Journal Intelligencer Blog

Writers strike

editor — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 07:16:58 +0000

Levine Breaking News reports***Up
to 1,000 employees at Time Warner’s Warner Bros. studio in Burbank,
Calif., could be laid off after Friday as a result of the Hollywood
writers strike. The Warner Bros. notice represents the first concrete
sign that the strike could trigger massive job cuts across Hollywood.

Is this just the start? So often we see this as the pattern in strikes…jobs go away and companies restructure, getting leaner and relying more on technology. I have heard from so many studio execs who tell me that they are continually trying to get leaner. Maybe the union handed them a way to do just that?

What happened to the spirit of Maggie Thatcher?

editor — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 07:00:43 +0000

I remember a time when Great Britain was a valuable ally to the U.S. in the Cold War. I remember when NATO actually had some power and a backbone. Where has that gone?

Europe, and sadly we include Great Britain here, is a sad excuse for what it had formerly meant to the world. Time was, had some rogue nation captured 15 British citizens/uniformed servicemen, there would be hell to pay. The capture of members of the armed forces of another nation is an act of war and should be dealt with accordingly. As it stands, all Iran has learned is that they can “get away with” this type of behavior. The situation in the Middle East will not stabilize as long as the Mullahs believe they have the power to take this kind of action. The reality is that they chose well, the U.S. or Israel would not have stood for this, but Britain (or any European country for that matter) simply has no resolve to take hard action.

Where are the good old days of Reagan/Thatcher?

My Way News - Britain Calls for Direct Talks With Iran

LONDON (AP) - Britain called for direct talks with Iran to resolve a dispute over 15 captive Britons Tuesday after its first contact with the chief Iranian negotiator. The announcement followed the sudden release of an Iranian diplomat in Iraq that raised new hope for resolving the standoff.

And she lectures Bush about the Constitution?

editor — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:53:05 +0000

So here we have the Speaker of the House trying to set her own foreign policy. This is the same speaker who just a little while ago lectured the President about his role under the Constitution. Has she read the Constitution? Does she not have unattended business back in D.C.?

The Dems are so busy trying to bash the President and the Republicans that they are losing sight of their own responsibilities and their own actions. When will either party contribute to the political mix in a way that is both meaningful to and representative of the American people.

My Way News - Pelosi Visits Market, Mosque in Syria

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi mingled with Syrians in a market and made the sign of the cross at a Christian tomb Tuesday during a visit to pursue dialogue with the country’s leader. President Bush denounced the trip, saying it sends mixed signals to Syria’s government.

Why should we care about Keith Richards?

editor — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 06:43:56 +0000

Why is this even news? Seriously…

Day I snorted my father’s ashes, by Keith Richards | the Daily Mail

He is the embodiment of rock and roll excess. But Keith Richards’ latest admission is likely to surprise even his most hardened fans.

The Rolling Stones guitarist has told how he snorted his own father’s ashes in a drugs binge.

Wyoming moves forward

editor — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 17:07:31 +0000

We totally applaud the Governor of Wyoming for these acts. Necessities, such as groceries shouldn’t be taxed, for any one in any circumstance. Keeping this tax in place is just an example of big government gone bad.

We also wholeheartedly approve of the open container bill. Anyone who has ever lost a friend to a drinking or drunk driver, or anyone who is ever on the road (isn’t that everyone) in Wyoming, should cheer for this bill.

Wyoming Tribune-Eagle Online: Top Story

CHEYENNE - Gov. Dave Freudenthal signed two popular bills into law on Wednesday, to the delight of Sen. Tony Ross, R-Cheyenne, and former Rep. Ann Robinson.

He signed Senate File 33, a bill that bans nearly all open containers of alcohol in motor vehicles, and House Bill 93, the bill that permanently removes the sales tax on groceries.

Stock Market Adjustment

editor — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 16:55:23 +0000

Can anyone say adjustment? Have we become so soft that we cannot handle a stock market adjustment? Anyone with any understanding of economics knows that the market cannot be up forever, there has to be profit taking and sell offs…

Stocks Try to Recover: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

NEW YORK (AP) — A still skittish Wall Street tried to stage a comeback Thursday, with the Dow Jones industrials erasing most of a 209-point drop after an upbeat assessment of manufacturing activity eased some worries about a flagging U.S. economy.

What will Hillary say then?

editor — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 22:20:38 +0000

This article indicates that the Bush tax plan is working, working beyond what was planned. When the government gives businesses and investors the room they need to grow and prosper, they do. How can Hillary keep talking about balanced budget and growth under her husband’s regime like it is something new. All he did was implement Republican ideas and claim them to be his own.

US deficit is shrinking, for now | csmonitor.com

Despite the ongoing costs of US military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, the outlook for the federal budget has grown substantially brighter.

Tax revenues are rising much faster than spending, according to Treasury Department numbers released last week. The recent trend is strong enough that, were it to continue, the budget could move into surplus in barely a year, one economist calculates.

The Mayor Sounds Presidential

editor — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 22:15:56 +0000

We are very pleased to hear Mayor Giuliani talking about the Republican Party going back to its roots as the party of freedom, economics and education. Republicans have historically championed those causes. In recent elections, our values of smaller government, less intrusive government and a government strong on business and freedom/defense have been lost to social issues, which frankly do not belong in partisan politics.

Giuliani: ‘Party of Freedom’ Will Define Republicans - February 27, 2007 - The New York Sun

WASHINGTON — Mayor Giuliani is calling on the Republican Party to redefine itself as “the party of freedom,” focusing on lower taxes, school choice, and a health care system rooted in free market principles

The NBA All-Star fiasco

editor — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 05:04:52 +0000

Please click the link and read the entire article. The NBA has become a total loss - totally abandoning its sports culture for the gang culture. If David Stern has any balls, he has to put into place stiff measures, and not next year, but starting now. What can he do? How about requiring players to be able to speak in something other than street English. How about no visible tatoos while in uniform? How about severing all ties to the rap community? How about requiring all players to complete four years of college play before the enter the NBA? Sure it will cost some money, but hey, the NBA can afford it. The question is, can we afford not to fix the NBA???

AOL’s Jason Whitlock- Mayhem Main Event at NBA All-Star Weekend - AOL Sports

David Stern seriously needs to consider moving the event out of the country for the next couple of years in hopes that young, hip-hop hoodlums would find another event to terrorize. Taking the game to Canada won’t do it. The game needs to be moved overseas, someplace where the Bloods and Crips and hookers and hoes can’t get to it without a passport and plane ticket.

Pavley for Senate

editor — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 07:23:08 +0000

Here is a surprise! Anyone who has paid attention to the Democrats in this area knew this was coming. Next up, Waxman retires and Sheila Kuehl runs for his seat. You say you want to make your own choice as to who represents you, wrong my friend. That decision has been made, and it was made a long time ago.

Fran Pavley sets sights on Senate

Term limits have forced Fran Pavley to leave her job after six year as the 41st Assembly member, but the Agoura Hills resident says there’s still much work to be done in Sacramento.

Although Pavley, who was the first mayor of Agoura Hills in 1982, has left the halls of the state capitol, she feels she’s working harder than ever after accepting a position as a senior climate advisor with the Natural Resources Defense Council in Santa Monica. Pavley also is gearing up for a run at the state Senate in 2008.

Considered to be one of the Assembly’s top leaders of the new millennium, Pavley wrote more than 70 bills and resolutions that were signed into law. Her work on environmental issues, especially global warming, gained worldwide recognition.