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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Good Night

Reposting 'The Green Ruby Pumpkin' for tonight...

The Green Ruby Pumpkin from miguel ortega on Vimeo.

Obama Tours Jersey

CBS: Obama tells New Jersey: "We are here for you"

Nate's Latest

Nate still has Obama winning handily. We shall see...

Five Thirty Eight: What State Polls Suggest About the National Popular Vote

DOW Closes Lower

The DOW closed at 13,096.46 dropping 10.75 points.

CNN: Jobs report: What to expect

CBS - Sewage Contamination From Storm

Re-Healable Concrete

BBC: Key test for re-healable concrete

Chomsky - An Uninformed Electorate Votes Against Its Best Interests

Atlantic City And Absecon

NPR - Assessing The Damage

Aftermath And Cleanup

Guardian UK: Superstorm Sandy aftermath and cleanup – live updates

TRNN- Easy Ways To Steal An Election


More at The Real News

DOW Lower At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is at 13,074.00 down 33.21 points.

CNN: Stocks: Tepid trading as market reopens

Chomsky - Who Owns The World

Tweety On Climate Change

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Have A Good Morning

work by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

The Onion - Lone Doofus Has Been Waiting 36 Hours For Next C Train

The Onion: Lone Doofus Has Been Waiting 36 Hours For Next C Train

Al Jazeera - Heavy Damage In Gambling Town Of Atlantic City

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Unprecedented Damage In NY

CS Monitor: New York reels from hurricane Sandy: 'Unprecedented ... is what we got.'

Global Warming - Clinton Gets After Romney

CBS News: After Sandy, Bill Clinton rails against Romney on global warming

The Market On Wednesday

  Good morning. It is a cool 44 degrees and cloudy expecting rain here in Upstate NY. All in all this area got off with barely a wrist slap from Sandy. Everyone in this area was very scared because last year's Irene really shook the place up. The damage especially in Western Vermont and the Catskill towns in NY was very high. So we are all breathing a sigh of relief. The best part of this experience was the dropping of the intensity of our preoccupation with the election. I can't wait for this thing to get over.

  At 8:00 a.m. futures are modestly higher, the dollar is up against major world currencies, and the price of oil is up per barrel. The market is poised to open higher.

  Investors will be parsing a boat load of data with the NYSE closed the last two days with Sandy. I heard the NYSE was under 3 feet of water.

  There is a long story here but the telling numbers, the meat of the story, will come on Friday when the government releases its data on job creation in October. The number will be meaningful on many levels, perhaps it can affect the outcome of the election, perhaps not. Either way the number will be exploited by the candidates as proof of their electability.

CNN: Stock markets prepare for post-Sandy open
Volume is expected to be very high as the NYSE, Nasdaq and other markets execute their first trades after two unscheduled days in the dark.
Fresh data on manufacturing and employment costs will be released Wednesday.

'Sonata In E Major'

Pianist Vadim Chaimovich plays Scarlatti

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

'Unusual Dog Tricks'

Good Night

Projected course for Sandy on Tuesday night from NOAA.

'Japan: A Skier's Journey'

Japan: A Skier's Journey EP1 S3 from Jordan Manley Photography on Vimeo.

Jersey

The image is from Mantoloking, Jersey. In my opinion that is a gorgeous house and it's truly a shame to see it in this shape from the storm. I wonder how they will deal with it, tear it down or attempt to jack it back into place. I would venture it gets torn down.

Obama - Sandy

Guardian UK: Obama laments 'heartbreaking' storm as Sandy leaves US east coast daunted

Maddow On Sandy And Government

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Ramirez 4NCWE

Still a very tempting guitar...



ALBENIZ:SPANISH MUSIC FOR CLASSICAL G BY RUSSELL,DAVID (CD) (Google Affiliate Ad)

Obama's Response To Sandy

Sandy allowed us to place the election out of harms way for a few days. Here we have Christie praising Obama on his response to Sandy.

NYT: Obama Oversees Disaster Response
“The president’s been all over this,” Mr. Christie said on “Morning Joe,” “He deserves great credit.”
Mr. Christie said he asked Mr. Obama to expedite the process of declaring New Jersey a major disaster area, which would provide additional federal support, as well as direct financial assistance to people in hard-hit areas.

Sandy Update

CNN: Superstorm Sandy's wrath: Deaths, flooding, outages - and no end in sight

Now What

CS Monitor: Sandy, unspent, moves toward Great Lakes. How much more rain, snow?

CNN - Devastation In Jersey

Have A Good Morning

The Onion - Misinformed Man Riding Out Storm In Bathtub Filled With Batteries

The Onion: Misinformed Man Riding Out Storm In Bathtub Filled With Batteries

Al Jazeera - Chinese Rally Against Petrochemical Plant

Political dissent - in China!

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Global Warming - Sandy

CS Monitor: Superstorm Sandy Liveblog: As storm diminishes, New Yorkers in darkness

Who Will Take It Down Again

Short answer - Romney, but we already know that.

AlterNet: 6 Top Economists Explain Which President Is More Likely to Speed the Next Financial Crisis

The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. It is 59 degrees and mostly cloudy here in Upstate NY. All in all we had an easy time of it last night with Sandy not really dramatically affecting this area of the world. In fact it was relatively quiet last night. It appears that we are on the outskirts of the storm swirl. Just a short time ago while I was out walking my morning constitutional, the Sun made a brief appearance. It gets better though. The Sun mixing with the thick clouds in the opposite side of the sky produced a glorious 180 degree vibrant rainbow. Several of us stood transfixed in the parking lot of the corner food market and watched for several minutes. I really want to see it as a sign of good luck.

  According to reports or perhaps hearsay, the stock exchange got its share of water yesterday. Needless to say, the NYSE is closed today. We shall see what kind of equity activity occurs if any as the day proceeds.

CNN: Transit 'disaster' in NYC

'I Can't Stop Loving You'

Ray Charles

Monday, October 29, 2012

Good Night

Sandy at 8 p.m.

Y.O.Y.O.

7:00 P.M. Upstate NY

The wind is picking up and you can hear it through the windows. So far we have power other neighborhoods close by have lost their power. I have the generator out and prepped with extension cords ready to plug in. We have to get power to the sump pump or else we get a flooded basement. The rain is light, it's really the wind that is the scary part. We live in a fairly wooded area and without a doubt some trees are coming down, they did with Irene.

Mitt

Check this out at Kos, good political cartooon -

Kos: Mittdrake the Magician

Warmest September On Record

NOAA: State of the Climate
The average combined global land and ocean surface temperature for September 2012 tied with 2005 as the warmest September on record, at 0.67°C (1.21°F) above the 20th century average of 15.0°C (59.0°F). Records began in 1880.

Sandy At 5PM

Here in Upstate NY at 5:30 p.m. it's getting windier and we are beginning to get some rain. Everybody be safe.

Sandy Projected Path Noon Monday

TRNN - Koch Brothers And The Road To 'Citizens United'


More at The Real News

Sandy As Seen From Space

Sandy Monday Morning

Have A Good Morning

Gericault

The Onion - Endangered Wildlife To Be Given New Identities In Species Protection Program

The Onion: Endangered Wildlife To Be Given New Identities In Species Protection Program

Al Jazeera - Hurricane Sandy Set To Take US By Storm

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Global Warming - Sandy?

It's kind of a puff piece, but personally I believe Sandy is a product of global warming.

Telegraph: Is Hurricane Sandy the product of global warming?

Be Confident

AlterNet: 5 Reasons Karl Rove Is NOT Going To Electronically Steal This Election

The Market On Monday

  Good morning. It is 54 degrees and overcast here in Upstate NY. The wind is ever so slightly picking up and there is a certain eery quietness outside, the calm before the storm. Last night you could cut the quietness with a knife. Needless to say we are very concerned about everybody and ourselves as Sandy invades our space. I must clearly admit that I never thought I was living in a hurricane zone being 150 miles north of NYC. And in case you are wondering, do I think it's related to global warming? Yes, I emphatically do. This is the second year in a row where a hurricane is rolling through which in my mind means this is just the beginning of a regular occurrence.

  Needless to say the NYSE is closed today. Allegedly some trading activity will occur via computer, we shall see.

CNN: NYSE and Nasdaq to close
...(NYSE) will close its markets Monday. Markets are likely to remain closed on Tuesday as well.

'Jazz In Marciac'

Biréli Lagrène Trio - I've posted this clip before, it's a favorite of mine.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Good Night

Sandy on Sunday 8 p.m. via Weather Underground

Wind Is Coming

WSJ: Wind feared more than rain in upstate NY

Power Outages

Daily Freeman: National Weather Service Meteorologist in Albany predicts 10 million could lose power

Paintballs Moving Asteroids

Evacuations

CBS News: Cities order mass evacuations as Sandy nears

Live Tracking

If you're living in the Northeast the news you are paying attention to is about Hurricane Sandy. I wish they picked a different name for the storm...

Reuters: Tracking Storm Sandy Live

Earnings, The Election, Jobs

Reuters: Wall Street Week Ahead: Jobs data, election may overshadow earnings

NYT Goes Obama

NYT: Barack Obama for Re-Election

Have A Good Morning

da Vinci

The Onion - Mitt Romney Terrified What Will Happen If He Ever Stops Running For President

Al Jazeera - American Racism 'On The Rise'

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Climate Change - Not In The Presidential Agenda

The years go by and the political atmosphere and discourse gets dumber and stupider by the second...

NYT: Both Romney and Obama Avoid Talk of Climate Chang

Real Help For Negative Neuroplasticity

Fascinating and excellent article - this is one to share around all over the place. Read this because we all know someone (probably more than one) who fits this description.

AlterNet: The Angry Brain: How to Help Men With Uncontrollable Tempers
One example was converting criticism and pessimism to praise and optimism. Another was to convert resentment into forgiveness. A third was to look for the good in people (and himself) instead of the bad.

"If I can't quit thinking that everyone is out to screw me over, I don't think my changes will last..."

Devron named his plan "Learning to Trust." I was tempted to add "and take in love," but Devron would have labeled that phrase unmanly.

Good Morning

It is 53 degrees and overcast here in Upstate NY. We spent a good part of Saturday afternoon raking leaves in the front yard. People walking by kept saying that the leaves will get blown around by Hurricane Sandy, so the raking was pointless. This morning the yard is full of leaves again from the big oak tree that is very slow to get naked.

Sandy is coming. This is the tracking map from Weather Underground for Sunday 8 a.m.


This map seems to indicate that here in Upstate NY we are not be in the direct path, but this is only a computer model and not something to absolutely count on.

Bottom line, all you ingrates play it safe and take all the necessary precautions.

'La Donna E Mobile'

Andrea Bocelli sings Verdi

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Good Night

This image is from the Weather Underground folks and it shows a projected path for Hurricane Sandy.

Any of my friends that read this blog that are going to be in the path of this thing, I want you to make a promise to me that you are going to do the safest things possible here. Take precautions now, don't wait.

Obama's Newest Ad

Maddow - Hiding Ryan

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Daily Show - Roundup - Democalypse 2012 Rolls On

Have A Good Morning

Etienne Carjat's portrait of Giuseppe Verdi circa 1877

The Onion - U.S. Signs Declaration Of Dependence On China

The Onion: U.S. Signs Declaration Of Dependence On China

Al Jazeera - Hurricane Sandy Threatens To Morph Into Super Storm

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Global Warming - In Your Face

AlterNet: Chomsky: America Acts Like It Owns the World, While Endangering the Planet from Nuclear War and Climate Change

Eight 'Game Changers'

AlterNet: Meet 8 Romney-Backed Senate Candidates Who Would Force Victims to Have Their Rapists' Babies

Baby


'Va Pensiero'

Verdi

Friday, October 26, 2012

Thom Ward

At Twenty-Three Weeks She Can No Longer See Anything South of Her Belly

I'm painting my wife's toes
In Revlon Super Color Forty Nine.
I've no idea what I'm doing.
She asked me to get the bottle,
then crashed on our bed,
muscle-sore, pelvis-aching.
Lifting the brush, I skim
the excess polish across the glass,
daub a smidgen on her nail,
push it out in streaks
over the perfect surface
to the cuticle's edge.
I'm painting my wife's toes.
I've no idea what I'm doing.
The smell of fresh enamel
intoxicates. Each nail I glaze
is a tulip, a lobster,
a scarlet room where women
sit and talk, their sleek,
tinctured fingers sparking the air.

Ryan Confident, But Not That Confident

ABC News: As Veep Chances Rise in Polls, Ryan Still Spends Millions to Keep Congressional Seat

Good Night

'Louchebem'

Louchebem HD from louchebem on Vimeo.

Nate

UK Telegraph: Nate Silver, the geeky statistician who is singlehandedly dismantling the myth of Mitt-mentum

DOW Closes Higher

The DOW closed at 13,107.21 gaining 3.53 points.

CNN: Q3 GDP: U.S. economy picks up

The Daily Show - Picking Winners And Losers

TRNN - Romney Made Multi-Millions In Detroit Bailout


More at The Real News

DOW Lower At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is at 13,084.60 down 19.08 points.

CNN: The case for a little optimism about stocks

Have A Good Morning

The Onion - Birthday Card Discreetly Passed Around Office Like Some Sort Of Covert CIA Operation

The Onion: Birthday Card Discreetly Passed Around Office Like Some Sort Of Covert CIA Operation

Al Jazeera - Discussing Spain's Economic Crisis

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Global Warming - Unstoppable

Recall that there are primarily three positions on global warming:
- the denialists.
- the moderate media believers like the article linked below.
- the positions found in the leading universities in the world where climate change is studied in the most exacting scientific way. And if people were aware of this last third category, we might very well have panic rioting because the message from the latter is bleak.  However this last category has not even made its way into the main stream media cycle.

ABC News: It May Be Too Late to Stop Global Warming

Let's Count The Ways

AlterNet: 10 Awful Things a President Mitt Romney Would Likely Do

The Market On Friday

  Good morning. It is 57 degrees and overcast here in Upstate NY. At this point quite a few trees are back to leave-less nakedness although some still have green leaves. The lawn raking has been in full progress, everybody is out raking. Fortunately we are down to around 11 days till the election. What a miserable spectacle the entire election has been from the outrageous GOTP primary process through the Trump nonsense at present. Recall that the GOTP had a leading candidate every week. Herman Cain, now that would have been fun. We are hearing jaw dropping statements coming out of some of the extreme right wing fundamentalist candidates about women and rape, I mean seriously why do these guys have any problems with outfits like the Taliban? They have so much in common. You can take their statements and make a few keyword substitutions and it sounds like the Taliban, yet these same candidates somehow lack the wherewithal to recognize the similarities. Such is their hubris and determined arrogance. All in all America gets the candidates and politicians it deserves. Indiana if you need a guy who thinks rape is god's plan for creating life, then go for it.

  At 8:00 a.m. futures are significantly lower, the dollar is flat or higher against major world currencies, and the price of oil is down per barrel. The market is poised to take a steep drop at the opening bell.

  Investors are disappointed in recent corporate third quarter reports. The numbers have been weaker and the market is reflecting this by shrinking. We were warned about this a while back.

  Notice that Spain's unemployment rate is now listed at 25%.

CNN: Stocks to open lower
...the government releases its first estimate of third-quarter GDP growth at 8:30 a.m. ET.
...government statistics showed Spanish unemployment rose to a record high of 25% in the third quarter.

Yoga B-Ball

The NY Post is another Rupert outfit, decidedly conservative, but it is one of the best papers for coverage of NY based sports teams. So I overlook the former and read about the latter. Regardless this is a story worth noting. The NBA's oldest player uses yoga to stay fit and it has helped him remain injury free.

NY Post: Yoga helps Knicks’ 40-year-old center Thomas get to core of his talent

'Exactly Like You'

Fapy Lafertin and Tim Kliphuis

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Good Night

'New York: Night and Day'

New York: Night and Day from Philip Stockton on Vimeo.

The Latest From 538

NYT: Oct. 24: In Polls, Romney’s Momentum Seems to Have Stopped

DOW Closes Higher

The DOW closed at 13,103.68 gaining 26.34 points.

CNN: 3 scariest things about this disappointing earnings season

Rarity

Colin Powell is part of a dying breed of moderate Republicans. With the GOTP shifting to the radical extreme right, Powell comes across as an all too infrequently heard voice of reason. It's unfortunate that Powell's political star intersected with GW.

Yahoo: Colin Powell endorses Obama for a second term

The Daily Show - Dakota Meyer Extended Interview Pt. 1

TRNN - Law Enforcement Officials Call For An End To 'The War On Drugs'


More at The Real News

DOW Lower At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is at 13,054.32 down 23.02 points.

CNN: Earnings keep stocks 'stuck in a rut'

Have A Good Morning

work by Nils Udo

The Onion - God Distances Self From Christian Right

The Onion: God Distances Self From Christian Right

Al Jazeera - Third-Party Candidates Left Out Of US Election

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Global Warming - The Moderate Denialists

Guardian UK: Peter Lilley: 'I am a global lukewarmist' and other quotes

Put A Clamp On It Bub

AlterNet: Why Right-Wingers Can't Stop Saying Insane Things About Women

The Market On Thursday

  Good morning. It is 52 degrees and overcast here in Upstate NY. My morning walk was more like a sprint as I have another very packed and busy day ahead. So I will be brief here. According to Nate Silver, Obama has something like a 70% chance of winning the election. Silver's blog is in direct opposition to many conservative polling outfits that have Romney winning the election. In my opinion the problem with the right at this particular period, or should we say "a" problem, lies in the utter rejection of conventional wisdom and facts AKA reality leading to a new set of partisan happy facts. It would not surprise me that even if Obama wins the election, the right will actually come out and say that Romney won.

  At 7:50 a.m. futures are modestly higher, the dollar is mostly down against major world currencies, and the price of oil is up per barrel. The market is poised to open higher.

  Investors will continue to parse third quarter reports today with a few of the darlings of the investment world coming through in a short time from now, including (drum roll please) major darling Apple. Its called iInvestment.

  In addition notice that England is now technically out of it's long lasting recession announcing a 1% growth in their GDP.

  At 8:30 a.m. the first time weekly layoff numbers come through and once again this will affect Obama's election chances. Good numbers will be ignored by FOX News, while poor numbers will be in your ear constantly.

CNN: Stocks to rise ahead of earnings
Corporate earnings season continues Thursday with results due in the morning...
...the UK government reported that the gross domestic product grew 1% in the third quarter, lifting the nation's economy out of recession.

'New York City'

Bireli Lagrene and Thomas Dutronc

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Good Night

LA Times: Indiana Senate candidate Mourdock calls rape pregnancy God's will

'Le Taxidermiste'

Le Taxidermiste from Le Taxidermiste Team on Vimeo.

Jay Smooth On Romney - 100% Wrong


DOW Closes Lower

The DOW closed at 13,077.34 dropping 25.19 points.

CNN: Bank of America sued for alleged mortgage fraud

Must Read

This is a must read. Please read this one for me.

Special Olympic Blog: An Open Letter to Ann Coulter

The Daily Show - We Missed NLCS Game 7 For This

TRNN - Big London Protests Against Austerity


More at The Real News

DOW Higher At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is at 13,129.50 up 26.97 points.

CNN: Buffett: Better growth ahead for U.S. economy

Have A Good Morning

work by Vermin

The Onion - The 2012 Debates: Six Hours Of Sheer Torture

The Onion: The 2012 Debates: Six Hours Of Sheer Torture

Al Jazeera - Kenya's Luxury Housing Boom

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

World View

ST: Rest of world favors Obama over Romney: Poll

Global Warming - The Melting Antarctic

ST: Australia's Antarctic runway melting due to global warming

Binders Full Of Lies

AlterNet: Top 6 Lies Romney Has Told Women in an Election Season Full of Whoppers

The Market On Wednseday

  Good morning. It is 49 degrees and overcast here in Upstate NY. I was out taking my morning walk earlier with flashlight in hand. I was passing by students waiting, in the damp dark morning air, for school buses that take them off to various age level schools and I was also reflecting on my experience at that age. I'm glad that period is over, but the innocence at a young age is certainly poignant and gone for good, right. Regarding the election, I have abandoned Real Clear Politics after reading that the outfit is another right wing partisan group. I do pay attention to Nate Silver's NYT blog and that's about it. I recommend the same for you.

  At 7:30 a.m. futures are modestly higher, the dollar is down against most major world currencies, and the price of oil is up. The market is poised to open slightly higher.

  Investors were pleased to see improving manufacturing data out of China and not pleased to see more evidence of further decay in the economy of the eurozone. Asia is where it's at, the economic powerhouse center of the world is shifting more and more to Asia. Get used to it.

  In addition investors will be parsing data on the housing market, a report from the Fed, and more third quarter corporate reports. It's a busy day, and hopefully the sum total of all of the above does not equate to the intense and steep drop in the indexes experienced on Tuesday.

CNN: Stocks headed for modest gains
...a report said China's manufacturing sector hit a three-month high in October.
...signaling continued (eurozone) decline in the manufacturing and services sectors. 
...data on new home sales for September at 10 a.m.
Wednesday afternoon, the Federal Reserve will issue a policy statement around 2:15 p.m. ET...

'Bohemian Rhapsody'

Queen

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Good Night

'When Outrageous Was Possible'

When Outrageous Was Possible from Petrolicious on Vimeo.

Ohio This Election Cycle

NYT: Oct. 22: Ohio Has 50-50 Chance of Deciding Election

Supermassive Black Hole At The Heart Of Our Galaxy

NASA: NASA's NuSTAR Spots Flare From Milky Way's Black Hole

DOW Closes Lower

The DOW closed at 13,102.53 dropping 243.36 points.

CNN: Dow tumbles 240 points to seven-week low

The Daily Show - Not Optimal-Gate

TRNN - Wilkerson And Prashad On Foreign Policy Debate


More at The Real News

DOW Lower At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is at 13,102.41 down 243.48 points.

CNN: Dow sinks 240 points as sell-off accelerates

Have A Good Morning

work by 'Vermin'

The Onion - Obama Takes Out Romney With Mid-Debate Drone Attack

The Onion: Obama Takes Out Romney With Mid-Debate Drone Attack

Al Jazeera - Why US Education Lags Behind

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Global Warming - Not Even Mentioned In The Presidential Debates

NYT: One Reason for Debate Climate Silence

A Decisive Victory

AlterNet: Final Debate: Obama Scores a Win

The Market On Tuesday

  Good morning. It is 41 degrees and cloudy but dry here in Upstate NY. I was out earlier in the pre-dawn dark taking my brisk morning walk. It's an adjustment getting used to less daylight, we miss the light. I only watched the first three exchanges of the debate and I saw Obama go on the offensive right off the bat. We're reading that the general consensus seems to be that Obama won the debate. Romney's first debate performance has paid off in droves for his presidential campaign, the proof is in the numbers. Romney has had much momentum over the past few weeks and allegedly Obama still has a slight electoral college edge. I am paying more attention to Nate Silver's NY Times blog regarding polling. Everything else seems too sketchy right now.

  At 7:25 futures are significantly lower, the dollar is mostly down against major world currencies, and the price of oil is down per barrel. The market is poised to drop at the opening bell except...

  Investors will be getting more third quarter corporate reports right up through the opening bell. Can those reports reverse the present deep drop in the indexes. Possibly, but as we know Wall Street is unpredictable. What we do know is that investors will be parsing many corporate third quarter reports this week and that overall profits and growth are down. It could be contraction time.

CNN: Stocks: Earnings weigh on investors
...results due ahead of the bell from a variety of firms including 3M, UPS, and DuPont.
...Apple is expected to unveil its iPad mini at an event in California at 1 p.m. ET.

'Django's Tiger'

Fapy Lafertin and Lollo Meier

Monday, October 22, 2012

Dad?

BBC: Beluga whale 'makes human-like sounds'

Good Night

Apple perfection - The Honey Crisp

Krugman - Romney's Denial Of The Economic Recovery

NYT: The Secret of Our Non-Success

DOW Closes Flat

The DOW closed at 13,345.89 gaining 2.38 points.

CNN: Stocks close flat, more earnings loom

Bush On Iraq/Wmd Warpath, Before 9/11 In Feb 2000.

TRNN - Advocates Of Universal Healthcare Protest Obama And Romney


More at The Real News

DOW Lower At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is at 13,304.46 down 39.05 points.

CNN: Japan owns almost as much U.S. debt as China

Have A Good Morning

Nils Udo

The Onion - Romney Stands Behind Ryan To Show Good Campaigning Stance

The Onion: Romney Stands Behind Ryan To Show Good Campaigning Stance

Al Jazeera - Human Face Of Syrian Crisis

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Global Warming - Energy And Climate Outlook 2012

MIT: Energy and Climate Outlook 2012

Wishful Thinking

I don't believe we ever see a restoration of democracy in the USA. In fact I think the complete erosion of it is well under way. However, I still support the efforts made by anyone to suggest such an unlikely happening.

AlterNet: 6 Things We Need To Do To Repair America's Crumbling Democracy

The Market On Monday

  Good morning. It is 50 degrees and clearing here in Upstate NY. I hope you had a good and restful weekend. Tonight we get debate three, the final debate. I have been contemplating a Romney presidency and I have come to two new conclusions. Conclusion one is that Romney's plan for boosting the economy is another war, this time with Iran. As Romney has not really presented any true way in which to "stimulate" the economy, let's bank on a new war. This is the tried and true right wing solution to the economy and right now the GOTP senators are out there regularly condemning Iran and saying there is no time left for diplomacy. They are attempting to build consensus. Conclusion two is that the repression of dissent will become even more pronounced. Recall how vociferously Obama has been rejected by the right wing, this is beyond rejection of policy, it is an utter contempt of an otherwise moderate conservative corporatist president. When the Iran war commences the calls for the silencing of dissent will be very pronounced. Just look at how the Occupy Movement was silenced.

  At 7:55 a.m. futures are modestly higher, the dollar is mostly down against major world currencies, and the price of oil is up per barrel. The market is poised to open higher.

  Investors will be parsing many third quarter corporate reports this week. Tops on the list is Caterpillar considered a bellwether indicator of all things global. The expectation is that the S&P will grow ever so slightly this quarter. Recall that over the course of the last century the S&P has grown steadily with a superlative rate of return.

CNN: Stocks to open higher
A busy week of corporate earnings kicks off Monday...
Analysts at S&P Capital IQ predict third-quarter earnings for companies in the S&P 500 will grow by just 0.04% overall this quarter, the worst since the third quarter of 2009.

'Stardust'

Fapy Lafertin and Tim Kliphuis

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Good Night

Obama 47.1%, Romney 46.9%

Real Clear Politics on Sunday evening.

Gallup's right partisan poll which has Romney up by 7%, is now off set by (probably left partisan) polling outfit IBD/TIPP Tracking, which has Obama up by 6%. One has to wonder how good either is if the difference between Gallup and IBD/TIPP Tracking is 13%. That 13% is way beyond the alleged margin of error.

Polar Bears, Global Warming, Humantiy

CS Monitor: Steven Amstrup says it's not too late to save polar bears – and ourselves

Lindsey Graham - Iran Talk Time Is Over

In case you haven't noticed the Republican Party is pressing for a war in Iran.

If you consider Romney's plan for how to stimulate our economy where he wants to apply among other things austerity measures such as cutting state funding, and you realize that this will not create jobs but in fact cost more jobs, then you wonder what he is really planning. I will maintain that his idea is to re-emphasize the American war time economy. Romney sees Iran as an opportunity to sidestep all pressing American issues and simply re-build the war effort. Romney's plan for the economy is to start a war with Iran.

SNL - Debate 2

Step Into An Optical Illusion

Reich's Latest

Robert Reich: Romney the Detail Man?

Have A Good Morning

The Onion - 'I Feel Your Pain,' Romney Tells Campaign Rally Attendees Who Make $20 Million A Year

The Onion: 'I Feel Your Pain,' Romney Tells Campaign Rally Attendees Who Make $20 Million A Year

Al Jazeera - China Conducts Naval Drills

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Global Warming - Wake Up!

AlterNet: Wake Up! Our World Is Dying and We're All in Denial

Romney's Abortion Flip Flops

CS Monitor: Romney’s wavering path on abortion. Do voters care?

'Gnossienne No. 4'

Cubus plays the music of Erik Satie.


Friday, October 19, 2012

Good Night

Obama's Romnesia Speech

DOW Closes Lower

The DOW closed at 13,343.51 dropping 205.43 points.

CNN: Stocks log worst day since June

Obama 47.1%, Romney 47.0%

Real Clear Politics Friday afternoon. First time I've seen Obama with a lead since debate-gate 1. Once again factor out conservative and partisan Gallup's revised 6% poll lead for Romney and Obama's overall lead obviously is significantly higher.

The Daily Show - Barack Obama Extended Interview Pt. 1

The Daily Show - Barack Obama Extended Interview Pt. 2

TRNN - Black Financial And Fraud Report

Bill Black: Romney's Secret Plan; the 1% Now Have More Wealth than the bottom 90% 


More at The Real News

DOW Lower At Noon

In the noon hour the DOW is at 13,394.33 down 154.61 points.

CNN: Unemployment falls in seven swing states

Have A Good Morning

de Kooning

The Onion - Study: Human Imagination Capable Of Magnificent Things During Masturbation

Al Jazeera - Obama And Romney Trade Barbs Over Dinner

Al Jazeera - The Main Headlines

Global Warming - History, The Mass Extinction At The End Of The Permian Era

CS Monitor: Extreme global warming caused devastating die-off

Shady Money

AlterNet: 5 Things You Need to Know About Mitt Romney's Shady Investments Before Election Day

The Market On Friday

  Good morning. It is 54 degrees and raining cats and dogs here in Upstate NY. The morning walk was a soggy one with rain gear that doesn't quite do the trick. I even had on the rain pants over regular pants and I still got soaked. LL Bean needs to improve on their rain gear line or maybe I need to look for it some place else. Noticing the latest polling data we see a tie with Nate Silver still saying the tie goes to Obama. Notice that conservative outlet Gallup has Romney up by 7 points. Even I don't believe that one. Be ready for a Romney presidency, it could happen. First off another thing I don't believe is that Romney creates 250,000 jobs per month, now that's baloney.

  At 8:00 a.m. futures are flat, the dollar is mostly up against major world currencies, and the price of oil is down per barrel. The market is poised to open in the flat to lower range, quite similar to yesterday.

  Investors will spend the day parsing more third quarter corporate reports along with data on the housing sector. Notice that the tech sector contracted a bit in the last quarter with less than stellar reports from Google, Intel, Microsoft, and AMD. Could it be that the interest in the smart phone is replacing the personal PC. Amazing, the personal computer will go the way of the accordion.

  Fortunately the weekend is upon us, and this election, it just can't come soon enough.

CNN: Stocks to open lower
...existing home sales for September at 10 a.m. ET.
...on the lookout for any news out of a summit of European leaders in Brussels.
U.S. stocks fell Thursday as investors focused on the latest corporate results and mixed economic data.