tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20388086620115959672011-11-28T07:17:11.951+08:00Commentary on current events, life in Japan & Hong Kong, technology, and others items of personal interest.Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comBlogger1181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-1715883365495908162011-03-19T15:54:00.000+08:002011-03-19T15:54:26.119+08:00

This blog gets its name from my 17 years living and working in Japan. I still miss being there and the events of last week only reinforce those feelings. It's not every day a region gets hit with a M9 earthquake and a major tsunami after all. I used to joke that since I was in San Francisco area during the Loma Prieta quake that Tokyo was fine so long as I lived there. . .on the theory that

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-22988314261868100472011-02-25T23:02:00.000+08:002011-02-25T23:02:37.474+08:00

Although I am in Madison, I didn't go down to the state capitol to watch the protestors. Instead, I made a fat donation to the Wisconsin Republican Party. It was easy to do on-line.

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-50965034199163765432011-02-20T12:47:00.000+08:002011-02-20T12:47:46.747+08:00

I haven't blogged much recently. What prompts me to update now? Here I am sitting in Japan's Narita airport having just left the Narita Express. The news screens on the train include just a handful of stories, but there it is: Madison, Wisconsin - my home town - in the news. Ditto the front page of the Japan times? And it is embarrassing. Teachers fraudulently calling in sick to protest having

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-90113892783820583352010-03-01T05:16:00.002+08:002010-03-01T05:24:11.887+08:00

I've been in the USA for medical treatment and getting better each day. It's been an interesting experience. When I return to Hong Kong I'll be able to follow-up if some of the differences I wrote about earlier continue to be true. In the meantime, I found this very detailed Wikipedia link on US healthcare, with  references to all the relevant data points. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-68490245752064368912010-02-23T23:28:00.003+08:002010-03-01T05:19:25.467+08:00

This article expresses surprise that MSP airport jumped so high in a JD Power survey. I was only surprised that it was so low last year! Here's why. I've been traveling through MSP between Asia and hometown Wisconsin for the better part of 20 years. MSP has many advantages: 1) It can handle winter weather. It has enough plows, de-icers, and the like and I've never once been delayed (unlike

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-78523160504347262262010-02-23T23:10:00.001+08:002010-02-23T23:15:55.973+08:00

Nice summary linked above. Putting aside "Climategate," which basically requires a do-over of the underlying data, computer analysis, and theoretical underpinnings of climate science before policy recommendations affecting the planet can be re-tabled, here are the key points: Climate Changes. Short term trends don't trump the long term trends. We need to be prepared. We are in a 400 year

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-43448488290077156912010-02-22T02:42:00.002+08:002010-02-22T02:45:20.723+08:00

I met a woman from Wasilla in, of all places, a coin laundry at the hotel I'm staying in. She knows Sarah Palin personally. Her comment? Sarah is the genuine article. She is highly respected as former mayor and for her work as governor by a significant majority in Alaska. No surprise really, but interesting to hear it from someone with first hand knowledge.

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-10824581938522098202010-02-21T02:38:00.002+08:002010-02-21T02:44:21.254+08:00

I can't really say it any better and won't even try! There is no substitute for executive experience. Clinton and Reagan both had it. I know from my own career that academic smarts aren't enough but that real experience with real people is a great teacher. You make a lot of mistakes along the way but that's life! And if you can't do something yourself, find the people who can. It is guaranteed

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-55999927089503646452010-02-20T22:51:00.004+08:002010-02-22T03:49:40.747+08:00

I am personally receiving some significant medical treatment and anecdotally I'm seeing costs in the USA as much as 20% to 3 times higher than for the very same thing in Hong Kong. To be fair, I am at one of the best medical centers in the USA and I came precisely to get the very best treatment. I don't begrudge the doctors a premium for that. But I also was in Hong Kong's very best hospitals

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-23751002853256150792010-02-19T08:07:00.005+08:002010-02-22T03:51:05.489+08:00

Hayek's writings are getting attention again - although you'd think the following would be obvious: "We have a basic choice to make: either each of us chooses for ourselves (classical liberalism) or government chooses for us (or to put it otherwise, we all choose for each other)." If the latter, the historical experience observed by Hayek in the 1930s is: "Government allocation of economic

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-52092233819299877052010-02-12T22:23:00.002+08:002010-02-12T22:54:10.781+08:00

Gung Hei Fat Choy as they say in Hong Kong! Time to pass out red packets for good luck, have some oranges, and look forward to the year of the Tiger! Also a good time for some thoughts on various topics for the new year:Whatever you say about Obama, he's cool. The concert the other night at the White House just oozed it. I like that. Obama should meet with Dalai Lama and continue to support

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-36898430890029271922010-02-12T22:13:00.002+08:002010-02-12T22:23:25.636+08:00

I occasionally am asked what are my qualifications to pontificate on these various topics anyway? Well OK, here they are:1) I have a PhD from UC Berkeley in Electrical Engineering, 19912) I have over a dozen peer reviewed articles in topics that include computer simulation, related physics, and comparison of simulation and experimental data (this has some relevance to climate change modeling for

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-6344164287051663282010-02-12T00:47:00.005+08:002010-02-12T03:33:53.157+08:00

As a 17 year resident of Japan, I can see clearly the problem. Japanese culture is not good at transparency. It is the land of nuance and the unsaid. But that's no excuse. Japanese multinationals should know better when operating outside their backward. I've been telling this to Japanese leaders for a good part of that 17 years and I'm not the only one. The Japanese people are beginning to demand

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-86381980343438432892010-02-12T00:38:00.008+08:002010-02-12T03:33:39.983+08:00

The linked posts makes the good point that voters on both sides of the political spectrum are often ignorant of the issues, or more likely refuse to entertain data that doesn't support their preconceived notions. The solution is simple - don't allow bad decisions to cause harm - through smaller government with less power. Let's expand on that though by working backwards: Corruption leads to bad

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-8207750104377633522010-02-12T00:32:00.006+08:002010-02-12T03:35:26.084+08:00

I like flying. I really do. I like the sense of going somewhere. I marvel that just over a hundred years ago it wasn't possible at all. Less than 50 years ago it was out of reach of most. Now it is routine. But it is amusing to watch people in airports. First of all, everyone can you please relax a bit? You will most likely get where you want to go with a minimum of fuss. The simple rules. Yes

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-4049851046689463792010-02-12T00:24:00.005+08:002010-02-12T03:32:26.020+08:00

It strikes me that the health care debate is focused on entirely the wrong thing. Let's start with the goal: The best possible health care for everyone at an affordable price . What would achieve that? Here's some ideas in no particular order: Drug innovation: It is only fair that inventors get compensated for their work to bring new ideas. In today's world, inventors aren't just individuals

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-985507665879464212010-01-23T18:34:00.004+08:002010-01-23T18:53:35.967+08:00

Every good prognosticator should go back once and a while and see how he did. At least if you have the guts! So here's what I said on the New Year's Day 2009 marked with ">" and in-line comments in "[]">Will 2009 be worse than 2008? I'll go out on a limb and say no it won't. Here are my reasons:>1) As core commodity prices drop, especially energy, suddenly a lot of unprofitable businesses become

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-47302475055114222852010-01-23T18:06:00.002+08:002010-01-23T18:24:27.446+08:00

I happen to be undergoing some medical treatment in Hong Kong, which is an opportunity to share some observations. Health care here is expensive, on par with the US. Equally, the quality is good. There are some 50 public hospitals and another dozen private institutions as well as many clinics serving this city of 7M people. Doctors are educated to international standards. Service is remarkably

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-81371033811476290482010-01-17T21:34:00.003+08:002010-01-18T21:49:56.412+08:00

Here is another doom and gloom article about how Japan is poised or a big crisis: Deflation to give way to hyper-inflation. As a resident of Japan for 17 years before moving to Hong Kong, I find the story missing a few important points. Despite Japan's high government debt to GDP ratio, there is still a lot of cash in Japan. Moreover, consumer debt is not nearly as high as other countries. In

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-59896033154502326122010-01-17T21:15:00.002+08:002010-01-17T21:27:46.254+08:00

CLSA Analyst and Managing Director Michael Mayo gives a brilliant 10 minute presentation to Congress on the root causes of the banking crises. He pulls no punches and takes on all sides. The industry was "on steroids" with consumers, government and regulators all guilty. His list of 10 issues, with root causes going back at least 10 years:1) Excessive Loan Growth (more than 2x GDP)2) Higher

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-81593877654694940772010-01-17T20:55:00.002+08:002010-01-17T21:13:17.286+08:00

The FT article is just lazy. Others have highlighted that Pat Robertson is both wrong on history and on what the Bible says about God's will on earth. But the FT reporter failed to check that at the very same time Pat Robertson was also appealing for donations for Haiti.As for Rush Limbaugh - just check his website and transcript for the full context. At no time did he say not to donate to Haiti

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-17872084748104544612010-01-09T12:58:00.002+08:002010-01-09T13:31:09.510+08:00

Ed Morrissey at HotAir has the details (linked to title), but bottom line is that US employment picture is not improving and even the AP finally has to admit it. The 10% rate is only part of the picture. Hundreds of thousands are taking themselves out of the work force. The actual number of jobs has dropped by 10 million in the last year. The average time out of work is now 29 weeks. That's more

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-77526937980175879512010-01-02T11:05:00.006+08:002010-02-22T03:56:56.283+08:00

So it remains to be seen whether 2010 will be better than 2009. This will depend a lot on how you define "better". But let's start with our economic stats: Item                Jan07  4Oct08 31Dec08 31Jul09  31Dec09 Unemployment        4.5%    6.1%   6.7%    9.5%     10.0% CPI (with energy)   2.0%    5.5%   -1.7%   0.7%     1.8% Gasoline cost/gal.  $2.25   $3.60  $1.66   $2.60    $2.61 Dow

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-38737095367229136262009-08-02T09:33:00.009+08:002009-08-02T16:14:48.119+08:00

It's been a while since my January 1 update. So where are we now? Item Jan 2007 4 Oct 2008 31 Dec 2008 31 July 2009Unemployment 4.5% 6.1% 6.7% 9.5%CPI (with energy) 2.0% 5.5% -1.7% 0.7%Gasoline cost/gal. $2.25 $3.60 $1.66 $2.60Dow Jones 12,500 10,325 8,776 9,171S&P 500 1,450 1,099 903 987Nasdaq 2,500 1,947 1,577 1,978I

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-87075473273111663762009-04-19T11:00:00.004+08:002009-04-19T11:13:19.651+08:00

No politics today. Just a few pictures from a recent trip to Tokyo.Cherry Blossoms near the Imperial Palace. Followed by some sakura-tinged shochu! And a flower arrangement at the Palace hotel. But what's this with JPY 200 drinks! That's US$2 for a full beer. Deflation in Japan again? I'll take it while it lasts! 

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-74245190038834558332009-01-01T06:52:00.004+08:002009-08-02T10:05:31.502+08:00

It's the last day of 2008 and time for a round up of the last 12 months. I started this blog just about a year ago, and it has certainly been an interesting year! Where to begin? How about a look back at some posts from the year:It was an election year, and a number of posts hit on that theme. Way back in February I posted that Clinton fatigue would probably give Obama an edge. That certainly

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-47479400584474303452008-12-26T05:02:00.004+08:002008-12-27T06:47:12.819+08:00

So I'm in Detroit Airport on Christmas day, after more than 18 hours of travel from Hong Kong via Tokyo, and waiting for a connecting flight. Given that I have about 5 hours to kill I thought I'd look for a friendly sports bar and enjoy an adult beverage. But much to my dismay the sale of alcohol is BANNED in the ENTIRE STATE OF MICHIGAN from Christmas Eve until 7am tomorrow!I suppose

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-60995494017002115932008-12-20T12:30:00.004+08:002008-12-20T12:39:10.919+08:00

I grew up in Wisconsin and I'll head there for the Christmas holidays, but in the meantime I'm enjoying balmy Hong Kong. It is 23C today and beautiful. The upside of the economic downturn is that factories in China have scaled back production, resulting in less pollution to foul the air here. Last weekend I also had the good fortune to go out on a friend's boat for a bit of tour around Hong Kong,

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-83378506986789028832008-12-13T13:18:00.003+08:002008-12-13T13:51:48.358+08:00

Here are a few shots from my favorite Japanese restaurant in Hong Kong: Sushi Kuu. The place is always packed, and the chef Mukogawa-san delivers consistent, quality food. In fact this is one of my favorite Japanese restaurants anywhere - and that is saying something after living 17 years in Japan! And just to prove I'm in Hong Kong - here's a shot from the roof of the Prince's Building from the

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-72145040582385402342008-12-13T13:10:00.004+08:002008-12-13T13:51:14.833+08:00

What's not to love about this scandal! It's hope and change Chicago style! The governor of Illinois arrested at his home by the FBI, caught red handed in all kinds of graft. Growing up in Wisconsin, I remember family trips in the station wagon (a Vista Cruiser just like in That 70's show) where whenever we saw a car with Illinois plates, we knew it would likely be a traffic scofflaw. It was just

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-24083705711730278842008-12-06T17:00:00.003+08:002008-12-06T17:13:31.012+08:00

As an American living overseas, all this conspiracy theory talk about whether president-elect Obama is possibly not qualified to be president under the "natural born" citizenship requirement of the Constitution got me wondering. (Note: the title links to Ed Morrissey's commentary on this subject).First of all, most of the discussion has been silent on the simple fact that Obama's mother is

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-54122794256365670482008-11-29T16:43:00.003+08:002008-11-29T16:50:03.687+08:00

Best wishes to all my friends and colleagues in Mumbai who have had to live through the ordeal of the recent terrorist attacks. I am happy to hear that all are safe.  I have been a frequent visitor to the Oberoi hotel over the last 10 years. I am particularly saddened to hear of the losses among hotel staff, but also moved by the many who worked so hard to protect their guests from attack. Here

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-18154117734196423182008-11-22T15:59:00.003+08:002008-11-22T16:04:06.774+08:00

I visited Macau last weekend. For nearly 500 years it was a Portuguese colony. Now it is a Special Administrative Region in China (much like Hong Kong) and home to a number of casinos. Here is inside the MGM Grand. I am happy to report that I won enough to pay for my trip and then some! Here is Rossio, a restaurant in the MGM Grand. The interior designer is Super Potato from Japan, famous for use

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-17113863105802599602008-11-22T15:55:00.002+08:002008-11-22T15:59:16.865+08:00

At this writing Citigroup's share price is about 3.70. When I left Citigroup at the end of 2006 it was 57. What happened? First and foremost is something I've said before: Citigroup has never unlocked the value of being one company. Despite a lot of hard work to integrate back-office functions, encourage cross-selling in the front-office, and the like, insiders tell me that it remains a

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-23311033770762093032008-11-22T15:44:00.003+08:002008-11-22T15:54:55.796+08:00

I haven't posted for a while, and no it is not because I am deep depression about Obama's election to the US Presidency! I was actually in New York City during the election. There is something deeply moving about the US election process where every voter gets to choose who he or she feels will be the best president. Obama won and he will be President. McCain conceded graciously and Bush is doing

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-39419563081349645862008-10-04T14:29:00.002+08:002008-10-04T14:32:56.526+08:00

At the risk of gross oversimplification, here is some US Economic data:Item January 2007 NowUnemployment Rate 4.5% 6.1%CPI (incl. food and energy) 2% 5.5%Gasoline cost/gallon $2.25 $3.60Dow Jones Industrial Ave 12,500 10,325S&P 500 1,450 1,099Nasdaq 2,500 1,947What happened in January 2007? The Democrats took control of Congress. No wonder the

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-31696732716723253142008-10-04T10:32:00.002+08:002008-10-04T10:47:35.334+08:00

Well the bailout package finally passed. Loaded up with lots of unrelated goodies. Will it end the credit crunch and improve market confidence? In the short run it had better, or otherwise the whole thing was a complete waste of time and money. I suspect it will have some short run benefit. But in the long run it doesn't fix the real problems, which are:1) Legislative meddling in free market

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-21382369894844936842008-10-04T10:17:00.002+08:002008-10-04T10:31:36.705+08:00

As if any further evidence is needed about main-stream media bias in this election, here's the simple fact. How can the media call it for Biden, or that Biden was even close when he made at least as dozen fundamental errors of fact on matters of constitutional law and foreign policy? In my high school debate team days, such errors would have resulted in automatic point deductions and very likely

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-46966641624700503842008-09-27T16:09:00.004+08:002008-09-28T12:44:42.041+08:00

The first presidential debate took place after all and the early results are that Obama got schooled. McCain didn't take advantage of several opportunities, nor did Obama loose his cool (at least not completely.) But especially in the 2nd half, McCain pointed out repeatedly that Obama is simply ignorant and naive when it comes to foreign policy questions that will be critical over the next 4

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-81664464273618412512008-09-27T09:24:00.004+08:002008-09-27T16:20:58.461+08:00

Here, via Rush Limbaugh is what really went down at the White House meeting to discuss the bailout plan. If you don't believe Rush, then read the background material from a variety of sources that present the unvarnished truth. Basically, the senior democrats let Obama do the talking. Instead of reviewing the differences between the senior leaders on the Paulson plan, Obama launched into an

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-49547211657656513192008-09-21T13:09:00.002+08:002008-09-21T13:35:44.285+08:00

I work in the financial industry, so naturally I get asked my opinion on the current market turmoil. What's my first reaction? DON'T PANICThat's right. These are uncertain times, but that's exactly when calm is required. Let's get right into it. Lehman Brothers: First, I feel for my many friends at Lehmans who have had their equity stakes wiped out and who are at risk of losing their jobs. But

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-32598347685760190512008-08-22T21:54:00.003+08:002008-08-22T22:14:14.315+08:00

I had a chance to visit Shanghai this week on business for the first time since my last trip their about 8 years ago. Wow! Things have changed a lot, like this bar in the Bund called Rouge. Prices were at least as high, if not worse than Hong Kong's trendiest establishments.  But make no mistake. This is China. The government rules. From the office, I couldn't even view RealClearPolitics.com,

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-59706669170956356812008-08-16T16:57:00.004+08:002008-08-17T16:07:02.513+08:00

Where to begin! Lots has been going on in the news recently and it is time to comment on the latest. Let's start with China. The Olympics got off to a great start, and China's coming out party started well. However, recent revelations have tainted the luster: lip-synching the national anthem, fake photography, possibly underage gymnasts. All of that is an affront to the Olympic spirit, which is

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-22984068070037737012008-08-04T21:38:00.002+08:002008-08-04T21:46:29.568+08:00

I am now arrived in Hong Kong and an official resident! Here are a few street scenes from near my new place in Happy Valley, which is near the horse racing track originally set up by the British over 100 years ago. Even today, Hong Kong will be the site of the Olympic Equestrian events due to its long association with all things relating to horses. Notice the campaign posters for the Legco

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-1119589757145351502008-08-02T11:21:00.002+08:002008-08-02T11:25:52.105+08:00

Well this is it! After more than 16 years, today is my last full day as a resident of Japan. Tomorrow, I will turn in my Certificate of Alien Registration as I depart from Narita airport on my way to Hong Kong. I had a great send-off farewell party with many friends dropping by Heartland Bar in Roppongi Hills, one of my regular hangouts, from the time I lived near there. A special thanks to the

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-73627829983189964282008-07-27T12:01:00.005+08:002008-07-27T12:16:22.322+08:00

I visited Singapore last week. Here is a nice shot of the Asian Civilizations Museum from Boat Quay. Here is the Fullerton Hotel, which was built inside the renovated General Post Office building. That night, there were fireworks from behind the hotel. I flew from Tokyo to Mumbai on an ANA flight called "Business Jet." It was on an especially configured 737-700ER with only about 40 business class

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-67109182034871351932008-07-27T11:48:00.010+08:002008-07-27T12:13:28.624+08:00

I haven't been updating here for a while, but there is a good reason. I've taken a new job in Hong Kong and am not in the process of moving! After 16 years, in Japan I've decided to take on a new challenge as the global head of technology infrastructure for an Asia-Pacific focused investment bank with its headquarters in Hong Kong. I'll still be blogging on matters of interest, except for

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-56915418248233143922008-05-06T16:58:00.008+08:002008-05-06T18:05:52.888+08:00

Nagoya Castle was built in 1610 by the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was a beautiful day again in Nagoya so I decided to visit. The castle was severely damaged during the 2nd World War, but has since been restored. I got a few nice pictures, again taken with my SH903i cell phone camera. Here are several shots of the castle itself. Here is an interior room in traditional style of the time.And you

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-69331426515761131482008-05-05T13:26:00.007+08:002008-05-05T14:50:23.957+08:00

With all the election year noise around a gas-tax hiatus in the US that will never happen (for example Hilary, Obama and economists here, Taxprof roundup , and from Factcheck.org) you may have missed that Japan actually lowered its gas tax for a month, shaving about 17% off the price at the pump during April (more from Asahi News).Japan's tax holiday wasn't planned. It was the result of a

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-42720625737271211752008-04-30T08:05:00.009+08:002008-04-30T11:30:41.788+08:00

It was another beautiful spring day in Tokyo. Here are a few more pictures taken with my 3.2 megapixel cell phone camera (an NTT Docomo FOMA SH903i) at Roppongi Hills on Tuesday. It was a perfect way to spend part of the first holiday during Golden Week!

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-1497012549779510922008-04-28T12:12:00.005+08:002008-04-28T13:46:32.279+08:00

The end of April and the beginning of May mark the Golden Week holidays in Japan. We have public holidays on April 29th (Showa day - the former emperor's birthday), May 3 (Constitution Memorial day), May 4 (Greenery day - celebrated on the 6th) and May 5 (Children's day). So starting this week we get basically a week off. It's a good time for reading and blogging. Here are a few articles I've

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-20027264642701472192008-04-23T09:33:00.012+08:002008-04-24T08:14:45.242+08:00

This article picked up by Instapundit from the Australian paper The Age leaves me scratching my head. Food shortages in Japan? Government grain reserves being used up? No butter on the shelves? What?Well from where I sit, in Japan, there is plenty of food. Recently, I have been regularly travelling back and forth between Tokyo and suburban Nagoya and I can't find any evidence of a problem.

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-60274884412774558022008-04-21T09:45:00.005+08:002008-04-21T10:22:59.113+08:00

Ben Stein's new movie Expelled: The Movie, which I've not yet seen (Ed Morrissey had a nice review here), raises the issue of intolerance in academia by analysing issues around the study of Intelligent Design. That's a good excuse for me to revisit my issue with the Intelligent Design argument:Complexity is not proof of intelligence.Quite the contrary, simplicity is the hallmark of genius.

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-57554596218223918982008-04-20T12:16:00.005+08:002008-04-20T12:26:23.039+08:00

It is another beautiful spring day in Aichi-ken. Here are a few more pictures from my FOMA SH903i.Moda Gakuen Building:Looking back at Nagoya stations - there are nice views at night from the towers above the station.Here is the small station at TatsumigaokaYakitori in Tatsumigaoka at a nice little family run place called Taraku.Across the street is a small coffee shop/restaurant that must have

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-70172711179475773632008-04-19T15:08:00.006+08:002008-04-20T13:07:42.746+08:00

I've been a busy with work (and a bit of play) the last few weeks, so here's some thoughts on recent events:Check out this party at http://www.valys.com/ - Simon & Shaker from Spain had a fantastic set at this party that I helped produce at a club called Warehouse in Tokyo. A good time was had by all!Well it seems Italy has shifted to the right, following Germany and France.Italy's new PM isn't

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-42816224308963153912008-04-06T10:51:00.004+08:002008-04-06T15:35:14.521+08:00

So here is an amusing read suggesting that a  financial conspiracy is driving world events so that everything breaks down to be rescued by a world government lead by an "intellectual elite and world bankers." Well is that any worse than what we have now? Let's invite Soros, Buffet and Hillary (aka the smartest woman in the world) to run it! Actually, that's not what's interesting to me about this

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-71816502447999557622008-04-05T12:53:00.002+08:002008-04-05T12:59:42.332+08:00

On April 1, 2008, more than 30 years after a "temporary" gas tax increase was imposed, the tax fell from about 50 yen per liter to about 25 yen per liter. This was not planned. It happened because the DPJ who control the upper house of parliament were able to stall legislation to extend the tax. In about a month this will all be sorted out, as the lower house will be able to override the upper

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-88833874175320149712008-04-05T12:27:00.002+08:002008-04-05T12:53:31.101+08:00

Reuters has this story about Lehman Brothers filing a lawsuit in Tokyo to recover $350M from Marubeni who are also claiming that they were victimized in the same scam. Gaijinpot has more, including an interesting observation that this story does not figure prominently in the Japanese press. So here's what seems to have happened: 1) Lehman loaned $355M to a fund headed by Asclepius Ltd.2)

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-29120616105660763322008-03-29T10:34:00.004+08:002008-03-29T11:31:47.689+08:00

It is a beautiful spring day in Tokyo and the cherry blossoms are out in force. Here are a few pictures from Shibuya taken with my cell phone this morning.from Nabeshima Shoto Parkand at a small house in Shoto Enjoy!

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-44555774272719174362008-03-23T13:03:00.006+08:002008-03-23T13:47:21.570+08:00

From The Australian is this much-quoted article pointing out yet again that recent data does not support the global-warming hypothesis. Not only is there no warming but the idea that human-generated CO2 causes warming is at best overly simplistic and at worst just plain wrong. But what interested me was this paragraph towards the end of the article:What The Age decided to spare its readers was

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-49833048922920131232008-03-22T09:46:00.002+08:002008-03-22T10:07:47.508+08:00

Bloomberg has more news on all this. It seems McCain's and Hillary Clinton's passport data were also accessed. Now the press is finally reporting what is in a passport file. Not much it turns out (as I suspected):The State Department said the only document kept in an individual's passport file is the application package. The application form includes information such as place of birth and Social

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-84528303715756720692008-03-21T11:12:00.005+08:002008-03-23T13:03:36.422+08:00

According to this Reuters lead story also covered by CNN, 3 State Department employees improperly accessed Obama's passport records 3 times in the past 3 months. Obama's campaign is already calling it an "outrageous breach of security and privacy." Hillary's campaign has called it "reprehensible." Even Joe Biden has weighed in with his usual verbosity: "I am deeply troubled that State Department

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-84536347167869362352008-03-20T09:51:00.002+08:002008-03-20T10:11:32.895+08:00

What are the three most important things for capital markets? Liquidity, liquidity, and more liquidity! Without it, you get what happened to Bear Stearns over last weekend - the collapse of a venerable firm. But I would like to correct some of the worst of the commentary I've seen around various blogs and columns:1) The Fed pumping liquidity into the system is not a bailout. The Fed is supposed

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-70833213858351423292008-03-20T09:46:00.007+08:002008-03-29T10:53:57.797+08:00

Well it seems Barack Obama is just another politician. He's trying to have it both ways. His speech on race in America was well crafted, but the content leaves one wondering who is the real Obama? OK, so he repudiated the worst of Jeremiah "God damn America" Wright's sermons. But he was still willing to (metaphorically) throw his white grandmother under the bus. I'm sorry Barack, you blew it.

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-48585741521783173732008-03-16T04:15:00.005+08:002008-03-20T09:42:27.095+08:00

The link in the title is from a samizdata.net post that poses a good question: How would free individuals handle climate change, assuming that climate change is real? This is an important question because climate change does indeed occur. Witness the ice ages and thawing periods that have existed since before the dawn of man. If climate trends are accelerated by human activity, then the question

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-79554529125829337192008-03-15T11:55:00.004+08:002008-03-15T12:20:09.035+08:00

So happy March 15th! Yesterday, March 14th was "White Day" in Japan, where men give chocolates and other gifts to the women who gave them chocolate on Valentine's Day. Time to catch up on various events of the week. Spitzer commentary deserves a separate post. Here's news on the rest. Seems to me the de-escalation of tensions in Latin America was a big win for Colombia and a defeat for Chavez.

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-23107221319326863822008-03-15T11:15:00.006+08:002008-03-20T09:45:59.343+08:00

OK so the title is a bad joke that I lifted from somewhere else. But Eliot Spitzer is an even bigger joke. Like many, I am enjoying the shadenfreude of how that self-righteous pr**k has been hoisted by his own petard. But I am somehow frustrated that he got so far in the first place. Spitzer is the worst kind of limousine liberal: wealthy by inheritance but the enemy of self-made wealth, a member

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-86559986996554179772008-03-02T10:21:00.002+08:002008-03-02T10:29:03.766+08:00

As reported in the International Herald Tribune, the government of Japan is preposing to regulate "influential, widely read news-related sites as newspapers and broadcasting are now regulated."This is interesting at two levels: Firstly, you may not have known the degree to which newspapers and broadcasting in Japan are regulated. Secondly, the government of Japan really doesn't know how to handle

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-83171594796894954762008-03-02T10:07:00.005+08:002008-03-02T15:13:57.577+08:00

When was the last time you saw Liechtenstein in the news? My first visit there was in 1983 when I was a student in Austria, and I can't recall it being in the news since, at least not for anything significant. But now Liechtenstein is caught up in a banking secrecy and tax evasion row with Germany.I'm with Liechtenstein on this one and here's why. Banking customers can reasonably expect a degree

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-17327401539527840922008-02-23T14:26:00.002+08:002008-02-23T14:32:43.679+08:00

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

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-1870465111236470072008-02-23T12:00:00.005+08:002008-02-23T14:38:34.581+08:00

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

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-34394354689274138282008-02-11T13:12:00.000+08:002008-02-11T13:25:32.223+08:00

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

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-27625745238956934442008-02-11T10:59:00.000+08:002008-02-11T11:09:32.296+08:00

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,

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-6363143710984108012008-02-11T10:33:00.000+08:002008-02-11T10:41:17.610+08:00

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,

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-5512776641679607882008-02-11T10:14:00.000+08:002008-02-11T11:34:52.711+08:00

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

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-25218836166381177812008-02-08T12:09:00.000+08:002008-02-11T10:47:15.485+08:00

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

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-34939780499517542272008-02-08T11:51:00.000+08:002008-02-08T12:04:45.345+08:00

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,

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-31025726929019034542008-02-04T11:47:00.000+08:002008-02-04T11:56:12.791+08:00

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

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-4968806825009379422008-02-03T10:52:00.001+08:002008-02-04T11:46:44.201+08:00

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

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-58094191765012927422008-02-03T10:33:00.000+08:002008-02-03T10:43:23.700+08:00

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

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-61369451033013637652008-02-03T10:20:00.000+08:002008-02-03T11:07:04.660+08:00

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!

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-82591228989563548752008-01-28T14:13:00.000+08:002008-01-29T12:56:52.795+08:00

As news trickles out about the details behind SocGen's $7B loss due to trading fraud (with recent articles here from: NY Times, Reuters, and Bloomberg), it seems to me that these are SocGen's problems and no one elses. Whatever the actions of the trader involved, SocGen has no one but itself to blame.There appear to be three overall issues:1) failure of management supervision2) failure of control

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-83073547237156732332008-01-27T15:09:00.000+08:002008-01-27T15:27:15.270+08:00

The first question is do we in fact need to do anything? Over 17% of the US economy is devoted to health care. This is indeed a high percentage, and worse it is increasing. This is in direct contrast to other basic needs, such as food, for which the share of the economy has decreased over time.Here is an article by Milton Friedman hits the nail on the head. The problem isn't that health care is

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-46468454479497673632008-01-26T16:47:00.000+08:002008-01-26T17:06:54.796+08:00

Since last week, I've been working from Nagoya in support of a client's project, and that keeps me pretty busy Monday through Friday. So here's my feeble attempt at catching up. Japan rocks! I come back to Tokyo every weekend on the bullet train. One of my colleagues who does the same trip has perfected the art of buying some sushi and sake for the ride back to Tokyo on Friday evenings. Commuting

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-9382073205027643442008-01-25T14:37:00.000+08:002008-01-25T14:49:31.899+08:00

Reuters and others are reporting on a rouge trader at Societe General who lost more than $7.8B in fradulent direavative trades. According to various reports, somehow he was able to cover his tracks through his in-depth knowledge of trading and reporting systems.I've been around banking IT long enough to know that we're probably not getting the full story. The event took place last weekend, and

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-64598028689202439432008-01-23T12:31:00.000+08:002008-01-23T16:42:18.238+08:00

My earlier post on this matter notwithstanding, the economic stimulus plans being bandied about aren't needed. The 75 basis point rate cut will likely do the job, and any stimulus plan will simply be too late (March at the earliest) to have any effect. If it results in permanently lower taxes, then I'm fine. The gist of my earlier post was that the clamor for stimulus actually creates a political

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-42559833361926074412008-01-19T12:46:00.000+08:002008-01-19T13:09:11.744+08:00

Some kind of fiscal stimulus plan looks likely. Normally I'd say the economy should be let to run its course. But this is also an opportunity to fix some things that don't get fixed unless there is a crisis. That's right, it is a chance to keep taxes down at least for a while. Here would be my recipe.1) Immediate $500 gtax credit (not grant) to anyone who filed a tax return last year or who paid

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-92038705025101347882008-01-19T12:39:00.000+08:002008-01-19T12:43:16.510+08:00

I loved my time in California. I benefited directly from the UC system while pursuing my PhD at Berkeley. However, it will be a while before I go back there, if at all.This post from NRO and linked by Instapundit says it all. How can a state as wealthy as California, with taxes among the highest in the US, have such fiscal problems?I suspect it is unnecessary spending. And that's what needs to be

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-73237899769120997372008-01-19T12:15:00.000+08:002008-01-19T12:24:26.587+08:00

Taxes in Japan are actually quite straightforward. The overall tax burden is about the same as the US, although perhaps slightly more progressive (i.e. higher for higher incomes, lower for lower incomes) but not dramatically so. Best of all, the system is very simple. If you are employed and make less than JPY 20,000,000 a year, your employer takes care of it for you. If you make more than that,

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-78656174666689030692008-01-19T11:55:00.000+08:002008-01-19T12:15:15.435+08:00

Commenting on Japan's whaling is certain to take me into dangerous waters! Emotions run high on both sides.The issue is back in the news as Japan's hunt of up to 1000 minke whales gets underway in Antarctic waters, ostensibly for research purposes. Protest groups have harrassed Japanese whalers, with 2 protestors from Sea Shepherd dramatically boarding a Japanese ship. The pair have since been

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-24521088022106763302008-01-15T13:12:00.000+08:002008-01-15T13:43:45.349+08:00

At first, Romney looked like my guy. He is a proven executive with a strong record of success. He is immune from the family issues or lifestyle issues other candidates may face. He looked electable.However, on digging deeper, a lot of issues arise. Much of the below is thanks to my brother who lives in Massachusetts and gave me some insight into Romney's performance as Governor there.In a

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-48439794729719047582008-01-14T10:45:00.000+08:002008-01-14T11:05:56.412+08:00

In my earlier post on whether we'll talk our way into recession, I linked to Megan McCardle's post that details the 9 times Paul Krugman has incorrectly predicted a US recession.I was about to challenge another Paul Krugman article lauding the European welfare state economic model, when I noticed this post linked by Instapundit. To summarize a few key points, Krugman is selective in his

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-24564022613419261122008-01-13T16:44:00.001+08:002008-01-14T11:01:46.155+08:00

How would you allocate $100 million to protect the world from events that could destroy all intelligent life? Here's the survey on the Lifeboat Foundation's lifeboat.com site. Interestingly, when I checked it just now, the 53 voters so far would allocate nearly $10 million to protect ourselves from rogue nanotechnology (grey goo) and only $7.6 million on environmental threats such as global

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-52526740605783121672008-01-13T16:29:00.000+08:002008-01-13T16:37:19.170+08:00

Capitalism is not romantic like Socialism or Environmentalism. But it does work! Here is an excellent piece by Peter Saunders.I particularly like this passage*"When I was a university teacher, I frequently encountered students who argued just as Clive does. We are too materialistic, they told me, we don’t need all these possessions, we should stop the capitalist machine and devote our energies to

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-28377922857159821712008-01-13T16:04:00.000+08:002008-01-14T10:43:15.205+08:00

Here is a good example of checking the data to challenge the New York Times on the number of murders caused by troops returning from Iraq.Unfortunately for the NYT, the data (and the math) do not support the narrative the NYT is trying to push.[Update 1/14 11:45 JST: more debunking of the NYT article is here Here. Furthermore, the Japan Times published the article in its Jan 14 issue, without

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-5606608355795547052008-01-13T15:42:00.001+08:002008-01-13T17:29:23.178+08:00

It would seem that bad economic news makes for better copy than good news. Unfortunately, this risks feeding the fear of recession, which could in turn contribute to an actual recession.Fortunately, Internet bloggers are able to challenge the pundits. Here is a good round up by Megan McCardle of 9 times in the past half decade when Paul Krugman has incorrectly predicted a recession. As Glenn

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-48862321481717141632008-01-10T15:28:00.000+08:002008-01-10T15:49:34.510+08:00

This AP article on Bush's trip to the Mideast is a prime example of MSM's anti-Bush bias. Several sentences, while not precisely wrong, are clearly written with an anti-Bush slant. To demonstrate what I mean, I've rewritten the article to show how a few re-writes can change the tone of the article, while still presenting essentially the same facts. Here it is (original text is as is, AP text

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-44725349566693772772008-01-09T13:22:00.000+08:002008-01-09T15:37:43.230+08:00

With Iowa, New Hampshire, and the Wyoming Republican caucus now over, it's time to start counting party convention delegates instead of polls. As I mentioned in an earlier post, unlike the national election in November, the primaries are not winner-take-all. Here's what's on CNN right now:Republicans (1191 needed to win)Romney 30Huckabee 21McCain 10Thompson 6Paul 2Giuliani 1Hunter 1Democrats (

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-9115170711946713112008-01-09T12:09:00.000+08:002008-01-09T12:14:17.502+08:00

Here's two good articlesDaniel Pipe's review of Jonah Goldberg's new book Liberal FacismA piece in American Thinker comparing 8 years under Clinton and the last 7 under Bush and why Republican's shouldn't worry quite so much.Read them both. 

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2038808662011595967.post-87192099805210301452008-01-09T11:56:00.000+08:002008-01-09T12:36:36.028+08:00

So apparently Hillary has achieved a 'startling upset' in New Hampshire. But wasn't she the inevitable nominee not even a month ago? OK, so Hillary 39% to Obama 36% (with 70% of precincts reporting) shows that polls can be wrong and that the Democratic nomination is still close. But it's hardly an upset. Hillary should have an outright majority. Anything less shows that she's still got a ways

Rising Sun Pundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02218604895568410649noreply@blogger.com