>At 07:42 AM 11/11/2000 -0800, you wrote:
>>"The Japanese economy was in better condition than had been believed in
>>the late 1990s, according to a new method for calculating gross domestic
>>product introduced by the Economic Planning Agency last week. By including
>>computer software investment in capital spending, the revision revealed
>>that GDP grew slightly in fiscal 1997 [April to April], in contrast to the
>>old method, which had indicated negative growth for the year. This is the
>>first revision of the calculation method in 22 years.
>
>similar reports have been made about the mis-measurement of European growth.
>
>Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] & http://bellarmine.lmu.edu/~JDevine
***** Subject: Re: On toilets
From: John Mage ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Date: Sun Sep 24 2000 - 16:41:14 EDT
Just now back on the Upper West Side, having been in Hokkaido going
from hotspring to hotspring since late August, and with half awake
jetlagged mind skimming a month of lbo-digests. The toilet thread set
off the urge to (errr..) communicate. Brand new public toilets were
everywhere in Hokkaido.
The results of all the deficit public spending of the last few years
is now visible. The roads (famously awful in the past in this part of
the world with supersevere winters) are now fantastic. Where a road
used to wind along a valley there's now a tunnel straightening the
road, and the old road is often a walking/bike path. Every large town
seems to have a new museum. The year-old salmon museum in
Shibetsu-Chu is at the point in the river where returning salmon
faced a cataract; now you can watch them jump from behind a glass
wall. If there's a new dam there's also a viewspot with parking, an
attached new museum, and "nature trials." And everywhere new public
toilets.
Sometimes out in the middle of nowhere with no apparent reason why
they were built there. All with electronic gadgets that automatically
turn on lights and open doors. And with wheelchair accessible
toilets. And fresh cut flowers. And even in some cases with the
gadgets now universal in toiletbowls in new hotels and ryokans that
wash your private parts with warm water (separate dials for front and
rear - and warnings to sit down before using lest you get your
clothing wet).
Harry Magdoff asked me how the Hokkaido visit went & I told him some
of the above. He said: "It is interesting what a sensible ruling
class and its self-confident representatives can do in depression
years."
john mage *****
Yoshie
