In Vermont: Summer Motivated

At the Burlington Free Press, a question lingers: is anyone paying attention?
A recent article, Political season collides with vacation season in Vermont, trolls out the concern that Vermonters lucky enough to take summer vacations may be unable to simultaneously pay attention to the August 24th primary and recreational activities. This part of the argument is built around some political observers, who are Chris Graff and just one disenchanted fellow who says “I feel like my vote doesn’t count anyway,” he said. “I don’t think many people are comfortable with government at all.”


However, all other remarks about the primary quoted in the article show that people are paying attention, as shown here in several Vermonter’s statements: “ it [the primary] was well-known” … “I’ve heard more politics at this stage of the game than I ever have,” … “glad to see candidates circulating at the Field Days”… “started paying attention to the campaign as soon as Douglas announced he wouldn’t run for re-election”…“I think it’s going to be a fun election,”

Longtime Vermont political observer Chris Graff ruminates that there is no sense of a horse race and [the] juices aren’t motivated. Too many candidates to focus on, he says, but he does predict electricity in the air for the general election.

Graff, who noted the rarity of a five-way race in Vermont elections, said having that many candidates — though it means almost anything could happen in terms of outcome — could keep turnout down because it’s harder for voters to focus on the field. “There’s no real sense of a horse race,” he said. “The horse race is what gets the juices motivated.”
All of that will change, he speculated, when it comes to the general election. “There will be tremendous interest. I think there will be electricity in the air,” he said.

Contrary to this, the article shows Vermont primary voters at many public events this summer are showing engagement and some enthusiasm for the coming primary, evidenced by the article’s quotes. Yet the conclusion seems to be that because it isn’t a horse race and it’s hard to focus on all those candidates no one is paying attention.

But horse races do have multiple contestants, so Graff may be confusing a horse race with a boxing match. A boxing match with just two competitors might be the proper sized field of focus he claims voters need for their limited concentration. Also it’s simpler to report on two rather then five.

So take it on faith from experts that Vermont primary voters faced with sky high unemployment ,worsening state budget problems , health care at a crossroads and the first real chance in eight years that democrats might take control of the state house might still find it hard to focus on more than one thing. Even though in terms of outcome anything could happen.

Wilst the rabble be roused

A little bit of Vermont’s Junior Senator Bernie Sanders for a Friday in July .
The rabble may not be roused but maybe the US Senate can actually pass a few things before recess starts. Right?

The 400 richest families in America, who saw their wealth increase by some $400 billion during the Bush years, have now accumulated $1.27 trillion in wealth. Four hundred families! During the last fifteen years, while these enormously rich people became much richer their effective tax rates were slashed almost in half. While the highest-paid 400 Americans had an average income of $345 million in 2007, as a result of Bush tax policy they now pay an effective tax rate of 16.6 percent, the lowest on record.

Today, not content with huge tax breaks on their income; not content with massive corporate tax loopholes; not content with trade laws enabling them to outsource the jobs of millions of American workers to low-wage countries and not content with tax havens around the world, the ruling elite and their lobbyists are working feverishly to either eliminate the estate tax or substantially lower it. If they are successful at wiping out the estate tax, as they came close to doing in 2006 with every Republican but two voting to do, it would increase the national debt by over $1 trillion during a ten-year period. At a time when we already have a $13 trillion debt, enormous unmet needs and the highest level of wealth inequality in the industrialized world, it is simply obscene to provide more tax breaks to multi-millionaires and billionaires.

Oil Powered Lobby

The Washington Post points out the obvious that with 600 registered lobbyists the oil industry is among the biggest of the bigs. A formidable power able to marshal forces to stall legislation it might deem unfriendly to its interests.

The [Washington] Post analysis found that BP and other companies involved in the gulf disaster employ as lobbyists more than three dozen former lawmakers, congressional staffers and bureaucrats. BP alone has hired at least 31 internal and external lobbyists with government experience, records show.

The American Petroleum Institute, the industry's leading trade group, employs 48 lobbyists with previous federal experience, the analysis shows. They include former senator J. Bennett Johnston (D-La.), who helped deregulate the natural gas industry, and former congressmen Jim McCrery (R-La.) and Charlie Stenholm (D-Tex.), both of whom strongly backed oil interests while in Congress.

…All told, more than 430 industry lobbyists once had jobs in the legislative or executive branches, according to the Post analysis, which was based on CRP lobbying data, employment histories and other records. Scores had ties to major committees that shape federal oil policies or to lawmakers who supported industry priorities while in Congress, records show.

Gravity Fed Soup to Nuts

Campbell’s soup is ready for the future

We are confident that our continued investments will make 'Campbell's' condensed soup even more relevant and contemporary for today's consumers."

Relevant, yes but now the cans just glide right off the shelf.
A little ethnographic based biometric research into the science of the shopping experience and soon the consumers won't know why they filled up their shopping carts with a dozen cans cream of celery soup.

Perspiration rate, minute eye movements were all used in part of the development of Campbell’s new gravity fed shelving system. The system to be installed at 24,000 retailers nationally is credited (by Campbell’s) with rejuvenating the soup aisle, expanding the category and vastly improving the shopping experience.

But wait there more. They plan a new portable gravity-fed system, called "Canvertables," providing ideal secondary displays throughout a store.
The ethnographics involved watching people shop the “old” shelf and then interviewing them both in and out of the store, which elicited very different emotions….

“Consumers spend about 60 seconds in front of that shelf, and that didn't change much whether it took them 20 or 50 seconds to find the product,” says Andrew Brennan, vice president and general manager of Campbell's U.S. soup segment. “The advantage for us is that if we can help the consumer find the product faster, they spend the rest of the time browsing to see what else we have.”
The biometrics monitored heart rate, skin temperature, body and eye movements, perspiration and other reactions to the shopping experience to determine whether it was helpful, motivating, confusing or frustrating.

International Banana Security

Here is an international-corporate, national security story that may nonetheless have some appeal.
Recently in Antwerp, Belgium Chiquita International Brands held a privately sponsored law enforcement conference,(link)the first ever according to the press release.
The goal was to facilitate communication between industry partners and law enforcement agencies with the goal of securing the point-to-point security of all shipping vessels.
This would smooth the way for bananas to slip more easily from port to port. The conference was lead for Chiquita by a former FBI special agent and had attendees from eight South American and European countries.

"It's not just our responsibility to ensure our products move through the supply chain as quickly as possible, but it is also our duty to collaborate with government agencies in securing our ports and the vessels and cargo that travel through them."

The Antwerp conference is the most recent example of Chiquita's leadership* and commitment to collaboratively working with government agencies to increase the safety and security of international trade. Last year, Chiquita attained the coveted "Tier III" certification in the U.S. Government's Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism.

A security industry publication says: The US Customs(C-TPAT) certification allows private companies which agree to improve security of their supply chains to face a reduced likelihood of having their containers inspected thus expediting the shipping process.

In 2008 the GAO (Government Accounting Office) found security gaps in this program that it said terrorists theoretically could exploit to smuggle weapons of mass destruction in cargo containers

*In 2007 Chiquita International pleaded guilty and paid $25 million in fines admitting it paid right-wing paramilitary and leftist groups in violation of US laws against supporting terrorists for support in war torn farming regions in Columbia.

Chiquita International more recently is facing multiple lawsuits in New Jersey, District of Columbia, Florida and New York from families of people that suffered extrajudicial killings, torture, forced disappearances, crimes against humanity and war crimes at the hands of paramilitary organizations which received funds from Chiquita.(link)

"You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not."

It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.

John Adams on his hopes for how the Fourth of July might be celebrated. From a letter written to his wife Abigail.
One must admire and marvel at his enthusiasm.

Sommerkatzen und Sommer Nicht

Without a doubt, Sommerkatzen und sommer nicht.