Author Archives: oddmanout215

‘Will Ye Go Lassie Go’

Posted on March 17, 2012 by oddmanout215

It’s a good day to listen to “Will Ye Go Lassie Go” by the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. It was also recorded by Joan Baez, and by the Byrds, as “Wild Mountain Thyme,” and has been sung for hundreds of years. … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, history, pop music | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

From the Gaelic for ‘water of life’

Posted on March 17, 2012 by oddmanout215

Leave it to the Irish to write a song in which the miracle of resurrection is achieved through spilled whiskey (from the Gaelic for “water of life”). This version of “Finnegan’s Wake,” by my deceased mother’s favorite band, brings back … Continue reading →

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Bank on BofA ripping you off

Posted on March 17, 2012 by oddmanout215

Matt Taibbi starts his new Rolling Stone article with a Shock and Awe-style barrage of over-the-top analogies: At least Bank of America got its name right. The ultimate Too Big to Fail bank really is America, a hypergluttonous ward of … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, mainstream media, Occupy Wall Street, The New Depression | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Vampire squid strikes back

Posted on March 15, 2012 by oddmanout215

Yes, it was fun to read that column by Goldman Sachs apostate Greg Smith, even though most of what he had to say about his former employer had already been reported in one form or another by Matt Taibbi, who … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, Goldman Sachs, Great Recession, mainstream media, New York Times, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

PA voter ID battle not over

Posted on March 15, 2012 by oddmanout215

Pennsylvania legislators on Wednesday pushed through a bill requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls. Gov. Tom Corbett quickly signed the bill into law, and said it sets a “simple and clear standard to protect the integrity of … Continue reading →

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CNN reports government conspiracy!

Posted on March 14, 2012 by oddmanout215

Did you hear about this thing called the military-industrial complex, a deep-seated alliance between the U.S. government and American corporations that makes sure we are almost always involved in wars, declared or undeclared? Dwight Eisenhower identified it in 1961, and … Continue reading →

Posted in history, humor, Iraq war, mainstream media | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

New chapter in jolly-good scandal

Posted on March 14, 2012 by oddmanout215

Rupert Murdoch’s right-hand gal is back in the news and back in jail. How much damage will her latest setback do to Britain’s PM, David Cameron? From Guardian UK: Rebekah Brooks is among six people arrested by Scotland Yard detectives … Continue reading →

Posted in Great Recession, mainstream media | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Santorum, the ‘stealth lobbyist’

Posted on March 13, 2012 by oddmanout215

The headline alone was enough to make me laugh: “Santorum accuses Fox News of shilling for Romney.” This is like Madonna accusing a rival diva of lip-synching. It’s another example of why many of us use the words “Christian” and … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, mainstream media, Mitt Romney, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Socialism is not a dirty word

Posted on March 12, 2012 by oddmanout215

I saw this video at Suburban Guerrilla and thought of all the people I know who probably didn’t see it… In his travels, journalist and author David Cay Johnston talked to a dozen tour-bus drivers in beautiful downtown Stockholm and … Continue reading →

Posted in livable cities, mainstream media | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Serfs don’t need no schoolin’

Posted on March 9, 2012 by oddmanout215

Many politicians and business leaders these days think the public education system is overvalued. After all, you don’t need to read The Great Gatsby to operate a power mower. You don’t have to know the atomic weight of carbon to … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, globalization, Great Recession, Mitt Romney, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments