Analogy- Rocky Balboa:Ivan Drago :: U.S. Economy:Subprime & Oil Prices
Explanation: The U.S. economy faces headwinds but is still not in recession. According to the Commerce Department’s estimate released this morning, 2nd quarter GDP grew at an annual rate of 1.9% (first quarter GDP was revised 0.9%). The unemployment rate is still at a historically healthy 5.5%. Industrial production [...]
Archive for July, 2008
Still No Recession – Rocky Wins This Round
Posted in Economy & Politics, Movies, tagged economics, Ivan Drago, news, oil prices, recession, Rocky IV, subprime mortgages on July 31, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Trailer!
Posted in Movies, Pop Culture, YouTube, tagged Deathly Hallows, Half Blood Prince, Half Blood Prince Trailer, Harry Potter, Harry Potter Movies, Harry Potter Trailer, Harry Potter YouTube, JK Rowling, New Harry Potter Movie, YouTube Trailer on July 30, 2008 | 1 Comment »
It seems like just yesterday that the first novel in JK Rowling’s wildly popular series of books, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, was released in 1997. I’ve read most of the books – working on the final installment, The Deathly Hallows (Year 7), now. Yes, I’m a slow reader…one of the reasons that I [...]
Gas Prices Creating Major Changes in Travel Behavior
Posted in Economy & Politics, Massachusetts, tagged federal highway administration, Gas Prices, MBTA, public transportation, traffic volume on July 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Today the Federal Highway Administration released their monthly traffic volume trends report for May 2008, and the data show a trend that is significant, although not surprising.
Nationally, travel on all roads declined by 3.7% for May 2008 as compared with May 2007. This marks the 7th consecutive monthly decline in this metric.
On a moving 12-month basis, [...]
Kayaking the Concord River
Posted in Massachusetts, Misc., Photography, Travel, tagged Concord River, Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, kayaking on July 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
It rained pretty much every day this week, so, with the promise of great weather today – finally! - Elicia and I set out for some kayaking in one of my favorite places: a stretch of the Concord River that runs right through the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge from Carlise, MA to the Old North Bridge in [...]
Christian the Lion = YouTube Star
Posted in YouTube, tagged Ace Berg, African Lion, Christian the Lion, John Rendall, Lion Reunion, Online Videos, The View, Today Show, YouTube, YouTube videos, YouTubecom on July 23, 2008 | 20 Comments »
In 1960, a baby lion was purchased by a couple of guys (John Rendall and Ace Berg) in a department store (yeah – I guess they sold lions at department stores back then). They named him Christian. For years they raised him as their pet, but when Christian got too big to care for, John and [...]
Blogs to Buzz About
Posted in Digital Media, Photography, Pop Culture, tagged Blogosphere, Cute Animal Photos, Cute Overload, Fail Blog, Fanny Pack Antics, Funny Blogs, I Am Neurotic, Passive Aggressive Notes, Urban Prankster on July 21, 2008 | 1 Comment »
There are millions of blogs on the web. They can come in a variety of forms and can cover a variety of different topics. Among these millions are many blogs focused solely on entertaining and intriguing their readers. I wanted to share a handful of blogs that I’ve come across in recent months that I hope [...]
Flat Bread with Grape Tomatoes
Posted in Food, tagged focaccia bread, Food, grape tomatoes, recipe on July 18, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I’ve been growing a grape tomato plant since Memorial Day weekend and it’s about ready to be harvested. And, with the recent “tomato scare,” let’s just say I see a lot of home-grown grape tomatoes in my dietary future. So I’ve been thinking, what can I do with all these grape tomatoes besides throwing ‘em on [...]
5 Questions
Posted in Economy & Politics, Massachusetts, Misc., Sports, tagged bail out, beer, Boston Celtics, capitalism, economics, election, James Posey, moral hazard, Obama, repeal income tax on July 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
1. Are Facts Obsolete? Economist Thomas Sowell points out that many of Barack Obama’s positions are seemingly based on the notion that believing is seeing rather than actual information about the successes and failures of different policy concepts. My Take: I share his frustration, particularly when it comes to important economic policy issues. There is an unbelievable amount of rhetoric [...]
Willie and Wynton – Two Men with the Blues
Posted in Music, YouTube, tagged Blues, jazz, Music, willie nelson, Wynton Marsalis, YouTube on July 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Well, first of all, I think labels were invented to sell the music. You had to know what to call it before you could sell it. So they call it, the blues, jazz, bluegrass, gospel, or whatever. But, some music accomplishes it all…so what do you call that? And, that’s pretty much what I like to play.” [...]
Not Just Another Sunday (Princess Zelda Lives!)
Posted in Video Games, tagged Game of the Year, Nintendo DS Games, Nintendo DS Reviews, Phantom Hourglass, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Tetra, Zelda, Zelda for DS, Zelda Games on July 6, 2008 | 2 Comments »
White birds soar freely in the skies above the vast blue ocean. A pirate ship sails along, cutting through the waves. On deck is a crew of pirates and their leader Tetra, a brave and brash girl. Traveling with them is Link, the boy in green…
This is where my very own world-travelling, beast slaying, treasure [...]
Independence Day – We Should Celebrate America and Her Symbols
Posted in Economy & Politics, tagged 4th of July, America, Great Seal, Independence Day, Obama, politics on July 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
On July 4, 1776, the same day that independence from Great Britain was declared, the Continental Congress also named the first committee (consisted of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams) to design a Great Seal, or national emblem, for the country. Similar to other nations, The United States of America needed an official symbol [...]







