Couple of random thoughts-
Yahoo has a feature article on the 20 worst restaurant foods in the US. They are obscene. One order of large fries had 1464 calories, one main dish something like 3500 calories and 5000 mgs of sodium. These foods should not be eaten. Disclosure should not be only on web sites, but on menus, so that people can make an informed choice. we have more people dying of food related illness than smoking related illness, and we regulate cigarettes like crazy.
I am disappointed and afraid of the latest edition of the health care bill. Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make insane. I believe it is folly to pursue this bill. I believe congress should start over, with smaller efforts rather than a comprehensive bill. Liberal writers say passing the bill is better than nothing, but appear to be discounting the broad voter disgust with the bill and its process. I think if the bill is passed the dems will be crushed in November.
I've watched a bit of the olympic games with my wife. I lost interest in them more than 30 years ago, during the period with East German swimmers who looked like men because of steroid use. Every olympiad we have one or more track stars disqualified for drug use, countries create phantom jobs to allow their athletes to train while still being 'amateurs'. The whole scene has nothing to do with amateurism, honesty or patriotism. For me, it's just a sham.
Concern over federal debt is rising, with distressing comparisons made to Greece, which is now bankrupt. I took a look at the GDP and debt of several large economies- US, EU, China, Japan, Brazil, India. China and India have very low debt, around 7-14% of GDP. The US is at 70%, EU countries range from 45% to 100%, and Japan is at 171% of GDP, and has the third highest debt ratio in the world. In looking at all this debt, it reminded me troublingly of a bubble market. Someone has to pay all this debt. Just shuffling it around is a shell game. What does it mean if We owe 1 trillion dollars to Japan and they owe us 1.2 trillion? If everyone owes this kind of money, it seems to me that eventually there must be a reckoning.
Ted
Yahoo has a feature article on the 20 worst restaurant foods in the US. They are obscene. One order of large fries had 1464 calories, one main dish something like 3500 calories and 5000 mgs of sodium. These foods should not be eaten. Disclosure should not be only on web sites, but on menus, so that people can make an informed choice. we have more people dying of food related illness than smoking related illness, and we regulate cigarettes like crazy.
I am disappointed and afraid of the latest edition of the health care bill. Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first make insane. I believe it is folly to pursue this bill. I believe congress should start over, with smaller efforts rather than a comprehensive bill. Liberal writers say passing the bill is better than nothing, but appear to be discounting the broad voter disgust with the bill and its process. I think if the bill is passed the dems will be crushed in November.
I've watched a bit of the olympic games with my wife. I lost interest in them more than 30 years ago, during the period with East German swimmers who looked like men because of steroid use. Every olympiad we have one or more track stars disqualified for drug use, countries create phantom jobs to allow their athletes to train while still being 'amateurs'. The whole scene has nothing to do with amateurism, honesty or patriotism. For me, it's just a sham.
Concern over federal debt is rising, with distressing comparisons made to Greece, which is now bankrupt. I took a look at the GDP and debt of several large economies- US, EU, China, Japan, Brazil, India. China and India have very low debt, around 7-14% of GDP. The US is at 70%, EU countries range from 45% to 100%, and Japan is at 171% of GDP, and has the third highest debt ratio in the world. In looking at all this debt, it reminded me troublingly of a bubble market. Someone has to pay all this debt. Just shuffling it around is a shell game. What does it mean if We owe 1 trillion dollars to Japan and they owe us 1.2 trillion? If everyone owes this kind of money, it seems to me that eventually there must be a reckoning.
Ted
When Olympic athletes were true amateurs, watching the Olympics was a joyful experience for me, and, I think, for many. The athletes were people of exceptional talent and commitment, but in many ways like the rest of us. They were concerned about supporting themselves and their families, and sacrificed enormously to be able to compete. Olympic competition brought these people together from around the world, and in a way that is difficult to describe, touched the rest of the world for us, represented us. Some of the athletes that now represent wealthy nations are rich and pampered, and their lifestyles are nothing like those of "normal" people. The high tech training and equipment have done much to make athletes more successful (if winning is how you define success), but I am not sure how much they have contributed to the true character and goal of the competition. I admire their hard work, but am disgusted by their obsession with self (and winning). What happened to the days when competing meant spending all night on a bus or train, or going to the sidelines to get stitches, then heading right back onto the field? I still like watching some events, but am sad at what's been lost.
ReplyDelete