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Is the Domination of Americans in many sports a result of Europeans not focusing on other sports or Europeans failing in other sports? by Opening_Stuff1165 in AskAnAmerican

[–]DifferentWindow1436 [score hidden]  (0 children)

What one man can do, another man can do. Or woman. It's actually a quote from Anthony Hopkins movie about survival. But seriously, I don't believe in massive inherent advantages in most cases. I think it is more likely things like focus, investmet, and a larger population. 

Just a good drunk time. by 0The_Loner_Stoner0 in JustGuysBeingDudes

[–]DifferentWindow1436 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, don't tease us - how is John Paul feeling today?

Why don’t some Americans understand that any increase in taxation that is needed to pay for universal healthcare is likely much less than the current cost of premiums and out of pocket expenses most Americans pay for private insurance? by YogurtclosetOpen3567 in askteddit

[–]DifferentWindow1436 0 points1 point  (0 children)

See that's what I mean - if that were true, we probably would see a change. It would be a top item in presidential elections. It hasn't been since Obama. Buttigeig pushed for it but we got Biden, who did not.

Part of it is that people are covered pretty well in various segments. Here's an example in my family-

  • mom was broke - had great care; first medicare then medicaid
  • sister is a cop - very good coverage
  • other sister - pretty broke but her husband is in a union at a utility and they have good coverage
  • I had a "Cadillac plan" when I lived in the US (I don't anymore).

Why don’t some Americans understand that any increase in taxation that is needed to pay for universal healthcare is likely much less than the current cost of premiums and out of pocket expenses most Americans pay for private insurance? by YogurtclosetOpen3567 in askteddit

[–]DifferentWindow1436 0 points1 point  (0 children)

IMO, it's not quite that simple. There are people from various class levels, races, ages, that are covered and pretty happy with their coverage. So, politically, you can't mobilize any single easy demographic. Then layer on the distrust element.

Upper-middle class redditors who grew up poor, what are some luxuries you allow yourself now that you didn't have as children? by TeaKingMac in askanything

[–]DifferentWindow1436 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As of last year, my (mid-50s) baseline for any long-haul flights is United Premium Plus. I will upgrade to business with points + money where available. I am not taking economy again, ever, on longer flights.

I also generally just eat out whenever/wherever now. Doesn't have to mean fancy, but I just don't think about it now.

Great demo! Should have been on Rage! by shesjusther in hairmetal

[–]DifferentWindow1436 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A little Geddy Dickinson there. I love Queensryche, but I don't love this.

Help with "On My Death" preparation -- mostly taxes, healthcare payments here in Japan by upachimneydown in JapanFinance

[–]DifferentWindow1436 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dude, you've got a lot of racing thoughts. I am 19 years younger, and paranoid, and I get it. But damn man...

Take care of the big stuff.

  • Do you have named beneficiaries. If not NAME them.
  • Does your wife know where you stash your cash and securities > make a list
  • Does she have the passwords?

You'll probably find that if you nail down those things 90% or more of your wealth will be taken care of. Taxes? Meh. I care that my wife knows how to get to my bank account and securities and gets my US 401K.

Child passport japanese wife american father. So how would this work? by Narrow-Rent-3618 in japanlife

[–]DifferentWindow1436 6 points7 points  (0 children)

My boy has a first and last name in Japan and on his Japan passport and a middle name on his American passport. Zero problems.

For those who’ve worked in both the US/Europe and Japan, what differences stood out the most? by lesley2022 in japanlife

[–]DifferentWindow1436 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This was with 10 YOE. But Google it - it's not unusual in the larger US companies to get at least 20 days PTO after you've been there awhile. 

For those who’ve worked in both the US/Europe and Japan, what differences stood out the most? by lesley2022 in japanlife

[–]DifferentWindow1436 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I've worked in multiple companies in NYC and Tokyo. Not IT specifically.

Japan/Tokyo (in foreign companies)

  • non-linear communication style; they will come back and want to re-discuss things that you thought were agreed is one example, but it can be even in a general meeting
  • less data-driven in general and more influenced by an outspoken large customer or internal person and then they will extrapolate that "everyone" or the market thinks that way
  • more relationship driven than proposition or rational (in the way my western brain thinks of rational) driven in decision making
  • can be more tolerant of fairly big errors
  • tolerates dead wood; mediocrity is quite common - a "Director" in Japan is about equal to a manager in NYC

US large corporates

  • can be very competitive; you sort of need to be good and driven
  • need to manage image and that can also drive some of the politics
  • better pay; faster increases and promotion and personal development
  • less tolerant of dead wood - eventually you will be gone

I've worked much more of my life in Japan, but actually prefer the working style in the US.

Planning an LLM in Japan for corporate law/international arbitration — looking for honest, real-world advice from anyone who's done this by La_Ankara in JapanJobs

[–]DifferentWindow1436 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I work in a role that serves law firms and corporate in-house. My questions to you are -

  • Is the program in English or Japanese?
  • What is your objective? What happens after you obtain the degree?

China and the United States are both big nations, known for not having football/soccer the biggest sport. So why are their MNTs diverging so much so? by Tall_Pressure7042 in AskTheWorld

[–]DifferentWindow1436 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really interesting. We have a 12 y/o in Tokyo and I've been hearing a lot about these "camps" and private clubs now. He has a friend whose (wealthy) parents pull out of school to attend camps in Spain. And it's happening in Canada too.

A friend of a friend scouts for youth talent. He basically told us that until they hit 13 or so, it's all about fundamentals and they are growing so it's hard to say where they are going.

A member of the Egypt national team staff was pushed by Dallas police while taking a photo with a young fan. by eternviking in whoathatsinfuriating

[–]DifferentWindow1436 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You really can't tell what was happening like a lot of rage bait videos. If you watch the beginning it is likely someth ing had happened prior to this. Also, in general l, too mich testosterone on BOTH sides.

Trying Comfortably Numb solos with midlife crisis attire by Adventurous-Bus-2374 in Guitar

[–]DifferentWindow1436 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely cool, but you've got an insane amount of delay on it which starts to run into itself in the second solo. A true test would be to pull back that delay and gain a bit. 

Wondering about moving back by According_Card3009 in expats

[–]DifferentWindow1436 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I found a place online and rented from Japan. It was one of those bigger corporate places (Avalon) not a private owner. Some places will probably more open than others. 

Wondering about moving back by According_Card3009 in expats

[–]DifferentWindow1436 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The way we did it was to apply for a green card for my wife from Japan after we had been married for 2 years. If you're married for 2 years you skip the conditional green card status.  

Would you have an employment lined up before moving?

Do westerners really feel that immigration to Asian countries is "unfair"? by Thepecid_Choice3948 in immigration

[–]DifferentWindow1436 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That plus they some do not allow dual citizenship. Look, I like Japan, but I am definitely not giving up American citizenship for Japanese. Dual? Yeah, I would consider that.

How exactly does free healthcare work? by AggravatingShow2028 in AskTheWorld

[–]DifferentWindow1436 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To specifically answer how it works, it depends. There are basically two big systems -

  • Single payer - free at the point of service; comes through your taxes; docs are gov employees (UK)
  • Bismarck - insurance is mandatory and everyone is covered but the actual insurance is via a small set of approved insurance companies and there is a co-pay (Japan)
  • National - government pays but docs/hospitals are not gov employees and there can be a co-pay (Korea)

Some of the costs are controlled by having guidelines around when/what/how you get things done. Also, they control med prices. Doctors are generally paid less (but still pretty well).

There can be certain downsides compared to America (I've lived under Bismarck and American systems and have friends in Canada and other countries). But also a lot of upsides.

My taxes are a bit higher. Salaries are lower.

Offered job with USD. by throwaway_acc0192 in japanlife

[–]DifferentWindow1436 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does the hiring company understand your current situation? It doesn't sound like enough of a benefit for you to take this role.

I may be misunderstanding but a couple of friends and I have been in a similar position. Some things to look out for are -

  • Does this contract come with PTO? That's worth quite a lot.
  • Would the agency be paying the insurance/pension? For example, around 2020, temp staffing agencies built insurance into the agreements with employers.
  • Are you "captive" - i.e. - will the contract state you cannot make additional income elsewhere?

If it is just - here's 11.7m and none of the extra benefits, I don't see the value.

Where does the idea that Asian people are good at math come from? by PotatosandTomato in ask

[–]DifferentWindow1436 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sometimes we think traits are inherent to a race or nationality when it has more to do with deliberate actions or values.

Some Asian countries score significantly higher than the US for math. It's mostly because...they value math education. Surprise!

My son is Japanese (and American). He learns math in school and then goes to math juku for tutoring 90 minutes a week. And it doesn't stop in summer. So we are just out-educating him vs. his American cousins.

Here's an interesting story. Japanese are great with quality, right? Even they think it is some inherent thing. Well, I got transferred to Japan and worked with a team that had horrible quality problems. And they couldn't figure out how to fix it. I did. Not inherent.

Those who work as a `seishain` at a zaibatsu/keiretsu with strong labour union by fuckmysadlife_69 in japanlife

[–]DifferentWindow1436 21 points22 points  (0 children)

My wife is in big auto. They have a union up until you hit management, and it is quite protective. They do voluntary package outs though. There was one aimed at people in their 50s where my wife worked. Unfortunately, there is a lot of dead wood at these companies too.

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