tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740Fri, 01 May 2009 15:45:24 +0000Stuff that catches my eye, mostly politics, some other items of note...http://atempleton.com/blog/noreply@blogger.com (Alan T)Blogger463125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-5414447953464323138Fri, 01 May 2009 15:45:00 +00002009-05-01T11:45:24.565-04:00Not sure if this is available to non-subscribers, but give it a whirl."This live blog will track developments ... related to the outbreak of the new H1N1 flu, from The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Newswires and other news services. For more coverage of the flu, see the WSJ.com Flu Outbreak page and the WSJ.com Health Blog. Also, see yesterday’s live blog and track human cases of the new flu http://atempleton.com/blog/2009/05/tracking-flu-outbreak-friday-health.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-7861797292012999635Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:26:00 +00002009-04-30T01:26:02.061-04:00"WSJ: There is a lot of concern about obesity and children. What is the biggest cause? It is portions that are too large, or the wrong types of food?"Dr. Kessler: They are getting huge portions of very stimulating foods, hyper-palatable foods. You have huge portions of sugar, fat and salt. Every time they eat those foods it strengthens their neuro-circuitry to eat that food again. It activates http://atempleton.com/blog/2009/04/science-behind-overeating.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-4739957390291648662Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:12:00 +00002009-04-30T01:12:14.935-04:00"The reason that we’re worried about swine flu is the people typically killed by flu are often older people with underlying health conditions which are pushed over the edge by getting infected with influenza. Because of the deaths in Mexico, there are indications that it may be able to strike and kill younger people.""The point is, as the virus passes through these animals, it sometimes acquires http://atempleton.com/blog/2009/04/swine-flu-why-is-it-dangerous.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-7760825728922783607Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:56:00 +00002009-04-14T12:56:47.380-04:00"Data released last week by the Congressional Budget Office underscored the progressive nature of the federal tax system. And in an op-ed article today in The Wall Street Journal, Ari Fleischer, who served as President George W. Bush’s press secretary, used that data — in particular, the income tax numbers — to argue that the wealthiest Americans bear an unfair share of the tax burden. Other http://atempleton.com/blog/2009/04/taxes-how-regressive-or-progressive.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-5490710089546285419Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:07:00 +00002009-04-14T12:07:34.504-04:00OUCH!"Americans are giving up on their job searches at a faster pace. The nation’s official unemployment rate jumped to 8.5% in March from 8.1%, putting U.S. joblessness at its highest since November 1983. But the Labor Department’s most comprehensive gauge of unemployment surpassed even its early 1980s levels. The government’s broader measure, known as the “U-6″ for its data classification, hit http://atempleton.com/blog/2009/04/broader-unemployment-hits-156.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-1496421388374004991Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:41:00 +00002009-04-14T10:43:36.366-04:00So the recession keeps rolling along. At this point it's not so much about the credit problem, I don't think, but rather the layoffs and resulting unemployment. I think this is typically the case in recessions. Something happens to trigger the initial recession (an "exogenous shock") and then it takes on a life of its own, the proverbial "self-fulfilling prophesy." A key indicator for the end of http://atempleton.com/blog/2009/04/how-will-we-know-when-recession-is-over.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-2071527441415411858Sat, 06 Dec 2008 23:03:00 +00002008-12-06T18:03:04.804-05:00"Five or 10 years from now, when the financial crisis has ended and housing prices are up smartly once more, we will look in the rearview mirror and realize that we missed a golden age for first-time home buyers. Then, everyone who sat on their down payment savings accounts for a few years too long will kick themselves for not taking advantage of what may turn out to be the buying opportunity of http://atempleton.com/blog/2008/12/time-to-buy-house.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-7852480866132496299Sun, 30 Nov 2008 04:18:00 +00002008-11-29T23:18:29.443-05:00"The U.S. spends more per pupil on elementary and high school education than most developed nations. Yet it is behind most of them in the math and science abilities of its children. Young Americans today are less likely than their parents were to finish high school. This is an issue that is warping the nation's economy and security, and the causes are not as mysterious as they seem. The biggest http://atempleton.com/blog/2008/11/public-school-reform-in-dc.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-5778783805539250496Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:53:00 +00002008-11-23T14:53:58.713-05:00This article is worth reading. The closest thing I've seen to a "smoking gun" on the mortgage regulatory side of things. "In the parade of regulators that missed signals or made decisions they came to regret on the road to the current financial crisis, the Office of Thrift Supervision stands out. OTS is responsible for regulating thrifts, also known as savings and loans, which focus on mortgage http://atempleton.com/blog/2008/11/banking-regulator-played-advocate-over.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-3124991445632332945Mon, 10 Nov 2008 01:02:00 +00002008-11-09T20:02:43.802-05:00" At Hungary Road Baptist Church in a working-class suburb of Richmond, Virginia, the two-hour, 40-minute service was part celebration, part history lesson, led by a pastor who had felt the sting of the Jim Crow South. The Rev. J. Rayfield Vines Jr., pastor of the predominantly African-American congregation, paused briefly as he recalled the indignities he endured but did not bow to growing up http://atempleton.com/blog/2008/11/black-churchgoers-celebrate-obamas-win.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-3931094853442057776Sun, 09 Nov 2008 02:00:00 +00002008-11-08T21:00:52.022-05:00"It popped out casually, a throwaway line as he talked to reporters about finding the right puppy for his young daughters. But with just three offhanded words in his first news conference as president-elect, Barack Obama reminded everyone how thoroughly different his administration - and inevitably, this country - will be. "Mutts like me." By now, almost everyone knows that Obama's mother was http://atempleton.com/blog/2008/11/mutts-like-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-6905831394379847513Sun, 09 Nov 2008 01:57:00 +00002008-11-08T20:57:35.311-05:00I just returned from Europe and I discussed the U.S. election with several people from a variety of backgrounds (including Africans). I can tell you that everyone I spoke with was extremely excited about Obama. And the expectations are high, definitely. This is from the Economist magazine:"No one should doubt the magnitude of what Barack Obama achieved this week. When the president-elect was bornhttp://atempleton.com/blog/2008/11/great-expectations-of-barack-obama.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-3343884636976954632Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:07:00 +00002008-11-05T01:07:54.487-05:00http://atempleton.com/blog/2008/11/our-44th-president.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-4686257729400418500Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:51:00 +00002008-11-05T01:09:09.549-05:00"The old presumption that holding a stretch for 20 to 30 seconds — known as static stretching — primes muscles for a workout is dead wrong. It actually weakens them. In a recent study conducted at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, athletes generated less force from their leg muscles after static stretching than they did after not stretching at all. Other studies have found that this stretchinghttp://atempleton.com/blog/2008/11/phys-ed-stretching-truth-nytimescom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-1160994003503084719Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:20:00 +00002008-11-04T09:22:07.006-05:00"So after 2 years, nearly a billion dollars raised and spent, dozens of debates, and many surprises, what does it look like? If you are a Democrat, it looks good; correspondingly, if you are a Republican, it looks gloomy. John McCain made a last-ditch effort to gain ground in Pennsylvania, but it appears to have failed. Obama will take all the states John Kerry won in 2004, worth 252 electoral http://atempleton.com/blog/2008/11/electoral-votecom-final-polling-map.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-7209299728925331048Tue, 04 Nov 2008 14:18:00 +00002008-11-04T09:19:48.086-05:00Even Karl Rove's consulting company is calling it for Obama, 338 EV to 200 EV.http://atempleton.com/blog/2008/11/rove-predicts-obama-victory-political.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-806051607077751799Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:04:00 +00002008-11-03T17:04:33.304-05:00From the Conservative (and Rupert Murdoch owned) London Times:"Every pollster is predicting a victory for Barack Obama. Might a grinning John McCain be pictured on Wednesday triumphantly holding a pile of incorrect polling data? // There are two things that say that he might. In an election where only 60 per cent may vote, all pollsters have to weigh their findings to reflect how likely http://atempleton.com/blog/2008/11/fickle-voters-and-other-frights-that.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-6455650758508507898Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:44:00 +00002008-11-03T13:44:10.173-05:00I went poking around the conservative blog-o-sphere for a few minutes today and here's a prediction I saw for a McCain victory:"I think John McCain will win a squeaker over Barack Obama, 273-265, by holding Florida, Nevada, and adding Pennsylvania as a trade for Virginia:" Hot Air -- Blog Archive -- My Predictionshttp://atempleton.com/blog/2008/11/conservative-blogger-prediction-mccain.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-3557567095701461985Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:49:00 +00002008-11-03T10:49:42.695-05:00The Wall Street Journal ran opinion pieces today (Monday 11/3) from McCain and Obama, representing their final appeals to the voters. Below are the last two paragaphs from each, with links to their full statements.McCain:"When I am president, I will not offer up unconditional summit meetings with dangerous dictators, nor will I foreclose diplomatic tools that serve our interests. I will respect http://atempleton.com/blog/2008/11/mccain-and-obama-final-appeals.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-6387794770898376299Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:21:00 +00002008-11-03T09:21:24.821-05:00"The final Gallup 2008 pre-election poll -- based on Oct. 31-Nov. 2 Gallup Poll Daily tracking -- shows Barack Obama with a 53% to 42% advantage over John McCain among likely voters. When undecided voters are allocated proportionately to the two candidates to better approximate the actual vote, the estimate becomes 55% for Obama to 44% for McCain. The trend data clearly show Obama ending the http://atempleton.com/blog/2008/11/final-presidential-estimate-obama-55.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-1847808849733710875Sat, 01 Nov 2008 12:36:00 +00002008-11-01T08:51:16.124-04:00The global economy is suffering from a combination of credit-related instability and a recession. The combination could be brutal (turning into a much deeper and longer recession), especially if the credit-related issues aren't addressed.From what I understand, there are three key pieces to cleaning up the credit aspect of the financial mess.1) Stabilize the credit system and keep credit flowing2http://atempleton.com/blog/2008/11/massive-effort-to-save-mortgages.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-8077037719413756722Sat, 01 Nov 2008 03:49:00 +00002008-10-31T23:49:23.203-04:00From Shields & Brooks on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer:"JIM LEHRER: Looking for change, yes. Look, we're not in the prediction business here, but where does the race stand right now? I won't hold you to it.DAVID BROOKS: It's tightened a little, but John McCain is behind in all the key swing states by a little. And he would have to really win them all to win the presidency.So he's gotten some http://atempleton.com/blog/2008/10/shields-brooks-on-campaign.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-2101893123055977701Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:04:00 +00002008-10-31T19:05:00.710-04:00You may recall the Budweiser "Wassup" commercials from a few years ago. Here's an update:http://atempleton.com/blog/2008/10/wassup-2008.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-7046691103531026698Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:07:00 +00002008-10-31T15:08:59.859-04:00For what it's worth, here is the take by Robert Novack & co., conservative hack extraordinaire. Click on the link if you're interested, it goes through the overall election in a lot of detail. It looked like a reasonable assessment to me, from what I read."Sen. Barack Obama is poised to be the nation's first black president, winning by a narrow margin, and enjoying very large Democratic http://atempleton.com/blog/2008/10/novack-prediction-obama-narrow-win.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7693740.post-682542160926854853Tue, 28 Oct 2008 18:11:00 +00002008-10-28T14:17:29.589-04:00Wow, the passions are running high during this election. I've read and heard some pretty messed-up stuff recently, but now I've just received something that tops it all. A friend of mine has a customer who sent him an anti-Obama email a couple of days ago. It was sent as a serious email, not as a joke or as an example of how crazy things have gotten. Here is an excerpt from the email, and the http://atempleton.com/blog/2008/10/anti-obama-email.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alan T)