Usurpation
Some fool tried to hijack my blog. Seems to have gone away now. Funny how possessive one gets of abstract things, like the Muslims getting all possessive about Jerusalem, when it has little if any real religious significance for them. Found a great game on Shockwave.com - texttwist. Should help with puzzling.
Wednesday, May 01, 2002
[5/1/2002 6:46:21 AM | Robert Speirs]
Stock market, political campaigns
Although the market was up today considerably, the Dow Jones is still under 10,000 (9945) and the NASDAQ is still under 1700. This is a bit worrisome, since
traditionally the market looks three or more months ahead. If we were really in the midst of a strong recovery, would the indices be exactly where they were in
February?
Of course, it isn?t too many months until the political campaigns. Maybe that?s what the markets are dreading. Here in Florida Janet Reno, running for governor
against the First Brother, Jeb Bush, has been clumping around the state in her red pickup truck and clodhopper boots, waiting for someone to say, ?Hey, I?ve
been waiting for a candidate like you to come around!? As if. Maybe things will look a little different in October, but right now I?d be willing to bet a hundred bucks
the Jeb steamroller will make Janet into the longest, thinnest, ugliest patch of tarmac in the Sunshine State.
Every other day or so, I take a walk in the increasingly humid Tallahassee atmosphere past the Capitol and by Andrew?s restaurant downtown where the
politicos have lunch. I am always amazed by their ordinariness. Or is that why people vote for them? Not having voted for anyone since Carter in 1980, I can?t
tell. Yes, I?m ashamed of that vote, but at least I learned my lesson and got my head straight. I didn?t make the mistake of swinging the other way and voting for
Reagan, or Bush 41 or Dole or Bush 43. Heck, I gave the political system its chance. I wasted a vote on McGovern, then thought in 1976 Carter might really
make a difference because he promised ?zero-base budgeting?. He won, and didn?t I feel like the world was all better? Then he didn?t deliver. Surprise. I had
seen Kennedy continue Eisenhower?s policies, Lyndon Johnson ramp up Kennedy?s war, Nixon expand, then lose Johnson?s war while saying he was ending
it. Ford?s presidency was the only interval of sanity in there. ?The heck with it?, the nation said, and relaxed for a few months, got the troops back from
VietNam, took down the Tricky Dick pictures defacing government offices and played some golf. Then Carter drove up to Washington with a truckload of guilt
and self-loathing, canceled the Olympics, drove interest rates up to 20%, failed to do anything about Iran and Afghanistan and opened the door for Reagan.
During Reagan?s terms I got used to the idea that I was not a collectivist, although I certainly knew I was not a ?Reaganite?. Then Bush 41, one of my least
favorite people, stumbled through four incoherent years, opening the door for the eight year disgrace whose name will not disfigure this blog. I started to feel
good toward the Republicans for restraining the damage and putting a name and a historical mark of shame on the disgrace, but not good enough to vote for
any Republicans. Now I?m watching to see if Dubya can put together a few good years.
[edit]
[4/26/2002 8:40:17 AM | Robert Speirs]
THE DEFINITIVE TERM
A comment on Fredrik Norman's blog mentioned a new term for "suicide bombers". "Genocide bombers" conveys the
essence of the Arab threat to Israel, to wit, extermination, and takes the focus off the "suicide" part. For my part, I'm going
to use that term from now on.
[edit]
[4/26/2002 6:35:00 AM | Robert Speirs]
Stay-at-home dads
About that story saying ?stay-at-home dads have a higher rate of heart disease? that everyone?s sending to James
Lileks: isn?t it possible that a good number of ?stay-at-home dads? are staying at home because they have medical
problems? Specifically, maybe a lot of them have heart problems which make a full-time stressful job possible. So
wouldn?t these dads have a significantly higher rate of heart problems? Staying at home may not be the problem.
[edit]
[4/23/2002 8:47:59 AM | Robert Speirs]
LePen shocker
Last evening, in the middle of a gout attack, medicated to the gills, I saw on the web a story about Jean Marie LePen
coming second in the French elections. This resonated with me because in 1963-4 I lived in Paris, when DeGaulle was
having a heck of a time with the Algerian war and its aftermath, which formed a lot of LePen?s attitudes. Those were the
days when General Raoul Salan?s ?Secret Army? (OAS) threatened to parachute into Paris and overthrow le Grand
Charles? government. Salan was the head of the former French Algerians who wanted Algerie to remain Francaise.
The only way the unrest affected me directly was that, as a high school chemistry student at the Paris American High
School, I overheard the chemistry teacher grouse about the restrictions the French government had placed on the selling
of acids like sulfuric, nitric and hydrochloric. One of the terrorist tactics at the time was throwing acid into the faces of
Stock market, political campaigns
Although the market was up today considerably, the Dow Jones is still under 10,000 (9945) and the NASDAQ is still under 1700. This is a bit worrisome, since
traditionally the market looks three or more months ahead. If we were really in the midst of a strong recovery, would the indices be exactly where they were in
February?
Of course, it isn?t too many months until the political campaigns. Maybe that?s what the markets are dreading. Here in Florida Janet Reno, running for governor
against the First Brother, Jeb Bush, has been clumping around the state in her red pickup truck and clodhopper boots, waiting for someone to say, ?Hey, I?ve
been waiting for a candidate like you to come around!? As if. Maybe things will look a little different in October, but right now I?d be willing to bet a hundred bucks
the Jeb steamroller will make Janet into the longest, thinnest, ugliest patch of tarmac in the Sunshine State.
Every other day or so, I take a walk in the increasingly humid Tallahassee atmosphere past the Capitol and by Andrew?s restaurant downtown where the
politicos have lunch. I am always amazed by their ordinariness. Or is that why people vote for them? Not having voted for anyone since Carter in 1980, I can?t
tell. Yes, I?m ashamed of that vote, but at least I learned my lesson and got my head straight. I didn?t make the mistake of swinging the other way and voting for
Reagan, or Bush 41 or Dole or Bush 43. Heck, I gave the political system its chance. I wasted a vote on McGovern, then thought in 1976 Carter might really
make a difference because he promised ?zero-base budgeting?. He won, and didn?t I feel like the world was all better? Then he didn?t deliver. Surprise. I had
seen Kennedy continue Eisenhower?s policies, Lyndon Johnson ramp up Kennedy?s war, Nixon expand, then lose Johnson?s war while saying he was ending
it. Ford?s presidency was the only interval of sanity in there. ?The heck with it?, the nation said, and relaxed for a few months, got the troops back from
VietNam, took down the Tricky Dick pictures defacing government offices and played some golf. Then Carter drove up to Washington with a truckload of guilt
and self-loathing, canceled the Olympics, drove interest rates up to 20%, failed to do anything about Iran and Afghanistan and opened the door for Reagan.
During Reagan?s terms I got used to the idea that I was not a collectivist, although I certainly knew I was not a ?Reaganite?. Then Bush 41, one of my least
favorite people, stumbled through four incoherent years, opening the door for the eight year disgrace whose name will not disfigure this blog. I started to feel
good toward the Republicans for restraining the damage and putting a name and a historical mark of shame on the disgrace, but not good enough to vote for
any Republicans. Now I?m watching to see if Dubya can put together a few good years.
[edit]
[4/26/2002 8:40:17 AM | Robert Speirs]
THE DEFINITIVE TERM
A comment on Fredrik Norman's blog mentioned a new term for "suicide bombers". "Genocide bombers" conveys the
essence of the Arab threat to Israel, to wit, extermination, and takes the focus off the "suicide" part. For my part, I'm going
to use that term from now on.
[edit]
[4/26/2002 6:35:00 AM | Robert Speirs]
Stay-at-home dads
About that story saying ?stay-at-home dads have a higher rate of heart disease? that everyone?s sending to James
Lileks: isn?t it possible that a good number of ?stay-at-home dads? are staying at home because they have medical
problems? Specifically, maybe a lot of them have heart problems which make a full-time stressful job possible. So
wouldn?t these dads have a significantly higher rate of heart problems? Staying at home may not be the problem.
[edit]
[4/23/2002 8:47:59 AM | Robert Speirs]
LePen shocker
Last evening, in the middle of a gout attack, medicated to the gills, I saw on the web a story about Jean Marie LePen
coming second in the French elections. This resonated with me because in 1963-4 I lived in Paris, when DeGaulle was
having a heck of a time with the Algerian war and its aftermath, which formed a lot of LePen?s attitudes. Those were the
days when General Raoul Salan?s ?Secret Army? (OAS) threatened to parachute into Paris and overthrow le Grand
Charles? government. Salan was the head of the former French Algerians who wanted Algerie to remain Francaise.
The only way the unrest affected me directly was that, as a high school chemistry student at the Paris American High
School, I overheard the chemistry teacher grouse about the restrictions the French government had placed on the selling
of acids like sulfuric, nitric and hydrochloric. One of the terrorist tactics at the time was throwing acid into the faces of
Stock market, political campaigns
Although the market was up today considerably, the Dow Jones is still under 10,000 (9945) and the NASDAQ is still under 1700. This is a bit worrisome, since traditionally the market looks three or more months ahead. If we were really in the midst of a strong recovery, would the indices be exactly where they were in February?
Of course, it isn’t too many months until the political campaigns. Maybe that’s what the markets are dreading. Here in Florida Janet Reno, running for governor against the First Brother, Jeb Bush, has been clumping around the state in her red pickup truck and clodhopper boots, waiting for someone to say, “Hey, I’ve been waiting for a candidate like you to come around!” As if. Maybe things will look a little different in October, but right now I’d be willing to bet a hundred bucks the Jeb steamroller will make Janet into the longest, thinnest, ugliest patch of tarmac in the Sunshine State.
Every other day or so, I take a walk in the increasingly humid Tallahassee atmosphere past the Capitol and by Andrew’s restaurant downtown where the politicos have lunch. I am always amazed by their ordinariness. Or is that why people vote for them? Not having voted for anyone since Carter in 1980, I can’t tell. Yes, I’m ashamed of that vote, but at least I learned my lesson and got my head straight. I didn’t make the mistake of swinging the other way and voting for Reagan, or Bush 41 or Dole or Bush 43. Heck, I gave the political system its chance. I wasted a vote on McGovern, then thought in 1976 Carter might really make a difference because he promised “zero-base budgeting”. He won, and didn’t I feel like the world was all better? Then he didn’t deliver. Surprise. I had seen Kennedy continue Eisenhower’s policies, Lyndon Johnson ramp up Kennedy’s war, Nixon expand, then lose Johnson’s war while saying he was ending it. Ford’s presidency was the only interval of sanity in there. “The heck with it”, the nation said, and relaxed for a few months, got the troops back from VietNam, took down the Tricky Dick pictures defacing government offices and played some golf. Then Carter drove up to Washington with a truckload of guilt and self-loathing, canceled the Olympics, drove interest rates up to 20%, failed to do anything about Iran and Afghanistan and opened the door for Reagan.
During Reagan’s terms I got used to the idea that I was not a collectivist, although I certainly knew I was not a “Reaganite”. Then Bush 41, one of my least favorite people, stumbled through four incoherent years, opening the door for the eight year disgrace whose name will not disfigure this blog. I started to feel good toward the Republicans for restraining the damage and putting a name and a historical mark of shame on the disgrace, but not good enough to vote for any Republicans. Now I’m watching to see if Dubya can put together a few good years.
Although the market was up today considerably, the Dow Jones is still under 10,000 (9945) and the NASDAQ is still under 1700. This is a bit worrisome, since traditionally the market looks three or more months ahead. If we were really in the midst of a strong recovery, would the indices be exactly where they were in February?
Of course, it isn’t too many months until the political campaigns. Maybe that’s what the markets are dreading. Here in Florida Janet Reno, running for governor against the First Brother, Jeb Bush, has been clumping around the state in her red pickup truck and clodhopper boots, waiting for someone to say, “Hey, I’ve been waiting for a candidate like you to come around!” As if. Maybe things will look a little different in October, but right now I’d be willing to bet a hundred bucks the Jeb steamroller will make Janet into the longest, thinnest, ugliest patch of tarmac in the Sunshine State.
Every other day or so, I take a walk in the increasingly humid Tallahassee atmosphere past the Capitol and by Andrew’s restaurant downtown where the politicos have lunch. I am always amazed by their ordinariness. Or is that why people vote for them? Not having voted for anyone since Carter in 1980, I can’t tell. Yes, I’m ashamed of that vote, but at least I learned my lesson and got my head straight. I didn’t make the mistake of swinging the other way and voting for Reagan, or Bush 41 or Dole or Bush 43. Heck, I gave the political system its chance. I wasted a vote on McGovern, then thought in 1976 Carter might really make a difference because he promised “zero-base budgeting”. He won, and didn’t I feel like the world was all better? Then he didn’t deliver. Surprise. I had seen Kennedy continue Eisenhower’s policies, Lyndon Johnson ramp up Kennedy’s war, Nixon expand, then lose Johnson’s war while saying he was ending it. Ford’s presidency was the only interval of sanity in there. “The heck with it”, the nation said, and relaxed for a few months, got the troops back from VietNam, took down the Tricky Dick pictures defacing government offices and played some golf. Then Carter drove up to Washington with a truckload of guilt and self-loathing, canceled the Olympics, drove interest rates up to 20%, failed to do anything about Iran and Afghanistan and opened the door for Reagan.
During Reagan’s terms I got used to the idea that I was not a collectivist, although I certainly knew I was not a “Reaganite”. Then Bush 41, one of my least favorite people, stumbled through four incoherent years, opening the door for the eight year disgrace whose name will not disfigure this blog. I started to feel good toward the Republicans for restraining the damage and putting a name and a historical mark of shame on the disgrace, but not good enough to vote for any Republicans. Now I’m watching to see if Dubya can put together a few good years.
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