Failed State?

Stratfor takes another look at defining Mexico as a failed state.

"If it’s not experienced by international Mormons, then it’s not essential to Mormonism."

During conference this past weekend, I was thinking something along the same lines.

It'll be interesting when we have a conference talk given in a non-English speaker's native language and we get the English sub-titles or the translation. As far as I know, that hasn't happened yet.

UPDATE: Just saw this post regarding the cancellation, due to his politics, of a fireside where Harry Reid was going to bear his testimony. Very sad.

Go Go Go!

The Recently Jobless and the Soon to be Graduated

The Atlantic's Don Peck tries to cheer up all of the jobless.

Really, you both should read it. It will make you feel better. If it doesn't, I'll owe you some Pecorino Romano.

Loser

The propane tank won.

Success!

I'm going to need a new freezer.

Ragnar

I ran Ragnar again this year. As my dad was running at 1:30am Saturday on the Carefree Highway, a police cruiser went by at about 100 mph. A couple of miles later, as my dad ran in and I was getting ready to go, the organizers stopped the race. Robby Mayasich, a senior at Brophy, had been hit by a car. Robby died today from his injuries.

Επανάσταση

Southern Europe is in big, big trouble. If you'd have asked me two years ago if I'd ever see a revolution within the Eurozone, the answer would definitely have been no.

It's Been A While

Leonora: A Spanish goat cheese. Creamy goat center with a soft, ashy rind. Very Humboldt Fog-like, except that that ash is the rind rather than a middle layer. It's also a little stronger than Humboldt Fog. Pretty good.

In other news, on the recommendation of "experts", I ate my Vacherin Mont d'Or with both boiled potatoes and tuna fish (yes, tuna fish). The potatoes were a hit. I'm still trying to digest the tuna fish.

Guns or Butter?

Anytime Niall Ferguson is referenced, especially when he is comparing the spendthriftness of the Spanish Habsburgs on all things military with the current U.S.'s sad state of financial and military affairs in Iraq and Afghanistan, I'm all ears.

As for me and my house, we choose butter (preferably on a spoon with a little sugar).

Maastricht

Stratfor examines Germany's choices in the face of the impending Greek default.

I wonder if I'll miss the Euro?

From Despair.com

Inequality?

And thus my unfocused blog continues. Chris over at By Common Consent takes a look at Equality, Social Unity, and Cooperation. I particularly liked the reference to 3 Nephi 6:12 in The Book of Mormon.

Stamford Bridge

The goal of the match in an otherwise pedestrian 7-2 thumping of relegation candidate Sunderland.



I find it annoying that I need to wait another week for another Chelsea EPL match.

Truthers

From XKCD.

Floriculture

On longer drives, Liz and I usually talk about things that we have been reading lately. This was the topic of last night's conversation:

The Atlantic has a terrific piece on flowers, evolution, genetics, and children. A relatively new theory on why evolution hasn't weeded out the genes generally considered unhelpful to the propagation of our species (i.e., Why does 25% of the population carry the gene for depression and 20% carry the gene for anti-social behavior?).

It turns out that those with these types of genes, if they are in the right environment, can become orchids, one of nature's most beautiful flowers.

I'm okay with being a dandelion. The species needs us too.

Haiti

As I sit here in my cushy office, sipping my diet soda, thinking about the temperature of the cheese (boratta) I ate last night (too cold), I can't begin to fathom the suffering of those in Haiti right now.

LDS Humanitarian Services has already started sending supplies. You can donate to the Haiti relief fund here.

WMDs

Paul Volcker takes on the financial voodoo in the WSJ.

Oh, Zimbabwe!

How long have I been writing about how the U.S. is going to manage its debt problem (i.e., inflating it away)? Almost five years? The WSJ summarizes a NBER paperthat details how the U.S. could inflate away 20% of its debt in four years.

In fromage news:

Vacherin Mont d'Or: It finally came in! A stinky, cow's milk, fondue-like cheese. Peeling off the spruce top and getting to the warm, runny, slightly sweet deliciousness is a true treat.

Chimay: A cow's milk cheese made by Belgian monks. These monks are apparently famous for their beer brewing abilities and decided many moons ago to combine their love of beer with their love of cheese by making this cheese and washing it in beer. This semi-soft cheese stinks, but is rather mild, with a nutty aftertaste.

Falling Down

I should be posting about my sprint triathlon and the Turkey Trot 10k, but the pictures are elsewhere and what is a race repot without pictures. Yep. Boring.

Instead I bring you Stratfor's assessment of the President's Afghanistan strategy. It's been interesting to hear Republicans praising the president and the left not quite knowing what to do or say.

The analysis itself is interesting and I'm paraphrasing here:

What we have is the Taliban that is definitely going to infiltrate the Afghan army. The Afghan army which is the key to the success of the President's strategy. So instead of focusing all of our efforts on preventing this infiltration, which is near nigh impossible, we'll use the Pakistani ISI to infiltrate the Taliban.

What is that you say? The ISI has been instrumental in helping the Taliban in the past? No matter. We don't have any other options.