Yummy: Beyond The Bloody Mary

I saw this in the New York Times. All I have to say is - Who's in?

Recipe: Heirloom Tomato Mojitonico Adapted from Nacional 27

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, for rim 1/2 lime, cut into sections

1/2 cup heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped

1/4 cup fresh herbs (like basil, tarragon, thyme, chives or mint) loosely packed and not chopped

1 1/2 ounces gin

2 ounces tonic water, or to taste.

Rim a 16-ounce glass by moistening the edge with a lime wedge, then dipping the glass into a small plate filled with equal parts salt and pepper. Into the same glass add the tomatoes, herbs and lime sections, then muddle, gently, until the mixture is equal parts juice and solids. Add ice, stir, then add the gin, and stir again. Top with the tonic water.

Yield: 1 drink.

There are some other great ideas in the following article.... I want one right now!

Time To Give It Up: The US Dollar Ain't All That

People are actually debating if the US dollar should maintain currency "hegemony" in today's world. Given the emergence of the Euro and the rise of China, we should have been realizing the reality years ago: sooner or later there will be some sort of basket of currencies that are considered a valid store of value. And that is not a bad thing.

For the US to be concerned about this instead of looking to other issues makes me want to buy everyone a copy of that stupid business managment book called "Who Moved My Cheese?". Sadly, this book seems to resonate for me these days. It seems to be the source of almost all political and personal issues out there. Sad, but true.

But I digress. The US has been fortunate enough for a very long time to be able to do whatever they want without having issues with the value of the dollar.

Have enormous deficits and need to barrow insane amounts of money? The dollar stays high! Lower interest rates to practically zero? The dollar stays high! World falls apart? The dollar stays high! This will not be reasonable into the future.

Growth in the US is fully mature, demand is coming from counties on the rise, and in my opinion, the world may be less volatile if the entire global financial system were not dollar denominated. We would still be one of the most important, but the risk would be diversified. Time to recognize there is plenty of room for cheddar and provolone, the cheddar is getting too sharp anyhow.

Oy Vey - I Always Thought The Cookie Monster Is A Member Of The Tribe

I would have liked hebrew school a lot better if we had a Jewish themed Sesame Street called Shalom Sesame. As the worst jew in the world, I can honestly say that sounds AWESOME! In fact, I am sitting around eating a bacon cheesburger with lobster on top as we speak (ok, I am not, but sounds delicious huh?). I would watch it for sure, and I have always had a thing for Big Bird because I like nice guys, but I know all the girls love Oscar. I have no idea how this came about (not the crush, silly), but my guess is that there are still loads of members of the tribe in the entertainment business, and when they are enjoying a spliff they thought of this gem. Viva PBS!

Universal Healthcare: Insurance Companies Already Ration Care

So here is an interesting video about why we need universal coverage, and honestly, it is pretty compelling.


Insurance companies are for PROFIT. They report to shareholders, not patients. Check out this op-ed by a former message maker for the industry. Therefore insurance companies already ration care. If there is a belief that the government will ration, well at least they have some sort of conscious about it. And there is government run medical insurance - it is called Medicare, and it will most likely be gone before we get old enough to use it, along with our social security benefits.

I beginning to think that insurance companies need some competition to make sure that they stay on the up and up, and a government option would need to have actual business people helping them be as cost efficient as possible.
My personal take that there is confusion because some people are concerned about the cost of care, and others are concerned about the uninsured. While these things are related (see my earlier posts on the topic), they are not fulling correlated. And my guess is that the people who are fully insured care less about uninsured and those who are uninsured or under insured are concerned about universal coverage. These are not the same issues and it is making it hard to have a coherent conversation because the factions care about different things.....

RIP: Ellie Greenwich

Check out all these videos by legendary songwriter Ellie Greenwich. Here are a few of my favorite do wah ditties.....

Fashion's Night Out - NYC

You know something is afoot when fashion has to approach the "little people". As one of those 175,000 people at one time, I am liking the nicer, gentler attitude. Don't hate them because they are beautiful, and go have some fun. That is what fashion is, fun - nothing more, nothing less. It sure does not solve world hunger, or cure cancer, but it sure does make life a tiny bit better....

Craptastic Video: Loverboy - Everybody's Working For The Weekend

This is a fantastically awesome 80's craptastic video. Enjoy!

The Philosophy Of Lying And Deception

This is a very interesting series about lying and if it is subjective or not. I suppose there is always three sides of a story - one for one person, one for the another and the truth. It is titled "7 Lies About Lying".....

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

When I was young, I used to see things and black and white, seriously black and white. As you can see from this blog, I am still quite opinionated these days (I like to think a little tender with my tough), but as I travel the world and learn something new everyday, I do indeed see that one man's trash is another man's treasure.

Jewish And Italian Mothers Had It Right

Apparently, since parents can push our buttons because they installed them, teaching kids at a young age to feel guilty is a good thing. Nice thing there are psychotherapists for when you grow up.

Justice Department: Part II

Apparently, it is official. Obama to do nothing to step in about the possible persecution of CIA operatives. This is a major mistake from my perspective. Here is an op-ed debate on the topic so you can decide for yourself......

What The Heck Can We Smoke Anymore?

Sadly, shisha is bad for you. You know I am usually trying to sell the idea of legalizing another form, but as a dark day to anyone who likes the apple-y goodness and a nice cup of tea while hanging out at a cafe. Bummer.... But no real surprise.....

On another note, I actually have a friend from Tunisia named Sophia Hashisha, which means "Pure Hash". How cool is that? If you don't believe me, check out my friends on facebook.....

Just Department Should Not Persecute CIA Abuses and Obama Should Step In

My guess is the CIA did some really bad things under the Bush Administration. REALLY BAD. Evil bad. However, given the the fish rots from the head, and that head is now in Texas somewhere, it is time to let it go. The atmosphere that was created by the legal mishapings of the Bush administration. People were doing what they thought was right given that milieu. It was a time of fear and distrust and ideological clashes as to how you become "safe", even though safety is a myth.

If I were Obama, I would come out hard against any presecutions of anyone below a certain rank. Again, due to organizational structure and human behavoir, people were following instructions and saving their careers. Lame, I know, but most people are risk averse and do whatever they need to do to preserve their personal status quo.

If I were obama, I would put an end to all of the wrangling. I would come out and say that any person (below a certain rank) persecuted by the justice department will recieve a pardon. This does not mean he should praise the past actions, but that we are now focusing on other ways to create safety. And that americans will not go against our values to go after people again. We do not get a pass on the foundations of this country because people don't like us.

Take A Listen: Getz Gilberto

At this very moment, I am sitting on my sun porch and I am listening to the best Sunday morning music humanly possible - Bossa Nova. The album is Getz Gilberto - which was released in 1964. It is light, hopeful, and you can literally hear the water lapping on the beach in Rio. To the right is a photo of the amazing tile work they have on the side walks there. Can you imagine anything more fun that having cool art right under your feet?

In case you need a refresher, here is the lovely Girl From Ipanema for your listening pleasure. I was her for one week not long ago - dark and lovely. I even have a Brazilian bikini to prove it...... My ass will never be the same....

Does Evolution and Religion Have To Be Mutually Exclusive?

Photo of CS Lewis

Check out this fantastic OpEd from the NYTimes that shows that maybe evolution can be consistent with religion.

It talks about CS Lewis, who is a Christian intellectual (of Chronicles of Narnia Fame), who wrote a fantastic book called "Mere Christianity". I had a chance to read it a while back, and if Christians actually acted like he says they should we should all sign on in the true loving spirit that he expounds on. As we know, sadly Christians tend to be humans, and often they behave like judgemental ninnies - just like many people in many faiths.

Happy Ramadan: Memories of An African Celebration

I wanted to take time to acknowledge the holiday of the Muslims today. Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims where they take time purify themselves and become more pious.

It is a month of fasting from sun up to sun down, which slows down your life in an amazing way. My only experience with fasting is Yom Kipper, but I can tell you that hunger sharpens the mind.

I have very fond memories of Ramadan while in Mali. Besides the welcoming spirit of all of my gracious hosts, it was the first times I had seen an animal slaughtered. I watched every minute, making me feel very close to the holiday and I reveled in eating the bounty that was put before me.

This bounty was the one time per year that the families indulged. They saved for months and months to be able to afford the food, and they shared it with open arms. I left those celebrations full to the gill both emotionally and physically.

I should add that as a Jew (seriously non-observant to my mother's chagrin), it was wonderful to get a to know a faith in way that was so genuine, and may not be possible to experience in other places given my name.

The Place To Party - The VFW

Here in the Tundra, there are these bars called VFW's, as in Veterans of Foreign Wars. I think they use the proceeds for something, but not sure. Anyhow, not only do they have super cheap drinks - what an interesting cultural experience going to one was!

I was out for my friend's b-day last night and after dinner we hit the VFW for a little Karaoke. To say nothing of our sweeping rendition of "Careless Whispers", it was really interesting to see how the crowd changed over the course of the evening. It went from older folks to young hipsters in the course of about three hours. My guess is lured by the drunken singing, the cheap hootch and divey atmosphere is winning combo as the night goes on.

I would probably give it a 6-7 out of ten (depending on my mood), the cheap drinks, fun spirit and wide musical selection was well worth exploring. To say nothing of viewing the elusive 45 ish not so polished men getting hammered.

Happy 25th Powerpoint

For all of us who are a little confused about what we actually "do" for a living....
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People To Be Inspired By: Michael Pritchard

When I was in Mali, I drank less than potable water. I had all sorts of tummy nasties when I got home. However, what was more horrifying was the sick and children who had dysentery for no other reason then their water was not healthy. We used to joke amongst ourselves - "Note to self, stop eating shit". While in the American context this seems silly, in many other places, it is the reality for everyone.

Please see this very inspirational video from TED about how we can give everyone healthy drinking water, and move onto problems that can't be solved.

Game Theory: Can It Be Used To Predict Political Events

This is a very interesting article about using game theory to predict possible international political outcomes.

What is game theory, any normal person may ask? It is essentially having a model to predict behavior taking into consideration other players behavior (here is a good explanation). When I was in school we learned about game theory and I have always struggled with doing it properly, however, it is one math application I wish I knew better.

Enjoy!

Policy Proposal: Time To Get Skinny

I have some not very PC views on obesity. I fully agree with this article that talks about how unhealthy behaviors should be taxed and the burden of behavioral based societal externalities should be born by they people who create those extra costs. This is not to say that if you have poor genetics that you should not be given some dispensation, but for the 40% of obesity that can be reduced by behavior, you should be expected to change you behavior.

Give Me A Good Evil Devil Story Any Day

Thoughts on Healthcare Reform

Some ideas to consider when thinking about healthcare reform. Firstly, I am ashamed, as an American, of republican activists who are against this who are using death threats and threatening violence as social protest. We have legislative and judicial systems for a reason. On another note:

Here are some of the key drivers of why healthcare is so expensive, we need to address these issues before we can fix the system:
a. The last 6 months of someone's life cost of care dwarfs the totality of costs in all of the rest of someone's life. We do need to acknowledge that we heroics with marginal benefits that cost endless dollars is not an option. Especially with 47 mm baby boomers moving into the end quarter of their lives. This does not equal death panels.

b. Malpratice premiums are insane because of the litigious nature people in the USA. This is also the reason why practitioners are forced to overcare with expensive tests and procedures. Things go wrong in medicine, it is unrealistic to think that just because something goes wrong means that someone is incompetent.

c. Hospitals have to charge inflated rates because they have to service everyone who comes into their emergency room, which people are using as a form of medical care. Until hospitals can separate out those costs to know how much they are bringing in on paying customers, we will have no idea of how much procedures should cost.

Just some thoughts, I am enjoying getting educated on the topic, and I learn something everyday.

Executive Pay

I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. What have investment banks learned from the populist attempt to limit pay - exactly what I said they would - they would either:

A. Not call it a bonus anymore
B. Contractually guarantee the bonus (Aka - same as salary)

All of the bankers who are unemployeed have learned that the money was not free, and that in the future they should save because that is what they are getting paid for, the riskiness of the job and the potential of being laid off.

I am not saying the system is perfect, but putting limits on performance is a bad idea. Instead, the money should be tied to longer term incentives and not paid out all at once. That is what we want anyhow, which is more "investment" in longer term success of the financial system.

Is GDP A Good Measure Of National Wellness

This is an interesting oped about how GDP is not a good measure for wellbeing. While it might seam that rising GDP would indicate an overall betterment of a nation, it clearly is not digging deep enough. There are always winners and losers in development, and distribution of wealth measures are key to understanding what affects people on the ground in each country.

Ode To Indiana: John Couger Mellencamp

I was in Indianapolis for a spectacularly fun wedding. Besides it being really flat, and my massive hangover today, I wanted to give everyone a John Cougar Mellencamp montage.

Do We Come From Aquatic Apes?

Here is an amazing example what to do when your paradigm is wrong????

Do Women Make Better Bosses

Here are some smarty pants people talking about if women make good better bosses????

My personal thought is that both men and women make good bosses, however, any any situation without diversity of thought will not be good place to work, and won't succeed in the long run.

Half Sours - Yummy!

Check out the article about a lower east side NY institution that is moving to brooklyn due to rent hikes. I have fond memories of spending time in an area that before it become hipster heaven, was a true mixing pot.

In no particular order:
1. Late nights at Max Fish, a bar that was in the neighborhood way before it was popular. It is a bright dive bar that is always a good time, fun people, good space, and nice vibe.

2. Jew food at Katz's - there is nothing like a late night knebleworst, half sour pickles, and matzah ball soup.

3. Going with my dad to buy a "talit" - a prayer shawl. I had just moved to NYC, my dad came to visit and we went to a jewdaica store. I was dressed in what would not be considered modest, but the rabbis there were super nice and thought of men to set me up with.

4. Seeing burlesque and the blue bunny at the slipper room. No one can tell me naked is more sexy than a tease.

Word Of The Week: Depravity

I just watched a movie preview for the new Sherlock Holmes movies, which looks pretty good. Anyhow, they used the word depravity, which I think is my new substitute for debauchery. Classier, I think - it implies more of a choice taken than random behavior. However, that is clearly not part of the definition as you can see below......

de·prav·i·ty
Pronunciation:
\di-ˈpra-və-tē also -ˈprā-\
Function:
noun
Date:
1641

1 : a corrupt act or practice
2 : the quality or state of being depraved

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