Can Nobel Prize winners in Economics explain my 96 cent phenomenon today?

The Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to three American economists today for creating and developing a sophisticated explanation of the interaction among individuals, markets and institutions.

Link here: 3 Americans Win Nobel in Economics

But they can't explain the fact that my day today was highlighted by a once in a lifetime phenomenon. I left my office in midtown New York and grabbed a soup & sandwich for lunch at the Hale & Hearty on 54th street. The total came to something and 4 cents and the woman annoyingly returned a handful of change tallying 96 cents. I lugged it around all day until on my way home I stopped in my corner store in the East Village to buy a magazine and a jar of peanut butter. The cost? $10.96!!! I threw down a ten, scooped the 96 friggin' cents from my pocket and smiled all the way home.

Joy comes in the smallest ways...

Jon Stewart is a smug weenie

I watched Jon Stewart when he hosted the very first talk show on MTV. I 'd never heard of him before, but I found him funny, irreverent, and, well, likeable. Unfortunately, the show got yanked and he ended up doing a late-night show that replaced Arsenio Hall on channel 9 in NY. It didn't last that long, but he'd made his mark and his career would soon take off big time.

His big breakthrough came when he replaced Craig Kilborn as the new host of the Daily Show on Comedy Central in 1999. Again Stewart was great and we all know what it's become (It won an Emmy in 2001). But it's been down hill ever since. I can't really watch it anymore. Jon Stewart went from funny and original to smug and predictable.

I'll admit upfront that I disagree with his politics. I'm a Republican and he's obviously a very far-left-leaning liberal. But it shouldn't matter in comedy. A good joke is a good joke, even if you don't necessarily like who's at the butt. But Stewart has become a one-note band. The definition of a joke is the delivery of something incongruous or unexpected. Yet I know what's going to come out of Stewart's mouth every time: Iraq's a bungled mess, Bush is dumb, Cheney is secretive and evil, the Republicans are hypocrites. Yeah he'll make fun of Hillary every now and then, but it's never as biting; never venomous.

I really wish the Daily Show could still keep us on our toes. Give us a little misdirection once in a while and say something awful about Barack Obama or Harry Reid. Not be so damn obvious all the time. Even its comedic offspring (Stephen Colbert) has an act of pseudo-conservatism that's predictable and tired.

The worst part for me is that Stewart used to be a great interviewer. But he's lost credibility with his softballs to Ralph Nader and Noam Chomsky and his obvious disgust for anyone he disagree with. Even when Mr. Stewart is "trying" to be cordial (see below clips of guest Lynne Cheney), he comes across as a smug weenie. To me, he even came across as a jerk when he called Tucker Carlson a "dick." I wasn't even a fan of CNN's Crossfire and I essentially agree with Stewart's premise that America needs less far right/far left screaming matches, but I saw the smugness that day and it's only gotten worse since then.

Much of the bloggeratti feel like Stewart may have gone "easy" on Mrs. Cheney the other day, but I think he couldn't help but let the weenie come out just a little bit. His assertion that six years without an attack on American soil is meaningless because "they" waited "eight years between WTC attacks last time" is simply absurd. I'm not saying that things are great over in the Mid-East, but let's get real about how this war started (EVERYONE, including Bill Clinton, the U.N., the French, and the Russians thought Hussein had WMD) and let's get real about what that part of the world, in fact, what the entire world could be like should we hit the reset button and get out. I guarantee it would be a million times worse both long and short term with more American lives sacrificed home and abroad.

Anyway, Cheney is sweet as can be and Stewart is just annoying in the clips below (it gets pretty bad in pt. 2). See for yourself:

"It's real fast and then you stop."

I thought I'd try to tie this video into American politics, but I just came up with a few bad Larry Craig jokes. Hey, name another Republican that would laugh at this video. Well, enjoy courtesy of The Whitest Kids You Know:

Soiled Pinstripes

I'm sitting on my couch, watching the Yankees/Indians game (down 2 games to 1 and 9 outs away from the Torre era coming to an end) and feeling sick to my stomach. My buddy J sent me a photo message showing his new baby girl in a cute Yankees uniform. It may have been his way of saying that if you're wearing a Yankees uniform, you've probably got poop in your pants.

Here's the office version of this Yankees meltdown from The Whitest Kids You Know:

9/10 Is Over

Much of the media, led by The New York Times, continues to accuse the Republican candidates, particularly Rudy Giuliani, of running on the back of September 11th. A couple of recent examples:

"Giuliani...cannot simply keep muttering “9/11 ... 9/11 ... 9/11” until February."

And here in Thomas Friedman's September 30th column.

Friedman’s conclusion is that “9/11 has made us stupid…We need a president for 9/12.” His premises are below:

• Our government is exporting fear; Guantanamo = lower tourism

• Bad infrastructure: The Minnesota bridge and bad cellular service vs. European cell service

I’m perplexed at the connections Friedman makes to arrive at his “9/11 made us stupid” conclusion. Is weak tourism really something that should be playing a role in our foreign policy decisions? In my mind, being at war with an enemy depends on the exportation of fear. This isn’t a friendly soccer match; we’re up against perhaps the biggest threat in the history of our nation. We want the bad guys to be scared. By the way, check out this article from Slate, which sites an average 13 lb. weight gain and a fondness for bagels (how ironic) by the prisoners. Poor them.

And someone needs to help me understand how our “9/11 stupidity” has anything to do with local infrastructure issues. Is George Bush responsible for the inefficiency of state government? It seems that Friedman infers that living in "9/12" means doing things the European way. The idea that the federal government should be held accountable for EVERYTHING is ludicrous. We live in a federalist society in which there is a relationship between city, state, and federal authority, and we need to stop blaming the Iraq War for hurricanes, tsunamis, and dropped phone calls.

Friedman and many of those who share his voice are actually stuck in the world of 9/10. This is naive and irresponsible. It shows a lack of understanding for the world that tore into us on 9/11. Pretending we’re not up against an existential threat isn’t going to make people like us more, hold up our bridges better, or make our cars more environmentally friendly. Let’s let the government focus on keeping us safe and let the free markets determine whether or not we want better cell service.

Burn the American Flag Pin

Barack Obama might as well have played a round of golf with Hugo Chavez. Smoked a stogie with Fidel. The New York Times is reporting that he has removed the American Flag pin from his lapel!

In this campaign making story, Obama states, "My attitude is that I'm less concerned about what you're wearing on your lapel than what's in your heart."

Yeah, well my sources are telling me that the real reason is that he's sick and tired of stabbing himself trying to get it on every morning. Perhaps he feels his heart is bleeding enough on its own.

I may be a Republican, but I hope Obama's bold move sets an example for the rest of our elected officials. If any of you are reading this, please, take off the pin. It doesn't make you more American. It makes you more dorky. They're made in China anyway.

Samberg Hearts Mahmoud

Maybe a little Astroglide will help ease international tensions...