Democracy
Having listened to several CD courses on ancient Greece in which the Athenian democracy was described in detail, the people of the US and Europe really don't understand the meaning of democracy. Cliches abound. How many people realize that in Athens 1) leaders had strict term limits, except for the office of "general", 2) voted for a council/senate in groups which were geographically dispersed, and 3) had an assembly which was a pure democracy with unchecked powers which made some the worst decisions leading to the downfall of the city ?
So next time someone blithly says the US electoral college is not "democratic", perhaps they show their ignorance of the meaning of the word. Democracy is a process of governing where the people are empowered under a structure to have a significant say in their governing. The form of that structure has NO absolute, pure system.
Markets
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Doing nothing. Looking to short more TLT on a poparoo. Sold some CVX on Friday for a 50% LT gain. No more sales contemplated. My thinking for a few years has been that the commodity boom will peak or plateau near to the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Game in Red China. Cautious here, but I might be early in this call. All these price increases are starting to see serious pushback now, however.
Inflation
None ... nada ... zippo. There is NO money growth fueled, general inflation. The US monetary base growth was only 0.56% for the year ended May 7, 2008. Painful adjustments are being forced through the world economies as long depressed energy and food prices are moving up to levels that will ration demand for the former and increase supply for the latter. These increases must be diffused through the system: huge numbers of other goods and services must limit or forebear price rises as demand falls and / or make adjustments via productivity gains. All this takes time.
Word of the Day
"Scabrous" - adjective [$10]
Scabrous means 1. having a rough surface, nearing short stiff hairs, scales, etc.; 2. (of a subject, situation, etc.) requiring tactful treatment, hard to handle with decency; 3a. indecent, slacious; 3b. behaving licentiously.
Sentence: About 2,500 years ago the delightfully scabrous plays of Aristophanes were performed in public - filled with lurid and scatological humor that skewered the leading figures of the day. So why do we think we are so modern and free, when a similarly ribald TV show like South Park has to be shown late at night in the US ?
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14 comments:
Tried to watch Sarah Silverman last evening ... couldn't get past about 2 minutes on three different shows. Why do comedy writers think it's funny to create uncomfortable situations, like a person's dog being taken from a home, for any reason ?
Not funny at all, although her delivery is really good. Crappy writers.
she writes the show.
people either lover her or hate her.
was that the one where they took her dog, doug, becuase she gave it a rim job, at a park?
how is that not funny???????????
lil bush season finale was hilarious. i really like how that show evolved from crushing just the right to crushing all of dc. little al gore, hildog and bill r hilarious.
i was dissapointed with the current season of south park
I felt sorry for the dog, being taken and put in jail. Clicked it off.
thats really her dog.
he probably lives better than any of our mutts.
plus u ever give your dog a rimmer?
she just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
big mac was on SNL this weekend. he was pretty gud. made me think of poor bud. bud is being played by rush limbaugh and ann coulter.
transports at all time high ... uh ... that question again pops into my mind ;-)
Bunky...do the fins catch a bid to keep this spiddy run going?
we saw South Park 2008 on Britney Spears ... it was pretty good. Sick, but funny.
I think the fins get serious buying once the housing defaults stop going up ... soon in my thinking.
kicking myself for not keeping that BNI ... grrrr
"tom, it looks like britney is going with a no top to head look. what could have prompted this new look was this devasting picture of her boob. u see, right here, u can see the scar. i wonder how she is gonna handle this latest setback"
miley cyrus is next
lol
Bud in Kentucky campaigning?
he is visting rush today and asking what the next move is.
ran an errand and what do I see ... beefers playing ping-pong with so much glee.
agreed...no real buyers once the bears stepped off...moving into the turnip market, getting the corner before mr hunt.
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