I have to give a nod to Christie Wilson’s excellent story in this morning’s Advertiser digging deeper on the Superferry-whale issue. It’s an excellent read and adds to the understanding of what was going on behind the scenes.

Did you feel the ground shift yesterday? It happened when the Wall Street Journal reported that its latest poll found Republicans now believe free trade policies are bad for the American economy by s rather stunning 59-32 percent margin.

Six in 10 Republicans in the poll agreed with a statement that free trade has been bad for the U.S. and said they would agree with a Republican candidate who favored tougher regulations to limit foreign imports. That represents a challenge for Republican candidates who generally echo Mr. Bush’s calls for continued trade expansion, and reflects a substantial shift in sentiment from eight years ago.

One blogger offered a good commented:

There seems to be two concerns. One is that the U.S. is taken to the cleaners by other nations which are better at playing trade hardball. The other is the unease over the widening income gap and the role that trade is felt to be playing in it. As Frank Levy–who pointed me to the article–puts it, “It looks like another brick in the wall against letting the market roll regardless of the resulting distribution of benefits.”

Speaking of polling, several readers commented on yesterday’s entry regarding the specifics of the latest Superferry polling, so check them out (just click the ‘comments’ link at the bottom of the entry).

I received quite a few email raves for my column in last week’s Honolulu Weekly which editorialized on the media drooling over the Air Force Thunderbirds and the upcoming appearance of the Navy’s Blue Angels, but I took kind of a pounding in the letters to the editor of the current issue now on the racks. One reader took me to task for lacking the testosterone to realize that it is precisely the lethal character of these jets that make them so exciting and appealing to the public. Perhaps this was a somewhat tongue-in-cheek comment. If not, I have to wonder about a couple of things. First, I have to wonder whether this poses a problem for our supposedly largely Christian nation? Isn’t there a niggle of doubt about how Jesus would have reacted to such militarist displays? I have trouble imaging Mr. Turn the Other Cheek saying he’s turned on by these shadows of war. And, second, where are we as a society if the reader is correct? Are we supposed to just relish the fact that the whiff of war provides a mass testosterone-driven turn on? Should we simply accept that as a supposed fact of life or think beyond it to a preferred future?

Okay, I shouldn’t be so flippant in my response since this will just pump up those readers who already think I’m a flaming left-wing nut job, but it does seem to me some serious societal stock taking is in order. In any case, check out my piece and the letters and make up your own mind.

David Knox, a reporter at the Akron Beacon Journal (owned by Star-Bulletin owner David Black) had an interesting observation on the possibilities of linking good journalism and research funded via independent nonprofits. He shared his perspective (and a link to his Beacon Journal story) in a message sent out to an Investigative Reporters and Editors discussion list earlier this week.

On Sunday, the Akron Beacon Journal began an ongoing examination of the endangered American middle class that had a couple of unusual features.

The first was where the research was done and how it was paid for.

The opening installment was grounded on a study of five-decades of Census microdata done as part of a six-month Kiplinger fellowship at Ohio State University.

The Kiplinger program is funded by a nonprofit foundation with the explicit goal of producing public journalism projects. But I don’t see why other types of nonprofits, which by definition have a vested interest in the public good, couldn’t fund similar research by reporters.

Several nonprofits – Center for Public Integrity, Center for Responsive Politics, Common Cause, and others – do their own journalism and do it well. But most nonprofits can’t or don’t want to do journalism.

But more foundations might be willing to finance research intended for newspaper publication or broadcast – especially with a university acting as the go-between.

Given the financial crunch most newspapers and many broadcast outlets face, I think it’s an idea worth exploring.

Money aside, this kind of a partnership has purely journalistic benefits. I never could have done the study without the support of a university setting. The study tabulated more than 5,500 median earnings, broken down by age group, gender, race and level of education. All the medians were posted on the Beacon Journal’s Web site, both as static tables and as an interactive graphic that allowed reader to compare wages across four generations.

David Knox
Akron Beacon Journal

The Hawaiian Historical Society is offering an unusual travel opportunity next year at this time. It’s a 14-day tour of hte Persian Gulf, including ten days on the luxury cruise ship Silver Whisper, featuring “award-winning gourmet dining”, “unlimited complimentary spirits, wines and other beverages”, casino, card room, and much more. The Historical Society is offering a special fare, including air fare and hotel in Dubai before and after the cruise.

Ports of call include the United Arab Emirates (Dubai, Fujairah, and Abu Dhabi), along with Oman, Qater, and Bahrain.

Topping it off, this tour offers an opportunity to be “among the very few Americans in 25 years to be welcomed into Iran, the fabled Persia that exerts an enduring fascination.” According to the trip itinerary, this stop will be in the city of Bandar Abbas, Iran.

With all the U.S. war talk concerning Iran, I was suprised to see this particular itinerary.

However, I do see the fine print.

In the price for Kingdoms of the Gulf we have included insurance premiums for a medical or other covered emergency while on cruise-tour. For further financial protection in this uncertain world, we urge our participants to purchase a Trip Cancellation & Interruption insurance policy of their choice.

I wonder if anyone was cruising the Persian Gulf during the 2003 bombing of Baghdad?

On the lighter side, check out this recipe for Car baked chocolate chip cookies.