3-31-09

3-31—09—Nearly 70% of the Pentagon’s 96 largest weapons programs were over budget last year, for a combined total of $296 billion [yes, billion] more than the original estimates... NYT B8
--Give the Obama team credit, too, for replacing most of GM’s pet rock board of directors, which put loyalty to Mr. Wagoner above duty to shareholders while the company imploded. WSJ A21
--[France and Germany] have found common cause ... in a call for much tougher global regulation of financial matters, putting the blame for the crises directly on the “Anglo Saxons”—the US and Britain, whose free-market practices, not widely copied in continently Europe, are viewed by France and Germany as not sufficiently disciplined by the state. NYT A10

last week's blog, today's NYT

3-29-09—A high-level Spanish court has taken the first steps towards opening a criminal investigation against six former Bush Administration officials, including former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales [and Yoo and Feith] on whether they violated international law by providing a legalistic framework to justify the use of torture.... NYT A6

--[English Prime Minister Brown]: “...we in Europe are uniquely placed to lead the world” in meeting the challenges of remaking the world’s economic system, not only because the union’s 500 million people constitute “the greatest and biggest single market in the world,” but because of European moral sensibilities. Without mentioning the United States, he implied that the moral contagion that has afflicted market economies ran counter to European belief that “liberty, economic progress and social justice advance together, or not at all.” “...riches are of value when they enrich not just come communities, but all.” “As we have discovered to our cost, the problem of unbridled free markets in an unsupervised marketplace is that they can reduce all relationships to transactions, all motivations to self-interest, all sense of value to consumer choices and all sense of worth to a price tag.” NYT WK 4

--A 2007 University of Louisville study concluded that people with blue eyes were better planners and strategic thinkers—superior at things like golf, cross-country running and preparing for exams—while people with brown eyes had better reflexes, making them good at hockey and football. –NYT Wk10

--Before blogs and radio call-in shows, people joined forces and turned to the streets as their most effective means of expression; a unified, angry crowd was often sufficient to win concessions from employers and governments.... That’s how we’ll recover our public life and perhaps help one another through this crisis—storming angrily into the streets and then, once we’re out there, actually talking to one another. NYT WK 10

happy Saturday

3-28/29-09—The Texas Board of Education approved a science curriculum that opens the door for teachers and textbooks to raise doubts about evolution.—WSJ A3

3-28-09—[Brazilian doctors helped to abort twins of a 9-year old girl who said her stepfather raped her.] A Brazilian archbishop summarily excommunicated everyone involved—the doctors for performing the abortion and the girl’s mother for allowing it—except for the stepfather, who stands accused of raping the girl over a number of years. NYT A1,A7

3-27-09

3-27-09—The Europeans say they have no need for further stimulus right now because their social safety nets, derided in good times by free market disciples as sclerotic impediments to growth, are automatically providing the spending programs that the US Congress has to legislate. NYT A9
--[In Lecco Italy] each morning, about 250 students travel along 17 school bus routes to 10 elementary schools ... In 2003, to confront the triple threats of childhood obesity, local traffic jams and—most important—a raise in global greenhouse gases abetted by car emissions, an environmental group here proposed a retro-radical concept: children should walk to school. They set up a piedibus (literally foot-bus in Italian)—a bus route with a driver bus no vehicle. Each morning a mix of paid staff members and parental volunteers in flourescent yellow vests leads lines of walking students along Lecco’s testing streets to the schools’ gates....NYT A5
--On Sunday, the 180,000 people of Mayotte will decide whether they would like to become the 101st department of France. They live on a tropical island in the Indian Ocean, they are almost all Sunni Muslims, and their cultural heritage is overwhelmingly African and Arab. They could become independent just by ticking the right box—but they will vote instead to become fully, irrevocably French...Gwynne Dyer, SBT B5-
-...Bay Ridge, both in its friendly small-town feel and its subject matter—food is not taken lightly in this historically Italian-American enclave. NYT A19—pardon me, but we also used to celebrate Norwegian Independence Day there...

3-25-09

3-25-09—Citing President Barack Obama’s “long-stated unwillingness to hold human life as sacred,” the Most Rev. John M. D’Arcy, bishop of the Catholic diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, announced Tuesday he will not attend the University of Notre Dame’s commencement ceremony in May. –SBT A1
--Alberto Giacommetti said that he could not get over “the violence of Bonnard,” a quality he found lacking in Jackson Pollock when he compared the two. WSJ D7
--With at least 1718, China was responsible for 72% of all executions in 2008 [reported Amnesty International]. After China were Iran (346), Saudi Arabia (102), the United States (37) and Pakistan (36).... “Together they carried out 93% of all executions world wide,” the report said.—NYTA11
--Workers at an American-owned pharmaceutical factory [in France] took their manager hostage on Tuesday in a protest over planned job cuts --NYT A12
--The police in Dublin said Tuesday they were investigating who was responsible for hanging unsigned oil paintings of Prime Minister Brian Cowen in two of the city’s art galleries that depicted him naked.—NYT A12
--Following is the transcript of a conversation between a Wage and Hour Division employee and an investigator posing as a worker whose employer had paid less than the minimum wage, as recorded by the federal Government Accountability Office: Wage and Hour Division employee: “You’re sure you don’t want to just have a nice conversation with him yourself?” Undercover investigator: “No, no, I don’t want to, because he gets very loud and angry.” Employee: “O.K., well here’s another avenue that you can pursue. O.K., do you have another job lined up?” Investigator: “No.” Employee: “O.K., you might want to do that before you file a complaint with us, because I can’t guarantee that he’s not going to fire you.”

it's all over now, baby blue 3/24/09

3-24-09—In another indication that China is growing increasingly concerning about holding huge dollar reserves, the head of its central bank has called for the eventual creation of a new international currency reserve to replace the dollar.—NYT A5

3-20-09

3-20-09—A Chinese director is preparing an operatic adaptation of “Das Kapital” NYT C4

--Iraq is drawing attention from foreign investors as security there improves. WSJ A1—ratings by Moody, insured by AIG, bonus package guaranteed

--[Dr. Biederman] is the world’s most prominent advocate of diagnosing bipolar disorder even in the youngest children and use of using anti-psychotic medicines to treat the disease, but much of his work has been underwritten by drug makers for whom he consults. ...In a contentious Feb 26 deposition between Dr. Biederman and lawyers for the states, he was asked what rank he held at Harvard. “Full professor,” he answered. “What’s after that?” asked a lawyer, Fletch Trammell. “God,” Dr. Biederman responded. “Did you say God?” Mr. Trammell asked. “Yeah,” Dr. Biederman said. NYT A14

spring is coming

3-18-09—Terminallly ill cancer patients who drew comfort from religion were far more likely to seek aggressive, life-prolonging care in the week before they died than were less religious patients and far more likely to want doctors to do everything possible to keep them alive, a study found. NYT A18 they know the types who populate Heaven
--French unions plan a nation-wide strike Thursday to call for a tax increase on the rich. WSJ A1—la lutte continue!
--Some bailout money is set aside to pay firms that bet housing market would crater. ... In essence, while the US government is trying to prop up the housing market—by trying to limit foreclosures, among other things—it is simultaneously putting up cash that could be used to pay off investors who bet housing prices would tumble and many mortgage holders would default. -- WSJ A1—laissez faire!
--Pope Benedict said condoms weren’ the answer to Africa’s fight against AIDS on his first trip there as pontiff.—WSJ A1—to Heaven with this man!

weekend update, pi/ides

3-14-09—Iraqi women are still smitten ... by the shoe thrower, Muntader al-Zaidi. ... “We were in Syria when he hurled his shoes at Bush, and we noticed the change in the way Syrian people treated us [said one Iraqi woman] “They treated us in a better way.” NYT A7
3-15-2009—John Thain has one. So do Richard Fuld, Stanley O’Neal and Vikram Pandit. For that matter, so does John Paulson, the hedge fund king pin. ... all card-carrying MBAs ... “It is so obvious that something big has failed, “ said [some business school dean] NYT B1—don’t forget GWB
--Yale launches 3 year JD-MBA program—NLJ p. 3
--Part of my role ... is to try to keep the government honest—John Yoo NLJ p. 15 March 9
3-13-09—European leaders rejected Obama’s push for more global fiscal stimulus, saying the
3-15-09--...the two top candidates for leader of the post-Bush GOP, Rush and Newt, have six marriages between them.---NYTWK12

Friday 13, I've got blisters on my fingers edition

3-13-09—European leaders rejected Obama’s push for more global fiscal stimulus, saying the problem is lax regulation. WSJ A1 where would those frogs & krauts get such an idea?
—Madoff was sent to jail after confessing to an epic fraud, saying he was “sorry and ashamed” for bilking so many out of their life savings. WSJ, A1 regulate, regulate!
--Americans see 18% of wealth vanish—WSJ, A1 regulate, regulate!
--GOP Chairman Steel said he opposes abortion, a day after he was quoted as saying it was “an individual choice.” WSJ A1 the GOP anti-Obama again trumps Obama
--Gov. Sarah Palin’s teenage daughter and her boyfriend, Levi Johnston, have called off their engagement, about 10 weeks after the birth of their child. NYT A13 It’s a choice, stupid
--“I believe marriage is meant to be a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers.”—Tina Fey as Gov. Palin NYT A14
--The Transportation Secuirty Administration has opened a review into reports that Senator David Vitter threw a tantrum last week when he arrived at Reagan National Airport..NYT A14 isn’t this the guy who believes that marriage involves free choice when it comes to porking whatever female you want, regardless of whether or not she is married to you?
--An Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at Bush was convicted of assault and sentenced to three years in jail. WSJ A1 thank god almighty, free at last, free at last!
--“Britney is fluff,” said Rory Waltzer, a photographer for TMZ, “but the stories about Northern Trust and Madoff and politicians in DC really have an impact on the country.” Tabloids aren’t the only one wagging their fingers. In recent months, network news divisions have relied more heavily on watchdog segments ... Tracking the private jets, lavish junkets and other trappings of what the ABC correspondent Britan Ross calls “corporate royalty” are now full time jobs for reporters at the network news division...NYT A17

3-9-09

3-9-09—The Obama administration will use a summit next month to press for greater emergency spending, risking a rift with Europeans who want to focus on revamping financial rules. WSJ A1

--Even if [Bush lawyers] escape punishment at home, however, the lawyers could find themselves pursued in European countries that have laws allowing them to prosecute torture no matter where it occurred. NYT A13

--Florida is paying a Spanish led group to fix up and operate a toll road instead of doing the work itself—and other states [e.g., Texas, Virginia, Maryland, et.] are likely to follow. [Chicago and Indiana are bored, having already done it with the Skyway and the Tollroad] WSJ A1, A3

weekend update March 6-8, 2009

3-08-09—The once-lionized styles of the rich an infamous were appalling tacky. John Thain’s parchment trash can was merely the tip of the kitschy iceberg. The level of taste flaunted by America’s upper caste at the bubble’s height had less in common with the Medicis than, say, Uday and Qusay Hussein.—Frank Rich, NYT WK 11

--3-08-09—“There are very few Republican murals around”—Henry Sultan, board president of S.F. Mural Arts and Visual Center. NYT AR 23

3-06-09—Students at the University of Main recently announced a prototype for a wearable matchmaking device called the “Friend Finder.” The gadget, programmed with information about the wearer’s interests and tastes, features a series of LED lights that flash whenever another user with compatible interests is within 30 feet—allowing humans to mimic the romantic signaling of butterflies. WSJ W11