Joan sent me this: “Following the problems in the financial sector in the US, uncertainty has now hit Japan. In the last 7 days the Origami Bank has folded, the Sumo Bank has gone belly up and the Bonsai Bank announced plans to cut some of its branches. Yesterday, it was announced that the Karaoke Bank is up for sale and will likely go for a song, while today’s shares in the Kamikaze Bank were suspended after they nose-dived. While Samurai Bank is soldiering on following sharp cuts, the Ninja Bank is reported to have taken a hit, but they remain in the black. Furthermore, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop and analysts report that there is something fishy going on at the Sushi Bank where it is feared that staff may get a raw deal.”
Hehehe. OK, so American finance has wasted the world economy. But we Americans are not all bad. Just look what existential joy we have brought upon the world:
Baseball was imported to Japan in 1872 and is one of the most popular sports there today. The man on the shirt (worn by Dude in The Big Lebowski) was Japanese baseball player Kaoru Betto, who played for the Osaka Tigers in the late 1940s. He is known as “The Gentleman of Baseball.” He played baseball wearing glasses. Now that is reason for hope, dear folks.
