| Debate swirls around choice of next Bank of Japan chief amid fears ...
TOKYO — Debate surrounds the choice for the next governor of Japan's central bank — and whoever it is faces a tough challenge steering monetary policy through the choppy waters of market turmoil and anxiety about a global slowdown. With barely a month left before the five-year term of Gov. Toshiko Fukui ends on March 19, various names have been tossed about in the Japanese media as a possible successor. Just last week, a deputy governor at the Bank of Japan, Toshiro Muto, who is also a former bureaucrat at the powerful Ministry of Finance, was widely expected to take the top spot. But some members of the opposition Democrats, who are eager to wield their influence, are reported to favor Yutaka Yamaguchi, another deputy governor at the bank, according to analysts.
Strawdog's 'Richard III' fails the test of character
Director Nic Dimond describes himself in a program note as "a reluctant Shakespeare fan." Maybe that's why a pervading aura of ambivalence hangs over his production of "Richard III" at Strawdog Theatre Company.
It's not a terrible show by any means. The script has been adroitly cut and shaped for a swifter pace than usual, and the large cast skillfully negotiates the always-tight Strawdog space. But as is too often the case with storefront Shakespeare in Chicago, it's also not astounding enough conceptually to make up for the uneven performances in the ensemble. If you don't have actors who can knock the poetry of Shakespeare out of the park, you should at least provide some fresh insights into the world of the play. Here, some of the actors were inaudible as soon as they turned upstage.
Saul Friedman: Pass along your values
If I may get personal, tomorrow is an important date in my life. I was married to my Evelyn Jan. 20, 1952, and we are together still.
But every four years in the past, our anniversary dinner was delayed because I was busy covering presidential inaugurations, which fall on the same date. And I have covered nine since 1965.
Once again, a year from tomorrow, we shall observe another inauguration and the beginning of a new chapter in the nation's saga that we hope will be filled with peace and hope, sense and civility.
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XM/Sirius merger could be finalized soon: report
Wall Street analyst site Briefing.com has quoted an unnamed source as saying that the deal may be finalized before the end of the month. XM and Sirius have contended that standard AM/FM radio is still a viable competition, as are other portable media devices. The merger is widely expected to go through without regulatory hurdles, but the mandatory review process has taken several months. .
Tippett hopes election is omen for Pats
Former New England linebacker Andre Tippett hopes his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be a good omen for the Patriots on Sunday.
As New England's executive director of community affairs, Tippett had plenty of support from the Patriots' Super Bowl traveling party as he waited to learn whether he was headed to Canton.
''Everybody, from Day 1 when we got here, they were like, 'Hey, we're looking to do something special -- you on Saturday and us on Sunday,''' Tippett said on Saturday. ''It couldn't have happened at a greater time.''
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For Clinton, Ohio and Texas become key states to win
That is why Senator Obama's message resonates so much with us. As I've followed the campaigns, I see him behaving the most honorably and graciously of all. He is a Christian who quotes the most Christian of all principles, which is to be your brothers/sister's keeper (essentially to care for each other) and his message of hope is so important in our world today. I'm also glad he has some Muslim roots because I think that will give him an edge in majority Islamic countries where he will be listened to and respected more because of that. It's too bad that so many Americans don't realize this, but instead focus on being afraid of Muslims and seeing them as enemies. .
The problems, potential of John McCain
That's the bug in question, all right, hoist upon your T-pin. I get a bit prickly myself when you point out the stone cold fact that the man tends to underestimate Da Peeps. And @@, that's one helluva thing to say about an American politician. But you're right: he's too often an upper case "D" instead of a lower case one. And that, by the way, is a perfectly functioning definition of Populism. Look, we all agree that us natives is restless. Drumbeats to the Left, drumbeats to the Right, etc. Da Peeps is just downright pi$$ed. Each of the candidates (esp. Ron Paul) thinks she knows what we's pi$$ed about, but none of them really seems to get it right, though (a) Obama comes closest and (b) merely propitiating an angry electorate does not a sound candidacy make.
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