Archive for August, 2006

Charlie’s Show Prep #159

Moderate Republican Rep. Christopher Shays wants a timetable for pulling out of Iraq.
Chicago Mayor Richard Daley suggests a fifth year of high school to replaced the freshman year of college. He thinks that would lower college educations costs. Someone should tell the mayor all that would do is push the education cost from the college […]

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Social Networking Via Napster? I Laugh

Filed under Music

Eliot Van Buskirk at Wired’s music weblog Listening Post wrote something so out-of-wack, so bizarro that I immediately yelled, “BS!” to my computer monitor. What did he write? This,
With all of the RIAA’s bellyaching about the volume of files shared over these networks, it’s easy to forget that one of the reasons people were so […]

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France Shamed into Sending 1,600 Troops to Lebanon

Filed under War

Italy sending 2,000 to 3,000 troops to Lebanon as well as public shame at France surrendering before they even deployed got Jacques Chirac to agree to send 1,600 troops to support the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
The question still remains whether the 15,000 troops under a U.N. mandate along with 15,000 troops of the Lebanese […]

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Poor Pluto Gets Demoted

Pluto had a good run. When it was discovered it was thought to be much bigger than it really is. It has a funky orbit that crosses with Neptune and it named after the god of the underworld–how cool is that? But little Pluto is too small and threw off astronomers’ ideas about planets. So […]

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Ford Might Go Private

Filed under Economics

Ford is thinking of going private and ditching the constant pressure to report to Wall Street while it restructures. The company’s stock is in the tank with its market capitalization down to $14.5 billion. That would make Ford a tempting target for outside buyers if the Ford family didn’t control 40% of the voting stock.
“Ford […]

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Charlie’s Show Prep #158

So far, most the advertising in the governor’s race has been by outside groups. That means Doyle and Green have far less control of their total campaign message.
There may be an ethical way to get embryonic stem cells.
Maryland GOP Senate candidate Michael Steele has a real shot at the black vote with hip-hop mogul Russell […]

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McCain Loading Up for Presidential Run

Filed under Politics

Sen. John McCain is building a formidable collection of political consultants for one, last run for the Presidency. A host of Bush-Cheney people has jumped on the “Straight Talk Express” (assuming McCain revives the name for his bus) plus a very interesting name: Nicco Mele, the webmaster for the failed 2004 Howard Dean, M.D. […]

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79-Year-Old Earns Economics Ph.D.

Filed under Economics

For my econ geek readers here’s a story to let you know it’s never too late to get that Ph.D.:
After a long and fruitful career, 79-year-old master’s degree graduate Herbert Baum has returned to the University of Chicago to earn his Ph.D. The oldest person ever to be awarded a doctorate by the University, Baum […]

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GOP Focuses on Kos

Filed under Politics

Markos Moulitsas must have been very happy today. The Republican National Committee dedicated a whole fact sheet to “WHO IS MARKOS MOULITSAS ZUNIGA?” Tee Bee pulls it off in fewer words:
Take Free Republic squared and mix it with acid-laden grape Koolaid.

Plus, he’s a pretty big jerk.
Tee Bee forgot “smart.” Kos is a pretty big smart […]

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Dave Mustaine is No Fan of the U.N.

Filed under Music

Let me preface this by stating the political opinions of famous musicians and celebrities have as much weight with me as President Bush’s opinion of the greatest hard rock band ever*–and there is a correct answer. Still, I laughed when I read Dave Mustaine will title the next Megadeth album United Abominations:
“I was watching TV […]

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Dixie Chicks Documentary to Come Out this Fall

Filed under Music

Here’s another documentary I don’t want to watch:
The politically charged documentary “Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing” has been picked up for worldwide distribution by the Weinstein Co.
A release is tentatively scheduled for the fall, possibly right before the November elections.
The film revolves around the aftermath of singer Natalie Maines’ statement at a 2003 […]

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Charlie’s Show Prep #157

Bill Clinton’s coming to save Gov. Doyle. Brian Fraley and Kevin Binversie comment.
U.S. ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalizad lays out the plan to secure Baghdad.
Rep. Mark Green says photo ID at the polls will be the first bill he signs as governor.
Milwaukee moved up in Policom’s economic rankings. But Wisconsin’s high taxes stop companies from […]

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August 22 Came and Only the Romanians Noticed

Earlier this month Islam scholar Bernard Lewis wondered if Iran would do something earth-shaking on 08.22:
In Islam, as in Judaism and Christianity, there are certain beliefs concerning the cosmic struggle at the end of time–Gog and Magog, anti-Christ, Armageddon, and for Shiite Muslims, the long awaited return of the Hidden Imam, ending in the final […]

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Carnival of the Capitalists

Filed under Economics

Forty Media hosts this week’s Carnival of the Capitalists.

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Geologists Ticked at “Pluton”

Later this week astronomers will vote on a scientific definition of a planet. Not only are some astronomers bothered, but geologists aren’t too happy either:
Geologists have also entered the fray, complaining at the use of plutons as a new category — a term they already use to describe a body of igneous rock that solidified […]

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