Monthly Archives: October 2008

How Paul Wolcker Helped Obama Foresee the Meltdown

An absolutely fascinating piece in today's Wall Street Journal reveals why Obama was so prescient about the housing crisis. In brief: When he was still a longshot candidate, long before the first primary, he met and impressed Paul Volcker. Volcker was chief of the Federal Reserve back in Reagan's era. For years Volcker's reputation hasContinue reading “How Paul Wolcker Helped Obama Foresee the Meltdown”

Global Warming Quote of the First Millenium

We can change our skies but not our nature. –Horace [Found this in a recent book of fiction, so I can't reference it. Nor can I find it on-line, as of yet. But it's so good I am going to read into Horace and look for it…how could he have known?] Pic from sumthingdifferent onContinue reading “Global Warming Quote of the First Millenium”

Good News Friday: Global Warming Lessening Santa Ana Wind Conditions

Don't have time to get into the nitty-gritty of the details today, but here's the gist: a team of researchers at UCLA led by Professor Alex Hall is reporting that anthropogenic global warming is reducing by about one-third the pressure in the Great Basin that builds every year and leads to dangerous Santa Ana windContinue reading “Good News Friday: Global Warming Lessening Santa Ana Wind Conditions”

Inside, Outside, and Giggling at the GOP Bubble

Inside the GOP bubble:    DRUDGE POLL WHO WON THE FINAL PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE?… MCCAIN 74% 103,957 OBAMA 25% 35,541 NEITHER 1% 1,785 Total Votes: 141,283 http://polls.eproof.com/78.jsOutside the GOP bubble (via TPM) In the CBS poll of undecided debate-watchers, 53% say Obama won, only 22% say McCain won, and 24% say it was a tie. The CNNContinue reading “Inside, Outside, and Giggling at the GOP Bubble”

Conservatism Loses Its Head

From an intriguing Los Angeles Times op-ed this Monday: In the early 1960s, writers at William F. Buckley Jr.'s National Review knew that conservatism, like all political movements, needs a head as well as a heart. In a confidential memo, Frank Meyer, the National Review's leading theorist, made distinctions between the "establishment of responsible leadership"Continue reading “Conservatism Loses Its Head”

Out of Limbo, Back on the (virtual) Road

Okay everybody, thanks for your patience. Typepad broke through the logjam after a week and a half, discovering that the change in the graphics program they instituted had a downstream consequence. An inactive setting on the domain link between the official site and its Typepad posting version was preventing new posts from going up; theyContinue reading “Out of Limbo, Back on the (virtual) Road”

Obama Credits John McCain with a Good Idea

From his straightforward vision for the short-term economy statement from Monday 10/13/08: “At a time when the ups and downs of the stock market have rarely been so unpredictable and dramatic,” Mr. Obama said, “we also need to give families and retirees more flexibility and security when it comes to their retirement savings.” Mr. ObamaContinue reading “Obama Credits John McCain with a Good Idea”

From Inside the Bottle, a Ray of Hope

Several voices in recent days have pointed out that despite the severity of our financial crisis, there is reason to hope that it could lead to better days. My favorite was the moderate Matt Millen, from the popular political talkshow Left, Right, and Center, who on Friday concluded with this: On what has been aContinue reading “From Inside the Bottle, a Ray of Hope”

THE PARTY’S OVER (a song for the end of an era)

According to dozens of experts surveyed by the Wall Street Journal (see here) we're heading into a recession that will be the worst in fifty years, with at least three consecutive quarters of less-than-zero growth. Millions of homeowners face foreclosure, trillions of dollars have been lost in the stock market, and we're going to seeContinue reading “THE PARTY’S OVER (a song for the end of an era)”