This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Market Correction
Some Straight Talk on the Debt Deal
There has been a lot---perhaps too much---written about the debt reduction bill, its potential impact and its implications---long on rhetoric, but short on facts and details. If you are as confused as I am, you may want to read the following concise and straightforward summary I just received from the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). It is preceded … [Read more...] about Some Straight Talk on the Debt Deal
ABC: Obama at 50: Does Stress Age Us Faster (Particularly Presidents)?
ABC News offers this facscinating report on whether stress ages us faster -- focusing on how President Barack Obama and other Presidents have aged in office: … [Read more...] about ABC: Obama at 50: Does Stress Age Us Faster (Particularly Presidents)?
Republicans Should Be Embarrassed by Debt Increase Vote (Guest Voice)
Republicans Should Be Embarrassed by Debt Increase Vote by Floyd and Mary Beth Brown Washington is obsessed by picking winners and losers. But the establishment media has the story all wrong again. The Republicans, they say won this skirmish over debt. But actually Republicans displayed a total lack of commitment to their principles. The only winner in the "Budget … [Read more...] about Republicans Should Be Embarrassed by Debt Increase Vote (Guest Voice)
Tread on Me
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Tread on Me
Jobs Report Better Than Expected: Hiring Picked Up in July
Amid a widespread fear that the July jobs report would be yet another tidbit of bad news, there is finally a (brief...small) bit of good news: the July jobs report is better than anyone expected: The job market strengthened in July, a welcome piece of good news that sharply contrasted other recent readings pointing toward an economic slowdown. Employers added 117,000 … [Read more...] about Jobs Report Better Than Expected: Hiring Picked Up in July
Why Wall Street Has the Willies
Decades ago, when I worked for one of America’s richest men, Norton Simon, he told me, “I stay out of the stock market. You could spend every hour trying to figure out what they’re thinking and still be wrong half the time.” That advice comes to mind as stocks continue to dive in the days after a “conservative victory” in the debt-ceiling fight that should have cheered up … [Read more...] about Why Wall Street Has the Willies
Shiniki’s Trike & The Lessons Of War
(PORTIONS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN AUGUST 2007) Shinichi Tetsutani loved to ride his beloved tricycle outside his house in Higashi-Hakushima-Cho, a neighborhood in the Japanese port city of Hiroshima. Shin-chan, as his family affectionately called the three-year-old, was doing just that on the morning of August 6, 1945 when there was a brilliant flash in the … [Read more...] about Shiniki’s Trike & The Lessons Of War
Remembering Fukishima
Here in the US of A we have all but forgotten the nuclear disaster in Fukishima because our own political kabuki dance is less threatening and more entertaining. But it's not forgotten in Japan and it shouldn't be here either. The reality is the situation at Fukushima Daiichi is still out of control and no one knows what's going on or what to do about it. August 3, … [Read more...] about Remembering Fukishima
8 Facts About Spending That Republicans Forgot About (Guest Voice)
Eight Facts About Spending That Republicans Forgot About by Business Loans Infographic courtesy of Business Loans … [Read more...] about 8 Facts About Spending That Republicans Forgot About (Guest Voice)
Excuse Me? Stock Market Is Down So Barack Obama Should “Resign?”
Just today I was talking by phone with some folks about how polarized, negative and toxic our political scene is -- coupled by a bad barrage of economic news which included the big Dow plunge today. And then a TMV reader send me THIS LINK with a commentator suggesting that since the stock market is down Barack Obama might think about resigning. Did I miss something? Were … [Read more...] about Excuse Me? Stock Market Is Down So Barack Obama Should “Resign?”
The Diminishing Power of Money (Die Welt, Germany)
Are we witnessing a collapse in faith in paper currency - and hence, the very social contract society is based on? For Germany's Die Welt, historian Michael Sturmer warns that unless a way is found to restore confidence in the currency, the days are numbered for democracy and the way of life we have all come to expect. For Germany's Die Welt, Michael Sturmer writes in … [Read more...] about The Diminishing Power of Money (Die Welt, Germany)
Gulp. The World’s Largest Stop-Motion Animation Set
As my Maine vacation winds down, a friend from sweltering Georgia sent me this wonderful stop-motion animation... It was shot on a beach in South Wales using 3 Nokia N8s mounted on a 118 ft crane to showcase the camera's 12 megapixel sensor and Carl Zeiss lens. Everything in it is life-size. The making of... … [Read more...] about Gulp. The World’s Largest Stop-Motion Animation Set
For World’s Sake, Obama Must ‘Provide Leadership’ on U.S. Debt (The Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan)
Now that the White House and Congressional lawmakers have agreed to raise the debt ceiling, there is considerable concern in other nations about the bipartisan "super committee" that will be charged with the next round of budget cuts. According to this editorial from the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japanese are not only concerned that the lawmakers will be unable to agree, but that … [Read more...] about For World’s Sake, Obama Must ‘Provide Leadership’ on U.S. Debt (The Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan)
Deal on U.S. Debt Ceiling Shows American ‘Strength’ (O Globo, Brazil)
Does the acrimonious process of raising the U.S. debt ceiling demonstrate the genius of the American system in action? According to this editorial from Brazil's O Globo, the deal arrived at by feuding Republicans and Democrats was a lesson for other nations - particularly Brazil - about getting ahead of debt and tax-related issues. The O Globo editorial says in … [Read more...] about Deal on U.S. Debt Ceiling Shows American ‘Strength’ (O Globo, Brazil)
The Astroturf on Lambeau Field
To understand the attack on Wisconsin, we need to perform a little "thought experiment." Take this test with me, OK? (You, too CNN.) Here, in fig. 1 is Frank Zappa: Now, who is this in fig. 2? (Take your time. Relax. Focus. Concentrate.) … [Read more...] about The Astroturf on Lambeau Field
Obama’s Unhappy Birthday
In less than three years since his election was seen as the nation’s triumph over its own history, a combination of his own shortcomings, crushing economic challenges that destabilized the electorate and residual racism has put Barack Hussein Obama in danger of becoming a one-term president. At his birth 50 years ago, his parents’ marriage was illegal in 16 states of the … [Read more...] about Obama’s Unhappy Birthday
UPDATED: Dow Going Down: Closing Number is Down 513
More bad news on the economic front. The Dow is going south: U.S. stocks plunged, with the Dow losing more than 350 points Thursday, as investors remain on edge about the global economy. [UPDATE: It's closing number was down 513: The only good thing to say about today's stock market is that it's finally over. The Dow fell a staggering 513 points, or 4.3%, to close … [Read more...] about UPDATED: Dow Going Down: Closing Number is Down 513
Taking the GOP Back From the Radical Right (Guest Voice)
Taking the GOP Back From the Radical Right by Michael Stafford With the debt ceiling crisis resolved, it is appropriate to pause and reflect on how America was brought to the precipice of a potential catastrophe. The answer can be found in two lines from William Butler Yeats' famous poem "The Second Coming." In the poem, Yeats' wrote: "The best lack all conviction, while … [Read more...] about Taking the GOP Back From the Radical Right (Guest Voice)
Did President Obama Get Independent Voters Wrong?
The Misreading of Independent Voters According to the MSM, President Obama's efforts to bring about a bi-partisan deal on the deficit were meant to appeal to independent voters. The drop-off, according to the polls, among independents is even more dramatic since the deal. What went wrong? Independents, who elected Obama in 2008, don't like political deals. They want a fair … [Read more...] about Did President Obama Get Independent Voters Wrong?