dannyman.toldme.com

Microsoft are at it again, feeding Opera bogus stylesheets so their MSN.com site will come out broken. I shall link you here, to a good technical explanation of what is going on and, perhaps more interesting, Opera’s novel response.

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Mr Gordon argues that GDP comparisons tend to overstate America’s living standards and understate Europe’s. For example, America’s climate is more extreme than western Europe’s, so more has to be spent on air conditioning and heating to attain a given indoor temperature. This extra spending boosts GDP, but does not enhance welfare. More of America’s GDP is also spent on home and business security, largely because of a higher crime rate. In most of Europe, such spending is less necessary. The huge cost of keeping 2m people in American prisons (a far bigger proportion of the population than in Europe) also bolsters America’s GDP relative to Europe’s, but not its welfare.

Another factor is the greater dispersion of America’s population in vast, sprawling metropolitan areas with few transport options other than the car. This is partly the result not of private choice but of public policy, such as subsidies to suburban motorways and a starving of public transport, or local zoning laws that limit the minimum size of residential developments. It leads to higher spending on roads and energy, and hence higher GDP. In Europe the convenience of more compact cities and frequent train and bus transport does not count towards GDP figures.

From The Economist, “Chasing the Leader”

SUVs are good for the economy.

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Two paragraphs from the book I just finished: _What Went Wrong: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East_, by Bernard Lewis, that struck me as especially portentious:

If the peoples of the Middle East continue on their present path, the suicide bomber may become a metaphor for the whole region, and there will be no escape from a downward spiral of hate and spite, rage and self-pity, poverty and oppression, culminating sooner or later in yet another alien domination. […] If they can abandon their grievances and victimhood, settle their differences, and join their talents, energies, and resources in a common creative endeavor, then they can once again make the Middle East, in modern times as it was in antiquity and the Middle Ages, a major center of civilization. For the time being, the choice is their own.

Next:

For growing numbers, [of Muslims] the issue is not religion or nationality, nor this or that frontier or territory, but freedom–the right to live their own lives, in a free and open society under a representative and responsible government. For them the prime enemy is not the outsider, be he defined as foreigner, infidel, or as imperialist, but their own rulers, regimes that maintain themselves by tyranny at home and terrorism abroad and have failed by every measure of governmental achievment except survival. The numbers and the influence of these freedom seekers are difficult to assess, since the public expression of such views is forbidden and subject to the direst penalties. They receive little help from those who would be their natural allies in the free world, notably those who present themselves as friends and advocates, but who prefer to deal with corrupt tyrants, provided that they are amenable, rather than risk the hazards of regime change.

For those who oppose war in Iraq, which would bring about a “regime change” that would remove a horrible autocrat, what is proposed as the alternative? War is a terrible way to achieve progress, nor is progress our stated objective; Our President publicly seeks “security” from “terrorism” and privately seeks an oil supply. I suppose the ultimate frustration is that while few really trust Bush’s motivations and desired outcome, neither can anyone abide by the status quo in good conscience, it is really just a question of betting on the least tyrannical evil. Is it America’s unelected buffoon of a President, cynically sending our kids to risk their own lives by killing Iraqis, to shore up the riches of those who put him in office, or is it the scheming dictator who needs time to plot against us, who has his own history of invading foreign countries to improve oil profits, while ensuring stability by using non-conventional weapons to repress his subjects?

If you’re not with us, your only helping someone even less palatable. I’d credit George Bush with knowing how to pick his enemies, but it was really his dad who created the enemy by calling Saddam on his invasion of Kuwait, without actually eliminating him.

Well, I may be able to make some more chocolate chip cookies this evening. As the old lady in “The Matrix” explained the benefits of cookie consumption, it ought to help me “feel right as rain.”

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A half dozen more resumes submitted through Yahoo! Careers. This “jobs portal” is significantly less sucktastic than Monster and Dice. That doesn’t mean it is very good, but I find it at least slightly useful.

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Filed an appeal with the EDD today.

Submitted applications at two restaurants. The first had a handful of other people also working on their applications. Not an encouraging sign.

Yesterday I got my hair cut. First, I had to walk over to the bank to get some precious money. On Castro Street I counted five hybrid cars, with a RAV4 EV in front of the barber shop off Castro Street. I figured that was a positive economic indicator.

I got my stuff back from Oakland yesterday. Erik fed me pasta, I left him cookies.

Also submitted a resume for a consulting and support position at a company that provides back-end software to restaurants.

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I’ve been wondering why I feel weird about all the anti-war sentiment now that I’m back here in the liberal land of California. One of my favorite days was the winter day before the 1991 air war started, when we walked out of my Chicago high-school, and walked downtown on Lake Shore Drive to protest the potential war. The march down LSD was extremely cool, because we were walking on a highway, hundreds of young people, taking up two lanes, with a third lane of police cars, and a fourth lane of cars that honked as they passed us, either because they were upset at us blocking traffic, or because a honk indicated solidarity with peace demonstrations in those days.

Now, I feel ambivalent. I certainly doubt the President’s motivations. I’m inclined to believe that there is more immediate gain for him in securing oil supplies and domestic support in a time of international crisis, than any imminent threat to us from Iraq. On the other hand, while the resumption of war would cost a lot of death and destruction to the Iraqi people, if we actually remove Saddam Hussein, we will also be removing a long-standing source of death and oppression.

One way or another, the sanctions need to end; The Middle East needs stability that is not based on detent and decay. If we had to occupy and rebuild Iraq, there would be an excuse for resentment among Islamic Fanatics. On the other hand, perhaps it would mean that we could leave Saudi Arabia, the land of Mecca, to its own devices, which may give in to pressures to reform once we’re done propping up a redundant oil supply.

Maybe if we worry ourselves with occupying and building a strong and stable Iraq, we’ll feel more secure about Iran, and better able to sanely pursue relations with this formidable country.

Most of all, I feel most frustrated with European insistence on giving the inspections more time. More time for what? We’ve been trying “inspections” for more than a decade. Saddam Hussein has never been inclined to test clean, and the latest inspections are just a fancier version of the same old tired show. In America we fight wars in foreign lands, while Europeans have more direct experience with war, which encourages them to cherish peace all the more. While I think this is great for the cause of peace, it can lead to the “Peace at any Price” mentality which left Germany’s earliest WWII aggression un-checked. It is that sentiment in Europe today that causes the most direct emotional support, I believe, for the United States “proactively engaging” a problem overseas before it becomes a problem at home.

Of course, the most proactive policy would have been to remove Hussein in the first Gulf War. I believed at the time and I still believe that the cease-fire was a terrible decision. Whatever strategy you choose to solve a problem, you need to devote yourself to success. If you choose peace, you devote yourself to a peaceful solution. If you choose war, you devote yourself to victory. We chose war in 1991, which leads me to feel that the coming conflict is the attainment of victory, foolishly delayed, at the expense of a prolonged suffering on the part of the Iraqi people, who should have been liberated a decade ago.

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Tales of crime in America’s richest suburb, as reported in the Palo Alto Daily News:

WEDNESDAY

Stockbridge Avenue and Selby Lane, 9:33 a.m.: A black limousine reportedly cut off a gold Lexus and was travelling at 65 mph on Stockbridge, but police were unable to locate the vehicle.

First block Serrano Drive, 10:36 a.m.: A resident complained about a suspicious Chevy pickup parked in the street with a lawn mower: it turned out to be that of a legitimate gardener.

Think these rich people are being uptight? Well, there are consequences when one is not vigilant about suspicious lawnmowers plied by potentially illegitimate gardeners, as we learn the next day:

THURSDAY

First block Atherton Ave., 1:17 p.m.: A suspected stolen 2001 Mercedes was found dumped on Arastradero and Page Mill and Santa Clara County Sheriff’s officials asked Atherton police to contact the registered owner.

First block Bassett Lane, 10:13 p.m.: A black Ford Mustang was stolen and later found stripped in East Palo Alto.

Okay, it turns out that Atherton is only the second-wealthiest town in America.

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I been to Tokyo on an airplane, honey,
I wasn’t born no yesterday.
I’ve got a midwest raisin’
And a college education,
Aint no need of y’all treatin’ me this way!

(You can listen to this guy‘s version.)

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Good news is that the car is fixed. The bad news is that it ran me around $1,300.

The bad news is that I’m not qualified for unemployment compensation, because I voluntarily seperated from the Pizza Place. The worse news is that business is extremely slow at the Pizza Place right now, so even though one guy just left, Jefe is reluctant to take on new staff at this time. “The salad-maker just quit because I couldn’t give her enough hours.”

The good news is that there’s a room available for me up in the city, a block away from Golden Gate Park, not far from the ocean, that I’d share with Jessica’s friend Lisa, and a handful of other reputedly groovy people. The bad news is that it would take what money I have left to pay for it, so I must decline this opportunity.

The good news is that there are jobs out there. The bad news is that I may keep expenses light by hopping from guest house to guest house, which could make for some annoying commutes.

The bad news is that someone stole my license plate. The good news is that I can replace it at the DMV for $7.

The bad news is that I’ll have to hustle for a source of income. The good news is that I’m not completely broke. The good news is that I have friends, and family to help me stay afloat, if need be. The good news is that the economy isn’t completely shot to hell.

The good news is that I am healthy and capable.

The good news is that I’ve passed the first hurdle on the Perl job. The less good news is that twenty to forty others also passed. Those are odds I’m willing to run with, though.

The good news is that I shall be extremely motivated in my job search, starting tomorrow.

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So, I asked myself, “Self, isn’t it about time we learned Python?”

Being as I am more open-minded these days, I replied “Yes, let us do this! Then we can learn Medusa and re-implement Gallery!”

So, I went over to the Python website and started reading the Python Tutorial, and among the technical arguments in favor of Python, on the first page, I read:

By the way, the language is named after the BBC show “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” and has nothing to do with nasty reptiles. Making references to Monty Python skits in documentation is not only allowed, it is encouraged!

That alone convinces me that Python IS the Ultimate Programming Language Ever!

Ni!

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The way the mechanic explains it, this little plastic thing that holds the throttle cable in place broke, which is why the car started acting funny. After awhile the transmission eats itself alive, and costs $1,250 to swap in a rebuild.

Ouch.

He says this is a common problem on Fords. He showed me the plastic ring in question, as he always has a few on-hand. What with the recent shuttle tragedy and the economic impact, I was thinking “O-Ring“.

Since the price is a serious chunk of change, at this juncture, I told him that maybe I’d pick the car up and hold on to it until I at least know my unemployment status. I thought about it some more and it really is a wonderful car. Everything else on it works awfully well, and I swear it is worth keeping. What’s more, I need a car around here – heck, my stuff is still in Oakland. I’m thinking on the question tonight, and I think I’ll call them back tomorrow and authorize the work.

Shikata Ga Nai!

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Psychic spies from China try to steal your mind’s elation
And little girls from Sweden dream of silver screen quotation
And if you want these kind of dreams its Californication

This was a favorite song of the cover band in Hat Yai. I hadn’t heard it much before my time in Thailand. I thought it was a neat song about California. It’s also a neat song about America, a land of dreams and controversey that occupies the minds of young people around the world: the Italian guy who thinks that he should be able to vote for America’s president, the Argentine gal who feels reluctant to bring up America’s meddling in Latin America, the good-natured Jordanians who love America all the more despite the boiling conflict between our civilizations.

It’s the edge of the world
And all of Western civilization
The sun may rise in the East
It least it’s settled in a fine location
It’s understood that Hollywood
sells Californication

I was flipping channels at Mom’s place, and we stayed a few minutes on a BBC news report from Ivory Coast, where in among the crowds of people who had showed up to rally for whatever cause they thought would do their country right, several were holding American flags, mostly simple paper ones colored by hand. Why are they waving our flags, we wondered? At least they’re not burning them. The French are involved with their former colony, not us!

Everyone in the world has an opinion, an impression they have of America and Americans. The world is watching us. Please, countrymen, try to set a good example: we’re not alone in our own wilderness these days.

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