:: Life of Dave ::

:: Sunday, February 29 2004 ::

I've added a link to Ann Arbor is Overrated because it amuses me. The idea that there are weblogs which exist to mock cities in Michigan (or to promote, as the case may be) gives me great pleasure and amusement.
:: David (15:37 in Michigan, 21:37 in Paris)
...

So the Haiti question settled itself between the speech we heard this morning and this afternoon. Aristide has left the country, destination unknown. Questions come up, questions go away. Someone, of course, will write a book about it all.
:: David (09:17 in Michigan, 15:17 in Paris)
...

Tee hee - I was looking for news of the visit, and I found that all the sermons are online. So if you'd like to know what they are saying to us over here, go to this page and you'll know as much as we do. Maybe more, if the speaker was too quiet.
:: David (09:17 in Michigan, 15:17 in Paris)
...

Oh yes, a random points on the Sunday stuff - before Jesse Jackson started speaking, one guy (there could have been more, but we saw the one) got up and walked out. I had expected there might be some objection to the speaker, and this gentlemen expressed himself quite clearly when he rose and calmly departed.
:: David (09:10 in Michigan, 15:10 in Paris)
...

So the Reverend Jesse Jackson gave the sermon today at the American Cathedral. It was interesting, although it started a bit muddled (we found out later they had been delayed leaving Libya and had only had a little bit of sleep, so that explained the need to warm up before the sermon really took off). It was interesting, a talk of Easter as a time of building bridges and bringing together. He said that one could respect Jesus, or one could be like Jesus. The goal, of course, was to be like, i.e. to make the sacrifice, rahter than just admire - 'oh yes, it's very nice that he's doing something for the poor people - glad someone is'. He also talked about Haiti, and defended the president, Aristide, saying he was a democratically elected official and was the victim of the media and the US politicians, and that more should be done to stop the revolution. It was, overall, worth waking up for.

The entire season of lent is going to be interesting - the church is bringing people from various agencies to talk on the theme of 'Christians in the 21st century'. Lots of people going out and doing interesting things, like one of the higher ranking memebers of UNESCO, and Constance Morella (yes, I will be seeing her again). I'm quite looking forward to it all.
:: David (09:07 in Michigan, 15:07 in Paris)
...

:: Saturday, February 28 2004 ::

From the Battle Creek Enquirer:

Artwork that pops
Albion professor fashions creative cards, crafts
ALBION -- When you enter the home of Albion College math professor Martha O'Kennon, you wish you were a kid again, just beginning a long stay with a grandmother.

The full story runs something like that, talking about Martha's interests, her work on translation projects, etc. It makes me smile. For those who don't know, Martha is a mathematics professor at Albion, who got me started on the long dark road of math and computers. I'm looking forward to visiting her when I come home in April.
:: David (10:52 in Michigan, 16:52 in Paris)
...

Is anyone really surprised that the wikipedia entry on l33t is several pages long, and contains a reference to MegaTokyo?
:: David (08:06 in Michigan, 14:06 in Paris)
...

I love the ACLU! Now they have a webpage for sending a fax to your congresspeople opposing the proposed constitutional amendment on marriage. Now you can inundate the politicians with paper! Yay! Which I'm sure they read....
:: David (04:37 in Michigan, 10:37 in Paris)
...

:: Friday, February 27 2004 ::

So I've been contemplating the idea of college. Not for me - I've done enough of that for a while (and, quite frankly, working with the OECD is like being in college, only with better pay). But my nephew will be graduating (one presumes, or hopes, as the case may be) in a few months, and that opens the door to the question of what one does after. The fact of the matter is, he should not go to college - were the US not moving towards requiring anyone who works to have a college degree, he would never get in to any self-respecting school. But the curious combination of continually falling standards and continually climbing requirements for employment (one might see a link, if one looks closely enough) means that it is more than likely that if he does not get some sort of college education under his belt he will not get a job.

But there are other questions to consider - for example, which option will most quickly transform him from slacker to person able to take care of himself? Both college and work offer very new experiences to young people, and both of them can as easily lead them down a bad path as easily as a good one. It is neither my responsibility, nor is it within my power to change, whatever actions he will take on whichever path he chooses, but if one knows that the many twists and turns of one path, on average, lead to more 'good' outcomes than the other, at least one can suggest the lesser of two evils, as it were. Or the better of two goods.

And, of course, at the end of the day, there's the fact that he will make more money if he goes to college.
:: David (12:53 in Michigan, 18:53 in Paris)
...

A late night last night, followed by an early morning today. Thankfully there is coffee at each step of my journey, so I will not go directly to sleep. Indirectly, perhaps.

Life is finally starting to slow down, after the rash of February visitors. I think in future I shall make it a point to leave space between. Not, quite honestly, that I have any real say in when people book their tickets. Regardless, our next visitor will not be arriving until the 18th of March, so we have until then to rest and recuperate.
:: David (03:18 in Michigan, 09:18 in Paris)
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:: Thursday, February 26 2004 ::

The IHT reported that interest rates might rise in the Eurozone, which led to the Euro dropping to $1.25. If they actually do change interest rates, the Euro might fall further. So now the question is, do I change my money into dollars before the meeting (March 4th), or do I wait. If they don't change interest rates, the Euro will probably rebound, and perhaps even go higher ($1.30 would be a good start). But if they actually change interest rates, I could lose 10% or more of my money, which would be a bad start to paying off my loans.
:: David (06:06 in Michigan, 12:06 in Paris)
...

This made me smile:

The maker of T-shirts emblazoned with slogans like "Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them" and "Boys are smelly" says business is booming despite -- or maybe because of -- protests that led some major U.S. retailers to stop selling them.

I don't know if the name is coincidence, or if they had hoped for/expected this kind of crazy publicity, but you can find them at David and Goliath tees.
:: David (03:15 in Michigan, 09:15 in Paris)
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:: Wednesday, February 25 2004 ::

Jason asked whether our apartment here in Paris was actually something we liked, or whether renting by internet had been a mistake. I guess I've never really come out and said just how great a place we got, so I will now. I really enjoy the view, which is marvellous, and the fact that it is up six flights of stairs, while a touch annoying, also helps keep the pounds off (and keep the noise down - only people who really want to see us come up this high). The neighbourhood is amazing, lively, full of life, and really close to a big tourist trap, which is kind of cool too. Overall, the only thing I would change is the heating of the place, which is a little weak for my tastes. Sasha doesn't mind it, which is probably indicative that I like to keep places too warm in the winter. So, for the record, we have a great, great place, and if you are thinking of moving to Paris, move to Gambetta!
:: David (14:28 in Michigan, 20:28 in Paris)
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Bizarre story for the day - apparently Walt Disney's concert hall in Los Angeles, which has a section made of stainless steel, is reflecting the sun into nearby houses, heating them enough to force a redesign of the building.
:: David (14:24 in Michigan, 20:24 in Paris)
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A frustrating evening this evening - Sasha and I agreed to meet for dinner, but I couldn't remember which place we were meeting, so I alternated between the two of them. Somehow, despite several visits to the place where she actually was, we managed to miss each other. *sigh* Evenings when you wish you had a mobile phone or two....
:: David (14:20 in Michigan, 20:20 in Paris)
...

Randomly today, I was talking to my co-worker about the Netherlands, and she commented that one did not say 'Holland'. Now, I pride myself on being aware of these sorts of things, but I had never realized there was any sort of difficulty. I had thought it just one of those random things where people from different places say different things. Well, it turns out I was wrong, as this web site was kind enough to explain - turns out the word Holland refers to a small portion of the country, rather than the whole of the country. So it's like calling the United States 'Michigan', or Canada 'Ontario'.
:: David (09:31 in Michigan, 15:31 in Paris)
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Looks like everybody and their brother ran a story today on the 'Global Economy': The Independent said "Leading economists warn of dangers from �globalised� inflation", which isn't necessarily globalization per se, but the Financial Times made up for it by carrying two stories, "Rethink urged on global economy" and "The social costs of globalization". The second is an article written by Joseph Stiglitz, one of the authors of the ILO report which has caused all this furore, and states

if globalisation is managed better, the world can come closer together and become more prosperous. if it coutinues to be poorly managed, discontent with globalisation will grow. The commission's report provides concrete suggestions on how it can be better managed. But, whatever one thinks of these suggestions. this much is clear: we need a more inclusive debate about globalisation, in which its social dimensions are given their proper emphasis.

Meanwhile, Liberation had "La mondialisation versant social" and the Guardian said "Global economy 'must adjust to include millions it puts in poverty'"
:: David (07:28 in Michigan, 13:28 in Paris)
...

:: Tuesday, February 24 2004 ::

There's an interesting article in today's Guardian which talks about ideas of 'other' - something which relates to current discussions of globalization, welfare states, and modern issues of race. I'm not sure I like what he has to say, but I do think that David Goodhart has some ideas that need to be discussed more fully, because he reflects the ideas of too many people.
:: David (13:28 in Michigan, 19:28 in Paris)
...

I came home today, and my place was... quiet. It isn't that I dislike having people over, but at the same time there's always such a feeling of peace when you are at home, beholden to noone, and completely at ease. It is the same reason I enjoy having parties, but like it when people go home. And, finally, this weekend is free of visitors. There's a birthday party for a friend of ours on Saturday, but that's it. Relaxation on a grand scale!
:: David (13:12 in Michigan, 19:12 in Paris)
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Having finished all six of the 'Sword Singer' books by Jennifer Roberson, I have started re-reading some of Guy Gavriel Kay's work. Many of his works revolve around the idea of a character or set of characters who live in a time of change, when something grand and majestic is coming to an end, and I'm always amazed at his ability to recreate the sense of poignancy and loss. Yet at the same time, he does an amazing job of representing the nobility of the characters who are forced to carry on into an unknown, and somehow lesser, age.
:: David (07:57 in Michigan, 13:57 in Paris)
...

There was an interesting article on globalization in today's IHT. It details a report drafted by the International Labour Organization with the help of such notables as Joseph Stiglitz, who won the 2001 Nobel Prize for economics. It states that "The uneven benefits of globalization are creating a growing divide between rich and poor countries and within countries" and that "Even during the 1990s. when the end of the cold war produced an explosive opening of borders, new trade agreements and the establishment of the World Trade Organization, rapid globalization failed to increase the pace of growth of the global gross national product", i.e. it did not make the planet, overall, wealthier. The writers of the report also noted "Currently, globalization is a divisive subject. It verges on a dialogue of the deaf, both nationally and internationally. Yet the future of onr countries, and the destiny of our globe, demands that we all rethink globalization." In addition to questioning the benefits of globalization, and the dialogue which has so far taken place concerning its effects, the report noted the growing income gap within wealthy coutries, stating for example that the United States "has the greatest gap, with the top 1 percent earning 17 percent of the gross income, 'a level last seen in the 1920s.'"

When Sasha was describing what my current interests were to some of the members of her extended family, one of them became convinced that I went around trashing McDonald's restaurants, an indicator of the level of understanding people have of this issue. It's so interesting to me that at the same time elements of the debate can be elevated to national importance, as the export of jobs has been, the overall debate can be so completely misunderstood, or completely missing, as the case may be. Of course, part of the problem is that political parties in many Western nations actually split the issues between them - in the US one party claims to be for social support and labour, the other claims to be for small government and free trade. Sadly, to make it work at all you need to support free trade and social support. And then you need to sell that to people who have been brought up to believe the two don't go together....
:: David (05:05 in Michigan, 11:05 in Paris)
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:: Monday, February 23 2004 ::

They're packing up to leave tomorrow morning, shortly after I leave for work. Off to London, leaving me to suffer through living in Paris. Tee hee. I think I will survive. We went out for Japanese food this evening, after stopping by the Bombadier for a pint. Originally we were all going to have a pint, but Sarah and Abby got lost. So we had a quick reunion in the pub and then went out for dinner.
:: David (15:54 in Michigan, 21:54 in Paris)
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From the International Herald Tribune:

SAINT-DENIS, France: It was dusk on a weary payday. In a post office outside Paris, two lines of immigrant customers wove around each other in a Friday ritual.
One of the lines led to an automated teller machine, where modest sums of money were being methodically with- drawn: the other, to the Western Un- ion desk, where a good portion of the funds was then being wired to family members around the world.
The wails of babies and the sputter of computer printers were the only sounds that marked the electronic transformation of euros into Moroccan dirhams, Algerian dinars and Cape Verde escudos - a ceaseless flow of money that is a growing form of family foreign aid so vast that it dwarfs development assistance from rich countries to poor.
�I send money home to my wife in Morocco because it gives me pleasure,� said Mustapha Ajuane, 43, a parking lot attendant who emigrated to France three years ago. He said he wired �200, or $253, every month to family members he left behind.
In the last few years, the flow has expanded exponentially, to the point where international policy makers and govemment officials are putting an unprecedented focus onbetter harnessing these funds - estimated by the World Bank at as much as $9S billion annually - as a global low-finance engine.
[...]
Meanwhile, the immigrants them- selves have transformed the post office in Saint-Denis into one of the busiest branches in France. But its chief business is no longer handling mail according to Lionel Maestroni, the branch's postal manager.
Behind the counters, he said, workers spend more time on financial transactions: dispensing money and making transfers.

I found this story interesting not only because it offers an interesting take on how rich nations could help poorer nations, but also because Saint Denis is a place I have been - it's in the Northern part of Paris, a suburb, and as the story notes has quite a large immigrant population. It's a very lively place.
:: David (10:22 in Michigan, 16:22 in Paris)
...

There's an article in the New York Times today which discusses international outsourcing. It looks as though the topic is going to be hotter than I thought, based on media coverage recently. As the Times notes:

In a presidential election year, when few new jobs are being created despite a growing American economy, the issue of jobs lost to foreign competition - and what can be done about it - will be an important one on the campaign agenda of both Democrats and Republicans.

Which makes me happy that I have a degree in economics, because by the time the race really heats up, you're going to need one to deconstruct the various arguments. Too bad for everyone else, though....
:: David (04:06 in Michigan, 10:06 in Paris)
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:: Sunday, February 22 2004 ::

Really interesting stuff due to happen here in Paris. Apparently next weekend Jesse Jackson will be giving a sermon at the American cathedral, and will also kick off a lecture series which will include all sorts of interesting folks. I'm quite looking forward to it, although any more of my evenings taken up by stuff will possibly result in my going crazy, so I'll try to be careful not to get a weekly event on Tuesdays or Mondays (heaven forbid I add to my Monday regime!)

There was a circus (or at least several circus-type performers) in the square near our house. We were returning from some sightseeing, and I quite nearly walked out of the metro directly into a guy on stilts. Very bizarre

I think we broke the girls - we came home, and they both collapsed. Sarah has taken over my bed and her friend is equally zonked in the living room. Very funny stuff. I remember days like that when I used to travel as hard and as fast as I could. Nowadays, of course, I just sort of amble, rather than running. It's easier.
:: David (10:17 in Michigan, 16:17 in Paris)
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:: Saturday, February 21 2004 ::

Lots of random stuff today - the louvre, notre dame, etc. - a standard tourist day. I am pleased to note that today I finally managed to purchase a book on learning arabic, so I will hopefully at least be able to read the alphabet, more or less, when I make it over to Egypt.

We've also worked out that I will be taking a holiday in the states in early April, over Easter Sunday. Sasha will be headed to her brother's house to help with Sebastian and the whole 'having a baby' thing, and I will be flying to Detroit to see friends and family for a while. We'll see how it all works out.
:: David (16:40 in Michigan, 22:40 in Paris)
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I don't remember if I mentioned this or not - Korea has had its first Sumo exhibition since the war recently. Of course, Japanese cultural items are always a touchy subject in Korea, so the fact that Sumo (which is about as Japanese as things get) put on an exhibition is something of a sign of thawing relations. For me, it just means that maybe someday I can watch more Sumo!
:: David (03:11 in Michigan, 09:11 in Paris)
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:: Friday, February 20 2004 ::

Well, they are here. For better or worse, my weekend of tourism has begun. Fortunately, they are whipped, or somewhat whipped, and thus we are not out on the town just yet. We'll see what tomorrow brings....
:: David (12:22 in Michigan, 18:22 in Paris)
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:: Thursday, February 19 2004 ::

Very exciting - babelfish now does English-Japanese and Japanese-English translations. The translations are not overwhelmingly good, but given the options, it's better than nothing (at least they probably get the nouns right!). An example:

���̓A�����J�l�ł��B(I am an American)
�����ɏZ��ł��܂��B(I live in Fukuoka)
�������D���ł��B(I like fukuoaka)
�����̐H�ו��͍����ł� (the food in fukuoka is expensive)

Translates as "I am the American. You have lived in Fukuoka. We like Fukuoka. The Fukuoka food is high, is." Which is not really that bad - it just requires a little thought.
:: David (06:53 in Michigan, 12:53 in Paris)
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:: Wednesday, February 18 2004 ::

Adding insult to injury, I had French homework to do this evening. Two language classes (of sorts), a soir�e at the embassy, and homework to round out the night. I'll take it. This day gets a 4.5. Now I need to figure out the scale....
:: David (16:53 in Michigan, 22:53 in Paris)
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So, a little shindig at the American embassy this evening. Constance Morella, the American ambassador to the OECD, was there, as were lots of other people I probably should have talked to. But instead I chatted with lots of random people and drank wine and ate good food. Which was nice too. There was a speech, which I didn't hear but which other people gave general pans to, and did I mention wine and free food?
:: David (14:44 in Michigan, 20:44 in Paris)
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So the department head just walked in, and said "first of may. That's when you become a real person." And as easily as that, I appear to have a job until 2005. Wacky crazy fast and easy!
:: David (06:13 in Michigan, 12:13 in Paris)
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:: Tuesday, February 17 2004 ::

You know, there are few things in the world as wonderful as Kinder Surprises,

...but when you add toys from The Lord of the Rings to your standard Kinder Surprise,

...you get something that much more wonderful!

Of course, the sad thing is that I enjoy the box so much I don't want to destroy it, but that's the only way to get at the yummy tasty chocolate and the fun-filled action figure!
:: David (16:46 in Michigan, 22:46 in Paris)
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If there is anything worse than screaming whiny children, I can't imagine what it is. Argh!
:: David (14:54 in Michigan, 20:54 in Paris)
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I wrote a quick blurb on the pros and cons of outsourcing jobs abroad, after reading a number of articles today talking about the current debate. For those who are unaware of recent developments, laws are currently being debated in the US to stop the practice, at least for government jobs, and developing nations who are also WTO members aren't happy about it.
:: David (12:02 in Michigan, 18:02 in Paris)
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So I just witnessed how some people feel about going to Iraq - the girl next door (whose name I should remember by now, but I had to ask) Elizabeth, is letting people know she's leaving this week to go to Iraq, and one of the people went into this long commentary on how she hoped they were being issued flack jackets and how dangerous it was and so forth and so on. It clearly shook her up more than a little, and it struck me that maybe this wasn't the best topic to be discussing with her just now, since she had clearly stated her decision was made.

I went into her office a little later, and it was clear she had been shaken, and was very near to tears, so I gave her a little pep talk, because she needed it and because I myself would enjoy doing something like she is doing. It's always odd dealing with people's emotions in a work situation - do you leave them be, do you treat them as friends although you don't know them that well, etc.
:: David (08:07 in Michigan, 14:07 in Paris)
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So I was down in the metro this morning, and as I was walking out I was looking for mice. Souris. And then I was thinking (for no reason at all) about another word for mouse, in a fictitious language - Maud'ib, which is what the Fremen called Paul in Dune. And then I was thinking about how the metro was kind of like a sandworm, and how much fun it would be to do a variant of the story, where the Fremen wander the Paris underground, and the messiah comes in the form of a boy from above who calls himself 'Souris' after the mouse that lives in the metro. OK - that's my bizarre thought for the day. One of them, anyway.
:: David (02:56 in Michigan, 08:56 in Paris)
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:: Monday, February 16 2004 ::

I thought so - Jason managed to prompt not one, but two long winded posts from me today. He gets a gold star.
:: David (17:22 in Michigan, 23:22 in Paris)
...

I managed to work my way through a couple of French news magazines today. I subscribed to one specifically so it would force me to occasionally read French (or feel guilty for paying for a magazine I'm not reading). Jason wrote asking about how one motivates oneself to go out an speak to people. Sadly, I was the wrong person to ask, as I rarely do. At the office, I have an excuse, and it doesn't hurt that they are often people my own age, but by and large coming up with things to say, topics of conversation, etc. can be difficult enough in one's first language. Learning another one is tough in that respect. This week I'm going to meet with someone to exchange English/Japanese conversation, as well as my twice-a-week French lessons. I'm trying to convince myself that I should also do evening courses. As with the magazine, I find paying for conversation helps motivate. Of course, being surrounded by French speakers at work is also starting to motivate me - I have the advantage of having pissed away two years in Japan without learning nearly as much as I should have to lend impetus to my language learning this time around....
:: David (17:21 in Michigan, 23:21 in Paris)
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You know, I've just realized that a stupid percentage of my friends are teachers. Jason wrote me today about teaching, as did Lindsay, and Trine was here last weekend, and we discussed (somewhat) teaching there as well. Very bizarre. I like teaching, but I personally am not called to teach the way some people are. There are things I am good at, and communicating ideas is (I like to think) one of them. But only to interested parties. Teaching high school was, for me, a real challenge, because it was a job. It was work. It wasn't playtime. Some of the people I worked with in Japan were true teachers - creative people who came up with neat things to do, week after week. They worked hard, but it was rewarding for them. I'm glad to know those folks exist, because they are the ones who make a real impact on lots of kids' lives.
:: David (17:13 in Michigan, 23:13 in Paris)
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Whatever happened to the debate on 'welfare mothers'? I just read a paper (relevant to the work I'll be doing on national child care expenses and subsidies in the coming weeks) which estimated an amazing job uptake rate at the lower income levels (including welfare recipients) when subsidized child care was available. The study used data from twelve U.S. states and had a sample size of more than 40,000, as I recall. But, as the paper noted, funding for such programs is likely to go down, rather than up, in future policy redefinitions.
:: David (04:28 in Michigan, 10:28 in Paris)
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Oh yes, it's Monday - I was just introduced to a new staff member, and after meeting her and wandering down to the coffee machine, etc. I discovered my fly was open. *sigh*
:: David (03:40 in Michigan, 09:40 in Paris)
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...and speaking of early and tired, how much fun is it to be reading Swiss tax laws (in French) at 9AM on a Monday morning? "EXCEPTIONS A L'OBLIGATION DE PAYER DES COTISATIONS" and "DUREE MINIMUM DE LA PERTE DE TRAVAIL EN CAS DE CHOMAGE COMPLET" all start to run together. And the fact that although I can't have a basic conversation in French, but I know what 'ch�mage' and 'cotisations' are (taxes and, in the case of pensions, contributions, respectively), makes me a little concerned.
:: David (03:24 in Michigan, 09:24 in Paris)
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I suppose I should have linked to the article about religious education in the UK, but it was early, and I was tired.
:: David (03:14 in Michigan, 09:14 in Paris)
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There's an article on the BBC about the results of a study into religious education in schools, which is still required in Britain. The study makes some excellent points:

The institute said: "Dropping religion from the syllabus, or banning the expression of religious beliefs from schools, as in France, won't make religious strife go away - if anything it will exacerbate it.

but had apparently not thought through completely the manner in which their findings might be reported in the news, as the BBC's headline, "RE [religious education] studies 'should cover atheism'"
:: David (02:05 in Michigan, 08:05 in Paris)
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:: Sunday, February 15 2004 ::

I believe we have finished watching the last of the Card Captor Sakura series this evening (not counting the second movie). On a whim I grabbed some of them the other day, and it was fun, and good to remind me how to speak Japanese, so we watched a few more, and the Lo! We were done with the seties. Sad!
:: David (15:57 in Michigan, 21:57 in Paris)
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:: Saturday, February 14 2004 ::

While randomly clicking links, I ran across another Japan portion of the website to fix - this time it was photos from a trip from Osaka back down to Saga, by way of castles, temples, and crazy big buildings.
:: David (17:57 in Michigan, 23:57 in Paris)
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While putting up the photos this evening, I noticed that my France homepage is starting to get, let us say, cramped. Desperately full of links. I think I may need to do what I did with the Japan section, and start listing things by year. Of course, with France things get put in by topic as well, for all those people who hit my web page because they searched for 'eiffel tower red photos' or something equally brilliant.
:: David (17:49 in Michigan, 23:49 in Paris)
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I've put up just a couple of photos from Brad and Erin's arrival in Paris (which happened earlier today). Overall, it seems to be a case of so far, so good, although going out to dinner with a child is always an adventure.
:: David (17:43 in Michigan, 23:43 in Paris)
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Look! Down in the street! It's a bird! No! It's a plane! No! It's Angle Grinder Man!!!!
:: David (05:37 in Michigan, 11:37 in Paris)
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So after all that rambling on about the name FireBird, Mozilla went and changed the name of the browser. So I wasted all that energy and brainpower for nothing. OK - you're right - not a lot of energy or brainpower went into it....
:: David (05:25 in Michigan, 11:25 in Paris)
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:: Friday, February 13 2004 ::

It's really past my bedtime, and I hate updating my web page late at night - I make mistakes, things get lost, it's all ugly and bad. But there's a site I want to link to, and while you're all waiting for it to appear on my homepage, I'll put a link to it here. It tells you the number of casualties in Iraq.
:: David (18:56 in Michigan, 00:56 in Paris)
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I like the idea of having an independent press in the Middle East - I'm just a little fuzzy about how 'independent' the free one will be when it has been set up and funded and staffed by the United States. Sounds suspiciously like something we've tried before. That didn't work.
:: David (18:47 in Michigan, 00:47 in Paris)
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Dinner over with friends this evening, and tomorrow Sasha's brother Brad and his wife Erin will arrive in town(with Sebastian in tow). Busy, busy, busy!
:: David (11:39 in Michigan, 17:39 in Paris)
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Is everyone out there cooking with Quinoa? I found some in a French supermarket last night (while looking for things to eat), but I can't work out if it's something that is actually catching on, or if it's one of those bizarre finds you sometimes get, where there's no logical reason for the product being in stores where you are, and yet there it is. The fact that convenience stores in Japan sell Chai (the Indian spiced tea made with milk), for example. No good reason for it being there, and yet there it is.
:: David (11:38 in Michigan, 17:38 in Paris)
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:: Thursday, February 12 2004 ::

I have been reading the Guardian for some time now, and one of the more interesting things they have done in the time is a series of articles called 'A Life Inside', which is written by an individual who was serving time in Prison. It served to give an idea of what went on in the prisons, and also give one a more human view of criminals, both the individual who wrote the article, and his fellow cell-mates. It wasn't censored, or prettied-up, but neither was it completely horrible. It reminded you of the humanity of people, including those behind bars. Recently the articles have become interesting in a different way, as the writer has been released, and in today's edition he tells the story of securing a 'real job'. In some respects, because you follow his life along with the articles, it feels like a reason to celebrate.

Whenever I read stuff like this, I am reminded that blogging did not invent the 'peek into someone's life' - newspapers did. And often, they do it better.
:: David (03:33 in Michigan, 09:33 in Paris)
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:: Wednesday, February 11 2004 ::

So the girl who works next door to me (who still doesn't have a name) is going to Iraq to work with setting up medical infrastructure (she's a medical student). How fun! I'm quite looking forward to knowing someone on the ground who can tell me a different story than what I read in the newspapers.
:: David (12:32 in Michigan, 18:32 in Paris)
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For a giggle, the Department of Labor has a list of the minimum wages one can pay an employee who receives tips (waitresses, etc.). Notice especially the difference between a state like Kansas ($1.59/hr) and a state like Washington ($7.16/hr). Note also that Washington and Oregon have started adjusting their minimum wage yearly, based on inflation. Nice.
:: David (06:40 in Michigan, 12:40 in Paris)
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According to the Kyodo News, the share of marriages between Japanese and foreigners has more than doubled since the late 1980's. Quoting an OECD report, the article stated "The percentage of such marriages to the total number of marriages in Japan rose from 2.4% in 1988 to 5% in 2001, or a total 39,700 cases". The breakdown of such marriages was interesting, in that more than 70% of the marriages were between Japanese men and female nationals of other asian nations.

While looking for a link to the article (which I could not find), I saw a story on the Uwajima Fisheries High School in Ehime Prefecture - the high school which, three years ago, lost several students when a US submarine violently surfaced underneath one of its fishing vessels. Yesterday was the 3rd anniversary of the tragedy, which killed nine.
:: David (03:58 in Michigan, 09:58 in Paris)
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:: Tuesday, February 10 2004 ::

Linux that boots from a CD and lives in RAM! I must have it! Apparently it is called Knoppix, and I'm snagging a copy of the CD as I type. I'm excited by the idea of booting into RAM, and then actually running in RAM - especially given how slow my computer is running Windows. I have a multi-gigahertz machine with 256 megs of RAM - it is insane that I should think back to the days of a 486/33 with fondness, simply because the damned OS was less bloated.
:: David (16:56 in Michigan, 22:56 in Paris)
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Speaking of minimum wages, I found this paper which discusses the effects of minimum wages on people's decision to re-enter the workforce. Page 24 has a summary of their findings, or at least the ones I found interesting, which seem to show a strong positive relation between a higher minimum wage and people leaving welfare. This may seem self-evident, but many economists (many of whom have their head shoved somewhere dark, in my opinion) argue that the opposite will occur, and that only the most skilled will be able to get jobs when the wages increase, thus excluding, for example, long term recipients of welfare.
:: David (16:29 in Michigan, 22:29 in Paris)
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It isn't that often that I get to work with data from my home country, but whenever I do I am amused. Or something. According to our data, an average factory worker makes a little more than $30,000/year. On the other hand, if you do the math, minimum wage brings in just over $10,000/year. But when I went looking for more information on minimum wages, all I found were hate sites, telling me the minimum wage actually makes people worse off.

Forgive me, but I don't believe you.

And as for benefits for those who don't work at all, forget it! A lone parent with two children and no work income will receive $4300/year in food stamps. An unemployed single person with no children can receive $1620/year in food stamps. That's $83/week and $31/week, respectively. I suppose you could get by on that. Maybe. We don't do food expenses, that would be a bit tough. As for rent, there's next to nothing. In Ypsilanti, for a tiny two room shared apartment I was paying over $400/month. In Ann Arbor that number is higher. That's $4800/year in rent. And the benefits available to pay it are slim, moving towards none in many place. Overall, I'm not inclined to think we have nearly enough of a social safety net.

Which is sad, because lots of research, and common sense, shows that well fed people who have a stable home make society as a whole better off.
:: David (16:05 in Michigan, 22:05 in Paris)
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:: Monday, February 9 2004 ::

I had hoped the Vicksburg High School class of 1993 reunion would have a website or something, so I could see pictures of all the people I went to school with, ten years on. Sadly, I could not find anything, so I'll have to email the people I know and see what they can tell me, if anything....
:: David (17:57 in Michigan, 23:57 in Paris)
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So, I made a long list of random thoughts today at work, and mailed them to myself so I would post them. This is indicative of how 'all over the place' my mind was today. French class didn't improve matters any, as it interrupted my already interrupted thought processes. So here's a summary of random thoughts for today:

Whatever happened to Paula Abdul?

Of course, I went looking and discovered she was on that television show lots of people watched, American Idol or whatever, so in fact she wasn't as completely random as I originally thought, since I thought she hadn't done anything since her music career ended (or whatever).

How much electricity, really, does it take to power those sensors they put in bathrooms to make the sinks turn on and off?

I wondered this because I was thinking how silly it was to turn on a sink with theoretically unclean hands, wash them, and then touch the same handle you just turned on to turn the water off. I'm not saying the whole idea of sanitation is hoodoo, or anything like that, I'm just saying we have odd ideas of 'clean enough'.
:: David (17:55 in Michigan, 23:55 in Paris)
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:: Sunday, February 8 2004 ::

The economist has an article this week with some strong words concerning the US budget plans:

President George Bush's plan, set out this week in his budget, to halve the deficit over five years is based on unrealistic assumptions and fantasy accounting.

Interestingly, it calls the US economy 'booming' - all of which leads back to the 'jobless recovery' people have been talking about. If the US economy is doing so well, why is everyone else so concerned? I think the way things are going we're headed for another meltdown - and we still haven't really recovered from the last one....
:: David (16:57 in Michigan, 22:57 in Paris)
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Played tourist today - went through the P�re Lachaise cemetery, found the Grave of Jim Morrison (follow the throngs!), then down to Bastille, a coffee on the Place des Vosges, a visit to the Picasso museum, then down to the Hotel de ville and on to Notre Dame, finishing the day with a visit to the Pantheon and a glass of mulled wine. We took a peek at the photo exhibit along the Luxembourg gardens and then returned and had raclette for dinner, and looked at the zillions of photos we'd taken. After all that we were so worn out bed was pretty much all we could muster for the evening.
:: David (16:47 in Michigan, 22:47 in Paris)
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I believe Trine is trying to kill us. We went to the Palace of Versailles today, and walked something like seven thousand miles over the course of the day. It's an amazing place, Versailles, not only because of the wealth on display - which you would expect of the home of a king - but also because of the amazing arrogance on display. Maybe it's because we all knew what was going to happen in their futures, but the images of the three Louis seemed so completely out of touch with reality, and the chateau so insulated from anything else going on. It was quite fun, overall, but it wore us out. Sleep now.
:: David (19:12 in Michigan, 01:12 in Paris)
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What is cholula, you might ask? Well, it turns out they have a web site to answer questions like that!
:: David (19:05 in Michigan, 01:05 in Paris)
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:: Saturday, February 7 2004 ::

Mornings - made better by Breakfast Tacos (with Cholula!)
:: David (03:20 in Michigan, 09:20 in Paris)
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:: Friday, February 6 2004 ::

Well, Trine managed to make it to our apartment about an hour ago, and tomorrow is looking like a busy day, with a visit to Versailles planned. Well see how it goes.

While waiting for Trine to arrive, I fixed the links to all the old archive pages (they were a little wonky) so now one can browse through all the crazy stuff I've thought over the past year. I can't believe I've been keeping this thing for over a year now. Utter madness.
:: David (18:39 in Michigan, 00:39 in Paris)
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Now I know why Arabic is so darned difficult to read! The letters change shape depending where in the word they are! Ack!
:: David (16:40 in Michigan, 22:40 in Paris)
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So, for those who wonder what it is I do at work all day, read this article concerning whether the United States should offer strong social assistance to every citizen.
:: David (16:24 in Michigan, 22:24 in Paris)
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There's an interesting article in the Economist this week about the different approach Britain and France have to their muslim populations. It discusses the law against the veil in France: "The government stresses that its new law refers to all religions, but nobody is fooled. How many schoolchildren turn up to class wearing crucifixes of a 'manifestly excessive dimension'? 'It's not the crucifix or the kippa that is targeted,' insists Khalil Merroun, the rector of the Evry mosque, 'but Islam.'" And it discusses Britain: "The British model of integration consists, essentially, of not worrying about it. Where the French have an official High Council for Integration, designed to ensure that the process takes place, the British shy away from the term. Ethnic minority groups are not only left alone by the state to practise their faith, language or culture, but are encouraged and subsidised to do so. In one or two schools, the wearing of headscarves has caused trouble; but this is seen as a problem for school governors, not politicians. A vast majority disapproves of headscarf bans for impeccably liberal reasons." It then goes on to discuss the pros and cons of doing, or not doing. The balance sheet, according to the Economist, is too mixed to tell.
:: David (16:19 in Michigan, 22:19 in Paris)
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Did David Hasselhoff help end the Cold War? You be the judge....
:: David (16:08 in Michigan, 22:08 in Paris)
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There's a young woman I work with you is considering going to Iraq to work with the Americans on developing infrastructure. I don't know if she'll actually do it, but the idea - the opportunity to go somewhere where things are really being changed, and to have a hand in putting your mark on things, is quite exciting. It's a shame about the rest of the situation, i.e. the fact that, for a variety of reasons, I suspect everyone will pull out before they should, leaving a vacuum to be filled by who knows what. But to have one's hand, in any small way, in the creation of a new infrastructure would be quite fun.
:: David (07:33 in Michigan, 13:33 in Paris)
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The union of metro workers had blocked off one of the entrances to the metro today and were handing out flyers at the other entrance. Carrying the logo of the 'Union Syndicale CGT de la RATP', it begins by telling us that the recent decisions made by the government, such as raised rates, eliminating positions, restructuring and so forth, had actually made the transport situation in the Paris region worse, rather than better.

Naturally, the paper (it's a single piece of A4 (8� x 11) paper, filled with text on both sides) concludes that the proposed 'minimum service' being proposed here in Paris, or maybe all of France, which would require a certain number of trains, buses, etc., even on days when there is a strike, would make service worse, rather than better.

The unions are interesting here. I do not, as a rule, agree with limiting the right of workers to strike. On the other hand, here in Paris, if one or two trains run per hour, it is the same as if there were none at all. People would be packed in so tight that by the second stop noone could get on anyway. On the other hand, for this same reason I'm not sure I see a reason for requiring minimum service, since it would not provide any service at all. It seems as though the fight is a waste of effort, both on the part of management and on the part of the union. So long as workers are willing to strike, they will have at least some power, and in a country like France, where almost everyone belongs to some sort of union, and almost all of the unions have an adversarial relationship with management, I do not see the rights of workers being threatened too much anytime soon.
:: David (03:09 in Michigan, 09:09 in Paris)
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:: Thursday, February 5 2004 ::

Have y'all heard the song 'Your Revolution' by Sarah Jones? Give it a listen if you haven't (you should also read airbubble's article about how the song was censored - special thanks to them for having the song up to listen to). It's quite funny and more than slightly thought provoking. Especially in light of the fact that it was censored.
:: David (14:42 in Michigan, 20:42 in Paris)
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So here's a fun one (also from the Guardian) which juxtaposes two big issues of our day and their common theme - the marginalization of Muslims, and weapons of mass destruction. It poses the question who was to blame for a WMD attack on Paris in 2009.
:: David (14:32 in Michigan, 20:32 in Paris)
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I can't decide if the Guardian has gone for humour, or for fear, but either way, Fox News, whose large viewership is to me proof that the United States is populated by a great number of very ignorant people, has been quoted verbatim, without comment, as a news article. It's a tremendously funny quote, with brilliant Fox reporting including such gems as:

The British Broadcasting Corporation was forced to pay up for its blatant anti-Americanism before and during the Iraq war. A frothing at the mouth anti-Americanism that was obsessive, irrational and dishonest.
[...]
So the next time you hear the BBC bragging about how much superior the Brits are at delivering the news than Americans who wear flags in their lapels, remember it was the Beeb caught lying.

Just brilliant. Thanks guys - what would we do without xenophobic prattle like yours? Oh - I know - get news from our news channels....
:: David (13:35 in Michigan, 19:35 in Paris)
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:: Wednesday, February 4 2004 ::

It appears that Shelby and her family will be moving to Germany. Just in time for one 'blog I know' to return to the states, another one heads abroad. Although it's tough to compare South America to Germany. Regardless, Shelby's life and whatnot is headed to Germany. You might want to take a gander....
:: David (17:21 in Michigan, 23:21 in Paris)
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It's a shame - sometimes an article seems like it's going to go someplace interesting, and maybe say something important, and then it goes somewhere inane, instead. Witness The Origins of Occidentalism by Ian Buruma. It looked like it was going to be a thoughtful piece, and then it rambled off into 'enemies of progress' land. It's a shame so many people think this sort of thing is worth publishing. It's even more a shame so many people think it's worth reading....
:: David (17:18 in Michigan, 23:18 in Paris)
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It's halfway through the week already! I can't believe it! Trine will be here on Friday! She's calling this evening to get directions to my place (which I have already sent like a million times, but I'll be darned if I can remember where they are now), and then on Friday she'll be here! I like having people in town - it makes me get off my otherwise unmoving bottom and go out on the town.
:: David (13:07 in Michigan, 19:07 in Paris)
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:: Tuesday, February 3 2004 ::

Say what you will about bad presidents past and present - Warren Harding still gets my vote! Any man who loses the White House china in a card game can't be all bad!
:: David (16:47 in Michigan, 22:47 in Paris)
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Sasha pointed out that I have not yet mentioned my up and coming Thursday night out with the boys. Yes, it's role playing - some variant on D&D, no less. But it looks as though it's being run by a guy with way too much time on his hands, which is really the only type of people worth playing with. We'll see how it goes....
:: David (13:10 in Michigan, 19:10 in Paris)
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So I have decided to try Mozilla.org's mail client. It's called Thunderbird, and as yet does not resemble KITT in any way. It has already succeeded in impressing me, as it displays my mail from amazon.co.jp correctly in both the preview pane and the inbox view - something outlook express has never done for me. It also managed to import all... (hold on - it's counting...) 13,500 messages that I had in Outlook Express (for those who are wondering, yes, I do keep all my mail).

For those who were wondering about the KITT thing, I originally thought the mozilla mail client was firebird, which is in fact their standalone web browser. Adding insult to injury, it turns out KITT was a Trans-Am, not a firebird (although, in the '80s it was hard to tell one car from another anyway, but still...).
:: David (13:07 in Michigan, 19:07 in Paris)
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:: Monday, February 2 2004 ::

So I guess I missed the superbowl, huh? I have recently been informed (by those more in the know than I) that the Patriots won. Woo. No, really. It's funny just how completely nonexistent the biggest thing in the US was over here. But we had a good weekend, even though we were being bad consumers.
:: David (16:25 in Michigan, 22:25 in Paris)
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There is a great article this morning in Le Monde title Paris embaum�e, or "Paris Embalmed". It's all about how Paris is beoming more and more suburban, and less and less a living city. For those who can't read the French, babelfish can do a basic translation.

There are fewer and fewer children in Paris, in particular the districts of the center, which have become, as in Manhattan, the districts for "dinkies" (double income, No kids)

:: David (03:07 in Michigan, 09:07 in Paris)
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:: Sunday, February 1 2004 ::

Sunday. We went to the American Cathdral this morning, which was interesting, as they were having their annual meeting, so there was a bishop there in addition to the usual host (no pun intended). It was an amusing speech given by what, it turns out, is the fairly new Dean of the cathedral - if my math holds he came to Paris after we did. He commented that there was a shortage of funds, which given the socioeconomic position of the members was simply inexcusable. I pondered, as the offering bowl went around, if the record would show a massive 'spike' in the offering tally for this week, because of that speech. At any rate, the rest of the day was spent wandering around - we lost a good deal of time to Sasha's carte orange troubles - she was trying to buy a monthly pass for the metro, but it just wouldn't work - some combination of her credit card and their computers just kept raising havoc. Finally she just paid cash.

We're gearing up for our first visitor this weekend - Trine will be coming in from Denmark for a few days. In the meantime, of course, there's the day to day. Which means I have to get up tomorrow morning, which means it's bedtime for Bonzo now. Goodnight!
:: David (17:08 in Michigan, 23:08 in Paris)
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