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NY Times On The Gas Issue

I don't often go in for what the New York Times editorial board has to say but this one is spot on. It's worth the read.

Pander at the Pump

Posted by The Webtoad at 12:34 AM | Comments (0)

I Shall Never Suffer As They Did

The black South Africans

and

the Palestinians

and

the Republicans of Northern Ireland

and

....

the East Timorese

and

the Russian People

and

The Kurds

and

the Chinese democrats

and

the Cubans

and

the Iraqi Shi'as

and

the Armenians

and

and the Rwandans

and

all Africans in general

and

most of all

...

the Jews.

Posted by The Webtoad at 02:52 AM | Comments (0)

Shameless Promotion

I have no problem pushing the products of those I know. Please check out the photography of my colleague Terry Chick. His work can be seen at Nature Pictures.

Posted by The Webtoad at 02:29 AM | Comments (0)

Hoping for $5/Gallon

I tell anyone who will listen that I am hoping for gasoline to get to $5 per gallon. Usually this evokes a perplexed look on the face of the listener and the person walks away thinking either that I am joking or that I am very strange. Only the latter could be successfully argued. Regardless, I do hope gas will get to $5 a gallon and I have two very good reasons why.

First off, it is the only way that the citizens and politicians of this great country will take a serious look at how we use energy. If gas were to get that expensive, a serious chunk would be taken out of people’s incomes. Not only would driving be more expensive but most if not all the products that we buy on a daily basis would increase in price as well. The price of oil is found in everything we need either through transportation costs or due to the use of petroleum in the making of certain products. In many cases it could be both. Faced with such an increase in prices across the economy, consumers would voluntarily change their ways. America consumes around 25% of all oil produced today. That is a staggering number given the size of our population as a percentage of global population. The time has long since past when we have needed to curb our voracious appetite for black gold.

The second reason that I hope for such high oil prices is purely political; it would reinvigorate the 50% or so of those eligible voters who do not vote when given the chance. America is a disgrace as an example of voter apathy. In short, voters will return to the polls when faced with serious economic changes and difficulties. In doing so, that 50% may take a closer look at the behavior of our elected officials and enact the term limits that are inherent in our system by choosing to throw the bums out. The change in consumerism elaborated in the first point will coincide with the necessary political change described in this second point bringing about the long overdue reform that so many of our leaders have paid so much lip service to.

Unfortunately, we will never see $5 at the pumps. Oil companies inhabit the commanding heights of the economy and for good reason: they are smart. Letting oil get to $5 would be bad business for them. The last thing the execs at BP, Shell et al want is an awakened and alert consumer/voter. Oil will only go as high as to stay just short of alarming “SUV Nation”. Quite simply, oil companies and their political lackeys will never bite the hand that feeds them. They will just nibble on it indefinitely.

(It should be noted that I drive a small car that gets excellent gas mileage. Also, my commute is very short. I can go upwards of two weeks with out filling my tank. Insert big grin here.)

Posted by The Webtoad at 11:26 AM | Comments (0)

The Failure of French Liberalism

Americans for decades have found much to despise with the French. I haven’t gone in for that much. After all, they gave Jazz musicians a home when America turned its back on its native art form. That being said, it must be pointed out that the French have failed to live up to their liberal standards by not embracing the CPE.

The CPE is a law aimed at freeing up some of the restrictions on French businesses by allowing employers to sack any employee under the age of 26 for no reason. After the recent protests throughout French cities, the government there has decided to repeal the law. As it is right now, French workers are some of the most protected on the planet. Once a worker gets a job it can be assumed that he/she can stay for as long as they want. This creates a wariness to hire on the part of French employers and a sense of entitlement and security on the part of the employee that is counter productive. Why would any French worker improve oneself when they know they can’t be fired? Productivity would not be a great concern for this entrenched work force. France currently struggles along with a nationwide unemployment rate of 10%. That number doubles when one looks at the twenty-somethings. If France wishes to compete in the global economy (and France has some very successful multi-nationals) it must loosen up some of its labor laws. Its workers will ultimately be the losers if they can’t see the importance of allowing greater competition for jobs. Every individual should have the right to work. However, that worker must be willing to work and respond to the changing environment of the work place.

New York Times Article

Posted by The Webtoad at 01:06 AM | Comments (0)

Be Afraid. Be Very VERY Afraid

I was one of those people who believed that even though the Bush administration had made the very serious (and perhaps criminal) mistake of invading Iraq, these people could not conceivably make that same mistake with Iran. Well, I feel a bit naive right now. The following article is in the most recent New Yorker Magazine and is written by Seymour Hersh who broke the story about the Abu Ghraib prison abuses. In this article, Hersh tells the reader of how the administration is in the operational planning stage for an invasion of Iran. Most importantly, that planning includes the use of “tactical” nuclear weapons. This article has to be read to be believed. This is not crackpot journalism. The administration has recently made comparisons between the President of Iran and Hitler. I am beginning to wonder if that reference would more aptly be made between the Fuhrer and a President much closer to home.

The Iran Plans

Posted by The Webtoad at 12:49 AM | Comments (0)

The Fortune 500

This list can not be allowed to pass without comment. I'll point out just a few items that caught my attention and leave the reader to peruse The Fortune 500 on his/her own.

Fortune 500

1. Exxon/Mobil topped the list with $36 billion in profits. I’ll let that number sink in a bit.
2. Wal-Mart is number 2. We have only ourselves to blame.
3. General Motors came in at number 3 despite a $10 billion loss in profits which is a 477% change
from last year. Overall revenues fell by .5%. Imagine if they had a good year!
4. 3 of the top 10 are oil companies.
5. Exxon/Mobil had $36 billion in profits.

Posted by The Webtoad at 08:53 PM | Comments (0)

New Parties in an Old Conflict

So much can be said about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that any attempt to write about it is daunting. However, the elections that occurred on both sides of the issue in the last few months offer a new way to speak about a topic that is near 60 years old. Many will disagree on what these elections mean but one thing is certain; the political landscape has been reshuffled offering a possible step forward.

In January, the Palestinian voters elected a new government that will be ruled by Hamas, a group formally dead set against any forays into politics. Regardless of what one thinks of this organization, they are the Palestinian government. On the other side of the conflict, the Israelis have elected a brand new party to lead their government. Kadima (Forward), was founded by the now comatose Ariel Sharon as a way to push forward his plans for unilateral withdrawals from occupied territory. Now led by former Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Kadima has won a less than resounding victory which will force it to put together a coalition government. Who it is that Kadima chooses as its partner will make all the difference in the coming months as these two ruling parties get down to the business of governing.

Don’t be mistaken, the issues of the conflict are the same as they have been all these years; security, right of return, Jerusalem. The difference lies in the path that the combatants are now taking. The possibility of peace hangs by a string but its there, barely alive. 2006 may be the most important year in this conflict since Ehud Barak and Yasar Arafat failed to get a deal at Camp David.

Posted by The Webtoad at 11:57 AM | Comments (0)

The Last Step of Freedom

There are two interests in my life that though seem distant are simply extensions of one another; liberal political thought and Jazz music. The concept that connects the two is freedom. Liberal thought addresses the freedom of human society while Jazz is the musical expression of freedom. It is the latter that I wish to focus on in this writing. Jazz is the last step of freedom before chaos ensues.

Jazz is a conversation and collaboration. More often than not, that conversation takes place between a group of musicians and the audience. Occasionally, that conversation is limited to a single musician but here we shall deal with the ensemble approach. Jazz is art of the spot. It is improvisational at its best. The best albums that this genre has produced have been either live recordings (Brad Mehldau’s Progression series) or albums recorded live in the studio (Miles Davis: Kind of Blue). This form of art allows the listener the experience of watching or listening in as a group works its way through varied chord structures and attempts to navigate those structures occasionally abandoning them all together. Although groups may have played and practiced for years, each performance is a unique undertaking.

Let us imagine a Jazz quintet; trumpet, tenor saxophone, piano, bass and drums. These five individuals will decide on a tune to play, perhaps “Autumn Leaves”. All players will know the song structure and will decide on tempo and key. Once they start playing though, the possibilities are endless. More than likely, the two horn players will play the melody of the tune as the remaining three, the rhythm section, keep time and harmony. This may happen through two rounds of the tune. Once they have finished expressing the melody, it’s time for the solos and this is where jazz gets fun.

It is here that the conversation truly starts. Rarely do the musicians speak to one another with there voices but their eyes and nods of their heads communicate volumes. They follow one another’s intensity. Each musician is free to do as he/she pleases knowing that too much freedom will bring down their experiment. The piano player will start using chords more sparingly. The drummer will move away from keeping time, trusting that the bass player will cover that job. The trumpet player will start using notes that verge on dissonance. The soloist is open to express himself fully. Scales are available for his use but not required. As the rhythm section moves further away from the chord structure the soloist moves equally from the melody. At some point the soloists switch off and the experiment continues.

With a new instrument leading the way the band may venture into fresh territories of tempo and mood. This second instrumentalist will put his or her own mark on the conversation, adding what he believes is needed to the exchange. This will happen again and again as the piano player and perhaps the bass player and drummer lend their voice through improvisation. At all times these people are liberated to say what they wish about the subject at hand, the song. There is usually only one restriction; one may flirt with chaos but never invite it in to stay.

The freedom of a jazz ensemble represents the logical extreme of the independence of an individual within a group while still maintaining the integrity of that group. This is exactly the situation that many liberal thinkers are hoping that human society is moving towards. It is the true definition of Anarchy, not the meaning espoused by those who despise it. Anarchy is not chaos. It is the capacity of all members of a society to be free without that society slipping into chaos. Anarchy may be unattainable as a viable model of society but it has found its artistic expression in Jazz.

Posted by The Webtoad at 10:50 PM | Comments (0)