Weekly Review of News Articles and Observations

Here is a boatload of news articles that caught my attention in the last week and a brief reaction to them. With my work schedule lightened in the last week (only one night of overtime), my conditioning becoming more improved, and injuries to my hands and wrists diminishing, I was able to focus more on what was happening and bookmark articles for future use in this post I am making now. The big news in the last weeks were much the same as they have been in recent weeks: the campaign for the presidency and the daily mudslinging and slurs; the ongoing financial meltdown and economic downturn; another powerful hurricane doing enormous destructive damage to a significant population center; and continuing news concerning global warming and the future consequences that await mankind and civilization.


A. The Improving and Future Robust Economy of Montana


Its great to hear news of economic improvements for the Big Sky state, which often seems trapped in the past with an economy of yesteryear largely based on exploitation of natural resources for the most part as other states modernize and impliment technological advances.


http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2008/09/06/news/state/27-montana.txt


http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080907/NEWS01/809070305/1002/rss


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B. Latest on EFCA


Any legislative movement towards enacting this bill will not occur until at least the second quarter of 2009, and it will be dependent on how many Democrats get elected to the both the House and Senate. Even then, the legislation will be DOA if McCain is elected to the White House and I am unsure if Obama is willing to step up and sign it in light of his lesser stances on vital labor and worker industries.


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2008164694_sirota08.html


http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/09/08-5


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C. An Enlightened Outside Look at the Looming US Presidential Election


This is a superb and objective view of the looming election. The writer, an esteemed economics professor at the University of Montreal, covers all the intangible and tangible factors involved in this election campaign and what very well may happen. I plan to make my own observations and forecasts on at least a weekly basis starting in the next week up to Election Day. And I plan to blog an up-to-the-minute report and analysis on Election Day, similar to what I did on Super Tuesday back on 4 March, but with some improvements.


http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=10098


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D. Improving News on the Housing Front


Unfortunately, the news is limited to the Rocky Mountain region and also says prices are still in decline. Elsewhere across most of the nation the news remains gloomy with likely continuations in foreclosure rate increases and declines in both home values and sales still the order of the day for the foreseeable future.


http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/sep/09/housing-prices-inventory-down/


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E. The Most Corrupt Members of Congress


Most of the names making the list are unknowns to Americans except to politicos in the state being represented by the crook and die hard political junkies. But many names are recognizeable and have been in the news for their hijinks and indiscretions. Unfortunately, most of this vermin will be reelected and part of the upcoming 111th Congress starting in January '09 for a number of diverse and disappointing reasons. Thankfully, the two names from states in the Mountain region, Renzi of Arizona and Pierce of New Mexico, will not be among them.


http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2008/0910-6


http://www.crewsmostcorrupt.org/


http://citizensforethics.org/files/Beyond%20Delay%20Full%20Report_0.pdf


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F. Supercollider Test Goes Off Successfully


The test done underground in a 27 mile long circular tunnel in Switzerland was the start of some essential scientific research on a number of questions including the origin of the universe. Some naysayers had feared the test would create a black hole which could comsume the planet. As expected, those fears were poppycock.


http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/09/10/lhc.collider/index.html


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080910/ap_on_sc/big_bang


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G. Abu - Jamal Continues His Long Fight to Regain Freedom


Mamia Abu - Jamal was convicted of murder back in 1982 and has waged a struggle to get his conviction and sentence overturned for 26 years now. He has long maintained his innocence and has the support of many whom see many holes in the story used in court proceedings to convict him of the murder of a Philadelphia police officer. Clearly the truth and whole story has not been factually established. Racism and bigotry are factors in this case. I tend to think that where there is smoke, there is fire, and there is a likelihood that Abu - Jamal has been wrongfully convicted. If he is ever exonerated, it would be surprising and a great story.


http://www.alternet.org/rights/97510/


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H. Is Putting Country First Collectivism ?


I tend to think not, but an argument from a contrary viewpoint is in the first link.


http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=21175


http://www.freecolorado.com/2008/09/collectivist-president.html


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I. Robert Scheer on John McCain and Sarah Palin

I largely concur with the eminent longtime University of Southern California professor and longtime columnist and observer of the American condition.

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20080909_shes_clueless_hes_worse/

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J. Utah Wasatch Front Among New Economy Leaders

There are an enormous number of favorable factors leading to the Greater Salt Lake City metropolitan area surging forward with employment in high tech and biomedical industries and research related to the new economy. I expect this to strongly continue with the values, culture, and sense of community in that area as factors which help greatly.

http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_10423126

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K. Idaho Starts to Slow Economically

Some of the Mountain States region is doing well economically, while other places in the region are slowing or starting to struggle. One has to expect the national recession to have an impact in more places as time elapses, and the worse is yet to come. Even an area that is relatively remote like Idaho is not immune to the ongoing downturn.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/business/story/498230.html

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L. Another Viewpoint on the Presidential Election Campaign

This article makes another argument stating McCain and Obama are nothing but collectivists, in direction defiance of the philosophies and wishes of the Founding Fathers. Unfortunately, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one in some ways (transportation, laws, environment), and I expect this policy thrust only to continue and further expand much to the discontent of many like the author of this column.

http://www.theobjectivestandard.com/issues/2008-fall/mcbama-vs-america.asp

http://titanicdeckchairs.blogspot.com/2008/09/visual-guide-to-election.html

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M. Travel Destination for Future Reference

This is not really news, but I try to present a positive point every so often in this blog. The places described in this article sound like wonderful locales and a very enjoyable vacation and escape to take advantage for one to two weeks some summer.

http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/a_slice_of_bavaria_in_british_columbia/C564/L564/

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N. An Overwhelming Reason for Our Deficits and Economic Injustice

During the Eisenhower Administration, over one - third of the federal budget was funded by income and other taxes on corporations. Today that number is down to less than 8 %. For America to reclaim its greatness and address it's widespread and chronic social and structural shortcomings and crises, a sharp return to the past is essential. A good start is to address all the widespread pervasive deceit and chicanary with executive and CEO pay and compensation.

http://thinkprogress.org/wonkroom/2008/09/10/cbo-deficit-deteriorated/

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/09/13-0

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O. Analysis of Across the Board Downturn in All Wages

This is a disturbing and deeply troubling trend that really looks challenging to reverse. Establishing a single - payer national health care program would be a step in the direction of slowing this decline. But making political and voter conclusions from this economic analysis seems quite amiss at this time. But ending the corporate market based capitalistic system we have been enduring and tolerating for the last twenty - five plus years would be the most important step that could be taken.

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2008/09/department_of_distressing_trends.php

http://www.brendan-nyhan.com/blog/2008/09/frum-cracks-the.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07Inequality-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&oref=slogin

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/09/13-1

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P. Some History on American Secessionist Movements

The thought of having one's state either be partitioned or leave the US is a regularly occuring theme in American history. Even a lot of discussion on this matter will result in failure. It is virtually impossible to see a secession movement ever being successful anytime soon. In essence, stories of Palin attending secessionist meetings are utterly irrelevant.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-ketcham10-2008sep10,0,990090.story

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Q. Alaskanomics

Things are different in The Last Frontier than in the lower 48 in many ways, and tax policy is one of the most interesting. The approach is basically to tax outsiders as much as possible and return the monies to locals who lack much in the way of opportunities due to the climate and remoteness of Alaska. I do not think this is such a bad way for government to do business in a place where oil riches are about the only sources for broad revenues. I would like to see this done more in my homestate of Wyoming which has a lot of similarities to Alaska.

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1839724,00.html

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R. New Information on the Rosenberg Spy Case

This is a dark moment in American History, and the information stated by Morton Sobell substantiates suspicions that Ethel Rosenberg was innocent and framed by contemptuous federal prosecutors. Her execution was a grievous and horrifying wrong done by this nation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/12/nyregion/12spy.html?_r=1&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all

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S. The Seventh Anniversary of the 9/11 Terror Attacks

It is now all in the past for most except for those with the eternal painful loss of loved ones always ever present. Clearly the US government and its intelligence and law enforcement agencies bear serious responsibility for the attacks occurring. And the fault lies in both the Clinton and Bush administrations for this tragic and catastrophic lapse and oversight.

http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/the_real_lessons_of_9_11/C564/L564/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sen-mike-gravel/the-real-lessons-of-911_b_63733.html

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T. Summer and August in Climatological History

The analysis shows it was an average warmer and wetter summer across much of the US, which continues the overall recent trend thats been observed in the last two decades. Expect this to continue with fluctuations locally as always.

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080911_ncdcsummerwrap.html

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/images/06-08summerstatewidetrank.png

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/images/06-08summerstatewideprank.png

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U. Understanding American Sports Fans

A nice brief analysis of what sports fans in this nation are made up of.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Research_25/Profiling_the_American_TV_sports_fan.asp

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V. Chile and 35 Years After the Pinochet Coup

Is Chile better off for having endured a political coup which resulted in massive persecutions and high crimes by an unelected government in return for a level of economic prosperity unprecedented in that nation's history ? I believe the price that was paid by many far outweighs any benefits and positives that eventuated over the years.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-munoz11-2008sep11,0,795790.story

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W. The Florida Everglades Deal -- A Sellout to Big Corporate Sugar

When the news first came out earlier this year about the state of Florida's efforts to further preserve critical habitat and land in and near the Everglades, my reactions were positive. However, as some of the details emerge, it appears that there are a number of troubling elements present and the Everglades is not the big winner as it once seems.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/business/14fanjul.html?em=&pagewanted=alll

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X. Obama v McCain on the Economy and Taxes

The utter truth is that an Obama administrations would be much, much better for most all of us, while a McCain administration would only be better for the bottom line of Fortune 2000 corporations and the wealthy elite. The book by Princeton professor Larry Bartels does a superb of analyzing taxes and policy in the last generation and what the future holds for each of us depending on which party controls the White House after this election.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/business/31view.html?em

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/magazine/27wwln-idealab-t.html?fta=y

http://www.amazon.com/Unequal-Democracy-Political-Economy-Gilded/dp/0691136637/ref=sr_11_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1221381254&sr=11-1

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Y. The Next Generation of Newspaper Publishing

It is a visionary technology along the lines of Kindle. But are not we Americans carrying around enough electronic gadgets already ? I do not see this product making a dent at all. What newspapers need is to be able to be projected from a cell phone or other small device into a 3-D display that is of a size and distance from a user. Something like this could work but I do not envision such technology for several years at least.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003846901

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Z. The Dire Need to Replace a 1.6 Mile Stretch of I-70 in Denver

The stretch of I-70 between Brighton Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard is among the worst stretches of interstate highway in the Mountain time zone, if not the worst. It will cost a tremendous amount of money to replace and upgrade this critical roadway. Somehow monies must be found in the next year or two to address the growing safety issues and the overwhelming constant congestion issues which make this stretch highly dangerous and worrisome for all that use it and their families.

http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_10459272

http://www.denverpost.com/portlet/article/html/imageDisplay.jsp?contentItemRelationshipId=2101601

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