...Gilbert Gottfried

Aflac has fired the voice of their famous duck, the mascot of the company. The voice in question would be Gilbert Gottfried, for those few who did not already know that. The reason why Aflac fired him was because of some jokes he Tweeted after the earthquake in Japan that they deemed "tasteless". Aflac just happens to do 75% of their business in Japan (1 in 4 homes insured in Japan is insured with Aflac) and they fear that his comments could possibly damage their reputation and of course hurt business. Chief Marketing Officer Michael Zuna said, "There is no place for anything but compassion and concern during these difficult times." Aflac said they will be looking for a new voice to replace Gottfried. It should be noted that in Japan Gottfried is not the voice of the duck, a softer more people friendly voice is used. I am wondering what is going to happen now? What voice will replace his? I cannot think of a voice as brunt or crude as his at this very moment in time, maybe you know some. Part of me wants to be upset with Aflac for firing him, and I will be, but what Gottfried did was just blah. Wait a week and then say the jokes or do not say them at all. I am not so sure how well off he is, I know he is not broke but I am not sure how far from it he is. Anyway I am going to give Gilbert a Digit Down for messing up his steady flow of income and in this economy...

...McDonald's

As you know America is a very fat country, people wise. McDonald's is a top food chain here and around the world. Here they are starting to give in and serve healthier options, but in Japan not so much, in fact there is only one salad, one sad side salad. Their new campaign called "Big America 2" features 4 burgers named after American locations. They range from medium to LARGE. The Idaho burger, which will make its debut by the end of this month, features a quarter-pound beef patty, melted cheese, a deep-fried hash brown, strips of bacon, onions and pepper-and-mustard sauce. The calorie count: 713. The Texas 2 Burger -- with chili, three buns, cheese and bacon comes in at 645 calories. The 557-calorie Miami burger has tortilla chips not as a side dish, but nestled on top of the beef patty. By contrast, McDonald's Japan's Quarter Pounder and Big Mac mainstays come in at 556 calories each. In America roughly 67% of adults are overweight compared to the 23% in Japan, probably sumo wrestlers. I guess McDonald's really wants to change that. Luckily these burgers will be around for a limited time offer, which in Japan only makes them more appealing. I know that many American companies give us the "good" stuff and pawn off other things on other countries, but this kind of makes McDonald's look shady. Selling health to us and then selling fat to the Japanese. It could be much much worse though, but I still do not approve. I am giving McDonald's a Digit Down.

...Japan

Paris Hilton has already been barred from the Wynn in Las Vegas and some night clubs as well. She could live with that I guess. But now a whole country is barring her from entering. That country is Japan. Japan has strict immigration laws that bar entry to those convicted of drug offenses. Sometimes exceptions are made, but not this time. Paris should feel lucky, Paul McCartney was given the same treatment decades ago. This is all stemming from her arrest and admittance of cocaine possession. She was held at the airport and stayed in an airport hotel, so not luxe, and was questioned for 6 hours over 2 days before being denied entry into the country. Paris had this to say to reporters, "I'm going back home, and I look forward to coming back to Japan in the future." She took it like a champ, because Japan is no 3 hour flight, it is a journey. Paris was supposed to be promoting her new fashion line, perfume and store not only in Tokyo, Japan but Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Jakarta, Indonesia. I think this was a good thing. Sometimes you need to be humiliated in public, it humbles you and grounds you sometimes harshly, sometimes gently. I am a Paris fan, not as much as I used to be and the drugs have nothing to do with that, but this is a good lesson for her to learn and grow from, finally, we hope. If this affects her finances, then she will take it more seriously than before. She is 29, 30 will be here fast, and you cannot claim to be too young not to know right from wrong, as if she is now. I am giving Japan a Digit Up for not making any exception to Paris and treating her like a normal citizen.

...China

China has been on the radar for many decades, and now they are making news for good and bad. China has moved all the way to #2 on the world power list, according to their economy valued at $1.33 trillion. America is still #1, but this is still major. In the past years many, including me, have doubted if China's power was real or just some elaborate bubble waiting to be burst. Although It could still be a bubble, until proven we will have to recognize China as a legitimate superpower. If you do not watch the markets then you do not understand how major this is. China jumped over Japan, Germany, France and Great Britain to become #2. They are now the main trading partner in the world, not America or China. A decade ago analyst wondered if Japan, whose economy is mature and its population quickly aging, was going to top America, but now it could be China? China is still not as urban as Japan and it has a new generation of young adults seeking economic success. They have a lower standard of living and much room to grow. All of Wall Street was abuzz when china said it was going to revalue its currency. To this day it is still in the air hat they will do. Some fear that it could make our dollar even weaker than it is while others think it will actually make the Yuan weaker.
Now let us shift gears and look at another development in China, their military. The Pentagon's annual assessment shows that China's military power is secretly grower stronger. They have suspended their military-to-military talks with America, so we have no clue as to why they are trying to build up their army. They refuse to meet with officials here to talk about their military and have been unclear on their views on Iran, sometimes yes and sometimes no. They have more than enough money to invest in their military so it should come as no surprise that they are. China was not a threat to us, or so we thought, we were always looking over the Middle East and Russia. I do believe that Russia would have our back if we needed them before China simply because China buys our debt, makes our things, and helps us greatly, especially General Motors who is selling more cars there than here.
So you have to think about it. It took China 30 years to get to #1, so is it a fluke? In 50 years or less could they be #1? They have pretty much everything on their side right now. America has been through things and have come through them OK, but this is a new age. technology is available to everyone. They have a major control in the markets they can influence a lot of things. They have a lot of extra money to spend freely and a military that is growing larger daily. Although they have a large chunk of the world's population on land roughly the same size as America, they survive on $3,600, 3rd world wages, and yet they continue to grow. I am going to give this news a Digit Down, because in the long run this could spell trouble for not just America, but the world.