Monday, October 27, 2003
Comments are here!
Many readers have asked for a comments feature, and here it is. Comments have been added to all our posts, even the old ones, so anyone who really wanted to say something about an old post, here's your big chance! If you have any problems with the comments feature, email me at blog (at) preshie.com.
Friday, October 24, 2003
Agribusiness or the Government?: Why can't farmers make a living farming any more? Fast Food Nation hypothesized it was the result of the consolidation of the middle markets. That even with lots of farmers and lots of consumers, most of our food was flowing through a handful of companies who set the prices on both ends, taking the largest profit for themselves. An interesting hypothesis, and it makes sense from an economic standpoint. (Of course, most of those profits are produced by "value-added" transformations to our food, because why slice a potato when you can have Ore Ida do it for you?) But last week's NY Times presented an alternate (or complementary) hypothesis, based on the way our farm subsidy system works.
Briefly, FDR set up a subsidy system in the wake of the Depression. The system was designed to keep the price for storeable staples above a certain floor. As long as the price was above that floor, farmers were encouraged to sell. If the market price dropped below that floor, the government would offer the farmer a loan (equal to the cost of selling the grain at the floor price) to store the staple until the price came back up. If the price didn't come back up, the gov't would take the grain off the farmer's hands, and the loan was wiped out. If it did, the farmer sold the grain and paid back the loan. Nixon, in response to rising grain prices, told his Secretary of Agriculture to get grain production up by any means necessary. This was the advent of our modern farm subsidy program, where farmers were paid for production, period. (To see the full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/12/magazine/12WWLN.html?ex=1067140800&en=72c48b625b06a2e9&ei=5070)
Is there a reason we should care? The fear of agribusiness taking over the entire food supply worries me. I hear the species of bananas most popular in this country might go extinct (not that I'm crying about losing BANANAS, the cucumber of the fruit kingdom) because of a disease sweeping through the groves. There are certainly risks to too much consolidation in the agriculture business.
But what about that most critical of issues when it comes to food - taste. I guess most people don't care. (FFN also talks about how virtually all of those "value-added" foods also have flavor added to make them taste the way they should.) But (unprocessed) food tastes better when it's grown locally!
Why are Philadelphians (and some Ohioans, Indianans, and Floridians) lucky? Because, with the Amish so close by, we are virtually guaranteed continued access to fresh, seasonal, local produce. (And meat. and lemonade. and cinnamon bread. and pretzel doughnuts. and who wants to have lunch at the amish food place tomorrow?) But hopefully, someday, you won't need to give up electricity to be able to survive on a farmer's income.
Briefly, FDR set up a subsidy system in the wake of the Depression. The system was designed to keep the price for storeable staples above a certain floor. As long as the price was above that floor, farmers were encouraged to sell. If the market price dropped below that floor, the government would offer the farmer a loan (equal to the cost of selling the grain at the floor price) to store the staple until the price came back up. If the price didn't come back up, the gov't would take the grain off the farmer's hands, and the loan was wiped out. If it did, the farmer sold the grain and paid back the loan. Nixon, in response to rising grain prices, told his Secretary of Agriculture to get grain production up by any means necessary. This was the advent of our modern farm subsidy program, where farmers were paid for production, period. (To see the full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/12/magazine/12WWLN.html?ex=1067140800&en=72c48b625b06a2e9&ei=5070)
Is there a reason we should care? The fear of agribusiness taking over the entire food supply worries me. I hear the species of bananas most popular in this country might go extinct (not that I'm crying about losing BANANAS, the cucumber of the fruit kingdom) because of a disease sweeping through the groves. There are certainly risks to too much consolidation in the agriculture business.
But what about that most critical of issues when it comes to food - taste. I guess most people don't care. (FFN also talks about how virtually all of those "value-added" foods also have flavor added to make them taste the way they should.) But (unprocessed) food tastes better when it's grown locally!
Why are Philadelphians (and some Ohioans, Indianans, and Floridians) lucky? Because, with the Amish so close by, we are virtually guaranteed continued access to fresh, seasonal, local produce. (And meat. and lemonade. and cinnamon bread. and pretzel doughnuts. and who wants to have lunch at the amish food place tomorrow?) But hopefully, someday, you won't need to give up electricity to be able to survive on a farmer's income.
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
My Elliot Smith moment: I attended the concert Mary missed. 3 or 4 songs into the show, he (foolishly) took a request. From then on, everyone spent the whole show shouting for their favorite song. He was touring for his (still) unfinished album, and I just thought it was kind of sad that people were more interested in hearing him play their personal favorite than the new material he was presumably touring to show us. The new stuff was good, too. I wonder if they'll release it (he was doing it for a small label, not his regular label, DreamWorks.)
Also, everyone knows there's only one thing that there's just too little of. Earnestness, sweet earnestness.
Also, everyone knows there's only one thing that there's just too little of. Earnestness, sweet earnestness.
Thursday, October 16, 2003
Today is the day that Windows users learn the meaning of "insanely great". That's right, folks, iTunes for Windows. Download now at http://www.itunes.com . Reviews from actual Windows users forthcoming!
Best new feature for those of us who have long loved iTunes: Celebrity Playlists
I'm waiting for them to extend the concept to everyone (so I can share my dream playlists with you, dear readers), but for now, I will content myself with Ben Folds' picks.
Regarding my rumored secret boyfriend: He keeps me from my cell phone. He has me log in at computers that do not have Word installed. He takes me places that are neither my apartment nor my office. Hmmm, who does that add up to? Oh, right! My SECRET boyfriend! Because surely an unsecret boyfriend would not do any of those things. Mary's unrequited love for Howard Dean is making her a little loopy.
Best new feature for those of us who have long loved iTunes: Celebrity Playlists
I'm waiting for them to extend the concept to everyone (so I can share my dream playlists with you, dear readers), but for now, I will content myself with Ben Folds' picks.
Regarding my rumored secret boyfriend: He keeps me from my cell phone. He has me log in at computers that do not have Word installed. He takes me places that are neither my apartment nor my office. Hmmm, who does that add up to? Oh, right! My SECRET boyfriend! Because surely an unsecret boyfriend would not do any of those things. Mary's unrequited love for Howard Dean is making her a little loopy.
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
Buggy-Boo: John Street, Philadelphia's mayor, is being bugged (but is not the "target of the investigation") by the FBI over giving contracts to his buddies? I sure hope the Oval Office is getting bugged. (If you haven't been following the story, see http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/7014707.htm for more background.)
The Arnold Factor: One of our faithful readers asked me today what I thought about the Arnold election. Well, I watched the debates. I followed the news. And, with 138(?) candidates, there was someone in the race that represented almost everybody's opinions and point of view. The big fear early in the race was that the vote would be so splintered, someone would end up winning with 10% (or less) of the vote. Obviously, they didn't need to worry.
Which brings us to Arnold. Why did he win so decisively? He didn't say anything that blew your mind at the debate. He didn't have much in the way of well-articulated views or a killer plan to put California back on its feet. Hell, he doesn't even play particularly cuddly characters in his movies!
But, he's not a "career politician", which seems to be the angle to go for, if you want to win elections these days. There's the novelty value of voting for the Terminator. There could be that overwhelming pragmatism (read: herd mentality) that makes people more likely to vote for people they think have a good shot at winning (which is funny, considering their aversion to people who have won too many elections in the past.)
I don't know. It's not that I think Arnold would be a bad governor, necessarily, but I'm not sure what would have led 60% of the Californian voting population to decide he would be a good one. I guess, at the very least, he can use that star power to tilt negotiations in his favor.
P.S. If Mary actually writes that letter tonight, I will send her a surprise in the mail. So don't be looking for me a the post office tomorrow!
The Arnold Factor: One of our faithful readers asked me today what I thought about the Arnold election. Well, I watched the debates. I followed the news. And, with 138(?) candidates, there was someone in the race that represented almost everybody's opinions and point of view. The big fear early in the race was that the vote would be so splintered, someone would end up winning with 10% (or less) of the vote. Obviously, they didn't need to worry.
Which brings us to Arnold. Why did he win so decisively? He didn't say anything that blew your mind at the debate. He didn't have much in the way of well-articulated views or a killer plan to put California back on its feet. Hell, he doesn't even play particularly cuddly characters in his movies!
But, he's not a "career politician", which seems to be the angle to go for, if you want to win elections these days. There's the novelty value of voting for the Terminator. There could be that overwhelming pragmatism (read: herd mentality) that makes people more likely to vote for people they think have a good shot at winning (which is funny, considering their aversion to people who have won too many elections in the past.)
I don't know. It's not that I think Arnold would be a bad governor, necessarily, but I'm not sure what would have led 60% of the Californian voting population to decide he would be a good one. I guess, at the very least, he can use that star power to tilt negotiations in his favor.
P.S. If Mary actually writes that letter tonight, I will send her a surprise in the mail. So don't be looking for me a the post office tomorrow!
Mary Watch: 5 days and counting! Send any sightings to whereismary@preshie.com
Bug Report: One of our faithful readers reported a small difficulty installing yesterday's recommended time-waster. If you, too, would like to show your iTunes current song in your iChat session, please note that you may need to create the folder PreferencePanes in your /Library (as opposed to /Users//Library).
For everyone still working on the Album Cover Challenge (http://www.meish.org/files/albums/index.php), we are now at 22 albums successfully identified. Keep up the good work!
Bug Report: One of our faithful readers reported a small difficulty installing yesterday's recommended time-waster. If you, too, would like to show your iTunes current song in your iChat session, please note that you may need to create the folder PreferencePanes in your /Library (as opposed to /Users/
For everyone still working on the Album Cover Challenge (http://www.meish.org/files/albums/index.php), we are now at 22 albums successfully identified. Keep up the good work!
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Monday, October 13, 2003
Saturday, October 11, 2003
Scene: Tower Theater
Situation: Revenge of the Ticket-tator
In August, when Mary and I were at the Tori/Ben concert, we attempted to move up a few rows, because there was a huge block of seats available. The ticket-tator chased us back to our original seats. Fine. I know Tori fans, and they would pout and cry if they found someone in their seats.
Last night, Jane and I (and Mipsie and Bipsie) were at the Tower, to see the Strokes. Ticket-tators have taken over the Tower! We had to present our tickets at least 10 times. Every time we went to our seat, we had to have our ticket checked at the entrance to the seating area, and again as we got closer to our seats. They did spot-checks of people who were in seats, if they thought you weren't in the right place. But here's the worst part. They were also picking people to move closer, and even stand next to the stage! Heaven help anyone who tried to do that without the ticket-tator's blessing, though. Back you go!
Seat free is the way to be! Go TLA!
Situation: Revenge of the Ticket-tator
In August, when Mary and I were at the Tori/Ben concert, we attempted to move up a few rows, because there was a huge block of seats available. The ticket-tator chased us back to our original seats. Fine. I know Tori fans, and they would pout and cry if they found someone in their seats.
Last night, Jane and I (and Mipsie and Bipsie) were at the Tower, to see the Strokes. Ticket-tators have taken over the Tower! We had to present our tickets at least 10 times. Every time we went to our seat, we had to have our ticket checked at the entrance to the seating area, and again as we got closer to our seats. They did spot-checks of people who were in seats, if they thought you weren't in the right place. But here's the worst part. They were also picking people to move closer, and even stand next to the stage! Heaven help anyone who tried to do that without the ticket-tator's blessing, though. Back you go!
Seat free is the way to be! Go TLA!
Thursday, October 09, 2003
Tuesday, October 07, 2003
Tuesday October 7th: the day the (microwave) music died. In lieu of flowers, Mr. Sharp has requested gifts of Hope's cookies be sent to his family. RIP Carousel Sharp.
Best Part of the California Recall: Almost 10 million Californians got out there and voted today. That's almost 65% of the registered voters in the state! (Gosh, it sounds kind of pathetic when I put it that way.) But, further proof that if you make a media circus out of elections, turnout goes through the roof. Floridian military absentee voters, you're no longer alone!
From http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/columnists/michael_klein/6932993.htm:
Ed Rendell, booed in Philadelphia? His Governorship was a guest on Fox News Channel's Hannity & Colmes, taped at the Forrest Theatre on Thursday night. After cohost Sean Hannity launched a diatribe about former President Bill Clinton and the Monica Lewinsky affair, Rendell shot back: "What about lying to the American people about going to war in Iraq and sending our boys in harm's way?" Boooo! screamed the crowd.
Best Part of the California Recall: Almost 10 million Californians got out there and voted today. That's almost 65% of the registered voters in the state! (Gosh, it sounds kind of pathetic when I put it that way.) But, further proof that if you make a media circus out of elections, turnout goes through the roof. Floridian military absentee voters, you're no longer alone!
From http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/columnists/michael_klein/6932993.htm:
Ed Rendell, booed in Philadelphia? His Governorship was a guest on Fox News Channel's Hannity & Colmes, taped at the Forrest Theatre on Thursday night. After cohost Sean Hannity launched a diatribe about former President Bill Clinton and the Monica Lewinsky affair, Rendell shot back: "What about lying to the American people about going to war in Iraq and sending our boys in harm's way?" Boooo! screamed the crowd.
On a similar note to young people rocking the vote, I think we should lower the voting age to 16. It's not really about more young people voting, but just increasing the turnout overall.
When the government decided that people needed to wear their seat belts, they used their tiny army of minions to do the dirty work for them. Convince children to wear their seatbelts, and let THEM nag Mommy and Daddy! Schoolchildren are a massive captive audience for any message the government wants to distribute.
Schools already educate kids about their civic duty, hold mock elections, yadda yadda yadda. But what would be more effective than a field trip to the polls? In many cases, voting booths are already in school buildings. If we lowered the voting age to 16, almost every high school student would have the opportunity to vote in either a midterm or presidential election as part of their education. And, maybe, once people saw how easy it was to vote, how little time it actually took, they would continue to do so after graduation.
Also, a big shout out to ANNE! who is going to email me links to recipes, so we might all benefit from her culinary genius (or at least her dedicated reading of the Dining In/Dining Out section of the NYTimes.) Best submissions will be posted. Email blog at preshie.com.
When the government decided that people needed to wear their seat belts, they used their tiny army of minions to do the dirty work for them. Convince children to wear their seatbelts, and let THEM nag Mommy and Daddy! Schoolchildren are a massive captive audience for any message the government wants to distribute.
Schools already educate kids about their civic duty, hold mock elections, yadda yadda yadda. But what would be more effective than a field trip to the polls? In many cases, voting booths are already in school buildings. If we lowered the voting age to 16, almost every high school student would have the opportunity to vote in either a midterm or presidential election as part of their education. And, maybe, once people saw how easy it was to vote, how little time it actually took, they would continue to do so after graduation.
Also, a big shout out to ANNE! who is going to email me links to recipes, so we might all benefit from her culinary genius (or at least her dedicated reading of the Dining In/Dining Out section of the NYTimes.) Best submissions will be posted. Email blog at preshie.com.
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