Deep Thoughts

I’m still emotional about the election results last week. It was an amazing experience, even though it was expected. I can’t explain the flood of emotions I felt when CNN projected Barack Obama as the President-Elect.
I was celebrating the results in a bar in downtown Seattle but I really wish I had been part of this spontaneous celebration in another part of Seattle.

A new study shows that obesity spreads in social circles. The more likely that you have overweight close friends or family, the more likely that you are overweight. I wonder how if this is true in other countries/cultures.

Consumer Reports’ article on ethanol and that there may be a hype than fact. They also don’t point out that corn is supported by a lot of agricultural subsidies–we’re paying for ethanol in our taxes even before we pay at the pump.

According to this article, the Bush administration picked people for the Iraqi Coalition Provisional Authority based on their loyalty and connections to the Republican party. How much more could they do wrong? It’s like the administration is trying to screw it up.
Apparently the Republicans think hiring based on race is wrong but hiring based on connections to the party is okay?

I think the media spent too much time on the whole Dick Cheney shooting incident. That said, the administration’s delay in getting out the new once again evidences how much they try to manage the press.
Another CIA official has come out saying that the administration always wanted to attack Iraq and was looking for any reason to justify war.
Since Bush finally admitted that the Iraq War has not gone as well as planned, why hasn’t anyone been fired or demoted? Rumsfeld is still Secretary of Defense. Wolfowitz was promoted to head the World Bank. Condoleeza Rice was promoted to Secretary of State. While those whose prognostications proved more accurate than the adminstrations official line were fired. Economic Advisor Lawrence Lindsey was fired for suggesting that the war would cost up to $200 billion versus the official $60 billion estimate. General Eric Shinseki was pushed aside for suggesting that we would need several hundred thousand troops to win and hold Iraq.

A local church threatened a national boycott of Microsoft if it didn’t withdraw its support of a state anti-gay discrimination bill. It also demanded that two Microsoft employees be fired. So is he saying that God wants those two employees fired?

At the gym the other day, I read a great article on SUV’s and their perceived safety in a New Yorker article by Malcom Gladwell. One point that the article article makes is that the data show that SUV’s are actually less safe than smaller cars. While their size is an advantage in accidents, their lack of maneuverability (and hence their ability to avoid accidents) is actually much worse than regular cars. In addition, the body on frame construction of trucks and SUV’s is less save than the unibody construction of cars in an accident. For those of you that chose an SUV over a minivan to drive your kids around, you made the less safe chose.

Or maybe the question should be, why does it cost so much now? Amy–who works in the grocery industry–told me that recent increases in the price of beef are being attributed to the Atkins diet. Although this article from Slate suggests that everyday economics may be the primary cause. While I believe that the Atkins diet is a bit excessive, I do agree that reducing the amount of processed carbs is a good thing.
Obesity is health epidemic here in the US. What’s even worse is that it’s rapidly spreading among children. According to the CDC, “today there are nearly twice as many overweight children and almost three times as many overweight adolescents as there were in 1980.” Do parents realize that they’re shortening the lives of their children?