9/11

Of course, there's so much one could say, but, yet, it's really hard to say anything at all that would come close to approximating how we all felt that day. Was it really 6 years ago? It has been odd to me to look at the papers today and not see the expected feature stories about those who were lost that day, or the op-ed's trying to make some sense of the senseless.

Rather than go on, I will simply say that we should never forget and we should always strive to honor our mourned dead.

A Biological Reason for "Stay the Course"?

Interesting new study that shows that liberals tend to be more adaptable to new stimuli than conservatives.

So, maybe Bush can blame nature for his awful policies.

Movie Review: No End In Sight

Took in Charles Ferguson's Iraq documentary, No End In Sight, last evening and it is devastating and depressing. Well, even more than depressing it's fantastically frustrating. Frustrating because it is apparent that many of the principal players involved with formulating the justifications for the war (Vice President Dick Cheney and Paul Wolfowitz, former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy ) or those tasked with leading the war effort (former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld) or the rebuilding of Iraq (Coalition Provisional Authority head L. Paul "Jerry" Bremer) were so certain of the righteousness of their plans that they disregarded area experts, our own military commanders, and Iraqis in positions of power who were sympathetic to our cause.

Rumsfeld comes in for the most abuse, perhaps justifiably. His smack down of Gen Eric Shinseki for suggesting that we would need something on the order of "several hundred thousand troops" to pacify Iraq looks foolish in retrospect (it was in fact foolish at the time as well). Repeatedly, Rumsfeld looks like a man who had not in any way given thought to what a post Saddam Iraq would look like. He blithely dismissed the looting that presaged the general breakdown in Iraqi civil society by infamously saying that, "stuff happens".

Oddly enough, President Bush is largely absent from the movie. Apparently, Bush felt that all he needed to do was delegate down the chain and things would take care of themselves. I don't know if that leads to a more or less damning view of the man, but it is food for thought.

The most sympathetic figures in the movie are the lifers in the foreign service (Amb. Barbara Bodine, who was in charge of Baghdad for the U.S. Occupation) and several of the career military men (in particular Gen. Jay Garner, who was the head of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, or OHRA and Col. Paul Hughes, who was Director of Strategic Policy for the U.S. Occupation in 2003). Bodine was placed in impossible circumstances, finding her staff placed in office spaces that had been looted and lacking such basics as telephones to having her directives for security placement around prominent cultural institutions ignored (her team had wanted the national archives and library given top priority; no security teams were dispatched to those institutions, which were subsequently robbed of their treasures).

Garner and Hughes, on the other hand, were kneecapped almost immediately by Bremer once he was in country. As has been noted elsewhere, Bremer's two most fateful decisions were to purge all former Baath party members from positions of authority and to disband the Iraqi army; those two decisions, in my mind, actually helped form the basis of what is now the insurgency in Iraq. The combination of removing all the senior civil servants in the country and sending many hundreds of thousands of professional soldiers into the ranks of the unemployed with no means for recourse was just too combustible.

In any case, I would recommend the film to anyone who wants to understand why we are where we are in Iraq. The movie closes with U.S. Marine Lt. Seth Moulton saying, "Is this the best America can do? It makes you angry". Indeed, it does make you angry and it makes you want to desperately find a way to answer Lt. Moulton's question with some kind of positive formulation. But, the tragedy of our war in Iraq is that there may be no resolution with which anyone could be satisfied.

Why All the Fancy Vodka?

One commenter basically makes the point that, "It's the marketing, stupid" and I think that's right. I, for one, have never been able to tell the difference between Grey Goose and Stoli, or between Absolut and Skyy. But being that vodka is not my drink of choice, perhaps I'm not the best judge on the subject.

Mass Transit - Planes, Trains, and Metro...oh my

Because the Bay Bridge is closed for repairs (you don't say!) and due to the fact that I made a wise decision not to make a 24 hour suicide trip to Las Vegas today, I've been thinking a lot about methods of mass transit recently. My aunt who lives in Alexandria, VA is in town for my sister's wedding reception tomorrow, and during lunch today with my mom, we discussed DC's METRO, the S.F./Bay Area B.A.R.T. and New York City's subway system (which my mom and aunt are familiar with due to being born and raised in the Bronx).

In any case, I started off the discussion by relating some of the details of James Surowiecki's most recent "Financial Page" column in The New Yorker. Titled "The Unfriendly Skies", it deals with why airlines are basically able to give shit service and get away with it (main reason: if you use time as your currency, some trips are only economical if you fly; you can't just take off work for five days here and there to drive to every vacation destination...if you can drive at all). I experienced this myself on my recent "trip" to Montreal.

So, sadly, I find myself in agreement with the column's conclusion that Big Aviation has us by the balls. To bad, but c'est la vie.

But what of ground mass transit? Well, in keeping with a theme that the esteemed Rick Perlstein has observed, Ezra Klein notes that DC's METRO system is being stressed to the point of collapse due to underfunding. This is in keeping with Perlstein's wry observation that conservatives, once elected, defund programs they don't like so that they can prove that government doesn't work. Be that true or no, it's a particularity acute issue in the D.C. region due to the ongoing controversy surrounding the buildup of Tyson's Corner and the extension of the METRO to Dulles Airport.

As my aunt pointed out, one of the problems about Northern Virginia is that it's basically a large, loosely connected group of suburbs as opposed to being a stand alone major metropolitan city like a New York, or a Chicago or a San Francisco. Because of that, and the fact that so many people commute either into DC or Maryland to work, they can either only use METRO or they have to drive. As far as I know, there's not a viable bus system that gives good service throughout NoVa. The individual city and county systems in Northern Virginia do not have to work in concert, so my guess is that there is a patchwork quilt of options, some of which are attractive, but the majority of which are not.

Jumping back to air travel for a second...on Crooked Timber, there's an interesting discussion about what people would actually like to pay for in an airport (a shower, a clean place to nap, healthy food) vs. the actual offerings. Megan McArdle and Tyler Cowen both weigh in with ideas about what might be at play here (Megan talks about the premium of actual physical space, while Tyler talks about the collision of people in a confined place with money to burn and easy to market high end goods) but then Gary Leff of View from the Wing says that some of what both Megan and Tyler say is true:

Competitors don't undercut pricing because airport space is at a premiuum, adding space is difficult, and politics rather than markets distribute the space and allocate the services. Furthermore, competing airports aren't built on a whim, and the infrastructure necessary to offer some benefits is rather difficult to plan and build (plumbing).

Less infrastructure-intensive services do exist. Massage chairs and common, often in the middle of heavily trafficed areas. Live massages are offered in the North Satellite terminal in SEATAC. Bars offering liquor for a fee abound. But greater space is necessary for showers, and they're difficult to plan for and produce.


The product is bundled and sold at a premium. You have access to departure (and even sometimes arrivals) lounges when purchasing business or first class tickets. It's a component of the luxury good that constitutes the 'experience' above and beyond simple transportation that a premium class international airline ticket entails. Take for example Lufthansa's separate First Class Terminal at Frankfurt. International first customers have sit down dining don't even re-mix with business class customers upon boarding time -- instead being collected and driven directly out to the plane in a Mercedes or Porsche.

The product is expensive to offer. In addition to fixed costs such as plumbing, upkeep on gym equipment and showers is pricey. Substantial use degrades the investment quickly. And the way shower facilities are currently offered, marginal costs are meaningful, too.

Check into a lounge and tell the attendant you'd like to take a shower, you'll be offered a 'shower kit' which ranges in the particulars but will include towel(s), shampoos and other amenities (at nicer facilities, designer-branded such as Bvlgari), flip flops, razors, etc.

I don't know that I have much to add to this at the moment, but it's interesting stuff to consider.

Endorsements

Obama gets an important one from a member of the old guard...who also just happened to be right on Iraq.

"The inevitable certaily does take a long time in this administration."

Fredo out as Attorney General.

"Part Time Model"

I haven't gotten into "Flight of the Conchords", but I think I need to after seeing this:

"Stronger"

Kanye West and Daft Punk? Yep. And it's hot.

Wilco!

GREAT show last night at the Greek...2 1/2 hours of quality music. Jeff Tweedy had the best comment of the night when he said to the crowd, "You all smell high". Highlights for me were "Sky Blue Sky", "California Stars", "Either Way", "On And On And On" and "Jesus, Etc".

"The War As We Saw It"

This is a few days old now, but anyone seeking to find out what the conditions on the group in Iraq are really like, should take the time to read this op-ed that ran in the Sunday New York Times. Seven non-commissioned soldiers present a sobering look at the facts in Iraq. Truly a "must read".

"These Girls" by Ryan Adams

Well, girl sometimes i feel just like a boy
Put here on this earth for you to toy around with
Like matchbox cars you buy and burn in your backyard
Like monsters underneath your bed you ain't afraid of yet
But you let me in
And i feel alright
Yeah, i feel alright

The late night girls are anxious
And they're coming out to play
And i've been stranded on their doorstep for every night and day
I only want them more, it's so sad but when they smile
God, i've been had
I get hypnotized and i wanna go to bed

I used to pick up shells cast off the reef
One christmas i got a funeral and they handed me the receipt
How ever many lies i tell without my tongue
Get twisted into memories 'til i believe them some
And i toy with you
And you toy with me
Can you stop this please

God bless all the late night girls, and they're coming out to smile how can anybody feel bad
It makes me tired and i wanna go to bed
These are better off in my head
These girls are better off in my head
These girls are better off in my head
These girls

Deluge

Sometimes, when it rains, it just fucking pours.

Montreal!

So, I'm finally here! It only took being delayed at JFK for 5 +hours last night, stopping by 4 hotels before I found a place to crash, and a seven and a half hour drive from Manhattan at 6:45 a.m. this morning to get here (a special thanks to the Canadian government for keeping us in customs for 90 minutes)!

On the upside, I'm pretty sure I sat behinds this guy in the customs office.

The draft is done, the draft girls did an excellent job (I don't know how I feel about my team...more below) and now we're off to eat before heading to Opera, which is supposed to be the club of the moment in Montreal.

For those interested, and I know you ALL are, here's my team:

QB: Hasselbeck
QB: Farve

RB: Gore
RB: James
RB: B. Jackson
RB: M Robinson

WR: Walker
WR: Branch
WR: B Edwards
WR:Bennett
WR: Jarrett

TE: Shockey

DEF: Jags
DEF: Hawks

K: Wilkins

My thoughts? Well...I want to chalk it up to having only 4 hours of sleep and being in a car for 7+ hours, but I don't think this is a very good team. It's not a bad
team, but it depends on a few things (mostly Hasselbeck, Gore, Edge and Walker staying healthy). It has some balance and some upside with Braylon Edwards and Dwayne Jarrett, but we'll see.

A Fascinating Story About...

...roadsigns?

I was skeptical too, but this neat little piece traces the rise of the current sign age used on our interstate highways and shows how an environmental graphic designer and a type designer set out to make our signs easier to read. Very interesting. And there's even pretty pictures.

Potential New Food Obsession

Yogurt Bar at Union and Octavia. While I won't be giving up my Swensen's, it's nice to have a healthy alternative.

Will Blacks Vote For Obama?

Trey Ellis says "yes" and I largely agree and for the reasons that he sates.

As one might expect, Ellis' argument will surely lead to much gnashing of teeth in certain quarters (go and look at the comment section in the post above). But so much of what is being argued in his piece is, frankly, common sense. It's entirely plausible that blacks will not vote for Obama just because he's black, but also because he might indeed be the best candidate (or at least the candidate that best represents their interests). If Obama is the best candidate, he will garner a wider base of support, but it shouldn't be shocking that black people would line up like this (someone tell Hillary Clinton, whose supposedly has the "black vote" on lock).

And to those who would begrudge black people for actually voting for a viable black presidential candidate in part because he's black, please spare me. Did these same people get up in arms when people voted for George Bush because he gives off the vibe of someone down home and "authentic", a person you could have a beer with? Yes, racial and personality comparisons are not easy to make, but there is an underlying similarity and that is that people are drawn to ally themselves with people or things they know (or think they know; George Bush is a product of one of the most tony families in America, but that didn't prevent millions of people from convincing themselves that the son of a former president who was governor of Texas - and whose brother is a former state governor - who also attended Andover, Yale, and Harvard Business School was an "average Joe" just like them ). This, despite the fact that the policies of the candidate they most identified with often ran counter to their own interests. All of this, for better or for worse, is simply identity politics in action.

Obama's real problem isn't going to be "Will blacks vote for me"?; it's going to be actually getting people in the voting booth. To me, those aren't the same issue. One feels like something theoretical from a poll ("Would you consider voting for Barack Obama in the 2008 Democratic primary?") vs. catching someone coming out of the voting booth on primary day and asking them who they pulled the lever for and they respond, "Barack Obama". One seems tied to intent, the other to actual action.

Everybody Hates Chris

Mr. Daly can go Cheney himself. It's because of people like him that everyone thinks S.F. is home to irrational, bat-shit crazy lefties.

Update: Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Musical Obsession of the Moment

Thank God for iTunes gift certificates and Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic.com.

While trying to figure out how to burn through my $15, I perused AMG's best records of the year so far and found the elegant and refined songs of Nick Lowe. "At My Age" is just such an engaging listen...it's a portrait of a man who's truly lived, looking back over his time on earth, sometimes with regret, sometimes with razor sharp humor. Musically, the album runs from something like rockabilly to classic late night, jazz tinged piano ballads. Lowe's voice on the slower songs has that wonderful, weary sound to it and, to me, it recalls some of the mood of Tom Waits classic "Closing Time".

My favorite track is easily "Rome Wasn't Built In a Day". It's a slightly swinging tune with a confident protagonist musing on how he's going to win the object of his affection:

"You don't know it but I've made my mind up
You'll wind up in my arms
First I have to break down your resistance to my charms
Yes darlin'
I know it won't be easy
But I won't rest until I find a way
Everyobody knows that Rome wasn't built in one day"

I am most happy to see that Mr. Lowe (I think I have to refer to him that way; he's got the air of someone my grandfather, a classy gent himself, would have been friends with) is going to be coming to San Francisco later this year. I might be the only person under 50 at the show, but I'm in. I may even have to put on a suit for this one.

Movies

Had the chance to check out both The Bourne Ultimatum and SiCKO over the weekend. Jason Bourne = minor diety. Mr. Moore's newest film is pretty decent...though I'm almost certainly in Moore's wheelhouse in terms of target audience, I have a pretty strong aversion to his work, mostly because it's so sensationalized. I'm not a strident partisan, so I don't like blatant agitprop, and Moore is more skilled than most in building his movies with a particular slant. A neutral filmmaker, he is not. All that said, having navigated some of America's labyrinthine insurance industry in dealing with my arthritis, I am sympathetic to much of what is presented in the picture and I found the examinations of the nationalized health systems in Canada, England, France and Cuba (!) very interesting (and, I suspect those portions of the movie will be rather eye-opening to a lot of Americans). While the movie certainly comes down on the side of the little guy versus the big, bad insurance companies, in this case, I think the vast majority of Americans will want the little guy to wins this one in the end.