Clipmarks | egoldstein's clips

The Democrats have lost the source of their passion

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:00:28 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: This point by Paul Krugman is so true. Many people who voted for Obama, including myself, did so primarily out of hope that his spirit and belief in change deserved a chance to succeed. My candid perspective is that his spirit began to diminish during his swearing in and has continued to dissipate ever since. It's hard to understand and very frustrating...but i think my feelings of disappointment are shared by many in this country.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Meanwhile, the Democratic base, so energized last year, has lost much of its passion, at least partly because the administration’s soft-touch approach to Wall Street has seemed to many like a betrayal of their ideals.

Tags: obama, politics

GOP uses Amplify to focus the health care debate

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:18:58 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: One of the greatest challenges of our time is trying understand the complex issues being debated in Washington. Whether it's regarding the Swine Flu, global warming or in this case, the proposed health care bill, people need a better way to understand it all. I am incredibly excited that the House Republicans are using Amplify to take transparency to a whole new level in regards to the legislative process. Forgive me for sounding a bit corny, but i think this is truly a great thing for our democracy.

Clip Source: healthcaretruth.amplify.com

As House Republicans continue to battle Speaker Pelosi’s $1.3 trillion government takeover of health care, they’re using a new tool - Amplify.com - to engage the American people in a section-by-section dialogue scrutinizing all 1,990 pages of PelosiCare. Republicans hope the new site will provide the American people with an unfiltered online clearinghouse for emerging information about the Pelosi bill as Democrats attempt to bring the massive legislation to a vote. The idea is simple. As House Republicans pour pore through the Speaker’s health care monstrosity and uncover harmful provisions not being disclosed to the American people by the majority, Amplify allows House Republicans to clip specific portions and explain what they mean in plain English.

Tags: gop, health care

Could Goldman Sachs face massive criminal and civil charges?

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:23:39 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: While I believe that firms who were mislead by Goldman could pose a substantial financial threat to them via civil charges, I find it hard to believe that the SEC and federal government will actually do anything about this - considering that former Goldman employees are in so many powerful positions.

Clip Source: www.mcclatchydc.com

Now, pension funds, insurance companies, labor unions and foreign financial institutions that bought those dicey mortgage securities are facing large losses, and a five-month McClatchy investigation has found that Goldman's failure to disclose that it made secret, exotic bets on an imminent housing crash may have violated securities laws.

"The Securities and Exchange Commission should be very interested in any financial company that secretly decides a financial product is a loser and then goes out and actively markets that product or very similar products to unsuspecting customers without disclosing its true opinion," said Laurence Kotlikoff, a Boston University economics professor who's proposed a massive overhaul of the nation's banks. "This is fraud and should be prosecuted."

Tags: economy, goldman sachs, subprime

Joe Girardi...the Yankees mis-manager.

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 19:38:01 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: I amplify'd this from an article that all frustrated Yankee fans should read - on just how absurd Girardi's management approach is. I contend that he is so narcissistic that he doesn't just want to win, he wants to win because of him.

Clip Source: sportsillustrated.cnn.com

Girardi seemed manic in the way he ran that game, not just in his quizzical pitching changes, but in his many sprints to the mound to confer with his pitchers.

Girardi replaced a left-hander with a left-hander to face a left-hander, and replaced a right-hander with a right-hander to face a right-hander. He has made 14 pitching changes in the past 18 innings. It's like watching Carrot Top playing speed chess after downing a case of Red Bull.

Tags: baseball, girardi, sports, yankees

This time it's recycling that's made fun

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:00:49 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: This 'Fun Theory' is absolutely fantastic! I have to think it should cause all of us to strongly reconsider the differences between how things are and how the could/should be.

Clip Source: www.thefuntheory.com

[Video]

Tags: fun, fun theory

Thomas Jefferson, meet Goldman Sachs.

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:52:14 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: I posted this a few months ago, but with all the recent talk about Goldman Sachs' pseudo takeover of the U.S. government, thought it was time to post it again.

Clip Source: egoldstein.amplify.com

“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.” Thomas Jefferson 1802

Tags: economy, goldman sachs, history, thomas jefferson

Advice for the new head of the SEC "enforcement" division...

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:50:14 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: What a joke...this guy is 29 years old and spent the past 5 years of his life working for Goldman Sachs. When will enough be enough!!!!

Clip Source: caps.fool.com

Here's your first tip Adam. Look into the connection between former GS employees running treasury and the SEC, bailing out GS, forcing GS's competiton into bankruptcy and profiting handsomely with taxpayer dollars to invest.

Tags: economy, goldman sachs, sec

What Wall Street should be!

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 14:25:06 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: It really infuriates me that just months after their near collapse , heeded off only by massive bailouts from taxpayers, major wall street banks have been able to reap ENORMOUS profits and distribute ENORMOUS bonuses while the economy has been stagnant and unemployment has continued to rise. To me, this is de facto evidence that the game is rigged in their favor to the great detriment of the rest of us.

Clip Source: www.businessinsider.com

What we want, is a Wall Street that would attract men and women who would seek to be the next Warren Buffett, or great venture capitalist. Men and women competing to analyze the countless ideas of our best and brightest - investing in those who will best be able to bring their innovations to America and the world.

Needless to say, J.P. Morgan & Co. has never had more revenue and the Goldman Sachs bonus pool has never been bigger.

Tags: economy, goldman sachs, wall street

Could fresh water be a huge business for hi-tech?

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:29:51 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: Seems that two of the most important and lucrative industries over the next couple of decades will be in the creation and distribution of clean food/water and power.

Clip Source: welovecrowds.com

Much emphasis is being placed on the development of smarter electrical grids. But, in the U.S., little attention has been paid to equally antiquated water systems, which have a major impact on public health

Last month, IBM announced that it is working on a suite of technologies applicable to water management. The company says this business could represent $20 billion in revenue in the next five years. IBM will be partnering with Intel to study how IT can be used to make water systems safer and more sustainable.

Tags: water

Did Obama get an A for effort?

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:18:46 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: Though the reasoning given for awarding Obama the Nobel Peace Prize is, well, noble, i kind of had the same reaction as expressed in this clip. Seems like he's getting the award for having good intentions. Hopefully the results will match the intentions. If so, then at that time i would think he'd be worthy of this award.

Clip Source: www.time.com

"Frankly it seems premature when he hasn't been in office even a year yet, and has not yet actually achieved the goals he set out — although he certainly has made some very noteworthy efforts," says Mark Fitzpatrick, Senior Fellow for Non-proliferation at the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies. "I think he will be embarrassed by it and it will be unhelpful in the domestic milieu."

Tags: nobel peach prize, obama

Eating healthy to fight depression

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:31:19 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: The connection between physical and mental health seems absolute, so i suppose it shouldn't be a surprise that eating well is not only good for your body, but for your emotional well being too.

I don't mean to sound naive or overly simplistic, but if everyone made a commitment to healthier eating and drinking i think it would solve a whole lot of our problems - including bringing down the overall costs of health care.

I say this mostly sarcastically, but in some way i feel that people who eat and drink like crap should have to pay higher taxes - there is no doubt their eating habits cause a greater economic burden on society.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

A study of over 10,000 Spaniards followed for almost four and half years on average found that those who reported eating a healthy Mediterranean diet at the beginning of the study were about half as likely to develop depression than those who said they did not stick to the diet.

Tags: depression, diet, health

Texting instead of sleeping

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 04:43:57 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: This is so disturbing. Social media has such wonderful potential, but seeing it used like this is depressing. Call me crazy but i would strongly consider advocating legislation that caps the number of text messages, tweets, status updates, etc. that a minor is allowed to send. God knows how many of them text while driving, putting us all at great risk.

Between twitter and text messaging, society's use of social tools to stay connected 24x7 all day, every day just makes no sense to me. Seeing tweets about what people are doing, who they're with, where they're going, what they're eating, what they're watching just makes no sense to me. Who cares! Is there no joy in doing something anymore unless we can instantly tweet about it, upload a photo of it or broadcast it to our 'friends' on facebook?

I think there is so much to gain from social media...so much to learn. But right now i feel like people are drunk on the idea and using it extreme ways that will look foolish in hinds

Clip Source: seattletimes.nwsource.com

Teens are not just texting, instant-messaging and surfing Facebook all day; they're sleeping with their cellphones or laptops, too. Or rather, not sleeping.

A Belgian study published last month found that late-night texting is affecting the sleep cycles of 44 percent of that country's 16-year-olds.

sleep deprivation is linked to memory and concentration problems, anxiety and depression, moodiness and hyperactivity.

Tags: sleep, social media, text messaging

"a bitterness has infected our politics that has weakened our country..."

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:15:01 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: Some excellent commentary by Joe Scarborough, including a fresh, non-partisan perspective on President Obama’s attempt to get the Olympic games in Chicago. I hope/believe that those who follow this approach to politics and partisanship will emerge as the powerful class in Congress. I fully understand that right now those who talk loudest and criticize most harshly get the spotlight. But i think most Americans are pretty tired of it and desensitized to it.

It seems to me that most people are looking for leaders who will vigorously and rationally debate the issues - but do so in a way that shows that country comes before party.

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

The President was right to fly to Copenhagen to try to land the games, not for the sake of his city, but for the good of his country. The fact President Obama failed makes me respect him more for taking the chance, and the fact many right-wing figures opposed the President's mission shows just how narrow-minded partisanship makes us all.

For the better part of 20 years, a bitterness has infected our politics that has weakened our country.

Fortunately, there are a growing number of Americans who believe we cannot continue going on this way.

Tags: politics, olympcis, joe scarborough

Is social media making us safer?

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:05:33 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: I suppose this may seem obvious, but i hadn't really thought about it. I've heard talk about how people shouldn't post things like "on vacation" on twitter because criminals can use that info to go rob your house. But the idea that people have instantaneous ways to get information and reach out definitely suggests that we could become more efficient in crime avoidance.

Thinking that a great idea for a new service would be some kind of social network 911 call. Press a certain button and automatically post an alert to the following people via twitter, facebook, sms, etc. Then, using GPS, the people could get your message and your location.

Clip Source: welovecrowds.com

From tracking trends in crime to finding the safest bike routes around a city, from getting emergency alerts during a disaster to understanding the spread of dangerous illnesses, social media is being used by both public officials and private citizens to make our cities safer. This post outlines just a few of the ways that social media tools are now being employed to keep the public safe and informed.

Tags: crime, safety, social media

Perhaps the most absurd statement ever by a judge (via @sincitykitty)

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:20:50 GMT

clipped by: egoldstein
clipper's remarks: This from Judge James J. Morley of New Jersey...

Clip Source: jonathanturley.org

Morley ruled that oral sex with cows cannot constitute animal cruelty since the cows aren’t talking and may not have been “tormented” or “puzzled” by the experience.