Open Thread


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  1. Several nuclear power plants shut down, this has affected all commodity markets and all markets. Obviously in Sendai the devastation was overwhelming, but thank God it didn’t hit in Tokyo or Osaka, though the shattering glass and other problems caused injuries and I think some deaths in Tokyo.

    I remember having a conversation with an old man once — I am sure he is long gone now — but he lived through the 1923 earthquake and had a terror of earthquakes all his life. I went through one in Tokyo once — they had plenty of tremors — sort of like the A train going under my house.

    Sometimes it was worse than others and pictures would be askew on the walls or you might wake up in the middle of the night. But once I remember walking down a shopping street and the whole ground was rumbling and shifting. It was a really freaky and horrible sensation. It was a over a 6. I once told this man who had the cutest china/pottery/ceramics shop that I envied him being surrounded with all the beautiful things. He told me…one earthquake and it is wiped out in a minute. People are aware subliminally of the danger all the time
    I guess because they experience little ones all the time.

    Oddly, I think it affects the way Japanese people think of architecture. They are not into old buildings, they think of architecture as disposable. My neighbor referred dismissively to our apartment building as this old building. I asked her how old it was, she said 11 years!!
    I used to take this one customer to historic places to eat and once when drunk he said you are always taking me to these old places! HA!

  2. “I hear those double bottom line funds don’t do so well.”

    “double bottom line funds” That’s a new one on me. Please elaborate.

    In fact, our investors just want to make money, believe it or not.

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