Erik Emery Hanberg

Erik, if it's sunny, grab an outdoor table at the ...

2008-05-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

Erik, if it's sunny, grab an outdoor table at the French restaurant Fenouil in the Pearl District for delicious food and a view of the urban park. If it's raining, head down the street to Andina for South American treats. Above Andina is an all-white interior bar that serves hard to find booze with a trippy DJ.

It's a matter of taste, of course. But for my mone...

2008-05-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

It's a matter of taste, of course. But for my money, Valhalla is the best roast in town. What ever you decide on, you want to make sure it's fresh. You can pick up Valhalla at Mandolin, Blackwater, or Metro Market. At home, I use the Viking blend in a French press. Mmmmmmmmm.

If you're buying online, try Nossa Familia - run b...

2008-05-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

If you're buying online, try Nossa Familia - run by friends of mine from UP and DELICIOUS. It's one of the guys' family who grows the beans, and they give lots of money to charity.

If you're buying in town, call me biased, but I always liked Bertolino's house blend. I do like Stumptown beans from Portland, too.

I buy Satellite, whenever possible. Their beans s...

2008-05-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

I buy Satellite, whenever possible. Their beans start at around $11 something, which is really not bad for direct trade, high quality beans.

When I'm at the Metropolitan Market late at night, I buy Valhalla beans, roasted at the Mandolin. They are also excellent.

Can't get more local than Mandolin!(Though, I thin...

2008-05-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

Can't get more local than Mandolin!

(Though, I think that's what they sell at Blackwater)

Ah, coffee...If you are concerned about the enviro...

2008-05-14T10:39:00.000-07:00

Ah, coffee...

If you are concerned about the environment and social justice, please consider buying only Fair Trade certified coffee. The growers recieve a fair price for their coffee, we get coffee that is grown in a sustainable manner, i.e. no rain forest or bird habitat destruction and organic farming methods. For more info, please visit http://www.transfairusa.org/content/about/overview.php

Now, for local vendors. My new favorite is Satelitte
Coffee where you can buy really good Stumptown (Portland) beans. Firehouse Coffee is headquartered in University Place and sells their beans at Origin 23 on Sixth & Union. Some of their coffee is Fair Trade certified. I have not yet purchased their beans. Top Foods carries Tony's (Bellingham) coffee, which is usually a little less costly and still delicious. Tony's has several great fair trade certified coffees. I also like Tully's coffee; they get extra points for their recent fair trade and compostable cups initiatives. You can buy Tully's beans at any Tully's location as well as Albertson's. Fred Meyer carries Green Mountain Coffee. My good friend and former professor at Puget Sound, Matt Warning, has been working with a cooperative in Oaxaca for years whose beans are carried by Green Mountain.

If you are tempted to order beans on-line, Peace Coffee (www.peacecoffee.com) is a great outfit in Minneapolis that uses bicycles to deliver their beans all over their city. The coffee is tasty too!

The way the trees are falling down around here, I ...

2008-05-12T22:44:00.000-07:00

The way the trees are falling down around here, I hope they get on it soon!

There's now an excellent discussion of oil prices ...

2008-05-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

There's now an excellent discussion of oil prices and gas taxes on the Becker-Posner blog.

It is one thing to argue that much movie, or for t...

2008-05-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

It is one thing to argue that much movie, or for that matter books, music, etc., criticism is very bad today. I tend to agree with that. It is another to argue that it's bad because you don't like the films, etc., that people like or vice versa. I tend to dislike Ebert not so much for his taste as that he promoted the go to see it or not mentality of criticism. I believe that criticism should engage art, not tell people what to buy, view, etc. There is a way to comment about art even when you don't like it that can leave much of the discretion as to whether to partake of it to the reader, etc. Art as consumer activity, which I agree it partly is, doesn't interest me that much.

Generally I don't buy that VP choices can pull muc...

2008-05-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

Generally I don't buy that VP choices can pull much to a voting block, but this year might be different. If Obama has had trouble with Hispanic voters, adding the most prominent Hispanic politician to the ticket might convince them to his side versus a (generally) pro-immigration McCain.

I don't think he could chose any woman other than Clinton--I think it might actually hurt him.

Question: assuming she'd be OK for it, would a McCain/Rice ticket pull votes from Obama with either women or African Americans? Hard to say.

How does Richardson neutralize McCain inroads in C...

2008-05-11T16:08:00.000-07:00

How does Richardson neutralize McCain inroads in CA? Just because he's Hispanic? CA will swing based on issues and voter turnout, not the ethnicity of one veep candidate over another. And when has a veep candidate energized a voting base?

Geographically, I understand picking a running mate for strategy, but to think that means much beyond the particular state and its borders is far fetched. Example: Mel Martinez's endorsement of McCain will mean astronomically more for FL than Richardson running with Obama.

Maybe the Catholic vote is helpful, but likely Catholics will vote en masse (D) anyway. Obama's problems garnering Catholics has been due to Hillary's gains, not the Republican party.

At least he does bring experience-- something Obama needs. But there's no shortage of seasoned Senators and governors to take on that role. George Will thinks it should be Strickland, which would make a lot of sense, too.

Personally, I'm pulling for Obama-Dodd, just because it's fun to say.

It's never too late. You should join Prof. Mankiw'...

2008-05-11T11:42:00.000-07:00

It's never too late. You should join Prof. Mankiw's Pigou Club. Read The Pigou Club Manifesto on his blog. This could have been an issue uniting people from all parts of the political spectrum. The points you made are still operative. What are the candidates view on this issue?

You forgot to mention the incredibly flattering li...

2008-05-10T13:36:00.000-07:00

You forgot to mention the incredibly flattering lighting! Everyone looks pretty!

I wanted that science-y article to explain all tha...

2008-05-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

I wanted that science-y article to explain all that trippy lightning.

Damn! Those were some freaking awesome pictures!

2008-05-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

Damn! Those were some freaking awesome pictures!

Holy $%&!!**@#

2008-05-07T19:11:00.000-07:00

Holy $%&!!**@#

Not to be too serious, but the problem is not the ...

2008-05-06T12:52:00.000-07:00

Not to be too serious, but the problem is not the FAA, it is with the laser power needed.

The FAA frequently grants approval to outdoor laser usage (google FAA Form 7140-1, "Notice of Proposed Outdoor Laser Operations"). If an advertiser wanted to project lasers into the sky on a given night, it would be relatively simple for an experienced laser display company to select an appropriate site away from airports, use mitigation methods such as aircraft spotters, and file the appropriate paperwork in advance with the FAA and the FDA/CDRH (federal laser safety agency).

I am not sure why the ad exec in the linked story (Mediaweek) claimed there was an FAA objection. Again, the real problem is having enough laser power to make even a spot on the new (dark) moon, much less a readable logo.

OK, that just makes me laugh.

2008-05-02T18:53:00.000-07:00

OK, that just makes me laugh.

Greg Mankiw is a Conservative Economist. He teache...

2008-05-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

Greg Mankiw is a Conservative Economist. He teaches at Harvard and his blog is terrific for economic commentary on current issues. He also directs readers to articles which he enjoys but that disagree with him. Today he reports that Len Burman, who was on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer last night, and did a good job explaining the economics of this proposal, told him that they couldn't even find an economist to argue for the Tax Holiday. The problem is simply that the price is dictated by supply and that the tax holiday will in no way change that. As the price goes down people will use more, hence lowering the supply and driving the price back up.It is a purely political proposal meant to say that the candidate feels the pain of the common man and wants to relieve it. It's not a profile in courage or the kind of leadership we need right now. The problems are too big.

"is that on average it will save most Americans $3...

2008-04-30T21:20:00.000-07:00

"is that on average it will save most Americans $30 over the summer, while cutting 300,000 construction jobs"

These are fair and legitmate questions. My only objection was to Friedman's characterization of the summer gas tax holiday as being some sort of significant long term energy policy. Which it clearly is not.

just rented Juno myself since it came out on DVD, ...

2008-04-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

just rented Juno myself since it came out on DVD, liked it much, good balance of realism and humor

Also check out Ezra Klein on The American Prospect...

2008-04-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

Also check out Ezra Klein on The American Prospect web page posted today.

You have Greg Mankiw on your side. Read his blog ...

2008-04-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

You have Greg Mankiw on your side. Read his blog post dated Tuesday, April 29th, called Score One For Obama.

How does it not accomplish what they want it to do...

2008-04-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

How does it not accomplish what they want it to do? Obama's fallacy with the gas tax is that it doesn't matter what the savings is to the average American. What it will do is provide relief for those that are hit the hardest-- poorer people who drive less efficient cars and commute further to work. The gas tax is just as regressive as sales tax, and believe it or not there are a lot of people that make or break their budget based on that extra $3 per fill-up.

If I calculate how much it would save me, it obviously is a lot more than what it would save you, based on our driving habits.

The estimate of losing 300,000 jobs is complete speculation. Any loss to the highway fund would not be seen this summer, and both candidates have proposed methods for protecting the highway fund through other measures.

Kudos to Obama for not jumping on an idea if he really doesn't think it is a good one. But don't try to tell me that disagreement on an idea like this is Obama rejecting another "broken Washington policy." His rhetoric is getting really old.

CA--Obama's point, and I think it's a good one, is...

2008-04-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

CA--

Obama's point, and I think it's a good one, is that on average it will save most Americans $30 over the summer, while cutting 300,000 construction jobs (because the tax money isn't funding summer road construction).

I'd agree it's not really an "energy policy" proposal, but it still doesn't do what McCain and Clinton want it to do.