Talk about an observation of the obvious.
Peeling potatoes may be a dreadful parallel to what I consider an absurd optimism about the recent economic news, but so be it. Last month's job-loss numbers -- a mere 85,000 or so -- were considered good news by many who believe in the current president's economic policies. Why good news? Because the numbers were much larger when the current great recession first began; 85,000 is comparably few to what we're used to seeing. But I haven't a clue why this is good news at all, for anyone. All it means, or at least all it COULD mean, is that the peels are getting smaller because there is so little left to peel. Imagine if I took 3 minutes to peel a rather large potato; in the first minute I might have a hefty pile of peels on the cutting board. In the second minute I'd likely produce a smaller pile; in the third, well, even smaller. You get the picture: If all jobs were cut over the next few years would it be good news if, in October 2013, it was reported that the very last job available had been cut? I guess so, since only one job would have been lost that month. Absurd. (The possibility of a jobless recovery seems quite real, by the way.)
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Early last year, as I saw a sudden increase in TV commercials encouraging investment in gold, I made an off-the-cuff prediction that the next great bubble would be the gold market. I don't think, really, that my prediction is all that crazy, despite what G. Gordon Liddy says. Gold as a valued commodity strikes me as almost archaic; its value is not intrinsic, but extrinsic. If this was 1020 AD, gold would indeed be dazzling. But in 2010? Gold? For what?
Seriously, gold strikes me as one of the most inflated things on the planet.
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Sen. Harry Reid's rather indecorous remarks about Barack Obama and race were without a doubt an indictment not of America, but of the Democratic Party. In Reid's honest opinion, the Democratic Party was not ready to nominate* a black man whose skin was too dark, too quintessentially African; or who spoke in a dialect that was too "Negro." No wonder Democrats are coming to his defense; no wonder Al Sharpton has absolved him so quickly.
Pointing to the history of racism in the Democratic Party is a scary, scary thing.
*I note that this has not prevented the party from electing other African-Americans to lower positions who do not conform to Sen. Reid's image of a good candidate.
*I note that this has not prevented the party from electing other African-Americans to lower positions who do not conform to Sen. Reid's image of a good candidate.
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Baseball legend Mark McGwire's recent admission of steroid use is interesting, particularly since he claims that he used the performance-enhancing substances for health and not performance reasons.
I have heard people argue that all steroids can do for baseball players is make them bigger and stronger, and that such drugs cannot help a batter make contact with a pitched ball: You still have to possess the coordination to make solid contact; strength does not help with that. But such an argument is really a load of bahooey.
Batters gain three advantages from steroids:
- Since steroid-using batters are stronger and hence able to generate more bat speed more quickly, they can WAIT LONGER before swinging at a pitch. Hence, they have an advantage: they can study a pitched ball longer, and can therefore better predict its trajectory.
- Since such batters are stronger and thus capable of generating more explosive bat speed, a mis-hit ball can and will travel faster and farther, even out of the park. "Normal" players who don't make solid contact will not get the ball out of the park, whereas abnormally strong players may.
- Steroids make all the muscles in the human body faster and stronger, including the muscles which focus and move the eyes. Therefore, steroids help with hand-eye coordination.
Mr. McGwire should just accept and confess the truth. It's the natural thing to do.
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5 comments:
I do find it amusing the way this administration, with its enablers in the press, whitewashes an absolutely horrid year with bromides of success. One wonders whether the folks in power really think we're that stupid.
As for the Demos and their racist past, never let the actual facts get in the way of the meme.
Finally, re: McGwire and I speak as a St. Louis Cardinal fan, I think he did more harm to his cause with his most recent statement than if he'd have just stayed mum. People are willing to forgive, but there has to be some act of contrition or repentance first, in my view.
Cheers.
The potato peeling analogy works.
Gold would have been a good investment if, like all other investments, you had gotten in before the inflation of prices. We need the time machine's ability to bring back future issues of the WSJ.
Mr. McGwire sounded like he was rationalizing a little bit,
"I wish I had never played during the steroid era," he said to the AP (ESPN.com).
Blame it on the zeitgeist.
R. and TUP,
Thanks for your comments. As usual, very interesting.
Blessings.
The thing that blows me away about McGwire is he suddenly decided to come out and tell the truth. Canseco was right all along.
He wished he never played during the era? No one told him to take the stuff. Unless he's saying everyone was doing it and he had to to keep up.
I don't think anyone believes it didn't help the stats out.
You know what's the saddest thing of all? Guys like McGwire and Bonds didn't really need the drugs. They were likely HOFers anyway. Their numbers were great before the point of suspicion.
A sports Greek tragedy in some way.
TC,
You are probably right, there was no need for the performance-enhancing drugs. But the whole FEELING of getting huge and powerful, of having muscles respond instantly and completely to exercise and training, has got to be intoxicating, AND addicting. McGwire had 16" forearms, if I am not mistaken; he looked like Popeye. Anyone who has weight-lifted knows the feeling of the "pump." Can you imagine feeling that way all the time? I can't, of course (despite my preternatural hugeness), but I bet it is a difficult feeling to quit.
Mr. McGwire has done himself little service by not playing this confession completely straight. Too bad. He seems a decent chap.
Also, can you imagine being the dude who spent tons of cash for the record-breaking baseball McGwire belted? Talk about a "foul ball." Ouch!
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