Author Archives: oddmanout215

A life-affirming little theft

Posted on January 27, 2012 by oddmanout215

Call Jennifer Egan’s A Visit From the Goon Squad a collection of interrelated short stories. Or call it a novel, if you like. The book has won several prestigious awards, so Egan might not care what you call it. She … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Natural-born faux populists

Posted on January 26, 2012 by oddmanout215

Watching Barack Obama’s speech the other night, my mood swung from bemusement to grudging admiration to laugh-out-loud disbelief. I wrote a post yesterday that focused on the president’s innate acting ability. Today, Robert Scheer noted that Obama’s gift is strongly … Continue reading →

Posted in Goldman Sachs, Great Recession, humor, mainstream media, movies, Obama | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Barack Obama, prince of players

Posted on January 26, 2012 by oddmanout215

Listening to Barack Obama’s State of the Union address in 2012 was like listening to his campaign speeches in 2008. Every issue he’d placed in deep freeze during his first three years as president was brought out to thaw. His … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, globalization, Obama, Politics, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Slave labor is good for business

Posted on January 24, 2012 by oddmanout215

A depressing piece in the Sunday New York Times re-explained why the U.S. is losing huge numbers of manufacturing jobs, but it didn’t mention how we can hope to reverse this trend if our biggest corporations continue to work with … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, environmentalism, globalization, mainstream media, New York Times, Obama, unemployment, world-wide economy | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

A masterpiece, exclusively for you

Posted on January 24, 2012 by oddmanout215

I like Betsy Lerner’s blog, about the craft and business of writing. Here’s her response to someone who asked how long a writer should wait for a response from an agent to whom the writer has offered an “exclusive submission”: … Continue reading →

Posted in arts, fiction, humor | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Waiting can be bad for your health

Posted on January 22, 2012 by oddmanout215

With apologies to Jagger/Richards, today’s deep thought: It’s OK to wait for something you want, but not for something you need — health care, for example. Sometimes there are no jobs, and money you were counting on simply doesn’t come … Continue reading →

Posted in campaign finance reform, Congress, economic collapse, Great Recession, Politics, unemployment | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Brothers under the skin: Mitt and Jay-Z

Posted on January 21, 2012 by oddmanout215

The question on Bill Maher’s show was “Why do many people not like Mitt Romney?” Maher didn’t mention that Mittens looks soft and un-molded, like a pod creature in Invasion of the Body Snatchers that hasn’t yet assumed full human … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, globalization, Great Depression, Great Recession, Mitt Romney, Politics, The New Depression, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Sitting Bull at Starbucks

Posted on January 20, 2012 by oddmanout215

When I can no longer conjure up a good thought, let alone write a good sentence, I turn on the TV. Last night PBS showed a documentary about Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer, who was wiped out with more than … Continue reading →

Posted in history, humor | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Perry hangs up his guns

Posted on January 19, 2012 by oddmanout215

Do you remember when Rick Perry seemed like a formidable presidential candidate, awash in PAC money, waving a pistol? That was before he opened his mouth. Dubya is dumb, but Perry is dumber than one of Dubya’s fence posts. And … Continue reading →

Posted in mainstream media, Mitt Romney, Politics | Tagged , | 2 Comments

‘Yes He Can,’ but will he?

Posted on January 19, 2012 by oddmanout215

Has Barack Obama ever acknowledged Robert Reich’s steady stream of criticism regarding Obama’s apparent lack of interest in putting the real economy back on track? He seems to have shunned the former Secretary of Labor, and to have ignored anyone … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, Obama, Philadelphia, The New Depression, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment