Archive for October, 2009

Japanese housewives & American debt

Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to United States Secretary of State Colin Powell, explains to an audience that Japanese housewives have funded America’s debt for over 30 years:

Only last year, fiscal year, did the Chinese even come close to the Japanese, and they haven’t surpassed them yet, because let me tell you about another phenomenon in Japan that funds our debt: it’s called Japanese housewives. Japanese housewives answer to no central banker, to no finance minister, to no central authority whatsoever, and they have US$14 trillion in assets. Talk about a sovereign wealth fund. Japanese housewives in the culture that they live in learned to use the Internet, learned to get smart about investments in the stockmarket in particular—and I’m talking globally, not just US, but principally the US—and made some really good investment decisions. They now sit on $14 trillion. So when you add that to the $670 billion or so of US debt that the Japanese bought last year, it surpasses the $802 billion the Chinese bought. So the Japanese, in exchange for a public good called “national security”, which included a nuclear umbrella—and that meant they didn’t have to spend more than 1 percent of their GDP on their military—the Japanese traded us the ability to spend beyond our means to astronomical levels….

[hat tip to Brian]

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Don’t like Inglourious Basterds? How about a refund?

CinemaToday.jp is reporting that Toho Cinemas has launched a special promotional campaign for the Japan release of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds:

Toho is offering a full refund to any unsatisfied customer who walks out within the first hour of the 2.5 hour film. The promotional campaign will run for the first three days of the film’s Japan release: November 20th until November 23rd.

[hat tip to Jason Gray]

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Kappa attack in Japan

The hidden camera show that carried out a sniper attack prank on comedians also tricked model/idol Yukina Kinoshita into believing that she was going on a hunt for kappa. When they encounter the mythical creatures, everyone will pretend that they cannot see or hear the kappa, driving Kinoshita into a state of fear and panic:

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Japanese destroyer damaged in collision with Korean ship

The Japanese MSDF destroyer Kurama collided with a South Korean container ship last night, igniting a fire that looked ugly but did not seriously injure anyone:

The JS Kurama hit the South Korean craft Carina Star under a bridge linking the Japanese main islands of Kyushu and Honshu in the narrow Kanmon Strait.

A giant hole was pierced in the destroyer’s bow where highly flammable paint was stored and instantly sparked the inferno.

Fire fighters aboard boats battled the blaze on the 4,500-ton naval vessel for hours.
The larger, 7,400-ton container ship fared better following the impact and flames burned only for a short time

It is not clear which ship is at fault, but somebody in the MSDF will probably need to take responsibility for the decision to store dangerously flammable paint out on the front of the ship.

[video via FG forums]

Update: A note on paint storage from John M. Andresen (USN ret.):

The “Paint Locker” aboard a naval destroyer type ship is normally located in the bow area where it is administered by the “Boatswain’s Mates” who perform most of the exterior preservation work. Other locations toward the center or stern would bring it closer to engineering spaces where other flammable materials, ordnance and fuels lines would be in proximity. Isolating the paint in the bow is the best option.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Hatoyama’s Hitler Youth?

The LDP’s leader has borrowed a page from Taro Aso’s play book and compared the DPJ to Nazis:

“I got the impression that the atmosphere in parliament was similar to the Hitler Youth agreeing to Hitler’s speech,” Liberal Democratic Party leader Sadakazu Tanigaki told reporters after Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s first policy speech since his Democratic Party ousted the LDP in a historic August election.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Southpark vs. Japanese dolphin hunt

Comedy Central insider reports that this week’s episode of Southpark will be about Japanese hunting whales and dolphins:

The Japanese are on a mad hunt to kill all the world’s dolphins and whales in an all-new “South Park” titled, “Whale Whores,” premiering on Wednesday, October 28 at 10:00 p.m. on COMEDY CENTRAL.

Stan and his family are spending his birthday at the Denver Aquarium where they will get to swim with the dolphins. Things turn bloody when the Japanese attack, kill all the dolphins and ruin Stan’s big day. There seems to be no end to the senseless killing. Stan takes on the cause to save the dolphins from the Japanese.

After it airs on TV, it should be viewable for free on the Southpark studios website.

[hat tip to BradleyJX]

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)