[News] I'm Bitter Newsletter - April 19, 2008
Carlos Mock
ctmock at gmail.com
Sat Apr 19 10:31:59 CST 2008
I Am a Bitter Man. Posted on April 15th, 2008 by Stephen Pizzo. Copyright
by News for real. I am a bitter man. I admit it. I’m neither proud or happy
about it. But it’s not my fault, either. Eight years ago I was annoyed, but
I wasn’t bitter. Being annoyed with government is the natural state of the
governed. It’s the catalyst that keeps politicians paranoid about what we’re
up to out here while they, hopefully, try to do enough things right to get
our vote next time around, even if resentfully.m But bitter is a different
kind of catalyst. It’s the emotion that freed these former colonies from
Britain. It’s the emotion that motivated American blacks to come together in
the 1960s and demand an end to segregation, once and for all. At the turn of
the century in Russia bitterness caused the Russian people to put an end to
careless, self-indulgent, wasteful monarchy. Before that, in France,
bitterness among the peasantry caused a whole lot folks to loose their heads
— literally. In short, bitterness is a motivator — maybe the motivator when
it comes to the forcing of social tipping points. So, while I’m bitter that
this administration has turned me bitter, I am crystal clear on the reasons
why I’m bitter: ...... Those are the reasons I’m bitter. And it you’re one
of those folks Hillary and McCain keep assuring me are “not bitter,” I have
only one question for you: What the hell’s wrong with you?
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/i-am-bitter-man.html
Your Lack of Money
Krugman: America is feeling bleak? By Paul Krugman. Copyright by the
International Herald Tribune. Published: April 14, 2008. The Survey
Research Center of the University of Michigan has been tracking American
economic perceptions since the 1950s. On Friday the center released its
latest estimate of the consumer sentiment index - and it was a stunner.
Americans are more pessimistic about their situation than they have been for
more than a quarter century. Meanwhile, a recent Pew report found that the
percentage of Americans saying that they're better off than they were five
years ago is at its lowest level in 44 years of polling. What's striking
about this bleak mood is that by the usual measures the economy isn't doing
that badly - at least not yet. In particular, the official unemployment rate
of 5.1 percent, though rising, is still fairly low by historical standards.
Yet economic attitudes are worse now than they were in 1992, when the
average unemployment rate was 7.5 percent. Why are we feeling so down? Our
bleakness partly reflects that most Americans are doing considerably worse
than the usual economic measures let on. The official unemployment rate may
be relatively low - but the percentage of prime-working-age Americans
without jobs, which isn't the same thing, is historically high. Gross
domestic product is up, but the inflation-adjusted income of the median
family is probably lower than it was in 2000.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/krugman-america-is-feeli
ng-bleak.html
Survey reinforces US manufacturing gloom. By Chris Bryant in Washington.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: April 17 2008 15:58
| Last updated: April 17 2008 15:58. An index of regional factory activity
slumped to its lowest level in seven years this month, painting a grim
outlook for the US manufacturing sector as domestic economic demand
continued to slow. The Philadelphia Federal Reserve index of manufacturing
conditions fell to -24.9 from -17.4 in April, marking a fifth consecutive
monthly decline. Economists had forecast a slight uptick to a reading of
-15 after a dramatic improvement in the New York Fed’s Empire State
manufacturing index earlier this week. An index of new orders in the
Philadelphia region decreased from -9.3 to -18.8 while the employment index
retreated from -4.7 to -11.1, a third negative reading in four months.
However, the prices paid index moderated a fraction, declining to 51.6 from
54.4.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/survey-reinforces-us-man
ufacturing.html
Merrill cuts jobs as writedowns top $6bn By Ben White in New York.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: April 17 2008 13:44
| Last updated: April 17 2008 13:44. Merrill Lynch on Thursday said it lost
$1.97bn in the first quarter and planned to cut around 4,000 jobs after
writing down the value of mortgage related assets, leveraged loans and other
holdings by more than $6bn. The grim results, which trailed analyst
expectations, marked the second straight losing quarter for Merrill and
underscored the stiff challenge facing John Thain, chief executive, in
moving the brokerage house past the worst of the credit squeeze. Despite
the loss and fresh writedowns, Mr Thain said Merrill would not need to raise
any new capital beyond the $12bn it has already received from sovereign
wealth funds and other outside investors. ”Despite this quarter’s loss,
Merrill Lynch’s underlying businesses produced solid results in a difficult
market environment,” said Mr Thain. ”The firm’s $82bn excess liquidity pool
has increased from year-end levels, and we remain well capitalised. In
addition, our global franchise is positioned strongly for the future, and we
continue to invest in key growth areas and regions.”
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/merrill-cuts-jobs-as-wri
tedowns-top-6bn.html
JPMorgan profits halve to $2.4bn By Francesco Guerrera in New York.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: April 16 2008 13:59
| Last updated: April 16 2008 13:59. JPMorgan Chase saw profits halve in
the first quarter of the year as continued trouble in the mortgage, home
equity and leveraged loans markets forced it to take more than $5bn in
writedowns and provisions. The results, which were in line with analysts’
expectations, underline the on-going challenges faced by Wall Street banks
as the credit crunch continues to take its toll. However, Jamie Dimon,
chairman and chief executive officer, said that neither the tough market
conditions nor JPMorgan’s recent acquisition of Bear Stearns would prevent
it from pursuing other takeover opportunities. JPMorgan has been linked to a
number of regional banks such as SunTrust and Washington Mutual. His
comments came as JPMorgan reported net income of $2.4bn, a 50 per cent fall
on the first quarter of last year, on revenues of $17.9bn, a 9 per cent
decline on the same period a year ago.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/jpmorgan-profits-halve-t
o-24bn.html
Citi reports $5.1bn loss on new writedowns By Ben White in New York.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: April 18 2008 13:50
| Last updated: April 18 2008 13:50. Citigroup on Friday said it lost
$5.1bn in the first quarter following fresh writedowns of $13bn on troubled
assets and a spike in credit costs. Vikram Pandit, chief executive, blamed
the loss on a continuation of the ”unprecedented credit and market
environment” and confirmed plans to slash costs including the sale of
non-strategic assets. Mr Pandit plans to cut Citi’s cost base by up to 20
per cent, a goal that will likely include significant reductions in the
bank’s 370,000-strong workforce./Citi’s $5.1bn loss highlights depth of
crisis By Francesco Guerrera and Ben White in New York
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: April 18 2008 13:50
| Last updated: April 18 2008 20:52. Citigroup underlined the plight of
financial firms squeezed by the credit crunch and the slowing US economy on
Friday by announcing a $5.1bn quarterly loss, nearly $16bn in writedowns and
9,000 job cuts. But its shares rallied in New York, rising 4.5 per cent to
end Friday’s session at $25.11, amid investors’ hopes that it had absorbed
the biggest blows from the crisis and was moving to slash costs and shrink
its balance sheet. The first quarter results missed Wall Street
expectations and showed losses or sharp falls in profits across Citi’s
portfolio of retail, commercial and investment banking businesses. The
losses at the consumer and investment banking divisions prompted Fitch to
downgrade its credit rating one notch to AA-.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/citi-reports-51bn-loss-o
n-new.html
Wachovia moves into loss and cuts dividend. By Ben White in New York.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: April 14 2008 02:37
| Last updated: April 14 2008 13:32. Wachovia, the fifth largest US bank by
market value, confirmed on Monday it planned to raise $7bn in capital
through a public offering as it slashed its dividend and slumped to a first
quarter loss. The bank also made a $2.8bn provision to cover losses on
mortgage-related investments. Ken Thompson, Wachovia’s chief executive
officer, blamed higher credit costs and continued disruption in capital
markets for a $350m, or $0.20 a share, first quarter loss compared with a
profit of $2.3bn or $1.20 a share in the first quarter of last year.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had expected Wachovia to earn 40
cents per share. Shares in Wachovia shares fell $2.84 or more than 10 per
cent on Monday to $24.97.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/wachovia-moves-into-loss
-and-cuts.html
Gold and Commodities
Oil $115.46
Silver Bullion $17.88
Gold Bullion $917
Platinum Bullion $ $2050
Oil and rice race to record levels By Chris Flood. Copyright The Financial
Times Limited 2008. Published: April 18 2008 18:04 | Last updated: April 18
2008 18:19. Oil extended its record breaking run this week, pushing above
the $116 level, while petrol, copper, tin and rice also reached new peaks.
Panic buying drove Thai rice prices, the global benchmark to $1,000 a tonne
this week as importers struggled to secure supplies. Key exporting countries
have imposed export restrictions, leading to widespread concerns about
supply shortages and the potential for widespread social unrest. US prices
followed Thai rises to record levels with CBOT May rough rice futures up 2
per cent to $24.36 a hundredweight on Friday, leaving prices 16.6 per cent
higher on the week. . In energy markets, Nymex May West Texas Intermediate
hit a record $116.10 a barrel on Friday before easing back to trade 60 cents
higher at $115.46, up 4.8 per cent this week. Tightening in the US market
helped drive the price higher after the Energy Information Administration
announced unexpectedly large declines in crude and petrol stocks. ICE June
Brent added 42 cents at $112.85 a barrel, up 4 per cent this week.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/oil-and-rice-race-to-rec
ord-levels.html
US food and energy costs soar By Chris Bryant in Washington DC. Copyright
The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: April 15 2008 14:49 | Last
updated: April 15 2008 14:49. Soaring energy and food bills spurred another
jump in US producer prices last month, putting further strain on industries
struggling to pass on rising costs to penny-pinching consumers. However,
the news was partially offset by a welcome boost for the manufacturing
sector after a surprising rebound in regional factory sentiment from the
previous month’s record low. Prices at the factory gate rose 1.1 per cent
in March, almost twice the 0.6 per cent rate forecast by economists and
compared with an increase of 0.3 per cent last month. The increase was
largely driven by surging food and energy costs with the price of finished
energy goods climbing 2.9 per cent while food goods increased by 1.2 per
cent. Core producer prices, which exclude food and energy, rose by 0.2 per
cent, in line with expectations, and much lower than a rate of 0.5 per cent
in February. Core inflation has risen 2.7 per cent in the past year, the
fastest rate since July 2005.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/us-food-and-energy-costs
-soar.html
Euro approaches $1.60 mark By Peter Garnham. Copyright The Financial Times
Limited 2008. Published: April 16 2008 10:45 | Last updated: April 16 2008
11:12. The euro hit a record high against the dollar and the pound on
Wednesday after data showed eurozone inflation hits its highest level since
the introduction of the single currency. Official figures showed the
eurozone’s harmonised index of consumer prices rose from an annual rate of
3.5 per cent in February to 3.6 per cent in March. The European Central
Bank - in contrast to the Federal Reserve and Bank of England - has
steadfastly refused to cut rates in response to signs that the fallout from
the credit crisis was spilling over into the real economy. Instead, the ECB
has maintained that rising price pressures were a greater threat to economic
stability than slowing growth. These contrasting stances on monetary policy
have pushed the euro to a series of record highs against the dollar and the
pound in recent months.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/euro-approaches-160-mark
.html
G7 fears sudden slide in main currencies By Krishna Guha and Chris Giles in
Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: April
13 2008 15:31 | Last updated: April 13 2008 18:52. The Group of Seven
industrialised nations has signalled shared concern over the danger of a
disorderly slide in the dollar and sterling, following bouts of extreme
weakness in the two currencies in recent months. The warning came in a new
sentence of the G7 communiqué, which said “there have been at times sharp
movements in major currencies, and we are concerned about their possible
implications for economic and financial stability”. The G7 pledged as
before to “monitor exchange markets closely and co-operate as appropriate”.
This is the biggest shift in the G7 language on currencies since the Boca
Raton summit in February 2004. It signals the emergence of a new consensus
on the risks posed by extreme currency weakness following months of
disagreement between economies with appreciating and depreciating
currencies.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/g7-fears-sudden-slide-in
-main.html
Housing
Illinois Average Rates
4/19/2008 - 10:46 PM
30 Yr Fixed 5.88%
15 Yr Fixed 5.45%
30 Yr Fixed Jumbo 7.19%
15 Yr Fixed Jumbo 6.42%
Treasury sell-off hits housing recovery hopes By Michael Mackenzie and
Saskia Scholtes in New York and Krishna Guha in Washington. Copyright The
Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: April 18 2008 23:16 | Last
updated: April 18 2008 23:16. US mortgage rates soared this week after a
dramatic sell-off in the Treasury market that hit housing sector recovery
hopes even as it suggested investors were growing more confident in the
medium-term US economic outlook. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose as
high as 3.85 per cent on Friday from less than 3.50 per cent last week as
investors sold bonds on expectations that the Federal Reserve could soon end
its rate-cutting cycle. The Fed sees the rise in yields as signalling
increased market confidence in US economic prospects. However, mortgage
rates also moved higher, making it more expensive to buy homes and less
likely that existing homeowners will be able to refinance mortgages.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/treasury-sell-off-hits-h
ousing-recovery.html
US Foreclosure Filings Jump in March By J.W. ELPHINSTONE. Copyright 2008
Associated Press. 3:12 AM CDT, April 15, 2008. The onslaught of homes
facing foreclosures has yet to ebb, a research report showed Tuesday, with
bank repossessions skyrocketing last month as more troubled homeowners
mailed in their keys and walked away. And the worst isn't over: the wave of
adjustable-rate loans resetting to higher rates will crest in May and June.
And that's expected to push more homeowners into default and foreclosure in
the third and fourth quarters of this year, according to RealtyTrac Inc. of
Irvine, Calif. "Once we're through that batch of loans, the worst will have
been worked through the system," said Rick Sharga, RealtyTrac's vice
president of marketing. The number of U.S. homes receiving at least one
foreclosure filing jumped 57 percent in March to 234,685, compared with
149,150 properties a year earlier. Filings include default notices, auction
sale notices and bank repossessions.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/us-foreclosure-filings-j
ump-in-march.html
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - The wrong way on housing. Copyright © 2008,
Chicago Tribune. April 14, 2008. Whoever coined the slogan "as American as
motherhood and apple pie" forgot one item: homeownership. Politicians have
long championed housing investment to the point of excess, and the ongoing
mortgage meltdown has given a new urgency to that impulse. That's how we got
the muddle-headed housing bill that the U.S. Senate passed overwhelmingly on
Thursday. When economic troubles arise, our leaders in Washington are eager
to show they are determined to fix the problem. This is not quite the same
thing as fixing the problem; advertising their good intentions is usually
sufficient for political purposes. This package fits that bill. Given that
the federal government is running a big deficit even before it lays out some
$150 billion for tax rebates and other forms of economic stimulus, now is
not the time to run up more debt. But the measure that Democrats and
Republicans joined together to support would cost up to $20 billion. They
don't propose to pay for it with revenue increases or spending cuts
elsewhere in the budget, which is the only way to avoid swelling the
deficit.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/chicago-sun-times-editor
ial-wrong-way.html
Why financial regulation is both difficult and essential By Martin Wolf.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: April 15 2008 18:41
| Last updated: April 15 2008 18:41. Nice try; no cigar. That was my
reaction to the attempt of the banking community to forestall additional
regulation, by recommending “a suite of best practices to be embraced
voluntarily”. It was also the reaction of the policymakers meeting in
Washington over the weekend. More regulation is on its way. After
frightening politicians and policymakers so badly, even the most optimistic
banker must realise this. The question is whether the additional regulation
will do any good. In an interim report on “market best practices”, the
Institute for International Finance, an association of bankers, offers
devastating self-criticism.* Here then are some of the weaknesses it
identifies: “deteriorating lending standards by certain originators of
credit”; a “decline of underwriting standards”; an “excessive reliance on
poorly understood, poorly performing and less than adequate ratings of
structured products”; and “difficulties in identifying where exposures
reside”. Would you buy a voluntary code from people who describe their own
mistakes in this brutal manner? I thought not. There are two powerful
additional reasons for not doing so.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/why-financial-regulation
-is-both.html
International
What follows American dominion? By Richard Haass. Copyright The Financial
Times Limited 2008. Published: April 15 2008 18:21 | Last updated: April 15
2008 18:21. The unipolar era, a time of un precedented American dominion,
is over. It lasted some two decades, little more than a moment in historical
terms. Why did it end? One explanation is history. States get better at
generating and piecing together the human, financial and technological
resources that lead to productivity and prosperity. The same holds for
companies and other organisations. The rise of new powers cannot be stopped.
The result is an ever larger number of actors able to exert influence
regionally or globally. It is not that the US has grown weaker, but that
many other entities have grown much stronger. A second reason unipolarity
has ended is US policy. By both what it has done and what it has failed to
do, the US has accelerated the emergence of new power centres and has
weakened its own position relative to them. US energy policy (or the lack
thereof) is one driving force behind the end of unipolarity. Since the first
oil shocks of the 1970s, US oil consumption has grown by some 20 per cent
and, more important, US imports of petroleum products have more than doubled
in volume and nearly doubled as a percentage of consumption. This growth in
demand for foreign oil has helped drive up the world price from just over
$20 a barrel to more than $100 a barrel. The result is an enormous transfer
of wealth and leverage to those states with energy reserves. US economic
policy has played a role as well. President George W. Bush has fought costly
wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, allowed discretionary spending to increase by
8 per cent a year and cut taxes. The US fiscal position declined from a
surplus of more than $100bn in 2001 to an estimated deficit of about $250bn
in 2007. The ballooning current account deficit is now more than 6 per cent
of gross domestic product. This places downward pressure on the dollar,
stimulates inflation and contributes to the accumulation of wealth and power
elsewhere in the world. Poor regulation of the US mortgage market and the
credit crisis it spawned have exacerbated these problems.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/what-follows-american-do
minion.html
Republicans hit at US deal with N Korea By Demetri Sevastopulo and Daniel
Dombey in Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008.
Published: April 16 2008 01:36 | Last updated: April 16 2008 01:36. Senior
Republicans on Tuesday criticised a tentative US deal with North Korea that
would allow Pyongyang to avoid revealing the full extent of its nuclear
programmes as part of a broader agreement towards denuclearising the Korean
peninsula. Christopher Hill, the senior US envoy on North Korea, last week
briefed the House on a deal that would see North Korea “acknowledge”, in a
secret document, US allegations about nuclear proliferation to Syria and a
possible rudimentary uranium-enrichment programme. Under the deal, still
being finalised, North Korea would provide a full declaration of only its
plutonium programme, which produced the nuclear weapon it tested in 2006.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/republicans-hit-at-us-de
al-with-n-korea.html
Cubans Line Up for Cell Phone Service By WILL WEISSERT. Copyright 2008
Associated Press. 6:29 PM CDT, April 14, 2008. HAVANA - Lines stretched
for blocks outside phone centers Monday as the government allowed ordinary
Cubans to sign up for cellular phone service for the first time. The
contracts cost about US$120 (euro76) to activate -- half a year's wages on
the average state salary. And that doesn't include a phone or credit to make
and receive calls. But most Cubans have at least some access to dollars or
euros thanks to jobs in tourism or with foreign firms, or money sent by
relatives abroad. Lines formed before the stores opened, and waits grew to
more than an hour. "Everyone wants to be first to sign up," said Usan
Astorga, a 19-year-old medical student who stood for about 20 minutes before
her line moved at all.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/cubans-line-up-for-cell-
phone-service.html
China
China’s economy races on despite storms By Richard McGregor in Beijing.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: April 16 2008 07:49
| Last updated: April 16 2008 17:55. China’s economy grew by 10.6 per cent
in the first quarter, compared with the first three months of 2007, despite
widespread disruption from ice storms and power cuts to industry and
transport in January and February. The gross domestic product rise, which
was above a market consensus of just above 10 per cent, means that Beijing
is likely to continue tightening monetary policy in the coming months, while
its big trading partners loosen credit. After the release of the figures,
the People’s Bank of China, the central bank, raised the proportion of
deposits that large commercial banks must keep with it by 0.5 percentage
points to 16 per cent – the 16th such increase since mid-2006. Growth in
the first quarter was down slightly compared with the final three months of
2007, when it stood at 11.7 per cent, mainly due to the slowing pace of
export growth and the impact of severe weather.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/chinas-economy-races-on-
despite-storms.html
Mess-o-potamia
Greenway: Of tribes and governments By H. D. S. Greenway. Copyright by The
International Herald Tribune. Published: April 15, 2008. BOSTON: General
David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker have gone back to Baghdad with
all the time they want, but with no clear plan other than carrying on as
before and muddling through. "Our patience is not unlimited," said Senator
John Barrasso of Wyoming, but apparently it is. Congress has not the will to
be decisive, and so we fight on, with an illusion of progress always
dangling before us like a mirage of water in a desert wasteland. Petraeus
and Crocker were masters at obfuscation as they tried to thread their way
between congressional hawks and doves last week. A straight answer was as
rare as a day without death in Baghdad. But Petraeus did admit: "We haven't
turned any corners. We haven't seen any lights at the end of the tunnel."
There was an effort among certain senators to blame our problems on Iran,
and Crocker was quick to take it up. But there were no Iranians or Shiites
in the suicide planes of Sept. 11, 2001. Al Qaeda considers all Shiites
apostates.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/greenway-of-tribes-and-g
overnments.html
1,300 Iraqi Troops, Police Dismissed By BUSHRA JUHI. Copyright 2008
Associated Press. 8:45 AM CDT, April 13, 2008. BAGHDAD - The Iraqi
government has dismissed about 1,300 soldiers and policemen who deserted or
refused to fight during last month's offensive against Shiite militias and
criminal gangs in Basra, officials said Sunday. Interior Ministry spokesman
Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said 921 police and soldiers were fired in
Basra. They included 37 senior police officers ranging in rank from
lieutenant colonel to brigadier general. The others were dismissed in Kut,
one of the Shiite cities where the fight had spread. Last month, Prime
Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered the security forces to confront armed
groups in Basra, Iraq's second largest city. But they met fierce resistance
and the attack quickly ground to a halt as fighting flared across the Shiite
south and Baghdad. Since then, government officials have revealed that
about 1,000 members of the security forces -- including an entire infantry
battalion -- had mutinied, on some cases handing over vehicles and weapons
to the militias.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/1300-iraqi-troops-police
-dismissed.html
Car Bombs Kill Nearly 60 in Iraq By KIM GAMEL. Copyright 2008 Associated
Press. 8:18 AM CDT, April 15, 2008. BAGHDAD - Car bombs ripped through
crowded areas in Baghdad and former insurgent strongholds to the north and
west of the capital on Tuesday, killing nearly 60 people and breaking a
recent lull in violence in the predominantly Sunni areas. The attacks were
a deadly reminder of the threat posed by suspected Sunni insurgents even as
clashes between Shiite militia fighters and U.S.-Iraqi forces continued
elsewhere. The first blast Tuesday occurred in Baqouba, 35 miles northeast
of Baghdad, when a car parked in front of a restaurant exploded just before
noon across the street from the central courthouse and other government
offices. Many of the victims were people visiting the government offices,
petition writers helping people with documents in stalls outside or the
occupants of cars that were caught in the explosion as they passed through
the area, witnesses said. Several cars and minibuses were set ablaze, while
more than 10 shops and the restaurant were heavily damaged.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/car-bombs-kill-nearly-60
-in-iraq.html
Official: Roadside bomb kills 3 Afghan civilians By NOOR KHAN. Copyright
2008 Associated Press. 4:16 AM CDT, April 19, 2008. KANDAHAR, Afghanistan
- A roadside bomb hit a civilian vehicle Saturday in southern Afghanistan,
killing three people and wounding another, an official said. The bomb hit
the car in the Shahjoy district of Zabul province, in an area frequently
patrolled by Afghan and international troops, said Shahjoy district chief
Qayum Khan. Khan said the "terrorist act" killed three civilians and
wounded another. He accused the Taliban of planting the bomb.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/official-roadside-bomb-k
ills-3-afghan.html
Roadside Bomb Kills 2 Afghan Police. Copyright 2008 Associated Press.
12:50 AM CDT, April 15, 2008. KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Officials say a
roadside bomb has hit a police vehicle in southern Afghanistan, killing two
policemen and wounding three others. Kandahar province police commander
Sahib Jan says the remote-controlled bomb went off Tuesday on the main
highway in Spin Boldak district. One of the wounded was in critical
condition. The attack comes a day after insurgents killed 11 police
officers in nearby Arghandab district.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/roadside-bomb-kills-2-af
ghan-police.html
Bush's victory: Blame the Democrats BY ANDREW GREELEY. Copyright by The
Chicago Sun-Times. April 16, 2008. The argument in the Capitol last week
was about victory. Legislators such as Sen. John McCain and Sen. Lindsey
Graham believe, against all the evidence, that victory in Iraq is possible.
They insist like puppets that "the surge has been a success" and see signs
of victory. The president proclaims that we are winning the war. Gen. David
Petraeus says that the progress is fragile and reversible, that there is not
yet light at the end of the tunnel, victory is not right around the corner
and the champagne is still at the back of the refrigerator. We know that
many in the Pentagon think victory in Iraq is impossible. Navy Adm. William
Fallon was dumped because he agreed with them and disagreed with Petraeus.
He argued that the military is traumatized by the duration of the war and
the constant increase in tours of duty. Fallon was, some of the neocons say,
guilty of insubordination. If you tell the civilian leaders that this war
cannot be won and that military is stretched to its limit, you're
insubordinate. The president knows better.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/bushs-victory-blame-demo
crats.html
National
Supreme Court clears way for lethal injection By Patti Waldmeir in
Washington. Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: April
16 2008 20:37 | Last updated: April 16 2008 20:37. The US Supreme Court on
Wednesday cleared the way for executions to resume in America when it ruled
in favour of the death penalty in an important test case, putting an end to
a de-facto six-month moratorium. The court found that the lethal injection
method of execution used by most US states is constitutional. But its ruling
was deeply fractured, reflecting sharp divisions within the court and in US
society at large. It was the first time in more than a century that the top
court had considered whether a particular method of execution violated the
constitution’s prohibition on “cruel and unusual punishment”. The justices
voted 7-2 in Wednesday’s ruling, Baze v Rees, that Kentucky’s lethal
injection method is constitutional, but the majority splintered into many
contradictory camps. The court’s main opinion, written by Chief Justice
John Roberts, sets out a new standard for challenging execution methods:
lawyers for condemned prisoners must prove the method causes “substantial
risk of serious harm”.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/supreme-court-clears-way
-for-lethal.html
Bush Whacking
On the Economy, 70% Disapprove of Bush By Jon Cohen. Copyright by The
Washington Post. Tuesday, April 15, 2008; Page A04. Public disapproval of
the way President Bush is handling the nation's economy has hit a new high
in Washington Post-ABC News polling, and his overall favorability rating
remains near an all-time low. Seven in 10 Americans now give negative
ratings to the president's stewardship of the sinking U.S. economy. Only 28
percent approve of his performance in this area, a double-digit decline from
a year ago, and even core Republicans have begun to abandon the president on
the issue. Among Republicans, 59 percent approve of the way he is handling
the economy, down from 70 percent at the beginning of February and well off
his career average of about 80 percent from his party's base. Only a quarter
of independents and 6 percent of Democrats approve of Bush's performance on
the economy. Republicans have been more steadfast in their overall support
for Bush and in their assessments of his handling of the situation in Iraq,
with about three-quarters approving of Bush's job performance generally and
68 percent backing him on his war policies.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/on-economy-70-disapprove
-of-bush.html
Losing Our Will By Bob Herbert. Copyright by The New York Times. Saturday
12 April 2008. I wonder what the answers would be if each American asked
himself or herself the question: "How is the war in Iraq helping me?"
While the U.S. government continues to pour precious human treasure and vast
financial resources into this ugly war without end, it is all but ignoring
deeply entrenched problems that are weakening the country here at home. On
the same day that President Bush was announcing an indefinite suspension of
troop withdrawals from Iraq, the New York Times columnist David Leonhardt
was telling us a sad story about how the middle class has fared during the
Bush years. The economic boom so highly touted by the president and his
supporters "was, for most Americans," said Mr. Leonhardt, "nothing of the
sort." Despite the sustained expansion of the past few years, the middle
class - for the first time on record - failed to grow with the economy.
And now, of course, we're sinking into a nasty recession. The U.S., once
the greatest can-do country on the planet, now can't seem to do anything
right. The great middle class has maxed out its credit cards and drained
dangerous amounts of equity from family homes. No one can seem to figure out
how to generate the growth in good-paying jobs that is the only legitimate
way of putting strapped families back on their feet. The nation's
infrastructure is aging and in many places decrepit. Rebuilding it would be
an important source of job creation, but nothing on the scale that is needed
is in sight. To get a sense of how important an issue this is, consider New
Orleans.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/losing-our-will.html
International Herald Tribune Editorial - A Uighur in Guantánamo, with no
place to go. Copyright by The International Herald Tribune. Published:
April 14, 2008. A Chinese Muslim who has been a prisoner at Guantánamo
since 2002 has finally gotten a hearing before a three-judge panel in
Washington on the question of whether he was properly classified as an enemy
combatant. Based on the unclassified evidence offered at the hearing last
week, the judges have no choice but to relieve Huzaifa Parhat of the enemy
combatant designation and order his release. Release to go where is the
thorny question. Parhat is a member of the Turkic Uighur minority in
northwestern China, many of whose members seek greater independence from
Beijing. U.S. officials realize they cannot in good conscience return him to
China, where he would be persecuted. Other countries have refused to
provide refuge, in part because many countries are reluctant to offend
China. The only honorable course is to release Parhat to one of the Uighur
communities in the United States.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/international-herald-tri
bune-editorial_9504.html
Indecision 2008
Michelle Obama on The Colbert Report
http://movies.crooksandliars.com/Colbert-Michelle-Obama.mov
Chicago Tribune Editorial - Guilt by association. Copyright © 2008, Chicago
Tribune. 6:16 PM CDT, April 17, 2008. First, you have to wonder why ABC
News thought it was a good idea to have George Stephanopoulos, who was one
of President Bill Clinton's highest-ranking aides, serve up questions at a
debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Second, you have to wonder
why Stephanopoulos, who has been resurrected as a television commentator,
thought to ask Obama about . . . Bill Ayers. Obama knows Ayers, a former
radical and member of the Weather Underground who is now an academic in
Chicago. They met years ago. They served together on the board of the Woods
Fund of Chicago, which provides money for anti-poverty efforts. Ah, we know
Ayers too. And his wife, Bernardine Dohrn. If you know people in Chicago
academic circles, chances are you know Ayers and Dohrn. They have not been
repentant about their days in the radical, anti-war movement in the 1960s
and their time fleeing federal authorities. They should be. There is still
time for them to be.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/chicago-tribune-editoria
l-guilt-by.html
Chicago Sun-Times Editorial - Gotcha debate didn't help voters decide.
Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April 18, 2008. This week's televised
debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama likely was their last. And
what a disappointment it was. We've heard of a spin-free zone. How about a
substance-free zone? It sure felt that way, especially for the first half
of the debate led by ABC's Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos. It was
a night marked by gotcha questions, of been-there-heard-that retreads that
offered little new. So many of the tired issues raised had already been
through the maw of 24/7 cable news, conservative talk shows and the
ever-reliable YouTube. Clinton fibbed about landing under sniper fire in
Bosnia? Got it. Obama's pastor offends people? So we've heard. Obama
insulted voters with talk of "bitterness," guns and religion? Check. By
now, everybody has picked apart those overblown "character issues" and made
up their mind.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/chicago-sun-times-editor
ial-gotcha.html
Hillary shamelessly won't let it go BY MARY MITCHELL. Copyright by he
Chicago Sun-Times. April 18, 2008. Now I'm bitter. After 15 months of
listening to Hillary Clinton tell the American public that Barack Obama's
positive words don't matter, Clinton is now trying to derail her rival by
exploiting negative sound bites. She's had a field day. First, it was the
Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Now, it's comments Obama made during a fund-raiser in
which he characterized small-town voters as being "bitter" and "clinging" to
their "guns" and "religion." Even ABC's Charlie Gibson and George
Stephanopolous couldn't resist this gossipy topic during Wednesday's
televised debate. "Do you understand that some people in this state find
that patronizing and think that you said actually what you meant?" Gibson
asked.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/hillary-shamelessly-wont
-let-it-go.html
MOST SEE DISHONESTY - Poll Shows Erosion Of Trust in Clinton By Anne E.
Kornblut and Jon Cohen. Copyright by The Washington Post. Wednesday, April
16, 2008; Page A06. PHILADELPHIA, April 15 -- Lost in the Hillary Rodham
Clinton campaign's aggressive attacks on Barack Obama in recent days is a
deep and enduring problem that threatens to undercut any inroads Clinton has
made in her struggle to overtake him in the Democratic presidential race:
She has lost trust among voters, a majority of whom now view her as
dishonest. Her advisers' efforts to deal with the problem -- by having her
acknowledge her mistakes and crack self-deprecating jokes -- do not seem to
have succeeded. Privately, the aides admit that the recent controversy over
her claim to have ducked sniper fire on a trip to Bosnia probably made
things worse. Clinton is viewed as "honest and trustworthy" by just 39
percent of Americans, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll,
compared with 52 percent in May 2006. Nearly six in 10 said in the new poll
that she is not honest and trustworthy. And now, compared with Obama,
Clinton has a deep trust deficit among Democrats, trailing him by 23 points
as the more honest, an area on which she once led both Obama and John
Edwards. Among Democrats, 63 percent called her honest, down 18 points from
2006; among independents, her trust level has dropped 13 points, to 37
percent. Republicans held Clinton in low regard on this in the past (23
percent called her honest two years ago), but it is even lower now, at 16
percent. Majorities of men and women now say the phrase does not apply to
Clinton; two years ago, narrow majorities of both did.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/most-see-dishonesty-poll
-shows-erosion.html
The dilemma that stalks Clinton’s prey By Edward Luce. Copyright The
Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: April 18 2008 19:05 | Last
updated: April 18 2008 19:05. During the Democratic debate on Wednesday,
one of the moderators asked Barack Obama whether he thought that the Rev
Jeremiah Wright, his controversial former pastor, loved America as much as
he did. A flummoxed Mr Obama mumbled something about Mr Wright’s spell in
the Marines. Until recently Mr Obama was criticised chiefly for being a man
of words rather than experience. Since becoming the favourite, however, the
charges against him have become steadily graver. In the past six weeks Mr
Obama has faced allegations or insinuations of being a snob, unpatriotic, a
neo-Marxist, a closet anti-Semite, a consorter with home-grown terrorists
and a devotee of black liberation theology.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/dilemma-that-stalks-clin
tons-prey.html
McCain faces accusations of hypocrisy By Andrew Ward in Washington.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: April 18 2008 19:36
| Last updated: April 19 2008 00:29. John McCain on Friday faced
accusations of hypocrisy for failing to disclose his wife’s tax records,
despite his promise to bring greater transparency and accountability to
government. The Arizona senator declared income of $419,731 in 2007 – a
fraction of the multi-million dollar earnings reported by Barack Obama and
Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rivals. But the disclosure excluded the
income of his wife, Cindy, the heiress to a large Arizona beer distribution
company, whose wealth is estimated at more than $100m (€63.5m, £50.2m). Mrs
Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, this month reported
joint income of $20.4m for 2007, while Mr Obama and his wife, Michelle,
declared $4.2m.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/mccain-faces-accusations
-of-hypocrisy.html
Chicagoland
Chicago feels aftershock to Midwest quake - Strongest of follow-up temblors
called a 4.6 in wake of initial 5.2 jolt. Copyright © 2008, Chicago
Tribune. 12:46 PM CDT, April 18, 2008. Several aftershocks shook through
the Midwest Friday morning, almost six hours after an earthquake centered in
southeast Illinois and felt across several states rattled people out of
their sleep. There were no injuries or serious damage reported late Friday
morning. The U.S. Geological Survey said there had been as many as six
aftershocks, including one that registered 4.6 on the Richter Scale that hit
around 10:15 a.m., said U.S.G.S. geophysicist Angel Gutierrez. The rumbling
could be felt at least as far away as western Tennessee. "We've had a few
before this one, but this one is the biggest," said Gutierrez,adding that
two of the previous shocks registered at 2.2 and 2.5. The shock noticeably
rattled the state Capitol even as Springfield residents were still
chattering about the vibrations overnight that rocked them in their beds.
Windows rattled around Springfield and the floors in the Capitol vibrated
during the aftershocks.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/chicago-feels-aftershock
-to-midwest.html
Cops kill cougar on North Side - Neighborhood stunned as animal cornered,
shot in back alley By Jeremy Manier and Tina Shah. Copyright © 2008,
Chicago Tribune. April 15, 2008. A cougar ran loose in Chicago on Monday
for the first time since the city's founding in the 19th Century. But by
day's end, the animal lay dead in a back alley on the North Side, shot by
police who said they feared it was turning to attack. No one knew where the
150-pound cat came from, though on Saturday Wilmette police had received
four reports of a cougar roaming that suburb, roughly 15 miles from the site
of Monday's shooting. Whatever its origin, the 5-foot-long cougar's
unlikely journey ended in the Roscoe Village neighborhood, where residents
reported sightings throughout the day to the Chicago Commission on Animal
Care and Control. Resident Ben Greene said police cornered the cougar
shortly before 6 p.m. in his side yard on the 3400 block of North Hoyne
Avenue.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/cops-kill-cougar-on-nort
h-side.html
Chicago Olympic bid nowhere 'near first' - USOC chief says city must play up
ethnic diversity and work on 'handful of issues' BY RUMMANA HUSSAIN Staff
Reporter rhussain at suntimes.com. Copyright by The Chicago Sun-Times. April
16, 2008. We've still got a long way to go to No. 1. Heck, we don't even
know if we're the "Second City." While Peter Ueberroth refused to say where
he thinks Chicago currently ranks in the race for the 2016 Summer Olympic
Games, the U.S. Olympic Committee chairman bluntly said the city is
"certainly not" the front-runner to host the international spectacle. "I
think they're [Chicago 2016 team] improving but still not anywhere near
first," he said Tuesday. When he was in town last fall, Ueberroth said
Chicago -- the United States' applicant city -- stood "third or fourth
place" behind Rio de Janeiro, Madrid and Tokyo, and needed to recruit more
help from the private sector.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/chicago-olympic-bid-nowh
ere-near-first.html
Chicago Tribune Editorial - The Wrigley Field conflict. Copyright © 2008,
Chicago Tribune. April 18, 2008. Should the Illinois Sports Facilities
Authority buy Wrigley Field from Tribune Co., the owner of this newspaper?
Like most other Illinoisans with a pulse, we have thoughts on that issue. As
an editorial board, we've been seeking a way to delve into the mix of
components at play: private ownership of a sports franchise, public
ownership of a stadium, the complex pluses and minuses for Illinois
taxpayers, the desires of Chicago Cubs fans to keep their team in perpetuity
at 1060 W. Addison St. We earn our livings by trying to help Tribune
readers navigate torrents of information and discordant opinions so they can
reach good decisions. But this time our ambition to synthesize and speak out
collides with a second force: our economic self-interest. The future of our
parent company—conceivably, the future of our jobs—rests to some unknowable
extent on the successful sale of the Cubs and Wrigley Field, and the
resulting reduction of corporate debt.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/chicago-tribune-editoria
l-wrigley-field.html
GLBT
Lobby Day makes GLBT presence felt in State Capitol By Matt Simonette.
Copyright by The Chicago Free Press. April 16, 2008. SPRINGFIELD—Community
advocates and activists in the struggle for equality for same-sex couples
descended on the Illinois Statehouse for Equality Illinois’ 2008 Lobby Day
April 9. The lobbyists, numbering about 180, came to speak to their
legislators about HB 1826, sponsored by Rep. Greg Harris (D-Chicago), which
would allow Illinois same-sex couples to enter into civil unions affording
nearly all the rights as marriage. On this particular day, they had to
compete for lawmakers’ attention as they waited outside the House chambers.
Nine lobbying groups were reportedly visiting the capital that day.
Activist Laurel Grauer said she was there lobbying on behalf of both HB 1826
and HB 4455, which allots $7 million for support services for homeless
youth. She saw the two bills as connected since so many homeless
youth—about 42 percent, according to the National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force—are GLBT-identified. HB 1826, Grauer said, would illustrate that the
community supports its GLBT citizens and sees no reason for them to be
ashamed of their identities.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/lobby-day-makes-glbt-pre
sence-felt-in.html
Chicago Free Press Editorial: Fight for the right ENDA. Copyright by The
Chicago Free Press. April 16, 2008. Here we go again. Last fall we
thought our community made it crystal clear that we aren’t interested in
pushing through Congress a version of the proposed Employment
Non-Discrimination Act that doesn’t include protections based on gender
identity. In an unprecedented display of community unity more than 300 GLBT
groups from around the country came together almost overnight to oppose any
version of ENDA that doesn’t protect transgenders. Never in our community’s
history have so many diverse groups banded together to speak with such a
singular voice on one political issue. House Democratic leaders, backed by
the lone community group that didn’t stand together with the rest of the
community—the Human Rights Campaign—ignored us, marking the only time in
history, no doubt, that Congress passed a civil rights bill that was
adamantly opposed by the community it was supposed to benefit.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/chicago-free-press-edito
rial-fight-for.html
Domestic Violence at Home By Roger McCaffrey-Boss. Copyright by Gay Chicago
Magazine and Roger McCaffrey-Boss. April 15, 2008. Q: Last night, my lover
was drinking and started hitting me for no reason. This has happened several
times before, and each time he apologizes afterward. I am scared to go home
but I have no other place to live. What are my legal rights? A: If you are
assaulted at home by your partner, you are protected. The Domestic Violence
Statute in Illinois is very liberally interpreted by the courts to give LGBT
men and women a legal forum to protect themselves from abusive partners. If
the victims of domestic violence do find the courage to report the battering
that is occurring, many will be surprised to find that the Chicago Police,
State’s Attorneys Office and Circuit Court are very receptive to these
concerns. In fact, the Domestic Violence Statute in Illinois is very
liberally interpreted by the courts to give LGBT men and women a legal forum
to protect themselves.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/domestic-violence-at-hom
e.html
‘You look wonderful’ By Paul Varnell. Copyright by The Chicago Free Press
and Paul Varnell. April 16, 2008. Each year as my birthday anniversary
inexorably rolls around and passes by with a merry wave, I take the
opportunity to reflect on the aging process as it affects the gay community
and me personally. This was year number 67, not a particularly interesting
number, just another hatch mark in the tally of continued existence. Not
that I take continued existence lightly. In earlier ages, a man my age had
outlived most of his contemporaries. And, of course, many gay men’s lives
were snuffed out prematurely by AIDS. Getting old has advantages and
disadvantages. Perhaps the most significant disadvantage is the increased
possibility of Things Going Wrong. When you were younger, after you got all
the available preventive vaccines, you ate what you wanted and got only as
much exercise as you felt like. But as you age, you begin paying more
attention to your diet. You start watching your cholesterol level, glucose
level and blood pressure; your doctor sternly tells you to get more
exercise. Health monitoring simply becomes part of your life. (Memo to
fellow seniors: Get the pneumonia vaccine.)
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/you-look-wonderful.html
Health Care
HPV-related oral cancers rise among younger men - Hopkins doctor credited
with linking tumors and sexually transmitted virus By Stephanie Desmon.
Copyright © 2008, The Baltimore Sun. April 14, 2008. The sexually
transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer in women has now been linked
to an uptick of throat, tonsil and tongue cancers - in a younger and
healthier group of patients than doctors have ever seen before. These head
and neck cancers were once the scourge of older men - mostly the result of
lifetimes of heavy smoking and drinking. The treatments often left victims
disfigured. But with those cases on the decline, doctors are seeing a new
group of victims. They're men in their 40s, and even 30s, whose cancer is
brought on by the increasingly common human papillomavirus (HPV). It's an
infection that more than half of Americans will encounter during their
lifetimes. And researchers now believe that the increase in certain oral
cancers can be traced to the spread of the virus through oral sex. New
studies suggest that HPV-related oral cancer cases are on pace to eventually
surpass cases of cervical cancer in the United States, which strikes about
11,000 women each year. And many doctors do not realize that they should be
on the lookout for oral cancer in younger patients.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/hpv-related-oral-cancers
-rise-among.html
International Herald Tribune Editorial - When drug costs soar beyond reach.
Copyright by The International Herald Tribune. Published: April 15, 2008.
It doesn't take a health policy expert to recognize that something has gone
terribly wrong when patients have to pay thousands of dollars a month for
drugs they need. As The New York Times and the International Herald Tribune
have reported, instead of paying a modest $10 to $30 co-payment - as is
usually the case for cheaper drugs - patients who need especially costly
medicines are being forced to pay 20 percent to 33 percent of the bill, up
to an annual maximum, for drugs that can cost tens or even hundreds of
thousands of dollars a year. These drugs - what insurers call Tier 4
medicines - are used to treat such serious illnesses as multiple sclerosis,
hemophilia, certain cancers and rheumatoid arthritis. The so-called tiered
formularies, in which co-payments rise along with the cost of the drugs, are
a sensible approach for encouraging consumers to use the cheapest drug
suitable for their condition. But the system seems to break down when it
moves to Tier 4 drugs where co-payments can be huge and suitable
alternatives do not exist.
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/international-herald-tri
bune-editorial_16.html
Other
Delta and Northwest agree merger By Justin Baer in New York. Copyright The
Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: April 15 2008 02:12 | Last
updated: April 15 2008 15:01. Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines have
reached a merger agreement to create the world’s largest carrier, reviving
expectations that the combination will touch off a wave of consolidation
within the US aviation industry beset by record fuel costs and waning
demand. The accord, reached late on Monday after the two companies’ boards
met separately, capped several months of negotiations that nearly ended
following an impasse between the carriers’ pilots. Driven by fuel, restless
investors and a looming slump in demand for air travel, Delta and Northwest
returned to the talks earlier this month. Both companies’ shares rose in
early trading in New York on Tuesday. Delta was up 5.2 per cent at $ 9.94
while Northwest was up 0.7% at $11.30. “Both companies acted deliberately
and rationally, and put a lot of work into making certain that the
assumptions and planning would make it successful,” Delta Chief Executive
Richard Anderson told the Financial Times. “We are where we are today
because of that hard work and planning, and we’re looking forward to getting
this approved and closed.”
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/delta-and-northwest-merg
er-imminent.html
The airlines merger that will not fly By John Gapper. Copyright The
Financial Times Limited 2008. Published: April 16 2008 19:32 | Last
updated: April 16 2008 19:32. When a business venture is declared to be
good for everyone – even those with widely differing interests – it often
turns out not to be particularly good for anyone. This, I fear, will be the
case with this week’s proposed merger of Delta and Northwest Airlines to
form the largest airline in the US, and one of the biggest in the world.
The new Delta, its combined name, sounds impressive but few mergers have
combined such lofty rhetoric with such meagre intent. Leaders of the two
faltering airlines said they would create an entity strong enough to
withstand the fuel price rises that have pushed the industry into losses and
to take on international rivals. But they intend to meld their operations
with few changes in how they work. They talked of the merger benefits
coming from “addition, rather than subtraction”. The new Delta would be “a
win” for staff, customers and communities (in other words for unions, cheap
fares and the cities from which it flies).
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/airlines-merger-that-wil
l-not-fly.html
Humor
Poll: Bullshit Is Most Important Issue For 2008 Voters
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/poll_bullshit_is_most_important?utm_so
urce=embedded_video
Letter to the Passport Office
http://iretiredfromnewsletters.blogspot.com/2008/04/letter-to-passport-offic
e.html
"Jake Gyllenhaal on SNL sings "And I'm Telling You, I'm Not Go...
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3832355600819882297&pr=goog-sl
New! Carlos now has an online store. Order your books directly from Carlos
and have them signed and dedicated. http://www.carlostmock.com/catalog/
In Pride (orgullo),
Carlos T. Mock, MD
Www.carlostmock.com
Author: Borrowing Time: A Latino Sexual Odyssey - Floricanto Press 2003.
Nominated for a Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT
Round Table.
Author: The Mosaic Virus – Floricanto Press 2007. Nominated for a Stonewall
Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a Lammie
from The Lambda Literary Foundation
Author: Author: Papi Chulo – Floricanto Press 2007. Nominated for a
Stonewall Award by the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, and a
Lammie from The Lambda Literary Foundation
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