Author Archives: oddmanout215

NYT to readers: Do facts matter?


Daily newspapers subscribe to the notion of objective reporting, and newspaper editors are always eager to defend this foggy notion. Which makes it all the more curious that New York Times Public Editor Arthur Brisbane recently asked readers whether “news … Continue reading

Posted in Mitt Romney, New York Times, Obama, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Obama tax Wall St.? Fahgetaboutit!


Can you imagine Barack Obama cracking down on financial industry insiders rather than giving them White House jobs? Jeff Cohen can’t: With U.S. media obsessing on the fight here at home among conservatives vying to become president, most of them … Continue reading

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

Newt joins Occupy Wall Street!


I’m joking, Newt Gingrich is a long way from siding with OWS. However, in his speeches and attack ads against Mitt Romney, Newt sounds a lot like the thousands of Occupiers who actively protested the vulture capitalism that Mitt personifies. … Continue reading

Posted in finance reform bill, globalization, Great Recession, mainstream media, Mitt Romney, New York Times, Occupy Wall Street, Politics, The New Depression, Wall Street | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

‘Five Years’


This I’m posting in connection with the scary news item from the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. The nuclear weapons situation last year looked so grim — everybody has them! — that the scientists reset the Doomsday Clock a minute closer … Continue reading

Posted in arts, pop music, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Bain of Mitt’s ambition


Mitt Romney actually managed to out-slime Newt Gingrich in campaign ads leading up to the Iowa primary, but Newt is hitting back with a 27-minute film, “When Romney Comes to Town,” that convincingly portrays Mittens as the cold-blooded jobs-killer he … Continue reading

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, liar, Mitt Romney, Politics, unemployment | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What if the Doomsday Clock is slow?


Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker thinks the world is becoming less violent, but scientists believe we’ve taken a step back in our efforts to avert nuclear catastrophe: It is five minutes to midnight. Two years ago, it appeared that world leaders … Continue reading

Posted in apocalypse | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Join effort to deep-six Citizens United


Earlier today, I posted about Stephen Colbert’s satiric campaign to wise people up to the corrupt campaign financing laws that help elect corrupt, often incompetent candidates. But I didn’t mention what we can do to help make reform possible. Sen. … Continue reading

Posted in campaign finance reform, Congress | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Will Colbert take the money and run?


Who would have thought a TV talk show host/satirist would prove himself to be smarter and more ethical than most of the people on the U.S. Supreme Court? Well, probably most of us. See this week’s NYT Magazine for a … Continue reading

Posted in campaign finance reform, humor, mainstream media, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Republicrats follow the money


Mike Lofgren of CounterPunch recently wrote that the super-rich have seceded from the United States. OK, we knew that, but read to the end of his article to see how deeply he appreciates the implications of their secession: …Steven Schwarzman, … Continue reading

Posted in Great Recession, Mitt Romney, Obama, Politics, pop music, The New Depression | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Terrence Malick’s dream of life


I’ve been writing too often about politicians — dull creatures, in most cases, with bad ideas and base motives. So here’s a belated review of my favorite movie of 2011, director/writer Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life. I only saw … Continue reading

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