Odds and ends
A friend who read the post below about licensing fortunetellers reminded me that the classic protectionist-licensing story remains that of African braiders. For those who haven't seen it discussed on a news program or in Virginia Postrel's The Future and Its Enemies, the Institute for Justice website has a rundown.
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I'm still making my way through Brink Lindsey's most recent book, but he's revived his blog and has a bunch of terrific posts about advertisements. For me the standouts are the pre-PC Jello commercial, apparently narrated by Charlie Chan, and the compilation of TV cigarette commercials. I was born in '72; I don't remember cigarette advertising on television. But I do remember being a child when lots of people smoked--there were ashtrays everywhere to accommodate them, and it wasn't regarded as a big deal. Lindsey says, "Also, isn’t there a powerful illicit thrill--in our current age when smoking is the new leprosy--in watching these folks happily taking in big lungfuls of carcinogens?" Yes, there is. From our perspective now, the ads practically feel pornographic.
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Not surprisingly, Minister of Defense Fumio Kyuma has been brought sharply back into line by Prime Minister Abe:
Especially with an election coming up.
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I'm still making my way through Brink Lindsey's most recent book, but he's revived his blog and has a bunch of terrific posts about advertisements. For me the standouts are the pre-PC Jello commercial, apparently narrated by Charlie Chan, and the compilation of TV cigarette commercials. I was born in '72; I don't remember cigarette advertising on television. But I do remember being a child when lots of people smoked--there were ashtrays everywhere to accommodate them, and it wasn't regarded as a big deal. Lindsey says, "Also, isn’t there a powerful illicit thrill--in our current age when smoking is the new leprosy--in watching these folks happily taking in big lungfuls of carcinogens?" Yes, there is. From our perspective now, the ads practically feel pornographic.
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Not surprisingly, Minister of Defense Fumio Kyuma has been brought sharply back into line by Prime Minister Abe:
During a meeting of about ten minutes, the prime minister told Kyuma, "Japan is the only country to suffer a nuclear strike, and we must think of the feelings of the bombing victims in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, who suffered horribly. We mustn't hurt their feelings."
Especially with an election coming up.
Posted by Sean on
2007-07-02 14:26:20