The Worst African Dictator...

According to Peter Maass at Slate, it isn't Mugabe. Maass focuses his article on the fact that Obiang is the devil we don't know due to lack of media coverage and any official condemnation from the U.S. He points out that Condie Rice has referred to Obiang as a "good friend," which makes you wonder about the old adage regarding "With friends like these..."

I understand that the media neccesarily can't make news of all "bad" leaders of government, but it does seem odd that Obiang and his goons have gotten such an obvious free pass from the Western media and governments.

The U.S. government is not propping up Mugabe, but with billions invested by American companies in Equatorial Guinea, it is propping up Obiang. The Equatorial Guinean minister who owns the building that houses the U.S. Embassy in Malabo has even been accused of torture by human rights organizations. Instead of seeking an indictment against the man, the U.S. government is putting rent money in his pocket. (A lot of rent money, actually—$17,500 a month.)

You haven't heard that before? The tragedy is that you might not hear of it again.

Ooops, not a free pass, but a paid one!

Mugabe wins election!!!

Or at least that is assuredly what the reports will be after the "voting" is completed today in Zimbabwe. Mugabe is, not suprisingly, defending is grip on power by using the proverbial "other leaders" who have done "worse things than me" line of argument.

“Some African countries have done worse things,” he said, adding that when he goes to the African Union summit, he will dare other heads of state to deny this fact.

“I would like some African leaders who are making these statements to point at me and we would see if those fingers would be cleaner than mine.”

I'll tell you Robbie, I wouldn't have too much trouble finding less corrupt and oppressive dictators. The New York Times also has an article discussing Mugabe's formal reception at New York City Hall in 2002. This reception was led by Councilman Charles Barron, who when asked about whether or not he has second thoughts about the visit, responded, "absolutely not."

“Does he do things that I disagree with? Yes,” Mr. Barron said. But he clearly still regards Mr. Mugabe as a liberator more than an oppressor. “You didn’t care about black Africans when whites were killing them in Rhodesia,” he said. As he sees it, the real reason that Mr. Mugabe has come under strong attack from the West is the confiscation of white-owned farms.

Echoing Mr. Mugabe’s party line, he suggested that Mr. Tsvangirai is a tool of “British imperialism and the United States as well.” As for political violence, “I don’t think we can deny people are dying,” Mr. Barron said. “Who’s responsible and how many — we need to really get reports other than from the opposition.”

I know I shouldn't be, but this sentiment really astounds me. Is there a more disgusting political act than carrying water for an oppressive dictator, who's actions are killing his own people?

Summer Veggies are the best...

even if we have to deal with summer's pests. We received our second CSA box from Greenspirit Farm last Saturday and it featured some of my favorite early summer treats: Garlic Scapes to be added to nearly everything I cook, succulent small head Brocolli, and late season earthy asparagus, which is especially good for omelettes. The Farmer's Market is in full swing at this point, featuring lots of options for the locatarian. One new local source that we have switched to is Sugar River Dairy, which offers wonderfully flavorful yogurt at a very competitive price. Add in some of those abundant strawberries from the market and you have a lovely addition to a summer lunch at Monona Terrace, overlooking Lake Monona.

Hope to see you at the market this Saturday, as green beans, brocolli and strawberries will all be in high supply.

Obama and McCain in the polls...

It appears that Obama is opening a bit of room between himself and McCain in national polls. It is, of course, incredibly early in the process - but I believe this if Obama can get an initial 8 point advantage or so, he can really force the McCain camp to push money out the door at a rate much quicker than they would like at this stage in the process. I know that Obama has taken a significant amount of heat for opting out of the public financing, but that additional cash will surely be helpful in keeping McCain's feet to the fire.

Of particular note on the state by state polling, is that Obama seems to be leading and/or improving in many battleground states such as, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan and Florida. he is even close in Indiana currently, which I will admit is based on far to few polls to hold much water, but still -- Indiana? That has to be considered fairly bad news for the McCain camp.

Tim Russert, the mircale man...

Hitchens says some things that need to be said about the media coverage of Russert's death. It seems that the media has been taking every good deed, coincidence and random occurence surrounding Russert's life and death and making them out to show something impropably "special" about him. I, along with Hitchens, can agree that Russert was a pretty solid journalist and that no right minded person is happy to see a father of a young man die, but to canonize the man and overzealously mysticize the death ceremony is to dive headlong into the strong superstitions that still bind too much of humanity to this day.

In John Updike's brilliant novel In the Beauty of the Lilies,* the son of a Presbyterian minister who lost the faith is listening to those who eulogize his departed father and suddenly realizes how the myths about Jesus got started in the first place. Surveying my e-mail traffic this week, I could see another such bubble of legend begin to swell. And I remain unshakably certain on two points. The first is that no benign deity plucks television news-show hosts from their desks in the prime of life and then hastily compensates their friends and family by displays of irradiated droplets in the sky. (I bet you now that it won't happen for Brokaw or Williams or Olbermann, even if they all convert to Catholicism, and you know I am right.) My second bet is that Tim Russert, a man of firm but modest faith, would reject this foolish superstition and the silly cult of celebrity. This latter cult belongs to the material world, which in the absence of a supernatural one is the only world we have.

The first of these two points could hardly be more indicative of the mired logic of the overly religious set, that proclaim that "god took him for a reason." My guess is that if god is real, and follows the tenets laid out by the Christian right, he would have no place or need for a Russert - who despite his personal beliefs - seemed to mostly welcome dissent and dialogue. He would have called on Hannity.

*If you are unfamiliar with this work, you really must read it. Updike is brilliant, and this work may compete for tops on his list of work.

Monday is soooo Goode...

From the blog of the Goode Guy!

On the trail, the number one issue on the minds of people continues to be the price of gasoline.* Citizens in this country want the United States to decrease and ultimately end our dependency on foreign oil, and there is no excuse for Congress to be neglecting this critical issue. Where is the Congress?

Well Greg, since you are running for it I thought I would let you know it's in Washington DC... Be sure to note the DC means District of Columbia way out there near the Atlantic Ocean, not Daviess County between the White rivers.

* I guess it could be different in Southern Indiana, but around the USA it seems the economy and jobs is a bigger issue than gas prices. Of course, maybe Mr. Goode is selectively filing this issue away because he knows his "Conservative Covenant" doesn't care about the disadvantaged among us.

Mugabe, god's leader...

The situation in Zimbabwe is deteriorating more and more, as the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai is seeking refuge in the Dutch embassy. I have been following this growing crisis more in recent days, but apparently this gem from Mugabe alluded me until the aforelinked NYT article:

“Only God, who appointed me, will remove me, not the M.D.C., not the British,” Mr. Mugabe declared in the city of Bulawayo on Friday. “Only God will remove me!”

Senile, venal, crazy -- take your pick. The truly annoying thing about this is that the old bastard is 84 and will probably never live to see justice. Perhaps the more ludicrous quote from the article was the following:

Nonetheless, Zimbabwe’s information minister, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, told The Associated Press that the runoff would go forward on Friday despite Mr. Tsvangirai’s departure from the race. “The Constitution does not say that if somebody drops out or decides to chicken out the runoff will not be held,” Mr. Ndlovu said.

Hope you enjoy that ministerial post while it last Mr. Ndlovu, because I'm willing to bet your chicken ass will be using all of the dirty money you've been socking away to buy yourself an exiled freedom when Mugabe finally gets the boot, or as may be the case, boots the bucket.

*** I have to admit that Condie's statement on this issue was solid. I expected a little more mamby pamby deference to the role of South Africa as mediator, but she seemed intent on doing something --- let's hope it is the right thing.

That didn't take long...

The Donkey's addendum to the growing list of greivances provided at Mel-Anon.

As impressed as I have been with the Obama campaign, one of the lingering issues I have had is popping it's head up in today's NYT. At issue is Mr. Obama's support of ethanol as a viable renewable energy source.

Many economists, consumer advocates, environmental experts and tax groups have been critical of corn ethanol programs as a boondoggle that benefits agribusiness conglomerates more than small farmers. Those complaints have intensified recently as corn prices have risen sharply in tandem with oil prices and corn normally used for food stock has been diverted to ethanol production.

It seems to me that Obama is about as far from right on this issue as one can be without trying. His continued support of farm subsidies that primarily benefit the big corporate farm interests is a problem. These subsidies also create an inherent policy preference towards corn and soybeans, which we don't really need to produce at the level we do. (Maybe he should call Wisconsinite Ron Kind). He also continues to support the tariffs on Brazillian ethanol, which offers significant protection to these same corporate farm interests. Lest we mention, that the Brazillian ethanol is at least three times as efficient in rating energy output vs. input ratios. So, the Obama support of ethanol seems to me to be less about ethanol and energy independence than it is about keeping Archer Daniels Midland happy. This is a real issue, and I can only hope that the campaign wises up a bit.

Tsvangirai quits the race in Zimbabwe...

It looks like the crackpot Mugabe will remain in power in Zimbabwe after his goon squads have terrorized the opposition into quiting the election. From the UN's office of the secretary-general:

"The secretary-general deeply regrets that, despite the repeated appeals of the international community, the government of Zimbabwe has failed to put in place the conditions necessary for free and fair runoff elections," Ban's office said.

"The circumstances that led to the withdrawal of opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai today from the presidential elections represents a deeply distressing development that does not bode well for the future of democracy in Zimbabwe."

Understate much Mr. Secretary? I truly hope the asshole Mugabe gets his due at some point, but it looks as if the international community is going to let him off the hook this time.

Crisis in Darfur...

Keeping with today's theme of reprehensible actions, I would point those concerned with humankind to Darfur, where rape is becoming the norm for women and young girls.

Thousands of women -- as young as four -- caught in the middle of the struggle between rebel forces and government-backed militias have become victims of rape, they say, with some aid groups claiming it is being used as a weapon of ethnic cleansing.

As if the rape isn't horrible enough, it is being used as a method for ethnic cleansing... absolutely sick.

And what does the Sudanese government say? Well, there is no rape in Darfur:

"There is no rape in Darfur," says Mohammad Hassan Awad, a Humanitarian Aid Commissioner for West Darfur, who accuses foreign aid workers of persuading people in refugee camps to make false claims.

god and medicine...

I find stories, such as this one in Oregon, absolutely ludicrous. I have always been troubled by the deference the state and society give to religious groups with regard to the treatment of children. In this case the kid was 16 so I can see the age of consent argument being made, but anyone who has been exposed to religious extremism should agree that rejecting the "worldy doctors" is the likely action of a completely indoctrinated young man. The failure to provide adequate medical care to children is even more reprehensible than my other favorite religious fringe move of denying and vilifying "worldly education."

McCain-Lieberman?

An interesting article at Salon muses over this hawkish ticket. For the sheer theatrics, I would have to support (not vote) said ticket. Imagine, the Huck getting his Bible thumpers into a tizzy over the possibility of the GOP electing a pro-choice Jewish self identifying "Democrat" as VP. Oh, what drama!

That is why it is easy to envision angry antiabortion Republicans storming out of the convention in protest over a putative McCain-Lieberman ticket.

This week's "not so Goode"...

I don't know if you saw my earlier post the need of the Greg Goode for US House website and campaign organization for a campaign worker, but I came across another gem while looking for the "New Covenant for the Conservative Movement" on his website. If you go to the campaign blog portion of the website and scroll down to entries from February you will find the following two entries:

Number 1:

Note from the Road
February 18, 2008 | Posted by Greg Goode

Like most of the residents of Southern Indiana, I was surprised to read the contents of the following very-well done article by Tom Langhorne with the Evansville Courier and Press regarding the "tricky decision" Brad Ellsworth will have to make in determining whether to support Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. To me, there is no trickiness about it. I believe that Hoosiers deserve a reliable conservative voice in Washington to hold all Federal politicians accountable. I would not accept any money from Barack Obama and would challenge all Indiana politicians to turn away liberal efforts of courtship.

Greg

Number 2:

Tricky Decision? Not For Greg Goode
February 26, 2008 | Posted by Greg Goode
I am Leslie Goode, and my husband, Greg, is running for Congress. Like most of the residents of southern Indiana, Greg and I were surprised to read the contents of a well written article by Tom Langhorne with the Evansville Courier and Press regarding the "tricky decision" Brad Ellsworth will have to make in determining whether to support Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. For the Goode family, there is no trickiness about it. We believe that Hoosiers deserve a reliable conservative voice in Washington to hold all politicians accountable. I know my husband better than anyone, and Greg Goode would not accept money from Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, or any other politician whose political agendas oppose our heritage and values.

Leslie Goode

Don't get me wrong, I understand the concept of "staying on message" in a campaign, but don't you think YOU could do better than that? Apply today! Help bring home a victory for a man who will work to establish a "New Covenant for the Conservative Movement" (of which I am still searching!).

The Bush Poison Pill...

Krugman offered a quick analysis of Obama and McCain's tax policy proposals and how they have been influenced by the Bush tax cuts. Krugman views the Bush tax cuts as exerting negative influence on the campaign and the future administration's ability to change course.

I realized that the tax cuts enacted by the Bush administration are, in effect, a fiscal poison pill aimed at future administrations.

True, the tax cuts won’t prevent a change in management — the Constitution sees to that. But they will make it hard for the next president to change the country’s direction.

McCain may be the more disappointing case, as he has been falling over himself to endorse making the Bush cuts permanent and has plans to lower the corporate rate even more. This coming from the "maverick" who at one point stood boldly against this political pandering to the hard-rich-right. Alas, he has fallen into the role of standard electioneer and couldn't possibly be expected to stand up for what is best for the country.

Obama, on the other hand, offers a plan that will at least partially roll back the Bush tax cuts. His plan is forecasted to raise federal revenues over the next decade, while McCain's will see further drops during a time when the deficit is growing daily.

Barack Obama’s tax plan is more responsible than Mr. McCain’s: relative to current policy, the Tax Policy Center estimates, the Obama plan would raise revenue by $700 billion over the next decade, compared with a $600 billion loss for Mr. McCain.

The Obama plan is also far more progressive, sharply reducing after-tax incomes for the richest 1 percent of Americans while raising incomes for the bottom 80 percent.

The potential problem with the Obama plan is that this increase of $700 billion probably isn't enough to cover universal health care. Krugman views Obama's plan as being limited by the fact that he only proposes raising taxes on those with incomes over $250K. Additionally, the Obama plan gives some of this additional revenue away by exempting all income below $50K for seniors. This one gets my goat, and Krugman raises the correct question.

Mr. Obama’s plan to eliminate income taxes on seniors with incomes under $50,000: since most seniors already pay no income taxes, this would do nothing for those most in need. And one wonders why we should create the precedent of exempting particular demographic groups from taxes.

I know the cynical answer to this is that old folks vote, but come on. There is no reason that a senior making $49K should be exempt from income tax, when a younger person (or in some cases even a family) would not be. This is also political pandering. I am all for helping those most in need, but as Krugman points out-- the most in need seniors already pay no income tax, so who does this help?

At the end of the day, any truly progressive individual will come around to the clear realization that the Obama plan is much more preferable than the McCain offering. This does not mean, however, that we should just accept the weaknesses in the Obama proposal as necessary. If change is the ticket, then you can't be afraid to change the big issues.

Toby Keith and the Tony's

I don't know who at CBS thought the folks watching the Tony's would want to watch country music star Toby Keith hocking Ford F-150's, but I hope they don't get paid much.

On the point of hocking F-150's, the commercial has Toby Keith talking all kinds of gibberish, finishing with something to the effect of "you should buy an F-150 now because America needs it." Yeah, ok, America really needs more people who have no use for a huge 13 MPG hog going out to spend the 30K on it... That is the true way to be a 'Murican.

Killer Tomatoes...

Are you scared of the tomatoes in your refrigerator? Apparently, lots of fast food restaurants and industrial supermarkets are, after the recent salmonella outbreak. The truly scary part of this outbreak, is that the CDC hasn't been able to decipher its origin.

Although the origin of the outbreak has not been determined, the Food and Drug Administration has released a warning against raw red plum, red round and red Roma tomatoes from geographic areas it does not oversee.

After tracing the patterns of salmonella and looking at production and distribution pattern information, the FDA has compiled a list of areas not associated with the current outbreak.

The real kicker here, is that the FDA has compiled a "safe list," whereby a consumer can feel confident that the tomatoes are fine, which would be wonderful if it weren't for the industrial food change completely displacing the consumer's ability to make this judgment. My recommendation for those in the Madison area is to head to the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning and stop by Real Food, a Mennonite (or maybe another Anabaptist sect) ran operation out of central Wisconsin. They have some marvelous tomatoes that are "grown in real dirt," as the sign says. These outbreaks should be a wake up call that the industrial food chain is unnecessarily adding processing, packing and shipping steps to our food supply. Generally, the more steps involved, the more processing and treatment needed to keep the "food" fresh. Why do we have to make it so complicated? I am not sure, but it is probably something to do with our delusion that we can have cheap, healthy, fast, and safe food. There are obviously a number of balancing factors in weighing these variables against one another, but as the economists love to say -- "There is no such thing as a free lunch."

Anyone looking for a political campaign job???

If so, you may wish to contact Greg Goode, who is the GOP candidate for Indiana's eighth district House seat this fall. I admittedly have no direct information that he is hiring staff, but if you peruse his website you will surely note the need for both a staff writer and a political mind. To wit,

From the main page:

"I believe that our Congress can and must do a better job in guiding our country in a way to which President Reagan referred as the "shining city on a hill."

I really don't understand this sentence. No seriously, I mean I really don't.

From the about Greg page:

"Greg Goode is a Christian first, then an American, then a conservative, and then a Republican--in that order."

-- What about a Hoosier? I think he is secretively supporting the agenda of the Illinoisans across the Wabash. I do find the "in that order" qualifier to be quite fun, just in case someone couldn't follow the standard logic of language usage of the word then. Good job Goode!

Also from the about Greg page:

Greg Goode is running for Congress not just to oppose the liberal policies and votes of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and the incumbant 8th District Representative, he is running for "A New Covenant for the Conservative Cause," based on balancing the Federal budget, lowering taxes, protecting the jobs of our heartland from being given to China, defending our heritage and values, protecting our homeland from illegal aliens, supporting our men and women in uniform, and fighting for I-69 and other transportation priorities.

Greg Goode will restore a rock-solid, reliable, conservative voice in the US Congress!

A new covenant for the conservative cause? What does that mean?

And from the "On the Issues" page, regarding Constituent Services:

He would not hire liberals who previously worked for Barack Obama and are from outside our great state. He understands that a Congressional staff should be made up of dedicated people WHO ARE FROM INDIANA and appreciate our heritage and values!

I really don't have a problem with the idea of hiring staff from within the district, but how much veiled racism can one cram onto a single campaign site? There are many other examples of Goode invoking the name of the devil, I mean Barack Obama on the website and we all know the deal, scare'm with talk of the potential black president. Another side of this approach is that Goode is obviously not concerned with getting the best candidates to assist his constituents with their governmental issues and concerns, but rather to ensure that his office is a bastion of conservatism -- no matter if you can't get your passport. Maybe this is part of that aforementioned "new covenant for the conservative cause," which I have to admit I haven't seen (if it is a document?).

An aside on the italicized incumbant above -- Do you think if Goode were to win, he would learn how to spell incumbent correctly? My guess is no, but maybe this is just another example of how the bureaucrats got involved in his education and led him astray in spelling. If that is the case, however, I would bet that Dan Quayle was involved in getting them their jobbes.

The US Open, Stricker leads

I don't normally follow the PGA, but I just heard that Steve Stricker is at -4 through 7 holes at Torrey Pines. It is obviously very early, with 65 holes to go, but here is a cheer for my fellow Madison resident to pull it out. I'm honestly not that familiar with the course, but I do know it was thought to be a very very tough course and I have to believe pulling four birds in the first seven will be a rare feat this weekend.

Wouldn't it be nice...

If I could touch your body...

Oops, I mean if this year's presidential campaign didn't allow religious overtones to leach into the debate on everything. Timothy Egan, of the New York Times, thinks so*. Egan sees some potential that this year will be different, as some of the bigger evangelical leaders are making a commitment to stay out of the race,

Joel Osteen, the feel-good Texas optimist who is perhaps the nation’s most popular minister, and Warren have both disavowed politics this year. They will not endorse a candidate, allow politics in the service, or issue thinly disguised election “guidelines,” hint, hint.

Of course, neither political campaign will allow religion to go away, as both probably presume that they are the more attractive "god" candidate.

* If you have some time, read through some of the comment thread. One of the thought gems is exemplified by the first commenter, who claims the religion is inescapable. To quote "Bob S," "Further, religion is the source of law for whatever society one chooses. We will have some kind of religion even if it is only a religion of man or humanism." Equating religion and secular humanism is a pretty signficant stretch, in my opinion. Additionally, "Bob S" makes the case that the Constitution is a blend of Protestant religion and Enlightenment values. Even if you accept there is a blend going on, I don't think religion would be seen as more than a tangential influence on one of the most Enlightenment / secular humanist documents ever produced.

Pujols injured???

This is bad, very bad. I have to believe that without Pujols the Cardinals ability to win ball games drops significantly. They are currently playing even money or better with everyone in the bigs, sans the Cubbies, but without Pujols to keep Ludwick, Ankiel and the rest of the lineup seeing good pitches, it's hard to know how this team would perform.

The good news of the evening is that we defeated the Reds, which does always make me feel quite good. Congrats to Griffey Jr. on his 600th. I remember in the late 90's I thought Griffey would be the one to break Aaron's record.

The vanishing lake...

Lake Delton, just a few miles north of Madison, has completely vanished. The lake was surrounded by resorts and condos, so this is a significant issue for the Wisconsin Dells area. The governor has vowed to replenish the lake, but I have to believe that rounding up 700 million gallons of water will take a little time. The good news is that I haven't heard of any injuries related to this event, only property damage. This property damage is immense, but I believe can be overcome.

Feminism, Poverty, Crime, Electric Cars, 11 Big Ideas...

and more. All in the July/August edition of The Atlantic. This issue is being billed as the "ideas" issue, which being the donkey I am begs the question, what are all the other issues supposed to be? But on a more SERIOUS note, there are a number of very interesting components to this summer issue. I would love to link to each of these articles or essays, but unfortunately they are not up on the website (previously linked) as of the date of this being published. Following is a brief rundown of the issue's more interesting components:

Hanna Rosin discusses the rise of crime in many American cities, specifically those of the mid-sized variety. This article focuses on Memphis and specifically on the correlation between crime and the prevalence of Section 8 vouchers in an area. There are countless issues that arise out of discussing this correlation, and many officials are wary to do so, but even if it isn't causal (and what is really when you talk about poverty and crime) there is plenty of room for discussion here.

Nicholas Carr offers the cover story on the effects of the Internet on our brains. I know that a couple of the passages resonated particularly strongly with me, such as

"What the Net seems to be doing is chipping away my capacity for concentration and contemplation. My mind now expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it: in a swiftly moving stream of particles. Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a Jet Ski."

I know the feeling. It does seem we are altering our ability to handle large swaths of difficult text.

I didn't read the article on "What Rumsfeld Got Right," because I'm pretty sure the correct answer is two words: Not much.

The 11 1/2 biggest ideas of the year, penned by a variety of contributors (including Fallows, Crook, and Sullivan) offered promise -- but came up a bit short to me. The surge, renting, post-partisanship, mass-market atheism, torture, social networking politics, the return of regulation, personal genomics, not bombing Iran, Carbon Consciousness, the End of 9/11, and being lonely at the top (an aside on the sexual escapades of the powerful) all seem so intriguing, but are glossed over a bit... Maybe they read the Carr piece?

Jonathan Rauch's piece on the Chevy Volt (electric car) project was a good read and offered an interesting look at a project that has lots of hope for America, the world, the environment and GM. All this hope, of course, makes one wonder if it can possibly fulfill it's promise. Rauch doesn't hold out much hope for the behemoth of a company being able to fulfill all of the promises made, but seems to think some good may come from this. We shall see.

Goldberg offers us a piece on the science of "neuromarketing," whereby scientists attempt to map our brain's activity and response to images. This could be used to discern the success of an advertising campaign of course, but as Goldberg points out is more likely to be a vanity project for the well to do and overly self interested in the near term.

"Distracting Miss Daisy" is another argument for limiting the number of traffic signs all over the American roadway. This idea has been floated around before, but we seem to love the idea that a sign makes us safer, when studies and statistics seem to indicate otherwise. The biggest boon to traffic safety is more aware drivers, and four way stops are just one example that makes true awareness of the surroundings secondary to obedience to signage.

I skimmed the article on Rupert's plans to take the Wall Street Journal to war with the New York Times, which probably makes Rupert happy and the author Mark Bowden said, given that Rupert's idea of journalism is focused primarily on scooping a sensational story and using that to fill the content of all his various outlets. Damn, I have to reread this article just to piss him off now.

The Critics section has a lot to offer as well, with Hitchens on Rushdie; Sandra Tsing Loh on modern women's work, parenting, etc.; and Virginia Postrel on a new theory of the leisure class based around inconspicuous consumption. The Tsing Loh and Postrel pieces are very good, and should be read for yourself, so I won't go into too much detail here.

Wow, kind of a long post, but I have to admit this issue was one of the most satisfying print mags I've read in quite some time... and I'm totally SERIOUS.

Can Clinton bring her supporters to Obama???

Clinton's new "job" is to bring voters to Obama. I do believe that vast majority of Clinton's supporters will end up supporting Obama in November, but I am admittedly suprised to see the vitriol and anger that is still ruminating in many of the Clinton backers portion of the Democratic Party.* If you take a peek at the comments section from my last post, you too can see some of the lunacy and anger that is permeating through these former supporter's minds. I don't think I will be spending much more time discussing this topic, as - so they say - it is water under the bridge. It was interesting to note that AM Donkey apparently has a direct pipeline to the 17% who say they will vote for McCain.

In a CNN poll released Friday, 60 percent of Clinton supporters said they would vote for Obama, but 17 percent said they would vote for McCain and 22 percent, said they would not vote at all if Clinton were not the nominee.

Additionally, I think the odds of Obama choosing Clinton as the VP just went up, because everyone knows that whatever Jimmy Carter says, the Democratic establishment will renounce and undermine.

But not everyone is behind the idea of a joint ticket. Former President Jimmy Carter said that would be "the worst mistake that could be made."

The odds improving does not, however, make her the odds on favorite. According to bodog.com, that lovely spot belongs to Jim Webb. Though, I'm looking at Wes Clark myself.

* Of note, when referencing the party it is the Democratic party not the democrat party. This is a point of information for a couple of the denser commenters from the last post.

McCain and Obama neck and neck

So, we can finally start talking about the general election, which is probably pointless... but at least it isn't Clinton/Obama anymore. It looks like Obama leads 49-46 at this point. I would think that those numbers are scary to the McCain campaign. You would think that there are quite a few disaffected and disninterested normally Democratic voters, who are either not participating in the poll, or hell, may be claiming that they would prefer McCain to Obama. I really hope that the Clinton speech tomorrow is somehow unifying, but I doubt it. I don't think I've seen her be charismatic in years (if ever).

In other news, Big Brown is taking to the track looking to be the first triple crown winner in 30 years tomorrow afternoon. I won't be watching, which is unfortunate, but I anticipate Big Brown driving it home. If he does win, he will not only break the streak, but may also be the most uninspiring triple crown winner in history.

Tyson and the Avian Flu...

Just in case you need a reason to not buy poultry from Tyson,here is a good one. Of course, no recalls have been ordered and Tyson is "is also stepping up its surveillance of avian flu in the area as a precaution." Seriously, there is something a little wrong with our food supply system, when the reaction to finding a serious virus in our food supply (even if it isn't 'harmful' to humans) is taken so lightly.

For my local friends here in Madison, I would offer a wonderful outlet for all your poultry needs in Pecatonia Valley Farm, which you can find at the Dane County Farmer's Market on the square every Saturday (near M&I and Starbucks) and Wednesday (on MLK in front of City Hall). Their eggs are so sexy, and I would strongly recommend the Smoked Chicken -- recipe following.

Ingredients:
-- 1/2 Smoked Chicken from Pecatonia Valley Farms
-- White Wine
-- Asparagus
-- Baby Crimini Mushrooms
-- Spinach
-- Salt and Pepper
-- Butter
-- Spices -- Italian, basil, oregano, thyme, etc.
-- Shallots or small red onions
-- Garlic clove (2)
-- Rice, Potatoes, etc. (optional)

Directions:
-- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and when this temperature is reached, roast chicken for 15-30 minutes depending on size. (The bird is already cooked via the smoking process, so we are merely warming it up here). I like to add a little white wine and light italian seasoning every 7-10 minutes myself, but this isn't completely necessary.
-- If you want a starch with the meal, I would cook it in this time range. A risotto with the Mushrooms would be nice... Or maybe just roasted red skins?
-- Saute the Quartered shrooms in butter and S+P. Add the spinach when the mushrooms are just about cooked through. Finish quickly, just enough to wilt the spinach. S+P to taste and reserve.
-- Steam the asparagus (boiling is an option)
-- After you remove the spin/mushroom mix from the pan, add two cloves worth of diced garlic and a finely diced shallot to the pan over high heat. When these start to brown, add some white wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the wine and add a little butter. Little bits of butter at a time will keep the sauce from breaking. Keep the heat relatively high and keep the pan moving as you thicken the sauce.

To Plate:
Make a nice sized bed of the spinach and mushroom blend, add a quarter to an eighth of a bird to this "nest" and then 5-7 asparagus spears resting against the chix. Then drizzle the sauce over the entire plate -- focusing on the chix.

Enjoy!
-- All local except: butter (I need a source), wine (local not preferred), and Salt and Pepper.

Ankiel's amazing catch...

The Redbirds pulled out a win today to start June, but the real story was arguably Rick Ankiel making this amazing catch to rob Xavier Nady.

With the win the Cards keep pace with the feverishly hot Northsiders. Someone should really tell those Cubbies that it is June now, and the swoon should commence presently.