We’d all like to believe that pronouncements from the Obama Administration in recent days and months are true—or at least that the people doing the pronouncing believe them to be true. Here’s a list of some things, however, that may not turn out to be totally accurate. The G-8’s commitment to check global warming will not be slowed by fears about possible negative economic impacts. Sixty...

MGSeigler says that’s why Google’s announcement of the Chrome OS came randomly in July, well before they had anything ready to show off: On Monday, Microsoft is set to unveil its plans to counter the attack Google previously had launched on it with Google Docs. Yes, Microsoft Office is going to the cloud. This is something which we all knew was eventually coming, and there is already some limited functionality,...

Here. Contrary to the stereotyping coming from some corners these days, not all who believe in the existence of God are bigoted, closed-minded, or anti-science. Francis Collins is one demonstration of that. He’s a theist and an outstanding scientist. Politically, this is yet another shrewd appointment on the part of Barack Obama. As he pursues such hot potato issues as stem cell research, Collins will...

A few interesting political tidbits came out today In New York, Governor David Paterson has appointed a new Lt. Governor in an effort to resolve the ongoing dispute in the State Senate. For those who may have missed some of this battle, the short version is that New York has no provision for replacing a vacancy in the office of Lt. Governor so when Paterson took over for Eliot Spitzer, the state had nobody...

I worked at Bloomberg Financial News for a number of years. While there I encountered many of Wall Street’s shakers and movers. I found them, by-in-large, to be an extraordinarily arrogant lot. They really did think they were the best and brightest. They really did think that $5 or $10 million a year in compensation was chump change, and people like themselves were entitled, entitled!, to much more as...

Sorry, PETA, I find this traffic-stopping story from Reuters a riot. UPDATE – A drunken Englishman passes out (pardon the pun) thousands of cash Euros at an airport in Spain that would have caused a riot if he didn’t smell so bad. It reminds us that the world is an intoxicating experience, seen through the glass, darkly. You think I’m kidding? Booze is making a comeback to lure men to go shopping....

Once again, the Russian newspaper Gazeta, which is partly owned by Mikhail Gorbachev, says what few other Russian media outlets will: that Russia today is little match for the power of the United States. This cold-eyed assessment by Gazeta, published Tuesday morning, says in part: “Russian-American relations, even without the anti-American hysteria that was consciously cultivated by the Russian government...

With the 40th anniversary of the Moon Landing coming up in a couple weeks I thought I’d start posting some relevant videos. The first  is purely for sentiment, and to give us all a post we can agree on.

It’s an American product that most people consider as pure as rain and as wholesome as apple pie. Is it possible to criticize Disneyland as a ‘gigantic world encompassing brain-washing facility’? After attacking the insidious way that Disney stories have soft-peddled destructive Western man to the globe’s children, this article from Mexico’s La Jornada criticizes a new Mexican...

This evening at 8 pm Eastern, I’ll be joining the panel at The Rick Moran Show on Blog Talk Radio for “Palinpalooza.” The question before the combined sages of political prognostication will be, “Is Sarah Palin’s Career Dead?” I know what you’re thinking… how did we get such an obscure topic which absolutely nobody else is talking about? Well, that’s just...

It seems the Russian office girls, taking a cigarette break, admire Michelle Obama not for her taste in fashion but her interest in gardening. It illustrates the cultural divide between Washington and Paris — where the media goggles over how well she fits into her sheik wardrobe — and Moscow — where wives don’t outshine their husbands. And, on this trip to Moscow where her husband is...

Moments ago they officially swore in Senator Franken so the party now has it’s 60th vote. The crowd in the chamber seemed to be mostly Democrats though that is not surprising since the Congress is just getting back from it’s break and so members are presumably settling in to start the new session. So time to see what the Democratic majority can do.

Patrick Edaburn’s interesting post yesterday, in which he examined his mental reactions to a slow driver, set off a whole slew of thoughts for me regarding stereotypes, prejudices, bigotry, and racism. For instance: Let’s say you attended a neighborhood social function, and your Republican neighbor talks at length about his son, of whom he’s extremely proud. This beloved son, as it happens,...

Being  a resident of California almost requires you to be some form of environmentalist and I certainly am one who is concerned about the environment and making sure we do what we can to protect it. But I also believe we need a level of realism in balancing the environment with the economy. Unless we plan to move  into caves again we need to recognize that work  and environment need to go hand in hand. It...

As I was driving home from a client meeting today, I was listening to KGO radio and the caller was discussing that, in his opinion, all white people were biased and prejudiced against minorities. Even the host of the show, a pretty hard core liberal, was taken aback at the statement. But the caller refused to yield, citing examples of alleged prejudice where pretty much anything a white person said was deemed...

Pundits and Press are likely making a mistake in calling Governor Sarah Palin down for the count, or TKO’d. I listened to her complete speech, and like many others thought it rambled on. But, as a shrink who from time to time analyzes documents and speeches for criminal lawyers, I know that rambling is often only a sign of impassioned assertion and ….not reading from notes that would normally rein...

If I were South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, I would stroll down to the store, select a Hallmark card and mail it to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, saying “Thank you, thank you, thank you for getting me off Page One and the cable news networks.” Or, as Maureen Dowd in her Sunday column in The New York Times wrote: “As Alaskans settled in to enjoy holiday salmon bakes and the post-solstice thaw, their...

The limelight and media attention during the long Fourth of July weekend has been hogged by a certain lady from Alaska with her “higher calling.” While we are waiting for the next shoe to drop in Wasilla, it’s time to revisit the many shoes that have already dropped in South Carolina. And who better to take us there than Pulitzer Prize winner Leonard Pitts Jr. While many have tried to capture...

Our mountain adventure draws to a close, as we prepare to head back down to civilization again. While I’m in for a bit more vacation time still, I hope that most of you at least had a nice, long weekend to relax and unwind from the daily grind. Last night I stepped outside and walked into a perfect moment, as the full moon was rising above the mountains, shining down onto the lake in front of me and the...

Poor weather can, on occasion, make for fine photography. Today’s specimen is a picture from yesterday evening, approaching one bay where bass are often found in years other than this one. It was a brief window between rain showers and fog was settling down over the forest and the lake. When that happens, all sounds become muted, as if cotton candy had been stuffed into your ears. At a time like that,...