Japan loves Ivanka

Trump not so much

Ivanka Trump told reporters she is ready to take over for her father should he decide to step down before his term is over. President Trump offered no response to his daughter's strange announcement other than to say she would make an excellent president.

This followed a number of odd comments by the President during his tour of Japan. Earlier he had pleaded with Prime Minister Abe, whom he called President Abe, to build Japanese cars in America. When told by PM Abe that Toyota produced over 2 million cars last year in North America, President Trump simply murmured, oh. President Trump also said he was astonished by the number of countries in the world when addressing a banquet the first evening. Who knew?

Mr. Trump also seemed visibly agitated by the prospect of feeding goldfish, or koi as they are called in Japan. He followed the Prime Minister in scattering a couple spoonfuls into the pond and then simply dumped the rest of the contents in the wood box, patting the Prime Minister on the back afterward as if to say, good job.

Ms. Kushner, nee Trump, seems equally confused by the customs of Japan, thinking Japanese anime was an appropriate precedent for skirt lengths when addressing a conference with the President, er Prime Minister of Japan. All though, I must say she looked stunning in her Japanese-inspired floral dress, created by Italian designer Johanna Ortiz. "Kudos, baby," said her father.

By contrast, the First Lady Melania Trump opted for a concentration camp blue dress, designed by Christian Dior no less, when visiting an elementary school with the Japanese First Lady. I don't know if she was paying tribute to the American POWs held in Japan during WWII, or simply thought it was the appropriate attire for young children.

The Trumps will continue their Asian tour in South Korea, but not before a friendly game of golf with the Prime Minister. Someone should brief the President that Hyundai also makes cars in America so as not to make another miscue in Seoul. As for Ivanka, she might want to add to her hemline as South Korea is even more conservative than Japan.

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Dylan in America

Whoever it was in 1969 who named the very first Bob Dylan bootleg album “Great White Wonder” may have had a mischievous streak. There are any number of ways you can interpret the title — most boringly, the cover was blank, like the Beatles’ “White Album” — but I like to see a sly allusion to “Moby-Dick.” In the seven years since the release of his first commercial record, Dylan had become the white whale of 20th-century popular song, a wild, unconquerable and often baffling force of musical nature who drove fans and critics Ahab-mad in their efforts to spear him, lash him to the hull and render him merely comprehensible. --- Bruce Handy, NYTimes ____________________________________________ I figured we can start fresh with Bob Dylan. Couldn't resist this photo of him striking a Woody Guthrie pose. Looks like only yesterday. Here is a link to the comments building up to this reading group.

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Dispatches from Vilnius

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