"Sarah Palin Chose 'B'": Question 11

Check this out.

I'd like to add another question to the 10 posed in the linked post. That question is: "Given the history of decision-making by Sarah Palin surrounding the bringing into this world of her unborn, special needs baby, can you trust Sarah Palin as President (a) to be thoughtful, careful, and prudent in making the right decisions for the American people or (b) to act irrationally and in ways that would put the health and well-being of our country and its citizens at much greater risk?"

I think the answer is obvious.

St. Vincent de Paul "Meet Me In Manhattan" Raffle

The national St. Vincent de Paul Society, a very fine charity, is having a raffle fundraiser in support of their ongoing work. The raffle prizes are simply phenomenal. Heck, even though I wouldn't be too keen on meeting up with Bill O'Reilly as part of the Grand Prize, one has to at least recognize that, politics aside, one has to applaud O'Reilly's work on behalf of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which really does wonderful work for some of the most marginalized in our society. But I'd gladly accept the Third Place prize of two 2011 Superbowl Tickets in Dallas -- especially since the Saints could repeat! Check it out and consider participating.

Hat Tip to John Hawkins at Right Wing News for alerting me to this event.

Random NOLA

Here is my next addition to Random NOLA, which is a blog posting category that features a photo that I've taken from places around the city of New Orleans that make up a part of my day. They won't be pre-arranged. And I'm going to try to make them pictures of inconspicious scenes, but potentially identifiable to the attentive native. In other words, don't expect to find pictures of the Superdome or the St. Louis Cathedral or other such easily identifiable places. Where possible, I'll also try to keep street signs out of the picture, too. The goal is not only just to share a brief, random part of the path of my day, but also to see if true NOLA-philes can figure out exactly where in the city this scene is located. So, without further ado, here's the next "Random NOLA" Photo. Click on the picture to enlarge it. Give it your best shot and put your guess in the Comments section:

He Ain't Lazy, He's My Louisiana Brother!

New data reveal that -- surprise! -- Louisiana is the country's "laziest" state!

In a new ranking by Businessweek.com based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Louisiana claims the top spot as the country's laziest state.

Qualifier:

To be clear, by "lazy" we do not mean lacking work ethic or engagement. Rather, it is a measure of leisure time spent doing sedentary activities compared with activities that require more physical effort, such as exercising and even working.

I chalk it up to the oppressive heat during the dog days of summer, and the lure of fried shrimp po-boys. More data:

While residents in developed areas such as New Orleans, a compact city with sidewalks, gyms, and outdoor events, have opportunities to be active, Louisianans in the rest of the state spend more time at sedentary activities than the average American. According to BLS data, for example, they sleep an average 8 hours and 44 minutes per day, watch an average 3 hours and 5 minutes of television, socialize for 54 minutes, and relax for 29 minutes. The average time spent working among all Louisianans — 2 hours, 41 minutes — is shorter than in all other states, according to the BLS data.

The average for the U.S. population: 8 hours, 35 minutes sleeping; 2 hours, 38 minutes watching television; 44 minutes socializing; 18 minutes relaxing; and 3 hours, 23 minutes working. Looked at another way, Louisianans over the course of a year spend on average 3,285 more minutes sleeping and 9,855 more minutes watching television than the national average.

In North Dakota, the least inactive state, people sleep 8 hours, 4 minutes; watch 2 hours, 19 minutes of television; socialize for 40 minutes; and relax for 22 minutes. The average time North Dakotans spend working is just over 5 hours.

Now what I want to know is what constitutes "average time spent working" -- because it seems exceedingly low for those of us who know that we spend more than 8 hours of the weekday working. If these statistics on average time working are true, I guess we have a clear indicator of why the U.S. is losing so much ground in competitive productivity across the world. But, my suspicion is that this category is classified in a way that isn't quite accurate, which makes me want to question the whole survey.

Regardless, we do like our slow pace of life here in Louisiana. That's true.

Blogging Self-Nudge Update

Well, folks, I did it. I made it through exactly one year under my blogging self-nudge pledge. I have to admit, it hasn't been easy. And some postings were just cheap throwaway links or one-liner comments or YouTube clips, etc. But they were all acceptable postings under the agreement I made with myself. But some of the postings were things that I put some thought into and am still proud of having written them. Some of them were controversial and some were silly. But they were all mine and the experience has been a good one.

Right now, I am considering whether to take a break from the blogging self-nudge, and I have until the end of the month to make a decision. I'm leaning towards keeping it operational, just because I really think the idea of the nudge works. The incentives undergirding it were, at times, the only things that got me to put something, anything, up on the blog. But I'm not sure if I ought to give myself a little break from it. If any of you have any thoughts about this whole experiment and if a break is warranted, let me know what you think.

Regardless, I do enjoy blogging. It's a way for me to vent. It's also a way for me to get challenged and to be kept intellectually grounded and honest.

Anyway, just wanted to note the milestone here and to say that "nudges" do work. I'm a believer. In fact, I'm even thinking about starting up an exercise and weight-loss "self-nudge," too. I just have to think about it realistically in a way that is both healthy and reasonable. I don't need to lose a lot of weight (my goal would be about 20-25 lbs.), but I do need to exercise more regularly. If I do get that self-nudge in place, I'll let you know.

In the meantime, try a self-nudge! I highly recommend it.

Conservative Hypocrisy and the Ground Zero Mosque in New York

I hear a lot from some of my regular conservative readers and friends about keeping government small and local. About respecting local authorities and decision-making processes.

It's all about small and local.

And yet ... many conservatives who espouse this line on a daily basis are really very willing to have government impose its views on individuals -- as long as such views conform with theirs.

Many conservatives who point to Arizona's offensive (to me, at least) immigration law argue that what Arizona does is Arizona's business and that the rest of us, including the Federal Government which represents the rest of us, have no business meddling in Arizona's affairs.

And yet ... many of these same conservatives think that the Federal Government should deport all undocumented immigrants. Many of these same conservatives think that inserting a Marriage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is just fine and dandy.

And now, these very same "small and local" conservatives are trying to impose their own bigoted will upon the people of New York City by engaging in a Christian crusade (and when you see the advertisement, you'll understand exactly why it is akin to the Christian crusades) against the establishment of a Muslin mosque and community center in the vicinity of Ground Zero. Here's the grossly unconservative and offensive ad:



Notice that it's produced by the National Republican Trust PAC. Figures. And the sentiment undergirding that ad is embraced, promoted, and celebrated by that faux-conservative joke who goes by the name of Sarah Palin and by the faux-conservative people who support her.

What does this "Kill the Mosque" movement, supported and promoted by Sarah Palin, say about leaving such decisions to the local authorities and the people most directly affected by the decision to construct a mosque? As many people have expressed, the local community and local authorities are in support of the effort. Why do Sarah Palin and her "Kill the Mosque" compatriots from "real" America in the "Christian heartland" get to impose their will from afar on the very diverse community that is New York City? And even if you say that these folks have the right to express their opinion, I'd say that's fine; but then they are expressing what I would think is a very un-conservative opinion -- an opinion that doesn't square with what these very people also say about small, limited government that respects local authority.

Just imagine if Palin were President. Do you think she would be a small-government conservative? Absolutely not. She'd try to impose her "Christian heartland values" on every place in the country and would use every federal government power at her disposal to do so. And if such power wasn't enough, she'd simply pull a George Bush and create such a power under some notion of the "unitary Executive" or using some kind of signing statement or executive order or you name it, to do so.

Why can't true conservatives see through this charade? Are they so blinded by Obama that this simply escapes notice? What gives?

Sarah Palin Pulls a Joe Biden

That is, she's doing some "refudiating" of that liberal slander which calls the Tea Party racist. Get it ... "refute" and "repudiate" combine to make "refudiating"! Heh!

Ordinarily, such a gaffe wouldn't even register. But when you've got someone like Sarah Palin making such gaffes (and more than once!), it just reinforces her image as a ditz.

Hello, NOLA!

I'm happy to report that I am safely back in the N'Awl, sitting in my very own home, getting ready to put my head down on my very own pillow. The trip back home was quite uneventful. No really bad experiences with the whole day of transport. Airplane rides were smooth, immigration/customs/security checks all were pretty quick and painless, baggage arrived promptly, and the weather was agreeable.

I did have a freaky serendipitous moment, though. First, a little background. One of my book clubs is reading Tom Robbins's Another Roadside Attraction. I couldn't find a copy in New Orleans before I left (of course, I waited until the very last minute and not a single bookstore I checked -- and I checked 4 bookstores -- had the book in stock), so I went to Guadalajara without it. While in Guadalajara, though, I tried an experiment and ordered a copy via Amazon.com to be delivered to my address in Mexico. I paid a little extra for shipping, and expected to wait a long time for it to arrive; but surprisingly it arrived in 10 days. Not bad. So, I started reading it when I wasn't reading other stuff, but only made a little headway into the book. Packed it in my carry-on bookbag for the flight thinking I might read a bit of in on the flight back home. And this brings us to the serendipitous moment ...

So, on the plane, I cracked the book open to where I had left off -- page 40. (Now the key is to remember that I had just spent 5 weeks in Guadalajara, Mexico, and was finally on my way back home.) And on page 43, I read this (emphasized parts are mine):

A rather anxious football coach flew to Mexico in pursuit of his wife and her famous athlete lover. While the sporting world reeled from the delicious blow of the scandal, the lovers ate mangoes and fondled one another in the streets of Guadalajara; and that is where he, the husband, caught up with them -- in the plaza of the city. Officials had taken his Colt from him at the border, but he had purchased a cleaver from a native butcher and upon spotting the fugitives, sought to put it to grim use.

His wife was so weak from love and diarrhea she could neither fight nor flee. "I'm like a cream puff with the cream squeezed out," she sighed, and slumped on a bench to accept her fate. "I'll take care of you later," said her husband and he made a move for Plucky Purcell. Plucky, too, was experiencing a touch of Montezuma's revenge but he nevertheless gave the greatest broken-field running performance of his career. Now, the coach, though a bit out of shape, was no lead-footed mover himself, yet after sixteen wild minutes through the narrow streets of old Guadalajara he fell to his knees panting frantically and watched Purcell stiff-arm an orange-juice vendor and disappear down an alley.

That midnight, as he nervously checked out of his hotel, Purcell paused to share a short tequila with the desk clerk. He gave the Mexican a true account of the day's adventure. "You are preety lucky, señor," the clerk confided. "Not lucky," said Plucky. "Plucky."

Que coincidencia! I can just imagine this scene, having recently traversed the "narrow streets of old Guadalajara" myself. And I can even empathize with what a touch of Montezuma's revenge can do to a person. But more importantly, what does it mean that I stumble on such a passage in such a book at such a time in such a way? Heh! I thought it was freaky funny and have taken it as a good omen of both the book and of my time in Guadalajara, reading this as I was in the process of, in a manner of speaking, "fleeing" from the city myself. Just a curiousity to share.

Goodbye, Guadalajara!

The fiesta de despedida (farewell party) is completed and my duties as Resident Director for our Summer in Guadalajara program are done. I'll be on a plane back home tomorrow morning. I love Guadalajara (and Mexico overall) and I will miss it; but I'm glad to be saying goodbye for now and returning home. One thing I would like to say is that up until even this very moment, this summer has never been a more relaxing and peaceful time in Mexico in terms of the experience of the Summer Program. In fact, the only real excitement was being here for the World Cup, and that kind of excitement is a happy and neighborly kind. I witnessed not a single act of violence or corruption (and I usually bump up against a "mordida" experience almost every time I'm here). Everything was pleasant. Everyone was gracious and exceedingly friendly. I hope people in the U.S. know that the things they hear about Mexico in the media are exaggerations of the worst that one can find just about anywhere. Mexico is very much a safe, peaceful country. Don't hesitate to visit this wonderful place.

Featured NOLA Blog

Just by chance, I recently came across a wonderful NOLA-based blog called What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today. Two comments about this blog:

The first is that this blog is authored by a colleague of mine at Tulane University, and I never even knew about it. I would imagine that Kate also probably doesn't know that I post up on The Huck Upchuck, either. Fact is that I don't know Kate all that well, but our paths have crossed from time to time through our commitment to the idea of public service in education. So, coming across another wonderful NOLA blog authored by a fellow Tulanian is a nice treat.

The second is that the premise of this blog reminds me of my Random NOLA blog category, only in reverse. Kate comes across various places in New Orleans while riding her bike, encounters unique and interesting scenes, takes a picture of these scenes, and then explains where this place is and what her reflections are about the place. My Random NOLA category is more of a contest where I simply post a picture of places that I pass during my days traveling through the city, and ask folks to see if they can guess where that spot in New Orleans actually is by identifying some of the unique features and items in the photo.

But Kate's blog is a wonderful way to traverse the city of New Orleans and learn about some of its unique and eccentric places simply by following Kate's biking paths. If you are a true NOLA-phile who loves to learn about the quirky and interesting places in New Orleans, and appreciates personal commentary on such places, you'll love Kate's blog. Check it out and enjoy!

Bobby Jindal's Sand Berms Histrionics = Epic Fail

Remember when Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal criticized the Federal Government for not acting quickly enough to appropriate money to throw at the construction of sand berms to keep the oil from hitting the Louisiana coast without even minimal study about its efficacy or environmental impact? I do. And I remember conservatives lambasting the Obama administration for dragging its feet on the point. Michelle Malkin, referencing a comment from the Obama administration that conservatives jumped all over, went so far as to maliciously try to flip the tables on the Obama administration by writing the following: "Put the boot on their necks, Gov. Jindal." And all this came out of an understandable desire to try to do anything to mitigate the effects of the BP oil spill. Well, what came of these sand berms that Bobby Jindal so desperately wanted, careful scrutiny of the efficacy of the proposal be damned?

See for yourself.

The result: A colossal waste of taxpayer dollars. We got zero benefit (and potentially even some environmental harm) from the escapade.

Now, I understand the need to find a quick solution to a pressing problem. But it's precisely when the pressure to quickly do something, anything, takes root that calmer heads need to prevail. Had Jindal listened to the best scientific assessments of the proposal, he wouldn't have engaged in such wasteful folly. Had conservatives not pummeled Obama to act "unconservatively" (i.e. throwing money at a problem regardless of the efficacy of doing so) as a kind of political payback for the Bush Administration's pummeling over its response to Hurricane Katrina, this misguided and foolish idea of building miles of sand berms would not have seen the light of day. In fact, it seemed pretty clear to me at the time (which is why I never jumped on the "build sand berms NOW!" bandwagon to begin with), that until someone could stop the flow of oil into the gulf, it made little sense to construct sand berms that were sure to erode and wash away after a short time. Better to construct sand berms once the gusher was capped and then use the temporary reprieve provided by the sand berms to aid in the clean-up of the oil.

So, let's see how small government conservatives worried about pissing taxpayer dollars down a toilet respond to Jindal's misadvanture. Let's see if they ascribe any blame to Jindal's political grandstanding against a reluctant and hesitant Obama administration (which in retrospect seems quite prudent) for the absolute waste of taxpayer money on this debacle of a project. I doubt it. They'll probably just point to it and call it an example, once again, of wasteful liberal spending on politically motivated projects.

Fusing Church and State: The New Televangelist Model of Conservative Campaigning for Political Office

Sharron Angle admits that the reason for running for office and getting interviewed by the "fair and balanced" media is to raise money, not to discuss policy issues. It's the Prosperity Gospel at work and it has infested the Christianist Tea Party wing of the GOP. I don't know about any of you, but I find it rather repulsive.

Bristol, Levi, and Sarah: Jerry Springer/Jersey Shore Redux

One thing you have to give the Palins is that they are most definitely the epitome of average, gossipy, po-dunk, cheeseball, slapstick, classless and clueless, and a bit on the trashy Jerry Springer/Jersey Shore side of "middle" America. I guess that's fine for what it is; but would you want such incurious mediocrity to be the leader of the free world? I shudder to think...

The latest in the Palin soap-opera, trash-class melodrama is the tabloidesque secret engagement of Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston.

Not only has Sarah Palin apparently been kept out of the loop in this surreal roller-coaster of tabloid fare, but it appears that Bristol is actually afraid of how her mother will react to the news of the engagement made with such a splashy exclusive tabloid interview.

Can you just imagine what seedy tabloid scandals would infest a Sarah Palin White House? I can just imagine a reality TV show setting up shop in the Executive Residence section of the august halls of the White House.

I really can't understand how the joke that is Sarah Palin, and the craziness that is her family, can command such appeal to anyone with any modicum of a brain. I guess it would be different if she actually had any original ideas or policy positions; but she has nothing beyond silly, meaningless slogans like "Mama Grizzlies" and "Drill, Baby, Drill" and "Deport All Illegals." She's not even principled enough to be consistent with her Tea Party fan club.

I guess some would call me an intellectual elitist for simply pointing out the obvious. But, elitist or not, the facts are the facts. And the fact is this: Sarah Palin is a mentally vacuous, intellectually incurious person with a pretty face and a cheesy soap opera "Jersey Shore" family situation. I can't fathom that kind of representation of America in the White House. And I have to trust that most conservatives who value intelligence, integrity, and dignity in a leader will also chafe at the prospect of a Palin Presidency. I am absolutely convinced that it would be an unmitigated disaster of epic proportions at every level. And I apologize to any conservatives out there who think I'm going over the top here; but I can't help it. I have to say what I see and think on this; and I honestly am completely and utterly dumbfounded when I think about the appeal and popularity of Sarah Palin as a prospective political leader.

Saints 2010 Quote of the Day

"The Saints’ defense is like the homely looking guy who somehow wins over the ladies by being a brash alpha male." Andy Benoit, blogging on the NFC South at the NY Times's "Fifth Down" blog.

In other words, the Saints defense won't win any beauty contests for elegance, grace, and star-quality talent; but they will go home with the prize in the end out of willful confidence.

I think I agree!

Vitter Supports Birther Cause

I wish I could say that David Vitter's birther pandering surprises me. But I can't. The man is a tool who will say anything to cozy up to the wackiest conspiracy-theory rightwingers in Louisiana. I bet the folks cheering the birther moment at Vitter's town hall meeting also supported David Duke for governor in the early 1990s. The anti-Obama craziness is stunning for how deep it runs and how vicious it can get. Well, Vitter's at least given Melancon some more ammunition in the Senate campaign, though I'm fairly sure that it won't matter much. If Vitter's call-girl prostitute scandal isn't enough to upset the cart in this "family-values" politician's re-election campaign; I can't see how a little anti-Obama conspiracy nuttery is going to hurt him.

Back from the D.F.

Had a wonderful, but exhausting trip to Mexico City. I've been there more than two dozen times, I'd guess. Many of these visits with a group of undergraduate students. I've seen the sights there repeatedly, and I never get tired of them. One of the places I always take the undergrads is the site of the famous pyramids of Teotihuacan. They are so impressive that every new visit to them is just as breathtaking as the last. And there's generally always a little something new to make each visit unique. This time, there was this:


A bit of the modern along with a bit of the pre-Columbian classic. One of my students was on the top of the Pyramid of the Sun when this balloon passed over.

Mexico City

Heading out to the magnificant capital city of this magnificent country. Will be taking the group on a 3-day weekend excursion. Our schedule is jam packed, so blogging will probably be light to non-existent over the next couple of days. But I'll have a lot to share when we return, so be on the lookout. Some of the sites we'll be visiting include the Pyramids of Teotihuacan, the Zocalo (which has the National Palace and the famous Diego Rivera murals, as well as the National Cathedral), the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Frida Kahlo's home, Chapultepec Park and Chapultepec Palace, the National Museum of Anthropology, the Plaza of the Three Cultures (Tlatelolco Plaza), and the Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe -- among others. Fun and busy will be the order of the day for the next four days. Que Viva Mexico!

Thought on Mexican Democracy

Much has been made in the study of Democratic Transition literature in the Latin American region, particularly with regard to Mexico and the end of the 70 year dominance of the PRI of Mexico's Presidency. With the election of Vicente Fox in 2000, many speculated that perhaps Mexico's democracy had matured. And some note that the victory of Calderon (from Fox's PAN party) is further evidence of the consolidation of Mexico's democratic transition. However, I have always believed that it's not the transition away from the PRI that would be the critical reference framework for analyzing the state of Mexico's democracy, but what will lead to the end of the PAN's rule and what a transition back to the PRI (or to another party -- i.e. the PRD) will look like and mean. I think it's the character of the cyclical transition of power that is critical to measuring a democracy's consolidation and maturity. And we still have yet to see that in Mexico. If the PRI returns to the Presidency in 2012, will there be a kind of throwback to the "old" days out of some sense of nostalgia for a more stable situation? If the PRD gains the Presidency in 2012, will this augur an even greater weakness of the stability of Mexico's political system and usher in a kind of unstable minority coalition kind of ruling arrangement? If the PAN wins again in 2012, are we looking at a kind of post-modern variation on the single-party model that is substituting for the old PRI in the minds of the Mexican population? These questions can only be answered if and when the PAN loses the Presidency. And that hasn't happened yet.

The Democratic Take-Back of Congressional District 2 Begins

Formal qualifying for this Fall's local, state and national elections has officially begun. Democratic State Rep. Juan LaFonta has officially thrown his hat into the ring to contest Republican incumbent Ahn "Joseph" Cao for Louisiana's Congressional District 2 seat. Given Cao's sellout of his constituents in the Health Insurance Reform vote, this is one Congressional House election that Republicans aren't talking about when they speak of a 2010 repeat of 1994. Why? Because this is one sure "flip" that won't be going their way. I suspect that another strong Democratic Candidate in Cedric Richmond will also soon be throwing his hat into the ring, too. I'll be following and tracking this particular Congressional race closely. I like both Richmond and LaFonta, but for various reasons. And I have my reservations about each of them, too. But one thing is for sure, I WILL NOT be voting for Cao.

Carolina Chocolate Drops on NPR's "Fresh Air"

About two months ago, I profiled a wonderful black folk/string band called the "Carolina Chocolate Drops."

Terry Gross met with and interviewed the Carolina Chocolate Drops on her "Fresh Air" program, broadcast by NPR initially on March 1, 2010, but rebroadcast yesterday. It is a must not miss episode of "Fresh Air." Check it out. You will not be disappointed.

NOTE: You can also hear another short piece on the Carolina Chocolate Drops on NPR's "World Cafe" program, originally broadcast on January 19, 2010, and rebroadcast on June 24, 2010.