Yes, my friends, we have yet another problem in America. And, yes, it’s going to take boatloads of money to fix.
US Water Pipelines Are Breaking
Two hours north of New York City, a mile-long stream and a marsh the size of a football field have mysteriously formed along a country road. They are such a marvel that people come from miles around to drink the crystal-clear water, believing it is bubbling up from [...]
Categories: Environment
I’m not a cat person, preferring dogs. But, this story warmed my heart. In the midst of all of our problems, political, economic and weather-wise – read and enjoy.
One morning over three years ago, my wife M took notice of a little black cat in our back yard. M being who she is, she went outside to get a better look at him. The cat greeted her with a plaintive cry – miaooww – followed immediately by a warning – hisssss – and crouched under our decrepit patio furniture, staring balefully. Inside the house, [...]
Categories: Uncategorized
Even the big guns are worried now. It’s tough to find that “ray of sunshine” when this is what they’re saying.
Recession Worries Drove Rate Cut, Fed Minutes Say
Even as the Fed battled to stem a widening credit and housing slump, some members fretted over the possibility of a “prolonged and severe” downturn, the minutes of the [...]
Categories: Economy
We’d pretty much already decided spring break was our sole vacation escape this year. This seals it.
Energy Department predicts $3.60 a gallon gas prices in June.
A new report by the Energy Information Administration — “the statistical and analytical arm of the Energy Department” — predicts that “average gasoline prices will shoot up to $3.60 a gallon in June and remain nearly that high into fall.” These record prices are also expected to “reduce summer gasoline demand for the first time [...]
Or, maybe even more $$$$: Gov’t says gas prices could hit $4
Sure, she was playing politics with the Patraeus hearings this morning, but it’s one of her strongest statements about troops withdrawals…
Clinton: “It’s Time to Begin The Orderly Process of Removing Our Troops”
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) took her time today to begin with a statement emphasizing the toll the war is taking on the U.S. armed forces, a cost, she said, that ought to be weighed against the cost of staying in [...]
Categories: 2008 Election · Clinton · Iraq War
I hope he’s right. I’m thinking he’s got those rose-colored glasses on a bit too tight, but we’ll hope.
Morgan Stanley’s Mack Sees End of Crisis
Morgan Stanley Chief Executive John Mack said Tuesday that Wall Street is facing the most difficult conditions that he has seen in 40 years, but he feels the global credit crisis might be “in the final innings.” Mack, who easily won re-election to Morgan Stanley’s board along with 10 other directors, said at the investment bank’s annual meeting that he still plans to [...]
Another record low.
Pending Home Sales Fall 1.9% to Record Low
Pending sales of previously owned homes fell a bigger-than-expected 1.9 percent in February to the lowest level on record, according to a report from a real estate trade group Tuesday that pointed to more troubles in the beleaguered housing market. The National Association of [...]
That’s not all. The future’s not looking too great, either.
Everyone’s favorite word- trillion: “The International Monetary Fund said losses stemming from the U.S. mortgage crisis may approach $1 trillion, citing a “collective failure’’ to predict the breadth of the crisis. Falling U.S. house prices and rising delinquencies may lead to $565 billion in mortgage-market losses, the IMF said in its annual Global Financial Stability report, released [...]
Categories: Economy · Housing Market
Straight from the front lines in Iraq.
Even After Listening To ‘Rousing’ Cheney Speech, Troops Back Pro-Withdrawal Candidates
Last month, Vice President Dick Cheney visited Iraq, where he vowed the U.S. would keep “a long-term military presence in Iraq until al-Qaida is defeated” there. The same day, a bomb killed two American soldiers outside of Bagdad, and a suicide bomber killed 43 Iraqis in Karbala. Just after his visit, ABC correspondent Martha Raddatz spoke [...]
Categories: 2008 Election · Iraq War · Military
Sewage? In military barracks?
Missouri: Mother Wants Answers from Navy After Daughter’s Mysterious Death
A Wentzville mother is asking for answers from the U.S. Navy, following the mysterious death of her daughter. She believes raw sewage in the barracks bathroom, may have been a contributing factor [...]
Categories: Military
That weekend blowup over a story that Hillary Clinton has been telling on the campaign trail was, apparently, much ado about nothing. Some people just look for ANY excuse to trip up a politician. Maybe we should just stick with the important stuff, huh?
Washington Post: Clinton Told True Tale of Woe, Says Kin
The story that Hillary has told on the campaign trail is true — the tragic story about a pregnant mother whose baby died, and then she died, all because she was denied treatment early on. Hillary is vindicated. Will MSNBC report this? Will Fox News retract its biased report? Will the other [...]
Categories: 2008 Election · Clinton
Well, that separation didn’t last long, did it? She could do much better without him.
The reports of Penn’s ouster may have been greatly exaggerated
Dems everywhere, most notably at Clinton campaign headquarters, breathed a sigh of relief late Sunday when the campaign announced that Mark Penn was no longer Clinton’s top campaign strategist. There was some talk that Penn would maintain some kind of role with the team, but no one took that seriously — when the campaign replaced [...]
Categories: 2008 Election · Clinton
General David Patraeus testified before Congress today. You’ll find coverage by MSNBC here. Essentially, he said it’s better in Iraq than the last time he testified, but things could turn quickly. That’s not very optimistic.
Then, there’s this bit of striking reporting that you really should read. It’s enough to really give you something to talk about.
Ted Westhusing, was a champion basketball player at Jenks High School in Tulsa Oklahoma. A driven kid with a strong work ethic, he would show up at the gym at 7AM to throw 100 practice shots before school. He was driven academically too, becoming a National Merritt Scholarship finalist. His career through West Point and straight into overseas service was sterling, and by 2000 he had enrolled in Emory University to earn his doctorate in Philosophy. His dissertation was on honor and the ethics of war, with the opening containing the following passage: [...]
Still fighting the big, bad, bug. Finally feeling a bit more alive this evening, so I’m hoping that tomorrow brings a return to normal. Hoping. In the meantime, I continued to overdose on cable news today. Much talk of the economy, with foreclosures up 57% over last year, food inflation the worst in 17 years, and wholesale inflation going through the roof in March. It’s all making life pretty miserable for a lot of middle class folks.
When you set out to systematically destroy the middle class, you also destroy the retailers at which they shop: “Since last fall, eight mostly midsize chains — as diverse as the furniture store Levitz and the electronics seller Sharper Image — have filed for bankruptcy protection as [...]
Categories: Economy
It’s Tuesday. The computer is still infected. And, I’m officially a year older. I stopped counting, so I didn’t mention it yesterday. Had a great meal with the family last night and thoroughly don’t feel my age. Most days.
However, when I stumble upon posts like the following, I feel my shoulders slump and my attitude disintegrate.
William Rivers Pitt | Remember: They Are Liars
William Rivers Pitt writes for Truthout, “George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Condoleezza Rice, along with a slew of administration underlings and a revolving-door cavalcade of brass hats from the Pentagon, have been making claims regarding Iraq for many years now.”
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Categories: Bush Administration · Iraq War
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