Busy busy busy.
Starting tomorrow, I will also be out of town for the rest of the week. I am taking the laptop, but doubt I will have time to blog.
Archives for November 2007
“First You Get The Sugar…”
Radly Balko has some issues with U.S. sugar lobby (they’ll create a lobby for anything, won’t they?) I encourage you to read it and the accompanying Washington Post article. Radly sums it up as follows:
If an “alternative energy” source is so efficient that it needs massive government subsidy to event (sic) exist, much less survive, it’s not a viable long-term source of energy.
No kidding (and, by the way, it’s exactly what’s happening with the corn-based ethanol industry here.)
But look to Brazil – they’re doing just fine with sugar cane ethanol. In fact, Brazil has achieved what has eluded us forever – energy independence. In fact, three-quarters of its automobiles are able to run on ethanol, and there is an ethanol pump at just about every fuel station. Cane ethanol now accounts for 40% of Brazil’s transportation fuel. And one thing Brazil has figured out that we have not: corn-based ethanol (the type we produce here) is not energy efficient. It takes nearly as much energy to produce corn ethanol as it saves (cane ethanol doesn’t need to make the transformation from carb to sugar) – not to mention the adverse effects that increasing corn prices will have on the world economy.
All this leads me to ask a question, because I have not been able to find an answer. Maybe I’m not looking hard enough. Can we produce sugar cane here? And, even if we could, would enough people have the guts to stand up to the corn lobby to make anything happen anyway?
Or, are we all just that apathetic?
Update: Here is another option I meant to mention. Cellulose ethanol.
Cellulosic ethanol is attractive because the feedstock, which includes wheat straw, corn stover, grass, and wood chips, is cheap and abundant. Converting it into ethanol requires less fossil fuel, so it can have a bigger effect than corn ethanol on reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.
Pakistan: Bush Weighs in
And isn’t it about time?
In what he described as “an emergency mission to help a key ally in the war on terror,” President George W. Bush flew to Islamabad today to give General Pervez Musharraf tips on how to eliminate democracy.
Mr. Bush said he scheduled the trip just hours after General Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan and suspended elections “because when it comes to eliminating democracy, I thought my friend Pervez could benefit from my experience.”
Sunday NFL Thread
While it may have been lost in the buzz surrounding the Colts/Patriots Superbowl today, the Steelers are also playing this week, albeit tomorrow night.
At any rate, I am not sure who I want to win, but if I had to bet, my money would be on the Patriots.
Consider this an open thread (bumped up for relevance).
*** Update ***
I am so sick and tired of hearing about Colts/Pats. The announcers in the game I am watching (Bengals/Bills, go Bills!) just gave us a countdown to kick off.
Here is what I want. A blowout. By either side. Just to ruin the buzz created in the past three weeks.
Althouse’s Wineblogging Whatever-Vlogging and the “other” Web Awards
Apparently, I was in error when I stated that the Althouse wineblogging whatever-Vlogging the stars videos were edited. My apologies, Ann (Update – Apparently apologizing for errantly alleging she edited the tape is not enough for Ann. At least this update throws the post over 353 words, which apparently is a major cause for concern.).
As to the worst blog posts entry, Kevin has the official poll here. While it is funny, you all took the opportunity to point out some of my worst posts (this has to be one of the worst), I should probably just shut up so I am not collateral damage in the yuk fest. This post is pretty damned funny, as well, and I remember being in pain for a week.
On a serious note, if there was one post which is not only a black mark on this blog, but also a low point for me as a person, it has to be this one from a year and a half ago, in which I completely, out of nowhere, divined that Juan Cole is anti-semitic, smeared him as such, and then continued to defend my baseless accusations in the comments. I have no excuse, and the only explanation I can come up with is that I was still completely un-moored regarding my politics at the time (2005 until now has been a weird time for me regarding what I thought I knew and what I thought the GOP stood for), and I lashed out at what I felt was a safe target.
It is embarrassing, because I like to think of myself as a good person despite my launching pointed barbs from time to time, but this truly was a shameless and vicious post. That post had the potential to do real damage to someone’s integrity and reputation, it was completely unwarranted and baseless, and I am truly ashamed for writing it. If you are reading, Juan, and you probably are not, I apologize. It was disgusting, I was wrong, and there is no excuse. I hope you and the readers forgive me for that disgraceful performance.
Enough serious- we still need more nominations for the best blog posts. They can’t all be John Rogers, folks.
Pakistan Open Thread
I also have been very derelict in my reading regarding the apparent Pakistani meltdown. I am really not sure what is going on, reports are coming fast and furious, and I really have not found a resource which I think adequately covers the issue. What actually is going on? Does anyone have a good, reputable source to provide information and analysis?
Blaming the Wrong People
Michael, below, echoes some of the frustration that many of us are feeling about the torture debate:
Thanks to Feinstein and Schumer, someone who can’t even tell us what torture is will likely be the next Attorney General.
Andrew Sullivan also ripped a full-throated assault aimed at the Dems the other day:
They both intend to vote for Mukasey, despite his refusal to state that torture, as practised by this administration, is illegal. Every time the Democrats fold on these matters, Cheney tucks a precedent under his belt. Every time they cave into their cowardice and fear, another critical part of our liberty disappears. These precedents are designed to destroy the rule of law and replace it with the rule of a Decider. And they will last for ever, as will the right to torture, because this war is for ever. This is how democracies perish. The rule of law no longer has any party to defend it. The Republicans want no check on the powers of our de facto protectorate. And the Democrats have no spine. We live under the lawless protectorate we deserve. And such lawlessness is always the result when cowards refuse to confront bullies.
While I think we can all agree that the Democrats are supremely spineless, it is important to remember who is to blame here- the Republican party. The Democrats are not the ones creating this situation. It is not democrats running around saying cute things like “You want torture illegal, then ban it!” or “We only torture a little bit!” Those are the Republican position. What the Democrats are guilty of is failing to stop a corrupt and immoral party from doing whatever the fuck it wants. they are not, however, responsible for the torture.
In short, blaming the Democrats for this is not unlike blaming the FDA because someone is slipping poison into Tylenol bottles.