The circus is back in town.

Charlie Sheen is the fourth major entertainment icon to melt-down in very public displays of insanity.

Celebrity insanity has been with us for as long as we have had celebrities, which is a phenomenon that dates back to emegence of the modern media establishment in… Read full post »

I’ve seen my share of pain and suffering
And every time I think I’ve seen it all
Another burst of rain falls down on me
It’s a long road that never ends
And a long river that never wends
Its way down from the mountains to the sea
But I never… Read full post »

In the discussions about economics, real estate, and banking, some facts might be in order:

 The United States ranks 17th in home ownership among the developed nations:

 

http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2010/10/international-comparison-of-home.html

Even after millions of forecl… Read full post »

Serenita Lake, one my favorite Open Saloners, in a comment on my post about economic mythology, asked me what I thought about Obama’s proposal to end federal subsidies for home ownership.

Well, Serenita, the short answer to your question is that I think the Obama Administration’s… Read full post »

 Part 1 of Economic Myths Revisited

Part 2 of Economic Myths Revisited

 This is why the Republicans harp on tax reductions....because that's the only way to inject more capital into the economy that doesn't increase the economy's dependence upon federal spending.

But tax reductions carry th… Read full post »

George Washington famously said that, “to be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.”

Theodore Roosevelt, almost as famously, misquoted Washington when he proclaimed that, “to be prepared for war is THE most effective means to promote peace.” (… Read full post »

This article began as a response to post from another blogger, Ken Jacobine, on our financial crisis.

With a title like “Drastic Cuts in Spending are Needed Now,” I expected Jacobine to jump on the “entitlement band wagon” and, when he didn't, I wanted to stand up and cheer. &… Read full post »

The people are on the march again, oh boy,
Revolution for the hell of it is back in style again
We’ve beaten our heads against the wall so long
That we’ve become inured to the pain we feel

Tyrants and oligarchs around the world, take heed,
The everyday… Read full post »

If someone falls suddenly, starts to stagger for no apparent reason, or seems incoherent or inebriated for no apparent reason, that person may be suffering a stroke.

Strokes can range from a transient ischemic attacks, which may be a precursor to a stroke to a full blown hemorrhage of an… Read full post »

I don't often insert links into my posts, but this is an excellent and important article about the Muslim Brotherhood:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/jan/20/muslim-brotherhood-egypt

My  comments on Fawaz Gerges article:

I find it interesting that an underground organization an… Read full post »

I don't often insert links into my posts, but this is an excellent and important article about the Muslim Brotherhood:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/jan/20/muslim-brotherhood-egypt

My  comments on Fawaz Gerges article:

I find it interesting that an underground organization an… Read full post »

Note that this article was also posted as a comment on Jonathan  Wolfman's post on this subject.   As it sometimes happens, the comment exceeded the orginal article's scope.  It is reposted here in view of the gravity of the situation.

 

I agree that the Israelis saw this coming,… Read full post »

 I was walking home from the Firestone dealer this morning after dropping off my car, and the following thought occurred to me:

We suffer from internal criticism.  This is the process by which we weigh ourselves and find ourselves wanting but, since we always do what we think is best in… Read full post »

 I’ve been very quiet lately.

Every time I set out to write an article, I find myself losing interest before I get halfway through the piece.

Poems go unfinished.

Watching the people in the streets of Egypt, I wonder why there are no demonstrations here against the ruling… Read full post »

It strikes me that, in the general cacophony surrounding the shootings in Tuscon,we are overlooking an important point.

No matter how crazy Jared Lee Loughner was to begin with, the people who thought he was crazy made the situation worse by ostracizing him. 

I've heared wiser heads than mine ex… Read full post »

How can you surrender to love
When you don't know what love is
Or surrender either for that matter?

Is surrender giving up
Or persevering despite
The inevitable consequences?

There is no dichotomy between
Fate and free will:
Each choice has consequences
Each consequence offers new choices

The Child says me
T… Read full post »

The sign read, “Alterations and Repairs”
In an otherwise empty shop window
Another shop owner moved away
Along with his stock and trade
Having given up the ghost
Throwing in those towels
Following empty winds
Leaving only rootless
tumbleweeds
behind.

The sign read, “Alterations a… Read full post »

(This is a continuation of a previous post where I called the Conservative Minority morons.  They aren't any such thing, which is even worse than if they were morons.  I have decided to continue this discussion in a new post because I am becoming convinced that way too much material is… Read full post »

The premise of this article is that if you can't beat them, join them, and destroy  them from within.

If you want to restore democracy to America, join the Republican party, become active in party politics, keep your real feelings to yourself, and then get elected.

At the same time,… Read full post »

 I wrote this in disgust in response to Kerry's efforts to reassure everyone that the sky isn't about to fall on Salon.com.   Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but the circumstances argue for defensive measures to protect our collective works from the sudden implosion of yet another media compan… Read full post »

I may have inadvertently contributed to the recent paranoia about the future of Open Salon as a going concern.

 Only, to be honest, it wasn’t inadvertent.

 It seems to have escaped the attention of the majority of the participants here, but doesn’t make you wonder how a compan… Read full post »

I would hate to lose you all.  I would hate to lose any of you.  I would hope that you wouldn't want to lose me either.

 Several people, myself included, have been working on creating alternative sites.  

 When mine is ready, I would like to invite you to meet… Read full post »

“City desk.”

“I want to report a murder.”

“I’m sorry.  You want to report a murder?  You should call the police department.”

“The murder hasn’t happened yet.”

“Then you should really call the police department.”

&l… Read full post »

 I’ll tell you this much about me
(In case you’ve been wondering)
I’ve missed the boat so many time
Always on the beach, never in the water,
I feel like some poor old Odysseus,
Beached by tides gone to sea without me

It’s been a long hard road
All twists… Read full post »

In the film "Immortal Beloved," Gary Oldman, as Beethoven,  says that "...the power of music is to transport the listener into the mind of the composer.  The listener has no choice.  It is like hypnosis."

This statement struck me deeply because it defines what I try to do as a… Read full post »