I'm back in the saddle today. No more animals trying to bust out of my head, no more sleep of the dead "naps" for the better part of the afternoon.
VIVA MEXICO!
Today is Mexican Independence Day. I had an inkling that something was happening in the Mexican community because all weekend I kept seeing groups of kids driving around waving Mexican flags, honking, and yelling. Now, because Chicago is the multi-ethnic city it is, we see this same display of (sub)nationalism from Puerto Ricans, Indians, Pakistanis, Irish, Bosniacs, Poles, etc. etc. etc. As such, by the time you remember to check why a certain group was doing this, the next group is doing it and you forget to check on the group before. It is just a part of the rhythm of the city. Still, it is nice to actually know what all of the honking and yelling was about last night. Since the Mexican community is probably the largest and most active wave of immigrants since the Great Migration, we should probably find a way to incorporate their holidays into our schedules. One more excuse for a party is never a bad thing.
CANADIAN WEED
Many people, particularly those on the right of the political spectrum saw Canada taking the last step into Hell earlier this year when the Canadians legalized same-sex unions and decriminalized marijuana (at least for medicinal purposes). Now comes word that the Canadian government is apparently in over its head with drug dealing too. First, the government-grown weed is grown in a place called Flin Flon, Manitoba. Boy, does that sound like a great place for weed.
Notwithstanding the great name of the growing location, laboratory tests indicate the Health Canada product has only about three per cent THC (which is what gets you high), not the 10.2 per cent advertised. The product also contains lead and arsenic. One Canadian weed enthusiast is quoted as saying, "This particular product wouldn't hold a candle to street level cannabis." The government weed is also criticized as was too finely ground up with stems and leaves, and referred to as "shwag" or "bunk," street terminology for the lowest grade of marijuana.
If anyone ever needed evidence of the benefits of the free market, this is it. Entrepreneurs from Mexico, Kentucky, southeast Asia, and greenhouses across the land have all shown that they can create quality merchandise that they deliver for reasonable prices. A government bureaucracy gets involved and delivers terrible product for a high cost. Adam Smith, where are you when we need you?
CITIES ON THE MAKE
Today there were two stories about cities and their self-perception. The first is an article in the Christian Science Monitor about Rochester, New York. Rochester is a city about 90 miles east of Buffalo in western New York that is Kodak's world headquarters, as well as site of a huge Kodak manufacturing facility. The city also has a very large Xerox facility. Finally, Rochester also has a hot dog joint called Nick Tahou's, which should not be missed. In any case, the article about Rochester talks about how the city works very hard to retrain workers and cooperates with educational and industrial players in the area to maintain a population of trained workers for new industries and growth. Generally a nice article.
The second article is about a poll done by MLB.com of professional baseball players of their favorite road cities. Chicago was their favorite city, followed by New York. This makes sense, since New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area are the only cities that all of the players would visit. Hence, every other city in the majors is only being considered by half the players. Second, the article commentary is depressing. When, oh when will Chicago columnists stop acting like we are Cleveland? Sigh.
FAVORITE BUILDINGS?
The BBC ran a contest asking people to send them pictures of their favorite buildings. The results are abysmal, and shocking. This is such a train wreck, I encourage people to take a look and revel in their own good taste.
VIVA MEXICO!
Today is Mexican Independence Day. I had an inkling that something was happening in the Mexican community because all weekend I kept seeing groups of kids driving around waving Mexican flags, honking, and yelling. Now, because Chicago is the multi-ethnic city it is, we see this same display of (sub)nationalism from Puerto Ricans, Indians, Pakistanis, Irish, Bosniacs, Poles, etc. etc. etc. As such, by the time you remember to check why a certain group was doing this, the next group is doing it and you forget to check on the group before. It is just a part of the rhythm of the city. Still, it is nice to actually know what all of the honking and yelling was about last night. Since the Mexican community is probably the largest and most active wave of immigrants since the Great Migration, we should probably find a way to incorporate their holidays into our schedules. One more excuse for a party is never a bad thing.
CANADIAN WEED
Many people, particularly those on the right of the political spectrum saw Canada taking the last step into Hell earlier this year when the Canadians legalized same-sex unions and decriminalized marijuana (at least for medicinal purposes). Now comes word that the Canadian government is apparently in over its head with drug dealing too. First, the government-grown weed is grown in a place called Flin Flon, Manitoba. Boy, does that sound like a great place for weed.
Notwithstanding the great name of the growing location, laboratory tests indicate the Health Canada product has only about three per cent THC (which is what gets you high), not the 10.2 per cent advertised. The product also contains lead and arsenic. One Canadian weed enthusiast is quoted as saying, "This particular product wouldn't hold a candle to street level cannabis." The government weed is also criticized as was too finely ground up with stems and leaves, and referred to as "shwag" or "bunk," street terminology for the lowest grade of marijuana.
If anyone ever needed evidence of the benefits of the free market, this is it. Entrepreneurs from Mexico, Kentucky, southeast Asia, and greenhouses across the land have all shown that they can create quality merchandise that they deliver for reasonable prices. A government bureaucracy gets involved and delivers terrible product for a high cost. Adam Smith, where are you when we need you?
CITIES ON THE MAKE
Today there were two stories about cities and their self-perception. The first is an article in the Christian Science Monitor about Rochester, New York. Rochester is a city about 90 miles east of Buffalo in western New York that is Kodak's world headquarters, as well as site of a huge Kodak manufacturing facility. The city also has a very large Xerox facility. Finally, Rochester also has a hot dog joint called Nick Tahou's, which should not be missed. In any case, the article about Rochester talks about how the city works very hard to retrain workers and cooperates with educational and industrial players in the area to maintain a population of trained workers for new industries and growth. Generally a nice article.
The second article is about a poll done by MLB.com of professional baseball players of their favorite road cities. Chicago was their favorite city, followed by New York. This makes sense, since New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area are the only cities that all of the players would visit. Hence, every other city in the majors is only being considered by half the players. Second, the article commentary is depressing. When, oh when will Chicago columnists stop acting like we are Cleveland? Sigh.
FAVORITE BUILDINGS?
The BBC ran a contest asking people to send them pictures of their favorite buildings. The results are abysmal, and shocking. This is such a train wreck, I encourage people to take a look and revel in their own good taste.
posted by David at 11:31 AM
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