================
James C. Liu |    KARAOKE Addict!     Karaoke: You're the STAR!!!!    |
             |    Wanna go? Need someone who sings worse than you do? |
             |    Know about a cool karaoke bar? send e-mail          |
=======================================================================
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: ntetsuya@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Nishimura)
Subject: Re: What would you want as souvenir from Japan?
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 09:00:16 GMT
Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO  80523

In article <1gop2dINN9v@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> cb522@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Cathy Atwood) writes:
>
>This may be a strange choice for a gift, but Japanese toothpicks
>(which have unusual carved shape at one end, point at the other)
>have proved to be popular when I've brought them from Japan.
>They are also inexpensive, and light and small for carrying!
>Cathy

	Yeah, this is true.  My landlady, who is a Japanese and has been in the
	US for more than 30 years, owns a shop which deals with something 
	Japanese or oriental.  Occasionally some people come look for the
	Japanese tooth picks all the way from Cheyenne, Wyoming, which is about
	40 miles away from here.


					Tetsuya Nishimura

	(BTW, I would rather call the shop "zakka-ya." :-)
	(Well, I think I'm sure that the landlady has no access to the net...)

Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: kmadden@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Karen T Madden)
Subject: brush/ink set
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 16:07:34 GMT

Last year my sister visited Japan and brought back what appears to be a 
Japanese brush/ink set. She gave this to me as a gift, but I don't know how to 
use it. There is a small brush, the handle of which comes in two pieces. There 
is also a small, black, rectangular-shaped block. I think this is ink, but it
looks and feels alot like plastic. I think there is also a small dish--is this
for holding the ink? I'm not sure what to do with all of this, but it is very
beautiful, and I would like very much to learn about it--both the history and
the technique. I would appreciate any information, especially by e-mail.

Thank you,
Karen
madden.14@ous.edu
-- 
"The Ohio State University: where they say you
 aren't just a number, and then assign you one."
From: yoichi@carson.u.washington.edu (Yoichi Ii)
Subject: Re: Not a Myth at All
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 17:02:48 GMT

jcliu@euler.Berkeley.EDU (James C. Liu - Nucl. Engin. UC Berkeley) writes:
>Another thing specific mostly to Japanese gals, is motion of the hand
>over the mouth prior to and during a giggle, which is most appealing
>and cute, but usually a let down because behind the hand is some
>pretty horrible dental work.  

Not so much "horrible" dental work, but rather the lack of it.  It's 
still not common for people to get braces in Japan (for cosmetic
purposes).

>A close encounter usually brings back nightmares of Sigourney Weaver 
>as Lt. Ripley in the movie Aliens. 8-).

To me, a mouth full of braces looks more like the alien creature.
Japanese girls' mouth is more like the ones of vampire-infected women
in "Bram Stoker's Dracula". :-)  Yae-ba, and all that.

>I guess, one man's dog bite is a another man's kiss.

Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 16:23:00 -0500 
From: Rikiya Asano <ra01+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Texas Southern University marching band in To^kyo^
	<BzCnu5.ECv@world.std.com>

Friends, 


                 As I have written before somewhere, I think that this
incident was unique! Japanese Youths do the samethings. As well as young
people all over the world. I noticed in America that products from
Nippon are from 6 months to 1 year late.  Those kids probably got overly
excitied at the
"new shit" that they saw and lost control. TSU is not poor. And, their
educational/academic level is satifactory. On a scale of 1 to 10, the
student are a ten.{they can steal and con the police at the same time}.
In my opinoin, they should be invited back to attend a more extented
cultural exchange. This is the first time that I ever heard of a large
number of "brothers" coming to Nippon. If they gave a proformance it was
worth in.

TSU is bigger that Tokyo University. And, I might add that the
factilites at this University are outstanding. I'm a CMU Master CE. I
have serious doubt as to the majority of this newsgroups mathematical
abilities myself. You all should not put down these black kids. The
White people that have been coming to Nippon have been giving Black
Americans a black name anyway. It is a motherfucking shame that these
kids are so poor that they would trade their dignity for a few thousand
dollars,  a cheap radio! I have never seen such heartly basters as
You!!!! We should be saying(as humans, and for those of you who are
plastic Americans) this is a shame- on all of us. "What's needed here is
knowledge not scolding and crit". You talk about these kids but.. and I
don't want to bring this back up.. but a department forged my signature
which in turn caused me to pay almost $ 10,000 dallars Motherfu*ckers.
So, this ain't sh*it! Here! keep the change!
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan,soc.culture.asian.america,soc.culture.usa,soc.culture.african.american,misc.consumers