Boutique guest blogging

I remember the day Ann was asked to guest-blog for Instapundit. We applauded her success and cheered her on. Posting on such a high-readership blog was a coup.

Me, I run a small little sailboat here on the vast blogger ocean. I think I would look the other way if a big tanker came my way. But I was honored to be invited tonight to do a guest post on JFW (here). True, it was an act of desperation on the part of Jeremy (the author), but one takes these little gigs as they come.

If you haven’t read JFW, do so. You’re not going to find anything as addictive and invigorating as a read through some of his posts within miles of here (yes, like Katy Couric this morning, Jeremy can have a bad hair day, though please don’t mention that I said so, since he is obsessed about his hair or lack thereof). And I might add that being asked to post on JFW is like having your professor ask you to speak in his/her class, since Jeremy’s blog was the impetus for Ocean and then shortly after, Althouse. It makes you sweat, really it does.

Let them eat Euros

With the ballooning trade deficit, the dollar slumped past the 1.30 mark against the Euro today. Bad news for American travelers abroad. Bad news for Asian economies (which are dependent on the value of foreign reserves, mostly held in dollars). Bad news for European exports. Bad news for those wanting love and respect from our overseas ‘allies.’

A country ripped in two. Wait a minute, who is kicking out whom?

Following the elections, the email and blog worlds became jammed with bitter descriptions of a northern-coastal political unity, split geographically and ideologically from a burning-red south and mountain-state region. I alone must have received a dozen emails with the word secession embedded somewhere in the text. And I played into the dark humor of it as well (with a post of a popular among left-leaning blogs cartoonish map of a country split into a southern Jesusland and a northern US of Canada), as a consequence of which I got placed on the hit list of an assault weapon website (hi, fellas, I know you’re still readin’ – move on already!).

I assumed that the impetus for a breakaway came from the frustrated Kerry supporters who saw no chance EVER of appealing to the Red states with reasoned arguments about social policy issues and economic agendas.

But then I came across the Human Events – a national conservative weekly (via Europhobia.blogspot.com, of all things). The former chairman of the Florida Conservative Union quotes Barry Goldwater --" Sometimes I think this country would be better off if we could just saw off the eastern seaboard and let it float out to sea," and then has this to say about divisions within the US (emphases are my own):

Instead of wedge issues like slavery, federal subsidies for regional business, and high tariffs, society today is sundered by profound, insoluble Culture War conflicts (such as abortion and gay marriage), and debate about our role abroad (shall we remain the world's leader, or become an unprincipled chump for the cabal of globalist sybarites who play endless word-games inside the United Nations and European Union sanctuaries?).

Can we ever hope for unity? According to the article, not so long as the country has to deal with the likes of these:

As a class, liberals no longer are merely the vigorous opponents of the Right; they are spiteful enemies of civilization's core decency and traditions.

The conclusion?

The truth is, America is not just broken--it is becoming irreparable. … That is why the unthinkable must become thinkable. If the so-called "Red States" (those that voted for George W. Bush) cannot be respected or at least tolerated by the "Blue States" (those that voted for Al Gore and John Kerry), then the most disparate of them must live apart--not by secession of the former (a majority), but by expulsion of the latter.

How do the conservatives view the lay of the land?

The demographics revealed by the two most recent presidential elections are radically different and have resulted in "Two Americas" (but not the simplistic "Two Americas" [one rich, one poor] envisioned by Kerry'sMarxist-tongued running mate, John Edwards):

BUSH USA is predominantly white; devoutly Christian (mostly Protestant); openly, vigorously heterosexual; an open land of single-family homes and ranches; economically sound (except for a few farms), but not drunk with cyberworld business development, and mainly English-speaking, with a predilection for respectfully uttering "yes, ma'am" and "yes, sir."

GORE/KERRY USA is ethnically diverse; multi-religious, irreligious or nastily antireligious; more sexually liberated (if not in actual practice, certainly in attitude); awash with condo canyons and other high-end real estate bordered by sprawling, squalid public housing or neglected private homes, decidedly short of middle-class neighborhoods; both high tech and oddly primitive in its commerce; very artsy, and Babelesque, with abnormally loud speakers.

An interesting perspective. As liberals take heat for casting aspersions on the motivations behind the red vote, some right of the right conservatives are having a fine old time posting their thoughts on where the superior beings reside. Though in truth, if these were at all accurate portrayals, isn't it slam-dunk obvious that the choice place to set your roots in would be Gore/Kerry land? Of course, that's just me and my spiteful liberal take on things.

Downing the perfect espresso

I read with interest the NYTimes article today about the new coffee machines that are trying to overcome the “home” factor in coffee making. All those fancy espresso makers that have been made available for home use for some time now? Not good enough: they produce coffee that lacks the depth and frothiness of the professionally brewed cup. What’s a cappuccino devotee to do?

To me, trying to bring that cup from the coffee bar to your kitchen misses the point. Here’s what I use (retail price approximately $20; accompanied by a pot of heated milk for an instant caffe latte):

an Italian tip on the best machine for home use 

I’m not an expert on coffee at all so when in doubt as to how to brew at home, I follow the advice of those who really fuss about their java (the Italians and French). Their take on this? The cheap little stove-top espresso takes care of the cup you need to serve up when a visitor knocks, or when you’re house-bound. For all other coffee, there’s this in the morning:

Venice: a shot of strong stuff at the corner cafe-bar

Paris: starting the day right 

This in the afternoon:

what's the rush...

And this in the evening:

It’s never going to taste right if you’re drinking it in the quiet solitude of your own home.