Quote of the Day

Referring to California's wealthy liberals:

"The crusade against global warming makes a convenient foil in arguing against anything that might bring industrial or any other kind of middle-wage growth to the state. Greens here often speak movingly about the earth—but also about their personal redemption. They have engaged a legal and regulatory process that provides the wealthy and their progeny an opportunity to act out their desire to "make a difference"—often without real concern for the outcome. Environmentalism becomes a theater in which the privileged act out their narcissism."

"They might imagine that driving a Prius or blocking a new water system or new suburban housing development serves the planet, but this usually comes at no cost to themselves or their lifestyles."

Source:
Joel Kotkin, Death of a Dream. Newsweek. 2 March 2009. Available http://www.newsweek.com/id/185791

Suburban Detroit

Detroit’s unpleasant image masks the reality that suburban Detroit is, for the most part, wealthy. Very wealthy, in fact, with certain suburbs ranking among the wealthiest in America.

Yet, with the struggling auto industry, I wondered yesterday to myself: What impact will this have on Detroit’s suburbs? After all, who will be able to afford the expansive homes that dot suburban Detroit, even as their value continues to drop?

This question occurred to the New York Times as well.

“The market for the skills of auto engineers or designers in the prime of their careers has evaporated, with no hope in sight for a turnaround. Moving to another city is hardly an option when there are so few buyers for the suburban homes that would have to be sold first.”


Source:

Bill Vlasic, Nick Bunkley, “Dead End in Detroit for White-Collar Workers” The New York Times. 17 Feb. 2009 Accessed 17 Feb 2009 Available: < pagewanted="print">

Genealogies

I've had a number of conversations over the years about the less-than-riveting genealogies scattered through the Old Testament.

But, I've never considered our respectful, but light-hearted roll-the-eyes to the endless 'so-and-so begot so-and-so' lists as a reflection of Western culture.

"Unlike their Western counterparts, many African and Asian Christians think it only reasonable that the Bible should include lengthy genealogies for key figures, most obviously Jesus Himself: how else do one situate a figure and assert the basis on which He claims authority? Without roots and family, a political or religious leader has no plausible claim to one’s loyalty. Chinese scholar Fook-Kong Wong notes that the ‘genealogical lists in Chronicles bear witness to God’s intimate knowledge and remembrance of His people.”


Philip Jenkins, The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South, Oxford: University Press, 2006, p. 46.

Richard Florida's Solution to the Economic Crisis: Encourage Renting

Richard Florida has written a fascinating observation piece for the March edition of the Atlantic Monthly about the economic crisis.

His solution? Removing homeownership from the centre of the American economy.

He writes, "Substantial incentives for homeownership (from tax breaks to artificially low mortgage-interest rates) distort demand, encouraging people to buy bigger houses than they otherwise would. That means less spending on medical technology, or software, or alternative energy—the sectors and products that could drive U.S. growth and exports in the coming years. Artificial demand for bigger houses also skews residential patterns, leading to excessive low-density suburban growth. The measures that prop up this demand should be eliminated.”

He continues.

“If anything, our government policies should encourage renting, not buying. Homeownership occupies a central place in the American Dream primarily because decades of policy have put it there. And while homeownership has some social benefits—a higher level of civic engagement is one—it is costly to the economy. The economist Andrew Oswald has demonstrated that in both the United States and Europe, those places with higher homeownership rates also suffer from higher unemployment. Homeownership, Oswald found, is a more important predictor of unemployment than rates of unionization or the generosity of welfare benefits. Too often, it ties people to declining or blighted locations, and forces them into work—if they can find it—that is a poor match for their interests and abilities.”

And finally.

' “A bigger, healthier rental market, with more choices, would make renting a more attractive option for many people; it would also make the economy as a whole more flexible and responsive.”

Richard Florida, “How the Crash will Reshape America” The Atlantic Monthly. March 2009. Available http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/print/200903/meltdown-geography

Windows Live Local Update

The long-awaited bird's eye view coverage of Paris has arrived on Windows Live and Local! So has Amersterdam, and Bucharest.

2 Timothy 1:8

"Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which He gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which has now been manifested through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

2 Timothy 1:8-10 (ESV)

Ode to Peanut Butter

"Peanut butter has long been the salvation of the harried parent and the budget-minded.
A spoonful straight from the jar has gotten many a student through a long study session. A peanut butter sandwich is one of the first snacks a young person can make, and it is the rare baker who doesn’t have a peanut butter cookie in repertory."

The nation’s relationship with peanut butter began for reasons of both health and economy. In the late 1800s, a St. Louis doctor crushed peanuts into a paste so patients with bad teeth could get some protein, an idea that he later helped turn into a commercial venture.

And peanut butter has the recession going for it. When the economy goes south, it’s one of the inexpensive but nutritionally rich foods that shoppers buy more of.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/dining/04nut.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print