Posted on May 13, 2008 by Dr. Denny under Congress, House of Representatives, campaign finance, capitalism, corruption, culture, elections, government, politics, public interest, rich/poor gap [ Comments: none ]
Jane Harman, who represents California’s 36th District, may be the wealthiest member of Congress. She may also be running second as the member of Congress who has seen the greatest accretion of net worth since attaining her House seat in 1994.
According to an analysis by the Sunlight Foundation called Fortune 435, Rep. Harman’s net worth in 2006 may have been $409,426,887, up from $241,334,326 in 2000. (Sunlight bills itself as “a catalyst to create greater political transparency and to foster more openness and accountability in government.”)
The site allows inspection of each member of Congress in terms of net worth. Tabs lead to “Wealthiest,” “Greatest Change,” “Started with $0 or less,” and “Ended 2006 with $0 or less.”
It’s great fun. But Fortune 435’s worth is not its revelation of congressional wealth; rather, it demonstrates the weaknesses in the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 that requires financial disclosures by members of Congress. That’s why “may” is the operative word regarding Rep. Harman’s wealth.
Full Story »
 There is nothing new under the sun, or so they say.
I’m not a big fan of groups that slavishly imitate their influences, but I do love bands with a sense of history and a desire to explore older styles in search of new angles. This obviously establishes a tricky standard - be true to the masters, but not … too true. It’s equally tricky for me as a listener and armchair critic, as well - I might like a contemporary band for the same reasons I liked the bands they’re riffing on, but is there enough in the way of originality going on? As I’ve noted before, the CDs I like and those I think are great aren’t always the same ones. Full Story »
 Whores no more.
On the job, the key for many of us is adapting by adopting — an alternate personality, that is. But some jobs arouse emotions and sensations that are too overwhelming for the conscious mind. In the process called splitting, we shunt those off to a kind of branch line of our consciousness.
Sex work is such a job. Its laborers often find the only way to survive is by putting as much distance as possible between their real and work selves. The lack of self-respect inherent in these evasion tactics is magnified by the need to hide the nature of their work from loved ones. Full Story »
 by Rich Herschlag
Iraq got you down? Plummeting real estate values? Bad credit? Soaring fuel prices? Impending recession? Fear not. Your six-hundred dollar or so tax rebate check is on its way. Time to pay off the bogus internet charges on your cell phone bill. Time to finish decorating the trailer. Time to get that Fender Strat out of hock. Don’t spend it all in one pawn shop.
Six big ones will keep us in our overleveraged homes for weeks and our kids in college for days. It may even cover a lab fee or two, which will come in handy when you and Junior open that crystal meth factory you’ve been dreaming about.
Six hundred dollars will get you a few minutes with Ashley Alexandra Dupree. And not even prime minutes. Speaking of which, Eliot Spitzer never got full credit for his own stimulus package. A new independent study says idle hookers are bad for the economy. Full Story »
Posted on May 12, 2008 by Dr. Denny under Bush administration, Congress, Democrats, House of Representatives, Iraq, Republicans, Senate, business, economy, energy, environment, government, infrastructure, innovation, media, national security, news, policy, politics, poverty, public interest [ Comments: 11 ]
 About 10 months have passed since the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River during afternoon rush hour, killing 13 people and injuring 145. Construction of the bridge’s $234 million replacement may be finished in mid-September, three months ahead of schedule, earning builders a $20 million bonus. The Minnesota Legislature and Gov. Tim Pawlenty have agreed on a $38 million state fund to help compensate the victims of the Aug. 1 disaster.
All’s well, eh? Perhaps for this bridge in this city. But nationwide, all is not well. Road, bridge and other important public-works infrastructure continue to age and deteriorate as Congress dithers elsewhere. Only disasters move our representatives to act — and in an election year, even those actions seem spotty at best and disingenuous at worst.
The United States has much more than failing bridges to find, fund and fix. The proposals of the remaining presidential candidates do little to inspire faith that they understand the breadth of the problem or have the political skill, will and courage to address it forthrightly.
Full Story »
After the National Intelligence Estimate last November which reported that Iran had no nuclear program since 2003, many of us breathed a sigh of relief. It was official: When it came to attacking Iran, the administration hadn’t a leg to stand on.
But, as with Iraq, it was used to that. Once anointed lame duck, it didn’t skip a beat and continued to stumble forward. Full Story »
Posted on May 12, 2008 by Russ Wellen under Bush administration, Democrats, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, elections, foreign policy, politics, popular culture, terrorism, war [ Comments: 2 ]
Got hot links if you want ‘em!
In “Mr. Cool’s Intensity” in the Washington Post, David Ignatius writes of Obama’s reluctance to write off Rev. Wright. There’s “an instinctive American fondness for people who don’t rat out their friends, even when their friends are creeps. That’s why a Wright-based strategy may backfire for the Republicans, just as it did for Hillary Clinton.” Full Story »
Art?
Discuss.
Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends… You know, as any musician can tell you, instruments are expensive. So what to do if you love music but are running low on cash? Silly artiste - you make yourself an instrument. Like this guy - got some empty soda bottles laying around the house? Cool - git yer Bach on!
Full Story »
Posted on May 9, 2008 by Dr. Denny under 1st Amendment, Bush administration, China, Congress, Democrats, Iraq, Quotabull, advertising, business, capitalism, civil liberties, civil rights, corruption, culture, economy, education, elections, energy, entertainment, environment, free speech, freedom, government, human rights, marketing, politics, popular culture, poverty, race relations, rich/poor gap [ Comments: 4 ]
If our profits are taxed, that means we’ll have less capital to invest in new production.
— John Hofmeister, president of Shell U.S., to CNNMoney.com; May 6.
These companies are spending a very small amount of their operating cash flow on exploration. They are spending the majority of their funds buying back stock.
— Amy Myers Jaffe, a fellow in energy studies at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, discussing results of her just-finished a two-year study looking at oil companies and how they spend their money; May 6.
Full Story »
Posted on May 8, 2008 by Dr. Denny under Internet, advertising, broadband, business, capitalism, citizen journalism, culture, democracy, economy, entertainment, free speech, innovation, journalism, marketing, new media, news, newspapers, public interest, technology [ Comments: 6 ]
Long ago, in the beginning, a newspaper developed a Web site. Hundreds followed that lead. Now, one newspaper has only a Web site. In the end, what will there be? And what will be the consequences for readers?
A Wisconsin daily newspaper, whose readers have been increasingly shedding it, has now shed a significant expense — newsprint. The Capital Times of Madison, whose circulation has fallen from more than 40,000 to 18,000, said “-30-” to its printing press. It has become an online information enterprise around the Madison.com portal.
The 90-year-old newspaper — one of two serving Madison under a joint operating agreement — will only publish a tabloid-sized edition twice per week carrying some news, opinion and a weekly arts, entertainment and culture section. It will be distributed in its home-delivered partner paper, the Wisconsin State Journal.
It’s a dicey move, but critics like me have said for years that the Web-only newspaper will see its day come (which does not mean we have argued that online-only is a good idea). So what does this end-of-print mean for Madison and beyond?
Full Story »
 It’s a totally new literary genre!
Well, sorta. You may have noticed that mobile is getting to be a really big deal, and you may have noticed that Them Danged Kids® are texting until their thumbs fall off. You probably didn’t realize, though, the magnitude of mobile and the SMS phenomenon. There are now over 3 billion mobile phones in the world and nearly all of them have SMS capability. Telephia estimates that revenue from premium SMS entertainment services in the US topped $1B last year. And the stuff that people are paying for - $5/month for a joke of the day (and Yo Mama joke of the day!), horoscopes, music reviews, health tips, sports, and on and on. It’s all a little hard for a guy like me to believe, but there it is. Full Story »
As our friend Pat so eloquently noted yesterday, graduation season is upon us. Commencements hit full stride today up the road at CU, and I suppose at hundreds of other institutions across the country, as well. So S&R would like to take a moment and congratulate the Class of 2008. If you’ve read us much at all you know that this year’s seniors are part of a generation that’s been much examined and oft-critiqued, but rest assured - if we’ve been harsh on you, our fondest hope is to be proven very, very wrong. Full Story »
Damn, Mike Gravel is the most interesting thing in this campaign so far. He’s a better rapper than singer, though.
The results of the most recent S&R poll are now available.
Which of the following statements best reflects how you feel about the candidate you plan on voting for in November’s presidential election?
- I genuinely believe in my candidate. (39)
- Presidential politics is inherently dirty. I believe my candidate is the best I can reasonably hope for, given our current system. (33) tied with;
I’m not happy about my choices, but my candidate is better than the alternative. (33)
- I’m too disgusted to vote. (12)
Our new poll, which asks you to predict the November election, is now posted in the column to the right.
by Lee Camp
With McCain likely to face Obama in the general election, it appears his staff has realized they have an uphill marketing battle ahead of them. Obama has some of the best marketing money can buy. He has a brilliant logo, multiple slogans, a pretty face, and he’s even laid claim to the words “change” and “hope.” The following memo by a high level McCain staffer was accidentally leaked to the press. It shows the McCain campaign’s struggle to find the perfect slogan. Full Story »
Posted on May 7, 2008 by Dr. Slammy under Arts, Literature & Culture, Internet, capitalism, culture, entertainment, innovation, media, music, public interest [ Comments: 10 ]
 In case you missed it, Trent Reznor yesterday released the new Nine Inch Nails CD, The Slip, as a free download. I’ve only had time to listen to it once, and that was while I was working. So I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve been able to give it a few minutes of real attention. In any case, it’s free NIN, and what’s not to love about that.
Industry watcher and pundit extraordinaire Bob Lefsetz predictably has some thoughts about the release. I’m a big Lefsetz fan, mainly because of his relentless assaults on music industry greed and stupidity, and if you’re somebody who’s disgusted, dismayed or confused by how bad the music biz has gotten in recent years, you need to be a Lefsetz Letter subscriber. Full Story »
Spiegel Online published a story last week about how a group of Europeans have formed the Trans-Mediterranean Renewable Energy Corporation (TREC) to develop enough solar-thermal power in the Sahara to power all of Europe. The idea is to build enough solar thermal power plants, plants that use concentrated solar energy to heat salts or boil water which then turn turbines to generate electricity, and then to transmit that energy across the Mediterranean to be used in Europe. Europe gets all the electricity it needs and North Africa gets a massive influx of development money and energy for desalinization plants, among other things. Full Story »
 by Patrick Vecchio
The 10 days between the end of classes and commencement is the most poignant time of the academic year. That’s because commencement is the last time I will see the graduating seniors.
They have changed so much since I started working with them four years ago that it seems only their student ID numbers are still the same. When they arrived on campus, most of them were kids: 18, legally adults, but kids nonetheless, lugging anxiety or bravado like an overstuffed suitcase, unwilling or unable to advance those first conversations with faculty:
“Why do you want to major in journalism/mass communications?” Full Story »
 Hint: It’s not just upbringing and culture.
Back in 2005 James Wolcott wrote of torture: “Women may take part — though I imagine it’s rare, and under duress — but only men could devise the intricate and cruel tortures and torture devices that have been inflicted over the centuries.”
This is one generalization about women that feminists let slide. Lynndie England of Abu Ghraib fame was a blip on torture’s radar screen and women would like to keep it that way. But what infuses men with the urge to torture? Full Story »
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