Proud of America

So Michelle Obama said: For the first time in my adult life, I am really proud of my country, because it feels like hope is making a comeback.

That's rather a contrast with Colin Powell who said: And when all those conflicts were over, what did we do? Did we stay and conquer? Did we say, "Okay, we defeated Germany. Now Germany belongs to us? We defeated Japan, so Japan belongs to us?” No. What did we do? We built them up. We gave them democratic systems which they have embraced totally to their soul. And did we ask for any land? No, the only land we ever asked for was enough land to bury our dead. And that is the kind of nation we are.

This post on Free Republic has more about why Michelle Obama should be proud of America.

And this from Michelle Malkin who is proud of her country.

And Ed Morrissey isn't buying the Obama back-track.

Weekly Round-Up

In no particular order:

Obama's wins in Wisconsin and Hawaii have all but eliminated Hillary. I personally know life-long Republicans who voted in the Democractic primary for Obama to eliminate Clinton. . .The Democratic convention should be interesting!

The plagiarism flap is completely pointless. Hillary is really reaching on that one.

Ditto the John McCain alleged dalliances with a female lobbyist 8 years ago. . .the way this one is playing out, it seems worse for the New York Times than for McCain. . .I like Michelle Malkin's name for the NYT: The Daily Fishwrap!

The Economist cover this week is about Japan and "Why you should be worried about the world's second-biggest economy". The analysis strikes me as spot on: Japan still suffers from structural issues and the government is unlikely to do much about it. That said, Japan is also a net exporter with a high savings rate. So Japan might not be an engine of global growth, but it won't be a drag on it either.

Congratulations to Kosovo on their independence! I have no sympathy for Serbia whatsoever. Serbia gave up any moral authority in this when it launched a genocidal attack on ethnic Albanians in the province. Some history here that points out that Kosovo was never a part of Serbia.

There are a lot of nice pics of the lunar eclipse here. It's a good site for art, photography, and various comments (and yes it the author is family!)

My artist friend Clemente Bornacelli has some good stuff too. His Genesis Collection is going to be awesome!

It's been fun reading Instapundit this week, with Ann Althouse, Megan McCardle, and Michael Totten as guest bloggers on the site this week. I guess Glenn needed a little break (I don't know how he does it normally!)

And on Africa Bob Geldof says Bush "has done more than any other president so far." I wouldn't have expected that!

I'm working on my taxes this weekend (both Japan and US). This time of year reinforces my view that all taxes are a form of government oppression!

And it seems it is finally over for Fidel Castro!

On that happy note - have a great week everyone!

Iraq Success Denial Syndrome

The Drudge Report has these two links next to each other: The first with Nancy Pelosi claiming the surge in Iraq has failed followed by this one outlining the massive Al-Qaeda defeat in Iraq as found in the writings of an Al-Qaeda operative. 

Sorry Nancy, but wishing something and repeating it enough doesn't make it true. Reading the Pelosi quotes in a bit more detail, it seems that the gist of her argument is that the surge was meant to create the conditions to allow for political progress in Iraq. Since that political progress isn't yet sufficient, the surge has failed. 

Well, that can be challenged on two fronts. First of all, a key objective of the surge was to weaken the Iraqi insurgency to provide security for the US military and for all Iraqis. This has demonstrably happened. Violence of all forms is down and Al-Qaeda has become increasingly desparate, resorting to the remote controlled bombing of mentally retarted women in crowded markets. Furthermore, there has been political progress in Iraq.  Even the AP is reporting the progress that is being made, while recognizing that there is still more to do. 

The delicious irony is that Iraqi leaders are making more progress on their goals than the Democratic leadership in Congress! 

And the way to secure success in Iraq, which Speaker Pelosi uses as a litmus test for policy success, is to continue the policies of none other than commander-in-chief: President Bush. 

Japan Technology Outreach

A colleague forwarded this this editorial from the Japan times that highlights the large number of Japanese scientists and researchers who go abroad (presumably for conferences, visiting research positions, and the like). 

However, I find the article a bit "propagandish" and somewhat off the mark. Here is the problem quote:

This increase is evidence of expanded interest in Japanese technology, business, culture
and language that extends far beyond the fleeting appeal of pop culture and anime videos. Japan is no longer just receiving, but offering a great deal to the global research community.

This sentence reveals a bias against the success of pop culture exports of "Cool Japan." What it fails to recognize is that Japanese pop culture is a true, home-grown, example of innovation that has broad international appeal. The capacity for Japanese designers and artists to continually re-invent themselves while working within an established genre is second to none. I believe that Cool Japan is more than a fad. It will continue to generate international interest, just as established luxury brands are able to endure for decades. 

Second, Japanese technology is still short on break-through innovations. The best scientists and technologists in the world still go first to the US companies or academia or to leading research institutions in Europe. The participation of Japanese researchers overseas is offset by the scarcity of foreign researchers who come to Japan. 

That's not to say that there are not interesting technologies and products coming out of Japan, but rather that it isn't as rosy as this editorial might suggest. 

Exxon vs. Chavez

More for the socialism doesn't work file, embedded in the comments from the referenced post: 

Exxon Revenue for 2006: $366B

Venezuela GDP (at PPP): $335B (2007 estimate)

Chavez's empty threats to stop sending oil to the US are no different than a child saying he'll hold his breath until he turns blue. Seems that half of Venezuela's oil output can only be refined in the US at present. 

Furthermore, Chavez's disastrous policies have lead to Venezuela now importing $40B a year in food and dipping into reserve currency to do it. 

One company, that also pays more in US taxes than the entire bottom 50% of individual income taxpayers (note: I haven't researched that statistic myself, but it looks plausible), is certainly not someone you should piss off it you are a Petrodollar-dependent dictator who cannot even provide for your own people!

More Presidential Punditry

Who would have thought, even just a few months ago, that by February the Republicans would be coalescing around a presumptive nominee and the Democrats would still be duking it out in the trenches of Primary election politics? Even the guy who owns the convenience store in Tokyo where I often buy an English-language newspaper on my way to a coffee shop pointed out to me this morning just how amazing Obama's success to date is. What better litmus test of political momentum when even a Japanese shop owner gets it! 

It was not supposed to happen this way. Hillary was supposed to have it sewn up by now. No one predicted that the Republican field would thin out so quickly. If anything, this election proves that the mainstream media pundits are no more likely to be right than any other moderately well informed observer. Recent news here

So now what? For the Democrats, I can see three possible outcomes. Scenario 1: Hillary and the Clinton machine change the rule in the middle of the game (by seating the Florida delegation for example) and ending up stealing the nomination. This so upsets Obama supporters, and independents at large, that Hillary falls significantly behind in the general election. Scenario 2: Obama continues his surge and takes the nomination in a close race. This consolidates the Democratic base and Obama builds on this momentum to gain strength in the general election. Either way, "Clinton Fatigue" may finally doom Hillary. Scenario 3 is a grand Clinton/Obama coalition. . .but I don't really see that happening. 

For the Republicans, McCain is now in a position to focus on party unity by rallying around the shared animosity towards Clinton and Obama. Already, Republican stalwarts are coming around to the idea of a McCain presidency. On any issue that really matters to most Republicans, such as low taxes and spending, judicial appointments, and success in the war against terror, McCain is clearly positioned to both appeal to the Republican base as well as to challenge Democrats. He will need an inspired VP pick (and it won't be Huckabee).

The Republicans also better get serious about supporting qualified candidates for the House and Senate, and should even start looking ahead to 2010. 

But like I said before: It's a long way to November! 

Blogging in Japan and the US

Here is an interesting post on the differences between blogging in Japan and the US. It rings true, and I can think of a number of cultural traits that encourage the differences. 

At the risk of gross oversimplification, here are a few differences:

1) Corporate Blogs: in the US, I suspect lawyers and marketing departments have huge influence, leading to a somewhat sanitary feel from most company blogs (even internal ones). In Japan, where there are far fewer lawyers, corporations are often much more interested in creating a sense of small-town community, which lends itself to a gentler, somewhat more natural, feel. 

2) Cute: in Japan cute is good. The cuter the better. Even for guys. Blogs need to be cute. 

3) Community: Japan is big on the group, and creating membership around common interests. The US is big on individualism. Japan is also big on hobbies. "What is your hobby?" is far more common conversational starter than it would ever be in the US. 

4) Harmony: many US bloggers revel in their role challenging the main stream media and powerful interests (governments and corporations among them). Japan tends to favor harmony, and there is far less challenging of authority. When it does happen, it tends to be far more subtle. 

That's just for starters. . .I'm sure books could be written on this! 

February is not November

So Romney is out and McCain is now struggling to shore up his conservative credentials. Clinton and Obama are neck and neck, with the party machine still behind Clinton. This is turning out rather more interesting than many pundits predicted, not the least because voters are so darned unpredictable! 

So it is worth reminding ourselves that November is a long way from now and lot can happen, especially once the press, and now bloggers, start to really dig into the candidates. If you think you've seen dirt thrown around up to now, you ain't seen nothing yet! 

So random thoughts:

Here is the best case I've seen so far for Republicans to back McCain. 

Romney gives his best speech of the campaign:  Video here.  I wonder what he'll do next. 

Obama, as left as he his, still seems more practical to me on health care reform and free trade than Hillary. . .but he's still the lesser of two evils. 

Republican's better keep focused on retaining at least 40 seats in the Senate, and on not slipping further in the House. 

New York Times and Accuracy - Not!

The New York Times is bothered about the speed with which misquotes can travel around the Internet. As many have pointed out (notably Instapundit), this is very much the pot calling the kettle black, given how often the MSM get it wrong. I'd go even further.

1) The NYT uses as an example selective quoting of Bill Clinton on an ABC-managed site. Isn't ABC a mainstream news organization? In the same article the NYT mentions that the ABC blog post linked to Bill Clinton's full speech. . .wouldn't that be an article in favor of the Internet format?

2) It wasn't very long ago that Rush Limbaugh was taken out of context, not only by Media Matters, but also by nearly all Democrats in the Senate. The incident was the "phony soldiers" case, in which Rush trumped the Democrats in the Senate by auctioning the letter that tried to silence him for some $2million+. Did the New York Times come to Rush's defense?

Sure Internet blogs can be raw, messy, unedited. Equally, it allows anyone to correct falsehoods by providing evidence and due diligence in unearthing facts, or challenging facts when the experts fail. Most importantly, the Internet allows those who would distort the truth for their own ends to be called out. . .Could it be that's what the NYT most fears?

The Peoples Republic of Berkeley!

From Gateway Pundit is more news of Berkeley and the Marine Corps Recruiting station. Logically, you'd think that self-styled progressives would have respect for freedom of speech, but I guess that's wishful thinking. We've always known that Communist dictatorships cannot survive when free expression, of points contrary to the party-line, truly exists. The People's Republic of Bezerkeley is no different!

As for withholding federal funds from the City of Berkeley, I'm all for it! One caveat though, please don't take it out on the University of California at Berkeley. Cal is not the same as the city of Berkeley and the University should not suffer at the expense of idiot Berkeley Citiy Council members.

I spent nearly 4 and a half years in grad school in Berkeley, and my experience living there from 1987 to 1991 solidified my political philosophy in favor of free markets and in opposition to political correctness and other related forms of censorship. My first experience with Berkeley idiocy was rent control. As a result of price fixing by the city, there was no incentive for landlords to develop or maintain properties. Similarly, there is no reason for anyone who has a rent-controlled apartment to move. As a result, it took me two years to get an apartment close to campus in Berkeley itself. This was not an uncommon situation, forcing many students who would have have happily walked to class, into cars, busses and all manner of transportation that contributes to (guess what!) CO2 emissions! Rent control was finally struck down by the courts.

And if I were a landlord and had to choose a tenant between the US Marine Corps and, say, Code Pink? Well, that's a no-brainer!

[Update 2/4/2008 12:45pm JST] Here is an interesting libertarian take. Essentially, Berkeley should be enforcing the rights of landlords and tenant to enter into a freely negotiated and legal agreement. The city (like anyone else) has a right to express an opinion, and the city may even go so far as to enforce certain laws against discrimination, but it may not actively encourage one group to impede the rights of others. Interesting point of view, and Berkeley is again on the wrong side of it.

Telecom Diversity Europe-MiddleEast-Asia

News of 3 major telecom cable cuts are creating significant problems for the internet and other traffic between Europe, the Middle East, India, and Asia.

Conspiracy theories aside (it is rather a coincidence that all 3 cables had problems over just a few days) this incident highlights a few points:

1) Diversity of both land and sea cables is critical to network infrastructure.
2) The US remains the major global internet hub, with far more transpacific capacity than SeaMeWe3, SeaMeWe4, and FLAG have between Europe and Asia via the Mid-East.
3) Network managers must design back-ups across the US into their global networks.

I feel for all the network managers that are having to deal with these outages, having been there myself. Good Luck!

Snow in Tokyo!

It doesn't snow in Tokyo often, but it is nice when it does! Here are a few pictures near my place in Shoto, Shibuya-ku.

Transportation, unfortunately, has suffered significant distruption, particularly at Narita airport. Apparently this is the heaviest snowfall in 8 years. . .I'll hazard a guess and suggest that Japan will get through this a lot better than China, with their recent heavy snows!