the solution to inequality

Between 2000 and 2013, every single state in the United States saw its share of middle-class families shrink, according to analysis from the Pew Charitable Trusts. In some states like Wisconsin and Ohio, that number fell by more than 5 percentage points; middle-income families now make up less than half of those states' populations.

It’s not a new narrative but the modern story of inequality goes much deeper than stagnant wage growth. It's inequality of opportunity as well.  It's something Nobel-prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz has studied and written about a great deal. He talks with Yahoo Finance Editor-in-Chief Andy Serwer in the video above.

In his new book, “The Great Divide: Unequal Societies and What We Can Do About Them,” Stiglitz traces the modern divide of inequality back to the Reagan era. Though inequality was a huge problem at the turn of the last century and in the lead up to the Great Depression, Stiglitz says the income divide in the U.S. was reduced after World War II and that the country “grew at its fastest pace” and “grew together.” He says the turning point was the Reagan Administration and its rolling out of supply-side economics, deregulation, and lower tax rates. The goal of these policies was to spur economic growth overall and make everyone wealthier. Stiglitz says it caused a divide instead.

Watch the full Stiglitz interview here

In his book, Stiglitz offers three ways to bridge this growing inequality gap. First, he says, reform the tax and transfer system in the U.S. to “make it at least fair that those at the top pay at least the same share,” that we don’t have these distorting provisions which weaken the economy and create more inequality.

Second, Stiglitz says we need to look at the basic structure of the economy and our laws and regulations. It is “the way our economy works that creates this inequality,” he says. Stiglitz points to “ineffective and ineffectively-enforced” anti-trust laws and corporate governance laws that, he says, allow those at the very top to seize a larger and larger share of the corporate pie. As a result, that leaves “less for investment, less for wages.” He says it's a structural problem that needs to be fixed because "effectively every law and regulation is tilted to create an untilted field."

And finally, Stiglitz says, we need to provide equal access to education to bridge the inequality divide. “We spend more even in the public school on the children of the rich than we do the poor,” he says. This has long-lasting effects. “We are transmitting advantages and disadvantages across generations, and that is the most important factor in creating this inequality of opportunity.”

Phantom Menace review

Brushwood mentioned this in the latest CordKillers (67).  He said the Phantom Menace wasn't all bad.  If it weren't for the Phantom Menace, we wouldn't have the Phantom Menace Review from Red Letter Media.

He said he's watched this way more times than the actual movie.

Fairly entertaining if you don't mind a few swear words thrown in periodically.  (Or maybe you find swear words entertaining..)

***

Red Letter Media is pretty amusing (to me).  Their Wheel of the Worst for example.

ranking the presidents

RantPolitical ranks the presidents,  George W. Bush is ranked just ahead of Obama.

There have been 43 presidents.

43. Andrew Johnson
38. Herbert Hoover
37. Jimmy Carter
36. Obama
35. George W. Bush
31. Gerald Ford
30. Nixon.  "The reality is Nixon was a good president, aside from his criminal activity of course."
18. George H. W. Bush
16. Lyndon Johnson
15. John F. Kennedy
14. Clinton.  "He was willing to compromise and get things done."
9. Reagan
8. Eisenhower.  Established DARPA which would give birth to the internet
7. Truman
5. Thomas Jefferson
4. Theodore Roosevelt.  He was a naturalist who gave us many of our National Parks.  Ordered construction of the Panama Canal
3. Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  His New Deal is often credited with ending the Great Depression which was truly ended by WWII.
2. George Washington.
1. Abraham Lincoln.  There was a lot that he did that was considered unconstitutional.

***

Checking wikipedia.  Lincoln, FDR, Washington are consistently ranked at the top of the lists.

In 2012, Newsweek magazine asked a panel of historians to rank the ten best presidents since 1900. The results showed that historians had ranked Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, Woodrow Wilson, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Dwight Eisenhower, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama as the best since that year.

A 2013 History News Network poll of 203 American historians, when asked to rate Barack Obama's presidency on an A–F scale, gave him a B- grade. Obama, whom historians graded using 15 separate measures plus an overall grade, was rated most highly in the categories of communication ability, integrity, and crisis management, and most poorly for his relationship with Congress and transparency and accountability.

A 2015 poll, administered by the American Political Science Association among political scientists specializing in the American presidency, had Abraham Lincoln in the top spot, with George Washington, Franklin Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bill Clinton, Andrew Jackson, and Woodrow Wilson cracking the top 10.

*** [7/19/15]

Obama up to #18?

Dr. Oz on agave

I noticed during the Blentec demo that the demonstrator was putting in agave (I think it was).  I assumed because (1) the product needed sweetening and (2) agave was healthier than other sweeteners (like honey).

Well, Dr. Oz chimes in.

Over the past few months, I’ve become increasingly concerned about a sweetener that I’ve recommended on my show in the past. After careful consideration of the available research, today I’m asking you to eliminate agave from your kitchen and your diet. Here’s why.

We used to think that because agave has a low-glycemic index and doesn’t spike your blood sugar like regular sugar does, it would be a good alternative for diabetics. But it turns out that although agave doesn’t contain a lot of glucose, it contains more fructose than any other common sweetener, including high-fructose corn syrup. Initially, we thought moderate amounts of fructose weren’t unhealthy, but now we know better.

When you eat fructose-rich agave, your body does not release nearly as much insulin as it does when you eat regular sugar. This can affect how your body releases a hormone called leptin, which helps to control appetite. At the same time, experts believe that fructose is converted into fat more rapidly than glucose is. This can lead to several alarming consequences. The first is that people who eat a lot of agave are at risk for weight gain, especially belly fat. The second is that agave may actually increase insulin resistance for both diabetics and non-diabetics.

In addition, fructose poses a danger to your cardiovascular system and could increase your risk for metabolic syndrome and heart disease. Unlike glucose, fructose can only be broken down in the liver. As it gets metabolized, uric acid and free radicals form, which can trigger inflammation and damage cells. Plus, one of the most dangerous final products of fructose metabolism is triglycerides, which can contribute to the fatty arterial plaques responsible for cardiovascular disease. High triglycerides are particularly dangerous for women, whose risk for cardiovascular disease rises three times as much for every single unit increase in triglycerides compared to men.

But fortunately, agave is not the only natural sweetener you can turn to when you have to satisfy your sweet tooth. Raw honey has less fructose than most agave and is the only natural sweetener with other health benefits, which include anti-microbial, heart-healthy and anti-inflammatory effects. It has even been shown to help soothe a cough as well as, if not better than, many over-the-counter cough syrups. I love honey so much that I even harvest my own, but you can find raw organic honey at your local supermarket. However, keep in mind that no infants under the age of one should eat raw or pasteurized honey.

***

Or maybe I was thinking of stevia?

looking for a blender

After watching Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, I've been considering eating healthier and getting a blender.  Well I guess that would mean drinking healthier.

The top dog among the blenders is Vitamix which generally gets rave reviews.  But it's also among the most expensive.  They often have demos at Costco.

Then when I was considering the Vitamix, there was a demo of another blender at Costo featuring the Blentec.  Naturally the demonstrator kept saying that the Blentec was better, not to mention cheaper.

Cheaper sounds good.  They both get good reviews at amazon, but I also see problems that some people report.

Next up on the ranking seems to be the Ninja.  And at the bottom of the list (in capability as well as price) is the Magic Bullet.  Though their commercials sure look good.

Actually the lowest end they were selling at Costco is the Oster.

The Breville brand is what Joe Cross uses.

[more later.]

From this CNET reviews of 13 blenders

Blentec Designer Series Wildside, $454.95.  For blending large quantities ... is as good as it gets

Breville Hemisphere Control Blender, $200.  Managed to keep up with the Vitamix and Blentec in certain tests and was one of the quietest.

Cuisinart PowerEdge 1000 Watt Blender, $199.  Edged out by Breville and Ninja.

Hamilton Beach MultiBlend Blender, $40.  Wasn't as capable as the Smoothie Smart or as feature rich as the Stay or Go.

Hamilton Beach Smoothie Smart, $40.  The little blender that could.

Hamilton Beach Stay or Go, $40.  More than capable of making great smoothies.

KitchenAid 5-Speed Diamond Blender, $150.  Shining performance at an affordable price.

Ninja Ultima, $260.  Powerful and more affordable than the Vitamix or Blentec.

Nutri Ninja, $90.  Designed to compete with the NutriBullet.  If you want to make smoothies quickly with some portable convenience, look no further.

Oster Beehive, $60.  Not the budget blender you're looking for.

Oster Versa, $150.  Performs well enough.

Vitamix 7500, $529.  Easily one of the most powerful and capable blenders you can buy.  But that level of quality won't come cheap.

Vitamix S30, $409.  a hard time justifying the premium with its performance.

***

I think for me the two biggest issues would be cleaning and noise.  I'd probably get used to whatever product comes out.  Here's some more ratings on quiet (more expensive) blenders along with ease of cleaning ratings.  And the smoothies rating, since that's probably what I'll use it most for.

The "world's quietest blender" is the Blentec Stealth.  Too bad it's $1349.  This might be the blender to get if money is no object.  Noise: 6 stars.  Easy to clean: 5 stars.  Smoothies: 5 stars.

Vitamix 34013, $854.56.  Noise 5 stars.  Cleaning 4 stars.  Smoothies 5 stars.

Hamilton Beach HBH850, $896.75.  Noise: 5, cleaning: 4, smoothies: 5 stars.

Vitamix 1363 CIA Professional, $474.99.  Noise 4, cleaning: 5, smoothies: 5.

Ninja Professional NJ600, $91.10.  Noise 3, cleaning 3, smoothies: 3.

Breville Ikon BBL 600XL, $249.99.  Noise 3, cleaning 2, smoothies 5.

Hamilton Beach Commercial Tempest HBH650, $518.65.  A good overall performer.  Noise:3, cleaning: 4, smoothies: 4.

KitchenAid KSB565, $99.95.  One of the easiest to clean.  Noise: 3, cleaning: 5, smoothies: 3.

Cuisinart SBC-1000, $83.66.  Rock solid option. Noise: 3, cleaning: 4, smoothies: 4.

Breville Juice & Blend BJB840XL, $679.99.  Performed as advertised.  Noise: 3, cleaning: 4, smoothies: 4.

Cuisinart SmartPower CPB 300, $130.  Noise: 3, cleaning: 4, smoothies: 3.

I guess any of them would do the job.

***

RealSimple tested 52 blenders and came up with 5 winners.

Best All-Around: KitchenAid 5-speed, $90.
Best Budget Blender: Oster 12 speed with food processor attachment, $40.  Easier on the wallet then on the ears.
Best Immersion blender: All-Clad Immersion, $100.  What's an immersion blender?  It's hand-held.
Best Superpower: Vitamix 5200, $450.
Best single-serve: Cuisinart Compact Portable Blending/Chopping System, $70.

***

But wait, what about the Magic Bullet or Nutri Bullet?

AOL On Business Review:  Does a lot of things right.  But you gotta blend it for a lot more than 8 seconds to get it smooth. ... You need a lot of shaking and tapping to get everything to blend.

a positive review from the kitchn: we have it, love it, and use it.  Its first benefit is the small footprint.  Another advantage is how simple it is to use.  They say it can do virtually any job in 10 seconds or less, and we found it to be true.  [also generally favorable comments]

But from consumersearch: Billed as a do-everything countertop appliance -- ads claim the Magic Bullet works as a blender, a juicer and a food processor -- tests by experts and consumers reveal a somewhat different story. Although it does do a good job of blending liquids, whipping foods like eggs and grinding dry foods such as coffee beans and peppercorns, other foods like vegetables are a challenge for the Magic Bullet.

One of the big impulses for buying the Magic Bullet blender is creating smoothies. However, many reports say that the food processor struggles when blending solids such as fruits and liquids together into a smooth and appealing consistency. An excellent video review at InfoNOTmercial.com illustrates this and also demonstrates an alternative technique that produces better results -- shaking the blender. Reviewer Mindy Weinberg speculates that there's probably a good reason why that little tidbit is omitted from the Magic Bullet infomercials -- it cuts against the claim that the Magic Bullet is easy to use.

***

OK took a look at the InfoNOTmercial.  Bottom line: we are very impressed with the Magic Bullet.  If you generally find yourself cooking for 1 or 2 people, the Bullet is very useful and way more convenient than a full-sized blender or food processor.  [but gets mostly unfavorable comments, though a few positive ones]

***

From dailyfinance: Does Very Well: Grinds coffee beans, froths milk for cappuccino, chops garlic, mixes smoothies and power drinks.

Does Not So Well: Chops onions, dices tomatoes, whips cream (more creamed than whipped), and makes a lot of anything.

Does OK, But In More Than 10 Seconds: Prepares hummus (unless you like crunchy hummus), combines leafy, cheesy, nutty sauces (like pesto).
Amazon price: $49.88.  Gets 3.8 stars out of 5, which ain't great.  So it probably works but not as well as higher end blenders (naturally).

***

There's also the even smaller Magic Bullet Mini for $29.99 which gets 4.5 stars.  Comes with only one cup (so not for parties).  Probably they like the size.

Then you have the more powerful (600 watt motor compared to the Magic Bullet's 250 watts, which means more noise) Nutri Bullet for $89.99   Comes with 1 tall cup and two short cups.  (The Magic Bullet comes with 2 cups and 4 mugs.) Gets 4.2 stars.  (The one they sell at Costco is more expensive, wait actually not, only $67.99 online plus shipping & handling.  Maybe I was thinking about the Ninja.).

*** 4/18/15

Just found out my sister bought a NutriBullet at Costco (it's on sale this month).

Here's a review. It was generally favorable, but now seems to favor the Nutri Ninja Pro Blender 900 watts machine.  The Nutri Ninja Pro gets 4.5 stars on amazon.  The NutriBullet gets 4.4 stars.

*** 7/20/15

Already bought my Blentec (I'm happy with it so far using it a grand total of two times).  But I'm always looking for confirmation.  Here's one: Greensmoothiegirl likes the Blentec (she likes the Vitamix too, but promotes the Blentec.)

Gwyneth Paltrow lasted four days

At least she gave it a fair shot. Gwyneth Paltrow made news when she said she had accepted a challenge from buddy Mario Batali to live on food stamps for a week. She lasted four days, it turns out.

The Oscar-winning actress was spotted dining on a gourmet barbecue menu on April 14, leading many to believe that she either finished the challenge or failed it. It was the latter.

"I personally broke and had some chicken and fresh vegetables (and in full transparency, half a bag of black licorice)," she said on her GOOP site. "My perspective has been forever altered by how difficult it was to eat wholesome, nutritious food on that budget, even for just a few days—a challenge that 47 million Americans face every day, week, and year."

The purpose of the challenge, of course, was to raise awareness to real life situation that families struggle with. To be fair, Gwyneth's involvement in the challenge did just that. In fact, Time magazine published an essay as to why her involvement was so crucial.

The actress says she would give herself a "C-" grade in the challenge that was supposed to make her live for a week off of a $29 food budget.

"The food system in our beautiful country needs to be subjected to a heavy revision," she wrote. "It is a cyclical problem, with repercussions that we all feel."

After failing the mission, Gwyneth donated to the New York Food Bank and encouraged others to do so.
"I'm not suggesting everyone eat organic food from some high horse in the sky. I'm saying everyone should be able to afford fresh, real food," she said. "And if women were paid an equal wage, families might have more of a choice in the grocery aisles, not to mention in the rest of their lives."

You may give yourself a "C-," Gwyn, but we'll give you an "A" for your charitable offering.

doctors vs. Dr. Oz

NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University has not removed TV celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz from his faculty position as a group of top doctors have demanded, citing his "egregious lack of integrity" for promoting what they call "quack treatments."

"Dr. Oz has repeatedly shown disdain for science and for evidence-based medicine," said a letter the 10 physicians sent to a Columbia dean earlier this week. They say he's pushing "miracle" weight-loss supplements with no scientific proof that they work.

The New York Ivy League school responded Thursday, issuing a statement to The Associated Press saying only that the school "is committed to the principle of academic freedom and to upholding faculty members' freedom of expression for statements they make in public discussion."

Led by Dr. Henry Miller of California's Stanford University, the doctors sent the letter to Lee Goldman, dean of Columbia's Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine. The nine other doctors from across the country included Dr. Joel Tepper, a cancer researcher from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and Dr. Gilbert Ross of the American Council on Science and Health in New York City.

The doctors wrote that Oz, for years a world-class Columbia cardiothoracic surgeon, "has manifested an egregious lack of integrity by promoting quack treatments and cures in the interest of personal financial gain." They said he has "misled and endangered" the public.

Oz first came to public attention as a frequent television guest of Oprah Winfrey. For the past five years, he's been the host of "The Dr. Oz Show."

Last year, he appeared before a U.S. Senate panel that accused him of endorsing products that were medically unsound. At the time, Oz acknowledged that some of the products he advised his viewers to use "don't have the scientific muster to present as fact."

A show representative did not immediately return a call Thursday for comment.

As vice chair of Columbia's surgery department, Oz still occasionally teaches, said Douglas Levy, spokesman for the Columbia University Medical Center.

*** [4/24/15]

Dr. Oz won't be silenced.

Stan Freberg

Stan Freberg, who skewered pop culture with satirical records and did cartoon voices for nearly six decades, died today. He was 88. His son Donovan confirmed the news in a Facebook post but offered no details.

Freberg began his six-decade career doing impersonations on Cliffie Stone’s radio program in 1943. Soon after he began voicing characters for the now-classic Warner Bros cartoons, working with the genre’s king, Mel Blanc. He voiced Junyer Bear, Beaky Buzzard (“A-nope-nope-nope”) and Tosh, one of the two Goofy Gophers opposite Blanc, but perhaps the young actor’s most enduring portrayal was the seemingly slow Pete Puma. Said cat famously was asked by Bugs Bunny how many lumps of sugar he wanted in his tea. “Oh, three or four,” Pete drawled — before Bugs’ numerous shots to the melon with a mallet produced said lumps.

He scored a national No. 1 hit in 1953 with “St. George And The Dragonet,” a riff on Dragnet that was the first track on the genre-spanning 1977 triple LP 25 Years Of Recorded Comedy and enjoyed a second wave of popularity decades later on Dr. Demento’s radio show. He also hit the pop charts with such tracks as the seasonal chestnut “Nuttin’ For Christmas,” “Banana Boat Song” and “Wun’erful Wun’erful,” a spot-on slap at The Lawrence Welk Show. Freberg did a typically flawless impersonation of the polka-drenched host, who implored on the record: “Turn off the bubble machine! … Help! The whole ballroom is shoving off to sea!” Later in the decade, rock ‘n’ roll became a favorite Freberg target. In 1999, Rhino Records issued a box set of his recordings titled The Tip Of The Freberg: The Stan Freberg Collection 1951-1998.

Born on August 7, 1926, in Pasadena, Freberg would amass dozens of movie and TV credits including Lady And The Tramp (1955) and It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). He also was a regular on the 1958 summer replacement series The Chevy Show. In the early 1960s, he launched a successful career in advertising, winning more than 20 Clio Awards for his TV spots and earning the Los Angeles Area Governors Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 2006.

***

I remember Aku used to play some his records on his show.  One I remember was Elderly Man River.  He's also in the documentary I Know That Voice (which is currently on Netflix).  Looking at youtube, I remember another one was Banana Boat (Day-O).

LinkedIn Pulse

I've been noticing that LinkedIn is emailing something called LinkedIn Pulse which contains a lot of helpful articles.  In particular, I'm noticing some articles by Jeff Haden.  So I'm going to put some of them here for easy access (and organization).

an easy way to get smarter
5 statements successful people refuse to accept
7 Steve Jobs quotes that could change your life

13 Habit of Exceptionally Likeable People (by Travis Bradberry)

Robert Schuller

ARTESIA, Calif. >> The Rev. Robert H. Schuller, the Southern California televangelist and author who beamed his upbeat messages on faith and redemption to millions from his landmark Crystal Cathedral only to see his empire crumble in his waning years, has died. He was 88.

Schuller died early Thursday at a care facility in Artesia, daughter Carol Schuller Milner said. In 2013, Schuller was diagnosed with a tumor in his esophagus that had spread to his lymph nodes and began treatment.

Once a charismatic and well-known presence on the televangelist circuit, Schuller faded from view in recent years after watching his church collapse amid a disastrous leadership transition and sharp declines in viewership and donations that ultimately forced the ministry to file for bankruptcy.

The soaring, glass-paned Crystal Cathedral -- the touchstone of Schuller's storied ministry -- was sold to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange in 2011, and Schuller lost a legal battle the following year to collect more than $5 million from his former ministry for claims of copyright infringement and breach of contract.

Schuller, who preached in a flowing purple robe and outsized aviator glasses, suffered a mild heart attack in 1997 but was quickly back on the pulpit, saying "the positive person" is not afraid of life's surprises. In July 2013, he was hospitalized for days after a late-night fall at his home in Orange.

Schuller's evangelical Protestant ministry, part of the Reformed Church in America, was a product of modern technology. He and his late wife, Arvella, an organist, started a ministry in 1955 with $500 when he began preaching from the roof of a concession stand at a drive-in movie theater southeast of Los Angeles.

The church's motto -- "Come as you are in the family car" -- tapped into the burgeoning Southern California auto culture and the suburban boom of post-World War II America.

By 1961, the church had a brick-and-mortar home -- a "walk-in/drive-in church" -- and Schuller began broadcasting the "Hour of Power" in 1970.

In 1980, he built the towering glass-and-steel Crystal Cathedral to house his booming TV ministry, which was broadcast live each week from the cathedral's airy and sunlit 2,800-seat sanctuary. At its peak, in the 1990s, the program had 20 million viewers in about 180 countries.

Schuller's message -- that "Possibility Thinking" and love of God overcome hardships -- was a uniquely American blend of Bible and psychology. It was inspired by late author Norman Vincent Peale, who wrote "The Power of Positive Thinking." Schuller also wrote more than 30 books, including several best-sellers.

"He was a young guy like me, and he was going out there and trying new things," said his grandson, Bobby Schuller, who pastors his own church that includes some of his grandfather's former congregants. "He did so many amazing, innovative things."

Unlike other televangelists, the senior Schuller's message lacked fire-and-brimstone condemnations or conservative political baggage.

"The classical error of historical Christianity is that we have never started with the value of the person. Rather, we have started from the 'unworthiness of the sinner,' and that starting point has set the stage for the glorification of human shame in Christian theology," he wrote in his book "Self-Esteem: The New Reformation."

Schuller had admirers that ranged from fellow evangelist Billy Graham to Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. He also was among the first foreign religious figures invited to preach on Russian television.

Fundamentalists attacked him as a heretic and humanist for statements they believed denied the need for personal repentance of sin and for his tolerance of Jewish, Roman Catholic and other theologies.

His friendship with President Bill Clinton raised some eyebrows among the conservative Republicans of his Orange County congregation and prompted a deluge of irate letters and telephone calls.

In response, Schuller gave a sermon on tolerance.