:: blame the extended gestation.... ::

:: Thursday, October 14, 2004 ::

U.S. Said Set to Move on Pakistan's Long F-16 Quest:

"The Bush administration is planning to consult Congress on Pakistan's nearly 15-year quest for advanced F-16 fighter aircraft, a U.S. defense official said on Thursday, in a prelude to what may be a delicate balancing act with rival India. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/14/2004 10:50:00 PM [+] ::
...

Marginal Revolution: Fastest Flip-Flop Ever?:

"Here from last night's debate, is President Bush making a good case against government-run health care:

I think government- run health will lead to poor-quality health, will lead to rationing, will lead to less choice.

Once a health-care program ends up in a line item in the federal government budget, it leads to more controls.

And just look at other countries that have tried to have federally controlled health care. They have poor-quality health care.

Our health-care system is the envy of the world because we believe in making sure that the decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by officials in the nation's capital.

And what does he say less than two minutes later?

We've increased VA funding by $22 billion in the four years since I've been president. That's twice the amount that my predecessor increased VA funding.

Of course we're meeting our obligation to our veterans, and the veterans know that.
We're expanding veterans' health care throughout the country. We're aligning facilities where the veterans live now. Veterans are getting very good health care under my administration..."

:: Jim Nichols 10/14/2004 10:48:00 PM [+] ::
...

U.S. Parties Hunt for Votes in American-Rich Canada:

" In a bid to help win an election in which even a few votes could be crucial, both Democrats and Republicans are making concerted efforts to woo the estimated 600,000 or more U.S. citizens who live in Canada"

:: Jim Nichols 10/14/2004 10:45:00 PM [+] ::
...

BBC NEWS | Health | Women 'better at holding drink':

"Kentucky University researchers found men's loss of inhibition was three times greater than women's with the same blood alcohol levels.

Writing in the journal Addiction, they said the finding might explain why men are more likely to become aggressive.

It found men appeared to become more stimulated after drinking while women became more relaxed"

:: Jim Nichols 10/13/2004 09:46:00 PM [+] ::
...

Land of the free
U.S.: Detained al-Qaeda Suspects "Disappeared" (Human Rights Watch, 12-10-2004):

"At least 11 al-Qaeda suspects have "disappeared" in U.S. custody, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. U.S. officials are holding the detainees in undisclosed locations, where some have reportedly been tortured."

:: Jim Nichols 10/13/2004 09:33:00 PM [+] ::
...

STATEMENT BY SPECIALISTS IN HEALTH CARE FINANCE AND ORGANIZATION:

We are 74 people with more than a thousand years of combined professional and academic experience in health care finance and organization. As a group, we neither represent nor endorse a particular political party or viewpoint about health care reform.

We have reviewed the health care finance proposals put forward by Senator John Kerry. Their primary thrust is to make the federal government a reinsurer when a single insured individual incurs health care costs greater than $50,000 in the course of any one year.

Because high-cost individuals account for a large proportion of the total cost of health insurance, this reinsurance is intended to make private health insurance more affordable for both employers and individuals and thus reduce the number of uninsured individuals and families. This approach is fully consistent with maintaining a health care finance system largely run by private insurance, private employers, and private medical providers.

Although Senator Kerry's proposals should be subject to a full analysis of their cost and impact, any claim that they amount to 'government run health care' or a 'government takeover' of the health care system or of health care decision-making is simply inconsistent with the facts. We are not aware of any expert in health care or health care finance, whatever his or her political orientation, who believes otherwise."

:: Jim Nichols 10/13/2004 02:05:00 PM [+] ::
...

Economist.com | The economy and the election:

"WOULD John Kerry or George Bush do a better job stewarding America's economy? Judging by the polls, voters are not sure. Within the past couple of months both candidates have had narrow leads on the issue. Ask economics professors, however, and you get a clearer answer.

In an informal poll of 100 academics, conducted by The Economist, Mr Bush's policies win low marks. More than 70% of the 56 professors who responded to our survey rate Mr Bush's first-term economic policies as bad or very bad. Fewer than 20% give positive marks to Mr Bush's second-term economic agenda, and almost six out of ten disapproved. Mr Kerry hardly got rave reviews either, but his economic plan still fared better than the president's did. In all, four out of ten professors rated Mr Kerry's economic plan as good or very good, but 27% gave it negative scores. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/13/2004 01:57:00 PM [+] ::
...

FT.com / World / Europe - Germany in rethink on Iraq force deployment:

"Germany might deploy troops in Iraq if conditions there change, Peter Struck, the German defence minister, indicated on Tuesday in a gesture that appears to provide backing for John Kerry, the US Democratic presidential challenger.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Struck departed from his government's resolve not to send troops to Iraq under any circumstances, saying: "At present I rule out the deployment of German troops in Iraq. In general, however, there is no one who can predict developments in Iraq in such a way that he could make a such a binding statement [about the future]."

Could a Kerry victory bring the Germans to the table?

:: Jim Nichols 10/13/2004 01:54:00 PM [+] ::
...

Salon.com News | Technical expert: Bush was wired:

"Speculation continues to run wild about President Bush's mystery bulge. Since Friday, when Salon first raised questions about the rectangular bulge that was visible under Bush's suit coat during the presidential debates, many observers in the press and on the Internet have wondered aloud whether the verbally and factually challenged president might be receiving coaching via a hidden electronic device.

Now a technical expert who designs and makes such devices for the U.S. military tells Salon that he believes the bulge is indeed a transceiver designed to receive electronic signals and transmit them to a hidden earpiece lodged in Bush's ear canal. "

:: Jim Nichols 10/13/2004 01:51:00 PM [+] ::
...

I watched Sylvia with Gwyneth Paltrow and Daniel Craig tonight. I was a little disappointed but not too much. I was always a big Sylvia Plath fan, especially as a teenager. The Bell Jar was a pivotal book for me, it was my Catcher in the Rye. The movie tonight closed with a great line from The Arrival of the Bee Box

The box is locked, it is dangerous.
I have to live with it overnight
And I can't keep away from it.
There are no windows, so I can't see what is in there.
There is only a little grid, no exit.

:: Jim Nichols 10/10/2004 10:52:00 PM [+] ::
...

the dying is an art
like they say in the movies
and I, I am a rock
a million new inventions
evolved particles and bad luck genes
those manic little dreams
and a depressed old man walking off to die

I am that
and this
and all of these
and when you listen
the silence is damning
and each crunch crunch, boots on snow
and you scared like a flower in frost

I once upon a time thought I'd live
but now the dying seems more like a line
in some poorly produced passion play
I once upon a time thought I'd live
but now the time quickly walks away
and this is where the dying starts
for you and you and you
for all of you in the cheap seats

:: Jim Nichols 10/10/2004 10:40:00 PM [+] ::
...