Palin's glasses give boost to Japanese company's sales

Uh-oh, wonder if Palin is aware of this or doesn't care. Sometimes the loony 'buy American' crowd can be a weeee bit sensitive to this issue. You never know.

Her glasses make her look like a frustrated 3rd grade teacher who may snap and take out her class at any moment.

Moderator: Stay on topic please.

The brand’s concept is ‘smart and high technology,’ removing any unnecessary decoration

If you want smart, hi-tech and no unnecessary decoration, go Lasik. Glasses are so not cool.

If you walk in the streets of Osan outside the airbase, you can get the same glasses (style and material) with a perscription filled for about $150. Probably in Alaska, a visit to LensCrafters or Wal-Mart for that matter cost her about $150. Once again, the Japanese market is jacking up the price well above what it would cost someone outside of Japan to buy the product.

With the post the other day about the apathy in Japanese politics, I wonder will the city of Obama now really try to press for a visit by Sen. Obama to put them back in the number one spot of being the followers of American politics and trying to get in the press. I am waiting for Yokosuka to get in on the act, saying that John McCain visitied here before he was shot down, or that the ship named for his grandfather is homeported here. If he does win, I guess on the next open base, the USS McCain baseball caps will be huge sellers.

Is it just me, or does Sarah Palin look like a model for LensCrafters?

Probably in Alaska, a visit to LensCrafters or Wal-Mart for that matter cost her about $150.

No, the cost of living is very high in Alaska. The cost of a gallon of gasoline is at least a dollar above what is paid in the lower 48 states. The Japanese price is probably about right for the Alaskan market.

The glasses look good. The librarian look works well for professional women.

As Sarah Palin would have said herself, what's the difference between a Hockey Mom and a Hockey Mom pretending to be an intellectual-looking 'politician' ? Answer: the spectacles.

"If you walk in the streets of Osan outside the airbase, you can get the same glasses (style and material) with a perscription filled for about $150. Probably in Alaska, a visit to LensCrafters or Wal-Mart for that matter cost her about $150"

You gotta think about rent, labor costs, and location. Few people want to live near an airbase, or freeze their butts off living in Alaska. That's why the glasses are expensive in Japan. Oh, and those $150 ones are likely Chinese-made knockoffs (especially if you got them at Walmart- LOL!)

"If you want smart, hi-tech and no unnecessary decoration, go Lasik. Glasses are so not cool."

No risk of any vision problems after Lasik surgery. Nope, none whatsoever. You just might have angelic vision-halos and all.

I think Palin looks just fine with the glasses. She will make a better vice president than Joe Biden.

Good luck to her in her new job from January 20, 2009!

What's the difference between a pair of spectacles on Sarah Palin and a pair of spectacles by themselves ? Answer: a hockey mom.

Pathat. The only thing Palin will ever do better than Joe Biden is be a hockey mom in bad psycho-killer glasses.

And for once I agree with Sarge. David Letterman was my second choice for what her glasses make her look like after psycho-killer. I think this is a first that you and I are on the same page.

No risk of any vision problems after Lasik surgery. Nope, none whatsoever

Life doesn't come with 'no risk of any problems'. The prospect of not having to go through life with a pair of lenses hanging off your nose, getting steamed up in the kitchen, muckied with dog licks, and of actually being able to see, makes the tiny risk worth it.

On the subject of 'vision' problems though, I don't think Palin's (or McCain's) are related to her choice of glasses, or even her lens prescription. More a problem of their view of the world.

Cleo is right ... for a change. Lasik and Intra-Lasik rock. Even on my old body my vision is perfect for well over 2 years now. And done by a Japanese doctor for all you J-bashers out there. To Palin I'd reccomend it but I find her pretty hot in those glasses. But that's just my preference.

tkoind - I'm afraid we aren't on the same page. Sarah does not look like a psycho-killer.

Moderator: Back on topic please.

bebert: The librarian look works well for professional women.

Yes, but a bit ironic considering that she told the an Alaskan librarian she could support censorship. Sometimes it's not just lenses that need to be refocused.

NorthLondon - You must admit Palin looks hot with those glasses.

Sure, go for the Lasik, but keep the glasses for those occasions when you want me to liberate the repressed librarian in you.

Yeah, major magane fechi here. Sue me. (As long as you wear your Assistant DA glasses.)

Sarge, I've always had a hard spot for the librarian look.

bush, I guarantee I'm older than most people on this site (clue - the year that JFK was shot. Yes really)

nessie - with you there, sadly girls who wear glasses slowly disappearing.

seriously though, people actually care enough about what palin wears for it to influence what type of glasses they get?

The inventor of Lasik doesn't even go for the Lasik. It's history is too short he says. He's waiting to find out if it's actually safe.

Moderator: Stay on topic please.

Masunaga Optical sells 6,000 to 7,000 frames of the MP-704 model globally a year, she said, while declining to say how many orders it received since Palin was picked...

How convenient. Any immediate increase has been obviously insignificant. And with good reason. What a dork.

chibaman - "Any immediate ncrease has been obviously insignificant... What a dork."

How do you know if the increase in orders for the MP-704 are insignificant? Maybe they've gone through the roof! And I've never heard a woman referred to as a dork before...

Oy first of all Sarge you need to get nice shiny posts like mine, by using the quote function. Just copy what you want, paste it into the comment box, then drag over it and hit the quote button. There might be a simpler way but I'm not interested.

How do you know if the increase in orders for the MP-704 are insignificant? Maybe they've gone through the roof! And I've never heard a woman referred to as a dork before...

I know all, that's why. How hard is it for them to say they've had a 10 percent increase in sales, or a 15 percent increase, unless of course, they haven't. And yes this woman is a dork. Just trying to be politically correct.

Well, if by some awful stroke of fate this woman did get elected Masunaga Optical would probably be the only ones to benefit in Japan.

Oy, chibaman - Unfortunately, it's hard to read the the "nice shiny posts" with "the quote function" - the quote appears much lighter than if you just type it out, OK? Yeah, I know, it takes a little more time, but I always do that for the benefit of other readers.

Statistician - Masunaga Optical won't be the only ones in Japan to benefit from the election of Palin-McCain, er, McCain-Palin! Roughly 125 million people will benefit.

Are you serious Sarge? If you're having trouble reading the grey quotes, may I suggest a snazzy spair of specs designed by Masunaga Optical? The company makes Palin’s MP-704 glasses, designed out of titanium by Kazuo Kawasaki. I think they'd look good on you.

chibaman - Thanks for the advice, but I'm not so sure they'd look so good on me, plus they're a bit pricey.

Thanks for the advice, but I'm not so sure they'd look so good on me, plus they're a bit pricey.

I think you're being a bit hard on yourself. Go and get yourself a pair. You have to splash out once in a while anyway.

chibama - Didn't I tell you I had a hard time reading the light grey quotes? No rest for the weary lol...

Sorry, but I just splashed out on a good pair of shoes, so I have no money for a pair of MP 704's...

Didn't I tell you I had a hard time reading the light grey quotes? No rest for the weary lol...

I don't know how you keep up with the crucial daily to-and-fro on JT then. Or is it thanks to the new shoes you wear at the computer desk?

A must-see: Evidence yet again of Republican duplicity!

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/7025/palinglassesad2.jpg

nessie - with you there, sadly girls who wear glasses slowly disappearing.

I still wear glasses - I've never been keen on the risk involved in Lasik, although it seems to be becoming increasingly popular. Apparently your vision has to have been stable (i.e. no change in prescription) for at least two years before they'll do it.

I believe that the procedure is comparatively cheap in Japan - around 100,000 yen. It's at least 3-4 times that price in NZ.

Wow, Zai, that is cheap.

A Japanese friend of mine in Auckland has just gone back to Japan to have her Lasik done there because it's cheaper than here, even with the plane fare home.

If I was going to do it, I'd definitely head for Japan for the procedure - one of the rare occasions where medical expenses in Japan are cheaper than NZ!

the procedure is comparatively cheap in Japan - around 100,000 yen.

We're not talking rice here, but I'm not sure that cheap should be the primary consideration when letting someone loose near your eyes with a laser! That said, the standard in Japan seems to be pretty high, and none of the people I know that have had lasik have had any problems, so far at least.

As for price, I was charged 170,000. And while the national health insurance doesn't want to know, if you have private health insurance they'll pay 50,000~70,000 of that depending on your policy, which brings it down to around zai's figure. It can cost that for a pair of glasses even with cheap frames, depending on your lens prescription (I used to be charged a fortune for reducing jamjar bottoms to something light enough to hang in front of my face).