The Crandall Surf Report 2.0
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Saturday, January 18, 2003
 

The LA Times ran a fascinating piece on support for the upcoming war (Desert Storm 1.1) in the WWII generation.

It turns out Generation X-ers are war mongers compared to their grandparents. They haven't seen war.

Last night the news in the New York metro area was dominated by a terrible SUV crash that killed several Yale students. The TV coverage showed shattered kids who had probably never been close to the death of someone in their generation. Sukie commented that most of us in the baby boom generation and all of our parents became used to the deaths of twenty year olds. None of us had a sense of immortality that youth is nomainally blessed with ...

I'm not old enough for clear memories of the Kennedy and early Johnson days of the Vietnam War, but there did seem to be patriotic public support -- even in the music of the day. Body bags and futility changed all of that by 1966.

Bush is clearly betting his future on this being a quick and surgical war with minimal casualties.
7:25:39 PM    


A key part of the GOP Leave no Millionaire Behind program is the total elimination of the estate tax. NOW had a fine piece on the subject noting that no one has been able to find a family farm that failed as a result of estate taxes and that only the very wealthy and very greedy are helped. Bill Moyers had a fascinating interview with Bill Gates Sr and Chuck Collins on the subject. Both of them are against the elimination of the "death tax" and suggest that it is a fair and even a patriotic tax.

It is remarkable that Bush et al were able to work up so many people about the "unfairness" of the "death tax"... The people it impacts have received enormous priviledges from public funds. If the tax was 50% on anything over $3.5M someone with $25M would still be able to give over $14M to their heirs. Arguing that someone needs to be able to give more than $3.5M to their heirs suggests a belief in the sort of systems that resulted in a revolution in 1776.

A deeper issue is that many people who will never become members of the wealthiest 1% ruling class of the country still support freebies to that exhaulted group. Perhaps they think there really is a change at mobility to the upper class and, that if they become wealthy, it is the right of that class to be greedy and powerful. If this is the case, large lotteries, PCH Sweepstakes and the salaries atheletes may be a powerful tool helping Bush and his friends convince the clueless masses.

On a lighter note the New Yorker recently suggested the next Bush stimulus package might be the elimination of any taxes on hiring domestic help:-)
11:24:46 AM    


A nearby town is considering changing an ordinance to allow Segway class vehicles on the sidewalks.

The engineering of the unit is brilliant, but it isn't clear that it addresses the right problems. Most of the US is urban sprawl that makes walking out of the question for most commuters. Devices like the Segway raise the speed of a person by a factor of two or three, but this raises the question of where the vehicle should travel -- it may be too fast to mix in with pedestrians and far too slow to be on many roads.

It also would limit exercise ... this struck me as I was standing around in zero degree weather this morning. You can be outside in such weather only if you are well bundled and if you are doing some sort of exercise (you can also use thick heated suits like snowmobliers, but that is impractical for most of us) - a postal worker (one of the target markets for the Segway) would freeze if they were standing on the platform rather than walking.

They have clearly identified a real problem - unfortunately their solution is problematic.
11:08:38 AM    


Those of you who are real Tolkien fans should avoid certain links and rush to your bookstore to buy the latest Cinefex.

Cinefex is the source for information on special effects in the movies. I've been subscribing for about a decade and feel I have a much deeper appreciation for the movies as a result.

Issue 89 is devoted to the Fellowship of the Rings and issue 92 covers the Two Towers.

I can't recommend this journal highly enough.
6:46:12 AM    


Another magical treat and this one is real. The aurora is still in season, but it is always challenging to see a display unless you are geographically blessed. One of the best collections of images is from a Norwegian site.
6:45:41 AM    


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© Copyright 2003 Steve Crandall.
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