NOTE: this blog is no longer active as of 12/07. New one: http://blog.kirchhof.com
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
Fri, 28 May 2004
Good interview w/ David Crosby on the PBS site..
"A record [label] is essentially two things. It's essentially a vendor and a bank. What they do, in terms of working with artists, the old days -- and still to this day, to some degree -- is they give you the money to make the record, for which they charge you what amounts to a million percent interest. They give you the money to make the record, but when they get the record, then they own it and they do everything they can to cheat. Everything. Recoupment."
Read the whole thing.
Posted at 12:40 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Thu, 27 May 2004
"Bush has become a 47 percent president at best."
James Carvillie and Stan Greenberg have released their mid-season strategy memo over at
Democracy Corps. It is a
comprehensive analysis of current polling data, addressing issues such as "Bush collapse on Iraq,"
"Foreign Policy and the War on Terrorism," and "Economic frustration."
Here's the lead:
"Six months out from the election, the race for president has entered a new and distinct
phase with Bush not only endangered, as we suggested earlier, but now with the
odds against him. He is more likely to lose than win. Public confidence has collapsed on
Iraq, but there is a lot of collateral damage, producing a strong desire for change.
Whether it is the vote or job approval or personal favorability, Bush has become a 47
percent president at best. In almost every area, he is being dragged down by even
stronger negative trends. Put simply by the voters themselves: just 42 percent want the
country to continue in Bush’s direction."
An absolute delight of a
must read. (PDF format.)
Posted at 11:17 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Big trouble for the recovery
Back in February, I was wondering why Alan Greenspan would recommend that homeowners with
fixed-rate mortgages examine switching to adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs.) It seemed -- and is --
an absurd recommendatioon to make, especially by someone who is supposed to be cognizant of
basic arithmetic. Interest rates are historically low, and have no where to go but up.
Kevin Drum mentions today that the housing bubble is waning now, which caused me to do a bit
of searching. I ran across an article at the Washinton Monthly that nails things nicely. Essentially,
the mortgage refinacing industry is getting ready to go down in flames, which has the potential to
take out consumer spending (which has fueled our so-called recovery to date), take out large banks,
wreak havoc with property tax bases nationwide, and put us into a "you ain't seen nothin' yet" recession.
It's well worth
a read.
Posted at 06:43 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Wed, 26 May 2004
Al Gore Speaks
"George W. Bush promised us a foreign policy with humility. Instead, he has brought us humiliation in the eyes of the world.
He promised to "restore honor and integrity to the White House." Instead, he has brought deep dishonor to our country and built a durable reputation as the most dishonest President since Richard Nixon.
Honor? He decided not to honor the Geneva Convention. Just as he would not honor the United Nations, international treaties, the opinions of our allies, the role of Congress and the courts, or what Jefferson described as "a decent respect for the opinion of mankind." He did not honor the advice, experience and judgment of our military leaders in designing his invasion of Iraq. And now he will not honor our fallen dead by attending any funerals or even by permitting photos of their flag-draped coffins.
How did we get from September 12th , 2001, when a leading French newspaper ran a giant headline with the words "We Are All Americans Now" and when we had the good will and empathy of all the world -- to the horror that we all felt in witnessing the pictures of torture in Abu Ghraib.
To begin with, from its earliest days in power, this administration sought to radically destroy the foreign policy consensus that had guided America since the end of World War II. The long successful strategy of containment was abandoned in favor of the new strategy of "preemption." And what they meant by preemption was not the inherent right of any nation to act preemptively against an imminent threat to its national security, but rather an exotic new approach that asserted a unique and unilateral U.S. right to ignore international law wherever it wished to do so and take military action against any nation, even in circumstances where there was no imminent threat. All that is required, in the view of Bush's team is the mere assertion of a possible, future threat - and the assertion need be made by only one person, the President."
[more...]
Posted at 21:02 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Completely real.
This little article brought it all back to me.
I miss the money, but I don't miss the child care...
Posted at 20:53 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Aha! Help is on the way...
UIC researchers have isolated a gene related to alcoholism...
Posted at 20:44 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Biodiesel from Algae. Cool.
Saw this one on Slashdot
The University of New Hampshire's Biodiesel group has a paper
online illustrating how we can become completely fossil fuel independent utilizing algae ponds.
The D.O.E. biomass site
makes for some pretty interesting reading if you're into that...
Posted at 20:22 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Free Falling
The latest CBS poll
has Bush's approval at 41%. Worth reading for the background info, though.
Posted at 20:02 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Voting "Not Bush" revisited...
When the Texas primary came and went, I noted that one in eight Texas Republicans voted uncommitted. A
pretty astounding number for the president's (erstwhile) home state.
Well, yesterday the Idaho Presidential Primary was held. Eleven percent (about one in nine) voted for "none of the
above" in the Republican primary. (Details in pdf format from the Idaho SOS office.)
I think we got us a convoy...
Posted at 17:04 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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"Exemplarary" work, George....
Before the United States invaded Iraq, wise heads warned that far from being a decisive blow in the US-led global "war on terror," this latest adventure would only fuel international terrorism. A report just released by the International Institute of Strategic Studies think tank, "Strategic Survey 2003/4," states that Al-Qaeda's ranks are growing as a direct result of the conflict in Iraq, and the number of Al-Qaeda "potential terrorists" is estimated at more than 18,000.
Specifically, the report says, "Iraq has become the new magnet of Al-Qaeda's war against the United States ... The US-led war in Iraq has increased the risk to Western interests in Arab countries." Although the number of Al-Qaeda-affiliated "terrorists" is probably exaggerated, the basic premise of the report is accurate: US policies with respect to the Arab and Muslim worlds is a gift to Al-Qaeda recruiters.
Read the rest of this op-ed from the Beirut Lebanon Daily Star...
Posted at 20:10 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Tue, 25 May 2004
Humor
Australia goes on a bender...
Posted at 16:27 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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Okay. Before we begin in earnest...
The
proper way to drink your coffee.
Posted at 16:25 by Randy Kirchhof [Permalink]
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