Category Archives: Current Affairs

A Revolution in My Pocket!

“There is something in the soul that cries out for freedom.” Wow, what a day for Egypt! Watching the events unfolding in Egypt over the last 18 days has been both compelling and seductive. Thanks mostly to Aljazeera English, I … Continue reading

in Apple, Current Affairs, Egypt, History, iPhone 4, Living | Leave a comment

A Passion for Nukes

For the last few weeks, I’ve been auditing a seminar titled “EE190: Nuclear Weapons, Risk and Hope” that Stanford Professor Emeritus Martin Hellman has been teaching this quarter. This is a subject that Marty is most passionate about – see, … Continue reading

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Duck and Cover

Last night and tonight I’ve been watching one of my favorite movies – Thirteen Days. While there’s a lot of fiction in this story of the Cuban missile crisis, there’s also a lot of history. A few years back – … Continue reading

in Current Affairs, Film, Living | Leave a comment

Sobering Words

The two concluding paragraphs from President Obama’s speech tonight on Afghanistan: It is easy to forget that when this war began, we were united – bound together by the fresh memory of a horrific attack, and by the determination to … Continue reading

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The Kennedys

Bob Herbert had a great observation in his column in this morning’s New York Times: The most significant aspect of the Kennedys, more important than their reliably liberal politics or Ted’s long list of legislative accomplishments, was their ability to … Continue reading

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Credit Cards

What a week for credit card issuers! The word “retribution” comes to mind. Today’s meeting with Obama at the White House, Dodd and Schumer today asking Bernanke et all to use the Fed’s powers to block issuer interest rate increases, … Continue reading

in Business, Current Affairs, Payments | 3 Comments

The Hard Part

So, now the hard part comes re: AIG. Not the bonuses to the AIG FP folks – but, rather, AIG’s passthrough of billions of dollars of emergency federal funding to “the coffers of several dozen big banks, shielding them from … Continue reading

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Steinbeck and Things

Perhaps my favorite fiction author has been the late John Steinbeck. I best remember reading his Travels with Charley in Search of America back in high school – describing his road trip with his poodle driving a camper around America. … Continue reading

in Books, Carmel/Monterey/Pacific Grove, Current Affairs | Leave a comment

Is This the Best You Can Do?

Years ago, I remember reading a memoir of Henry Kissinger. Frankly, my memories are probably more apocryphal than factual at this point – but the story’s still a good one – so read on! I’ve told this story at least … Continue reading

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How to Reduce the US National Debt

Rep. Barney Frank’s House Committee on Financial Services is holding a hearing this Wednesday, March 18: “American International Group’s Impact on the Global Economy: Before, During, and After Federal Intervention” featuring AIG CEO Ed Liddy. The committee should move the … Continue reading

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