I bet GWB wouldn't stand a chance at this game!
http://www.lufthansa-usa.com/useugame2007/html/play.html
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Dave Barry on the New Hampshire Primary
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- The voters of New Hampshire have made their decision, and the big winner is: Change. Here's the final vote tally:
Change -- 43 percent
Hope -- 28 percent
Hope For Change -- 17 percent
Hair -- 9 percent
Experience -- 2 percent
Dennis Kucinich -- 1 percent:
Now it's time for the politicians and the press to drop New Hampshire like an ant-covered corn dog and sprint for the airport, leaving the residents of The Granite State to spend the rest of the winter plucking 239 billion candidate signs out of their snowbanks, all the while wondering if there ever really was a candidate named ''Mike Gravel,'' or if that was just teenagers playing a sign-planting prank.
Meanwhile the eyeballs of the nation will turn toward the Next Crucial Phase of the presidential race, South (or North) Carolina, which at the moment is the epicenter of the political world, not to mention Dick Harpootlian. I have not, personally, conducted any journalism research in North (or South) Carolina, but based on sitting in my hotel room eating Cheez-Its and thinking about it, I would say that the issue most on the minds of voters there, at the moment, is: Change. Although of course that could change.
Meanwhile there are many unanswered questions about the races in both parties. On the Democratic side: Is Barack Obama for real? Or is he, as sources inside the Hillary Clinton campaign have suggested, a hologram formed by laser beams? Is the nation truly ready for a hologram president? And speaking of Hillary Clinton: When her eyes appeared to well up with tears during a campaign appearance at a New Hampshire diner, was thatreal welling? Or did she fake the welling? If she did, in fact, well, do we know for certain that those were her own personal tears? Why was no sample made available to the media for testing?
Among the unanswered questions on the Republican side are: Is John McCain, at 117, too old and cranky to be president? Like, during the White House Easter Egg Roll, would he come outside in his bathrobe and yell, ''You kids get off my lawn!'' Does Mitt Romney contain any human DNA whatsoever? Does he, for example, burp? Can he emit bodily aromas? And is there any TV show that Mike Huckabee will NOT appear on? Are we going to see him one of these nights on Deal or No Deal? Why does anybody, aside from Howie Mandel's immediate family, watch that show?
These are only some of the questions that we, as a nation, will be trying to answer in the critical days ahead. But before we do, let's take a moment to look back on both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries, and ask ourselves if these two non-representative states -- which have, between them, roughly the same total minority population as Gladys Knight and the Pips -- should play such a huge role in selecting our presidential nominees. This is a very complex issue, with many strong arguments on both sides.
No, sorry, correction: It's actually a simple issue. The Iowa/New Hampshire system is insane. It's like a 50-table restaurant with a big, varied menu, except that only two tables are allowed to order. If these two tables order clams, for example, or Michael Dukakis, that's what gets served to all the other tables. But at this point I don't think there's anything the rest of the states can do about it. Iowa and New Hampshire will do anything to be first. You populous states can't beat them, because they want it more than you do. They're like the people who camp out for two weeks so they can be in front of the line to buy tickets for a hot concert, except that instead of a hot concert, it's a chance to shake hands with Duncan Hunter six different times. Tough luck, residents of populous states! At least you don't have to deal with the snowbank signs.
Anyway, this concludes my New Hampshire coverage. I will write further campaign reports as events warrant, meaning after I do my laundry. Until then, America: Don't go changing.
Change -- 43 percent
Hope -- 28 percent
Hope For Change -- 17 percent
Hair -- 9 percent
Experience -- 2 percent
Dennis Kucinich -- 1 percent:
Now it's time for the politicians and the press to drop New Hampshire like an ant-covered corn dog and sprint for the airport, leaving the residents of The Granite State to spend the rest of the winter plucking 239 billion candidate signs out of their snowbanks, all the while wondering if there ever really was a candidate named ''Mike Gravel,'' or if that was just teenagers playing a sign-planting prank.
Meanwhile the eyeballs of the nation will turn toward the Next Crucial Phase of the presidential race, South (or North) Carolina, which at the moment is the epicenter of the political world, not to mention Dick Harpootlian. I have not, personally, conducted any journalism research in North (or South) Carolina, but based on sitting in my hotel room eating Cheez-Its and thinking about it, I would say that the issue most on the minds of voters there, at the moment, is: Change. Although of course that could change.
Meanwhile there are many unanswered questions about the races in both parties. On the Democratic side: Is Barack Obama for real? Or is he, as sources inside the Hillary Clinton campaign have suggested, a hologram formed by laser beams? Is the nation truly ready for a hologram president? And speaking of Hillary Clinton: When her eyes appeared to well up with tears during a campaign appearance at a New Hampshire diner, was thatreal welling? Or did she fake the welling? If she did, in fact, well, do we know for certain that those were her own personal tears? Why was no sample made available to the media for testing?
Among the unanswered questions on the Republican side are: Is John McCain, at 117, too old and cranky to be president? Like, during the White House Easter Egg Roll, would he come outside in his bathrobe and yell, ''You kids get off my lawn!'' Does Mitt Romney contain any human DNA whatsoever? Does he, for example, burp? Can he emit bodily aromas? And is there any TV show that Mike Huckabee will NOT appear on? Are we going to see him one of these nights on Deal or No Deal? Why does anybody, aside from Howie Mandel's immediate family, watch that show?
These are only some of the questions that we, as a nation, will be trying to answer in the critical days ahead. But before we do, let's take a moment to look back on both the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries, and ask ourselves if these two non-representative states -- which have, between them, roughly the same total minority population as Gladys Knight and the Pips -- should play such a huge role in selecting our presidential nominees. This is a very complex issue, with many strong arguments on both sides.
No, sorry, correction: It's actually a simple issue. The Iowa/New Hampshire system is insane. It's like a 50-table restaurant with a big, varied menu, except that only two tables are allowed to order. If these two tables order clams, for example, or Michael Dukakis, that's what gets served to all the other tables. But at this point I don't think there's anything the rest of the states can do about it. Iowa and New Hampshire will do anything to be first. You populous states can't beat them, because they want it more than you do. They're like the people who camp out for two weeks so they can be in front of the line to buy tickets for a hot concert, except that instead of a hot concert, it's a chance to shake hands with Duncan Hunter six different times. Tough luck, residents of populous states! At least you don't have to deal with the snowbank signs.
Anyway, this concludes my New Hampshire coverage. I will write further campaign reports as events warrant, meaning after I do my laundry. Until then, America: Don't go changing.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Recent Movies
Some recent movies I've seen and enjoyed: Eastern Promises; Gone Baby Gone; Before the Devil Knows You're Dead; PU-239 (HBO Production); You Kill Me; Mississippi Masala (I love Mira Nair); Breaker Morant.
One to skip: Bee Movie!
One to skip: Bee Movie!
Faith and Truth
I was pondering earlier today the necessity of a ruthless dedication to the pursuit of truth -- my truth. How often have I lived in self-delusion, kidding myself about my search for the facts in the newspapers, magazines, on the Internet, when it is quite possible, nay probable, that I am merely looking for affirmation, for justification of my existing and well-entrenched biases and judgments. The problem with the person with good judgment and the one with bad judgment: He is still a Judge.
So what about examples. I am inclined to consign all those who espouse a brutal, no-holds-barred immigration policy to the Ninth Circle of Hell, either for their unthinking nativism or their blindness to current reality. Well, the "Immigration Issue" is not one that admits of easy answers. We have a social environment that is perpetuating poverty, poor education and a permanent underclass. Is the answer to shut off the tap? Send back all who are here? Mass round-ups, internment camps, suspension of civil rights? Maybe something has to give.
I view the Darfur genocide with open-mouthed horror. But have I made any effort to examine the issues, the political, ethnic, cultural backdrop? Can I put myself in the place of the Janjaweed? My God, should I? Thank PBS for telecasts of the BBC World News, or we might not even know of the existence of the Darfur genocide, religious and tribal warfare in Nigeria, the endless bloodletting in Sri Lanka.
Or another example: I tend to side with those policy-makers and pundits, on the left and the right, who view Hugo Chavez' efforts to wrest the wealth of Venezuela from the hands of the multinational oil companies. Yes, he appears to be an egomaniacal strongman bent on totalitarian dictatorship. Yet why is he so popular with the Venezuelan people? Is it only because he gives them what they want, without consideration of their needs? Maybe I should make that difficult effort to try to see the reality that Chavez sees. That may be asking too much, since I can never put myself in the shoes of such an alien being. But I should at east accept that there is another world out there beyond my experience.
Maybe this is all obvious, but I include in my "experience" the fact that I am immersed in the history of this country America, in its traditions and values, and the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness does not only imply that you should be just like me. And in the final analysis I accept, or try to accept with Julian of Norwich that "All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of thing will be well...." And rather than complain about the level of taxes today, I can be grateful that I have income on which to pay tax.
In sum I am grateful that some wise men and women who went before me taught me the habit of self-examination and skepticism. I doubt, therefore I exist -- in pain, but I exist.
So what about examples. I am inclined to consign all those who espouse a brutal, no-holds-barred immigration policy to the Ninth Circle of Hell, either for their unthinking nativism or their blindness to current reality. Well, the "Immigration Issue" is not one that admits of easy answers. We have a social environment that is perpetuating poverty, poor education and a permanent underclass. Is the answer to shut off the tap? Send back all who are here? Mass round-ups, internment camps, suspension of civil rights? Maybe something has to give.
I view the Darfur genocide with open-mouthed horror. But have I made any effort to examine the issues, the political, ethnic, cultural backdrop? Can I put myself in the place of the Janjaweed? My God, should I? Thank PBS for telecasts of the BBC World News, or we might not even know of the existence of the Darfur genocide, religious and tribal warfare in Nigeria, the endless bloodletting in Sri Lanka.
Or another example: I tend to side with those policy-makers and pundits, on the left and the right, who view Hugo Chavez' efforts to wrest the wealth of Venezuela from the hands of the multinational oil companies. Yes, he appears to be an egomaniacal strongman bent on totalitarian dictatorship. Yet why is he so popular with the Venezuelan people? Is it only because he gives them what they want, without consideration of their needs? Maybe I should make that difficult effort to try to see the reality that Chavez sees. That may be asking too much, since I can never put myself in the shoes of such an alien being. But I should at east accept that there is another world out there beyond my experience.
Maybe this is all obvious, but I include in my "experience" the fact that I am immersed in the history of this country America, in its traditions and values, and the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness does not only imply that you should be just like me. And in the final analysis I accept, or try to accept with Julian of Norwich that "All will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of thing will be well...." And rather than complain about the level of taxes today, I can be grateful that I have income on which to pay tax.
In sum I am grateful that some wise men and women who went before me taught me the habit of self-examination and skepticism. I doubt, therefore I exist -- in pain, but I exist.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Agribusiness and Unintended Consequences
I commend Tim Egan's Op-ed piece in the NYT today, "Red State Welfare," which I am setting out in full:
~~~~
~~~~
It reminds me that the power of the agribusiness lobby, led by Archer-Daniels-Midland and Conagra -- not exactly household names -- by making an unprecedented push for corn ethanol, are skewing the food industry and resulting in price increases in milk, meat, eggs and poultry, which are likely to infuriate an already angry electorate. Maybe that's good. After all, the corn going into gas tanks won't go into soft drinks and junk foods in the form of corn syrup, stoking America's growing crisis of obesity. When the ethanol bubble bursts (as it must: it takes more energy to produce a gallon of ethanol than the gallon itself contains), will the corn producers be able to reestablish their position in the junk food industry? Who knows.
Wake up, America. Write your Congressman.
~~~~
"Drive across the empty reaches of the Great Plains, from the lost promise of Valentine, Neb., to the shadowless side roads into Sunray, Tex., and what you see is a land that has lost its purpose. Many of the towns set in this infinity of flat have a listless look, with shuttered main streets and schools given over to the grave.
"With upwards of $20 billion a year in federal payments going to a select few in farm country, you would think that these troubled counties would have a more vigorous pulse. After all, corn and wheat prices are at record highs, and big manses here and there, with Hummers in limestone driveways, indicate that somebody is doing well.
"It would be one thing if the despair and disparity in farm country were the sole products of history, if time had simply passed it all by. But it comes as a jolt to realize that government policy is much to blame.
"The Red State welfare program, also known as the farm subsidy system, showers most of its tax dollars on the richest farmers, often people with no dirt under their fingernails, at the expense of everybody else trying to work the land. Like urban welfare before reform, agriculture subsidies reward those who can work the system — farming the government, as they call it around the diner.
"And when you dare ask about the farmer in Colorado who received more than $2 million in handouts, or all those absentee landowners collecting their $150,000 government checks in gilded urban ZIP codes, the reaction is: it’s none of your business.
"Thus, the American Farm Bureau, which represents some of the biggest corporate welfare recipients, is terrified that a motley mix of peasants are now at the door with pitchforks. On their Web page, the bureau warns members that “forces outside of agriculture” are demanding change. The audacity! The farm bureau’s attitude to the taxpayer is: just write the check and shut up.
"Every five years or so Congress drafts a farm bill. The last farm bill was a masterpiece of Soviet-style goals and giveaways signed by that faux-rancher who likes to show off his cowboy boots, President Bush.
"This massive piece of legislation could be a blueprint for rural America. But it has become a spoils system where the congressmen-turned-lobbyists make sure that their clients get triple-figure checks for growing things that the nation already has in surplus.
"This year, things are different. It’s not their farm bill anymore. It is quickly becoming a food bill, a design for the American diet, possibly the worst in the industrial world. Budget hawks, nutritionists, small farmers and big farmers who grow fruits and vegetables without subsidies, alternative energy advocates and rural renaissance types — all are ready to do battle over the new plan.
"The farm bill sets the rules for the American food system and helps to subsidize obesity. It rewards growers of big commodity crops like corn, soybeans and wheat — the foundation of our junk food nation. So, a bag of highly processed orange puff balls with no nutritional value is cheaper than a tomato or a peach. Wonder why.
"The reformists, by and large, are not trying to get in on the gravy train. They want to revitalize rural America, to encourage farmers’ markets, contribute to environmental health and to make it easier for poor people to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.
"In Congress, Jeff Flake, a maverick Republican from Arizona who angered party leaders by taking on earmarks, and Ron Kind, a Democrat who represents dairy country in Wisconsin, are leading the charge. There is likely to be a huge fight later this summer, because the old guard who protect the farm lobby are embedded deep in the early-stage committees.
"Once you step into this stuff, it’s hard to pull away. I worked a summer on a dairy farm, hauling hay, shoveling manure and taking the occasional dead calf out for burial. The farmer lady offered to pay me with a cow or a check; I took the money.
"Thanks to the Environmental Working Group, we know exactly how much money every subsidized farmer is getting in every county. The group’s database shows that just 1 percent of all farmers receive about 17 percent of the payments — averaging $377,484 per person, over three years.
"That’s a nice handout for these stalwarts of Red State values, prompting two conclusions: the system is broken, and I should have held onto my cow."
~~~~
It reminds me that the power of the agribusiness lobby, led by Archer-Daniels-Midland and Conagra -- not exactly household names -- by making an unprecedented push for corn ethanol, are skewing the food industry and resulting in price increases in milk, meat, eggs and poultry, which are likely to infuriate an already angry electorate. Maybe that's good. After all, the corn going into gas tanks won't go into soft drinks and junk foods in the form of corn syrup, stoking America's growing crisis of obesity. When the ethanol bubble bursts (as it must: it takes more energy to produce a gallon of ethanol than the gallon itself contains), will the corn producers be able to reestablish their position in the junk food industry? Who knows.
Wake up, America. Write your Congressman.
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