Rep. Giffords To Resign

Some sad news was emailed to me by the Washington Post:

Rep Gabrielle Giffords (R-Ariz) announced that she will resign from her congressional seat this week to focus on her recovery. Giffords made the announcement in a video posted on her Web site Sunday.

Giffords suffered a traumatic brain injury when a gunman shot her in the head at a constituent event in Arizona one year ago.

Although a Democrat, Giffords was/is no left wing ideologue. I wish her well in her efforts to recover from her injuries.

Standard & Poor’s cuts credit ratings for France and eight other European nations

More evidence that European socialism (something that Barack Obama is trying to impose here) doesn't work and is breaking the economies of several European countries, Standard & Poor downgraded the credit ratings of several.

From the Washington Post:

Standard & Poor’s imposed a sweeping cut to the credit standing of major European nations including France on Friday in an action that could further weaken the region’s finances and make life more expensive for governments as they fight to control a chronic crisis over public debt.

The action robs France and Austria of their prized AAA ratings, something the French government in particular had vowed to protect through recent measures to cut spending and raise taxes.

The fact that President Nicolas Sarkozy lost that battle could bode ill for the entire 17-nation euro-region — as well as for his own chances in an upcoming election. The effort to rescue countries like Greece and keep Italy from needing international help rests on the capacity of France, Germany and a cluster of smaller, economically successful countries to keep their economies on track and be able to borrow money at low rates.

The S&P action left the AAA rating of Germany, the Netherlands and Luxembourg intact.

Read more at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/france-loses-aaa-in-euro-downgrade/2012/01/13/gIQAxALzwP_story.html

Washington Post: "Japan Is Open For Business"

The Washington Post has posted an article, "Japan Is Open For Business" in which several questions are posed along with answers.



Here's two of them:

Please update us on recovery efforts and how they are affecting tourism.



We have to correct the misunderstanding that Americans and other people have about Japan. Most parts of Japan have not been damaged by the earthquake at all. Japan’s a small country compared to the U.S., but it’s not that small. And the Japanese people have been working very hard after the earthquake to revive their lives. Most highways, railroads and airports have been reconstructed, so you don’t have difficulty traveling in Japan. Even in damaged areas you can travel, with a few exceptions.



How has the disaster affected tourism?



Visitors have been declining dramatically. It is very serious now, and the Japanese government is committed to a kind of campaign in which we’re insisting that Japan is open for business and travel. In autumn, the season in Japan is the best. Most of Japan is quite safe, and even surrounding areas, except for 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) around nuclear facilities, are now safe. We’d like as many foreigners as possible to go to Tohoku (the region where Fukushima is located). It has a lot of nice scenery and hot springs and people are very kind.

I have to agree on visiting Japan in autumn. I've been there twice during autumn and the fall colors provide a beautiful backdrop. Plus, the weather is very pleasant. I would also recommend visiting in the spring as well, especially when the cherry blossoms are in bloom. Again, the springtime weather also makes for a pleasant vacation.



To read the full article, go here.