More on a New Deal Approach to the Crisis

Krugman reiterates his dismissal of the anti-FDR revisionists and encourages Obama to put on a full-court Keynesian press.

Lest We Ever Forget

Courtesy of my friend Joel, here's a comprehensive video history of the build-up to the Iraq War, featuring all my favorite Bush administration liars and fear mongers.

President of All, Commander-in-Chief for Some

Perhaps Obama will correct the notion that as President, he is our Commander-in-Chief. The President is Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of this country. Those of us not in uniform do not have commanders of any sort.

The New Deal and the Great Depression

Financial commentators cannot go five minutes without reminding us that the current financial crisis is the worst since the Great Depression, so as we anxiously await the Obama team to parachute into Washington, it rather behooves us to consider the extent to which the Great Depression and FDR's response to it are valid models for our present predicament.

In recent weeks, I've seen and heard the economic journalist Amity Shlaes interviewed on several occasions (including on the NewsHour and The Daily Show) to discuss her book on the Great Depression, The Forgotten Man. I had never heard of Amity Shlaes but after listening to her explanations of FDR's foibles and of the danger when the government "does too much," I wasn't surprised to learn that she was once a member of the WSJ's editorial board.

It appears that her sudden ubiquitous presence in the national media is irritating some of the folks I turn to for economic insight. Eric Rauchway takes her to task for distorting Roosevelt's record, following up on his review of her book. Angry Bear blasts her for disseminating Republican propaganda. And Paul Krugman expands the critique to include FDR-haters at-large.

Disappearing Honey Bees

An article flagged by Andrew Sullivan that discusses the causes and effects of the dramatically declining honey bee population.

The situation:

Colony Collapse Disorder first showed up in the fall of 2006, though there were a few signs of it in 2005. Honeybee populations, which had been slowly declining for decades, suddenly fell off a cliff. 31 percent of America’s honeybees died that winter, and another 36 percent died last winter.

The risk to our food supply:

More than 100 crops, about a third of the calories we eat, require cross-pollination by honeybees. The grain staples such as corn, rice, and oats are wind-pollinated, but most of the stuff that adds color to our plates and vitamins and antioxidants to our diets—apples, pears, blueberries, cherries, raspberries, plums, melons, cucumbers, zucchini, almonds, macadamia nuts, and so on—would disappear. Plants like lettuce, carrots, broccoli, and onions, which don’t make edible fruits but need to make seeds for next year’s supply, also rely on bees. Bees also cross-pollinate the forage crops, like alfalfa and clover, that are vital to many dairying and beef cattle operations. And don’t forget honey, of course.

Tower of Song

"I said to Hank Williams, 'How lonely does it get?' Hank Williams hasn't answered yet."

Admirable Ones - John Coltrane

For many years, I did not understand the fuss about Coltrane. One of the pleasures of getting older is the growth of understanding.