All the world's a stage
Submitted by Jason Winders on Tue, 04/21/2009 - 11:02am.If you found yourself wondering, “Where exactly do our U.S. Supreme Court justices stand on the issue of Shakespeare’s authorship of his entire canon?” Here’s your answer.
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Take five minutes out of your day to join Executive Editor Jason Winders here each morning. Stand up and be counted.
Ah, but can the president hit for power?
Submitted by Jason Winders on Tue, 04/21/2009 - 7:48am.Do you remember Mark McGwire’s “I’m not here to talk about the past” defense in front of Congress? It was simply genius in its brazen stupidity – a bold, if not exactly legally sound, defense of the wrong-doings of the past by simply refusing to speak of the wrong-doings of the past.
Now, seemingly taking a page the playbook of the former Cardinals slugger and steroids spokesman, President Obama wants to move on from crimes committed in this country’s name in the recent past. He said the time was right to admit “mistakes” and “move forward” as a country regarding torture.
Austin can stay weird; keep Athens employed
Submitted by Jason Winders on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 11:00am.Good afternoon, all.
Forbes Magazine named Austin, Texas the Best Big City for Jobs. Here’s what the magazine said:
… Job growth between 2004 and 2008 was a whopping 14.8 percent – and even between 2007 and 2008, overall growth remained in the black. In some areas, Austin is representative of nationwide changes in employment. For example, manufacturing waned; between 2000 and 2008, jobs in that sector decreased by a third. But service sectors like education and health, leisure and hospitality, and others grew tremendously. Job growth stagnated in 2008, but avoiding net losses was enough propel this city to the top of the list.
Now, don’t get your ironic T-shirt all in a wad over this news.
Herschel Walker, Joan Rivers and Clint Black walk into a bar …
Submitted by Jason Winders on Mon, 04/20/2009 - 7:21am.Good morning, all.
You know it’s an odd weekend when Phil Kent’s hair isn’t the strangest thing you see.
Herschel Walker’s run for glory on “Celebrity Apprentice” came to an end last night with 13 of the strangest words you’ll even hear come of our Donald Trump’s mouth: “I am not a gay man and I love you. Herschel, you’re fired.” Everyone’s favorite All-American failed as project manager leading his team of has-beens, er, celebrities – Clint Black from country music and Joan Rivers from the 1970s (Seriously, Charo was not available?) – on a quest to create an easy-to-make signature meal for Swan foods.
No word on which of Hershel’s personalities took it the hardest.
Your money is no good here. Seriously.
Submitted by Jason Winders on Wed, 03/18/2009 - 9:52am.Good afternoon, all.
We’re going all-in on this simple, scary formula: We spent our way into this mess; now we’re spending our way out of it. The problem? Only the government has money to spend right now.
With personal savings rates at an all-time low, I wonder where the money to drive the all-important consumer spending is coming from. In the Wall Street Journal last week, Meredith Whitney, Meredith Whitney Advisory Group CEO, explained that we’re going to charge it. A chunk:
Over the past 20 years, Americans have also grown to use their credit card as a cash-flow management tool. For example, 90 percent of credit-card users revolve a balance (don’t pay it off in full) at least once a year, and over 45 percent of credit-card users revolve every month. Undeniably, consumers look at their unused credit balances as a "what if" reserve.
Set the Way-Back Machine on spin cycle
Submitted by Jason Winders on Tue, 03/17/2009 - 8:16am.Good morning, all.
OK, so timing isn’t everything. In fact, Virginia B. Patel plans next on deconstructing my sixth-grade thesis advocating “Shoeless” Joe Jackson’s induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Patel, an Athens-Clarke County Economic Development Foundation board member, got in the Way-Back Machine and journeyed back to Dec. 7, 2008. In that strange, distant time when Dilbert turned his boss’ face purple with a wedgie and the stock market prepared to open the week at 8,637, Patel found my column, “Work force weakness wrecks bid.” Let’s read a chunk, shall we:
AIG provides real March Madness
Submitted by Jason Winders on Mon, 03/16/2009 - 9:33am.Good morning, all.
Although I have been preaching cooler heads (and taking a lot of deep breaths) in recent weeks, I’m starting to understand how these people feel. And it looks like I’m not alone.
In the New York Times yesterday, Adam Nagourney penned an interesting reminder of the populist anger brewing against the financial industry. It’s a sentiment, he reminds us, surely to stain the Obama Administration if it continues along its current path. An interesting chunk from the article:
Right off the mark
Submitted by Jason Winders on Tue, 03/10/2009 - 8:04am.Good afternoon, all.
And so, the hunt for conspiracy continues in Watkinsville.
Over the weekend, I received a righteously indignant message from Lee in Watkinsville. It read: Is there a reason your paper does not print all the news? Millions of Americans know all the news because of the internet. The news below would be printed on the front page if this involved George Bush and you know it. So does millions of Americans! Please start printing all the news and your paper will be a true newspaper.
Zing. Score one against the liberal mainstream media elite.
Lee refers to a story circulating right-wing blogs that Leon Panetta’s daughter, Linda, is in bed with Central and South American dictators. And that’s just not the kind of behavior Lee from Watkinsville can stand in his leaders.
This space for rent
Submitted by Jason Winders on Mon, 02/23/2009 - 9:27am.Good morning, all.
I know it doesn’t seem like this can be true sitting in your car on I-285, but the folks at Forbes magazine think they have the numbers to back it up. In a recent Forbes.com report, Atlanta was ranked as America’s third emptiest city. No joke.
The magazine’s rankings, a combination of rental and homeowner vacancy rates for the 75 largest metropolitan statistical areas in the country, are based on fourth-quarter data released earlier this month by the U.S. Census Bureau. Each was ranked on rental vacancies and housing vacancies; the final ranking is an average of the two. (Sorry, the Athens MSA doesn’t make the Top 75.)
The Dark Knight Returns
Submitted by Jason Winders on Thu, 02/12/2009 - 1:02pm.Good afternoon, all.
I’m still reaching out. But I keep getting my hand slapped.
My offer of assistance/openness to the Athens-Clarke County School District stands with regard to the new superintendent, central office staff, principal, teachers and parents. To their credit, in less than a week since I wrote my column, I have heard from many of you voicing support and promising to help with the process.
In fact, two parents have started sending me “good news” from their kids’ schools. We had three or four of their items in today’s newspaper. No, they are not Earth-shattering, front-page items for most of us. But to the kids listed, it’s a big deal. So why not carve out a little space. Cheers and thanks to those parents.
But that doesn’t mean everyone wants to play.