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?
Letter From The Eastern Cape
It is easy to forget that there are people whose lives don't include cable television and shopping at malls. And that 11 years after Nelson Mandela's release from prison, South Africa might as well be in another solar system as far as most Americans are concerned. These are among my motivations for publishing Letter From the Eastern Cape, a regular feature debuting today … [Read more...] about Letter From The Eastern Cape
On Eve Of Film Festival, Tongue-In-Cheek Ads Poke Fun At Stereotypes
The New York International Latino Film Festival, which shines in two weeks, has launched an audacious advertising campaign poking fun at Hollywood stereotypes. Speaking to the New York Times, Elizabeth Gardner, an executive director of the festival, said, “It was really intended to poke fun, but underneath there’s some truth to [the ads].” The ad campaign -- print, TV and … [Read more...] about On Eve Of Film Festival, Tongue-In-Cheek Ads Poke Fun At Stereotypes
Too Many Notes, Too Many Laws
it's not like in the film Amadeus, wherein the dunderheaded Emperor pettishly snaps to Mozart about his newest composition, "Too many notes, too many notes." The Emporerr didnt know what he was talking about. But, a sizeable group of people in the USA do know when there are Too many laws, Too many laws! I have been thinking for some time when our local congressman asked … [Read more...] about Too Many Notes, Too Many Laws
Jerry Lewis Out At MDA
Not sure if we will learn the whole story but it is the end of an era. Say what you will, I know he's not the nicest person around, but he raised billions of dollars for research … [Read more...] about Jerry Lewis Out At MDA
America’s New Chinese Torture Politics
“May you live in interesting times,” reputedly an ancient Chinese curse, comes to mind in the aftermath of this week’s fiasco as all signs point to hostage-taking as the new political norm rather than an aberration. “The debt ceiling should not be...used as a gun against the heads of the American people,” the President says, but Mitch McConnell sees it differently. “Never … [Read more...] about America’s New Chinese Torture Politics
Helping The Economy Without Spending Anything
The recently passed and signed legislation – increasing the debt limit and outlining various complex procedures for future spending reductions – severely limits the federal government’s ability to initiate new spending programs, raise taxes, or take any active role in the economy. The Federal Reserve is also constrained in its ability to address high unemployment because all of … [Read more...] about Helping The Economy Without Spending Anything
Panetta Reassures, Thanks and Cautions ‘the Troops’
Trying to both caution and reassure his Department’s personnel, and beyond, that Pentagon spending cuts won’t be done in a hasty, irresponsible way at a “time of considerable fiscal challenge in our country”---i.e. at a time when defense hawks are suffering from angst and uncertainty--- “Defense Secretary Leon Panetta penned a letter to them today. The letter, titled … [Read more...] about Panetta Reassures, Thanks and Cautions ‘the Troops’
Keith Olbermann Lowers Boom on Obama & Incumbents: Only Goals are Re-nomination, Re-Election, and the Pursuit of Hypocrisy
WASHINGTON - Once Mr. Olbermann came to Current TV I made sure our house changed our cable subscription so I could view his show on Al Gore's network. Gone were '08 grudge matches, now a part of history. He has not disappointed, especially Monday night. While Lawrence O'Donnell bloviated on MSNBC, more worried about trying to dig himself out of bankrupt political analysis … [Read more...] about Keith Olbermann Lowers Boom on Obama & Incumbents: Only Goals are Re-nomination, Re-Election, and the Pursuit of Hypocrisy
Don’t Read This If You Scare Easily
Following up on the prior post about the stock market is this sobering article from Atlantic magazine. … [Read more...] about Don’t Read This If You Scare Easily
Dow Headed For 38 Year Record ?
Depending on what happens in the next couple days we could be seeing a very undesirable record set. Yesterday the stock market DJIA was down for the eighth day in a row which matched a record from 2008. If it is down again today (at this point it is down about 90 points) then it will match a record from 1978. If it is down again on Thursday then we will be at a ten day … [Read more...] about Dow Headed For 38 Year Record ?
The President, Congress and Race
When I heard Pat Buchanan call President Obama "boy", I, unlike many people who support President Obama, chose to shrug the comment off. Yes, you can interpret it as a racially motivated comment, but I thought it was a comment motivated by disrespect. If we are honest, I've heard liberals call President Bush a lot worse. But when I heard that a congressman used the words … [Read more...] about The President, Congress and Race
Ailing Mubarak Goes on Trial: Pleads Not Guilty
An ailing former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has been wheeled into a courtroom as he goes on trial on charges related to the deaths of protesters in the uprising that led to his downfall. CNN's report: The Los Angeles Times: A nation watched rapt as toppled President Hosni Mubarak, once the epitome of the Arab autocrat, was wheeled into a makeshift courtroom … [Read more...] about Ailing Mubarak Goes on Trial: Pleads Not Guilty
Politics, Reality Show Style (Guest Voice)
Politics, Reality Show Style by Tina Dupuy The difference between a documentary and a reality show is staging. A documentary tells a story about real life. The subjects are normally not paid, aren't actors and the story is non-fiction. It's a quiet, illuminating and thoughtful genre (read: boring). Reality shows are like life, in that people on these programs do things … [Read more...] about Politics, Reality Show Style (Guest Voice)
Obama turns 50
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Obama turns 50
Introducing Jonah Goldberg to a new technological advancement
Hey Jonah Goldberg, I couldn't help but notice your outraged, hyperbolic post today decrying a new low for the mainstream media. Juxtaposing the media debate over alleged violent Tea Party rhetoric in the wake of the Gabrielle Giffords shooting to a random clip you saw of the Today Show this morning, you extrapolated a double standard pertaining to how the media covered … [Read more...] about Introducing Jonah Goldberg to a new technological advancement
The Reinvention of the World Economy
The politicians of both parties, the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department keep telling us that at some point economic growth will return to rates we have seen in the past. They are: In denial Idiots Lying This is what makes debt, both government an non government, a serious problem. The economic growth much of the world has experienced for several decades … [Read more...] about The Reinvention of the World Economy
First Step Off a Cliff
Now that it’s done, the President is calling the debt-ceiling deal “an important first step to ensuring that as a nation we live within our means,” but it looks more like falling off a political precipice. Even as he reiterates that “we can’t balance the budget on the backs of the very people who have borne the brunt of the recession,” Barack Obama says ruefully, “Voters may … [Read more...] about First Step Off a Cliff