Friday, October 31, 2008

Where the gap between rich and poor is the greatest (Hint: It's not Nicaragua)


Income distribution
Spreading the wealth
Oct 21st 2008
From Economist.com

"ANY mention of redistribution of wealth in America would normally scupper a politician's ambitions, but Barack Obama has managed to preserve his lead in the polls while also saying that he wants to “spread the wealth around”. And there is a lot of spreading potential: income distribution in America is the widest of the 30 countries of the OECD. The top 10% (or decile) of earners have an average $87,257 of disposable income, while those in the bottom decile have $5,819, among the very lowest of any country. Britain, Canada and Luxembourg also see big differences between the richest and poorest."

The Crisis We Face



From The New York Times...Not pretty folks...
Specter of Deflation Lurks as Global Demand Drops
“We’re entering a really fierce global recession,” Mr. Rogoff said. “A significant financial crisis has been allowed to morph into a full-fledged global panic. It’s a very dangerous situation. The danger is that instead of having a few bad years, we’ll have another lost decade.”

Dear Mr. President


More reasons why we need a forward thinking President. A man of this generation, not the last one. Who do you really think has the vision to lead us into the future? From the MIT Technology Review -
Three experts suggest technology policies for the new president....
Energy
Managing Power
We need a portfolio of proven low-carbon energy technologies, says Ernest Moniz
.

Medicine
Digitizing Health Care
We need new incentives For electronic record keeping, says John Halamka.


Research
Reasserting Competitiveness
Invest in education, research, and innovation, says Charles Vest.

Fantastic Voyage


From The MIT Technology Journal..
Voyage of the Bacteria Bots
Self-propelled microbots navigate through blood vessels.

The Bush Administration's Last Assault On The American People


The Washington Post reports:
"The White House is working to enact a wide array of federal regulations, many of which would weaken government rules aimed at protecting consumers and the environment, before President Bush leaves office in January.

The new rules would be among the most controversial deregulatory steps of the Bush era and could be difficult for his successor to undo. Some would ease or lift constraints on private industry, including power plants, mines and farms."

What Are Infinite Games and Why Does It Matter?

James Carse, in his wonderful book, Finite and Infinite Games, suggests:
There are at least two kinds of games.
One could be called finite, the other infinite.

The finite game is played for the purpose of winning,
an infinite game for the purpose of continuing the play,
...and bringing as many persons as possible into the play.

Finite players play within boundaries;
infinite players play with boundaries.

Golly Gee Wiz - If It's A Good Enough Source For Sarah, It's A Good Enough Source For Me - Starbuck's Cup Quote of the Day

"The world bursts at the seams with people ready to tell you you're not good enough. On occasion, some may be correct. But do not do their work for them. Seek any job; ask anyone out; pursue any goal. Don't take it personally when they say "no" - they may not be smart enough to say "yes." --- Keith Olbermann Broadcast journalist and host of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann

This Woman Is Breathtakingly Uneducated

It's kinda scary when a candidate for Vice-President needs a basic civics class....

Palin: First Amendment Rights Threatened By Criticism


Bill of Rights

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

WE THE PEOPLE need government and systemic reform....


I went to the ATM today to get some cash. I have 5 figures in my savings account and was $5.39 overdrawn in my checking account. I wanted $100. Not realizing that my checking account was overdrawn I tried to withdraw from it. The system offered to give me an "overdraft" and give me my money if I agreed to pay $35....what's wrong with these guys?
Why is the A.T.M. Still Charging Us $2?

Oh, I got it, but you guys don't. It's our $250 BILLION, and you think it's yours....
At Bank of America, CEO Kenneth D. Lewis pulls down a salary of $1.5 million and last year earned $23 million on top of that. Wells Fargo CEO John G. Stumpf made $750,000 in salary last year and total compensation of $12.6 million.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Absurderer, Absurderer, Absurderer

Joe the Plumber on the campaign trail in Ohio

Repubican Party-RIP


More on this tomorrow 'cause it's too late tonight, but - are we witnessing the demise of the Republican Party??????
Conservatives plan secret post-election strategy session (I guess it's not much of a secret now is it....)

"The meeting will include a "who's who of conservative leaders -- economic, national security and social,"

"In the valley of the blind the one-eyed man will lead" ..

"There's a sense that the Republican Party is broken, but the conservative movement is not,"
... This is just too funny. These are the people that "screwed the pooch"...their done. They are about 22% and nobody is listening anymore. Once again, "sit back, relax and enjoy the show."

So, even if he wins these idiots will make it impossible for him to govern:
"But, this source emphasized, the meeting will be held regardless of the outcome of the presidential race. "This is going on if McCain wins, loses or has a recount -- we're not planning for the loss of John McCain."


This just gets better and better:
"Either way, Sarah Palin will be a central part of discussion"

In the words of Bob Dylan “the times they are a’changin”….

The New York Times today, understandably (from their point of view), laments the slow lingering death of “old media”.

During my youth way, way back in the 50’s and 60's there were three, then two major newspapers in Los Angeles (where I grew up), The Los Angeles Times, delivered every morning and the Los Angeles Herald Express which was sold on the street in the afternoon. Until 1962 LA had an additional morning paper, The Examiner. The Herald Express and the Examiner merged, and then there was The Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, sold on the streets during the afternoon until it folded in 1989. The Times was owned by the Chandler family, the Herald-Examiner was owned by the William Randolph Hearst organization (bored yet?), that’s part of the problem, they all got really boring).

There was The Valley News and Greensheet and the Spanish language La Opinion. We had three national network channels, KNXT (CBS), KNBC (NBC) and KABC (ABC), and there were three independent channels broadcasting on channels 5 (KTLA now owned by Fox), 9 (now KCAL owned by CBS) and channel 13 (KCOP, now owned by, you guessed it, Fox) and as I recall, two leading AM radio stations. I remember the birth of FM….a new way to hear music.

Today there is one major English language daily, The Los Angeles Times and the Spanish language newspaper La Opinion which thrives to this day. One “independent channel is owned by CBS and two by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. The AM radio waves have been taken over by right wing talk and Christian broadcasting.

“Old Media” is dying. It’s dying because it no longer fulfills the need of the people and is the victim of a new technology that has made their self-serving opinion absurdly narrow in a time of unlimited citizen journalism and the proliferation of many, many more professionals who have a much broader voice - all born by the World Wide Web (you are reading this blog, right?).

It used to be that we read the Times every morning. We were updated with “breaking news” by the Herald Examiner in the afternoon. We got our weather, sports, traffic and breaking news (mostly murder and mayhem), and gossip on the local radio.
Today a simple Google search for “newspapers” returns 104 million results. I can read “newspapers” online from every corner of the planet. If I want to know what is happening in Korea I can go to The Korea Times Online. If you want to know what is current in New Delhi, simply go to http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/. I’m in Nevada, if I want to know what is happening in Maine I can go to http://www.usnpl.com/menews.php and find links to all of the newspapers in the state.

Right wing-Drudge Report, left wing, The Huffington Post. You get the point.
The New York Times article would have us believe that the cut-back taking place in newsrooms across America is somehow a loss and is a danger to the flow of reliable information. I couldn't disagree more. There has never been more information available, never. We have to work hard to tune out the noise, but the information is out there.

Today, I can read and learn from the best minds on the planet. The teachings of economics professors from Princeton and Harvard are available to me everyday. Experts in every field are just a click away.

Democracy is not a spectator sport. Citizenship requires that we keep ourselves informed and aware. Rather than lament the demise of “old media” we should be celebrating the birth of new media which this humble little, mostly unnoticed blog is a small part.

All this said, I love the "new" New York Times. It gives me opportunities (more and more everyday) to interact with many columnists, commentators and reporters for whom I have the utmost respect. I view "new media" as an opportunity and I hope that these wonderful organizations can get the economics right. If they don't, all of us citizen journalists, citizen commentators, bs gass-bags and would be pundits will still be here.

Collateral Damage.....Sarah, "from now on, please shop somewhere else"

Palin's Favorite Alaska 'Out of the Closet' Resale Store to Be Confronted over Trademark Issue by AIDS Healthcare Foundation

In Alaska They Call It "Citizen Dividend Payments"

.....in the rest of the world I think it's called - socialism, WHAT???????
The Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation

Alaska: State with a long history of TAKE and GIVE

Disgusting Un-American Pigs...


I got home from work tonight to find that our Obama Biden lawn sign was stolen...apparently one of my neighbors doesn't believe in the American way of life, participatory democracy, or basic decency....I'm going to the Obama campaign office tomorrow and pick up a supply of them. I will put them up everyday if I have to....

I'm Melting, I'm Melting....


Sit back, relax, enjoy the show!
Bitter infighting over 'diva' Palin in McCain campaign: report

What's At Stake In This Election

From The New York Review of Books: A Fateful Election

Russell Baker
David Bromwich
Mark Danner
Andrew Delbanco
Joan Didion
Ronald Dworkin
Frances FitzGerald
Timothy Garton Ash
Paul Krugman
Joseph Lelyveld
Darryl Pinckney
Thomas Powers
Michael Tomasky
Garry Wills

Links For October 28, 2008

You Gotta Love It: Circular Firing Squad of Flying Republican Attack Monkeys

You Can Figure It Out For Yourself (PLEASE figure it out for yourself): An online calculator that you can use to find out whether you will personally prosper under the McCain or Obama tax plan....

From Brad Setser at The Council on Foreign Relations: JP Morgan is now forecasting a global recession

Yum! Just In Time For The Holidays: Pumpkin Pie

From Paulo Coelho’s Blog, a really lovely short story, something good to think about: The cloud and the dune

Monday, October 27, 2008

I am greatly saddened by this.....


"It wasn't really surprising that the Dalai Lama finally announced this weekend that he's given up on talks with China. But it's pretty sad nonetheless. And it means that unless there's a fundamental change in the PRC's attitude toward Tibet, the Dalai Lama is likely to die outside of China and Tibetan culture will, like so many others around the world, just fade away."

Links For October 27, 2008

While the U.S. is totally focused on our upcoming election, the global economy is melting down. Michael Spence writes on FT.com today "The accelerating asset deflation globally is going to cause a deep global recession"

A couple of articles about what China can do to help bail out the global economy:

Brad Setzer writing today for The Council on Foreign Relations: "One easy thing China could do to help stabilize global markets: buy Agencies!"

From the Editorial Board of The New York Times: "As the world tips into recession, China’s economic decisions could affect how other countries fare in the downturn."

Kevin Drum writing over at MotherJones.com: "I see that Drudge is blaring a headline about how Barack Obama believes it's a tragedy that the Supreme Court hasn't confiscated all your money and given it to poor people. Turning on the TV, I see that Fox New is all over it too. So is John McCain. Clearly, the guy's a total socialist.
Except, you know, he's not."


Over at Over a Tuscan Stove...seems like they have gone to Sicily! We traveled to Sicily about five years. The food was so good-one meal was better than the other...I'll go back there anytime.

John Pomfret writing on Post Global asks, "Can China Grow Up?"

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Why I Voted For Barack Obama


As anyone who knows me or reads this blog knows I have lived, worked and traveled internationally most of my life.

On March 19, 2003, one hour before the bombing of Baghdad started, I arrived home from a trip to China and India.

At the time I was living in a beautiful, serene place right along the Hudson River about half way between New York City (I watched the Twin Towers collapse through my binoculars) and Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant.

About one month before I had been a part of a huge anti-war demonstration that included at least 250,000 to 300,000 people in New York City (we could not find reference to this massive demonstration in the New York Times the next day-a subject for another posting).

During the week of "shock and awe" I was asked by friends if I wasn't afraid to be on a trip outside the U.S. during a time of such unrest. My cheeky response was that I lived half-way between New York City and the Indian Point nuclear power plant and that I actually felt safer in China and India!

To the point: during the last months we have opened our home to volunteers working, canvassing and knocking on doors for Barack Obama.

We have just had the honor to host two really fine young men who traveled from Australia to work for Barack.

At a time when our image abroad is the worst it has been in decades, few Americans, I fear, understand how important the choice of the American president is to the rest of the world.

How many Americans know who the president of Australia is? How many Americans know that Australia doesn't have a President-that they have a Prime Minister? How many Americans know anything about Australian politics at all? Or the political and economic imperatives of most of the other nations of the world?

The point of all of this is that when I walked through the door on March 19, 2003 I told my partner that I felt like the people of the world gave the American PEOPLE (not George Bush or the American government), a pass. They were not blaming us as a people because for the most part they thought that the election of 2003 was an anomaly, and that if George Bush was reelected in 2004 that we, as a people, were on our own.

The people of the world know and care about who leads the world...and the leader of America is stil the most important and powerful leader in the world. What happens here, what we do and how we do it, affects the entire planet.

Once again today the U.S. dollar is still the reserve currency of the world. We are still, despite our failings, the most powerful nation earth, looked to for leadership by the people of the planet.

The most important thing that the American people can do to renew the world's faith in us as a people and America as the good, decent, peace loving nation that we are is to show the face of Barack Obama, the next President of The United States, on election night to the people of the world; a face of decency, intelligence and wisdom-one that is respected and admired. That is what we must do. Nothing is more important to the future of this great nation and the world.

Down down down they go, round round round they go

The Nikkei has decreased in value nearly 38% in the last month to a a 26-year low and the Yen has hit a 13 year high...why?

Answers please.....

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Thought For A Saturday Morning.......

"Many people fear nothing more terribly than to take a position which stands out sharply and clearly from the prevailing opinion. The tendency of most is to adopt a view that is so ambiguous that it will include everything and so popular that it will include everybody. Not a few men who cherish lofty and noble ideas hide them under a bushel for fear of being called different." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love

Friday, October 24, 2008

Golly Gee Wiz - If It's A Good Enough Source For Sarah, It's A Good Enough Source For Me - Starbuck's Coffee Cup Quote of the Day - You betcha

People need to see that, far from being an obstacle, the world's diversity of languages, religions and traditions is a great treasure, affording us precious opportunities to recognize ourselves in others. ---Youssou N'Dour Musician

Democracy Is Not A Spectator Sport



I live in an early voting state. I voted today. You do it too please. JUST VOTE!!!!

There were maybe 25 people at the polling place. The person in line in front of me had just turned 18 and was voting for the first time. The polling place workers shouted out "first time voter" and everyone, and I mean everyone, cheered. It was very cool....

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Hey Mr. Greenspan, where did the billions (trillions) go?


Wall Street bonuses totaled $33.2 billion in 2007

See my comment here: http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/let-us-now-praise-alan-greenspan/#comments

It Must Be The Whole Rest of The World That is Wrong...


Good God This Man is Pathetic.

Bush Still Refuses to Admit Ever Making An Error As President
Hell, don't blame me I didn't vote for him.

More than a mere mistake.....


A mistake Mr. Greenspan? There are no words to describe your cowardliness.

Alan Greenspan's "mea culpa" on Capital Hill today was far more than the admission of a "mistake". It was a vain attempt to protect his legacy and an outright repudiation of the so called "Chicago School" that has been the cause of so much corruption and suffering around the world.

Greenspan Concedes Error on Regulation
"Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman once considered the infallible maestro of the financial system, admitted on Thursday that he “made a mistake” in trusting that free markets could regulate themselves without government oversight."

Until his death in 2006, Nobel Laureate (sorry Paul Krugman, you share a prize with an American economist who was completely, unequivocally WRONG) Milton Friedman, and his "Chicago School" were the leading proponents of opposition to government regulation of all sorts.

The lack of effective regulation, due to the influence of these "free market" privateers and their allies in The White House, on Capital Hill, and greedy, greedy Wall Street scum suckers is why we are in the trouble we are in today.

For much more information about what these greed mongers have foisted on the world ready Naomi Klein's "The Shock Doctrine".

Greenspan's legacy is now known; his "leadership" of The Fed led the planet to the most severely negative economic event since The Great Depression.

Throw Grandma Under The Bus

Over at Rush Limbaugh land they obviously scrub their transcripts:
RUSH: Obama suspending his campaign to visit his grandmother... Whether it's a cynical ploy or whether the grandmother is really sick, the Drive-Bys are already reporting it as a man who understands the importance of family first. ABC has already done this. "Why, he's willing to suspend his campaign and give the floor to John McCain for two whole days to go visit the white grandmother who raised him!" So regardless why he's going out there, the Drive-Bys are going to portray it as one of the biggest acts of selflessness that we have ever seen. "He's willing to risk losing the presidency to be with the white woman who raised him, his grandmother;" who, by the way, he has thrown under the bus a couple of times in this campaign.

I heard this segment and heard this jerk talk about Grandma's broken hip. Rush then made the snide comment that she probably got injured when Barack threw her under the bus...just disgusting.

More smarm
WATCH GOP Strategist: Outrage Obama Using "767 Campaign Plane To Visit (Sick) Grandma"

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Faith and Trust

Once again David Brooks' (Patio Man Revisited) myopic view misses the larger point. In 1994, 2000, and most glaringly in 2004 a majority of American's put their faith and trust in the Republican Party. The Republicans screwed the pooch and America knows that Republicans have violated the sacred trust that we Americans grant, through our votes, our leaders.

My kids were born in the late 70's and early 80's. They have, until now, never known adverse times. I got an email from one of my kids today lamenting about the trouble some of here friends are in. They are losing jobs right and left (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/10/yahoo-as-expect.html). I am worried about my kids future.

I was born in 1947. It is likely that most of the rest of my life will be lived in times that are "less than" yesterday. The Republicans represent greed and self interest...their narrow view astounds me; "A rising tide raises all ships" and when the tide goes out, the beach bares its naked self.

Monday, October 20, 2008

What A Pig


It's time to put this piece of crap back into the pigsty that he was spawned in. There is no place for this in America.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/19/limbaugh-george-will-powe_n_135968.html?page=80&show_comment_id=16996090#comment_16996090

Dalai Lama Discharged From Hospital, Returns Home


Dalai Lama returns to Macleodganj home

Dharamsala, Oct 20 (PTI) The Dalai Lama, who underwent a gall bladder surgery at a Delhi hospital earlier this month, today returned to his home at Macleodganj as hundreds of people lined up along the roads to receive Tibetan spiritual leader.
"The Dalai Lama returned to his house at Macleodganj this evening," his spokesman here Tenzin Takhla told PTI.

He said the Dalai has "fully recovered from his illness" and would start his daily routine of prayers and meeting disciples from tomorrow.

Takhla said hundreds of exiled Tibetans and locals lined up along the road from Dharamsala to Macleodganj to receive the monk.

The Dalai is scheduled to make a trip to Japan by the end of this month.

He was admitted to Sir Gangaram Hospital on October 9 and underwent a laproscopic surgery to remove stones from the gall bladder the next morning. PTI

Golly Gee Wiz - If It's A Good Enough Source For Sarah, It's A Good Enough Source For Me - Starbuck's Coffee Cup Quote of the Day - You betcha

The way I see it
Isn’t necessarily
The way you see it
Or the way it is
Or ought to be
What’s more important
Is that we’re all
Looking for it
And a way to see it
---Desi Di Nardo Author and Poet. She lives in Toronto, Canada

Sunday, October 19, 2008

The Fairness Doctrine

Newt Gingrich made the absurd argument this morning on This Week With George Stephanapoulis that the congressional Democrats would try to curb Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity's free speech rights. What an absurd canard, equal in its dishonesty as the notion that Barack Obama's health plan is nationalized health care. Both arguments are ridiculous on their face.

The Fairness Doctrine was a policy of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that required the holders of broadcast licenses both to present controversial issues of public importance and to do so in a manner that was (in the FCC's view) honest, equitable, and balanced (Wikipedia.org). The Fairness Doctrine, which many people again support, required that contrasting viewpoints be presented an idea, in a time of broadcast media monopolization by one point of view, that is again manifest.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Poor John McCain

From south of the border...the final, and I do mean FINAL.....
I watched the debate tonight from "south of the border, down Mexico way....
Poor John McCain, it is really sad to see a distinguished career flame out this way...John McCain somewhere along the trail lost his moral bearing...winning became worth more than honor to him...he's a political hack through and through. Bye bye...

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Poorandstupid? Dumb and Stupid...And Really A VERY Angry Man

Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

This is my last post for a couple of days...I'm going south...Sun, Sand, Tequila, Tortillas and Frijoles.....hasta la bye bye. See you all on Monday.

In the meantime (and I do mean mean...here is the hack of the day, Donald Luskin. I think he's got a giant bone up his ass that comes straight up through the top of his head - making him a bone head, right?. You decide.

What hypocrisy....

John McCain speaks at ACORN Conference


John McCain denounces ACORN


Which way is it Senator McCain?

Recipe Of The Day

Well, not exactly A recipe....
Some cool advice about Cooking On A Budget
and
A cool LIST of Budget Recipes (some of them look really good...enjoy)

Paul Krugman may be tired of talking about himself, but we're not!

Enough about me!


October 13, 2008, 6:28 pm
A bit of autobiography
Around 1992 I wrote an autobiographical essay for a collection about economists’ lives, which some readers might find interesting. Around the same time I also wrote about “How I Work”, also of some possible interest.

Update: Also, for background on what “new trade theory” was all about, a piece I wrote about the late Kelvin Lancaster.

Bubbie, If You Vote For Obama I Promise To Marry A Jewish Girl (Boy)!

'Great Schlep' pitches Obama to Florida Jews

See the video:

Thank You Cambell For Speaking The Truth

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal....


Commentary: So what if Obama were a Muslim or an Arab?

Rush Limbaugh Confirms That He Is A Radical


Gas bag and admitted drug addict Rush Limaugh finally stated the obvious yesterday - that he is a right wing radical.

During his daily radio bloviation Limbaugh said:
"We need to redefine conservatism." What is "centrist conservatism"?

So by denigrating David Brooks and Bill Kristol (which is ok with me) where does that leave wing nuts like Limbaugh? Way, way, way, way out on the right limb just where we always knew he was. He's just finally pointed it out himself.

Golly Gee Wiz - If It's A Good Enough Source For Sarah, It's A Good Enough Source For Me - Starbuck's Coffee Cup Quote of the Day - You betcha

“People need to see that, far from being an obstacle, the world’s diversity of languages, religions and traditions is a great treasure, affording us precious opportunities to recognize ourselves in others.” ---Youssou N’Dour Musician

John McCain: "They say those who don't learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them. Well, my friends, I know my history lessons"

Unfortunately, in this case, neither John McCain or Barack Obama know the lessons of history; no invaders have EVER prevailed in Afghanistan, NEVER.

Back in July both McCain and Obama called for a "surge" in Afghanistan.

While Barack Obama was correct to say "The central front in the war on terror is not Iraq, and it never was...." both he and McCain are dead wrong in suggesting that some sort of a "surge" will defeat the Taliban and bring American victory in Afghanistan.

The lesson of history is clear and unambiguous:Afghanistan has been invaded many times and its boundaries and legitimate government have almost always been in dispute. Invaders include: the Mughal rulers of South Asia, Russian Tsars, Soviet Union, The British Empire, and, of course, currently a coalition force of NATO troops with UN-backing led by US armed forces.

"They have no name for their country", wrote the Scotsman who was sent as the first British ambassador to the court of the Emir of Kabul in 1809 (Mountstuart Elphinstone, An Account of the Kingdom of Caubul, Oxford University Press, 1972,first published 1815).


Afghanistan always beats their invaders.

Bush is walking into a trap wrote Robert Fisk back in 2001. Fisk is a student of history.

The British should have known better and remembered their loss at The Battle of Maiwand; they have been defeated in Afghanistan before, most notably in The Second Anglo-Afghan War which lasted from 1878 to 1880.

It is clear that in the past three years, "the Taleban has become stronger and increased its control over large parts of southern Afghanistan. The government of President Hamid Karzai is increasingly corrupt, isolated and mistrusted by its people" according to an article in The Times of London, .

The British Ambassador to Kabul was quoted on October 2nd as saying that "the Afghanistan mission is doomed".

America is at a cross-roads. The Bush administration has squandered not only America's position in the world but our treasure as well. Our mission in Afghanistan, as currently constituted is clearly doomed to failure - we cannot afford it, and do not have the military or economic strength to sustain or win it.

U.S. and NATO strategy must morph immediatly to one of containing the Taliban, not trying to defeat it militarily.

America's Severely Diminshed Global Power

On Saturday on this blog I argued that years of neo-con led "go it alone" foreign policy has had the opposite of the effect they desired. America's influence in Asia, arguably the most dangerous region of the world today (Taiwan, North Korea) is greatly diminished. We've taken second position to China who now wields great power in the region.

During this same time we have stretched our tangible and non-tangible resources to dangerously impaired levels. Our military is bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan and we are broke.

The American people have a terrible day of reckoning just over the horizon. We are going to have to understand that Bush administration and Republican Party policies in general have left us vulnerable to likely events that will have huge adverse impact on our psyche and geo-poliitical power.

How would we be able to respond to China's simply taking Taiwan?

Today on Huffingtonpost.com Thomas B. Edsall writes in a column titled Global Economic Crisis Likely To Have Profound Consequences For U.S. Politics, World Relations. that
"The global economic crisis is likely to have profound, long-range consequences for American politics and for the relations of the United States with the rest of the world, severely constraining any effort to maintain or revive the Bush administration's propensity for unilateralism, and posing a broad international challenge to free market ideologies, according to a range of experts."

The neo-cons convinced America that the only important power is military power. So called "soft" power was for wimps. Now our military power has proved feckless for the conflicts of our time, we have given up our influence because the leaders of other countries no longer even want to discuss issues with the Bush administration and we have squandered our treasure through lassez fare hands off "self-regulating markets" nonsense.

Who is going to tell the people?

Monday, October 13, 2008

No Place In America For This

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal....

The invocation at a McCain rally in Davenport Iowa, October 11, 2008.


Did he go too far? He should go far. Far, far away.

Professor Paul Krugman's Noble Prize News Conference Held At Princeton University October 13, 2008

Thank you Professor Krugman for sharing yourself. We are all smarter because of you.

Are We There Yet?

<

Divine One(s) Of The Day

Yes folks, today there are two divine one's..

Glenn Greenwald and Matt Taaibi for keeping us informed about how Rove & Co. are trying to extend the hijacking of our government. Rove et al (including Limbaugh, Hannity and the rest of them) care nothing for the truth or good governance...for them it is ALL about personal power.

Swine One Of The Day

"Yesterday, Griffin — unintentionally displaying the oozing politicization of our federal justice system which he helped to implement — wrote a post recommending that John McCain, at the next debate, call for the appointment of a Special Prosecutor to criminally investigate the financial crisis, to include a focus on every GOP bogeyman:  Democratic Senators Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad, ”the role of former Fannie Mae chief Franklin Raines in the collapse of Fannie Mae,” and ACORN:  ”The Special Prosecutor could work together with the federal prosecutor prosecuting ACORN under the RICO law as a criminal enterprise if that in fact occurs as some have suggested.”  

With no hint of irony at all, Karl Rove’s top hatchet man actually wrote this:

If McCain were to make such a proposal, it would demonstrate that he is a man of action, not just words.

It would demonstrate that he understands someone must be held accountable for the mortgage meltdown if criminal laws were broken. (I understand that greed in and of itself is not criminal.)

It would demonstrate that we are a nation of laws, even for the wealthy and well connected."

Yuck, I just threw up a little in my mouth....

Recipe Of The Day

Yesterday on the Travel Channel I watched Padme Lakshmi visit a wonderful seaside restaurant in Spain. The specialty of the house is Paella. It seems that the chef/owner makes 4 huge batches a day. Watching this thing made my mouth water.

The video was online yesterday but there is now a message on YouTube that they had to take it down due to a "terms of use violation". I wish these producers would pull their heads out of their you know what's and join the rest of us in the 21st century. Having your video on YouTube is good for business. It spreads your word and drives traffic to your site and viewers to your shows. Oh well...here's a very similar recipe cut for 4 servings. I can't wait to make this. 

The quality of the ingredients is what counts the most:

Paella

What You’ll Need

3 tablespoons of olive oil (use the best you can get)

2 cloves of garlic, crushed with a little salt

6 chicken thighs

1/2 green pepper, seeds removed and diced (I prefer red or yellow or orange)

1 large ripe tomato, skinned and finely chopped

8 king prawns, keep their shells, heads and tails on (you’ll probably have to go to Chinatown for these!)

Salt (to taste)

2 cups of risotto or Spanish short grain rice

10 threads of saffron, soaked in a little boiling water

1 cup of sliced calamari

8 cups of fresh chicken, vegetable or fish stock (make your own for added flavor, it will be worth it)

How To Do It


Heat the paella pan of the right size for 4. It should be wide enough to cover the dry rice in a thin layer. As soon as the pan is hot add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, let it heat up. Then add the chicken thighs, a pinch of salt, and let them brown slightly, turning them patiently.


When they are cooked through, (no juices run pink), add the green pepper and tomatoes.


Add the rice and stir in until translucent. Add the saffron with the water it has soaked in and stir well. Then add the stock, half first and then submerge ingredients. Add the king sized prawns.


Bring to the boil and leave to cook without stirring for 12 minutes adding more stock if the surface dries out. After 12 minutes the rice should still look succulent and juicy. Remove from the heat, cover with a thick cloth and leave to stand for a further 10 minutes for the rice to finish soaking up the remaining juices.


Feel welcome to dress the paella with thick slices of lemon, salt and a touch of olive oil.

Serves 4 very happy people. Serve with a great Spanish wine

Who Forgot The Parachutes?


When the excuse making starts it's generally because you know that it's almost over....listen to what McCain chief operating officer Steve Schmidt had to say this morning in an NPR interview. And most importantly, how he says it.

Stocks Soar 11 Percent on Aid to Banks

Things That Go Bump In The Night

Be afraid: Baby boomers flee the markets by Christopher Carroll

Don't Watch the Dow

Brandon Fuller, writing on The Big Money today states the case very well as to why watching the DOW is no way to judge our current economic crisis. He points out that a much better indicator of where we are is the TED Spread (the spread between the three month T Bill rate and the three month LIBOR which is an average of interest rates offered in the London interbank market for 3-month dollar-denominated loans)

Golly Gee Wiz - If It's A Good Enough Source For Sarah, It's A Good Enough Source For Me - Starbuck's Coffee Cup Quote of the Day - You betcha

“The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating – in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life.” ---Anne Morriss Starbucks customer from New York City. She describes herself as an ‘organization builder, restless American citizen, optimist.”

Paul Krugman Wins Nobel Prize in Economics



What wonderful news this morning - Paul Krugman has won this years Nobel Prize in Economics.

I've been a Krugman fan for years and read all of his columns in the New York Times and try to catch all of his TV apprearances. I've even tried to understand his academic papers!

I am not astute enough to fully understand his theories and the complex equations for which he has been honored. But I do know that his theories and those complex equations have made a major contribution to our understanding of global trade patterns. I am proud to be one of his millions of readers.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Be Inspired!


Questions I'd Like To Ask The Presidential Candidates #2

In its May 2008 International Security Monthly Briefing The Oxford Research Group said:

“In its analysis of trends in global security, Oxford Research Group (ORG) has argued that there are four main factors that are likely to determine patterns of insecurity in the coming decades. These are:

·         The widening socio-economic divide, leading to the marginalisation of the majority of the world’s people, even in the context of continuing economic growth.

·         The impact of climate change, especially in terms of the impact on food production and supply in the tropical and sub-tropical regions.

·         Competition over resources, especially energy resources and water.

·         Processes of militarisation, especially the tendency to use military force to maintain the status quo rather than address underlying problems.”
 

The Bush administration’s record on the environment is abysmal.

The Wilderness Society, in their May 2006 report titled “Bush Administration Record on Public Lands: Irresponsible Management of the People's Land” said:

“By and large, the Bush administration has shown less legitimate interest in environmental protection. On issue after issue, the president and his appointees have created new threats to our air, water, land, and wildlife, siding with those special interests eager to make a quick profit. A large percentage of the president's appointees represented those interests before taking office. It is up to the American people and their representatives in Congress to turn back the administration's efforts to undermine environmental protection.”

"I think this administration is not a conservative administration. I think it’s a radical administration. It represents a radical rollback of environmental policy going back to a period many, many years ago. It’s backward."-- Russell Train, head of the Environmental Protection Agency under Richard Nixon

"When scientific knowledge has been found to be in conflict with its political goals, the administration has often manipulated the process through which science enters into its decisions." --- excerpted from a letter signed on February 18, 2004 by more than 60 leading scientists, including Nobel laureates, medical experts, and former federal agency directors, voicing their concern over the misuse of science by the Bush administration.

"Whitman said she thought they would be able to "leave America's air cleaner, its water purer and its land better protected than we had found it. That belief was short-lived."---Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia), June 12, 2005, regarding Christine Todd Whitman, Former Head of the EPA under Bush. She also called Bush's opposition to Kyoto "an early expression of the go-it-alone attitude that so offended our allies in the lead-up to the Iraq war." (Toledo Blade, April 10, 2005).

The Bush administration, based on its wrong-headed policy of “starving the beast”(meaning cutting off funds to shrink government-most famously FEMA) has systematically gutted agency after agency of our federal government.

According to former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol Browner "It is not simply a question of benign neglect – rather, it is actual destruction," Browner said. "They are systematically dismantling the system that has brought us progress."

Bush administration ideologically driven short-sightedness has compromised our national security. The U.S. government has recognized the linkage between the state of the global environment and American national security for over a decade. According to the 1996 National Security Science and Technology Strategy  from The White House Office of Science & Technology Policy Excerpts from: "Meeting The Challenge of Global Threats"

“In 1996, for the first time, the National Security Strategy recognizes that "a number of transitional problems which once seemed quite distant, like environmental degradation, natural resource depletion, rapid population growth and refugee flows, now pose threats to our prosperity and have security implications for both present and long-term American policy."
 

Given the urgency of the issue I would ask the presidential candidates:

1. “Please define what ‘national security’ means to you”
2. “ Describe the state of the Justice Department, The EPA, OSHA and the Department of Energy.”
3. “What will you do to restore these institutions of our government?”
4. “Will you take the lead in making rapid and meaningful changes to United States environmental policy?”

Questions I’d Like To Ask The Presidential Candidates #1

1. Is Taiwan Worth Going To War Over?

In July/August of 2007 I attended The Stanford Summit, a technology conference presented by an organization called  Always On.

On Wednesday afternoon August 1 John McCain held a “Fireside Chat”.

Senator John McCain appeared before thousands of live attendees and webcast viewers Wednesday afternoon at the Stanford Summit. The would-be president laid down a number of promises he would act on immediately if elected. "Specifically on inaugural day, I would say we're going to close Guantanamo and move those prisoners to Ft. Leavenworth. I would say that we are never going to torture another person in American custody, and I would say we're going to be serious about climate change."

McCain also explained what it's like to fight in a failing war (Vietnam), and how Iraq is different.  "What the Democrats have lost sight of is that presidents don't lose wars, and political parties don't lose wars; nations lose wars," he said.  "I was in the military the last time we lost a war [...] we had huge problems. The military today is overstretched. It's incredible what we're asking of young people, but I'll tell you, it's a lot better than a defeated military." He accepted Interviewer Peter Robinson's characterization as the only candidate with a hunger for victory in Iraq.

Click here to watch McCain's stump speech, the entire interview (with the live, unfiltered chat that was projected on the big screen at the event), and the lively Q&A session that followed.
 

One of the question asked of Sen. McCain (minute 55 of the video) was “Senator, can you conceive of going to war with China over Taiwan?” Sen. McCain explained that he could not conceive of war between the United States and China under any circumstances due to the economic and social damage that China’s invasion would cause.

A follow up question asked a little later (minute 65:22 of the video) was asked by a Chinese man. He wanted to know (based upon his opinion that in the case of a Taiwanese declaration of independence the Chinese people would demand that the Chinese government take military action) how Sen. McCain would prevent Taiwan from declaring independence. Sen. McCain’s answer showed a frightening lack of understanding of the situation in The Taiwan Strait and of contemporary Chinese attitudes when he stated “when I speak to the leaders of China I find their attitude toward Taiwan “irrational”. As the questioner pressed his point Sen. McCain’s famous temper showed up and a rather animated exchange followed. Clearly Sen. McCain did not understand the strong nationalistic attitudes prevalent in China today.

“It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice.” --- Deng Xiao Ping

While nationalism has long been deeply rooted in Chinese society it has never been stronger than it is today and nationalism has, to a great degree, replaced communism as a grand organizing philosophy as the acceptance of private ownership has replaced the concept of complete collective ownership in China’s modern “socialist market economy”.

With "To Get Rich Is Glorious" Deng Xiao Ping  unleashed a wave of entrepreneurship and private enterprise that continues to drive China's economy today. With it the basic organizing philosophy that animates the Chinese people has changed to the quest for private ownership of homes, cars, consumer goods and all the rest of it.

Changes in China have not only been dramatic, they have been rapid. Imagine living in a society that has gone from the horrors of The Cultural Revolution to a rapidly emerging economy that just hosted an Olympics Games costing a reported $80 billion and registered 5 million new cars just last year, all in just some 50 years.

The Taiwan Strait, lying between mainland China and Taiwan is a mere 112 miles wide and is one of the most strategically important places on the planet. Most of Japan’s (one of China’s most bitter enemies) oil must pass through the strait and keeping the strait open and passage through it unfettered is of major strategic importance to Japan and to the United States; the US has pledged to defend not only Taiwan but Japan as well.

Obviously much has changed in a little over one year since McCain responded to those questions. Our military is bogged down in Iraq. Nearly 8 years of tragic and ruinous foreign policy America’s has left our ability to act strategically has greatly diminished.

So I would ask the question again: “Senator McCain, can you conceive of going to war with China over Taiwan?” I would also ask both candidates “Senators, if you were the leader of China wouldn’t you be thinking that this would be a very good time to just go and take Taiwan?”

More Reading:
Arvind Subramanian: A master plan for China to bail out America
Does Financial Crisis Threaten America's Central Role in Global Economy?The financial crisis: China's role - and responsibilities?
Deng's Legacy
Waving Goodbye To Hegemony

Friday, October 10, 2008

OM MANI PADME HUM


OM MANI PADME HUM  OM MAN PADME HUM  OM MANI PADME HUM  OM MAN PADME HUM  OM MANI PADME HUM  OM MAN PADME HUM  OM MANI PADME HUM  OM MAN PADME HUM  OM MANI PADME HUM  OM MAN PADME HUM  OM MANI PADME HUM  OM MAN PADME HUM  OM MANI PADME HUM  OM MAN PADME HUM  OM MANI PADME HUM  OM MAN PADME HUM  OM MANI PADME HUM  OM MAN PADME HUM  OM MANI PADME HUM  OM MAN PADME HUM  OM MANI PADME HUM  OM MAN PADME HUM  OM MANI PADME HUM  OM MAN PADME HUM  OM MANI PADME HUM  OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM  OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM OM MANI PADME HUM MANI PADME HUM OM MAN PADME HUM OM