Iraq: High Steaks Back Home

Those who resist the idea of an interconnected world may be shocked to learn that the war has raised prices in some of New York’s most popular restaurants.

To ease our dependence on Middle East oil, government subsidies are encouraging farmers to divert corn to ethanol production, which in turn is raising the price of cattle feed, making prime beef more expensive and even creating shortages, according to a cattle market analyst.

Desperate Manhattan restaurateurs are turning to rib eye and buffalo steak, a hardship their customers are stoically enduring. This should answer those cynics who claim that there are no sacrifices on the home front in this war.

Tall Corn in Iowa

Half a century ago, in “The Music Man,” there was a song about Iowa being contrary: “And we're so by God stubborn/We can stand touchin' noses/For a week at a time/And never see eye-to-eye.”

This week the state’s Republicans updated the lyrics for a political visit by the Clintons: "After Bill Clinton tarnished the name of the president of the United States, the Republican Party restored hope, respect and morality within the Oval Office by bringing positive ideas and conservative values back to the White House," the Party said in an e-mail to reporters.

To round out the picture, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is reporting that “Iowa’s corn growers are poised to harvest the biggest acreage ever.”