Tip of the hat, Cowen-san

Marginal Revolution has been going crazy over many things Japanese the past couple of days--it makes me smile.

A great link to a story on the prominence of yakuza in modern Japan--and it is such a casual thing to acknowledge and talk about here. The mythos around the 'gangster' is eaten up here in the form of books, toys and of course movies. I wonder if The Yamadas is in the works--probably set around where I live... again.

Another interesting link to an article on why those Incredibles look so incredible--originally postulated by a Japanese robotics researcher.

Cowen most recently lists his all time favorite Japanese movies.

I agree with the favorites list for the most part. Ikiru is absolutely gorgeous and Dreams is definitely looked over too casually. Ozu's Tokyo Story and Mizoguchi's Ugetsu are obvious choices on any list, ones that I agree with. Once seeing them you'll see why. And of course you can't escape the anime, for which anything Miyazaki is not trite nor displeasing. Graveyard of the Fireflies is one of the heart-rending films that I've ever seen, animated or not.

Whether it has been uncalled for pretension or just an aversion to blood, guts an horror I've stayed away from films like Zatoichi, Battle Royale and Audition and have yet to see them--much to the disappointment of my ultra-violence loyal friends.

Next stop: Audition town.

Some News..

Here's something fun:

Sen. John McCain promises that, as president, he would “cut taxes and balance the budget.” But his current economic plan would create deficits as deep as 5.7% of GDP by the end of a two term presidency — the highest federal budget deficit in 25 years — and would accumulate the biggest debt since the second World War, according to a new analysis by the Center for American Progress Action Fund. McCain’s current fiscal plan would recklessly exacerbate the fiscal irresponsibility of the Bush Administration further by gutting revenues far below the average level of the past 25 years.

Oh, and how about this?

The Bush administration improperly issued a policy directive last year that restricts states' abilities to expand their SCHIP programs, the Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Research Service said on Thursday during a House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing, CQ Today reports. The Aug. 17, 2007, policy directive requires states to enroll 95% of children in families with incomes up to 200% of the federal poverty level before expanding coverage to children in families with incomes greater than 250% of the poverty level.

One of the best eateries I have been to in a while..

...it's called "From Scratch." It has delicious soups, salads, sandwiches, sides and more. It's quaint and the sandwiches in particular are amongst some of the most creative I have seen of similar cafe/contemporary American restuaurants (e.g. Panera, Cosi, etc.). I recommend the prime rib French dip.

A Clinton-Obama Deal?

Hillary Clinton's big win tonight in the West Virginia primary will probably, in restrospect, do little to increase her chances of winning the Democratic nomination for presidency (though I have no doubt, many spectators will disagree). Indeed, since Barack Obama's major win in North Carolina, coupled with his already significant lead in the popular votes and delegate count, most have been predicting that the general election will be a contest between Obama and John McCain. The two had even started planning their fall strategies.

However, if West Virginia demonstrates anything, it is that Clinton still has the capability of winning swing states and voters--much like her earlier victories in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Obama needs these to win against McCain in the fall, and many are beginning to suspect that he is likely to lose those that would have otherwise supported Clinton to a Republican vote.

The New York Times posed an interesting question today:

Mr. Obama needs her to help him win in the fall. Her devoted contingent of Democrats is nearly as large as his own, a point that will be underscored with her expected big win tonight in West Virginia. After a divisive primary season, he knows that winning over her supporters begins with winning over her.

So how about this: What if Mrs. Clinton asked Mr. Obama to adopt her plan for universal health care? He could put Mrs. Clinton in charge of achieving it, presumably but not necessarily from her perch inside the Senate. And he could begin by putting the goal of universal coverage as a plank in the party’s platform.

As the Times notes, this is purely speculative. However, it's still an interesting thought. Many might think that it is politically infeasible (which it probably is--I maintain my position that Obama will want nothing to do with Clinton if she drops from the race) or not particularly saavy on the part of Obama. I, however, think that such a "deal" might actually be a positive. In my view, Clinton's universal health plan--one which includes an individual mandate for the entire population--as opposed to Obama's, which only imposes one for children first, is a more efficient means towards an effective health care system. If Obama were to allow Clinton to run her health plan as part of his campaign in exchange for her voters' support, imagine the symbolic stimulus that the country could receive. Although there is an element of selfishness to it, the deal would still mark a cooperative agreement between Democrats--something that we have been lacking in the election so far. Imagine Democrats working together for the good of the nation. Plus, a higher propsect of beating out McCain in the fall.

I don't think this is so bad...

Schola Rasa

Is this something that needs to happen in New Jersey?

A hurricane that takes lives, destroys property and decimates the public school system?
Definitely not.

A clean break from the quagmire of poorly performing school districts all across the state followed by a fresh start?
Most certainly.

I'm not sure that charter schools with independent school boards are the answer, but with test scores that are at a vast discrepancy with education 'capitalization' (the Newark school system has the highest spending per student in the nation at more than $20,000 each while maintaining some of the worst scores) something has to be done.

What do you think is the best solution? Instituting charter schools? Increasing standards for hiring teachers? Breaking the teacher's unions? Eliminating tenure (one of my favorites)?

Simply put--What can be done to increase the quality of education in New Jersey?

Blowing Bubbles

Like mispronouncing the word indemnity and premature ejaculations, so too is the 'oil bubble' a self fulfilling prophecy when too much trouble is put into pointing it out.

While speculators and growing participation it the futures market are undoubtedly going to raise the cost per barrel, here Krugman does well to point out that the market function of price has seen significant increases to stem vastly increasing demand--not the nasty guys at OPEC or those 10 stock traders standing around the water cooler devising a plan to make us all pay more at the pump out of sheer amusement.

Here's a newsflash: OIL IS A SCARCE RESOURCE!

And its much more scarce and harder to find and extract then we (don't really) care to know. So, go buy a Prius or a new Schwinn.

Pirates FTW!

This is a book that I will be buying. Yargh!

Link courtesy of MR.

And by the way, long time no see.