This Could Be The Week

Lucianne.com: Democratic presidential nomination could be won by Barack Obama this week

The battle for the Democratic presidential nomination could be won outright by Barack Obama this week, a senior adviser to the Illinois senator said this weekend.

At this time, Obama holds a combined total of 1,903 delegates and super delegates. The total needed to win the nomination is 2,025. He is 121 delegates shy of winning. Clinton is 307 delegates shy.

The Oregon primary is coming up on Tuesday this week.

Oregon has 65 delegates and Obama is the preordained winner.

Serbis

Edgy Philippine drama enters the race at Cannes

A hard-hitting Filipino film about a family living in a porn movie theatre, "Serbis", enters the running for Cannes gold Sunday in a boost to the country's struggling independent cinema sector.

The title of the edgy drama by Brillante Mendoza refers to male prostitutes who ply their services to cinema-going clients.

Hyperthymesia

CNN: Man's rare ability may unlock secret of memory

Give Brad Williams a date, and he can usually tell you not only what he was doing but what world events happened that day. He can do this for almost every day of his life.

"The speed with which they do this is part of why I find this so amazing because it seems to indicate there's no -- or not much -- intentional calculation going on. It's boom, boom, boom, there's the answer..."

Williams didn't realize how exceptional his memory was...

You have a man who call recall every single day of his life and also connect that memory to specific events that occurred on that day.

He also did not recognize that this was anything special until only recently.

Most of us are fumbling around trying to remember where we put the car keys...

Moliere

"Moliere" - 3.25 stars ***+ - Sande

Good movie, good rental. If you speak French, great, otherwise be prepared to read.

The nice thing about reading a movie is that you can do it with the sound off and play your own music as a soundtrack.

Basically its a fictionalized history of the famous French playwright.

The movie spans a segment of Moliere's life which his biographers are not able to account for, a gap in his known historical time line.

The movie fills in this gap with a strong story that suggests the artistic growth of the writer and the people surrounding that movement. Naturally it involves love, sex, deception, infidelity, farce, humor, wit, royalty, beautiful mansions, settings, and costumes, and beautiful looking people all in the underlying style of Moliere's actual work.

Very nice job. If you liked "Ridicule" you will like "Molieire."

The trailer -

Hot and Spicy Shower

My acupuncturist friend suggested an alternating hot and cold shower in order to "get the blood moving."

The idea is to start with a hot shower for 3 minutes then turn it cold for 30 seconds, repeat hot to cold, then end with warm.

You don't have to make the cold, super cold, initially maybe just cool.

And you don't have to make the hot, super hot, maybe strong warm, tolerable.

Naturally if your health is compromised, then consult the doctor.

I've tried this. Its great, its invigorating and positive.

You would think that the rejection of cold would be pronounced. In my case, it was fine, in fact I liked it.

Apparently this is a treatment for many problems, from diabetes to depression, to fatigue.

The references are somewhat informative, use as needed.

Hydrotherapy

Negativo

The NYT editorial takes Bush to task for his "appeasement" speech in Israel.

Its divide and conquer once again, Bush's strategy from the start. It reeks of fear mongering.

Even with an historically low approval rating, and immense resentment for 8 years of divisive politics from the majority of Americans, Bush doesn't flinch and keeps up the assault.

NYT: The President Goes Negative

President Bush’s penchant for slash-and-burn politics, learned at the feet of Karl Rove and the late Lee Atwater, is unseemly when practiced at home. It is shameful for the president and damaging for the country when put on display abroad.

McCain...spent much of his week running away from Mr. Bush but endorsed this language enthusiastically.

We also yearn for a more civilized and respectful political dialogue. That is essential for a healthy democracy. It is also essential for regaining the world’s respect.

"We also yearn for a more civilized and respectful political dialogue." - this is key.

One thing to keep in mind surrounding the notion of talks with Iran:

US ready to talk with Iran

May -2007: The Bush administration today made it clear it was willing to engage in high-level talks with Iran during an international conference on Iraq in Egypt this week.

The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, will attend the event in Sharm el-Sheik, as will the Iranian foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki.

Should they meet face to face at the two-day meeting, starting tomorrow, it will be the highest-level contact between the two countries for almost three decades.

Obama Round Two

The Karmapa on Oneness

Obama on Offense

Reuters: Obama says Bush policies strengthened Iran, Hamas

Barack Obama said on Friday President George W. Bush's "failed policies" had strengthened U.S. enemies like Iran and Hamas.

Responding to Bush's comment on Thursday that those who want to talk to Iran were like Nazi appeasers before the Second World War, Obama accused Bush of "exactly the kind of appalling attack that's divided the country and that alienates us from the world."

Interesting article on the role of Ahmadinejad in Iran. Equating his status and power as President of Iran to the US President is not exactly correct.

Political analysts here are surprised at the degree to which the West focuses on their president, saying the denunciations reflect a general misunderstanding of their system. Unlike in the United States, say, the Iranian president is not the head of state nor the commander in chief. That status is held by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, whose role combines civil and religious authority. At the moment, this president's power comes from two sources, they say: the unqualified support of the supreme leader, and the international condemnation he manages to generate when he speaks up.

"The United States pays too much attention to Ahmadinejad," said a political scientist who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. "He is not that consequential." source

El camino del Rey

It looks like blogspot doesn't like this particular media form, but if you want to watch an amazing clip of a walk along El camino del Rey, click here.

The cameraman has the balance facility of a mountain goat.

Housing Sector Improvement

AP: Housing posts surprising rebound in April

...a huge increase in apartment construction, which can be extremely volatile from month to month. Apartment building, defined as two or more units, jumped by 36 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 340,000 units.

The larger single-family sector dropped by 1.7 percent to an annual rate of 692,000 units.

Even with the improvement, housing construction nationwide was 30.6 percent below the level of activity a year ago.

Knowledge-free

Conservative pundit Kevin James argues a point on appeasement, yet he doesn't know what he is talking about. This is classic!! The follow up is on the money -"loaded words for political slander."

Acupuncture 1

On the advice of medical professionals, I decided to undergo acupuncture treatment in order to alleviate neck and head pain.

I have never had an acupuncture treatment, so this was a new thing.

Here's the low down -

The acupuncturist spent time asking questions abut the nature of the pain, detailed information. We talked medical history, that sort of related information.

Lying down face up, he placed a total of nine thin needles in me, two in each hand at specific points, two in each foot also in specific points, and one about two inches above the center of my eyes near the hairline. (Yes I still have hair.)

The needles came out of a sealed fresh package, and before he placed them in, he swabs the area with I think alcohol.

Anyhow the sensation of the needles going in was mild. You do feel a little sting but compared to something like having blood taken, it is a 1 or 2 on a scale of 10, 10 being very painful.

After the needles were put in place, he told me to relax and that I would simply lay quietly for 30 minutes. He turned down the lights and left the room.

So I'm laying there with 9 needles stuck in hands, feet, and forehead, there's new age kind of music playing (Possibly my least favorite music ever, ever...), the room is darkened, and my first thought was, I have got to get the hell out of here!

I ignore the urge to leave, start deep breathing, and fall into a deep deep trance like sleep. Time flies by, the acupuncturist comes back in. I am awake but the sleep was so deep that I am wondering where the hell am I.

He takes the needles out in a systematic way, and basically I'm sent on my way, with some advice. There is no lingering pain or feeling of the needles, nothing. In fact as I was laying there, pretty much nothing as well.

I am to take it easy for the rest of the day, not too much exertion. I am to come back for another appointment. I probably will not feel the effects for another 24 to 48 hours.

As I write this, I am less than 24 hours from the treatment, but things feel better. I'm optimistic.

Ramirez A-1

One of the truly outstanding classical guitars.

It pains me to see images of a guitarist playing this particular model with a pick.

This is made for the expert classical guitarist.

Spruce top, rosewood back, ebony neck, even concert level tone, lively and demanding, handmade in Spain by Ramirez - this is 'the' classical guitar.

Four More Years

Gulf News: US can win Iraq war within four years - McCain

Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Thursday said he believes the Iraq war can be "won" within four years, leaving a functioning democracy there and allowing most US troops to come home.

McCain says any decades-long presence of US troops would be aimed at maintaining stability in the region and has likened it to the US military presence in Japan, South Korea and Germany.

Animated Documentary - "Waltz with Bashir"

AP: Cannes: animated documentary recounts war horrors

Israeli director Ari Folman thought the unusual technique was the only way to tell his story of recovering from long-repressed, nightmarish memories of his time as a young Israeli soldier waging war in 1980s Lebanon.

In the movie—which has a deeply anti-war message—Folman depicts young soldiers plowing through enemy territory on tanks, spraying gunfire in all directions without really knowing whom they are shooting at. Haunting images are backed by a rock soundtrack of '80s music.

Here is the trailer -

Housing Rescue

FT.com: Fate of US housing rescue in the balance

The fate of legislation to use public money to guarantee billions of dollars of refinanced mortgages and strengthen the regulation of government-backed mortgage companies, was in the balance on Thursday as members of the US Senate banking committee gathered to vote on the proposals.

The aim is to halt the wave of foreclosures by allowing the FHA to guarantee refinancing of up to $400bn (€260bn, £205bn) in loans to reflect lower house prices, with lenders voluntarily agreeing to forgive a chunk of their loans.

A reminder on the Fed bailout of Bear Sterns:

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. is buying battered broker Bear Stearns Cos. for $236 million in a Federal Reserve-backed bailout unprecedented in scope and execution.
The Federal Reserve, which cut the discount rate in a coordinated move with its announced backing of the deal Sunday evening, is taking the extraordinary step of providing special financing in connection with this transaction.

The Fed has agreed to provide financing of up to $30 billion of less-liquid assets held by Bear Stearns. Roughly $20 billion of that funding will back mortgage securities.

DAM

DAM is a Palestinian rap group.

"Born Here" with English subtitles -

GOP Free Fall

Politico: GOP cancer: Party could lose 20 more seats

...the GOP has the political equivalent of cancer that has spread throughout the body.

Combined with the 30 seats that the GOP lost in 2006, that would leave the party facing a 70-vote deficit against Democrats in the House...

The NRCC has now spent about $3 million to defend three House seats in the most conservative parts...lost all three of them...That $3 million total is about 42 percent of all cash on hand the committee reported at the end of March...

The GOP shed any pretense of representing the interests of the American people a while back. The party became a weird three headed monster of neo-cons, ultra-right wing x-tian conservatives, and corporate teat sucking greedy SOB's.

This monster gets topped with the seriously deficient, incapable, and policy phobic guiding backhand of G W Bush.

In return for this bad, corrupt, ideologically screwy, and militant crap storm, the American people get stagflation, endless war based on bad policy and lies, a long series of hypocritical scandals, a broken infrastructure, increased unemployment, loss of credibility in the world, and a president bent on rediscovering the legacy of Nero. That's only half of it.

All of this is topped with the nastiest bunch of loud mouth shit head propagandists to ever poison the ears of a population and pollute the air waves.

Maybe people are finally wising up. At least somebody is beginning to think that maybe there is something better.

G.E.

FT.com: General Electric to sell appliances business

In terms of real value for shareholders, it is hard to see GE getting a good price for the business while it is struggling in such a tough market – squeezed by weak demand and high raw materials costs. What is more, private equity, a likely source of enthusiastic competition for such an asset a year ago, now looks out of contention.

Daily Show - W. Virginia, Clinton, Racism

Edwards Endorses Obama

BBC: Edwards endorses Obama in US race

The former US Democratic presidential contender, John Edwards, has endorsed Barack Obama's bid for the White House.

Speaking alongside the senator at a rally in Michigan, Mr Edwards said Mr Obama was the one man who could make the lasting change that America needed.

I watched the clip of Edwards endorsement here.

Edwards spoke about how Obama has embraced the idea of cutting American poverty in half in 10 years. We're all for it.

I still wish the ticket were Edwards - Obama.

No News

From a deep operative:

Travis Childers' Victory in Missippi

WaPo: Democratic Victory May Be a Bellwether

"No one could have imagined the tsunami that just crashed on Republicans in Mississippi," Rep. Chris Van Hollen (Md.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in an interview after the victory. "There is no district that is safe for Republican candidates."

House Democrats now hold a 236 to 199 majority, up from 203 seats they controlled two years ago.

Childers ran a campaign that focused on his support of gun rights and opposition to abortion. One of his first campaign ads talked about his mother's recent battle with breast cancer. "Travis Childers still takes care of his mother," the narrator said, as images of the candidate hugging his mother ran across the screen.

As much as we like to see Democratic victories in stronghold Republican districts, its important to note that Childers is a conservative. This fact seems to be getting ignored. Regardless, at least there is one less Bush ditto head.

There's a joke in here somewhere:

What's the difference between a born again Christian Democratic politician and a born again Christian Republican politician?

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius

Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius is frequently mentioned as a possible VP running mate for Obama. A blurb from her bio sheet -

Married to husband, Gary, a federal magistrate judge, for 33 years, they have two sons: Ned and John. Both Sebelius boys are products of the Topeka public school system, pre-kindergarten through high school. Ned is a law student, and John is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. Sebelius is the first daughter of a Governor (John Gilligan, Ohio, 1971-1975) in U.S. history to be elected to that same position.

Here is her homepage

Sebelius issues statement on House action to sustain her veto of SB 148

The following statement is from Governor Kathleen Sebelius:

“This is good news for Kansas.

“We are at a critical period for energy policy in this state and this country. We must bridge the gap between our growing energy needs, and the time when carbon capturing technology is a commercial reality. We must move forward strategically – steering our state clear of the environmental, health and economic risks of massive new carbon emissions.

“I urge the Legislature to work with me on a new comprehensive energy policy – one that truly serves the needs of entire state – East and West.

“Meanwhile, I am still ready and willing to work with all of the energy producers in Kansas to find that common ground on which true progress can be built.”

Its not much of a statement but it does show that she has knowledge of the energy crisis and she apparently supports a policy that is environmentally friendly. Her views on energy matters are seen as progressive.

Should Obama Pick Sebelius as VP?

A Solid Congress

CNN: Dem beats Republican in a race that may predict November

CNN projects that Democrat Travis Childers defeated Republican Greg Davis in a Tuesday special election for an open congressional seat in northern Mississippi.

The talk of a Republican meltdown, has legs.

I still have my doubts about the voting acumen of the American electorate. With Bush polling in at 28% to 31%, why is McCain still running neck and neck with Obama.

You would suspect that McCain would run at 28% in light of the fact that he is running on the Bush legacy.

Robert Parry points out that a McCain victory would have massive consequences in the Supreme Court. McCain is calling for judges in the model of Alito, Scalia, Thomas, and Roberts. A fifth judge in that model will equal radical changes in the constitution . All of the above favor the so called unitary executive.

Try explaining that to the American electorate.

Hillary and Her Iraq Vote

The pundits seem to have congealed around the point that Hillary loses because of her initial support for the Iraq war/occupation, her yes vote.

Within my small circle of friends, here in New York, she is not popular for many reasons including her war support. Its a big reason but not all of it.

During her senate re-election campaign in 2006, she faced Tasini in the Democratic primary. Tasini was the anti-war progressive. His platform was impressive. He was steamrolled by Clinton. Her political machine didn't allow Tasini to see the light of day. There were no debates, he failed to meet arbitrary funding levels for various network coverage, yet Tasini captured 17% of the vote. Almost one in five went for Tasini who had virtually no media support. It was a pure grass roots campaign.

Swiss Cheese

NYT: Bush Arrives for Middle Eastern Tour

In an interview with CBS, (Bush) said: "What’s going to have to happen is that the Palestinians see a state that has got borders and doesn’t look like Swiss cheese, continuous territory that is — as well as, obviously going to have to see economic conditions start to improve and security conditions improve."

After leaving Israel on Friday, Mr. Bush will visit Saudi Arabia, where the price of oil is expected to be a major topic of a planned luncheon with King Abdullah at the king’s ranch. The trip will conclude at the economic forum in Egypt, where Mr. Bush will meet Mr. Abbas and other leaders in the region, including Iraqi officials and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan.

I can only read Bush's quote and laugh. I need to remind myself that he is President. The butchering of the English language into the quasi-folksy Texas bull speak is nonsense. Its a man playing poker and his main weapon is his bluff.

The price of gas isn't going anywhere except up.

Saucers

AP: Britain releases batch of files on UFO sightings

No one, they knew, would believe their claim an unidentified flying object landed at the airport they were overseeing in the east of England, touched down briefly, then took off again at tremendous speed. Yet that's what they reported happened at 4 p.m. on April 19, 1984.

"They were absolutely astonished," he said. "It was a bright, circular object, flashing different colors, and after it touched down it disappeared at fantastic speed. The report comes from very qualified people, and it's one of the few that remained unexplained.

Who doesn't like a good UFO siting. There's nothing quite like it.

One of my favorite books by C.G. Jung is "Flying Saucers." Here's a quote from a chapter titled 'UFOS in modern painting.' (The quote is more relevant to modern art than to UFOS.)

...painters have immersed themselves in the destructive element and have created a new conception of beauty, one that delights in the alienation of meaning and of feeling. Everything consists of debris, unorganized fragments, holes, distortions, overlappings, infantilisms, and crudities which outdo the clumsiest attempts of primitive art and belie the traditional idea of skill.

In a sense this is the thing that I like about flying saucers. They are in conflict with the sturdy sensation of a material ordered existence. They throw a crowbar into the notion that everything is knowable and that our lives are without meaning, and are strictly dependent on some notion of destiny.

Flying saucers are one of the last vestiges of mythological possibility.

Rumsfeld

Rumsfeld talking on December 12, 2006. Many of the Iraq message multiplyers are in attendance.

The Democrats have just taken control of Congress and the Senate. He spouts off with candor.

Audio only: December 2006

Boomers Borrow

If you are finding it difficult to make ends meet, you are not alone, not by a long shot.

Yahoo: Survey: 1 in 10 boomers borrowing for everyday expenses

The economic downturn is hitting roughly one in 10 middle-aged and older Americans especially hard, compelling them to borrow money for everyday living expenses and to seek help from family, friends or charities, according to a survey released Tuesday by the AARP.

The majority of baby boomers said they were finding it more difficult to pay for essentials and utilities, and six in 10 said they had cut back on eating out and entertainment.

Deja Vu

The headline alone is telling.

Recall that Bush Senior was president going into the 1992 election.

W has created an atmosphere where 8 in 10 believe we are going nowhere fast.

Recall the feeling tone of 1992 - everyone walked around as if their stomachs were in pain.

WaPo: U.S. Outlook Is Worst Since '92, Poll Finds - Results Give Democrats Edge

Obama VP Predictions

Pundits shoot the crap on Obama VP predictions.

Curtailed Spending

AP: Stocks look to open lower ahead of retail reports

Wall Street headed for a lower opening Tuesday, with investors hesitant ahead of reports expected to show that consumers curtailed their spending amid rising food and energy prices.

...sales dipped by 0.1 percent last month after growing by 0.2 percent in March.

On Tuesday, light, sweet crude fell 67 cents to $123.56 per barrel...

Wall Street is a finicky brat.

The name 'light sweet crude' for oil is dirty. It sounds like a young beautiful whore.

Two guys on my block own full size pickups.

Both have bought smaller cars, and now the trucks are mostly parked. People are making mortgage size payments per month for both food and gas only. There's a pretend sense in the air that this is simply an aberration, that all will return to normal.

Faithfull Tears

Marianne Faithfull - "As Tears Go By" - 1965

Beat poet indifference, angst, and simple shyness meets 60's style in femme fatale.



There is a long tradition of songs from England that involve lyrics about tears.

John Dowland's "Flow My Tears." Published in 1600

Flow, my tears, fall from your springs!
Exiled for ever, let me mourn;
Where night's black bird her sad infamy sings,
There let me live forlorn.

Down vain lights, shine you no more!
No nights are dark enough for those
That in despair their lost fortunes deplore.
Light doth but shame disclose.

Never may my woes be relieved,
Since pity is fled;
And tears and sighs and groans my weary days
Of all joys have deprived.

From the highest spire of contentment
My fortune is thrown;
And fear and grief and pain for my deserts
Are my hopes, since hope is gone.

Hark! you shadows that in darkness dwell,
Learn to contemn light
Happy, happy they that in hell
Feel not the world's despite.

Of all the youtube clips of this song, this was my favorite performance however there are no visuals other than a static image of countertenor Andreas Scholl. The countertenor is capable of reaching the high pitches of the castrata, the foie gras of the vocalist's world.

Siemens

Continuing with investigating the companies involved with wind power, we come to Siemens. Siemens is involved with all kinds and areas of wind turbines - design, manufacture, installation, planning, and all. They are all over the place - worldwide, huge.

A blurb about one of their several turbine models - SWT-1.3-62 Wind Turbine

Rotor
The rotor of the SWT-1.3-62 turbine is a three-blade cantilevered construction, mounted upwind of the tower.

Blades
The blades are made of fiberglass-reinforced epoxy resin and are manufactured by Siemens in a single operation, using our patented IntegralBlade® process. No glue joints between spars and shells, no weak points, no easy access for water or lightning.

Operation
The turbine operates automatically under all wind conditions. When the wind speed increases from calm, the turbine will self-start at about 4 m/s average wind speed. The small generator winding remains connected to the grid up to approximately 7 m/s wind speed. At higher wind speeds, the generator switches to the main winding.

Siemens on the NYSE

Melt F-ing Down

The Bill O' meltdown made its way around the web.

Youtube pulled the clip stating copyright issues etc.

However if you have not seen the clip, you can view it here.

Scary.

Bush and Iraq Corruption

Yahoo: Ex-State officials allege corruption cover up

The Bush administration repeatedly ignored corruption at the highest levels within the Iraqi government and kept secret potentially embarrassing information so as not to undermine its relationship with Baghdad, according to two former State Department employees.

...the now-defunct Office of Accountability and Transparency — was little more than 'window dressing...

...corruption had cost Iraq — and U.S. taxpayers — some $18 billion.

Realistically most of that $18 billion is US taxpayer money.

When we read about compressed blocks of bills tossed around like sod on a pasture, we knew about corruption in Iraq. This is all a reflection of the Bush administration, nothing but a continuous stream of failure in policy at all levels.

Gang Attack

AP: Deadly mob beating unnerves Cleveland neighborhood

Up to 15 people chased a man, then kicked and beat him to death on the street.

The attackers sent word that anyone helping police could face retribution, according to City Councilman Kevin Conwell. He described the assailants as gang members.

As I have mentioned, this is the state of violence to come in urban areas.

Be Careful.

We also need to recognize that the state has essentially abandoned these issues.

Coastal Pollution

McClatchy: Pollution levels have dropped in U.S. coastal waters

Some problems highlighted in the report include oil-related compounds from motor vehicles and shipping, which continue to flow into the waters.

The pesticide DDT shows significant decreasing trends around the country, even in Southern California, which had the heaviest concentrations, Lauenstein said. Industrial chemicals, such as PCBs, a material used in electrical products, including transformers, also show declines.

Fortunately environmentalists had the energy and knowledge to push environmental regulation. We applaud their work.

Edwards on Clinton, Racism, and the Campaign

Molly

Saddle Valley

She’s a gray speckled pony who was abandoned by her owners when Katrina hit southern Louisiana . She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled.

While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier, and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected and her vet went to LSU for help. But LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case. You know how that goes. But after surgeon Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind. He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her. She protected her injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight, and didn’t overload her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic. Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee and a temporary artificial limb was built...

Crush

Politico: GOP getting crushed in polls, key races

In recent weeks, Republicans have lost a Louisiana House seat they had held for more than two decades and an Illinois House seat they had held for more than three.

A CBS News poll taken at the end of April found only 33 percent of Americans have a favorable view of the GOP...

The voters’ top three concerns about McCain: his age, his support for the war and his similarities to Bush.

Since the beginning of last year, Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and the DNC have raised $460 million total — about $200 million more than what McCain, Mitt Romney and the RNC raised together in the same time span.

There is mention of similarities to the 1976 race between Ford and Carter.

Democrats will go overboard in linking McCain to Bush. Bush at present polls worse than Nixon during Watergate. Carter's strategy linked Ford to Nixon, simply calling it the Nixon-Ford administration.

Republicans will paint Obama as a "tax and spend" liberal. They are of course swimming against an economy that does not support the notion that Republicans are its deft handlers. Republicans will work at attempting to make this point invisible.

One wild card factor will obviously be racism. How far it will be countered by numbers of voters intent on Obama is an important element.

HSBC

FT.com: HSBC sees further pain in US housing

...any recovery in the US housing market was unlikely this year..."it’s a 2009 event"

...HSBC said total profits in the first quarter were higher than in the same period of 2007, helped by booming markets in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

Mozart

Concerto for Piano