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Obama in Ohio:

Let me make a point—let me make a point about efficiency,
because my Republican opponents? They don’t like to talk about
efficiency. You know, the other day I was at a townhall meeting,
and I had laid out my plans for investing billion a year in
energy efficient cars and a new electricity grid and all this.
Somebody said: well, what can I do, what can individuals do? So, I
told them something simple. I said, you know what, you can inflate
your tires to the proper levels, and that if everybody in America
inflated their tires to the proper level we would actually—probably
save more oil than all the oil we’d get from John McCain drilling
right below his feet there, wherever it is that he was going to
drill.

So, now the Republicans are going around—this is the kind of
thing they do, I don’t understand it—they’re going around sending,
like, little tire gauges, making fun of this idea as if this is
Barack Obama’s energy plan.

Now, two points. One, they know they’re lying about what my
energy plan is. But the other thing is, they’re making fun of a
step that every expert says would absolutely reduce our oil
consumption by three to four percent. It’s like—it’s like these
guys take pride in being ignorant, you know? They think it’s funny
that they’re making fun of something that is actually true. They
need to do their homework. Because this is serious business.
Instead of running ads about Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, they
should go talk to some energy experts and make a difference.

But the problem isn’t that Republicans denied that air pressure could save fuel. The problem is that Obama’s math was way off.  Powerline did themath, Jim Geraghty  did the math, and Jake Tapper
did the math, and under no scenario do you get to savings equal to offshore drilling.

So who is ignorant and who needs to talk to the experts?

Senator Barack Obama today once again attacked oil companies, Exxon in particular, as greedy nefarious corporations who seek to bribe officials and prevent American energy independence.

Well, I have a question. If making “windfall” profits is greedy and a threat to our economy and way of life, why hasn’t the Senator spoken out against Google? Confused? Allow the Wall Street Journal to expain:

If Senator Obama is as exercised about “outrageous” profits as he says he is, he might also have to turn on a few liberal darlings. Oh, say, Berkshire Hathaway. Warren Buffett’s outfit
pulled in billion last year, up 29% from 2006. Its profit margin — if that’s the relevant figure — was 11.47%, which beats out the American oil majors.

Or consider Google, which earned a mere .2 billion but at a whopping 25.3% margin. Google earns far more from each of its sales dollars than does Exxon, but why doesn’t Mr. Obama consider its advertising-search windfall worthy of special taxation?

Btw, I used Google just because it is a ubiquitous brand (and as Erick has pointed out often up to no good). As the WSJ editorial points out, however, this arbitrary demagogic populism is
worrisome:

The point isn’t that these folks (other than Mr. Clinton) have something to apologize for, or that these firms are somehow more “deserving” of windfall tax extortion than Big Oil. The point is
that what constitutes an abnormal profit is entirely arbitrary. It is in the eye of the political beholder, who is usually looking to soak some unpopular business. In other words, a windfall is nothing more than a profit earned by a business that some politician dislikes. And a tax on that profit is merely a form of politically motivated expropriation.

It’s what politicians do in Venezuela, not in a free country.

So what is it Senator? Are you ready to go after Google and the other “overly-profitable” sectors of our economy or will you admit that you are playing politics with the economy in order to win an
election?

I think a proper response to Obama’s big energy speech in Lansing today should include this
poster:

I wanted to make you aware of a new blog:

I know you are probably thinking that the last thing the world needs is another political blog. But it is my hope that the focus of this particular blog will be helpful (not to mention interesting).

Here is how I laid it out in the About page:

The premise behind this site is rather simple: Barack Obama is
running as a political messiah to hide the fact that he is a
conventional liberal Democrat with more charisma than experience.
His campaign is the ultimate triumph of style over substance; of
hype over accomplishment. It is a confidence game where he wins and
the country loses.

Obama is seeking to tempt voters from across the political
spectrum to vote for him not because they agree with his positions
but because he is a symbol onto which they can project their hopes
and dreams. He is tempting them to risk electing one of the most
liberal, and inexperienced, politicians in a generation just
because they are tired of the fallen nature of politics; tired of
conflict, confrontation and compromise.

But in the place of the hard work of real change he offers only
the mystical powers of his own celebrity image and personality. As
if the history of the country, nay the world, was leading up to
this moment. No matter how many big speeches he gives, however, he
can’t change the nature of our system of government or human
nature. Conflict will continue. Compromise will still be necessary.
Politics will remain the art of the possible. Obama wants you to
believe that he can change all of this; that he represents
something different.

This site is devoted to exposing this temptation as the sucker
bet that it is. Underneath Obama’s vague platitudes and charming
personality is a moribund liberalism that brings not “Hope and
Change” but stagnation and a loss of freedom. Despite his desperate
attempts to tact towards the center Obama supports abortion on
demand, tax increases not seen since the 1970’s, more government
regulation of the economy, and a foreign policy that seeks the
approval of citizens of the world rather than furtherance of
American national interests.

So whether you are conservative, liberal or somewhere in between
the goal here is the same: to get past the hype and media buzz to
focus on what kind of politician Obama really is and what his
election would really mean for our country.

The site has just gotten off the ground, but in the coming weeks I hope to produce enough quality content to make it one of your regular stops for election opinion and analysis.

As always, feedback and reactions appreciated whether via comments or email.

There was a time when I would have reacted to the news of Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s death with not only sadness but a blog post with links and commentary. Those days are gone, however, so allow me simply to point you towards my review of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.

You ever feel like you are drowning in a sea of information?  It is like the old saw about trying to drink from a fire hydrant.  That is what I feel like these days.  There is so much information that I want to consume: books, magazines, blogs, emails, etc.  But sorting through and prioritizing it is not easy.  I often feel paralyzes by information overload; as if I can’t process it all and so do nothing.

Just wondering if anyone else felt this way.  Of course that would mean that someone read this blog . . .

I am not really a short story person. I don’t have a lot of experience with the format and, although I have begun to read more short stories, I just don’t find it my preferred form. But I figured I should sample widely so as to try and gauge what is out there. I am not systematic about this by any means, but when I stumble upon the form I no longer immediately pass it by.

I picked up Willow Temple at a local library sale. I had some vague sense of Hall as a famous poet and figured it was hard to go wrong with a hardback at . What I found was some skillful writing and story telling, but a rather bleak tone and a focus on adultery and death that left me rather depressed.

PW uses the word “elegiac” which the American Heritage Dictionary defines as: “mourning or expressing sorrow for that which is irrecoverably past.” And this is at the heart of Willow Temple. Hall does a good job of communicating the mix of nostalgia, regret, and sadness that so often comes from thinking about the past later in life when things have become complex and messy; when we realize the past is forever gone. It is often when we are try untangling the knots we have created for ourselves that we trace the arc of our lives to seemingly small or simply events. If we are lucky we put it behind us and find some peace.

It is hard to put my finger on it, but I came away with a sense that it was just too much of one thing. Matthew Flamm in his NYT review gets at this feeling:

They’re pretty unforgiving in general, these stories. Hall relishes the chance to have his characters face the hardest facts unprotected. But sometimes you wonder if he doesn’t enjoy it too much — if he doesn’t cast events in the harshest light because, like the Romans he refers to in one story, he believes it a virtue to withstand pain.

I can understand this stoic outlook - my Christian faith can easily slip into stoicism if I am not careful - but the stories just wore me down over time. There is a cold beauty here, and Hall the poet is skilled with language and description, I just wasn’t able to enjoy it as a whole. As a friend likes to say, you mileage may vary.

In a way that is so typical of Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee’s much hyped speech in Berlin today sounded grand and important, but contained nothing but platitudes and leftist, and multicultural, rah-rah. What it really came down to, after a long history lesson on the Berlin Airlift, was Obama the messiah
giving the world a giant pep talk.

Can we solve all the world’s problems and bring utopia on

earth?
Yes, we can!

Think I am joking about utopia? Sadly, I am not. Read on.

Here is some of what Obama called the world to do:

• End racism, antisemitism, religious bigotry, class envy, and
  nationalism:

  The walls between old allies on either side of the
  Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the
  most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races
  and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew
  cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear
  down.

• Defeat terrorism.
• Build a world without nuclear weapons:
  

  This is the moment when we must renew the goal of a
  world without nuclear weapons. The two superpowers that faced each
  other across the wall of this city came too close too often to
  destroying all we have built and all that we love. With that wall
  gone, we need not stand idly by and watch the further spread of the
  deadly atom. It is time to secure all loose nuclear materials; to
  stop the spread of nuclear weapons; and to reduce the arsenals from
  another era. This is the moment to begin the work of seeking the
  peace of a world without nuclear weapons.

• Bring a “new dawn” to the Middle East (Iraq, Lebanon, Iran, and
  the Israeli-Palestinian conflict).
• Save the planet from global warming and thus stop flooding,
  storms and famines:

This is the moment when we must come together to save
this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a
world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms
devastate our lands.

The only thing offensive about any of this stuff is the
messianic language and the hyperbolic attempt to rally the world
when you are a unaccomplished US Senator who was given the platform
because you are running for president and the object of world wide
media obsession.

This was not a serious speech by a serious person, but another
attempt by Obama to seem important by giving a big speech on a
grand stage. There is nothing in that speech that is meaningful,
insightful, or useful. It is a an amalgamation of liberal idealism
and arrogant do-goodism. It is an attempt to paint the world as in
some kind of universal crisis so that Obama can claim the
leadership role and the mantle of change not just in a presidential
election cycle but worldwide.

I am sure speech will play well in Europe, whose devotion to
idealistic Utopian schemes is well known, and among the liberal
media, who faint every time Obama rises to speak. But I fail to see
how it wins him any votes in the battleground state of the Midwest.
And perhaps that is the silver lining.

Interesting article in the New York Times about authors whose “adult novels” books get picked up by YA imprints. The author, Margo Rabb, speaks from experience:

When my agent called to tell me that my novel, “Cures for Heartbreak,” had sold to a publisher, she said, “I have good news and bad news.” The good news: an editor at Random House had read it overnight and made an offer at 7:30 a.m. The bad news: the editor worked at Random House Children’s Books.

My agent recounted the story of my novel’s sale, its rejections and close calls, and its particularly close call with editors at two Random House adult imprints. Both had wanted to buy it until the editor in chief decided the novel would be “better served” by the young adult division.

My literary novel about death and grief, which I’d worked on for eight years, was a young adult book?

The article doesn’t shed much light on why this seems to be happening. My guess is that if something doesn’t fit clearly into a genre or mindset and includes younger characters it gets labeled YA. The good news is that this brings with it a lot freedom; YA books are some the most creative and interesting. But it also means you have to deal with the stereotypes and condescension:

For me, the thrill of my book’s having been sold outlasted my confusion over its classification. Then, as the publication date approached, I received a fellowship to the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire. One morning in the dining room, another writer asked who was publishing my book; I told her that it was Random House, and that it was being published as young adult.

“Oh, God,” she said. “That’s such a shame.”

I couldn’t get her words out of my head. I spent a lot of time worrying about whether my book would be taken seriously. I noticed the averted gazes and unabashed disinterest of literary acquaintances whenever I mentioned my novel was young adult.

The article also seems to indicate that I am not your typical adult reader:

“Young people will find an adult book, but it doesn’t work the other way,” said A. M. Homes, whose first novel, “Jack,” was originally published as Y.A. (It was later released in paperback for adults.)

I read YA books but I am by no means an expert. I read mostly in what fantasy or speculative fiction and avoid teenage romance and other aspects of the genre.

Looks like retailers might be finding ways to market and sell books that can appeal to a wide audience:

Meg Rosoff, an American-born author who lives in London, said, “There isn’t an adult who’s going to trot into the children’s section to look for adult literature.” All three of Rosoff’s novels have been published in both adult and Y.A. editions, and her first novel, “How I Live Now,” was nominated for prizes in both categories. In Britain, she says, where dual Y.A. and adult editions are more common, there’s less of a stigma against young adult literature.

“They’re smarter over there — in this country we tend to pigeonhole things,” said James Patterson, whose Y.A. series “Maximum Ride” was originally shelved only in the Y.A. section of Barnes & Noble. After sales fell short of Patterson’s adult titles, the fourth book in the series was released in hardcover for adults, and the chain began selling the series only in the adult section. Sales have since increased, a company representative said.

Cart, of Booklist, proposes that stores create an “All Ages” section for crossover titles, which might also help attract older teenagers. Megan Tingley, the senior vice president and publisher of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, thinks this is a great idea. “We need to rethink how we’re merchandising books for teenagers,” she said.

I think this is a good idea. Why not promote books that can be read by younger readers and their parents? Seems like a win-win.

Meanwhile I guess I will have to keep slumming it in the YA aisles . . .

–> Viagra Fall by Mary Daheim

Publishers Weekly

Cozy buffs who’ve yet to encounter Daheim’s popular Pacific Northwest series will find this entertaining 24th installment (after 2007’s Scots on the Rocks) an easy entry point. Judith McMonigle Flynn, who operates a bed-and-breakfast in the Seattle neighborhood of Heraldsgate Hill, has recently remarried her ex-husband, Joe Flynn. Her complicated personal life becomes even more so after the arrival of Joe’s ex-wife, Vivian, with her trophy husband in tow. Vivian soon sends ripples through Heraldsgate Hill when she announces plans to build a huge condominium in the community. When the body of an unidentified man is found hanging from a tree behind Vivian’s house, Judith reluctantly resumes her familiar role as amateur sleuth. Longtime fans will smile at cousin Renie’s exasperation with the prevaricating Judith (”These lengthy preludes to your adventures drive me nuts”). Endearingly eccentric characters are a plus.

–>The Night of the Gun by David Carr

Kirkus Reviews

New York Times reporter Carr bluntly reveals his former life in hell, when he juggled two talents: smoking crack and filing news. It started out with innocent teenage pot smoking, typical stuff for a suburban Minneapolis kid in the 1980s. By the end of the decade, having cultivated a colossal cocaine habit, the author had deteriorated into a ghost of himself. He was in and out of jail cells and rehab; his legend grew in the streets; his reputation sank to no-hire status in local newsrooms. He got involved with “Anna,” a cute blonde drug dealer: “Six months after we had gotten together, her business was in disarray, I had lost my job, and then, oh yeah, she was pregnant.” Their twin daughters were born on April 15, 1988, two-and-a-half months premature, each weighing less than three pounds. “When Anna’s water broke,” Carr writes, “I had just handed her a crack pipe.” Soon he was using cocaine intravenously and fell into paranoia and depravity that made even his dealers shake their heads. With the help of family and friends, he did an about-face, putting the seven-month-old twins in foster care and throwing himself into recovery. When Anna continued using, he sued for and got permanent custody. He worked his way to the top of the masthead of the local alt-weekly newspaper, winning awards and providing a stable home for his daughters.

But as Carr reminds the reader, with every new height a recovering addict reaches, the bottom is just a short slip away. Perhaps in response to the Million Little Pieces scandal, or perhaps because he doesn’t trust his subjective and drug-warped memory, the author provides backup and other points of view for every phase of his life. His book is based ondozens of recently taped interviews with everyone from his parents to drug dealers, and it includes photocopies of arrest reports, clinical observations and even rejection letters from national editors. A brilliantly written, brutally honest memoir.

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