spring!

Just what we expect for the beginning of spring... the perfect mix of cloud and sun, the gently-leaking sky, the happiness of daffodils and bluebirds and little kids on bikes. And... special treat for me... I got to deliver my grandson to school, complete with the very cool rocketship he and his father made! Always a joy to see this boy, his school, his work. Being a grandfather is just the best!
Important note: The recent 9.0 quake in Japan bent the tip of the 1093' Tokyo Tower, a 50s-era skyscraper intended to celebrate the success of post-war Japan (the tower was built in the mid-50s). Could be a nasty job to straighten it?
We've all read about the wonders of quinoa. Virtually all quinoa is grown in Bolivia, that very poor land-locked South American nation that we hear very little about. Anyway, quinoa is unique in the plant world: an unrivaled balance of proteins and amino acids. It is not a grain; it's a member of the spinach family. Anyway, the reason we've heard of it is that it's a very cool food, easy to cook and to digest. We have a jar of it on our kitchen counter. We love it. So... guess what! As always, there are the unintended consequences... as demand (from rich Westerners like us) rises, the Bolivians are pumping nearly 100% of their production into the export market. Prices have soared, naturally, and so has the average income of the Bolivian grower of quinoa. But... hold your hat... chronic malnutrition has become a cultural plague as families substitute things like pasta and rice for the traditional staple in their diet. The poor kids are literally starving because their parents are selling their quinoa to us. Is this a complex world or what?
We're in another war today.

A bill passed by the New Hampshire House would reduce the per-pack of tax on cigarettes from $1.78 to $1.68. The effort is to increase sales, thus increase state tax collections. Is there something wrong with this thinking?
Time for my nap.
Kirk