This just in from Hollywood– Jon Corzine, who until about a week ago was Top Dog in the tanking Wall Street unreality series My Own Private MF Global has been cast as supervillain Two-Face in the next Batman opus. Buzz sez Bat producer Michael Uslan saw the Reuters piece The Two Faces of Jon Corzine […]

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I see the “Occupy Wall Street” folks are still there.
But what is puzzling me: usually a movement starts with a few activists and then slowly grows, as more who believe the same things join.
So exactly how many are in these rallies?
We know who is in the rallies: From Fastcompany.com via the Democratic underground.
Among the […]

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Clinton once had a line “It’s the economy, stupid”, and one longs for someone to teach economics to the present administration.
I was always a union supporter, and many of my family and friends belonged to unions. But you know what happened to a lot of textile jobs in the northern states in 1950’s and 1960’s? […]

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The headline sounds ominous.

American Medical News More evidence for why health system reform happened: a House study found a rapidly rising rate of denials for individual coverage.
amednews: Coverage denials by 4 […]

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The CFPA Bill, known as “financial reform”, is very likely to pass. Lenders of all varieties will have business models scrutinized once the CFPA gets up and running. You can bet that under the Obama Administration, subprime lenders from auto financiers to pawn shops to payday lenders will be shot on sight. […]

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Bill Clinton attempted to connect the small and peaceful demonstrations of upper middle class Americans with the Oklahoma City bombings in a recent New York Times Editorial.
…we should never forget what drove the bombers …They took to the ultimate extreme an idea advocated in the months and years before the bombing by an […]

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My fellow Family docs: Did you know that you are now officially part of the Obama organizing machine?
In the AAFP news:
Physicians need to be closely involved as the recently enacted health care reform legislation begins to take effect, according to AAFP President Lori Heim, M.D., of Vass, N.C. “It is the implementation of […]

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I have many ethical problems with the Obama Health Care bill.
But the real story that is being ignored about Obama’s health care bill is that it kowtows to big insurance and big drug companies, who stand to make a killing from the bill.
Reuter’s review of “winners and loser” should give you pause: hospitals and drug […]

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We are still waiting for the details of the Obama care bill that is going to save American health care, whether we want it or not.
One is reminded of the saying: The devil is in the details; and indeed, in these days when money is going to rule all of us, one has to wax […]

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Even living in the provinces of the Philippines, I am aware that Southwest Airlines has a “buy two seats if you are too big” policy.
So now, an overweight Hollywood guy that only the “hip” have ever heard of has decided to milk the policy for all it’s worth. If the guy is so “hip” and […]

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The right wing blogosphere is in ecstasy about a Republican upset for the Senate seat in Massachusetts.
But the real news is HOW Scott Brown won the Senate seat in “Blue state” Massachusetts. How? Apparantly, he won most of the Independent vote along with the Republican vote. One suspects he also might have garnered some of […]

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Two governorships have fallen to Republicans, if the headlines have it right.
Yet most of the pundits are saying this is not a sign of disenchantment with the Congress and the President, but only local politics.
I’m not sure I agree. I think it is a sign that the “ordinary” folks are worried, and that they trust […]

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Ah, a British paper just pooh poohed the British victory at the Battle of Agincourt, saying that Prince Hal was not outnumbered 4 to 1, merely outnumbered 2 to 1.
Actually, the author misses the point, which is that the elite knights of France got slowed down by the mud and were massacred by ordinary British […]

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When in 2002 the Benetton Formula One team morphed into Renault it was clear that what the French car giant was seeking to do was to secure brand value from the move, in return, of course, for funding. Constructors’ and Drivers’ championships in 2005 and 2006 will undoubtedly have given the brand a major boost […]

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So President Obama is scrapping the Bush “Missile Defense program” that was planned to protect Europe from Iran.
Yes, I know. There is some question if the missile defense was any good against the actual threat, and all it seemed to do is irritate Russia. And it’s not like the program would merely be scrapped: there […]

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Leave it to leftist Hollywood to completely circumvent the truth of the sub-prime mortgage fiasco and turn it into more class warfare against the evil capitalists. Here are quotes they are using to advertise this left-wing socialist propaganda titled “American Casino” that is playing in select cities:
 “American Casino is a powerful and shocking look at […]

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I can’t claim that I ever understood the world of high-finance or what drives the stock market — and now I’m more confused than ever but I have a theory:
Since President Obama moved into the oval office the national debt has skyrocketed; unemployment is at a record high in many places; there is legislation […]

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The Editorial Board of the New York Times has just sent a warning shot across the bow of the Democrat who are trying to fast track a health care bill:
They published an editorial by Dr. Peter Singer, who is best known for his promotion of the idea that infanticide is okay, but consensual sex with […]

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Short Answer: marginally.
Long Answer: There was much sturm und drang over Extended Stay America’s (ESA) Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing on Monday. Of primary concern to this investor is how the filing may affect Ashford Hospitality Trust’s (AHT) $98 million mezzanine loan that was made to ESA last year.
For investors, it’s important not to panic and […]

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Short Answer: marginally.
Long Answer: There was much sturm und drang over Extended Stay America’s (ESA) Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing on Monday. Of primary concern to this investor is how the filing may affect Ashford Hospitality Trust’s (AHT) $98 million mezzanine loan that was made to ESA last year.
For investors, it’s important not to panic and […]

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Last week, Citron Research issued a report on World Acceptance Corporation (WRLD) that demonstrated a staggering degree of either ignorance or malfeasance. Their tabloid-style reporting seems designed to maximize fear in stockholders. One could reasonably assume it is because Citron is short the stock. They claim there is a disconnect between reality and what World […]

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There is a happy news for IT industry in India. Despite whatever may happen worldwide, now there is a plan for bringing in revolutionary chages that may enable India take giant steps towards realizing its goal to be an IT super power in the world.
The indications are available in the IT Vision document that BJP […]

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MEMO TO: Richard Feducci, Overlord of Finance
FROM: E Pluribus, Wondergod
SUBJECT: Five Year International Finance Plan
DATE: January 1, 2005
Happy New Year, Rich. Got some good news and some bad news. The bad news: We’re going to let the American economy crater. The good news: Everybody else’s will, too. The best news: By 2010, we’ll be on […]

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Stanford International Bank may not have been investing client funds in the kind of secured assets they had claimed.  Among the many revelations in the unfolding scandal was the company’s majority position in Health Systems Solutions, Inc. (HSSO.OB), a pink-sheet stock with negative shareholder equity, that has been operating at a loss for several years.   […]

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No, I’m not quoting the well worn joke: World ends, women and minorities affected most.
I’m just observing how the economic downturn is affecting those in our area of the Philippines.
One of my medical journals (registration required) says the World Health Organization is worried that the worldwide recession will result in people chosing to wait for […]

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Couldn’t help but ho ho over a Reuters report that New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine was among a group of governors urging the federal government to provide the nation’s states with a $1 trillion special stimulus package. The money would be used for general fund purposes (education, unemployment benefits, etc.) as well as for public […]

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The intriguing story  that ExxonMobil has Royal Dutch Shell (RDS) in its sights will send shivers down the spines of Shell’s senior executives as they plan their strategy for 2009 and beyond. It may also give much food for though to those in the European Union who want to keep European hands on key energy […]

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Subtitle: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century
Although American Theocracy is Kevin Phillips’ thirteenth book, it is the first one I have read. In fact, I had never even heard of Mr. Phillips until I saw him on Charlie Rose a few years ago. That interview coincided […]

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David Schussler
So I’m sitting on the toilet, it’s six thirty AM, and I’m thinking about how good it is to be relieving myself of bodily toxins early in the morning. I’m going to have a good day. I’m remembering the lessons I learned while living alone in the bush and having time to understand my […]

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The BBC has an interesting article about a “perfect storm”: economic collapse, high inflation,high unemployment, and an up and coming election.
No, not the US: Iran.
Some background:
A couple months ago, oil prices surged to $150 a barrel, causing food and other everyday commodity prices to climb. Here in the Philippines, the government intervened by subsidizing low […]

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