Among the Beautiful People

Thursday evening after work, I went with two colleagues to Javier’s Cantina and Grill at Crystal Grove in Newport Beach, California (http://javiers-cantina.com/). I am not saying I am cheap, but I am not one to spend four dollars for valet parking when there is free parking forty feet away. Biologists say cars are inanimate, yet I sensed my rental Toyota Corolla would feel inadequate if they positioned it next to the Phantom Drophead Coupé in the valet parking. The maitre d' pleasantly surprised me by allowing us to eat at the restaurant. I am sure I had nothing to do with our getting in. Perhaps he heard the hint of European accent in Sandy’s voice. Maybe the much younger Megan was sufficiently hip, in an Illinois way. Regardless, he chose to seat us instead of directing us to Taco Bell. Thankfully I did not blind anyone with the sun reflecting off my milky pale skin. Yes, I had on a long sleeved shirt, but if I sat at a different angle my balding head could be dangerous. I did not see a sign posted with the dress code but I am confident my party was the only one in which no one had plastic surgery. I suspect Javier’s selected us for an outreach program to those less fortunate in the community. The food was good and the atmosphere was relaxing, in an awkward way. As for the other clientele, at least physically, some of the beautiful people really are beautiful.

Type 3 Lie

This week the Executive Branch of the U.S. federal government claimed the economic stimulus of February 2009 "created or saved" between 2.5 million and 3.6 million jobs and raised GDP by 2.7% to 3.2% through June 30. (The Wall Street Journal) Rather than using established, accepted, non-partisan data on jobs, the Administration created an arbitrary, non-existent scenario against which they are to be evaluated - what would have happened had the stimulus not passed. Because the scenario is fictitious, it is only a matter of conjecture how many jobs may have been saved or loss. The Administration though has set a maximum threshold of 3.6 million. Given the stimulus was $862Billion, that means our government spent a minimum of $239,445 per job saved or created! Even when choosing to make up data, our government seems unable to do a credible job.

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
Benjamin Disraeli, British politician (1804 - 1881)

References:
The Wall Street Journal. "Three Million Imaginary Jobs - WSJ.com." Business News & Financial News - Opinion. Dow Jones & Company, Inc., 15 July 2010. Web. 17 July 2010. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703394204575367421573463984.html.

"Quote Details: Benjamin Disraeli: There Are Three Kinds... - The Quotations Page." The Quotations Page - Michael Moncur's (Cynical) Quotations. Ed. Michael Moncur. QuotationsPage.com and Michael Moncur. Web. 17 July 2010. http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/487.html.

Post-Racial Era?

During 2008 a question often raised with a mixed-race candidate successfully campaigning for the presidency was whether the United States had evolved to a post-racial political status (Schorr). Four recent incidents clearly show such evolution has not taken place.

• U.S. Department of Justice decision to file suit against Arizona and its new immigration law. (Schnur)
• U.S. Department of Justice decision not to pursue significant voter intimidation charges against the New Black Panther Party (Crawford)
• The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) condemnation of the Tea Party movement on the basis of alleged racism (Carnevale)
• Jesse Jackson's invective against the foolish comments by Cleveland Cavaliers owner Daniel Gilbert as racist after star player LeBron James chose to play for the Miami Heat (Jones)

Interestingly, it is the so-called progressives in each of these situations who appear to have made race a central issue. Ironically, it has been almost a year since President Obama held the so-called "Beer Summit" to create a "teaching moment" following the arrest of African-American Henry Louis Gates Jr. after he was supposedly a victim of racial profiling. Remember, our President, renowned for his lengthy consideration of issues before making a decision - whether it be Afghanistan strategy, waving the Jones Act, getting a dog, or choosing a church - impulsively proclaimed the Cambridge police acted "stupidly." No, unfortunately, we are not in a post-racial era.

References:
Carnevale, Mary Lu. "Political Wisdom: NAACP vs. Tea Party, Round 2." Wall Street Journal Blogs - Washington Wire. Dow Jones & Company, Inc., 16 July 2010. Web. 17 July 2010. http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/07/16/political-wisdom-naacp-vs-tea-party-round-2/.

Clark, Vernon. "Charles Ogletree Tackles Henry Louis Gates’ Arrest in New Book." The Edge. Boston Herald and Herald Media, 14 July 2010. Web. 17 July 2010. http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/books/view/20100714charles_ogletree_tackles_henry_louis_gates_arrest_in_new_book/srvc=home&position=recent.

Crawford, Jan. "New Black Panther Case Spurs Civil Rights Commission to Challenge DOJ." Breaking News Headlines. CBS Interactive Inc., 14 July 2010. Web. 17 July 2010. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504564_162-20010581-504564.html.

Jones, Betsy. "Jesse Jackson Stands By LeBron - and 'Slavery' Slam of Cavs Owner." BET.com News. Black Entertainment Television LLC, 15 July 2010. Web. 17 July 2010. http://www.bet.com/News/National_Jesse_Jackson_Stands_By_LeBron_and_Slavery_Slam_of_Cavs_Owner.htm.

Schnur, Dan. "The Politics of Suing Arizona." Washington Post - Opinions. The Washington Post Company, 11 July 2010. Web. 17 July 2010. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/09/AR2010070904719.html.

Schorr, Daniel. "A New, 'Post-Racial' Political Era in America : NPR." NPR News Analysis. National Public Radio, 28 Jan. 2008. Web. 17 July 2010. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18489466.

NASA Mission

It only took a week, and even then the refutation was tepid, but the executive branch of the federal government through White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs has finally acknowledged it is not a task of NASA "to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering." That is one of three things NASA administrator Charles Bolden stated he was charged to do by President Obama. The other two were to: 1) help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math; and 2) expand our international relationships. Conspicuously missing is anything directly related to aeronautics or space. Thankfully NASA's official mission statement remains straightforward and succinct: To improve life here, to extend life to there, and to find life beyond.

References:

"When I became the NASA Administrator — before I became the NASA Administrator — [Obama] charged me with three things: One was he wanted me to help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering."

NASA administrator Charles Bolden

York, Byron. "Obama’s New Mission for NASA: Reach out to Muslim World." Beltway Confidential. Washington Examiner, 05 July 2010. Web. 13 July 2010.

Gibbs, at his daily news briefing, was asked why Bolden had made the comment.

"It's an excellent question, and I don't think -- that was not his task, and that's not the task of NASA," Gibbs said

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs

Reuters. "White House Corrects NASA Chief on Muslim Comment | Reuters." Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com. Reuters, 12 July 2010. Web. 13 July 2010.

NASA Mission Statement

· To improve life here,

· To extend life to there,

· To find life beyond.

NASA Vision

To understand and protect our home planet, To explore the Universe and search for life, and To inspire the next generation of explorers... as only NASA can.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ".: NASA Mission Statement Nasa Information-Nasa Informations-Nasa Info-Nasa Images-Space Shuttle Space Station-Nasa Tv -Nasa News-Space Station Informations." . Nasa Information-Nasa Informations-Nasa Info-Nasa Images-Space Shuttle Space Station-Nasa Tv -Nasa News-Space Station Informations. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Web. 13 July 2010.

Friday's storms

Chicagoland experienced two fast moving, strong storms Friday. Around 3:30pm in the afternoon there was a knock on my office door. A colleague was making sure I was aware we were being "strongly encouraged" to be out of the building before 4:00pm when the first of the storms was expected to hit Chicago's Loop. I left shortly before 4:00. It was just starting to rain and I felt obliged to open my umbrella within the first block on my way to Union Station. The rain was not particularly hard, though, and when I was outside I did not experience anything to suggest concern. The train left the station at 4:20. For a little more than two blocks the train tracks are under buildings. After coming out from underneath The Boeing Building the sun lights up the interior of the train cars. Not Friday. It was as though it was night time. I could not tell when the train came outside because it was so dark and the temperature differential caused the windows on the train to fog up. My son claims the temperature dropped twenty degrees Fahrenheit within ten minutes. I do not know if that is true, but I do know the thermometer at my office building showed 92°F when I left and when I got to my car in the northwest suburbs the temperature was reading 71°F. Well before the train got to my station the severe part of the storm had long since moved over Lake Michigan and northern Indiana. The twenty minutes I was on the train in Union Station must have been when the storm was so strong. I am attaching three pictures from The Chicago Tribune showing the spectacular and ominous cloud formation that caused the commotion.




Uribe, Abel. "Strong Thunderstorms in Chicago Area - Chicagotribune.com." Chicago Tribune Breaking News, Sports, Weather and Traffic in Chicago - Chicagotribune.com. The Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2010. Web. 20 June 2010. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-100618-storm-photos-pictures,0,233684.photogallery. Images 17 and 22


Garcia, Alex. "Strong Thunderstorms in Chicago Area - Chicagotribune.com." Chicago Tribune Breaking News, Sports, Weather and Traffic in Chicago - Chicagotribune.com. The Chicago Tribune, 18 June 2010. Web. 20 June 2010. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-100618-storm-photos-pictures,0,233684.photogallery. Image 24

A nice night out

Donna and I ate at Peggy Kinnane's Irish Restaurant and Pub last night. I realize it has been a quarter century since I went to school in Ireland, but the only thing vaguely Irish about the restaurant were the fake newspapers in Gaelic. That is not necessarily a bad thing. For an appetizer, we had a basket o' rings. Thankfully they were not fried in lard as is the custom in Ireland. My American digestive system far prefers vegetable oil to lard. Our entrees were both salads. Ahi tuna on spinach with sesame oil dressing and a Cobb for Donna. Neither qualifies as Irish. The one time I saved money to eat at the Great Southern in Galway and ordered a green salad I was shocked to find out in Ireland that does not include lettuce or spinach. I do not remember of what it was composed but I can only think it was something like the lime Jell-O salad that always seemed to show up in Midwestern picnics. Despite, or perhaps because of, the lack of authenticity, dinner was superb.

After dinner we went across the street to Metropolis, a small community theater in Arlington Heights. We were a little anxious as roughly a quarter of the seats were not filled and this was the last performance. There was no reason to be anxious. Mid-Life!, The Crisis Musical, was entertaining and worth the ticket price. The show was performed by six regional actors; three women and three men. In a series of musical vignettes they went through the various aspects of middle age. Most were humorous and one, in particular, about the decline and care of parents, was poignant. The acting was good, singing good to excellent, and the changing displays on the flat screen monitors added to the production. A pit orchestra would have been nice, but the pianist did a decent job. Yes, a patron in front of me was wearing plaid shorts, referenced in one of the early numbers, so I did not feel too bad during the solo about a lost love - hair. It was not Broadway, but it was good entertainment and we will attend future Metropolis productions.

Economic education and politics

Given the excessive partisanship in the United States today, I look for the opportunity to focus on points of agreement - there are many - instead of the constant barrage from all sides on points of disagreement. It seems as though The New York Times is a channel of the "progressive" political perspective. I hoped the 07 June 2010 article by Patrick McGeehan, Does Studying Economics Make You More Republican?, based on the Federal Reserve Bank of New York study Is Economics Coursework, or Majoring in Economics, Associated with Different Civic Behaviors?, would raise another point of agreement. Unfortunately as the Fed's study is being popularized by commentators, beginning with Mr.McGeehan, with characterizations of Republicans and Democrats leading to more divisiveness. Our political discourse seems to be based on the model that one defines a caricature of the opposing perspective and then attacks the caricature in hopes of discrediting those who do not hold your position. This approach seems prevalent regardless of political perspective. This is particularly frustrating given the fiscal irresponsibility of both major political parties. While there is a difference in velocity, both political parties have been directing the country toward financial disaster through recklessly wasteful spending. I am fortunate not to know any political ideologues personally (albeit some occasionally display such characteristics from time to time) which perhaps explains why I know no one who is presently satisfied with any political party. If my experience is representative, then why is our political environment so partisan?

My area of emphasis in my undergraduate studies was in macroeconomics. The Economics faculty tended to be monetarists, whereas most universities at the time tended to tilt towards forms of Keynesianism. I no longer have the familiarity to assess whether the schools (Florida Atlantic, Nebraska-Lincoln, North Carolina, and Purdue) from which the Fed's study was based were from a particular school of thought. I suspect there is a positive correlation, influencing the outcomes.

References:

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/does-studying-economics-make-you-more-republican/
http://www.newyorkfed.org/research/staff_reports/sr450.pdf