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Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Lessons from Japan
After having spent a bit of time in Japan, there's a few things that the US could probably learn from them. First of all, the real estate crisis and aging population was seen in Japan many years before it hit the US and is part of what caused them to be in a state of deflation with near 0% interest rates for so many years. The main reason I hear that we don't end up the same way is that we have a growing population, but that seems mostly due to immigration.
Another thing Japan does different from the US and we seem to be trying to head toward is health insurance is required. When I went to get my alien registration card I noticed the sign that said if I don't have health insurance, I will be required to buy the government run one. We don't have the government run health insurance, but I'm not sure what kind of cost their government run insurance creates. They are saddled with debt as well and it'd be interesting to know how much cost this program puts on the government. I've also heard that their health insurance companies are NPOs, which could be interesting to try in the US.
For energy and green ideas, we seem a bit behind the times here too. First of all, our cars are entirely too big and consume too much gas. Something like the smart car isn't a safety hazard in Japan cause all the other cars on the road are fairly small too, including the trucks. The buses are usually the biggest vehicles on the road by far. Added to that, their mass transit system is way ahead of us in coverage, convenience, and punctuality. I tried taking the bus from Binghamton to Poughkeepsie, but never again. Absolutely dreadful. The trains are also not only faster, but nicer.
Nuclear power also seems to be fairly widespread in Japan. I have noticed some windmills as well, but not nearly as many as in Europe. I think one of the energy resources that work for Japan though is the geothermal energy. With all their on-sens, this seems to be a naturally rich source of energy for them that's not in limited supply. If Brazil and Japan have figured out native sources of energy, why can't we?
Energy conservation also seemed to be bigger in Japan. The AC at work is not cranked nearly as high there as it is here. There's a fixed almost uncomfortable temperature of the office during the summer and everyone uses hand fans at times. In the bathroom there's no paper towels. There's an air blower but most people carry a handkerchief for drying their hands. They don't observe daylight savings either... and they don't know why we do.
As far as CEO compensation goes, my understanding was that it is not nearly as out of control there as it is here. I'm not sure how that gets controlled though. Could it be that the shareholders and populace in general is a bit more frugal when it comes to finances and so they can't get away with the outrageous stuff they get away with here?
Another thing Japan does different from the US and we seem to be trying to head toward is health insurance is required. When I went to get my alien registration card I noticed the sign that said if I don't have health insurance, I will be required to buy the government run one. We don't have the government run health insurance, but I'm not sure what kind of cost their government run insurance creates. They are saddled with debt as well and it'd be interesting to know how much cost this program puts on the government. I've also heard that their health insurance companies are NPOs, which could be interesting to try in the US.
For energy and green ideas, we seem a bit behind the times here too. First of all, our cars are entirely too big and consume too much gas. Something like the smart car isn't a safety hazard in Japan cause all the other cars on the road are fairly small too, including the trucks. The buses are usually the biggest vehicles on the road by far. Added to that, their mass transit system is way ahead of us in coverage, convenience, and punctuality. I tried taking the bus from Binghamton to Poughkeepsie, but never again. Absolutely dreadful. The trains are also not only faster, but nicer.
Nuclear power also seems to be fairly widespread in Japan. I have noticed some windmills as well, but not nearly as many as in Europe. I think one of the energy resources that work for Japan though is the geothermal energy. With all their on-sens, this seems to be a naturally rich source of energy for them that's not in limited supply. If Brazil and Japan have figured out native sources of energy, why can't we?
Energy conservation also seemed to be bigger in Japan. The AC at work is not cranked nearly as high there as it is here. There's a fixed almost uncomfortable temperature of the office during the summer and everyone uses hand fans at times. In the bathroom there's no paper towels. There's an air blower but most people carry a handkerchief for drying their hands. They don't observe daylight savings either... and they don't know why we do.
As far as CEO compensation goes, my understanding was that it is not nearly as out of control there as it is here. I'm not sure how that gets controlled though. Could it be that the shareholders and populace in general is a bit more frugal when it comes to finances and so they can't get away with the outrageous stuff they get away with here?
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Week in Review - 3/19/10
I finished my shogi game this week and won even though I did a careless move near the end. We played about 15-20 minutes during lunch each of the days. The last day we spent a little more to allow for talking about the game and how things could of been played better. I think the biggest problem for my opponent was deployment. He moved the rook and bishop around a bit without gaining anything while I was able to move many of my pieces to control more of the board and limit his movement. He wants to have a rematch some day since I now have a winning record against him of 2 games to 1. I look forward to it.
I finally got my alien registration card for Japan just in time for my return trip to New York. Maybe I won't need to get fingerprinted the next time out here. I bought a nice Xiangqi board that hopefully will fit in my luggage. I figured I already have a nice shogi board and chess board so might as well finish out the set.
I finally got my alien registration card for Japan just in time for my return trip to New York. Maybe I won't need to get fingerprinted the next time out here. I bought a nice Xiangqi board that hopefully will fit in my luggage. I figured I already have a nice shogi board and chess board so might as well finish out the set.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Health Care
Health Care... Just saying those words elicits feelings of hope, depression, anger, bewilderment, and concern. I don't really know how to feel about all of it. This weekend may mark passage of this monumental bill, but what will it do?
President Obama says it will bring down costs, so I ask how. The theory seems to be that if everyone is required to buy health insurance including the young and healthy who might consider it fine to risk going without it, then premiums should be reduced. Sounds kind of like requiring safe drivers to have car insurance. The counter point to this though is that we want people with pre-existing conditions to not be denied coverage. That would mean costs going up. To me the 2 combined sound like a wash, but I don't have the data (and doubt anyone does but some actuarists at insurance companies) to know what net effect this will have on the premiums.
A second counter point to lower premiums is that if more people now find themselves with insurance will they visit the doctor or hospital more than they did before causing a larger overall cost of health care in the country? If the cost is higher than before, the average weighted cost of what each american is paying for health care is going to be higher.
Another way it might bring costs down is for those that pay for individual coverage and don't get the discounts like people in large companies. Companies often don't go along with just getting less revenue so how will this be offset? One point is that since there are more people having to buy in, they are getting more revenue. Well that may be nice theory, but if a "discount" becomes standard, then there is no longer a discount. I think it's logical to conclude that this legislation is to do away with the discounts now enjoyed by employees of large companies. I don't have a problem with this, but to me that seems the logical outcome.
Another thing President Obama said is that this will not increase the deficit and will actually bring savings. So again I ask how. Insurance companies will be making just as much money if not more than before. Pharmaceuticals... Hospitals... Malpractice lawyers... I really don't see who will be getting less money so how will the government be paying less? Someone has to either be paying more or getting less for this to happen. We are decreasing the medicare budget but have this new budget for providing subsidies for those that can't afford the premiums. Who qualifies and how do we know how much we will be paying out for subsidies?
The biggest unknowns to me on this legislation still is how will it handle care for illegals? Is this bill going to change anything for them?
Maybe all the secret meetings over this is politics as usual, but it makes me hope they don't pass this any time soon because I still don't know what it is going to do.
President Obama says it will bring down costs, so I ask how. The theory seems to be that if everyone is required to buy health insurance including the young and healthy who might consider it fine to risk going without it, then premiums should be reduced. Sounds kind of like requiring safe drivers to have car insurance. The counter point to this though is that we want people with pre-existing conditions to not be denied coverage. That would mean costs going up. To me the 2 combined sound like a wash, but I don't have the data (and doubt anyone does but some actuarists at insurance companies) to know what net effect this will have on the premiums.
A second counter point to lower premiums is that if more people now find themselves with insurance will they visit the doctor or hospital more than they did before causing a larger overall cost of health care in the country? If the cost is higher than before, the average weighted cost of what each american is paying for health care is going to be higher.
Another way it might bring costs down is for those that pay for individual coverage and don't get the discounts like people in large companies. Companies often don't go along with just getting less revenue so how will this be offset? One point is that since there are more people having to buy in, they are getting more revenue. Well that may be nice theory, but if a "discount" becomes standard, then there is no longer a discount. I think it's logical to conclude that this legislation is to do away with the discounts now enjoyed by employees of large companies. I don't have a problem with this, but to me that seems the logical outcome.
Another thing President Obama said is that this will not increase the deficit and will actually bring savings. So again I ask how. Insurance companies will be making just as much money if not more than before. Pharmaceuticals... Hospitals... Malpractice lawyers... I really don't see who will be getting less money so how will the government be paying less? Someone has to either be paying more or getting less for this to happen. We are decreasing the medicare budget but have this new budget for providing subsidies for those that can't afford the premiums. Who qualifies and how do we know how much we will be paying out for subsidies?
The biggest unknowns to me on this legislation still is how will it handle care for illegals? Is this bill going to change anything for them?
Maybe all the secret meetings over this is politics as usual, but it makes me hope they don't pass this any time soon because I still don't know what it is going to do.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Week in Review - 3/12/10
It was slightly colder than normal in Tokyo this week with New York having some warmer days. Tuesday evening there was actually a snow flurry that covered the sidewalks with slush making for some slippery walking. By midnight the snow had all turned to rain though and by morning there wasn't a trace of the snow.
I've started to play shogi again with a coworker and the board positions from after the 2 sessions of play are below. It's not too hard to figure out how to play if you can remember the kanji. I learned overnight from wikipedia. The most exciting factor is being able to place pieces that you capture anywhere on the board for your side. I'm the player on the bottom and have a decent position at this point with a pawn (歩) in hand.
Lastly, I saw quite the site this morning. One of the little lunch trucks drove by and to my utter amazement there was a brick pizza oven in the back of that thing. No idea how they managed to fit it in there or how much it weighs, but that's definitely fresh pizza on the go.
I've started to play shogi again with a coworker and the board positions from after the 2 sessions of play are below. It's not too hard to figure out how to play if you can remember the kanji. I learned overnight from wikipedia. The most exciting factor is being able to place pieces that you capture anywhere on the board for your side. I'm the player on the bottom and have a decent position at this point with a pawn (歩) in hand.
Lastly, I saw quite the site this morning. One of the little lunch trucks drove by and to my utter amazement there was a brick pizza oven in the back of that thing. No idea how they managed to fit it in there or how much it weighs, but that's definitely fresh pizza on the go.
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