Saturday, September 06, 2003
Hail To Hell With The Chief
Bush's approval rating among likely voters has dropped to 45%, according to the most recent Zogby poll. The economy and Iraq top respondents' concerns. [full story]
Yep. That's the way it goes. When the team is losing, the coach gets the blame. And then gets fired.
Of course, who's "the team"?
As Cynthia Tucker points out in this excellent piece, a survey of wealthy likely voters might yield significantly different results.
If you are a middle-aged software designer still looking for work a year after a layoff, or a former Enron manager now selling shoes in a department store, or a seamstress laid off when a textile mill shut down, you might think President Bush's program for economic recovery isn't working. You'd be wrong.
The president's economy policy is working just as he planned it. The stock market is bouncing back, sales of Rolexes and Range Rovers are humming right along, and compensation for CEOs is still in the stratosphere. Among the president's friends, there is little anxiety about the kids' trust funds. (Notice how well Halliburton has been doing since the invasion of Iraq?) [link added]
Bush's multibillion-dollar tax cuts largely benefited the wealthy while doing little to produce jobs for average workers. Conservatives fiercely defended the tax cuts as redress to rich capitalists who paid most of the taxes and who would create jobs if given appropriate incentives. They neglected to mention that many of those jobs would be created in other countries.
[full article]
As for the other big topic on the minds of likely voters (Iraq), the situation there is (to borrow a phrase from Fark.com) simply crap-tacular. As usual, the administration continues to spin furiously. Donald Rumsfeld, in Iraq, says we're off to a "wonderful start" there. [story]
Bush will address the nation Sunday; the speech he'll recite is likely to echo Rumsfeld, and to say the lives and money we're losing in Iraq are well-spent. Meanwhile, in a tacit admission that the U.S.-led effort is failing, American diplomats are desperately trying this weekend to muster support for a U.N. resolution authorizing an international force for Iraq to take some of the pressure off our troops (but with the U.S in charge, of course). [story]
Many view Bush's speech as a critical test. Could this be his "Nixon moment"? Of course, instead of Nixon's "I am not a crook," Bush's line would be "I am not a moronic loser." On the other hand, he might do well. After all, he doesn't have to write the speech, he just has to get his lines right. Sometimes he does.
The question, again, is whether America will buy what the administration's selling.
Since most Americans aren't wealthy, my guess is that the used-car salesman from Texas won't make this sale.
Posted by Me at 17:17 link
Friday, September 05, 2003
Interview Game, Round II
From the mysterious and brilliant ME-L over at Isbadiddle come these five questions:
1. If you could be on the cover of any magazine, which one would it be?
Probably Outside, maybe for being the first person to ride the entire East Coast Greenway. Unfortunately, I may be a very old man before that can happen.
[Check that — twelve lucky folks will steal my thunder next fall. /dashes off to fill out application].
2. I offer you a week's vacation in any fictional world in your library. The only catch is that you'll be a minor character -- that is, if you chose "Robin Hood" you could be one of the Merry Men, but not Robin, Friar Tuck, Maid Marian, Sheriff of Nottingham, etc. What book would you pick?
I'd pick one of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee novels; I'd be one of his many wealthy "boat bum" friends, the ones who never seem to have to do any actual work, who seem always to be either cruising around the Caribbean or having a summerlong party.
3. If you could take a pill that would eliminate the need to sleep, would you? Even if you never dreamed again?
NO WAY! Sometimes, dreams are the best part of life!
4. What's your Stupid Human Trick? The one you do at parties or do amuse small children? Like gargling the Star Spangled Banner, except not that, because it's mine, dagnabit!
I can toss small objects over my head and catch them behind my back, or toss them from behind my back and catch them in front. However, once, before I perfected this trick, I had to strip down and dive into my friend's pool to retrieve my keys!
5. Speed Round: Crunchy or Smooth? Smooth, baby! Paper or Plastic? Plastic (it recycles). Atari or Intellivision? Atari! (I've never played Intellivision) Monopoly or Risk? Risk, though it's a close call; I love them both. Digital or Analog? Digital, though some situations are intrinsically analog. The Lady or the Tiger? The Lady, but what if the lady is a Tiger? Hmm?
Great questions, ME-L! I enjoyed answering them. I also enjoyed — immensely — your answers to my questions. I'm especially intrigued by Ikiru/To Live, having seen and loved Seven Samurai and Rashomon (as well as most of the movies on the movielens 5-star list). By the way, I'm saying all this here only because comments are down at the Ish'.
Posted by Me at 18:19 link
Thursday, September 04, 2003
News In Brief
In case you haven't been following the news the last couple of days...
The Bush administration pleaded with other countries to send troops to Iraq, to relieve the strain on our troops. The other countries said "No." Meanwhile, Donald Rumsfeld visited Iraq and tried to put a brave face on things.
On the home front, eight of the Democratic Party Presidential candidates held their first debate Thursday evening, and sounded more like the ABBA (Anybody But Bush Again) party:
"This president is a miserable failure," Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.) said. "It's incomprehensible to me that we would wind up in this situation without a plan and without international cooperation to get it done."
Former Vermont governor Howard Dean accused the president of misleading the country before the war and of unnecessarily alienating U.S. allies at the time. "We were wrong to go in without the United Nations, and now we need their help."
Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn.) said Bush's failure to have a plan for securing the country after deposing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has exposed U.S. soldiers to even more danger. He said he would support sending in more U.S. forces to protect those who are there now.
Sen. John F. Kerry (Mass.) condemned Bush's leadership, but he said Lieberman is wrong to call for sending more U.S. troops. "That would be the worst thing," he said, arguing that the United States needed needs to ask for forces from other countries.
Other candidates said Bush has not been forthcoming about the long-term cost of the occupation. "The president needs to tell us the truth about the cost," Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) said.
[full story]
In other news, conservative judge Miguel Estrada, beset by blistering Democratic opposition, asked President Bush to withdraw his bid to join the D.C. federal appeals court. [full story]
Logging giant Boise Cascade announced that it will no longer log endangered or old growth forests, either in the U.S. or abroad, and further that it will from now on give preference to wood taken from forests certified as "sustainably managed." The decision was strongly influenced by sustained pressure from environmental groups. Other major logging companies are expected to follow suit. [full story]
In other news, I'm wearing boxers, not briefs.
That's the news in brief boxers. Thank you and good night.
Posted by Me at 20:35 link
Wednesday, September 03, 2003
Recall No! Democracy Yes!
From MoveOn.org: Join me in signing a "Recall No! Democracy Yes!" pledge to defeat the California recall. Click here to sign:
http://moveon.org/pac/recall?id=-1670714-BDGhbF8_ybpl17fSpmK4Mg
If the recall succeeds, it will set a dangerous precedent for the whole country. A far-right businessman spent 1.7 million dollars to bring us the recall campaign, and has thrown California into chaos. GOP leaders who should have condemned the recall instead cheered it on, hoping they could gain from the unraveling of our democracy.
We can't stand by and let this happen. These attacks on democracy are not a California issue or a Texas issue or a Florida issue -- we all must step forward together and make it clear that elections will be honored in this country.
This pledge is a national effort to mobilize one million California voters in the recall election. Please sign the pledge no matter where you live and please ask friends and family in California to sign the pledge and to remember to vote October 7.
http://moveon.org/pac/recall?id=-1670714-BDGhbF8_ybpl17fSpmK4Mg
Thank you.
This is easy and quick to do — and it's a statement we need to make.
Posted by Me at 11:56 link
Tuesday, September 02, 2003
Towpath Century Challenge
I hereby issue a challenge/invitation to anyone willing to accompany me on a 100 mile bicycle ride along the towpaths of the Delaware & Raritan (NJ) and Delaware (PA) canals. The route will begin in Bristol, PA, head north to Uhlerstown, cross the Delaware River to Frenchtown, NJ; then proceed south to Trenton before heading east all the way to New Brunswick. 100 miles. All in the same day. I expect it to take up to 12 hours. Should be an interesting ride. This article may give you some idea of the flavor of the Pennsylvania section.
Additional notes: added September 3, 2003 at 14:30- This ride is suitable only for mountain bikes; it would almost certainly destroy a road bike and probably wouldn't be too kind to a hybrid, either.
- I'm not a super-fit, super-fast rider, so don't let that concern hold you back. This is more adventure than athletic event.
- That being said, you should be reasonably fit and at least a moderately experienced cyclist.
Let me know if you're interested. If no one steps up, I'll just do it solo. So there.
Additional notes: added September 14, 2003 at 21:00
I'm going to do this thing in the next 2 weeks, so don't be shy if you're interested....
Additional notes: added September 16, 2003 at 21:20
Weather permitting, I'm doing the ride Saturday, September 27. Others are still welcome to join the ride.
Additional notes: added October 5, 2003 at 20:00
I did it! Read all about it here. Then, make a donation in honor of my achievment, to the United Way of Mercer County, NJ, by following the instructions here. I plan to do this again next year as a charity event, so start getting in shape now!
Posted by Me at 17:41 link
Sunday, August 31, 2003
Supercharge Yourself
Should people really care that they digest potatoes faster than carrots?
Macaroni faster than spaghetti? Rice Krispies faster than Special K? A greenish banana faster than a freckled one? A Snickers bar faster than a Twix?
Yes, say some of the country's top-tier nutritional experts. They are convinced that carbohydrates should be labeled good or bad, just the way fats are, and that some of the carbs Americans love most -- velvety puddles of mashed potatoes, lighter-than-air white bread -- are dietary evil, to be avoided like the nastiest artery-choking trans-fats.
No, contend other equally respected nutritional experts. Potatoes and other starchy standbys are perfectly respectable. A carb is a carb is a carb.
The debate involves an idea called the glycemic index. It is a way of rating how quickly carbohydrates are digested and rush into the bloodstream as sugar. Fast, in this case, is bad. In theory, a blast of sugar makes insulin levels go up, and this, strangely, leaves people quickly feeling hungry again.
The debate over whether every person who puts food in his mouth should know about this is fervid even for the field of dietary wisdom, where fierce opinions based on ironclad beliefs and sparse data are standard.
[full story]
Consider me a believer in the glycemic index. However, "good" versus "bad" is the wrong way to look at carbs. If you're active, all carbs are useful; the consideration is timing.
This article by sports nutritionist Ed Burke changed my life, or at least my approach to exercise and eating. (Burke's devotees include Lance Armstrong's coach Chris Carmichael, Gary Fisher, and the Colorado Avalanche hockey team). His plan is simple in concept, and simple in practice, too.
- First, exercise for an hour or more. Two hours is ideal.
- Then, pig out. Yep. For maximum muscle recovery, you should eat a gram of high-glycemic index carbs (e.g. potatoes, rice) for every pound you weigh, and also a quarter-gram of protein for each pound. The high-index carbs go straight to work rebuilding your sore muscles; the protein helps your body absorb more glycogen, the stuff in carbs that your muscles need in order to function. Start eating about 20 minutes after you finish exercising, and finish eating in the next 40 minutes. That's the recovery meal.
- Three hours later, have another meal, 65% carbs, 20% fats, 15% protein (65/20/15). Again, the carbs should be high-index. That's the follow-up meal.
- Between the follow-up meal and your next workout, continue eating 65/20/15 meals at regular intervals. Taper to lower-index carbs each meal, and finish the last meal no closer than 2 hours before the workout.
- 15-20 minutes before the workout, drink a "carbohydrate rich sports drink." My personal fave is apple juice, but sometimes I have a cola.
[more detailed version]
Then just rock 'n' roll, rinse, repeat! It seems to work really well. Try it, you'll like it!
Posted by Me at 22:17 link
