What Caught My Eye Today: Presidential Election, Fracking, God

Presidential Election - Fred's Note: We're less than 6 weeks to Election Day, though early voting is now underway. Sort of a good news/bad news deal for both candidates. For Romney the bad news is that there has been a lot of bad news. The good news is that in terms of Electoral College votes, Romney is pretty much in the same situation as he was a couple of weeks ago, though several poll suggest that he's losing ground in a few swing states, making the path to the White House much more challenging. For Obama, the good news is that his polling numbers are on an upswing. The bad news is that polls aren't the same thing as actual votes. Another bright spot for Democrats is that they might just manage to keep their majority in the Senate, if only by the skin of their teeth. Bring on the debates.

Fracking - So far in 2012, carbon dioxide emissions in the United States have dropped to their lowest level in 20 years, down 14% from their peak in 2007. No way. Wait, I know why. With unemployment being so high, fewer people have jobs to drive to. And with fewer people working, they are buying less, which obviously means factory output is down. In other words...this too is an indictment of the failed policies of the incumbent President. What that's you say...too much hubris? Yeah, well turns out there is an actual logical explanation for the decrease in emissions. Thanks to the natural gas boom created by drilling into shale formations - the process known as "fracking" - the U.S. has cut way back on its use of coal to generate electricity, and shifted to gas, which emits 45% less carbon dioxide. As a result, the nation's emissions dropped by 500 megatons per year, about twice the total impact of the Kyoto Protocol on emissions throughout the rest of the world. Two reactions here. First, damn, we create a lot of emissions. A mere 14% decrease on our part amounted to the combined reductions of most of the rest of the world over several years. Of course the rest of the world didn't include China or India either. Second thing is while this is all well and good, does anyone have a clue what the long term impact of all this fracking might be? Neither do I

Fred's Note: If the presidential election doesn't provide enough dinner time fodder for you, we'll end this post with a philosophical question on the existence of God. Nothing controversial there.

God - Science can be said to have gradually chipped away at the traditional grounds for believing in God. Unless, of course, you are one of the few enlightened ones who has truly embraced creationism. Much of what once seemed mysterious can now be explained by biology, astronomy, physics and other domains of science. My daddy says all that science talk is hokum. Some scientists say there's good reason to think science will ultimately arrive at a complete understanding of the universe that leaves no grounds for God whatsoever. Physicists have observed that many of the physical constants that define our universe, from the mass of the electron to the density of dark energy, are eerily perfect for supporting life. Alter one of these constants by a hair, and the universe becomes unrecognizable. Theologians often seize upon the so-called "fine-tuning" of the physical constants as evidence that God must have had a hand in them; it seems he chose the constants just for us. Let me see if I've got this straight. God is a a cosmologist? Even if cosmologists manage to explain how the universe began, and why it seems so fine-tuned for life, the question might remain why there is something as opposed to nothing. Dude, I was so thinking about that very conundrum right before I sat down to write this. Is that spooky or what? To many people, the answer to the question is God. I came up with a slightly different answer myself -- 4.8. Psychology research suggests that belief in the supernatural acts as societal glue and motivates people to follow the rules; further, belief in the afterlife helps people grieve and staves off fears of death. Simply put, "We're not designed at the level of theoretical physics." Psychology huh? Now that's what I call hokum.

What Caught My Eye Today - Presidential Election, Potpourri

Presidential Election - Fred's Note: 50 days left to the election. Here's how the polls might play out if the election were held today.  Sort of a mixed bag depending on your political leanings. Democrats look pretty good to retain the White House for another 4 years. Republicans can take some solace in the fact that they may win a majority in the Senate and retain a majority in the House, albeit by a smaller margin.  Isn't that nice? Political gridlock for everyone.



Potpourri - It's been a while since our last compilation of newsworthy odds and ends. Let's remedy that shall we?

• Banks - The world's oldest bank, Monte dei Pashi founded in 1472 in Siena, Italy, has survived the Borgias, pestilence, and too may wars to count, but now finds itself on the brink of insolvency due to ill-advised expansion in 2007 and Italian government debt. Its $30 billion in Italian government bonds has resulted in $2 billion in losses over the first 6 months of 2012. Evidently, the Italians have not embraced the notion of "too old to fail".
• Skyscrapers - A Chinese company plans to build the world's tallest skyscraper in just thre months in China's central Hunan province. The build says the tower will be 2,749 feet tall (33 feet taller than Dubai's Burj Khalifa) and be made of prefabricated block that connect like Lego bricks. A classical case of "mine is bigger than yours" syndrome. Seriously though, who in their right mind thinks building a half mile tall structure in 3 months is a good idea?
• Homeownership - The U.S. rate of homeownership is 62.1%, the lowest level since 1965. In 2005, the rate topped 68%. This doesn't take into account homeowners in foreclosure or loan delinquency, which suggests a further decline awaits. Remember, when homeownership was viewed as a "sure thing" investment vehicle? Me neither.
• Speed Limits - The Texas Transportation Commision approved an 85 mile per hour speed limit for a stretch of road near Austin, topping the previous national record of 80 mph for highways in souther Utah and western Texas. At some point, you have to wonder, why even bother with a speed limit. Of course, in my case, it doesn't really matter. The only way my bucket of bolts is going to hit 85 is if I drive off the side of a cliff.
• Metaphysical Services - eBay has bans the sale of "metaphysical services," such as magical potions and lottery number predictions, saying that eBay wants to be "a trusted marketplace where buyers have a consistently great experience." Potions, prophecies and spells were "not meeting that standard." Damn muggles. They have to poo-poo everything, don't they?
• Lap Dancing - A strip club in New York is trying to reduce its tax bill by claiming that lap dancing is an art form equivalent to ballet. The state solicitor general countered that "if the women kept their clothes on, no one would be coming to the bar for the dance performances. Duh. I can go see traditional ballet anywhere. But ballet at a nudie bar??? You just don't see that everyday do you...unless of course you subscribe to HBO.

Did You Know? #7

What are the eight-thousanders?

The eight-thousanders are the 14 independent mountains on Earth that are more than 8,000 metres (26,247 ft) high above sea level. They are all located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges in Asia. In descending order of height, the eight-thousanders consist of: Mount Everest (8848m), K2 (8611m), Kangchenjunga (8586m), Lhotse (8516m), Makalu (8485m), Cho Oyu (8188m), Dhaulagiri I (8167m), Manaslu (8163m), Nanga Parbat (8126m), Annapuma I ((8091m), Gasherbrum I (8080m), Broad Peak (8051m), Gasherbrum II (8034m) and Shishapangma (8027m). As of 2011, a total of 26 people have summitted all 14 peaks undisputedly.

What Caught My Eye Today - Job Creation, Code Names, Vegetarianism

Job Creation - With the Democratic National Convention in full swing, a number of party leaders are attempting to boost President Obama's re-election effort by asserting that 4.5 million new jobs have been created during his term. Wow that sure sounds like a lot, don't it? President Obama himself has recently claimed more job growth in the past 29 months than President George W. Bush created "during the entire seven years before this crisis." Everybody say it with me now...4 more year, 4 more years. 4 more years.. However, CNN fact-checked that claim and found it to be "not the whole picture." Say what? There has been a net increase of just 300,000 non-farm payroll jobs since Obama took office. And if you count government jobs, there are actually 400,000 fewer people working today than in January 2009. Now that can't be right. How could anyone possibly confuse 4.5 million with a negative 400,000? When Democrats use the 4.5 million jobs number, they're referring to jobs created after the economy bottomed out in January 2010, one year after Obama took office. That time frame excludes the worst job losses, which took place in 2009, and which many Democrats argue were the result of Bush policies. Don't you just love when politicians practice their math skills? It's the only profession that I know of where "two plus two equals five" is the norm. Historical analysis of job growth percentages shows that Obama still fares better than some recent presidents. As of July, Obama is averaging +0.84% annual job growth in his term. That places him ahead of Bush, who saw +.051% growth in his first term and -0.84% in his second term. Obama is also tracking better than George H.W. Bush, who presided over +0.64% growth during his one term in the White House. Obama's job growth percentages trail far behind some other recent presidents, including Bill Clinton (+2.60% and +1.60%), Ronald Reagan (+1.75% and +2.53%) and even Jimmy Carter (+2.30%). So when it comes to job creation (or loss), is it really a question of competency or being in the right place at the right time (or as I like to say, "dumb luck")? I tend to think if you employ the right math, it probably doesn't matter.


Code Names - This one is kind of fun, mostly because I like cloak and dagger stuff. Though apparently, there isn't as much cloak and dagger as there used to be. Paul Ryan, who received Secret Service protection last month after being picked as Mitt Romney's running mate, has his new Secret Service code name to brandish: "Bowhunter." Ryan, a skilled archer and deer hunter whose kills are well-documented, chose the code name himself. Is it just me or does it seem a bit cheezy for a gut to pick his own code name? Ryan's wife, Janna, is "Buttercup." Mitt Romney, who has had Secret Service protection since January, is known as "Javelin"—a handle that could refer to a vintage muscle car manufactured by American Motors Corp., where Romney's father, George, was once chairman. Yeah, that's totally the first thing that came to my mind too. What's that? You were thinking maybe I was going to go with some phallic reference? Please. This is a classy blog. President Barack Obama's Secret Service code name, chosen during his 2008 presidential campaign, is "Renegade." Michelle Obama's code name is "Renaissance," while first daughters Malia and Sasha go by "Radiance" and "Rosebud," respectively. One cannot help but wonder just how much the letter R has contributed to the Obama re-election campaign or why he didn't go with the letter D instead. Obama's opponent in the 2008 election, Sen. John McCain, was "Phoenix," a nod to his home state. McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, was "Denali." The code name tradition dates back to when communications between the Secret Service and White House Military Office were not encrypted. A spokesperson for the U.S. Secret Service said, "Given modern capabilities to secure communications through encryption, there is no longer any security relevance to protectee call signs." Naturally, this got me to thinking about code names for myself. I'm thinking of either "Magnificent One" or "He Who All Others Aspire To Be Because He Personifies All That is Right and Just in the World". I kind of like the way the second one rolls off the tongue.

Vegetarianism - For the first time ever, McDonald's is opening a pair of restaurants that will not serve any meat at all. Oh great. Yet another sign that the apocalypse is upon us. Both of the restaurants will open next year in India — one in the city of Amritsar (the holiest site in the Sikh religion), and one in the town of Katra (a "jump-off point" for Hindus visiting the mountain shrine of Vaishno Devi). The stores will serve the vegetarian items currently sold in Indian McDonald's restaurants, and the chain will likely develop some new items as well. It's all because of local preferences. Cows are sacred in India, and much of the country is vegetarian. So the existing McDonald's locations in India don't serve beef, but they do serve lots of chicken in its place. Sure, why not call it chicken, just for the sake of argument. Seriously, have you ever really looked at the stuff they put in those McChicken sandwiches? For instance, there's no Big Mac in India. Instead, stores serve the Maharaja Mac, which has chicken patties. It also sells the Filet-o-Fish, Chicken Nuggets and more non-beef menu items. The two vegetarian locations won't serve any chicken or fish items at all. Click here to see some of the other unique offerings available at your friendly neighborhood Indian golden arches.

What Caught My Eye Today - Stock Market, 2012 Presidential Race, Taiwan, China

Stock Market - Feel free to file this one in the "Isn't that ironic?" folder. For a lot of Americans asking whether they're better off than when President Barack Obama took office in 2009, it's a tossup. Some things are better, such as job security, lending conditions and the stability of the overall economy. But there are fewer jobs, incomes have fallen and average net worth has plummeted. As a member of the investor class, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has benefited directly from one of the few developments under Obama that has been unambiguously positive. One thing Obama can genuinely crow about is a vigorous stock market rally during his first three-and-a-half years. Wait, wait. Save your breath. I already know the response to this is. Something to the affect of, "The market didn't go up because of him, it went up in spite of him" Did I get that right? From the day Obama took office, the S&P 500 stock index has risen by 64%. Overall, the rising stock market has helped Americans recover nearly $10 trillion worth of financial assets since 2008, according to Federal Reserve data. The bottom line for Romney is that he most likely suffered losses under Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush. Let me if I've got this straight--the market goes up, but we don't like the guy, so it's his fault that the market didn't go higher; however, the market went down under the other guy who we liked, so clearly the market conditions were beyond his control, so it's not his fault. Okay, I think I got it. For a second there, I thought there might be some sort of double standard.

2012 Presidential Race - So we wrapped up the Republican National Convention last week and have the Democratic National Convention this week. Guess what, both political parties think their guy is the one best equipped to lead the nation for the next four years. Crazy, I know. These things are so scripted, I'm not sure anyone who has already decided who they are going to vote for is likely to change their mind, and those who haven't -- if they tune in to both conventions -- are going to be swayed one way or the other. That said, what we can be sure of is some great soundbites. First, the Obama campaign. The headline says it all -- Obama aide: ‘The country is better off’. The way I heard it, they canned the Obama aide who said the country was in the crapper; dude was not towing the party line.  Meanwhile, Mitt Romney sprinkled his latest stump speech with sports analogies, arguing "If you have a coach that's zero and 23 million, you say it's time to get a new coach." Isn't he just the wittiest guy? And not to be outdone in the quotable quote department, Hank Williams Jr., whose "Monday Night Football" theme song was pulled by ESPN last year after he compared President Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler, lashed out at the president during a Labor Day weekend concert saying, "We've got a Muslim for a president who hates cowboys, hates cowgirls, hates fishing, hates farming, loves gays, and we hate him!" Atta boy, Hank. Who needs facts when a health dose of slander will do?

What with all the lofty news coming out of the U.S. political arena, I thought it might be nice to switch things up a bit with these last two items courtesy of our Asian brethren. As is often the case with stories such as these, I'm not sure how exactly they qualify as newsworthy, but they sure are noteworthy.
Taiwan - Taiwan's government wants men to sit down to urinate in the interest of cleanliness. The country's Environmental Protection Administration has directed local governments to put up signs in public restrooms requesting that men sit so they are less likely to leave a mess. There's a "number one" vs. "number two" joke in there someplace. And another thing...what do you think the Public Service Announcement for this initiative will look like? A Swedish political party recently published research showing that men empty their bladders more thoroughly while sitting.  Okay, this is a little creepy if you ask me. A political party is keeping tabs on our potty breaks?  A line has definitely been crossed here.
China - The latest beach accessory in China is the "face-kini," a full head mask that ensures that wearers go home without any trace of a tan. Of course they did. What sane person would actually want to risk contact with sunlight when they venture outside? In China, darker skin has traditionally been associated with outdoor labor, while pale skin indicates aristocratic status, so the new mask in proving to be popular. It always fascinates me how perception can vary so much depending on who you are and where you live. Personally I equate a bit of sun with having some balance in one's life that includes some time outdoors as opposed to the pasty white skin that usually comes with spending too much friggin' time behind my desk.