Asymmetrical Information

Rose prices don't always spike. Last evening I bought a dozen pink roses for my wife at our local supermarket's floral section. They're perfectly nice roses too, not what you'd expect from a supermarket, yet cost only ten dollars.

Of course the cats are likely to eat the roses before the day's over, but that's another matter.

Ummm, I'm not sure I get the punchline of the peanuts/emeralds story. Is it somehow related to those bizarre Emerald Nuts ads ("Ecstatic Nativist!"), which I also never understood?

Loosely tying together the recent posts, here's a poem by Nizar Qabbani, an Arab poet. (Can't attest to the accuracy of the translation.)

Between us
twenty years of age
between your lips and my lips
when they meet and stay
the years collapse
the glass of a whole life shatters.

The day I met you I tore up
all my maps
and my prophecies
like an Arab stallion I smelled the rain
of you
before it wet me
heard the pulse of your voice
before you spoke
undid your hair with my hands
before you had braided it

There is nothing I can do
nothing you can do
what can the wound do
with the knife on the way to it?

Your eyes are like a night of rain
in which ships are sinking
and all I wrote is forgotten
In mirrors there is no memory.

God how is it that we surrender
to love giving it the keys to our city
carrying candles to it and incense
falling down at its feet asking
to be forgiven
Why do we look for it and endure
all that it does to us
all that it does to us?

Woman in whose voice
silver and wine mingle
in the rains
From the mirrors of your knees
the day begins its journey
life puts out to sea

I knew when I said
I love you
that I was inventing a new alphabet
for a city where no one could read
that I was saying my poems
in an empty theater
and pouring my wine
for those who could not
taste it.

When God gave you to me
I felt that He had loaded
everything my way
and unsaid all His sacred books.

Who are you
woman entering my life like a dagger
mild as the eyes of a rabbit
soft as the skin of a plum
pure as strings of jasmine
innocent as children's bibs
and devouring like words?

Your love threw me down
in a land of wonder
it ambushed me like the scent
of a woman stepping into an elevator
it surprised me
in a coffee bar
sitting over a poem
I forgot the poem
It surprised me
reading the lines in my palm
I forgot my palm
It dropped on me like a blind deaf
wildfowl
its feathers became tangled with mine
its cries were twisted with mine

It surprised me
as I sat on my suitcase
waiting for the train of days
I forgot the days
I traveled with you
to the land of wonder

Your image is engraved
on the face of my watch
It is engraved on each of the hands
It is etched on the weeks
months years
My time is no longer mine
it is you

Translated by Lena Jayyusi and W. S. Merwin

Instead of substituting different goods, why not substitute a different day?

The lady in the restroom was correct.

Why does that site use RealAudio? That's so 1998.

Jane,

I didn't think you looked funny. Given the technology, you looked pretty good (as did Henry).

I do have one comment regarding the what both you and Henry accept as proven fact: that man has been a material cause of global warming. At the risk of being tried for heresy, I disagree that this is anywhere near a proven fact. Sure, there is a "consensus of scientists" on this point. However, most of those scientists have never done any work in the field. Of those who do work in the field, several treat man's responsibility for global warming as an open question.

I am not a scientist; however, I am an educated, literate, person who tries to keep up with the argument. I'm sure I've missed a lot of things, but so far I've not seen anyone cogently explain how the planet could have seen even greater temperature changes in the past than we are now seeing if the only cause for such things is human action. If the planet heated up and cooled down eons ago -- before man was on the scene pumping out CO2 -- why can't the same processes that caused those prior temperature changes be at work now? My own theory is that the greatest factor in global temps is the amount of radiant energy we receive from the sun. Until we can account for the largest single variable in the equation, I won't trust the models.

I think you looked excellent (although I would have gone with a slightly darker shade of lipstick), the conversation was interesting, I completely agree with your statements on IP and I want to know which broadway producer that story was about.

David for an "educated, literate person" you sure do spout a lot of factually incorrect stuff.

"Sure, there is a "consensus of scientists" on this point. However, most of those scientists have never done any work in the field. Of those who do work in the field, several treat man's responsibility for global warming as an open question."

No David this is the consensus of scientists who work in the field. Scientists aren't a secret cabal who get together and decide things. The people who think it's an open question are the outliers here.

"If the planet heated up and cooled down eons ago -- before man was on the scene pumping out CO2 -- why can't the same processes that caused those prior temperature changes be at work now? My own theory is that the greatest factor in global temps is the amount of radiant energy we receive from the sun. Until we can account for the largest single variable in the equation, I won't trust the models."

Clearly you know NOTHING about climate models since yes indeed they do take that radiant ball of gas known as the sun into consideration. I doubt very much you listen to both sides of the debate since the climate models do adjust for previous periods of heating and cooling. As I said before here, It's not a big deal - it's already to late - this little planet is going to continue to warm. What people don't really seem to realize is how dependent we are as a society on a relatively stable climate.

You didn't look funny. You would have looked funny if you were wearing a toddler's tutu as a headpiece. Or a Bud Girl t-shirt. The t-shirt would look funny and would have substantially increased traffic.

As for the ongoing global warming debate, the only way we will know with certainty - a "will" opinion instead of a "more likely than not" opinion from a body of scientists who are not colored by the political nature of the argument - is for the human race to leave the planet alone for quite some time and then re-test.

David Walser,

The planet has indeed been substantially hotter and substantially colder than it is now. Many of those causes don't operate today. E.g., when the planet was really hot, the Arctic Ocean wasn't surrounded by land and Antarctica was in the temperate zone. At that time, we pretty much had no polar ice cause all snow at the poles fell into open water and melted.

It is certainly possible that non-human actions are causing the present warming. Models try to incorporate other causes but our ignorance is considerable.

As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't really matter if humans are causing warming or not. If an asteroid was headed for earth on course to extinguish the human race, I wouldn't say, "Oh, it's natural. Let it be."

The big question is how much global warming will hurt who (and who will it help) and thus what, if anything, should be done (and done when).

Remember that the camera is always on you. It doesn't cut away like it does on television.

I found your excessive blinking a little distracting.

Your physical attractiveness made it difficult for me to concentrate on your arguments.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,

Hannibal Lecter

You looked fine. I didn't notice the hair, but I did notice your tendency to shift your eyes sideways when thinking. I wouldn't try to stop it, though -- why try to stamp out all idiosyncrasies?

One thing I thought you missed on the minimum wage discussion -- I think that that group of economists signed the statement in favor of minimum wage increases because it has become an article of faith among politically-active Democrats. Anyone on record as opposing the minimum wage is considered by these Democrats to be a flinty-eyed bastard who hates the poor (and all this talk of the earned income tax credit is just sophistry to try to obscure the meanness). So no economist who'd like to remain in good standing with Democrats (or a future Democratic administration) can go on record as opposing the minimum wage. And those signing the statement believe that small increases in the minimum wage don't cause *too* much pain (which is true, depending on what you consider 'too much'), so they don't feel like they've compromised themselves too much by signing on.

I noticed, though, that Henry didn't seem to say anything about your point that raising the minimum wage is likely to push (or keep) the most vulnerable off the bottom rung of the ladder.

You seemed to do very well in this, but in the future could you please turn off your outlook email notification sound. It was a bit distracting, but you sounded fine otherwise.

I couldn't load that video - it just sits there and does nothing. Anything I should know?

I've been a fan of asymmetrical information and bloggingheadstv for awhile, and now they are together. You did great, especially on the minimum wage and healhcare issues. I hope this is the first of many appearances.

It doesn't work on Firefox on my computer. Try another browser.

Brian, thanks for telling me I'm ignorant of the facts and letting me know what I don't know and whom I listen to. However, since I don't recall your sitting next to me as I've tried to wade through various reports and articles on the topic, I think I'll stubbornly stick with my memory rather than yours in regards to what I have or have not done in the area.

Perhaps you could direct me to a chart that shows the correlation of the sun's output of radiant energy with average temperature over the last couple thousand years? You know, one that is comparable to the famous "hockey stick graph". Then, too, it would be nice to show how science is able to predict with any accuracy how the sun's output will vary over the next few decades. Since the sun's output does change, and since this one variable swamps the affect of all other variables on the earth's temperature, this is not a minor point. The minor increase in the earth's temperature we've experienced cannot be properly attributed to man's activity until this variable has been accounted for. If it has been, point me to the research. I'd be more than willing to read and alter my view based on new and better information.

Jane

I watched the episode and I don't think you look funny; I think you look good.

You looked great. But I'm vague on why you would want to engage in this process. You just take the arguments back into a sound-bite mode instead of the depth of the online blogging mode.

Awesome stuff. Again, please.

That guy's incessant chatter was frustrating. I think you are cut out for video blogging, but do it alone or with someone who isn't so irritating. It doesn't have to be about econ, a discussion with Terry Teachout about NY nightlife would be fun.

wow, I had no idea you look so stunning...

You both looked good. Henry Farrell had his red wall. You had better light. And a great smile.

I didn't have much time at first so rather than watch straight through I started jumping around. Every time I stopped, Farrell was doing the talking. Did it seem to you like he was doing all the talking in the first 30 minutes? But when I jumped forward to the health care topic he ran out of steam.

But this makes me think that Bloggingheads needs a box score -- time of possession, points scored, points scored with actual facts, etc.

I agree with Alan and Henry, that guy talked too much...give us more Megan and less that guy!

Why bother with Yeats when you have Ogden Nash?

To My Valentine

More than a catbird hates a cat,
Or a criminal hates a clue,
Or the Axis hates the United States,
That's how much I love you.

I love you more than a duck can swim,
And more than a grapefruit squirts,
I love you more than a gin rummy is a bore,
And more than a toothache hurts.

As a shipwrecked sailor hates the sea,
Or a juggler hates a shove,
As a hostess detests unexpected guests,
That's how much you I love.

I love you more than a wasp can sting,
And more than the subway jerks,
I love you as much as a beggar needs a crutch,
And more than a hangnail irks.

I swear to you by the stars above,
And below, if such there be,
As the High Court loathes perjurious oathes,
That's how you're loved by me.

Thanks for a great go on bloggingheads!!!

I basically agree with Flynn. Maybe because of my maleness or leftbrainedness, I've never understood the appeal of audio and video for serious exchange of ideas. What you gain in spontanaeity (i.e., ability to "hold someone's feet to the fire"), you more than lose in nuance and speed. I much prefer transcripts, which allow me to skim around, read the ideas quickly, compare to earlier, quote later, etc.

If I regularly moved this stuff to my car to listen to while driving, maybe I'd listed to podcasts and such, but not video.

Oh, and to Brian Despain: what matters is not scientific consensus, but whether people can make testable, falsifiable predictions through rote application of their theories. This hasn't happened yet.

What people don't really seem to realize is how dependent we are as a society on a relatively stable climate.

On what do you base this? That's an economic question, not a climatological one. Seems you're slipping into the trap of "Because I study this, it must be important."

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