The Guardian and Financial Times in England have been covering the China vs Google story much more closely than US media. So when the Guardian published a story about Bill Gates reactions to the conflict , curious, I took a look: After pouring billions of dollars into the global fight against malaria and rebranding Microsoft […]
China vs Google IV : Bill Gates View Read More »
Frank Rich of the NYTimes provides another update to this article in his opinion piece “After the Massachusetts Massacre”. Rich argues that the problem for President Obama has been that he failed to make jobs and financial regulation top priorities. Here is the core of what he had to say: Obama’s plight has been unchanged
Update:Finance and Economics -The Obama Achilles Heel Read More »
John Roberts promised a gradualist Supreme Court – “just calling the balls and strikes”. But in a rushed decision riddled with many questions and problems left un-answered, Roberts and company threw out 30 years of Supreme Court precedence and 100 years of moving to the individual not groups and corporates as the basic holder of
The John Roberts Supreme Court Read More »
Here is the latest on the fast evolving China vs Google story as it takes some interesting turns and starts to reveal some of its underlying causes: CNET Reports: “After warnings of strained U.S.-China relations, China’s government has issued statements denying any state involvement in the cyberattacks on Google and defending its online censorship.” This
China vs Google III Read More »
There is an interesting article in the Sports section of the New York Times. As the Jets pack up for the Season having just failed to be the Arizona Cardinals of this season – the Times Reporters ask what will the team need to make it to the top next season. And the analysis is
As the Season of Money Begins … Read More »
Here is the recruiting poster for Islamic Terrorists that is a sure fire success throughout the Middle East: This is the map of the Palestinian West Bank with the Israeli “settlements”. No, no lets not call them incursions because that would imply the Israelis are squatters on territory that is not theirs – the final
The Al-Qaeda Recruiting Poster Read More »
Conservative pundit George Will is consistently arguing in favor the myth of markets being efficient and self-correcting. Greed is a good thing because those who are too greedy will “eventually” get their come-uppance in efficient, free markets – just like monopolists will finally fail if they don’t meet their customers needs. The only thing preventing
The Supremes Vote for a Bautocracy=Bought Political Power Read More »
The Obama administration just got its wake up call. All this past weekend the various news programs were grading Obama over the past year’s presidency. If you were Democratic the grades were close to Barack’s own, a B+ average. If you were Republican, the grades were draconian – D or worse. If you were Rush,
Massachussetts Wake-up Call Read More »
Most government financial and economic data is free; but that is the last of the good news. I thought when the Obama administration took over that some of its Web 2.0 savvy and great UI presentation would be carried over to the delivery of public data Unfortunately, no sign of improvements. Here is the table
The Canadian Government does not want to be outdone by the US Finance-dependent Feds who are treating most of its taxpayer and citizens [but sparing the “Too Big to Fail ” Top Bracket Few] as hoi polloi and hosers who can and will be taken to tax to the tune of $TRILLIONs. Its an ongoing yes-we-can
Canadian Political Hosers, Eh Read More »
Christmas on Wall Street was another Tiger Woods story. The New York Times articles title says it all – Banks Bundled Bad Debt, Bet Against It and Won. Let me paraphrase. Banks like Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan and others created and sold derivative intruments that made them money and then took the counter position
Christmas on Wall Street Read More »
The NYTimes has one of those small, but seminal stories on the National Scene today – strong evidence of Partisan Decision Paralysis. The US is in a transition like Britain was 150 years ago – Britain from Empire to merely an influential European player; the US from Economic and Military World Power to whatever the
Partisan Decision Paralysis Read More »
Lloyd Blankfein is CEO of investment bank Goldman Sachs – and last Tuesday he did what few other CEOs in the banking and financial industry have even contemplated doing. He apologized for … what did he apologize for? ““We participated in things that were clearly wrong and have reason to regret,” “We apologize.” – NYTimes
Blankfein’s Sorry Apology Read More »
This Week with George Stephanopoulos — Newsmakers, Politics and Analysis – is how ABC News characterizes their Sunday morning news commentary show. I have been a devoted watch for over 10 years. But following WWE-Worldwide Wrestling Exhibition match between Democratic Party Chairman Kaine versus Republican Party Chairman Steele has me seriously looking for alternatives: I
ABC’s This Week Misfires Read More »
Google is making its Translation Service available for free as part of its Google API. See for example the Google Translation in upper left sidebar to switch to your language. Meanwhile the API is versatile because it auto-detects the language and then translates it for you: Paris Le Monde newspaper Hamburg’s Die Zeit newspaper Buenos
Google Translations Read More »
Thomas Friedman picks up the argument in the NYTimes recently that a lot of others including this observer have noted – the spreading of an attack and smear mentality in the US which is like a H1N1-Harangue 1 Neuter 1 epidemic in the US political and policy making discourse. the spreading of an attack and
The Attack Mentality: American Brew? Read More »
September has been an unprecedented month of less from the Obama Administration for which Health care may very well be Battle of Bull Run if not Waterloo for his administration.The Republicans sensing the chance of inflicting a Pyrrhic victory if not an outright rout on the Obama administration, are being debilitatingly “non-partisan” and not just
The Obama Only Show II Read More »
There has been a firestorm of commentary on Racism in America since the infamous Joe Wilson You Lie remarks in Congress and Tea Party Marchers in Washington this last weekend. President Jimmy Carter said it was racist attacks Like Joe Wilson’s on the President that was the new norm. Newsweek has a cover story asking
One of the benefits of President George Washington’s 110 Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior is that it likely set a standard for behavior in Congress that has so far stood the test of time. Having seen firsthand and by video episodes some of the rancor and outright riot in the British House of Commons,
Joe Wilson’s “You Lie” to President Obama Read More »
The US Government may have been hamstrung and had foisted upon themselves some of their allies, but the following three win the Exlax Award for Smooth Movers. Not in any predictable order we start with: Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai – writing on the newsprint wall has been at least 3 years old. NYTimes August 2006 – Doubts
Unbelievably Bad Mideast “Allies” Read More »
The Economist has an article that argues that Big is Back as very large corporates weather the economic downturn [with help from their ‘too big to fail’ friends] much better than small businesses. And instead of offering a treacle on Big is Better, the Economist splits the difference and in good centrist fashion finds virtue
The Economist: Big is Black Ink Read More »
Now that the Swiss government, the US Internal Revenue Service and the major Swiss bank, UBS, have agreed to dislose up to four thousand US tax evaders names and details who have secret accounts in Switzerland in order to avoid paying US taxes – the Ship Hits the Fan. Unlike in the case of Financial
WSJ: Fess up or Keep Silent? Read More »
US Congressmen are fanning out across the USA to listen to their constituents. Bill Maher has a column about this at the Huffington Post. What Bill Maher does in this column is tell us what a harrowing process talking to Americans can be. The title of the column, New Rule: Smart President != Smart Country
Listening to America Read More »
Nortel was once the biggest tech employer in Canada. It has benefited from billions of dollars in tax breaks and special funding from the Canadian government. It has fallen on hard times – and was seeking a bailout from the Canadian government. The Canadian governement said no deal. At about the same time, Chrysler and
In his NYTimes article, the Joy of Sachs, Paul Krugman underlines one of the fundamental business problems confronting the US. Is the US Government going to continue to “invest” in the Financial Industry by not making any meaningful regulations? Is the US going to allow crowding out of other industries by not controlling Financial compensation
Doing More than Blowing Financial Bubbles Read More »
I was pleasant surprised by Baseball’s AllStar game this year. First, the dedication to Service in the Country with its honoring of volunteers in the various baseball cities across the country was carried off very well. Second, President Obama proved once again that he is as close to a Natural Born hitter than anyone around
Obama in the Allstar Booth Read More »
The situation is so dire on World Climate Control, the old adage about Boiling Frogs is being trotted out all over the place. You know the one – put a frog in boiling ater and hew will immediately jump out – but slow cook him by gradually raising the temperature – eh voila, delicious frogs
The Financial Times of July 3 2009, has a most interesting article about the added Marine forces of approximately 4000 men in Helmand province. This is the biggest operation by the Marines since the Fallujah offensive in Iraq. But the approach they are taking is quite different: “As Marine units arrive in their designated towns
Marines in Helmand Read More »
It is hard to understand, let alone cope with, the kid glove treatment that the Financial community is getting from the Obama Financial team. Consider now that the population not just of the United State but the Whole World is suffering one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression. Also an even worse Depression
Obama’s Failing Financial Reform Grades Read More »
Nuclear Power has a strong lure to policymakers. It is “clean”, does not dent oil reserves, and its operating costs can be close to cost competitive as long as uranium prices don’t spike. But there are some real downside problems; and the Canadian and Ontario Governments are learning this lesson in spades. The Canadian government
Energy Innovation: A Nuclear Parable Read More »
Boomsday by Christopher Buckley is a purported satire on Washington DC and American elites – politicians, budding bureaucrats, lobbyists, PR spin doctors, Ivy league faculty, press-flak flunkees, business tycoons and the outlandish things they will say and do to get ahead – where “ahead” clusters somewhere between the power to humiliate without peer and wealth
Boomsday as Faction Read More »
In the previous posting, the notion that the Obama Admin is seriously caving in on Financial Reforms has been advanced. An RTP – Required To Prove series of references is needed. Here they are: DealScape – Says WSJ is fleshing out a story that shows real financial structural reform is out NYTimes+Deal.com – discussion of
RTP: Financial Kid Glove Treatment by Obama Admin Read More »
