JAWing On – Life on Okinawa

It’s been a while since something has gotten under my skin enough to write about, but after over 25 years of this particular habit found on island – ugh!!!! And because this particular irritating habit is soooo common , I hate to say I can see where negative stereotyping comes from. What I am ranting about is the terrible habit of thinking a person knows everyone else’s business. Except for Taki, I’m nobody’s mother, wife, or babysitter. My relationships are just that – my relationships, and their relationships are just that – their relationships. Every family and personal relationship is different. I find gossip to be small-minded and don’t get into other people’s business. So, unless it involves me, if you’re looking for info on someone, go to the source and talk to that person and get out of my face!

I just found out that the Japanese writing that I so painstakingly translated for the Weekly Hogen☺” section doesn’t translate properly on my Japanese cell phone. Even though I used the Japanese IME for the written translation, all that appears on the Japanese cell phone is a bunch of garbledy goop. Trying to get the foreign written language to display properly is only one frustrating aspect of computing and being a native English language speaker in Japan. Why can’t the developers of computer languages agree upon one universal language so it translates properly no matter what system a person is using?

Local newspapers that use incidents of individuals to promote a political agenda. Recently, another male service member committed an appalling predatory act of molestation against another local elementary school girl. Once again local newspapers are using the incident to state an opinion on the military presence on island. Unlike this blog, which is based on personal experiences and observations of the past 32 years, I always felt that news agencies are supposed to print unbiased reports based on well-researched facts. The reality of the situation is there are thousands of Americans on island connected to the military bases in one way or another. The individuals who commit these heinous acts of aggression are limited in number. The persons who commit these types of behaviors are not representative of the population as a whole. These behaviors are not limited to only persons connected with the bases. I remember stories on a male Japanese tourist who was assaulting women in the tourist hotels a few years ago. And then there were the news reports of local males who also have committed assaults on local women, as well. As a woman, an American, and a resident of this island, I find the actions of the individuals who commit these crimes disgusting and offensive. But to tag a political agenda on the end of an incomplete story only fuels disharmony in the community based on misinformation. If a newspaper wants to be biased and print a political agenda instead of all of the facts, it should state on the newspaper which political party it is affiliated with.

If you can believe this, other business owners who are in the same business expect you to post ads for their business in your establishment (in the name of friendship at that). C’mon, does McDonald’s post fliers for KFC? Would you? This is the type of thing that one faces as a business owner on Okinawa, or maybe just a business person who has with a foreign wife! Or possibly it’s just the type of “friends” one has.

The local version of the mile high club. The difference between a real jet and Live Music Bar JET is there is only one stall for women to use the facilities. So when a couple decides to do the cheap version of the mile high club, they are being inconsiderate of every other female in the club. Besides, if a woman wants to be a ****, don’t give it away-at least make him pay for a room (or something)!

As I’ve mentioned before, there is limited parking space on Okinawa. Sometimes it is almost impossible to avoid parking on the side of a street and semi-blocking traffic. But is it really necessary to block traffic when there is an available parking space just a few feet, sometimes inches, away from the road?

Let’s face it, who really likes brown-nosing? To me it’s just as bad as when someone has to constantly use antics to get negative attention. If someone is “all that” their talent, actions, and words will be complimentary, not conflictive, and shine through!

Although I have only been using the internet for a few years, one thing I have noticed that occurs frequently is the large number of outdated or unmaintained web pages. This type of information might be great when one is doing a research project. However, only finding information that is six or seven years old in the top returns of the search doesn’t do very much in expediting the process if one is hunting for current information Shouldn’t there be an archive section on search engines for web pages that are older than six months old? That way people who are not looking for current info can hunt the advanced search section. And whose responsibility is it to make sure the info being provided is as current as possible? Is it the search engine’s or the webpage author/master’s? Doesn’t providing an outdated search result increase the possibility of unscrupulous persons or organizations of using false information as a means of projecting a false image of current events to unwitting viewers? Shouldn’t there be a penalty for web pages that fail to provide a “last updated” statement in the ranking system no matter how many links are connected to the site. After all is there a current system that proves when the links were last utilized? The bottom line is most people are looking for the most current and accurate information when they do web searches. By failing to provide a system that ensures the links being provided in the top results of a search meet the requirement of an active site, the engines are falling short of the goal.

Since there really isn’t a pet peeve on a weekly basis that hasn’t been discussed previously, I will be posting peeves as they occur. Accordingly, the name of this category is being changed from Really!!!© – Pet Peeve of the Week to Really!!!© – Pet Peeve.