Power Elite...

America is a democracy in the same way that McDonald's is gourmet cuisine. Hey, maybe once upon a time they actually cooked your burger exactly as you ordered it to be only a few minutes after you ordered it. Maybe it didn't even taste like cardboard. But after awhile, people grew lax and allowed mass production and microwaves to take over.

Okay, metaphor is too long. I no longer believe, as I did in the days of my third grade civics hour, that America is a democracy. Heck, I even voted for the first time less than three months ago. Did the guy I vote for win the election? No. Why do we even term it a "win"? Now, I don't believe that the power elite are all behind the scenes, stuffing ballot boxes and setting viruses in electronic voting machines or rigging the chad-punching system. Nah, they're too good for that. They're throwing hard and soft money at candidates and parties, using the American people on a subconscious level, convincing them that their Democracy is doing what they want. Not actually asking them what they want, but telling us what we want.

Okay, I'm too cynical. Basically the system is too fragmented for a true representation of the ideals of the American people to take hold. So we form the coalitions, who then tell us that if you want X and Y, well just go on ahead and vote for us... never mind that you don't want Z because if you promote our XYZ party, then all those folks that don't like X or Y but do like Z will be helping you out. Confused yet? Yes, power elite. Yes, things get done. Are they things I particularly like or care about? No. But things are getting done.

Coffee Kills

BBC NEWS | Americas | Hondurans die in coffee collapse

But don't expect me to stop drinking it any time soon.

So, as far as my topic goes, Todd seems to be of the opinion that I should focus on the minimum wage, so true to formula:

should we raise the minimum wage to
reduce the problem of ... ?

ut oh, I need to research this...

Ethanol... Brazil does it, why can't we?

Okay, so I was talking to El Presidente Duke and Joe "bubble" Meyer... and they reminded me that I needed to declare what my topic would be. Fine.

I will examine whether the United States should promote research and eventual switch to ethanol-based fuel for automobiles as an alternate to gasoline.

Too adventurous? Too boring? Too broad? Please let me know.

House votes to raise minimum wage from "top ramen" to "off-brand macaroni and cheese"

House votes to increase minimum wage by $2.10 - International Herald Tribune

I am currently considering examining the effects of a hike in minimum wage on the economy as my three-part, fifteen-page issue paper for my Issues in Social Justice class.

But in other news, let me babble a little about myself.

I'm from a vaguely defined suburb north of Houston. No, not that nice one with the mall and all the pretty master-planned communities, the one just south of that with the large Starbucks that all the teenagers hang out at when they're not getting paid the absolute minimum wage to babysit whiny preteens at the Splashtown across the freeway. I sympathize with Big Oil for this reason, because pretty much Houston would not exist if it weren't for our Gasoline Overlords. I know where the bread and butter comes from, and you don't bite the hand that feeds. I was raised as a conservative, but now I flip-flop (a la Kerry) between pessimistically apathetic and mostly libertarian. I think.

I'm a student at a private, nominally Catholic, university in Austin, TX, Live Music Capitol of The World (tm). I enjoy live music, sleep, and coffee. Mostly just coffee. Speaking of, why is there not a 24-hr coffee place in Austin? Anyone? Bueller?

Oh, so in the long run, I pretty much want to move to the Middle East. I'm an international relations major (but they're about to change the name of my major to Global Studies with a Perspective in Conflict Resolution... but I'll still say I'm in Int'l Rels) who has studied French for six years, and Arabic for six months. I plan on working for world peace, as opposed to wishing for it during a beauty pageant.

My parents are divorced, and I was raised by my father in aforementioned suburb. Every Saturday and Sunday during junior high and high school my dad and I would go to IHOP or Denny's and read the paper. A very clear memory is of my father looking straight into my eyes as I was fifteen minutes deep into the front page section of a Sunday paper and saying "I have never seen anyone get their $1.75 out of a paper the way you do." I avidly follow the news now that I'm in college, but I no longer read the daily paper. Rather, my favorite place to find out all the important, inane, and down-right weird goings-on in the world is a little site called Fark where many people contribute news stories with often hilarious re-titling (see title of entry, which was submitted as the tag for the linked article). Yes, it's not perfect, but at least I try to know what's happening in the world.

So, that's about all you get to know about me, the Secret Surfer.

French marchers say 'non' to 2007

Hundreds of protesters in France have rung in the New Year by holding a light-hearted march against it.

Parodying the French readiness to say "non", the demonstrators in the western city of Nantes waved banners reading: "No to 2007" and "Now is better!"

The marchers called on governments and the UN to stop time's "mad race" and declare a moratorium on the future.

The protest was held in the rain and organisers joked that even the weather was against the New Year.

The tension mounted as the minutes ticked away towards midnight - but the arrival of 2007 did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm.

The protesters began to chant: "No to 2008!"

They vowed to stage a similar protest on 31 December 2007 on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris.