Things that are on my mind:

1. Dubai
According to wikipedia and a PBS documentary, "...Prostitution in clubs is tolerated by authorities and many foreign women work there without being coerced, attracted by the money." I'm curious about this situation and how it is working out both for the women and how society is interacting / reacting. Seeing as the country is nestled in a mostly Arabic region, I doubt comparisons can be made to Amsterdam or Nevada. Anyhow, just curious.

Also, curiously, Dubai's population is over 1 million men and just over 350 thousand women.

2. Biofuels
I'm really upset that all of the 2008 presidential candidates are embracing biofuels as a response to global climate change. Time Magazine recently had an article, and front-page headlines, which clarified that biofuels a) deplete our food resources, b) inflate food prices and c) demand deforestation which INCREASES carbon emissions. I feel like a giant biodiesal snowball started rolling, with the support of major oil companies adding to it's mass, which will soon captivate the public consciousness and cause increased damage to our environment.

Suck.

Furthermore, dude, Barack Obama is pro-biofuels. Double suck.

At least there was some hope shown at the 2008 International Auto Show at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan, New York. Where greasers like my husband and degreasers like myself could converge. There was very little talk about biodiesel and more talk about hydrogen fuel-cell injection cars (hybrid hydrogen / electric). I'm still not sure that I give my total support to these because I know very little about how hydrogen is harvested. Perhaps my friend Lyndon Valicenti the great knows. Also, it was fabulous to hear guys with mullets and muscle shirts marvel at the horsepower provided by hybrids.

Of course, the best option is always a bicycle and I am way in favor of bicycle advocacy. But, bicycles aren't for everyone. For example, you can't bicycle 3 million apples to Minnesota. Or maybe you could. Maybe all the folks that will be unemployed by the decline in oil sector jobs could join up with the largest apple-biking operation in the U.S. That would be awesome, but for now I'm keeping my job at the hicky-burr dental school.

3. Joan Didion
Writes about California extensively. I love her combination of historical research, personal memoir and observation.