WTFF Mixologist Part Deux

Another classic favorite:

The "Wild Ass Indian"

1 Gallon Vodka
1 Gallon Rum
1 Gallon Scotch Whisky

Shake.

http://www.drinksmixer.com/drink5037.html

WTFF's Mixologist

I was talking about different drinks tonight with my housemates and I told them about a delicious concoction close to my heart: the Mouthgasm.

In the first of a continuing series, I will post great drink recipes -- especially in light of the coming new years.

MOUTHGASM
- 1 gallon of Ginger Ale (preferably Seagrams)
- 1 gallon of Bourbon (preferably Wild Turkey)
- a dash of grenadine

1. Mix
2. Taste
3. Enjoy

Paging Morgan Freeman

Since we have a black president, it is only a matter of time that the plot of "Deep Impact" plays out in real life.

Watch this.

Dept of Batshit Crazy

Wow.

How To Help the "Bottom Billion"

I stumbled upon an interesting review of Collier's "Bottom Billion" -- which has been highly recommended -- by Niall Ferguson.

It is a good read, laying out the contours of the debate over development and helping the poorest countries out of the economic doldrums.

As I am finishing up Ferguson's "Empire" right now, it makes sense that he argues that simply put, institutions matters.

You can throw all the money at the problem in Sub-Saharan Africa, but in the end, the rule of law, a culture of accountability, and other facets of liberal rule are essential to economic growth.

P.S. And a shout out to Devin and Shuning for encouraging me to start writing again. I am back on the wagon.

Merry Christmas

This has not been updated in a while.

I am still unemployed.

FAIL.

Dartmouth Endowment Worries

In light of the current economic crisis, Dartmouth's endowment has suffered, and is down 6%. While 6% does not sound like much, when 1/3 of the budget comes from endowment returns, it is.

From James Wright:

"In order to bring the College-only budget into balance, we will need to
adjust projected expenses by up to ten percent, or approximately $40
million, over the next two fiscal years. Adjustments will need to be
sustainable rather than temporary and while there may be some across the
board reductions, we anticipate making specific reductions in ways that
reflect institutional priorities."

Let me offer my suggestions to help Dartmouth weather this crisis:

ELIMINATE THE FUNDING FOR MEDIEVAL ENTHUSIASTS OF DARTMOUTH





Does this group serve the greater good of the Dartmouth community?

No.

Axe it.

50 Odd Tidbits About Obama

For instance, he is an Apple user.

Obama's Own Flickr Account

Personal photos from Election Night.

I wonder if he has a LiveJournal as well...

Congratulations California

You've banned gay marriage and now you've decided to build your very own train to nowhere...



The state of California is so hopelessly in debt (11+ billion dollars) sales tax will likely be raised to nearly 9%, a number which does not factor in the local city sales taxes (soon to be 10.5% combined in Los Angeles).

With such an abundance of red ink, what do the fine citizens of California do?

THEY VOTE YES ON PROPOSITION 1A

I dare ask the question, do they need to spend another 10 billion dollars of tax payer money to build a high speed train linking San Diego to San Francisco?

The Wall Street Journal's less than sympathetic take on California's finances:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122368038058324729.html

I ask myself, are the overwhelming majority of Californians overly optimistic or just hopelessly ignorant?

I will let you all decide...

Maybe She Was Thinking of Australia

Hilarious.

Now the Real Dirt Comes Out

Newsweek releases an embargoed behind-the-scenes look at the 08 race. Well worth a real. The best one:

The debates unnerved both candidates. When he was preparing for them during the Democratic primaries, Obama was recorded saying, "I don't consider this to be a good format for me, which makes me more cautious. I often find myself trapped by the questions and thinking to myself, 'You know, this is a stupid question, but let me … answer it.' So when Brian Williams is asking me about what's a personal thing that you've done [that's green], and I say, you know, 'Well, I planted a bunch of trees.' And he says, 'I'm talking about personal.' What I'm thinking in my head is, 'Well, the truth is, Brian, we can't solve global warming because I f---ing changed light bulbs in my house. It's because of something collective'."

Newspaper Front Pages

From around the country and world.

A Must-See Election Day Video

Slate looks at the parallels between the last season of the West Wing and the 2008 prez race.

Southern Culture

In my time, albeit brief, down in North Carolina, I have witnessed something I have never seen before - Southern Culture.

Though I'm quite the outsider to this new world, I have begun to immerse myself.

First stop - the food.

BBQ - FANTASTIC





Even better - the hushpuppies.


I admit I haven't been to a Waffle House or Chick-Fil-A...yet...I'll report back if I ever do...

Please, I encourage you all to share your thoughts on Southern food. Maybe you've tried something beyond barbecue?

A Warm Welcome

I am honored to be the new team-member of Will Think For Food.

Two Dartmouth history majors, two paths in life, one blog - let the magic begin.

Here's one for the sock.

-Brian

The Looming Conservative War

A fascinating dialogue between Ross Douthat and Jonah Goldberg over the ideological future of conservatism.

Will it simply return to its pure roots of low taxes, minimal government, and maximium freedom or is that paradigm outdated in 2008? What will replace it in the 21st century? A pro-state version that embraces the welfare state?

The Youth Failing to Rock the Vote

Disappointing news from Gallup:

Gallup polling in October finds little evidence of a surge in young voter turnout beyond what it was in 2004. While young voter registration may be up slightly over 2004, the reported level of interest in the election and intention to vote among those under 30 are no higher than they were that year.

For all the commotion about the youth vote finally coming out for Obama and making a key difference in this race, it seems to fall flat. Apparently, not even Obama can break the youth out of their ways.

To be frank, the candidate does not matter in determining whether the youth vote will come out. It is simply a systemic problem. Young voters are inherently self-interested and until they grow up and have a family and start worrying about taxes, Social Security, education in earnest, they will not have a real need for politics and public policy.

Another Bond Review

This one comes from the Independent:

We all know what it is to be bored to death, but have you ever been entertained to death? That is the paradoxical experience offered by the new 007 picture Quantum of Solace, whose "thrills" spring off the screen with such mechanical efficiency and metronomic regularity that you could almost set your watch by them. I glanced at my own perhaps more often than the film-makers would have anticipated; it's amazing how the more rumbustious are the action set-pieces, the less attentive the mind becomes. But then there's nothing so fatiguing as a movie that won't stop trying to excite you the whole time.

Bond 22 opened yesterday in Britain, two weeks before its US release.

(Hat Tip: Londonist)

Google Election Map Fun

Google has come out with an election map that lets you look at past electoral results, and more interestingly, the county by county breakdown.

Compare the 2004 map (which looks like a breakdown of Union and Confederate states) with the maps from 1980, 1984, and 1992. For all the talk about a big Obama win, it is hard to imagine anything happening like in those three elections. The country is so divided now it is impossible to conceive a candidate winnning upwards of 45 states.

1980 and 1984 were complete utter routs, where the GOP even captured the northeast. And in 1992, Clinton captured a good deal of southern states.

For all the talk about polarization of politics, this map makes it really ring true. For now at least, the conventional wisdom holds that the GOP cannot win in the urban northeast and the Dems cannot carry the deep rural south. And I have a feeling the outcome of the 2008 race will only harden this belief.

Back in the 1980s, the GOP was truly a national party. After Tuesday, it seems like it will only be a deep south party.