Econ 101

This is just the greatest explanation of managed and free economies that I have EVER heard:

Click here


Enjoy and become educated!

English Grammar's Slow Death

I was listening to NPR this evening on my ride home and, in the span of 5 minutes, heard three examples of an unclear antecedent. This particular problem caused me many lost points on English compositions in high school. Here is one of the quotes:

From "Marketplace" ...

Continuing with the theme here, you remember the phrase toxic assets from the good old days of the credit crisis? They are still around, and every time the government seizes a failed bank, we taxpayers own more of them.

So, do we own more toxic assets or more banks?

I don't expect perfect grammar in everyday use of the language, but one might expect that journalists, trained in writing, would spot such a simple error that can cause confusion and diminish the impact of the story by having listeners, such as I, focused on the structure of the phrase and not the content of the phrase.

Natural Chickens

I read the following earlier this week:

We do not seem able to satisfy ourselves with the qualities which nature has given to the roosterish clan; art has stepped in; and with the pretext of bettering them we have made them into martyrs. Not only do we deprive them of their means of reproduction, but we condemn them to solitary confinement and darkness, we force them to eat, and by doing so we make them much heavier than they were ever meant to be.

I think this is a rather accurate picture of how we handle chickens now as the ones we find in stores are "unnaturally" fat.

Interestingly, this passage is a quote from The Physiology of Taste, written by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin in1825. Is there anything really new?

A Republican in Massachusetts?

I have been following the reaction of both talking heads and politicians following last night's election of a Repulican to the Senate to represent Massachusetts. Almost to a person, the republicans seem to think this is a referendum on President Obama. On the other side, the democrats just seem to think that all they need to do is to do a better job of explaining to the American people why legislation is good for them (poor dumb Americans just don't understand). Is there any wonder we can't get anything useful done?

They are all wrong. This was NOT a referendum on Obama. He is a liberal and, even in a heavily independent state like Massachusetts, there is plenty of liberal thought and, in general, I would say that most of the people there support Obama (his poll numbers are still around 50% - not bad given that he has accomplished so little ... not that this is unusual, Presidents are in the executive branch and action must come from the legislative branch, so, unless the party in power is unified or can work across the aisles or unless the President has enough personal charm to sway the electorate, there is little that can get done by a given President).

It is also not a situation where us poor dumb Americans (PDA's) don't understand the legislation. I think we do understand it and that is part of the reason for the outcome of the election.

Our legislators are the ones who don't get it. Us PDA's don't like:

• having legislation rammed through by one party with no input from the other
• outrageous deficit spending that lowers the value of the dollar, will lead to future inflation, and will bankrupt our children and grandchildren
• more and more taxes (especially when so many people are out of work or have not seen raises in a couple of years)
• politicians who talk down to us and take us for granted
• childish posturing and narrow-minded approaches to legislating
• inability for our politicians to practice give-and-take (neither side gives)

I could go on, but this was really a referendum on our Congress. My question to ponder is what will us PDA's do next when nothing changes?

cajun pasta

I thoroughly enjoy cooking. I especially like unique foods from different cultures ... although some of it has been surprising and some has been unpalatable. I don't fill up this blog with recipes, but occassionally I have to make an exception. Such is the case for cajun pasta. Follow along!

Starting with one pound of peeled shrimp (or I think scallops would work well, too). Season liberally with Old Bay or Emeril's "essence". Next, cook one pound of pasta (penne, farfalle, etc - no spaghetti-like stuff) to JUST AL DENTE, as you will cook it more later. Next, lightly cook the shrimp in a pan, no more than one minute per side, just enough to make the shrimp pink and opaque. This should be done in just a bit of olive oil or olive oil and butter. Remove the shrimp and lay out in a single layer to help stop the cooking. Now, add diced bell pepper and diced onion to the pan along with diced andoille sausage (one is enough, two would be really great). Stir fry these until the onion is well caramelized and the sausage is browned. Add garlic (1 - 3 cloves, minced) and stir for another minute or so. Deglaze the pan with a half cup of chicken stock (I used 98% fat free). Add one can of petite diced tomatoes (freshly diced when available, but canned works well, too) and stir. Add another good 3/4 tablespoon of Old Bay or essence. Add half a cup of non-fat evaporated milk (or half-and-half or heavy cream if the calories are not a concern) and stir well. Keep the heat around medium or slightly above for all of this. Add a tablespoon or so of tomato paste and season to taste with salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme. Add the pasta and shrimp back into the pot and stir. Lower the temperature to below medium and allow the sauce to thicken. Spoon it up and enjoy!

Technology and aging

I am 54 years old. I keep passwords for so many different activities ... banking, weblogs, e-mail (personal and work), twitter, linkedin, a half a dozen or so work applications, American Express, Barnes and Noble, Amazon, insurance companies, public library, etc, etc, ad nauseum. My greatest concern for myself and all Americans growing up now -

What will happen as we age?

We will forget passwords. Alzheimers will remove us from reality. We are told not to keep lists of passwords. How will we survive in another 20 years when everything is password controlled and our aging population is at the mercy of failing memories?