Commentary on the upcoming French election, Romney’s money, Japan’s justice system, Eiko, the death of mackerel, outsourcing, paying for oil, China’s infrastructure mania, and Europe’s mess.

(ed's note -- have had many interesting articles sent in that have been accumulating, a little clean up).

Can Sarkozy win? Thanks to Ken of Tokyo/Hong Kong.

New York Times -- The Sarkozy Effect
In the other election of 2012, the one more imminent, there are only two words worth remembering.

The 1% meme has snared Romney. Thanks to Ken of Tokyo/Hong Kong.

Political Wire -- Just an Ordinary Swiss Account
While Mitt Romney regularly accuses President Obama of wanting to turn the United States into Europe, a new DNC video asks why Romney puts so much of his money there in secret Swiss bank accounts and other overseas tax havens.

Related.

New York Review of Books -- The Republican Nightmare
Glimpsed on CNN at 5:45, the network crawl on caucus night: “Rap on Iowa: Too White, Too Evangelical.”

Japan can be nasty. Thanks to Ken of Tokyo/Hong Kong.

Economist -- Gulag for gaijin
AN EXTRAORDINARY story is making the rounds among the hacks and other expats in Japan.

 … and nice. Thanks to Robin of Victoria.

Arigato from Japan

Designer Eiko Ishioka passes away. Thanks to Ken of Tokyo/Hong Kong.

New York Times -- Eiko Ishioka, Multifaceted Designer and Oscar Winner, Dies at 73
Eiko Ishioka, a designer who brought an eerie, sensual surrealism to film and theater, album covers, the Olympics and Cirque du Soleil, in the process earning an Oscar, a Grammy and a string of other honors, died on Saturday in Tokyo.

 

She was 73. For Japanese television, she created a Parco commercial in which, over the course of a minute and a half, the actress Faye Dunaway, black-clad against a black background, slowly and wordlessly peels and eats a hard-boiled egg.

 

Related. Thanks to Jeremy of Tokyo.

New York Times -- In Mackerel's Plunder, Hints of Epic Fish Collapse
Eric Pineda, a dock agent in this old port south of Santiago, peered deep into the Achernar’s hold at a measly 10 tons of jack mackerel — the catch after four days in waters once so rich they filled the 17-meter fishing boat in a few hours.

Paul Krugman on the lesson from Apple. Thanks to Ken of Tokyo/Hong Kong.

New York Times -- Jobs, Jobs and Cars
Mitch Daniels, the former Bush budget director who is now Indiana’s governor, made the Republicans’ reply to President Obama’s State of the Union address.

Gold for oil? Thanks to David of Victoria.

Pdf below -- The Demise of the Petrodollar

More food for thought about China. Thanks to David of Victoria.

Michael Pettis – Building Debt
Before starting on the subject of debt I wanted to make a quick reference to something sent to me by Charles Horner, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. 

The European abyss. Thanks to David of Victoria.

Pdf below -- Staring into the Abyss