The Rides and Tours

エコノミストの紺谷典子氏は「金利は上げるべき。金利６％が世界標準。宗教上の理由で金利をつけられないイスラム圏を除き、どこにゼロ金利の国がありますか？」としたうえで、「７２の法則」を示した。

複利の場合、７２を金利のパーセンテージで割ると、預金が二倍になる年数が出るという法則だ。「金利６％なら十二年。十五年前のバブル崩壊時の預金が、とっくに二倍になっていた。一千万円預金した人なら、月々の食費ぐらい出ていた。ところが今の金利、例えば０・０４％なら、二倍になるまで千八百年かかる。邪馬台国の卑弥呼が預金していたとしても、今やっと二倍になった計算だ」

TENSION between China and Japan escalated yesterday with a major newspaper here describing Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to a Tokyo war shrine as the actions of a person who knowingly eats "rat s..t".

The vermin-type commentary in The People's Daily, the Communist Party mouthpiece, comes .....

"China has an old saying: One pellet of rat s..it spoils a bowl of soup," said the commentary, signed by Wu Ming, probably a pseudonym.

日本に対する中国の罵詈雑言は極限にまで達しているようです。

With their power, grace and artistry, Japan's women figure skaters are a daunting force that could help revitalize the troubled sport

RTE Foreign Editor Margaret Ward kept a diary of her week-long visit to North Korea. Cameraman Magnus Kelly took the pictures. 'We didn't have freedom of movement, we were accompanied at all times except for evening visits to restaurants, and our filming was restricted to locations agreed in advance by the government,' said Margaret Ward. 'However, we travelled around the country more than most foreign crews have managed to do, and got at least a flavour of life inside this secretive country.'