Samuelson Obit

Paul A. Samuelson, Nobel Laureate, dies at age 94. His obit in the NYT.

Lemon Pie Chart

http://flowingdata.com/2008/09/19/pie-i-have-eaten-and-pie-i-have-not-eaten/

Happy Monday

INTERNAL MEMO:

It has come to managements' attention that there are some individuals that believe it is "OK" to spontaneously generate spawn. As you should all know, due the contract that everyone scratched upon hiring, we clearly prohibit such prokaryotic behavior. As your contract clear states in Point 5, sub bullet 3, clause 2.1.3.5, sentence 2/3, on page 217, that it is a violation of employment to practice the any arts associated with spawn generation in any vestibule, domicile, or vacant tree.

A few have questioned the rationale regarding this stance, as it would seem a self-sustained re-new able resource of gnomes would be advantageous towards our prosperity. This is an utterly untrue statement that the Bentham-ites want you to believe. With the associated costs attributed to these newly anchored spawn it would impede our ability to satisfy our clients and slightly miss their expectations, as is expected.

We welcome your thoughts and input. Please provide it to the nearest bon-fire for the quickest response.

Happy Monday INC LLC Management

Happy Monday INC LLC is a subsidiary of This Week Mega-Coup and is a Equal Opportunity Gnome Employer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAh9pjvqH0o

Green Garden

From SFGate.com:

Unlike the architect whose house has a perpetually leaking roof, or the cobbler whose shoes need mending, Michael Pollan has a new garden that speaks of a professional who practices what he preaches. For the author and journalism professor - who has almost single-handedly set the national agenda on food production and, in books such as "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and "In Defense of Food," advocated vigorously for fresh, locally produced food - has a front yard that is at once pleasing to the eye, environmentally responsible and very productive.

Happy Monday

From MDK e-mail:

A few years ago I saw an equation: Caesar - Brute = Awesome, followed by Brute SUCKS! I thought the equation was a little self-fulfilling.

Granted, this was Post-Ides-of-March. Sure, it took a fortnight or a dozen moons before we heard about it in Iberia but it was still scary! The world had changed. Our navigator was now being played by an infant. How we rued the Ides. The Denarius started to drop and we didn't know why the rock tax had increased, we had plenty of resources but our taxes were INCREASING! Caesar had brought us redistribution of land, public works projects, and then he was gone, our captain was brought down by the very hand that had once lifted him.

Now several years later, everything appears to be going "okay", sure the Denarius has recovered a little and the symposium rate is at it's lowest point since the index was created (Don't like to Marcus's Happy Fortnight stump speech, this may be assisting us in a national security sense, but it is really hurting the wine industry), but there have been no attacks on the Ides of any month so I guess the the new Caesar is doing alright. Oh and the rock tax still sucks.

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/victim_in_fatal_car_accident

And an added bonus feature!

http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200911060002

Happy Monday

From MDK e-mail:

WOLVERINES!!

With the economy turning around we at Happy Monday LLC INC. thought it would be nice to remind everyone of their patriotic duty to keep this economic train a movin'. Be warned though, if you listen carefully, you may hear the Canadians plotting. This deviously poor plan is to first take our hearts through country-rock and alt-teeny-pop-punk. With our hearts taken they believe we will bolster their economy through purchases of cassette tapes. Yes, it is quite clever, fiendishly clever. With these new learnings be leery of anyone who pronounces words similar to 'process' without the 'awe' sound but with a long O. There is no reason for such a blatant disregard for the American Language. Keep an open ear my friends, keep an open ear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF1b1pf9DRY

If you do not hear any of your fellows butcher the American Language then watch for people with crafty charting. This is their second flank steak with gravy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWIlp323qD4

Happy Monday

From MDK e-mail:

As a child I hated denim. The look, the feel, it butchered my belief in comfort. "How could something so stylistically popular be fiendishly unpractical." Of coarse, this was my rational at the age of 6. Seeing that I had scaled mountains, fought off the lions of Tunisia, and had realized that the 'American Standard' toilet company was a front company based in Dubai. Oh, by the wit of Akbar!

Anyway, it wasn't until a fortnight, or twelve, later that I awoke to the magic of denim. It is corporal mortification! Thereby, when you wear new denim you were killing for flesh to cleaning your soul. In the mountains of Nepal, I had heard whispers of this but never fully grasped this. But, after learning that there was a black market in Eastern Europe, that I could clearly see. Russian missionaries spread the gospel, through DENIM. The following year, I had gone through 32 pairs of jeans. There where no holes in the knees, no wrinkles. They appeared in all cases pristine. But, it wasn't until my mother provided me with the ultimatum of, denim or a new voltron action figure that I stopped by this solice finding behavior.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga0ohgZFVqc

Lucy

R.Crumb

There's a great interview with R. Crumb on the Vanity Fair website about his new comic book (The Book of Genesis Illustrated). I loved this:

I guess plot holes weren’t such a big deal when the Old Testament was being written.

When they originally told those stories, that wasn't how their minds worked. They weren't as nitpicky as we are. The American Indians have these great creation stories about the origins of the earth, and they don’t hold up to a lot of questions. They had this one great story about the rabbit and the fox who were living in the void and they decided they wanted some land to stand on so blah blah blah. The anthropologist hears this and asks, “Well, where did the rabbit and the fox come from?” And the Indian says, “I don't know, doc. Do you want to hear the fucking story or not?”

My Eyes Rest Easy On You

Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Things

If you don't like this song you don't like steak or of Montréal.

Where the Sinners Are

Sinners! Made by the KSU Geography Dept.

Jesse Meth

Visit Jesse's myspace page.

Happy Monday

From mdk e-mail:

We apologize for the delay. There was some major congestion on the IP-127.0.0.1 freeway. Regardless here it is:

In world news this weekend: the US conducted an unprovoked attack on the moon. General Cotter reported to Fox News that the moon "is a risk on our national security. We must secure the moon before it’s too late! The loons on the left are jocking some B.S. about climate change but, we all know it’s the moon rising the tides!

Next, a real tear jerker. If your children are running outside and it’s Shabbos, please, please ignore them more. There is a jihad on the Israeli dating scene! "In 2004, posters sprang up all over the northern town of Safed warning Jewish women that dating Arab men would lead to "beatings, hard drugs, prostitution and crime". Even the Safed's chief rabbi, Shmuel Eliyahu, reported the "seducing" of Jewish girls was "another form of war" by Arab men." Apparently the jihadist reversed Tony’s more important line: "In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women."

In any case, please check this out! (it is different than some previously thought due to a last minute entry)

Happy Monday LLC. INC. Legal partner holding.

Disclaimer: The discussion on the Israli dating is real

KS Wind Farms

A great site with all sorts of information about energy issues in Kansas. More like this, please.

What brought me to the site was a search for wind farm locations, which you can see in this pdf file. The Meridian Wind Farm in Cloud County in the north central part of the state is visible from my family's farm.

Neko Case

Valerie Plame

Sad that this lovely, patriotic woman had to become famous the way she did. The Decembrists sing of her in this lovely song, that is part of a three single vinyl EP:

Casimir Pulaski Day

If you're from Chicago, or are Polish, you might know about Casimir Pulaski. He's a Revolutionary War hero from Poland and they have a day named after him in Illinois (first monday of March). Don't forget!

His name also graces a great song by Chicago native Sufjan Stevens about a particularly bad C.P. Day:


The lyrics:

Golden rod and the 4-H stone
The things I brought you
When I found out you had cancer of the bone

Your father cried on the telephone
And he drove his car to the Navy yard
Just to prove that he was sorry

In the morning through the window shade
When the light pressed up against your shoulder blade
I could see what you were reading

Oh the glory that the lord has made
And the complications you could do without
When I kissed you on the mouth

Tuesday night at the bible study
We lift our hands and pray over your body
But nothing ever happens

I remember at Michael's house
In the living room when you kissed my neck
And I almost touched your blouse

In the morning at the top of the stairs
When your father found out what we did that night
And you told me you were scared

Oh the glory when you ran outside
With your shirt tucked in and your shoes untied
And you told me not to follow you

Sunday night when I cleaned the house
I find the card where you wrote it out
With the pictures of your mother

On the floor at the great divide
With my shirt tucked in and my shoes untied
I am crying in the bathroom

In the morning when you finally go
And the nurse runs in with her head hung low
And the cardinal hits the window

In the morning in the winter shade
On the first of March on the holiday
I thought I saw you breathing

Oh the glory that the lord has made
And the complications when I see his face
In the morning in the window

Oh the glory when he took our place
But he took my shoulders and he shook my face
And he takes and he takes and he takes

It's a YouTube mornin' folks.

Ry Cooder Vids

Because you need a good dose of one of the best slide guitar players ever.

Funkumenical

I can't get the word "funkumenical" out of my head and it's not even a word. It's a hybrid of "funk" and "ecumenical," which I guess is useful if you're an agent for a funk band. I'm going to try to use to describe people who try to get other people to dance.

Scalloped Corn

OK, this is pot luck comfort food for me. I love this stuff, which is why I can't make it, because the corn is loaded with sugars/carbs and I end up eating too much.

Anyway, the recipe is very flexible as long as you have the corn, eggs, evap milk and crackers in it. You can add peppers, for example, or use a different kind of cheese. Try green onions or jalepenos. Bake it until it browns nicely and you get a pretty clean toothpick.

Scallopped Corn

Ingredients:

• 1 can whole corn
• 1 can cream corn
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 can evaporated milk (small)
• 4 tablespoon minced onion
• 2 cups crackers
• 8 oz. Swiss cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste

Drain corn, beat eggs, stir in corn and 1/2 cup of the liquid. Add everything else. Fold in cheese and crackers. Bake at 325 for one hour.

Negawatts

Negawatts: Units of energy saved via conservation.

Hung Out to Dry

I love this story about clotheslines. I remember as a kid, even though we owned a dryer, having to hang out clothes on the line and bring them in. I think it was because mom was frugal, but also because the clothes were fresher and dried faster on the line.

I have no beef with people wanting to hang out their clothes to dry. I noted that our new neighbors had strung up a short line and had some baby clothes up there last week (between storms). Then yesterday I was walking between the houses and saw their dryer exhaust coming out--hints of "Mountain Breeze" or something. Either way, it doesn't bother me.

It does bother homeowners who like to join associations and make lots of rules about what their neighbors can and cannot do. I suppose we have to honor such agreements to some extent, but I wouldn't be too hung up about a ban on clothesline bans.

The Bigger Lebowski

Rolling Stone had this great headline, and an intriguing review about Pynchon's latest book. I'll admit that I've never read any of his books, but this one has caught my eye.

Has anyone read Pynchon or this book, Inherent Vice?

Jamaican Beef Dumplings

This is a great recipe I want to try, with a very sad postscript. Gourmet magazine is going to stop publishing after November, after publishing for 68 years. The remainder of people's subscriptions will be fulfilled by Bon Appetit.

Here's the recipe in case the link stops working. Gourmet says their recipes will still be available on Epicurious.

JAMAICAN BEEF DUMPLINGS
MAKES ABOUT30 DUMPLINGS
ACTIVE TIME:30 MIN START TO FINISH:45 MIN
MAY 2009
View more of our favorite recipes from this issue.
1/2 cup finely chopped scallion
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
4 cups vegetable oil, divided
1/2 lb ground beef
2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
Hot sauce (preferably Jamaican)
About 30 dumpling or wonton wrappers
Cook scallion, onion, curry powder, and thyme in 1 1/2 Tbsp oil with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in beef and bread crumbs and cook until meat is just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Season with hot sauce. Cool.
Put a rounded tsp filling in center of a wrapper. Lightly brush edge of wrapper with water, then fold in half (diagonally if square) and press to seal. Form remaining dumplings.
Heat 1 inch oil to 350°F in a 12-inch skillet. Fry dumplings in 3 batches, turning once or twice, until golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes per batch.
RECIPE BY MAGGIE RUGGIERO

Architecture 2030

Deriving its name from the date by which it challenges all new buildings to be carbon neutral, Architecture 2030 puts the call out to the architecture community to make buildings passive through a variety of green building practices. As they put it:

Buildings are the major source of demand for energy and materials that produce by-product greenhouse gases (GHG). Slowing the growth rate of GHG emissions and then reversing it over the next ten years is the key to keeping global warming under one degree centigrade (°C) above today's level. It will require immediate action and a concerted global effort.

It would be great if more organizations like this sprouted up in various industries. When people realize that they will save money (and the world) in the long run through green practices, maybe there will be faster progress.

The Fit House

A new energy efficient concept home in the neighborhood. The guy at the booth at the art fair expressed great disdain over the fact that they had to design the outside in keeping with the historical neighborhood. He assured me that the inside would be modern. I like the concept of efficient homes, and I wish them well, but he can take that attitude about the neighborhood and shove it.

I'll be watching to see how they do.

Record Breaking War

Having surpassed the length of both World Wars (4 and 6 yrs), Afghanistan (8 years) is about to overtake the American Revolution (8 yrs, 4 mos) and Vietnam (8 yrs, 5 mos).

We're still quite a bit short of the 13-year occupation of Afghanistan by the Soviets, though. That would take us a year or so into Obama's second term.

Mexican Chocolate Tofu Pudding

Mark Bittman, The Minimalist, posted this recipe at the NYT site recently. I'm interested in combo of Mex, choc, and tofu.

Here it is in case the link breaks:

Mexican Chocolate Tofu Pudding
by Mark Bittman

Time: 10 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ chilling

3/4 cup sugar
1 pound silken tofu
8 ounces high-quality bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon chili powder, or more to taste
Chocolate shavings (optional).
1. In a small pot, combine sugar with 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.

2. Put all ingredients except for chocolate shavings in a blender and purée until completely smooth, stopping machine to scrape down its sides if necessary. Divide among 4 to 6 ramekins and chill for at least 30 minutes. If you like, garnish with chocolate shavings before serving.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Visualization Software

Two really interesting software packages for data visualization:

http://processing.org/

http://flare.prefuse.org/

Obama's Reaction to Winning Nobel Peace Prize

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
___________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release October 9, 2009

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
ON WINNING THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

Rose Garden

11:16 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Well, this is not how I expected to wake up this morning. After I received the news, Malia walked in and said, "Daddy, you won the Nobel Peace Prize, and it is Bo's birthday!" And then Sasha added, "Plus, we have a three-day weekend coming up." So it's good to have kids to keep things in perspective.

I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee. Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.

To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who've been honored by this prize -- men and women who've inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace.

But I also know that this prize reflects the kind of world that those men and women, and all Americans, want to build -- a world that gives life to the promise of our founding documents. And I know that throughout history, the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it's also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes. And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action -- a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the 21st century.

These challenges can't be met by any one leader or any one nation. And that's why my administration has worked to establish a new era of engagement in which all nations must take responsibility for the world we seek. We cannot tolerate a world in which nuclear weapons spread to more nations and in which the terror of a nuclear holocaust endangers more people. And that's why we've begun to take concrete steps to pursue a world without nuclear weapons, because all nations have the right to pursue peaceful nuclear power, but all nations have the responsibility to demonstrate their peaceful intentions.

We cannot accept the growing threat posed by climate change, which could forever damage the world that we pass on to our children -- sowing conflict and famine; destroying coastlines and emptying cities. And that's why all nations must now accept their share of responsibility for transforming the way that we use energy.

We can't allow the differences between peoples to define the way that we see one another, and that's why we must pursue a new beginning among people of different faiths and races and religions; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect.

And we must all do our part to resolve those conflicts that have caused so much pain and hardship over so many years, and that effort must include an unwavering commitment that finally realizes that the rights of all Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security in nations of their own.

We can't accept a world in which more people are denied opportunity and dignity that all people yearn for -- the ability to get an education and make a decent living; the security that you won't have to live in fear of disease or violence without hope for the future.

And even as we strive to seek a world in which conflicts are resolved peacefully and prosperity is widely shared, we have to confront the world as we know it today. I am the Commander-in-Chief of a country that's responsible for ending a war and working in another theater to confront a ruthless adversary that directly threatens the American people and our allies. I'm also aware that we are dealing with the impact of a global economic crisis that has left millions of Americans looking for work. These are concerns that I confront every day on behalf of the American people.

Some of the work confronting us will not be completed during my presidency. Some, like the elimination of nuclear weapons, may not be completed in my lifetime. But I know these challenges can be met so long as it's recognized that they will not be met by one person or one nation alone. This award is not simply about the efforts of my administration -- it's about the courageous efforts of people around the world.

And that's why this award must be shared with everyone who strives for justice and dignity -- for the young woman who marches silently in the streets on behalf of her right to be heard even in the face of beatings and bullets; for the leader imprisoned in her own home because she refuses to abandon her commitment to democracy; for the soldier who sacrificed through tour after tour of duty on behalf of someone half a world away; and for all those men and women across the world who sacrifice their safety and their freedom and sometime their lives for the cause of peace.

That has always been the cause of America. That's why the world has always looked to America. And that's why I believe America will continue to lead.

Thank you very much.

END 11:22 A.M. EDT

Top 10 Kanye West Interruption Parodies

I'mma let you finish with your blog post, but this is some funny shit.

Hometown Poetry

Internet porn, Wal-Mart, and chrystal meth
Webkinz and high-end alloy wheels
A moose in every pot

(10-8-6)

British Cat Fancy

We named our cat after this Beatles song. Didn't know it was a child's drawing at the time. Guess we just thought it was just a groovy Beatles song.

Sorry to hear that she's passed.

Gap

Nobody is paying attention, but just below here is a big gap in post dates. Was out of town (and stuff). It is harder to keep up than I thought. Back to your regularly scheduled crappy programming.

Happy Monday

From mdk e-mail:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8cCPH1qnYI&feature=related

Do you know why you are suddenly hungry? Don't forget: "The AUSSIES ARE COMING!" There isn't much to it other than fun colors. Next week we will resume our full feature coverage of social brain complexity disease.

For the newer people on the list take a few minutes to watch some of our back issues.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxvGHQHiY70

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxhaRgJUMl8

Happy Monday

From mdk e-mail:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8BWBn26bX0

There is no explanation other than the explanation. It's as funkilous as grooveallience but it still is better than anything Shaq could imagine.

Happy Monday

From mdk e-mail:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8BWBn26bX0

There is no explanation other than the explanation. It's as funkilous as grooveallience but it still is better than anything Shaq could imagine.

Biblical Crumb

Bad ass cartoonist and general freak Robert Crumb has a new book of cartoons out that depict the book of Genesis. If you haven't seen his film biography (entitled Crumb, of course), it is highly entertaining and critically acclaimed.

Happy Hour Haunts

Some of these look pretty good.

Roasted turnips

Saw the idea of roasted turnips and am looking for recipe ideas. Maybe this one from Mario.

Primordial Soup

Julia Child makes primordial soup:

Happy Monday Addendum

Edited from mdk e-mail (late again!):

We at Happy Monday LLC have received numerous comments regarding the lack of a publication yesterday. Believe me, we were just as surprised. In fact, we just recently received the sad news that Leroy the gluttonous gnome has left us to pursue a position as a philandering pundit. His new position is with Lamenting Sunday, a talk show based print publication (I know, re-funk-u-less right!?). It has been Leroy's position to send out the Happy Monday notes. However, with all sadness need to pick our selves up from our bootstraps and find the strength to continue.

With this news, we'd like to acknowledge that Ronnie the school boy elf is now taking over Leroy's responsibilities (in addition to his already massive schedule). Ronnie has been with Happy Monday LLC for the past 5 weeks and has had some tremendous growth. If you are worried about Ronnie's ability for pop-culture references do not fret. We believe Ronnie will be able to fill those shoes with glorious vengeance. Although Ronnie is not a gnome we at Happy Monday LLC are an equal opportunity employer who does not judge our employees in anyway (other than the varying degrees of potential usefulness, ability to freely exploit, and sure lack of common knowledge).

In honor of Leroy departure we have selected a new piece. Please enjoy.

Missouri Wineries

Now that "Oktober" is just about here, it's time to start thinking about the wineries. Nothing like sitting on a patio under the Fall color with a glass full of overly-sweet German-style Missouri wine. Goes great with chunk cheese and meat logs from Schnuck's.

Southern Fusion Sushi

So, I have a real interest in fusion cooking. Like the mingling of genes from populations long kept separate, there is great potential for incredible new dishes to result from the fusion of different ingredients, techniques, spices, and forms.

In this vein, this Southern Sushi dish looks incredible to me (haven't made it yet). The roll idea from Sushi is the fusion part (and the rice), but the rest is pure Southern home cooking--chicken, okra, and collards in a dark onion gravy. Other sushi ideas are given there, too.

I'm going to cook some of my own ideas I have for fusion dishes sometime and share them here.

Tractet

Happy Little Teabaggers

Bill does it again--hilarious.

From the Mind of GXW

When Kenny G kicks the bucket, all elevators will stop for a moment of silence.

Carter Tells It Like It Is

Jimmy Carter knows all about racism from his childhood and his diplomatic experience. In this clip he speaks the truth. Listen.

Happy Monday

From mdk e-mail:

Here is a simple equation: the great american stephen colbert is scared of grizzly bear. comrad jay-z loves grizzly bear. party members grizzly bear loves michael mcdonald whilst cossak paul rudd hates michael mcdonald. perhaps the great american stephen colbert is on to something.

You Are Here

This looks like the beginning of an awful curve. Something needs to be done to get the economy turned around, I think. I mean, damn.

h/t Calculated Risk

Stagger Lee

Soulard Blues Band @ Jefferson Barracks

The Mad Logophile

Mispronounced words:  http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/7/5/747963/-The-Mad-Logophile:-Commonly-Mispronounced-Words

Cooking terms:  http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/9/6/201916/0570

Click on Purple Priestess to see more.

Thesis on Interstellar Trade

By Krugman, of course. I'll post on some other economists, too, I promise.

Flowing Data Viz Picks

The best data visualizations of the year from flowingdata.com. I don't know how practical many of these visualizations are for actual data exploration, but they are such good eye candy. I sometimes yearn to have such interesting data to play with.

Green Links

A few links to environmental organizations in St. Louis. The first one they've been advertising on the radio. Haven't checked them out much yet.

EcoLifeStL

The Healthy Planet

St. Louis Green

Add any of your favorite green links in the comments, local or not.

No Fatties Tax

So, Obama says that a tax on soda, a kind of fat tax, should be considered. He always gets in such trouble for being open-minded. I'm not really that big of a fan of sin taxes, being generally pro-sin (of the fun kind) and opposed to regressive taxes. I'd rather just repeal Bush's tax cuts, which by the way cost two-and-a-half times more than current healthcare proposals over a ten year period. Ironically, fat taxes do not affect fat cats much...

Finally, a snarky commenter nails it, with this gem:

Yes, we are going to tax ALL fatty foods. We actually were just going to start with Lays potato chips but nobody could tax just one.

Wal-Peeps

It's like Thanksgiving.

Happy Monday

From mdk e-mail (sent on Tuesday because of Labor Day):

It's not a day late if Christian Disposal Company and the Catholic Supply store aren't open. I ask you this, how is St. Louis suppose to keep up a fresh supply if we can't properly dispose of, and purchase new Catholics every day (except for Shabbos). Even Walter doesn't roll on Shabbos. As for Happy Monday LLC, the gnomes are legally entitled to labor day; although half of them went out planting trees believing it was arbor day. They know you want some content. You want some Hardcore Buttonless Amish content. You might be surprised to find out though that HBA isn't as awesome as it sounds. In fact, alot of it is simply a group of men trying to lift a barn. So, in absence of some truly exceptional HBA the gnomes selected this treat.

Enjoy,

The disgruntled gnomes of Happy Monday LLC.

Disclaimer: Happy Monday LLC is in no way associated with the vile '80s brit dance/pop group: The Happy Mondays. Happy Monday LLC Gnomes (TM) are beginning a series of unfortunate events to prevent putting baby in a corner.

Real-Time Economic History

It was great to watch presidential history be made in the past year. In the wake of that, there has been quite a stir in the field of Economics resulting from the recent recession. Paul Krugman, a saltwater ecomonist with a Nobel Prize, an Obama court jester, and an unabashed Liberal, writes about the history of Economics in the U.S.

Krugman writes that he and others see Behavioral Finance as a way to potentially fill in some holes with Keynsian economics, and maybe explain the bubble phenomenon. There is an interesting article in Scientific American, June, 2009 (I think) on the topic of Behavioral Finance. I have it at the house.

Stimulating

Washed up, twice-divorced, recently converted Catholic Newt Gingrich gives an entrepreneur of the year award to a po-no-gruh-phe company.

Gay puters

For a minute, I thought this was about Linus Torvalds.

090909

070707

080808

090909

The aughts are good for patterns.

UPDATE: My car just hit 111,111 miles.

RS on Healthcare

Matt Tiabbi takes on healthcare crapola in the current issue of Rolling Stone. Includes several linked videos of him explaining his take on the situation.

Deficit Sources

Infographic in the Times about where current (as of 0906) deficits are coming from.

Attn: Layout Dept

If you close your eyes and listen real close, you can tell which one is the original.

Some Funny

Maybe it's just my sense of humor, but I think these cards are hilarious. "Let's go shit on coworkers in a more informal setting."

Add links to other card sites in the comments.

Rick Bayless Convergence

So, Beth and I went to Chicago on vacation and had the opportunity to eat at one of Rick Bayless's restaurants, the Frontera Grill. It was Saturday lunch, so they were working off of the brunch menu. Neither one of us felt like eggs at 2 in the PM on a hot Chicago afternoon, so that limited our options. We got the sampler (awesome ceviche) and beef/pork taco platters. Did not dissapoint--we both loved it. Also liked our blackberry mohito and cucumber margarita drinks which were on special that day.

Now the convergence part. When we returned, we watched the finale of Top Chef Masters, and guess who won? That's right--our Rick. We were like, "Uh huh, that's right, bitches!"

Chrome

I have been using the Chrome browser by Google for a few weeks now and love it. Blows IE out of the water for speed and stability, and has some great, intuitive features. I usually don't give a crap about IT topics, and won't be writing about them much. This, however, deserves a recommend.

Hubby Hubby

Ben & Jerry pose as a married couple on top of a wedding cake on the package of their temporarily renamed Chubby Hubby ice cream. They are both straight family men, and bearded hippy types, which makes it pretty funny.

Top 5 Lies About Healthcare

Newsweek has been rocking lately on healthcare. In this article, published just a couple days ago, they beat back 5 lies about proposed healthcare reform efforts.

This is a good read, and I'm glad they did it, because there simply is not enough informative reporting out there (see here for more). I wonder if the worm is turning in the debate and we might actually get some more sensible, in-depth coverage. Oh, wait...

Happy Monday.....Happy Monday, indeed.

From mdk e-mail:

I've had something picked out for today for a while. The material demonstrates how kevin bacon, modest mouse, and batman are all connected, a truly academic achievement that PNAS should be discussing.

Post script for the devoted radiohead fans:

The radiohead does have a new song out in the ether. this link will take you to a bloody good article that favours and colours them in the centre.

Also new at pitchfork: Thom Yorke is contributing to age for the stupid.

Harper's on CIA Report

Harper's magazine hits on 7 key points about CIA Inspector General John Helgerson’s 2004 report on torture (full redacted text here). It was recently released due to an ACLU lawsuit.

Bill Moyers Talks With Bill Maher

The Bills talk about healthcare, Obama, and what it means to be a modern, compassionate society. Moyers has an interesting perspective on the White House having served in the Kennedy and, after JFK's assassination, the Johnson administration. If you haven't seen his show on PBS (Bill Moyers Journal), make sure to catch it--very good long-format interview show.

RIP Teddy Kennedy

Kennedy On Healthcare:

"Finally, we cannot have a fair prosperity in isolation from a fair society. So I will continue to stand for a national health insurance. We must -- We must not surrender -- We must not surrender to the relentless medical inflation that can bankrupt almost anyone and that may soon break the budgets of government at every level. Let us insist on real controls over what doctors and hospitals can charge, and let us resolve that the state of a family's health shall never depend on the size of a family's wealth."
- 1980 Democratic National Convention

The Lion of the Senate writes about The Cause of My Life in Newsweek just this past July.

More later...

Happy Monday

From mdk e-mail:

Flaming Lips: Psychic Wall of Energy

This year, the Tour de France served a new role. Since Lance Armstrong couldn't win The Tour he elected to use it as a training ride for the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race, which was on Saturday (8/15). He destroyed the field in less than 6.5 hours. So now we must all believe that Lance Armstrong is a robot from the future to destroy John Connor. Teaming up with RadioShack and his Cancer initiative are just his way of finding John Connor....what a prick.

American Time Use Survey

And the Times does another killer graphic: American Time Use Survey

One of their prior works about Hurricane Katrina was also especially good.

I'm going to tag this with dataviz and nyt to keep track of these examples. Please add any others in the comments.

A Periodic Table of Visualization Methods

This is one of my favorite sites to get ideas for how to visualize data or ideas. It has great groupings and a really good dynamic layer pop-up navigation.

BarackWOW!

The Democrats just don't sell healthcare reform hard enough.

h/t BiPM

Interlocking Whu?

This is a great article by FAIR on the media bias/blackout of single payer healthcare. It's main observation is about the interlocking directorates of media and healthcare/insurance companies. I think it also applies to the public option.

With a CEO like this, who needs enemies?

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey sticks his foot in his brand's mouth. I haven't been there, so I guess I'll just continue my boycott or whatever. Prefer Trader Joe's, but haven't been there in a while, either. It's summertime, so the farmer's markets get more visits.

Zombie Math

A new study out of U of Ottoway says the key to surviving a zombie outbreak is to "hit hard and hit often."

I wonder if Woody knows this.

h/t bae

First Post

OK, let's get this out of the way. This is the first post, so if you made it this far, you've reached the end, friend. And this here is all there is here.

Gallup: Catholics v Non-Catholics on Moral Issues

An interesting poll from Gallup on Catholics and moral issues.

I don't really have much to say about the topics covered, but I think that the results would be surprising to many folks, who probably think that Catholics are much more "moral" or "conservative" than this poll indicates. Are people saying different things to a pollster and their neighbors at church? A little "judge not" sneaking into opinions?

In any case, I'm reminded of two classic songs:

Catholic Girls

Only the Good Die Young

Jamie Foehner RIP

Jamie was loved by a whole swath of people, from his family, to the bands he booked, to participants in trivia night at Lemmons.  I thought he was one of the nicest and most hilarious peole I've met.

The RFT had a blog post and an article.

Sandy Olive put the following message on the Lemmons Trivia Night Facebook
page:

"Hello everyone, I wanted to take the opportunity to let anyone know who hasn't yet heard - Jamie passed away Monday night, and therefore we will not be having Trivia Night this week. I will return with Trivia Night on my own next week; I know it won't be the same, but I also know that life goes on. Many people have told me how much joy trivia has brought them, and Jamie also, and this is the best way I can carry on his memory; Trivia Night was Jamie's brainchild, and wherever he is, he'll get some smug satisfaction out of me having to do it all myself. Heh."

Stop by Lemmons some time and see his picture on the wall.  It's like Kennedy in an Irish bar.

Crow Tribe Inauguration Trip

A cool slideshow of members of the Crow Tribe going to Obama's inauguration.