FROM NOTACOMMIE

We’ve mapped the genome!

This is great news, and really, really exciting. My one worry is that the news media will oversimplify this and make it seem as though, well, if you have genes A, D, and F, then poor, you will have cancer and die at 63. Genes tell us a lot, but they don’t tell us everything.

“Many of the most common diseases are very complex, involving both ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’, genes interacting with our environment and lifestyles.”

“By identifying the genes underlying these conditions, our study should enable scientists to understand better how disease occurs, which people are most at risk and, in time, to produce more effective, more personalised treatments.”

FROM NOTACOMMIE

Dear faithful readers,

The past two weekends, I’ve been in Omaha and Houston, with Philly, Madison, WI, and DC next on the agenda. It’s enought to make a man miss Brooklyn.

But enough personal blather–except, a somewhat personal blather–this blog is changing somewhat in the next few months, and we’d like to know what sorts of things you’re interested in on the blog, if you’re a regular reader. What stories do you want us to focus on? Do you want to know more personal stuff about your bloggers or do you not really care? More editorials from us or just the facts? Please let me (Jeff Guhin) know at jeff@bustedhalo.com, because I’ll be blogging for some time. Send any questions, concerns, desires, anecdotes, cornbread recipes, etc.

FROM NOTACOMMIE

Here’s the deal: apparenlty global warming, says Bush and co., is a real problem. However, we have to fix it voluntarily, and, well, gosh, it seems rather arrogant to say it will be a long term problem. So, folks, let’s review the problems not happening in the world:
1. Global Warming
2. Chaos in Iraq
3. The Growth of Anti-American Sentiment
4. Increasing Disparity Between the Rich and Poor

Great huh? Gosh, the power of positive thinking. Inspired by Mr. President and kin, I too, have chosen certain things to believe:
1. I make a gazillion dollars.
2. I can create any word I want, such as, for example, gazillion. Or ooftumya.
3. I have central air right now.
4. I have huge pecs and perfect abs.
5. My grandmother gives me more than just my age in dollar bills every birthday.

The list is endless, people. Very exciting!

FROM NOTACOMMIE

You see! That’s why the Catholics are losing members! Our signs stink!

FROM NOTACOMMIE

Two things I didn’t know before I read this:
1. Apparently there’s no genocide in Darfur. Who knew?
2. If we keep saying there’s a genocide, they’ll take our precious bodily fluids, and by that I mean, our sodas.

To quote George Bush, BRING IT ON!
(Everyone, start stockpilng now–I’m going to start buying 96-packs of Pepsi).

FROM NOTACOMMIE

An article from the Times about how, believe it or not, tap water is cool.

“Serving our local water in reusable carafes makes more sense for the environment than manufacturing thousands of single-use glass bottles for someone to use once and throw away,” Incanto explains at its Web site.

These two Bay Area restaurants were pretty much alone in kicking the bottle habit until Alice Waters, the godmother of things organic, sustainable and local, banned bottled still water at Chez Panisse in Berkeley last year and started serving only house-made sparkling water this year.

FROM NOTACOMMIE

Look folks, there’s a NYTimes article about people actually are designing things that most of the world needs and could use:

“A billion customers in the world,” Dr. Paul Polak told a crowd of inventors recently, “are waiting for a $2 pair of eyeglasses, a $10 solar lantern and a $100 house.”

The world’s cleverest designers, said Dr. Polak, a former psychiatrist who now runs an organization helping poor farmers become entrepreneurs, cater to the globe’s richest 10 percent, creating items like wine labels, couture and Maseratis.

“We need a revolution to reverse that silly ratio,” he said.

FROM NOTACOMMIE

Turns out Norway is the most peaceful country in the world….

The Global Peace Index, compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, looked at 24 factors to determine how peaceful each country was.

It places the US at 96th on the list and the UK at 49th, while New Zealand ranks second and Japan fifth.

The authors say it is the first attempt to produce such a wide-ranging league table of how peaceful countries are.

Factors examined by the authors include levels of violence and organised crime within the country and military expenditure.

The survey has been backed by the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former US President Jimmy Carter and US economist Joseph Stiglitz, who are all Nobel prize laureates.

FROM NOTACOMMIE

I understand that people are afraid for their jobs, etc, etc. But where’s the Bible on this? Pretty much the whole of the Old Testament talks about taking care of the stranger among you…

Anyways, the key idea here is whether or not people are getting a free ride (amnesty–that’s bad, you see) or if they’re becoming legalized, (which is legit, you see).

“Illegal” immigrants pay just about all the same taxes we do–property taxes if they own property, and even if they’re paid “off the books” they still pay most of their income back in sales tax, since they make so little that they spend just about everything they earn.

FROM NOTACOMMIE

Seriously? Is that really even a question? An interesting review in the New York Review of Books takes on the question, not so much if America is an empire, but what kind of empire it is.