ken Hatch |
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Links and Writings:
Art, Aviation, Photography,
Photoshop, and Politics
email Kenneth M. Hatch
Houston Center for Photography Photoshop Restoration & Retouching Buzzflash Media Whores Online Brad DeLong's Simi-Daily Journal Talking Points Memo The Daily Howler Archives 
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Friday, January 31, 2003
I think Stephen Roach has it about right: “The just-released US GDP report for the fourth quarter of 2002 is an important warning sign. It paints a picture of a US economy that has slowed to its "stall speed" before it was hit with the full force of any impacts associated with looming war in Iraq. To the extent that a further shock is in the offing, I fear it will be exceedingly difficult for the United States to avoid a recessionary relapse. The risk is it may already be too late...” For more. Wednesday, January 29, 2003
Friday, January 24, 2003
I would really like to know what Charles Krauthammer smokes; it has to be some strong shit. He trots out the “we have gone too far to back down now” argument. I always thought that when you found that you have dug yourself into a hole, the first was you stopped digging. Instead Krauthammer calls for a bigger shovel. Dumb...dumb...dumb. But the real capper is his fantasy last paragraph ... ”France will be speaking very differently of the United States when a decent, democratizing, pro-American government in liberated Baghdad begins its rule -- and opens bids for oil contracts. Our cynical sometime-friends will astonish us with their, um, flexibility as they accommodate themselves to the reality of a Middle East without Saddam Hussein, without his weapons of mass destruction and with its first chance since decolonization for a real birth of freedom.” We can only wish. “The Bush Exit Ramp” by Sam Parry makes the case that words matter and Shrub’s John Wayne act has made a bad situation worse. His driver metaphor: “...For now, however, the American public is like a passenger riding in a speeding car with a dangerous driver. As he weaves through traffic shouting and gesturing at other drivers on the highway, there’s not much to do but tighten the seat belt and urge more responsible behavior. There may be no reasonable chance to wrestle the steering wheel away without making a bad situation worse... .” This would be funny if it were not so true. Thursday, January 23, 2003
This year is the 100th anniversary of manned controlled flight. The Wright brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk was on December 17, 1903. I’m re-reading Harry Combs’ “Kill Devil Hill: Discovering the Secret of the Wright Brothers” ISBN 0-940053-01-2 to refresh my memory of their wonderful genius. If you have any interest in flight or insight into how the minds of discoverers work, this is a wonderful book. I’ve been involved in aviation for almost half of its history. One of my first mentors had a pilot’s certificate in the low 4 numbers. When I started flying, some production aircraft were still being made of wood and covered in fabric just like the first Wright aircraft. The radio, if the airplane had one, was a VHT-3 with 3 crystals and whistle stop tuning. Today we have GPS and EFIS and corporate airplanes that fly at the edge of space. The Wright’s first flight measured in seconds and hundreds of feet (59 seconds and 852 feet) for today’s civilian aircraft a normal flight could be over 6000 nm. at .87 mach and 51,000’ MSL. What can I say other than there is no greater testament to the mind of man than the history of aviation. Tuesday, January 21, 2003
Monday, January 20, 2003
Saturday, January 18, 2003
The combination of reactionary ideology and the rigidity of intellect that can come from years of being catered to because of position of wealth or station leads to policy disasters like we are seeing from the Bush Administration. If there is anything more telling of the incompetence of everyone associated with this government than the handling of the Korea situation, it is in their handling of the economy. Friday, January 17, 2003
Would you like to know what the British think of our un-elected President? Now if we can bring that understanding across the water before 2004 the world will be safer. Monday, January 13, 2003
More from Joshua Micah Marshall on North Korea. If there was ever any doubt that Shrub and Company were incompetent hacks it should be erased by their total fuck-up of Korean policy. I have the Houston Chronicle delivered daily. I hate to say it, but the main reasons are habit and snobbery (I can't bear to be among the people who don't subscribe to a newspaper). However, for years I have not read the Chronicle thoroughly; I glance at the headlines and the lead paragraphs. Newspapers in the U.S. are being replaced by the web. The Guardian has a good article on why American papers have become so insignificant and un-readable. Saturday, January 11, 2003
From Brad DeLong’s Semi-Daily Journal a chart answering the central political question: “who gets what.” Wednesday, January 08, 2003
If you are paying any attention to North Korea, Joshua Micah Marshall is a must read. Watching this bunch of un-elected, Supreme Court selected thugs at work on the world stage reminds me of a Donald Westlake novel. The problem is, it’s real life and has consequences and costs that are being paid by real people. Tuesday, January 07, 2003
Deep Throat gave the best political advise any one can give: “Follow the money.” Once the rules, the framework of the political system, are stripped away politics always comes down to one basic question: who gets what, how and when. The Rs have been masters of hiding the answer to that question through the use of money, race, religion, lies and throwing red meat to mouth-breathing reactionaries. E.J. Dionne Jr. has a good Op-Ed on class warfare in the WP. |
