Professor Cole Schools Willie

I liked Bill Cunningham much better in the late 1980's when we was just "Willie" and realized he was playing a character.

JuanCole.com - Barack Hussein Obama, Omar Bradley, Benjamin Franklin and other Semitically Named American Heroes

WFB

William F. Buckley, RIP

The Republican Party would do well to return to the Buckley brand.

I left Republicans when I realized the party's main function had become to make the rights of corporations ascedent to individual rights, and their religious pandering was no more than a ploy to garner votes.

Obama's Behavioral Economists

More about Obama's remarkable advisors. TNR -
The Audacity of Data: Barack Obama's surprisingly non-ideological policy shop.

Attacking People For What They Are Good At Doing

Senators McCain and Clinton have both gone after Obama because he's an eloquent speaker. Isn't the best of Americana represented by being good at what you do? What is next? Criticizing Jon Stewart because he's funny, attacking Steve Jobs for inventing the friggin' iPod?

How is a President supposed to persuade Congress or the public? With a magic show or persuasive speech?

News Quake - This Time The Settling Woman

Last year sushi was in the hipster news, now it is the single woman and marriage. It appears to have started with Lori Gottlieb's 'Marry Him!' in the March, 2008 Atlantic.

Then it got on NPR's All Things Considered, Slate.com had a story about the evolutionary advantage for women who cheat, and The Claremont Institure posted A review of Marriage and Caste in America: Separate and Unequal Families in a Post-Marital Age, by Kay S. Hymowitz and The Future of Marriage, by David Blankenhorn.

And while women may like to settle for a guy who doesn't do everything for them what they may not realize about guys is as ALL's song 'Net' says, "the truth is that I feel better being miserable without than happy with someone else", so ladies, you have to watch out for that.

I have a long-held belief that many college seniors marry each other out of fear of being alone in the world post-college.

I also think that relationships are like stoves and you need to decide if you want to cook with electricity or gas? An electric cook-top is a practical partner but it heats unevenly and slowly; it doesn't get hot enough for some techniques; and when the electricity is out after a storm you can't cook. On the other hand there are many ways to generate electricity and it is a renewable resource. But there's always a flame with a natural gas range; it gets hot enough and is versatile enough for any kind of cooking; and even when the electricity is out there's still a spark. But it is also easy to burn yourself, you have to watch for flare-ups, and eventually natural gas will be depleted.

A dual-fuel model would be ideal for a lot of people.

Too Ironic To Ignore

I heard this on NPR while driving home. In a news conference today President Bush criticized Senator Obama (not by name though) for his willingness to talk to the leaders of Cuba, Iran, and North Korea. But he's going to visit Chinese president Hu Jintao in August because somehow that is different.

See: Bush takes verbal shots at Obama, Clinton

Yeah, you have to be careful about talking to tyrants as that can be a real career-ender.

McCain's Gambit

Apparently the McCain-lobbyist story has been known for quite some time. It is the wrong time for it to be planted by the Democrats. But it is the right time for the story to be planted by the McCain campaign. Obama is the media darling and the conservative base doesn't care for him. But this story has given Republicans an outside enemy to unite against.

What is interesting is that lobbyists are running the McCain campaign.

Like other presidential candidates, he has relied on lobbyists to run his campaigns. Since a cash crunch last summer, several of them — including his campaign manager, Rick Davis, who represented companies before Mr. McCain’s Senate panel — have been working without pay, a gift that could be worth tens of thousands of dollars.

In recent weeks, Mr. McCain has hired another lobbyist, Mark Buse, to run his Senate office. In his case, it was a round trip through the revolving door: Mr. Buse had directed Mr. McCain’s committee staff for seven years before leaving in 2001 to lobby for telecommunications companies.

Meanwhile Obama refuses money from special interests and lobbyists for his campaign.

This campaign is about building a different kind of politics. We don't take money from Washington lobbyists or special-interest political action committees. Instead, our broad base of individual donors ensures that this campaign answers to no one but the people.

Evolution Made Me Do It

Slate.com - The Merry Band of Wrigglers

Humans aren't especially good at monogamy. Evidence gathered from surveys and paternity tests suggests that 25 percent of women and 30 percent of men cheat on their spouses at least once during marriage. The evolutionary reason that men cheat is pretty simple: to father as many children as they can. It's more complicated for women, who can only give birth so many times. The quality of the child, then, wins over quantity. Because men with the best genes aren't always the most stable and resourceful partners (they don't have to be), women might marry the latter but cheat with the former. Then they can become pregnant with a genetically superior child who will, if her mother can pull it off, grow up with the help of her unwitting spouse.

The Unstoppable Ernie Harwell

Detroit Free Press - Ernie Harwell, ageless voice of the Tigers, turns 90 on Friday [January 25]: The ageless voice of the Tigers brings the same energy to his life after baseball

Immediately after he awakes Friday on his 90th birthday, Ernie Harwell plans to do a series of exercises.

First, he will do 50 whirling dervishes -- a stretching maneuver in which he fully extends his arms and alternately turns his upper body to the left and right as fast as he can.

Then he will do about 25 lunges and 25 deep squats.

Then he will jump rope for about 300 repetitions. "Or maybe about 30 more, to figure I counted wrong -- for good measure, as they say," Ernie says.

Then he will get on his back and pull his knees to his chest, then do about 50 sit-ups, then stretch his back.

After that, he will do deep breathing and -- still on his back -- pull his knees to his chin several times. This won't be a onetime demonstration of feisty fitness, meant to show himself just what he can do on his 90th birthday. He does this series of exercises to start every day.

Mr. Harwell's wikipedia page is here - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernie_Harwell

For me, the two most memorable broadcasting moments were Ernie Harwell's last regular season game in 2002 and the two innings he did on radio in 2006 for the Tigers - Yankees Division series. He was a lucky charm.

"Ain’t nobody going to see what Frank look like!"

"Don’t you do it! Ain’t nobody going to see what Frank look like!" (MP3 at stockholm-syndrome.com)

The quote is from the "Family Ties" episode.

We're getting closer to an AD movie! But where's Franklin? MTV.com - With ‘Arrested’ Movie On, Arnett Asks: ‘Have You Seen My Puppet?’

My Chemical Kid

Element in lotions may enter babies' skin: Researchers suggest avoiding use of products

Researchers are suggesting that parents hold off on the lotions, creams, powders and shampoos they apply to their babies' skin - unless those products are medically necessary.

This reminded me of an interview on the Diane Rehm show with Devra Davis. In it she points out how suntan lotion, bath soap, and other cosmetic items are never tested on small children and this is a problem since skin is the largest organ, absorbs anything put on it, and little kids have a much higher skin surface area to body mass ratio than adults.

The Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia has an extensive Guide to Less Toxic Products

Senior Lecturer in Law Wins Grammy!

Yep, Barack Obama, Constitutional Law lecturer at University of Chicago, won his second Grammy award.

And in unrelated news; he tried to ban the use of cluster bombs in civilian areas while Clinton supports their use in order not to appear "soft on terror".

Romney Is A Tall Glass Of Crazy

In Romney's rambling speech he said the problem with America is it doesn't have enough God, the jihadists have too much God, and pornography is to blame for out-of-wedlock Black and Hispanic babies.

2008 Predictions and Prognostications

- Beginning of the end of DRM, more publicity for openness
- Year of diesel; groundwork for electric vehicles. Ethanol plants will close as that bubble bursts.
- Beginning of the end for MS; APPL continues to rise
- Geologists learn how to predict earthquakes
- Robotics will get huge
- "Local food" will get over-commercialized just like "organic"
- Carbon offsetting will go mainstream; perhaps be the word of the year.
- Conversely people will begin suffering from debilitating Carbon-guilt
- Personal vehicles will continue the trend to becoming disposable
- Crude oil prices will continue to rise ($150/barrel, gasoline will hit $5/gallon)
- MySpace and Facebook will go the way of Friendster
- and continuing this trend, there will be a fragmentation of social networking tools and wikis
- wikis will get really big and start being used in all kinds of new ways
- Data Portability will be seen in the news
- Software as services (e.g., Google Apps) will explode with popularity
- Weather calamities will spur action by the U.S. on climate change
- Caffeine will be added to an ever increasingly large and bizare range of foods

Obamania

I am willing to be an Obama-teer

I first read about Barack Obama in The Atlantic. ("The Natural") Although initially I was turned off to Obamania by this: when we sat down to talk in the dilapidated storefront that houses his Springfield campaign headquarters, that the blue-pen drawing he'd doodled on his newspaper during fund-raising calls was a portrait of himself. But my opinion about Senator Obama changed with six words of his - "sorry for messing up your game"

That showed me that he got "IT". And when he went to Detroit and gave a speech telling automakers they have to do better and make cars more fuel efficient (See: Obama Takes On Detroit) it was juxtaposed in my memory with images of Senator Clinton in a Yankees hat while in NYC and a Cubs hat while in Chicago.

When I vote for President I am voting for who I think has the best instincts. Every candidate has advisers and polling data to guide their policies but a President is most important in a crisis. There are examples of how it should be done: Lincoln getting the country through the Civil War, JFK avoiding WWIII during the Cuban missile crisis; Reagan's speech after the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion; George Bush leaving Iraq after Desert Storm. And then there is the wrong way, the wrong instincts: Carter with the Iranian hostages, George W Bush and September 11, Iraq, and Hurricane Katrina. Obama was right about Iraq and I believe Obama's instincts will guide him correctly in a crisis.

I too see him as an historical candidate. He is the United States' bridge to the 21st Century and represents the new America. Senator Obama must be elected the United States' next president. Read "Why Obama Matters" and you'll understand too. Example:

What does he offer? First and foremost: his face. Think of it as the most effective potential re-branding of the United States since Reagan. Such a re-branding is not trivial—it’s central to an effective war strategy. The war on Islamist terror, after all, is two-pronged: a function of both hard power and soft power. We have seen the potential of hard power in removing the Taliban and Saddam Hussein. We have also seen its inherent weaknesses in Iraq, and its profound limitations in winning a long war against radical Islam. The next president has to create a sophisticated and supple blend of soft and hard power to isolate the enemy, to fight where necessary, but also to create an ideological template that works to the West’s advantage over the long haul. There is simply no other candidate with the potential of Obama to do this. Which is where his face comes in.

Consider this hypothetical. It’s November 2008. A young Pakistani Muslim is watching television and sees that this man—Barack Hussein Obama—is the new face of America. In one simple image, America’s soft power has been ratcheted up not a notch, but a logarithm. A brown-skinned man whose father was an African, who grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii, who attended a majority-Muslim school as a boy, is now the alleged enemy. If you wanted the crudest but most effective weapon against the demonization of America that fuels Islamist ideology, Obama’s face gets close. It proves them wrong about what America is in ways no words can.

Obama is left-libertarianism in that his instinct (and those of his economic advisers) or to lower barriers rather than put up government mandates. Clinton wants to mandate health care, Obama wants to make it more affordable. See: Substance, not style: Despite what many believe, there are significant differences in policy between Barack Obama and the other candidates

Another example is the Democratic candidates' economic stimulus plans. Obama wants to lower barriers while Clinton wants a government fix. See:
Stark differences in candidates’ economic plans

Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama have proposed plans that could ultimately cost $110 billion. The Clinton plan relies heavily on government spending, and the Obama plan would rely more heavily on temporary tax breaks.

Mr. Obama would provide an immediate tax rebate of $250 to workers and would pay an extra $250 to every person collecting Social Security benefits. If unemployment increases three months in a row, he would pay an extra $250 to workers and retirees.

Mr. Obama’s plan would also provide $10 billion to help homeowners avoid foreclosure, $10 billion to states that are hardest hit by the downturn and $10 billion to extend unemployment benefits to more people, including temporary workers and self-employed long-time unemployed workers.

Austin Goolsbee, Mr. Obama’s top economic adviser, said the payments represented the fastest way of getting money to people who are most likely to need it and to spend it quickly.

Mr. Edwards and Mrs. Clinton have proposed plans to channel more money to government programs. Mr. Edwards would put money into building “clean energy” public works. Mrs. Clinton would put $30 billion into an “emergency housing crisis fund” and $25 billion into helping low-income people pay heating bills.

Obama is also the only candidate to articulate a digital policy -
Obama's Digital Policy


Why Senator Clinton Is Not A Good Candidate

First of all is the question of whether her candidacy is even legal. Not literally, but if Hillary counts her co-experience with Bill as preparing her for the presidency now, then does that violate the spirit of the 22nd Amendment? ( Hillary and the 22nd Amendment, Hillary Clinton Bucks the Spirit of the 22nd Amendment) Or is this another example of Senator Clinton bending rules for her own ends? Like when the other candidates agreed not to campaign in Michigan or Florida and removed their names from the ballot but Senator Clinton kept her name on the ballots and now wants the votes to count for her. (See: No Way)

I think many Democratic voters are getting sick of these antics. And tactics like the Clinton campaign trying to bait Obama into using race. (See: Race Wars and Bill Clinton as bad cop)

I am curious as to the source of Senator Clinton's support despite stories like these?

Hillary Clinton Tells Common Sense Media She Would Support Video Game Legislation

The Case Against Hillary Clinton:Why on earth would we choose to put the Clinton family drama at the center of our politics again?

No Girlfriend of Mine: One woman’s estrangement from Hillary Rodham Clinton

I believe part of her continuing support is that many older women may vote for Senator Clinton based solely on her gender. But the leader of Chicago NOW has switched from supporting Clinton to Obama - Not only is he 100 percent pro-choice, he's 100 percent honest

And there are many more examples of prominent women either supporting Obama or openly questioning their support for Clinton:

Alice Kessler-Harris: Why I'm not necessarily for Hillary

This seems to be the moment for which feminists have waited. Those of us who came out of the women's movement of the late '60s and '70s have longed for a greater presence of women in the political and public spheres. So why are we not ringing doorbells for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton? In my case, I would say it is ambivalence. I am certainly not against her. I just can't bring myself to be for her.

Why So Many Feminists Are Deciding to Vote for Barack Obama

'30 Ways of Looking at Hillary'

Feminist Ultimatums: Not In Our Name

Feminist Leaders Oppose Hillary, Endorse Obama


Other Voices

The Choice

Lawyers for Gitmo detainees endorse Obama

Historians for Obama

Republicans for Obama

Hillary vs. Barack = Microsoft vs. Apple


Who Could Be On The Ticket?

Who could possibly be Hillary Clinton's running mate? For a national election she cannot choose a man for a vice-president running mate. Half the country is ready to vote against her and only a man who was not interested in political office afterwards could be vice-president as it would appear to be too emasculating and be a factor in electability for a national election. She cannot use Jennifer Granholm because she's Canadian. I wonder if she would choose a moderate Republican in a ploy for a Unity ticket? Then would Senator McCain ask Senator Obama to be his running mate in response?

Were Senator Obama to win the Democratic nomination he has many options for a running mate. My thoughts on the running mate issue took me to Ambassador and current governor Bill Richardson as Obama's vice president. The VP role is best executed as a foreign envoy and behind the scenes convener. Governor Richardson excels in this role. He would fulfill the role Cheney did for Bush. And this selection would help bridge the Latino-Black divide. It would be a dream team.

The Election In November

What worries me is with this Bush administration we've seen what having to make political pay backs can do to people's lives. Old ties is what led to the Katrina disaster. ("heck of a job Brownie") Wanting a payback is what led to Iraq. If Senator Clinton is elected she'll have to pay back many political allies and when Bill is roaming the White House maybe he'll be looking for payback for his impeachment.
Clearly I am hoping for an Obama win in the democratic nomination. Otherwise we may face the unpalatable possibility of a haphazard McCain or a vindictive Clinton presidency. For example, in the last debate Hillary said a Clinton was needed to clean up after the first Bush presidency and it'll take a Clinton to clean up after this one too. But President Bush 41 was a decent enough President and only lost out on two terms because of a little conspiracy nut by the name of Ross Perot. There really wasn't anything to "clean-up". And do you really want to say a Clinton president needs to "clean-up" afterwards when put in the context of President Clinton's peccadilloes? Senator Clinton very well may be running for a payback Presidency. Isn't that what we have now?

What is mostly unsaid however is that the 1960's still cast a pall over today's elections. Many African-Americans will not vote for Senator Obama because they are afraid doing so will set him up for an assassination. Many women will vote for Senator Clinton simply because she is a women and they feel they've waited a long time for this.

For the democrats, the upside of the primaries is either Senator Clinton or Obama will have much more clout in the Senate after the election.

Regardless of what plays out in the nomination process the democrats will have an historical candidate and in the end you must find your own candidate. Here are some sites that can help:

2008 Presidential Election Candidates on the Issues

VoteMatch Quiz Presidential Candidate Selector

Electoral Compass

GlassBooth

May you live in interesting times...

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