Yearly Archives: 2008

Not one penny!

This entry was posted in politics stupid consumerism and tagged bailout banking crisis financial mortgage on by (updated 5701 days ago)

That’s what the staff of investment banks that invested in risky mortgage securities should get in bonuses.  Before we spend a dime of taxpayer money bailing out these banks because they bet and lost, every penny that has been paid in bonuses to anyone involved in these transactions should be returned to the banks and used to pay off  their debts.  Sure it’s probably only a tiny fraction of what is owed, but if we are going to spend the money it’s the least that they can do.

British bank Barclay’s that agreed to buy the bankrupt Lehman Brothers last week has apparently committed to paying out up to $2.5 billion in bonuses to the top 200 staff at Lehman as part of the acquisition.  I’m sorry but anyone who would pay out that kind of cash to the people that created this mess in the first place does not deserve a bailout.

I say if we are going to spend any taxpayer money, the only thing we should do is buy the foreclosed homes from the banks at current market values minus a discount for our troubles and then sell or rent them back to the occupants at a reasonable price and affordable terms.  This would allow people to potentially keep a roof over their heads, keep homes occupied so that communities aren’t abandoned and allowed to rot and allow the government to eventually recover some of the initial expense.

These terms would of course be substantially less than what the banks are currently owed, but that is simply the price they need to pay for their foolish investments in the first place. I wrote about this more than three years ago and I hate to say it but I was spot on.  This whole mess was easy to see coming and completely avoidable were it not for the greed of the bankers and their confidence that the Republicans would bail them out if they messed up.  They need to pay up now, and anyone who was involved in this should be permanently barred from ever working in the finance market again.  Perhaps if we let the geniuses who created this debacle rot on the vine for once future generations will learn a lesson. Or not.

Forget Sarah for Veep! Palin for President! Michael that is…

This entry was posted in humor politics and tagged mccain michael palin palin president veep on by

Only an desperate idiot with dementia would even consider a domionist, theocratic nut-job like the current governor of Alaska for the second slot on the presidential election ticket.  But since so many Americans seems willing to seriously consider the utterly unqualified Sarah Palin as a viable candidate to step into the White House if and when McCain kicks the bucket, I would like to throw my support behind a Palin would be far better suited to the job.  Plus he probably already knows what the Bush doctrine is.

The Bush disaster inspection

This entry was posted in culture media politics on by


Bush Tours America To Survey Damage Caused By His Disastrous Presidency

Along with the Daily Show and Colbert Report, the Onion is perhaps the best source of political news in America today. The unfortunate irony is that none of the three are actual news sources. While all three are brilliantly funny, the truths that they tell wrapped in satire reveal the true decay of the mainstream media. With the media asking ridiculous questions about Obama’s choices regarding lapel decorations instead of discussing the travesty that is the FISA bill (giving retroactive immunity to phone companies for warrantless wiretaps), we must count on the Onion to reveal the truth about the disaster that has been the shrub presidency.  It’s still not to late to impeach!

Vinology re-born, food now on a par with wine!

This entry was posted in Ann Arbor food on by

For wine lovers, Vinology has been one of the best places to go in the Ann Arbor area since it opened on north Main St. a couple of years ago.  With a big cellar and knowledgable wine specialists they held regular wine dinners and could always recommend the right wine to go with a meal.  Unfortunately, until recently the meal side of the equation was a bit of a mixed bag.  The menu had too many options and was of inconsistent quality.  For those who have equal or greater interest in the food rather than the wine, there is now great news.

My work colleague Sara Johns and her husband Brandon, recently bought a stake in Vinology.  Brandon was formerly the chef at the Chop House and practises his culinary craft in the kitchen of Vinology. The menu has been drastically pared down and several new dishes have been added.  We went to Vinology for Jules’ birthday dinner the other night and all the dishes were excellent.  The gnocchi with morels that I had was especially good and Jules loved her pan roasted chicken with a whole grain salad.  The asparagus salad with poached duck egg was also a fabulous appetizer. Brandon prefers to use local ingredients wherever possible and the menu will be adjusted periodically to take advantage of in-season produce.

If you’re looking for a great meal and you haven’t been to Vinology since the beginning of June, it’s definitely worth checking out.

Farewell to a truth-teller

This entry was posted in culture humor media politics and tagged george carlin truth on by

One of the greatest truth-tellers of the 20th century  died last night when George Carlin succumbed to heart failure. Carlin was perhaps of the funniest humorist of our time but he was much more than a comic.  He held up a mirror to the world to expose the hypocracy and absurdity of modern life.  While some criticised Carlin for the coarse language he often used, it was in fact a tool in his verbal arsenal.  One of the long standing topics of his monologues was the euphamism.  Carlin was an advocate of calling a spade a spade, not softening shell-shock to battle fatigue and then PTSD.  He used language to describe everything from the horror of war, to silliness of the hippy-dippy weatherman, to consumerism, to germs.  Carlin has inspired the likes of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.  The world needs more people willing to stand up speak truth to power in such an eloquent manner.

What do you suppose the chances are that the media will celebrate this truth teller in the way they fawned over Tim Russert last week.  Unfortunately that won’t happen even though it should.  Carlin provided us with far more reality than Russert ever did.  We’ll miss you George.

You never who you’ll see in Yellow Springs

This entry was posted in this and that TV on by

It’s funny who you see when you visit a small town in Southern Ohio. Jules and I went down to Yellow Springs Ohio on Friday for a yoga workshop that she wanted to attend.  Jules has been there four or five times before and never seen one of the most famous residents of this small town.  It was my first visit.  Jules went to a morning class on her own while I sat in a coffee shop writing.  After about  45 minutes I looked up and noticed this gentleman standing there.  I grabbed my camera and snapped a few pics but decided not to bother him further.  You may recall seeing him previously on his former show on Comedy Central.  Dave’s father was a professor at Antioch College in Yellow Springs.

Bathing birds

This entry was posted in birds photography on by (updated 5819 days ago)

As I was out working in the yard this weekend I filled the two bird baths and guess what? That’s right the birds started bathing.  As I sat on the deck this afternoon looking for subjects to write about on ABG, camera at my side the birds started to arrive.  Most of them just stood on the side and had a drink, but a big fat robin got in and started splashing around.