‘Enemies’ is Like ‘Heat’ Without the Heat
Michael Mann’s “Public Enemies” seems initially crafted as a retro version of his 1995 crime drama “Heat,” which pitted Robert De Niro and Al Pacino against each other as criminal and lawman, hunter and hunted, ham and wry. Like “Heat,” the two stars of “Public Enemies” — Johnny Depp and Christian Bale — come face [...]
June Jobs Numbers Tell a Bad Story
After nine months of explosive monetary and fiscal stimulus, you’d think economic recovery would be upon us. But the June jobs report tells a much different story. Non-farm payrolls fell by 467,000, as the unemployment rate edged up to 9.5 percent. This isn’t nearly as bad as the 700,000 monthly job losses of last winter, [...]
“Better” Health Care?
President Obama says government will make health care cheaper and better. But there’s no free lunch. In England, health care is “free” — as long as you don’t mind waiting. People wait so long for dentist appointments (http://tinyurl.com/o4n2na) that some pull their own teeth (http://tinyurl.com/c5nvhc). At any one time, half a million people are waiting [...]
Sarah Palin to Resign as Governor
Earlier reports today indicated that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin would announce this afternoon that she did not plan to seek re-election to a second term. However, Fox News is now reporting that the Governor intends to step down at the end of this month. Some political observers had expected Palin to forgo an opportunity to [...]
July 4th is a Great Day for Entrepreneurs
I love the Fourth of July. Friends, barbecue, fireworks. Many years I celebrate the Fourth with my family in Ashland, Oregon where I watch a small-town parade, and then afterward, the community gathers in the downtown park for a music festival. Before the music begins, they do something that is always a highlight for me: [...]
Looking Back at the Week in State Politics
Most of the state is focused on celebrating July 4th this weekend, but for those in state government, this week marked also marked the fiscal New Year. However, as a budget that would have been $6 billion in the red without spending cuts, trust fund sweeps and federal assistance became law this week, not many [...]
A Letter to Sarah
Dear Governor Palin, You’re blowing it. We haven’t met, but you might remember I was one of the first columnists to tout you for John McCain’s running mate. I cheered you mightily when Senator McCain selected you, and I still believe that you were the smartest choice he could have made given the obstacles before [...]
For Rob Thomas, Age Comes Gracefully
Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas began work on his second solo album with “poppy melodies in my head and a lot of heavy (stuff) on my mind.” The sometimes deceptively buoyant tunes on his new “Cradlesong” attest both to the 37-year-old singer/songwriter’s confident craftsmanship and his relative uncertainty about more pressing matters. “Aside from the [...]
Space History Has Roots in One Florida County
They were rocket scientists with families, young women brought in to teach at new schools, cocktail-quaffing friends of astronauts and engineers who worked through the night. They came and built the Space Coast in the late 1950s and 1960s with one goal, “before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and [...]
Death and Fame in a Star-Spangled Season
Two men died nearly simultaneously last week, and their deaths remind us of the differences between heroes and stars. As you celebrate July 4 on the beach or backyard or beneath a canopy of fireworks, nearly 200,000 Americans will be serving in war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq. The June 30 pullback of U.S. combat [...]
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