Yesterady we posted an article from the Yomiuriabout some malcontented Japanese youth who vented their Greenspan-fatigue on homeless Alan look-a-likes.

Now, the latest edition of the Onion’s “What do you think?” has another example of the cosmic record-skip that Bernanke’s appointment is causing.

Francis Englund, area Programmer, had this to say:

“He’s irreplaceable. This Bernanke guy may be an anti-inflation fiscal conservative, but you just can’t run the Fed if you’ve never screwed Ayn Rand.”

Well said my friend. You took the words right out of my mouth.

I found this a few minutes ago while digging around on the PM’s residence site looking for press conference transcripts (no luck).

In spite of the majic mushrooms getting a shout out, this is unquestionably the creepiest bit of PR that he’s managed to pull out. I like the electronic newsletter, but the violin music in the background, combined with the sickeninly soft tone of his voice (he’s talking about postal privitization for God’s sake!) and the interviewer’s cluelessness make it sound like the beginning of some kind of bad porn flick.

“I’m the greatest, no?”

“Hai.”

“I really showed those monkeys in the upper house who’s boss, didn’t I?”

“Hai.”

“Admit it, I’m the sexiest man alive.”

“Hai.”

“Hail to the king, baby.”

“Hai.”

Okay, sorry about that. I try to make an effort to keep things somewhat serious on my posts, but if Koizumi is going to use taxpayer money to make radio advertisements for his spaghettiwestern soundtrack...

...then I’m going to make fun of him.

Saru found this great article in the Yomiuri Shinbun online. Since they only keep articles online for a short time and this is the entire thing, I won’t bother searching for the link. Important bits in bold.

7 teenagers held after homeless man beaten

Seven high school students have been arrested on suspicion of assaulting a homeless man near the Arakawa river in Tokyo in July, reportedly motivated by curiosity about interest rates, following talk earlier this week that the Bank of Japan may end its quantitative easing policy early next year, police said Tuesday.

According to the Metropolitan Police Department and Nishi-Arai Police Station, the youths, aged 15 and 16 and from four metropolitan high schools, said they assaulted homeless people on about four occasions. Police also are investigating those cases.

According to the police, the students are suspected of dragging the 43-year-old homeless man out of his plastic tarpaulin lodgings under a bridge in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, and beating him. They also allegedly set off fireworks aimed at the homeless man, bruising him.

The youths reportedly told the police they targeted the homeless man because they presumed he would not report the assault, and because he, “looked like that old dude with glasses who, like, sets interest rates in the U.S. and stuff.”

“His face looked funny when he became angry, not like that new Bernanke guy, and it was a way for us to let off some steam,” one youth allegedly told investigators.
(Oct. 27, 2005)

I just booked my flight for the Phillipines! I’ll be leaving Taiwan November 25 and returning December 7th. Exactly what I’ll be doing there is rather vague since I haven’t so much as looked at a guide book, but I’ll be visiting some Philipino friends that I met in Japan, so I’m sure they’ll know where to go.

I was reading this article on the Washington Post website when I noticed this unexpectedly placed advertisement.

Whatever did the ad placement algorithms mean by this juxtaposition?

While this story’s been making its way around the blogs for days now, I can’t help but propagate it a bit further. The opening says it all:

Unicef bombs the Smurfs in fund-raising campaign for ex-child soldiers

The people of Belgium have been left reeling by the first adult-only episode of the Smurfs, in which the blue-skinned cartoon characters’ village is annihilated by warplanes…

What could be crazier than this? As it turns out, the idea that was left on the cutting-room floor:

Julie Lamoureux, account director at Publicis for the campaign, said the agency’s original plans were toned down. “We wanted something that was real war—Smurfs losing arms, or a Smurf losing a head—but they said no.“

Thankfully, the spot will only be shown late at night, when the kids are (hopefully) asleep, and when the only victims of this ad will be adults. Let’s see how much money it raises for the Smurf-killers at the UN…

Okay, okay. I was just kidding about the kabuki bit in the subject line.

But listen:

One of the news stories currently making the rounds is a proposal by the LDP Fiscal Reform Study Group to hike consumption taxes from the current 5 per cent level to somewhere between 10 to 15 per cent. Increased revenues would then be used to pay for governmental expenditures on welfare, specifically public pension and insurance programs.

Now, Koizumi has said on numerous occasions that he would not increase the consumption tax during his tenure (which ends next September), but following the announcement by the study group did acknowledge the necessity of doing so (after he leaves office, of course). So, here we have the Prime Minister and his party saying that a tax hike is unavoidable sometime in the near future, but they’re not gonna do it just yet.

Of course, we didn’t hear much talk about raising taxes from the LDP before September’s general election. In fact, if I recall correctly, about the only thing we did hear was Koizumi saying that he wouldn’t raise the consumption tax while he was in office. The DPJ, on the other hand, included in their Manifesto a proposal to raise the consumption tax to 8%. And what were they going to do with this windfall inflow? Why, pay for governmental expenditures on welfare, of course.

And what is the LDP reaction to this attempt to steal their thunder on even an unpopular issue such as tax hikes? Criticize them for not going far enough.

From the Japan Times:

“I am not sure that the DPJ plan is enough,” Koizumi said. “There will certainly be calls for tax revenues to cover not only pension programs but also medical and nursing programs.”

The man talks a great game: he speaks to the public about the necessity of making tough decisions, makes the DPJ look like the protectors of the status quo in the process, but refuses to take action himself. Meanwhile, the DPJ gets clock cleaned and its initiative stolen.

Word that I should have known but only learned recently:

団塊の世代

What’s it mean? No cheating!