n o t e 1 9 . c o m

“Twenty-six years after Ronald Reagan first set his controversial fiscal policies into motion, the deceased president’s massive tax cuts for the ultrarich at last trickled all the way down to deliver their bounty, in the form of a $10 bonus, to Hazelwood, MO car-wash attendant Frank Kellener.”

Here is one more quote from this Onion article: “Leading economists say Kellener’s unexpected windfall provides the first irrefutable proof of the effectiveness of Reagan’s so-called supply-side economics, and shows that the former president had “incredible, far-reaching foresight.”

I have not laughed  so hard at an Onion article for a long time. Very funny.

“I looked like an exploding tomato” — this is how John Sweeney, a BBC Panorama report described himself when he lost his temper whilst interviewing the subject of his upcoming documentary. Watch the video and notice that as John blows up, his subject just keep talking as though nothing is happening.

In this morning’s San Jose Mercury News paper there is an insightful article by the New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman. Friedman makes an excellent case that shared interests makes Iran and U.S. natural allies and the best way to solve the current problems is to normalize relations: restore diplomatic relations, open the embassy in Tehran, and grant 50,000 student visas for young Iranian to study in U.S., then just sit back and watch the most amazing debate explode inside Iran. Now this is a good plan that I can support. (Unfortunately, I cant point to the article online, since it requires a New York Times subscription. I would’ve thought that ad. revenues and millions of readers across the world would have been enough for NYT, but I guess not. Dang!)

My favorite sportsman of all times turned 65. Happy birthday Ali! Muhammad Ali’s life in pictures & famous quotes. Here is one:

a man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.