Detroit is lost

From yesterday’s news: “DETROIT (Reuters) - To understand why critics say the market-based tax foreclosure system is failing in Detroit, drive up Desoto Street near the city's geographic center. The street is a mix of older ranch-style homes, new construction financed by a local church and wide-open green spaces where homes have been demolished or burned down. Fifteen vacant lots on the street were listed in the October auction by Wayne County officials after owners failed to pay taxes for the past three years. None of the lots sold at the minimum bid of $500. Americans have grown used to the idea that Detroit -- a one-time industrial powerhouse -- is a dying city with unemployment of 28 percent.” It seems Detroit’s residents were somehow not motivated to keep the good times rolling. Most of the upper middle class left and the employers of the middle and lower class went bankrupt. Even this topless woman left. So who pays the taxes now?

Stocks

From the 10/25/09 news: “NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street may be roaring again and manufacturers may see a bright future selling their wares in Asia, but for many Americans, it's still a downturn until the jobs come back. This week, earnings from several companies with deep ties to corporate payrolls, consumer demand and the labor market will show whether employers are hiring, firing or holding off on filling vacancies. Here's a closer look at the companies reporting and what their results can tell us about the job market: Monster Worldwide Inc. (job search); WellPoint Inc. and Aetna Inc. (health benefits); Apollo Group Inc. and DeVry Inc. (job training-education); International Paper Co. (product containers.)” This is good to know, even for this beautiful topless woman.

Culture clash

“RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – A Saudi court on Saturday convicted a female journalist for her involvement in a TV show, in which a Saudi man publicly talked about sex, and sentenced her to 60 lashes. Rozanna al-Yami is believed to be the first Saudi woman journalist to be given such a punishment. In the program, which aired in July on the Lebanese LBC satellite channel, Mazen Abdul-Jawad appears to describe an active sex life. The same court sentenced Abdul-Jawad earlier this month to five years in jail and 1,000 lashes. The case has scandalized this ultraconservative country where such public talk about sex is taboo and the sexes are strictly segregated. The government moved swiftly in the wake of the case, shutting down LBC's two offices in the kingdom and arresting Abdul-Jawad, who works for the national airline.” This case illustrates perfectly the differences between western culture and Middle Eastern values. Actually, the west used to hold these same conservative values back in the 1700s – now, however, this topless woman can legally walk down a New York City sidewalk without fear of arrest. Figure that one out.

Global warming not

There is a very simple explanation for this: “WASHINGTON – Americans seem to be cooling toward global warming. Just 57 percent think there is solid evidence the world is getting warmer, down 20 points in just three years, a new poll says. Only about a third, or 36 percent of the respondents, feel that human activities — such as pollution from power plants, factories and automobiles — are behind a temperature increase. That's down from 47 percent from 2006 through last year's poll. "The priority that people give to pollution and environmental concerns and a whole host of other issues is down because of the economy and because of the focus on other things," suggested Andrew Kohut, the director of the research center, which conducted the poll from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4.” As you know, people are motivated by two things: pain and pleasure (or the fear of pain and the desire for pleasure, no?) That’s pretty normal. As long as global warming causes no pain or exudes no pleasure, people will simply not give a hoot. Maybe when the sidewalk gets hot enough to burn through our shoes – maybe then we’ll care. This topless woman does not care either.

Free Enterprise

This is what happens when you are in debt: “WASHINGTON – The Treasury Department on Thursday is expected to order seven companies that have not paid back last year's government bailouts to halve their top executives' average compensation. The cuts apply to the 25 highest-paid executives at banks and other companies that received the most assistance, with salaries being slashed by as much as 90 percent, according to a person familiar with the matter. The seven companies are Bank of America Corp., American International Group Inc., Citigroup Inc., General Motors, GMAC, Chrysler and Chrysler Financial. Smaller companies and those that have repaid the bailout money, including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co., are not affected.” Everyone knows that the capitalist free-enterprise system is designed to reward those who strive, but one little drawback is that even when you are super rich, nobody can tell you when you’ve had enough. Where does ambition end and greed begin? Where would you draw the line? Is that why Buffett gave most of his money to the Gates Foundation - to ease his conscience? All I know is, this topless woman has nothing to feel guilty about. She only has $200 in her back account.

Diamonds

A bit of odd news: “NEW YORK – A square, 32.01-carat emerald-cut diamond that billionaire philanthropist Leonore Annenberg bought for her 90th birthday sold for $7.7 million at auction on Wednesday. About the size of a walnut, the flawless, colorless diamond sits on a ring designed by Manhattan jeweler David Webb. It is flanked by two pear-shaped diamonds, one of them 1.61 carats and the other 1.51 carats.” I ask myself whether a stone like this actually has any value other than that created by the demand of people who have nothing else to spend their money on. I suppose it’s like a work of art. What makes one worth more than another? I’m sure I’m not the only one perplexed by this. Perhaps this woman would like to have this jewel?

The spying business

From an October 20, 2009 news story: “WASHINGTON – Prosecutors say a scientist who worked on the cutting edge of moon exploration has been caught trying to sell classified secrets to an FBI agent posing as an Israeli intelligence agent. Stewart David Nozette, who is credited with helping discover evidence of water on the moon and has been a leader in recent lunar exploration work, was arrested Monday and charged in a criminal complaint with attempting to communicate, deliver and transmit classified information, the Justice Department said. Nozette worked in various jobs for the Energy Department and NASA. At Energy, Nozette held a special security clearance equivalent to the Defense Department's top secret and "critical nuclear weapon design information" clearances. Prosecutors also quote an unnamed colleague of Nozette who said the scientist said that if the U.S. government ever tried to put him in jail for an unrelated criminal offense, he would go to Israel or another foreign country and "tell them everything" he knows.” So, being highly intelligent does not guarantee anything. Always be aware that people are always looking to catch you doing something bad. This man forgot that he needed to spy on the spies before getting into this nasty business. He will no longer be able to talk to this topless woman, or anyone like her. Too bad.