Base10Blog
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
 
Protesting Discrimination Against Short Native Americans!
Not exactly. A high school in Ohio has canceled a student production of Agatha Christie's "Ten Little Indians" because of protests by the local NAACP chapter. The reason for censoring this production? The original title of this classic murder mystery was "Ten Little Niggers" in 1939, although most people are more familiar with the 1940 title "And Then There Were None." Just a couple of points here: (1) there are no racial issues in this story whatsoever, (2) it is the world's best selling mystery novel of all time, and (3) the n-word does not have the same connotations in the UK as it does in the US--in 1939 or now. This is just appalling.
 
Shitake and Asparagus Quiche
This recipe went over very well on Thanksgiving. I thought I'd share.

1 bunch asparagus spears (large)
3/4 lbs Swiss cheese
8 eggs
2 frozen pie crusts
16 shitake mushrooms
1 cup heavy cream
milk as needed

Grate Swiss cheese, thinly slice shitake tops and trim asparagus spears by breaking in half. Discard root ends of asparagus. Cut head ends lengthwise. Blanch in boiling water for 1 minute. Combine 8 beaten eggs with heavy cream. Add salt and pepper. Place equal amounts of mushroom slices, grated cheese and blanched asparagus in each pie shell. Pour egg and cream mixture over pie contents. (Depending on size of pie crusts, add milk or eggs if additional fluid is needed). With a fork, carefully mix contents so they are evenly distributed in pie crust. Place in 350° oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center is dry. Remove and let set for at least 20 minutes. Serve warm. Makes 2 pies.

This is delicious served with a salad and a glass of white wine.

Enjoy.
 
The Power of Stock Options
Google apparently thinks it can violate the laws of physics by putting a little "g" in front of any newly produced invention. They believe that renewable energy that is cheaper to supply than coal can be achieved in a few years. Good luck. And remember this is a company that's trading at fifty-two times its earnings.
 
I Blame Global Warming
"Iceland best place to live, Africa worst: UN" - Reuters.
 
Creepy Transvestite Story of the Day
"McDonald's Worker Attacked By Cross-Dressers" - Fox News.
Monday, November 26, 2007
 
Absente!
Base10 did get to try some absinthe over the weekend. Review: surprisingly palatable. It is however certainly not a drink for the faint-hearted. I tried it neat, but the traditional way to serve it is with water and a dissolved sugar-cube (not the melted, as I thought). I'll try that soon. But not too soon.
 
Kindle Success?
Base10 posted this item about the new Amazon ebook reader Kindle and speculated it might be the next big thing. It might not be the next big thing, but it did sellout real fast. This in spite of poor reviews and much tech guru criticism. Interesting
 
You Decide!
Do Americans prefer a president who watches Sportscenter or one who watches HGTV? I think the answer is clear.

A Drudge twofer!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
 
Happy Thanksgiving!
Base10 is with his inlaws with a pork loin and some quiches. (One is asparagus and shitake mushroom. I may post the recipe online if it turned out well). Football is on, the food is on and the annual tryptophane high is coming. Life is good. Happy holiday to everyone!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
 
Market Pessimism Roundup
If you're in the market, today's roundup of news and analysis will not give you confidence. First, Nouriel Roubini recently predicted losses of up to a trillion USD and a hard landing recession in the US. Today, he is gloating that one of the Financial Times bloggers picked up on his forecast of a "generalized systemic financial meltdown."

While it's not hard to dismiss Roubini as a doom-and-gloomer, it's much harder to dismiss Nobel Laureate Paul Samuelson. He concurs that the US is headed for a hard economic downturn in a piece in the IHT. Other economists have commented on his column. Greg Mankiw called it "surprisingly pessimistic." Tyler Cowen writes: "It is amazing how pessimism and the desire to blame will cloud men's minds."

But, Goldman Sachs estimates that total mortgage related losses to financial institutions may be over $2 trillion. It should be noted that this particular economist, Jan Hatzius, predicted that US housing was overvalued by 20% back in March of 2006. (No stretch there really, but it's not like he's not being consistent).

At least what happened to China won't happen to us. The Chinese economy just shrunk by 40%, which, I suppose, is equivalent to the US overcounting GDP by everything west of the Mississippi.
 
Kindle Reader
I was discussing this with my students last night and thought it was interesting. Amazon has just begun selling the Kindle, an ebook reader that they hope will become the next big thing.

Maybe it will be--if not this device, maybe the next version. Even though it does look kind of dorky and given the $400 price point, it's tempting to say that this is Amazon's Foleo, I don't think so. The Foleo didn't fill a niche, this device does. The ebook market is a tiny fraction of the publishing industry. If the industry can get people to shift to reading books electronically, printing and distribution costs disappear. But why would one use this device instead of a laptop or tablet? As someone who uses a tablet and reads a lot of academic papers in pdf format, I can tell you that this is not an option. It is very difficult to read on an LCD screen for any length of time--especially when you're on the wrong side of forty. The high contrast e-ink that these devices use is supposedly much more readable.

The other issue is battery power. If you need to read a lot or need access to a lot of reference material (like a physician, say), but don't need the computing power of a laptop, this device is for you. According to the product page, you can get two to three days of battery life out of it as opposed to the two to three hours of a laptop/tablet. The other innovation is that the devices are connected to Sprint's EVDO network with no cellular contracts or fees to the end user (costs apparently picked up by Amazon). Users buy books, or magazines and newspapers for a monthly subscription, and the material is downloaded instantly. There is experimental pdf support (this is what's stopping Base10 from buying it right now) and even an experimental text-based browser.

There is a market for a device like this. Base10 has looked at the Sony Reader, another device of this type, and didn't think it was all that. If this is different, and pdf's are readable on it, I would buy it instantly.

UPDATE: Arnold Kling on the economics of the Kindle.
 
Why Christmas Comes Before Thanksgiving
Gregg Easterbrook--one of Base10's favorite football and political columnist who has alas been neglected lately--ponders in a touching way why Christmas comes earlier and earlier every year:
Why does the Christmas celebration start earlier every year? The commercial reasons are obvious; many retailers do a significant portion of their business during Christmastime, so the sooner the sleigh bells ring, the happier stores are. This year, retailers are said to be worried that gasoline and home-heating prices are poised to soar, so they hope holiday shoppers will spend before that happens. But there is a deeper reason Christmas starts earlier each year: We want to live in the Christmastime world, and this has nothing to do with religion. In the Christmastime world, children are happy, family is gathered round, and all the year's exhausting and stressful overwork has at least led to a pile of presents. Candles are lighted, and we listen for a sound in the distance. Just as our ancient ancestors must have dreamed of living always in the moment of the harvest, we want to live as long as possible in the moment of the holidays -- regardless of faith, since Santa comes to everyone. Christmastime also evokes the strongest positive memories of most people's childhoods -- of presents, singing, anticipation, and the adults forcing themselves to get along. The Christmas weeks are the time we believe all is right with the world, whether or not we actually go over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house. We want to enter the time of believing all is well, so every year we push up the start date.

This explanation resonates. The harder we work, the more we want the at-least-faux goodwill during the holidays.
 
Who You Callin' Vermin?
It would sure take a lot of Raid to get these out of your house.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
 
Thanksgiving Plans
Mr. and Mrs. Base10 are going over to Mrs. Base10's sister for Thanksgiving and will be making some food for the event. Tomorrow may bring some recipe blogging. I'm thinking of a pork loin and some roasted vegetables. I also have a tradition of making quiche for Mrs. Base10's mom, so that'll get done too.

In the mean time, today is a busy day for Base10.
 
Bad News in Lebanon
Reuters reports that the Lebanese parliment has once again delayed a vote on the Lebanese presidency. Although the French have been pushing for a compromise candidate, the report indicates there is an impasse. Security forces have begun taking positions around Beirut.
 
I Can Quit The Internet Anytime I Want
The South Koreans have created a re-education rehab camp to treat internet addiction, according to the Times.
MOKCHEON, South Korea — The compound — part boot camp, part rehab center — resembles programs around the world for troubled youths. Drill instructors drive young men through military-style obstacle courses, counselors lead group sessions, and there are even therapeutic workshops on pottery and drumming.

But these young people are not battling alcohol or drugs. Rather, they have severe cases of what many in this country believe is a new and potentially deadly addiction: cyberspace.

And what's with the whacky headgear in the picture?
 
Forget the Election, Who'd You Rather Eat With?
There's an interesting item in the Journal. A Quinnipiac survey shows who leads in the polling numbers that really count: who would you prefer to have Thanksgiving dinner with?
With 27% of the vote, Clinton is the presidential candidate most Americans would want at their dinner table this Thursday, according to a survey of 1636 voters. Sen. Barack Obama received 24% of the vote, while Rudy Giuliani came in at 22%. Down the line, Sen. John McCain of Arizona received 17%, followed by Fred Thompson with 14%, John Edwards at 13% and 7% for Mitt Romney. “Both Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain do better as dinner guests than they do as candidates,” observed Maurice Carroll, director of the polling institute, in a release. However a notable 14% of voters polled volunteered that they “wouldn’t eat” if any of the presidential candidates joined the table.
I think the last part is the most telling.
Monday, November 19, 2007
 
Creepy CCTV Story of the Day
The Palm Beach Post has this story today about using talking CCTV cameras to both catch and deter people seeking--ahem--sex on the beach. The best line of the story is here:
[County Commissioner] DiTerlizzi's call for surveillance also comes after several high-profile arrests statewide and nationally involving elected officials soliciting sex in bathrooms.

The commissioner said he wants cameras watching everywhere on the beaches and parking lots but not in the public bathrooms because it would be an invasion of privacy.

Invasion of privacy. You think?
 
Two Wins, Baby!
The Jets are about to take off! What with the season two-thirds over, it looks like the New York Jets are finally making their move. That's right. They beat the Steelers yesterday 19-16 in overtime. Take that you non-believers.

The Giants also took a win yesterday over the Lions, beating them 16-10. The big game was, however, the late game where the Pats beat the Bills 56-10. That's not a typo.

While it may be somewhat anti-climactic, it's good to have a win. It wasn't a particularly good game, but they tied it up when they needed to, and sucked it up and scored at the end. Good job, but remember, they face the Cowboys on Thursday.

In other anti-climactic sports news, Jimmie Johnson won his second straight Nextel Cup yesterday, and everyone is wondering what happened to "The Chase."
 
Creepy Girl-Robot Video of the Day
Words fail at describing this video on Gizmodo.
 
Back in the Saddle
Mr. and Mrs. Base10 were down in Baltimore for an extended weekend. Nice town. We stayed in a very old hotel in Fell's Point. Fell's Point is the historic district of Baltimore and resembles the seafaring town of centuries past. It also seems to have more bars per block than any other American city I've ever seen. And I mean that as a good thing. We had a fun time, but unfortunately I forgot the camera. Click here if you'd like to check out some activities in Baltimore. We did bring back some growlers from this establishment.
Monday, November 12, 2007
 
The Size of the American Economy
Donald Luskin claims that "size does matter"--at least as far as the economy is concerned. Click on the link and check out the map of the US that superimposes comparable national GDP's with US state GDP's. The comparisons are surprising. It would be interesting to create this map with GDP's per capita.
 
Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow Fonder!
Base10 didn't know this. Absinthe is currently available for sale in the US. According to the article:
The complete end of prohibition – which, as the Times reports, has already taken place in the E.U. – is thanks in part to studies concluding that the chemical thujone, found in wormwood and often blamed for absinthe’s rumored hallucinatory effects, was barely present in historical absinthe. It’s now believed that the delirious effects reported by some absinthe drinkers may have been due to the toxic artificial coloring like copper sulfate used in cheaper brands.

Base10 would like to try it, but has heard that it is horrendous tasting and requires a sugar cube to be melted into it to become palatable.
 
Weekend Sports Wrap
The Giants disapointed fans on Sunday when they basically fell apart against the Cowboys. What should have been the must-see game this week, the performances weren't all that. Final score: 31-20.

In the other good game this weekend, the Chargers (in that whacky throwback uniform with the lightning bolts on the sleeves) beat the Colts at home 23-21.

Clearly, the biggest upset of the weekend was Ohio St. and Ilinois. The Illini beat the Buckeys 28-21. In what is looking like a wide open year for the BCS, LSU has takes the no. 1 spot in the rankings. How long they stay there is anyone's guess. The only undefeated team left is the third-ranked Jayhawks. Wow!
 
The Last Soldier
Check out this op-ed piece in the Times about the extraordinary life of Frank Buckles, the last surviving member of the US Expeditionary Force in WWI. As the article points out, Buckles is one of only three surviving American WWI vets and the other two were in boot camp when the war broke out. Godspeed, Mr. Buckles.

As the saying goes, if you're reading this, thank a teacher. If you're reading this in English, thank a soldier. Have a good Veterans Day.
Friday, November 09, 2007
 
Weekend Sports Preview
Base10 was watching the Louisville v. West Virginia game last night and it was pretty exciting. The Cardinals were trailing all night, but managed to tie it up in the last couple of minutes. They could not, however, hold on and lost on a last second TD. Good game and it shows that no ranked team is safe.

This weekend's NFL games do not include the Jets, so at least we can avoid another loss. Dallas v. Giants looks like the game to watch as well as the Indy v. San Diego game. The Chargers are struggling but are still a potential scoring powerhouse.

On the college side, the only ranked teams playing each other ar Georgia (18) v. Auburn (10), and USC (12) v. Cal (24). There is always the possiblity of an upset as well. The grudge match of the week looks like Florida v. S. Carolina pitting current Gator coach and NCAAF wunderkind Urban Meyer against former Gator coach Steve Spurrier.

We're certain the Base10 Cousin will be closely watching the Florida St. v. Virginia Tech. Florida St. is, of course, coming off an upset victory against no. 2 Boston College last week. Another upset could propel them back into the rankings.

In NASCAR Nation, there are only two races left in the Chase. Sunday's race is somewhat anticlimactic unless you're Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson. Base10 recently read a very interesting column by Jay Hart about the future of NASCAR. It is especially compelling given that Sam Harnish--the successful IRL driver--is switching to NASCAR next season.

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I'm a Slimy Mollusc!
At least today. See for yourself.
 
Bob Solow Quote of the Day
Bob Solow's major contribution to economics was the Solow growth model and growth accounting. Did you know that he once said this?
"Everything reminds Milton Friedman of the money supply. Everything reminds me of sex, but I try to keep it out of my papers."
- Robert Solow

 
Trouble in Pakistan
This can't be good. Musharraf has placed Bhutto under house arrest.

Nothing like internal instability in a nuclear power. Let people who think it would be okay for Iran to have a nuke ponder what that internal struggle would look like when the mullahs were finally overthrown.
 
I Really Am a Dork
The Times has a very interesting article about Daniel Cassidy, author of a book on Irish slang in NYC. Cassidy's contention is that many slang words in use today derive from Celtic words used by Irish immigrants.

The article is a good read, but I question some of his assertions. "Twerp" has an Irish derivation? Sounds more Yiddish to me. Interesting article nonetheless.
 
Creepy Accident Story of the Day
"Fall Into Wood Chipper Kills Tree Trimmer" - CBS News.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
 
Kids These Days
Megan McArdle on twenty-somethings and the irresistable urge to think that your generation is unique:
Somewhere in the past few years, I crossed the threshold at which I'm now old enough to remember how it used to be. Which makes it very hilarious to hang around people who think that they just invented sex and drinking binges. I was recently amused to be informed by a 28-year-old friend that, unlike the fogies I went to college with, people in his generation, frequently have friendly flings with buddies they do not actually intend to date seriously. No, really? Tell me more. And is it true that the people of your tribe slice the bread before you make the sandwiches?

 
Subprime Mess
Base10 read this article (and it's predecessor) at Nouriel Roubini's website. I've seen Roubini speak and he is a very smart guy, even though he seems to be constantly predicting an economic meltdown (eventually he'll be right). In fairness. he may have a point this time:
Suddenly markets and investors are discovering that many financial institutions were parking a large fraction of their asset in the level 3 bucket where they avoid using market prices to evaluate such assets but rather rely on “model valuations” and “unobservable inputs”. But now the forthcoming FASB 157 regulation will prevent them (unless heavy political lobby leads to a postponement of its implementation on November 15th) from playing such accounting tricks and force them to use market prices – when available even in illiquid market conditions – to price these assets.

And guess what now? New reliable estimates suggest that using these market prices – rather than level 3 model gimmicks - will lead to losses of another $100 billion on top of hundreds of billions of subprime losses. And some market participants are already talking – quite realistically – about total losses from this credit disaster in the $500 billion range.


The scary thing here is that Roubini is not the most pessimistic analyst. Bill Gross, chief investment officer of Pacific Investment Management Co. predicts losses of up to $1 trillion. Ouch!
 
Weird Story of the Day
"Priest arrested on charges of stalking Conan O'Brien" - CNN.

At least he's not underage. Come on. You were thinking it, too.
 
Rudy Wears Albatross Around Neck
Federal authorities are expecting an indictment of erstwhile NYC Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik today. Charges reportedly include tax fraud, tax evasion, public corruption and false official statements (stemming from lying on disclosure forms during his abortive attempt to be confirmed as DHS Director). Way to go, Bernie!

Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani said that Kerik's contribution in reducing crime outweight any wrongs he may have committed. Rudy, he was PC for sixteen months and most of his tenure consisted of standing behind you at press conferences in between sweaty sessions with Judith Regan.
 
Hillary and the Polls
Ed Morrissey is parsing a USA Today poll and ponders Hillary's negatives:
Hillary Clinton's negatives put her in the most precarious position in a general election than any other Democratic candidate. Eighty-five percent of Republicans, a majority of married men, and over a third of all women say they will never vote for the former First Lady, worse negatives than any other major contender running against her. While her strategist attempts to spin those numbers, Democrats may be getting nervous.


Hope for the GOP?
 
High School Was Never Like This
"Stripper Mistakenly Sent to School, Whips Teen" - Fox News.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
 
Science Marches On
"Extra weight said won't raise death risk " - AP.

"Being Fat Causes Cancer Says Study" - Daily Record.
 
We Don't Need Another Heroes
Base10 watched Heroes the other night and frankly, didn't care for it. You would think a show with props like Hayden Panettiere would be a little better, but the plot was indecipherable and the premise is such a rip-off of X-Men that I'm surprised they aren't getting sued. I've seen the show once before during the first season, but I think it suffers from a common ailment of American TV--when the show get successful, the writers tend to write themselves into a corner with over-the-top plot twists.
 
The Jets Really Stink
Base10 finally has enough psychological distance from Sunday's fiasco to write about it. You know, if we were playing .500 ball, it would be one thing to lose a close game against a physical team in overtime. But the Jets are not a .500 team and they have won only one game so far this season.

Amid the echoes of the Rich Kotite years, it's hard to put a finger on the causes. The terrible season has already cost Chad Pennington his job, although in fairness to him, Kellen Clemens wasn't any ball of fire in his second start, although it was good to see a QB that could actually throw a long pass and run for some yardage. The only thing you can hope for at this point is to regroup after the bye this weekend and retool for the end of the season. The Jets can build for next season by going out with a bang.

Back in geek mode, Wapo columnist Shankar Vedantam writes that Washington should have gone for it on fourth down in the last few minutes before the Jets tied it up--based on the economic reasoning of David Romer. Romer actually studied the phenomenon of kicking rather than going for it and concluded that teams are almost always better off going for it. Click here to read the original Romer article (pdf).

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Speaking of Greg Mankiw
Base10 has decided to follow the econo-bloggers a bit more and finds Greg Mankiw's blog to be particularly interesting (no surprise there--his macro textbook is one of the best intermediate texts out there). Mankiw has a great op-ed in the Times the other day about the mischaracterization of healthcare statistics. On the rising cost of healthcare:
Fortunately, our incomes are growing, and it makes sense to spend this growing prosperity on better health. The rationality of this phenomenon is stressed in a recent article by the economists Charles I. Jones of the University of California, Berkeley, and Robert E. Hall of Stanford. They ask, “As we grow older and richer, which is more valuable: a third car, yet another television, more clothing — or an extra year of life?” Mr. Hall and Mr. Jones forecast that the share of income devoted to health care will top 30 percent by 2050. But in their model, this is not a problem: It is the modern form of progress.

(link in original)

Good article. Here's a link to his blog.

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Krugman Smackdown
There is perhaps nothing sweeter than a 92 year-old still active economist giving Paul Krugman a smackdown. The economist in question is Anna Schwartz whom I have had the pleasure of meeting on a couple of occasions.

Via Greg Mankiw.

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Saturday, November 03, 2007
 
The Dry Spell is Over
They've been beaten by great Notre Dame teams. They've been beaten by lousy ones. But they have always been beaten. Fourty-three consecutive times. But not today. Go Navy!

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You Will Certainly Add This Link To Your Favorites
Hoiw could this be under Base10's radar? Purusing Instapundit today, Base10 came across a link to drinkboy--aka Robert Hess. His website is a cornacopia of cocktail information. Watch the video on how to make a Manhattan and learn about the history of the Marascino cherry. It's funny, but it seems like the cocktail world changed drastically after Prohibition.
 
Tragedy at the Marathon
US marathoner Ryan Shay died during the Olympic trials today in NYC.
 
Disturbing News
The breaking news this morning is the institution of a "state of emergency" in Pakistan. President Pervez Musharraf fired the country's chief justice and essentially declared martial law. This is certainly not the kind of instability that you want to see in a nuclear power. Here's a link to coverage at the Times.

Newly returned opposition leader Benazir Bhutto is facing a likely return to exhile or jail. Stanley Kurtz has what I think is the most succinct analysis at the Corner:

Left free, Bhutto would lead a movement in the streets for Musharraf’s
overthrow. So more likely she will indeed be jailed or deported, either option
establishing her as a martyr and, she hopes, successor to Musharraf if he is
deposed. But at this point, anything could happen, from a "successful"
emergency, to a democratic revolution, to a military coup, to an Islamist
takeover, and quite possibly some combination of the above.

Comforting.
Friday, November 02, 2007
 
Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Beer after sport 'is good for the body'" - Telegraph.

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