Obama Saves The Day
There is a little commercial at the end, but I thought this was funny enough that I posted it anyway.
Yearly Archives: 2009
Rev. Jeremiah Wright Speaks Again
The Hampton Virginia Daily Press is reporting that:
Asked if he had spoken to the president, Wright said: “Them Jews aren’t going to let him talk to me. I told my baby daughter, that he’ll talk to me in five years when he’s a lame duck, or in eight years when he’s out of office. …
Given Rev. Wright’s level of education and oratorical skills, I find it hard to believe that he would be so ungrammatical and yet serious at the same time.
You cannot find a full report of all of his remarks in context anywhere on the web. The article does not say to whom he was talking nor when he said it.
At almost the same time the Des Moines Register has an article Obama’s former pastor accents inclusiveness about a recent appearance of Rev. Wright. The following is an excerpt from the article:
His message was a surprising one for many in the crowd.
Terry Wehrman of Cedar Rapids said he had heard Wright only through short sound clips. He said he was struck by Wright’s intelligence and message of inclusiveness.
“I came away extremely impressed,” Wehrman said.
Jill Flyr of Des Moines said she liked Wright’s recognition of Saturday’s honorees.
If the press were reporting accurately on Rev. Wright, why are people who hear him in person so surprised at what he has to say?
Search my blog here for other posts that I have made about Rev. Wright.
Peter L. Bernstein Obituaries
Peter Bernstein’s death was reported today (8 June 2009) in Bloomberg, Pension and Investments, and The New York Times. He was a wonderful explainer and promulgator of Modern Finance Theory, Efficient Markets, and the Theory of Risk. In addition, he was the founder of the Journal of Portfolio Management.
If you would like to read lucid (and non-mathematical) descriptions of the above topics, I strongly recommend Bernstein’s “Capital Ideas” and his “Against the Gods-The Remarkable Story of Risk.” I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Obama’s Economic Circle Keeps Tensions High (NY Times)
In the 8 June 2009 New York Times article, Obama’s Economic Circle Keeps Tensions High, Jackie Calmes reports on some of the behind-the-scenes trusts and parries between Lawrence Summer and Christina Romer (among others).
Lakhdar Boumediene: I Was Tortured At Guantanamo
Follow this link to see the story of Lakhdar Boumediene’s unjust captivity and see his interview by ABC News.
If this story does not make you want to redouble your efforts to bring Bush/Cheney to justice, I don’t know what will.
What do you think posterity will say about you if you don’t join the fight?
I Smell a Rat
Follow this link to an editorial in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
The editorial is in support of the Rewarding Achievement and Incentivizing Successful Employees (RAISE) Act. This bill has been introduced by two Republicans, Sen. David Vitter and Rep. Tom McClintock.
The description says, “RAISE would amend the National Labor Relations Act to permit employers to pay unionized employers incentive wages outside the normal limits imposed by collective bargaining.”
I sent the following comment to the newspaper:
Maybe some of your readers would take your editorial about the Rewarding Achievement and Incentivizing Successful Employees (RAISE) Act hook, line, and sinker.
Those of us who didn’t fall off the turnip truck yesterday are a little suspicious of the description of this act introduced by two Republicans in Congress.
The bill is too new to find out anything about it except for the description provided by Sen. David Vitter and Rep. Tom McClintock.
However, a bill introduced by two Republicans who merely want to raise the wages that union workers can earn makes me think I smell a rat. I am waiting for complete details so I can find out where the rat is buried.
The Meaning Of Despite
After hearing a couple of stories on Worldfocus tonight, I felt compelled to write them this letter:
Martin Savidge needs to be careful of his use of the word despite.
The definition that I have for the word is “In classical logic, a contradiction consists of a logical incompatibility between two or more propositions. It occurs when the propositions, taken together, yield two conclusions which form the logical inversions of each other. …”
When Pakistan says that the war in the Swat valley turns in their favor you cannot say “despite this the curfew continues.” When a war turns in your favor it is not the same as winning it or the war is over. So there is no contradiction in continuing a curfew.
When President Obama tells the Israeli government some painful truths that they need to hear, you cannot say that despite this he is trying to restart peace talks. When your allies won’t talk peace because they don’t understand the truth, you might want to tell them the truth in order to get talks started again.
On June 8,2009, I got an email response.
Thanks for the lesson Steven… We’ll try not to be so verbally cavalier…Regards,Martin Savidge
Does Cheney Have Alzheimer’s Disease?
Having Alzheimer’s disease is the only explanation that I can think of for Cheney’s behavior shown in this Daily Show segment. Surely we aren’t stupid enough to blame the man who was shouting about the imminent threat and went unheeded because Cheney refused to listen.
Cheney was there, but he doesn’t know until he reads the book? It’s all Clarke’s fault because Clarke didn’t waterboard Cheney until Cheney agreed to listen.