Jason Ball

@LINEjp_official LINEさん、送信したメッセージを10分以内だけでも編集できる機能をお願いします！

Hey @Klarna - you guys bought @StocardApp @Stocard and it’s been notifying me to ‘Take a moment to love your cards over’ but then no instructions how. Just opens the Stocard app. Help redirects to a Klarna 404 page!

@truthseeker0779 Yes, Queensland. Southern Gold Coast. Their website says all green, but Downdetector.com.au tells another story!

Anyone else in Australia having issues with their NBN? Looks like QLD is out. Anyone else?

@MugiwaraKenshin @TrumpDailyPosts Well said. Pity most Trump supporters won’t read it and those that do won’t believe it won’t comprehend it. Sad.

Trade deficits are not inherently bad. They reflect consumer choice and a strong dollar. Americans import more because they can afford to, and many U.S. companies produce high-value services and intellectual property that don’t show up in trade goods numbers. Focusing only on goods while ignoring services skews the narrative. Trade deficits are not inherently bad. They reflect consumer choice and a strong dollar. Americans import more because they can afford to, and many U.S. companies produce high-value services and intellectual property that don’t show up in trade goods numbers. Focusing only on goods while ignoring services skews the narrative. Yes, tariff revenue is collected—but from U.S. importers, not foreign countries. These are taxes paid by American businesses, which then pass the cost onto American consumers. It’s misleading to frame this as “revenue from other countries.” It's a tax burden on U.S. citizens. Not for small businesses, farmers, or consumers. Since Trump’s first wave of tariffs in 2018, costs for goods like steel, washing machines, and electronics surged. The 2018–2019 tariffs slowed GDP growth and caused job losses in industries that rely on global supply chains. The overall U.S. trade deficit reached record highs under Biden in 2022 due to high demand post-COVID, a strong dollar, and supply chain normalization. Any temporary “surplus” with individual countries is driven by global trends, not presidential policies. You can't reverse macroeconomic trade balances overnight without unintended consequences. Policies like sweeping tariffs can destabilize industries, tank markets, and harm diplomatic relationships. The last time this kind of economic nationalism was tried at scale (Smoot-Hawley Act, 1930s), it contributed to the Great Depression. Tariffs in reality, disrupt markets, create uncertainty, and hurt long-term competitiveness. They do nothing to bring back lost manufacturing jobs, which are mostly gone due to automation—not trade. Unemployment rate (as of March 2025): 3.9% — historically low. Forcing a transition to manufacturing, which is less flexible and more automated today, makes little economic sense. Service sector vs manufacturing: The U.S. economy is driven by high-paying services in tech, finance, healthcare, and logistics. Manufacturing jobs today are lower-paying, less secure, and shrinking due to automation. Tariffs increase costs for American businesses: They rely on global supply chains. Increased costs make U.S. exports less competitive. Consumer confidence: Tariffs raise prices. Inflation tied to tariffs can erode confidence, lower spending, and lead to recession. Historical precedent: The last major use of tariffs in a downturn—Smoot-Hawley—contributed to global economic collapse.

We have massive Financial Deficits with China, the European Union, and many others. The only way this problem can be cured is with TARIFFS, which are now bringing Tens of Billions of Dollars into the U.S.A. They are already in effect, and a beautiful thing to behold. The Surplus with these Countries has grown during the “Presidency” of Sleepy Joe Biden. We are going to reverse it, and reverse it QUICKLY. Some day people will realize that Tariffs, for the United States of America, are a very beautiful thing! Donald Trump Truth Social 04/06/25 07:20 PM

@TrumpDailyPosts Anyone approaching retirement age or in it in the US has been fxxked by this nonsense. Their quality of life will drop painfully for the foreseeable future. Make Americans broke again? Was that the plan?

On TODAY from 12pm JST #dropin #audioonly #Business + #Work + #Japan | #Networking #042 #Event by #BusinessInJapan Mon, Apr 7, 12:00 PM-1:00 PM JST On the BIJ #Discord discord.com/events/1089906…

𝗕𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗧𝗼𝗸𝘆𝗼: 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 #𝟯 & 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗻𝗸𝗮𝗶❗ 📅 31st Jan (Fri) from 6:00 PM JST~ 📍 #Shinagawa @Spaceworks, #Tokyo 💴 2500 yen (includes Food, Alcoholic & Soft drinks) businessinjapan.doorkeeper.jp/events/180976

[BIJ Event] Friday, Jan 31, 6pm~ 𝗕𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗧𝗼𝗸𝘆𝗼: 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 #𝟬𝟬𝟯 & 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗻𝗸𝗮𝗶! Spaces Shinagawa ¥2,500: Food & drinks, alcoholic & non! RSVP please: businessinjapan.doorkeeper.jp/events/180976

With a certain amount of trepidation, I'm posting this open letter to @elonmusk, someone I have admired, but who, right now, is causing me concern. I know I'm not alone in thinking these thoughts. Please like or repost if you're willing... And Elon, if you're listening, please know this is offered in a constructive spirit. ----- Dear Elon, A thought hit me this morning. On top of all your achievements in technology and entrepreneurship, you have become this century's single most influential writer.  You have more than 200 million followers on a powerful platform that you yourself control. And the words that you write flow well beyond just those followers into almost every user of X and far beyond courtesy of extensive media coverage.   This makes Rupert Murdoch at his prime seem inconsequential. It must feel exhilarating. You made a huge gamble buying Twitter and it seems to have paid off spectacularly to the point that you can use it to massively impact the world, including changing governments.  You believe that X can largely replace most mainstream media. It is the new platform for citizen journalism, and you are citizen number 1.  You don’t need the hassle of editors and fact-checkers. Every single thing you post garners millions of likes and reposts. In a heartbeat you can change the global conversation.  No one in history has had this much power. So there’s a lot at stake here, and, as it happens, journalism is something I care deeply about. I began my career as a journalist because I believed that good journalism was essential for the healthy functioning of democracy. Today I am worried — quite deeply worried, actually — that in your triumphant seizing of the global conversation, some of the core tenets of journalism are being forgotten. Without them, I think your efforts to make X the respected home of citizen journalism will fail. There are numerous journalistic principles that matter — Grok can summarize them quite nicely. But there’s one in particular that’s been troubling me. It’s the fairness doctrine. The one that says that before you publish savagely critical claims about an individual, or an institution, you reach out to them for their side of the story. After all, just possibly, you may have missed a key fact or two that would change how people assess what has happened. Just possibly your sources were motivated to cause damage to that individual. Just possibly there’s an alternative explanation of what happened. So, for example, when you tell hundreds of millions of people that someone should be hanged or jailed for outrageous crimes against humanity, just possibly you should first sound out what those who know those people really well would say about them. Some of your recent posts could literally get someone killed. Do you really want to risk that? How is it possible that you can do this at the very same time that you’re calling on people to make X more positive, more beautiful?  You say you want to maximize un-regretted user-seconds on X.  By far the simplest way you could do this, Elon, is simply to thoughtfully edit what you yourself post. I get that from your eyes the issues you are championing are unbelievably important and worthy of extreme efforts. But the way you are presenting them is not citizen journalism. It's playground bullying. It’s crass and it’s cruel, and it’s therefore not nearly as effective as it could be.  You’re hearing the cheers of your most loyal followers, but missing the fact you’re making yourself a laughing stock among many who you really want on your side. Long-term that’s going to damage X, your other businesses, and indeed your long-term dreams for humanity.  No one wants to follow a playground bully to Mars. I miss the old Elon. You can be funny, interesting, insightful and inspiring. You've fought incredibly hard for what you've built. And you may feel you're entitled to do whatever the hell you want with it. But I also know that you understand the danger of holding too tightly to the ring of power, how it can distort someone's judgement and turn them ugly. I’m hoping you can loosen that ring just a little. For the love of humanity that you profess, I really urge you to embrace the fairness doctrine and showcase a better face of X. Thanks for listening. Chris

@TEDchris @elonmusk Um, well said. Obviously. Thank you.

@jakepaul Well technically she is born a woman and identifies as a woman and isn’t Trans… but don’t let that get in the way of your Fox News style headlines. mexicanadearte.art/2024/08/01/ima… None of the boxers in female categories in Paris 2024 are trans woman.

This is sickening. This is a travesty. Doesn’t matter what you believe. This is wrong and dangerous.

@hikosaemon FTW…

I don’t know where to begin… and I don’t know where to end…

BlendTokyo: Bridging Cultures and Expanding Networks businessinjapan.doorkeeper.jp/events/174370 #BusinessinJapan via @@BIJWebportal

@good_people RSVP businessinjapan.doorkeeper.jp/events/173601

Event this Friday night in Tokyo: hiring, getting a tech job and resourcing #tech in #Japan

@BIJwebportal RSVP businessinjapan.doorkeeper.jp/events/173601

BIJ #Event #InPerson #Tokyo Friday May 31 6pm~9pm | Tech in Japan: Hiring Good People, Resourcing Offshore & Getting a Tech Job in #Japan | at #NishiShinjuku #SPACES | #Tekkon #JAIT #Australia #BusinessInJapan

Interested in #Japan and #Tech, #hiring #GoodPeople or getting a good #Job, finding good #Work in #Japan? 3人Panel discussion and Q&A + #Networing #pizza & #beer other drinks.

Yes, this is a real headline from 2024. mashable.com/article/atari-…

@RightKingTodd @JohnCleese Yeah Nutjob Billionaire Narcissist is just sooo much better than the ‘them’s gonna take our guns’ “globalist warmonger banker elite”… riiiight.

@JohnCleese Wild to watch former rebels like Cleese shill for the globalist warmonger banker elite, all for one last hit of fake virtue from the Commie brethren

He's deteriorating fast enough to save us all

@drvolts @dfunkedtt Well both Trump & Biden are pretty old. Neither can be working for too much longer, surely?

@lilyproJP Well there’s cue if ever I heard one @lilyproJP ! Presenting my 16yo, 87K+ member community on LinkedIn and beyond! businessinjapan.com

To be honest there is no better time to come set up your business in Japan…risk is about as low as possible. 😅