Author: coastcontact

I am a somewhat cranky but mostly optimistic 65 plus who refuses to give up on this maddening world. The purpose of this BLOG is to express my feelings, thoughts.

Are Spanish Names that end in EZ Jewish?

An intriguing reply to this post originally written on October 7, 2010 has been provided by Vanessa Aspillaga. Check it out!

This question seems to be a recurring search question to this blog.  I have never met any Jew who had a name ending with EZ.  There are probably some somewhere.  After all Jews seem to be everywhere.  The attack in Mumbai, India on Nov 24, 2008 included an attack on a Chabad facility.  Which begs the question, what is the purpose of a Jewish facility in India?

In answer to the title question I have searched the internet to find an answer.  I found nothing except one person asking if there was any truth to the theory.

About to be Stoned to Death

Ms. Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is about to be stoned. That’s where they bury you up to your chest and hurl rocks at you until you die. The rocks can’t be too big.  The stoning must be painful and be a show of force by the powers that be.  The stoning of this 43-year-old mother of two has been ordered by a court in her native Iran, where the only legal code is Allah’s law, Sharia. It is the Islamic sentence for adultery, the crime to which Ashtiani confessed after serial beatings by her interrogators.  Reported to be a total 99 lashes.  She has been imprisoned for the last five years.  A Newsweek story said Ashtiani could be buried up to her breasts and stoned to death as early as this coming weekend.

Of course human rights organizations around the world have condemed the planned stoning.  The picture is not of her but conveys the message of what is about to happen in a country that holds views that are utterly different values than those of the Western world.

From the website Political Realities  L. D Jackson writes the following: I would have to agree with P.J. Crowley and then ask a question. If Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani is guilty of adultery, then why isn’t the man with whom she committed the act being stoned to death as well? It’s just a thought, but it appears that the woman bears the brunt of the responsibility in such cases. That’s something that goes beyond my thinking, because the last time I checked, it takes two people to tango.

This situation highlights a stark reality about the Islamic world. They are very strict about a lot of things, but especially about their women. I fail to see how the treatment of these women is anything less than abuse and it makes me wonder how anyone in their society could stand idly by and watch it happen.

This is a Demand Side Economy

The discussion is promoted by David Brooks column “A Little Economic Realism” in the July 5, 2010 New York Times.

The American economy is driven by consumer spending.  That fact has been driven home by articles, commentaries, and TV talk shows.  The United States is a consumer nation.  Our biggest trading partner is China.  That countries recent growth has been the result of America’s demand for low cost products.  Wal-Mart and Costco are filled with products that consumers want.  American credit card debt totals almost $1 Trillion.  It has been a Demand Side economy.

Need more proof that this is Demand Side economy?  I found this December 20, 2006 Think Progress report:

Today, President Bush held a news conference where he discussed the “way forward” for the economy in 2007. Renowned Morgan Stanley economist Steven Roach says the “odds of the U.S. economy tipping into recession are about 40 to 45 per cent.” New York Times columnist Paul Krugman notes that “the odds are very good — maybe 2 to 1,” that the U.S. will teeter toward a recession in 2007. Bush’s solution? “Go shopping more.” Watch it:

http://video.thinkprogress.org/2006/12/bushshopping.320.240.flv

Similarly, after the Sept. 11 attacks, Bush simply asked Americans for their “continued participation and confidence in the American economy.” From the International Herald Tribune, 1/14/03:

Bush did nothing to mobilize public opinion to accept the sacrifices that war implies — the first thing a leader would do. Tax cuts could go ahead as planned, and energy saving was dismissed out of hand. “Go shopping” was the administration’s message.

Bush added today that 2007 will “require difficult choices and additional sacrifices” from the American people.

Bush Transcript (unerlined and bold by me):

As we work with Congress in the coming year to chart a new course in Iraq and strengthen our military to meet the challenges of the 21st century, we must also work together to achieve important goals for the American people here at home. This work begins with keeping our economy growing. … And I encourage you all to go shopping more.

Of course David Brooks is a Republican and supports their belief that lower taxes are the salvation to all our economic problems.  Most American corporate interests are now multi-nationals and are more concerned with their net income than the welfare of the average American.

More Jobs is Job 1!

July 8, 2010

A Dow Jones news report issued today, July 8, started with the words “In a hopeful sign for the labor market, the number of U.S. workers filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week by more than analysts expected.” That is a totally misleading statement.  New claims dropped into the 400,000 to 500,000 range in the week of November 21, 2009.  The number has never dropped below 433,000 claims in any week since then.  So while the latest number is less than the previous week, what is hopeful about new claims of 454,000?

July 2, 2010

The unpleasant reality is that new job claims are continuing at a rate that will cause more people to vote for Republican representatives to the Congress and Senate. The following graph demonstrates the unending recession.  Click the graph to see a better view.  It’s not a pretty picture.

Both congressional Republicans and Democrats don’t seem to get it.  The United States is in serious economic trouble.  While the monthly unemployment report seems to be improving there really has not been an improvement in this economy.

 Look at these quotes from Businessweek magazine.                                                                      

The improvement in jobless claims in the U.S., however, has stalled above the 400,000 mark, including today’s surprisingly weak report.

Yet, claims since then are stuck in a range of 440,000 to 490,000 this year. Today, the government said claims rose to 472,000 in the week ended June 26.

“To get the unemployment rate going down you need 200,000 plus jb growth,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist with Moody’s Analytics in West Chester, Pennsylvania. “If that doesn’t happen by the end of the year, then this will go down as another jobless recovery.”

This week’s employment report may move the U.S. further away from hitting Zandi’s job growth target.

If payrolls grow an average of 100,000 a month, Bloomberg calculations show, it would take six years for the U.S. to return to the peak in employment of 138 million people set in December 2007.

From Bloomberg.com                                                                                                                                                                Almost a year ago, economic strategist Dan Greenhaus of Miller Tabak & Co. in New York told his clients the U.S. economy would recover while job growth would be scarce.

His prediction for a so-called jobless recovery, derided by some clients when he made the forecast last July, may be coming true.

From the United States BLS:                                                                                                                                                              In June, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks and over) was unchanged at 6.8 million. These individuals made up 45.5 percent of unemployed persons.

The graph shown here really speaks louder than words.  It is provided by the U.S. Department of Labor.

My question is what is congress doing?  Unless I have missed something the answer is NOTHING!

The Tea Party is Wrong

Despite the Tea Party’s crusade for less government there is ample evidence that what is needed is improved government effectiveness.  The lax enforcement of government regulation is the real issue.  A very good example is our neighbor to the north.  Canada is a nation known for far more stringent regulations than the United States.  Their economy is the envy of the world.  While our GDP was 2.7% in the first quarter of 2010, theirs was 6.1%.  Canadians do not experience the failures of government that are so commonplace in the United States.  As an example: the Minerals Management Agency did not do its job in the Gulf of Mexico.  The Tea party is wrong.  What we need is a dose of efficient government.

The Strangely Possesed

Does anyone remember Humphrey Bogart as Captain Queeg in The Caine Mutiny? You may have thought that the strangely possessed only appear on the big screen.  Well, guess again.

 

Congresswoman  Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said Tuesday she does not want the United States to be part of the “global economy.”  Asked for her thoughts on the recent G-20 summit in Toronto, Bachmann said that she is concerned that the decade-old G-20 is trying to “bind together the world’s economies.” 

That is, of course, the purpose of the G-20 in an increasingly interconnected world — a statement from the G-20 on the international group’s website says it was designed to “bring together systemically important industrialized and developing economies to discuss key issues in the global economy.”

This is not the first time the Congresswoman has said some outrageous things.  On Chris Matthews Show, Hardball she said there should be an investigation to expose members of Congress who are pro and anti-American.

Then there is Rand Paul who questions the Civil Rights Act of 1964  and wants the borders open to everyone.

Paul apparently is following advise to stay clear of the media.  Bachmann seems to revel in her strange fame.

Faster Railroads are Possible

Logisticstoday posted this article on its website.  It is an excellent example of American ingenuity at work.  This is the way to improving America’s competitive advantage.

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New Technology Makes Faster Railroads Possible

Norfolk Southern Railway and GE Transportation, a developer of locomotives and technology for the rail industry, have developed technology for the rail industry that could lead to an increase in the average network speed of trains by 10-20%, or two-to-four miles-per-hour. One mile per hour in velocity improvement has the potential to save approximately $200 million in capital and expense annually.

GE’s RailEdge Movement Planner software integrates railroad logistics with traffic control systems to project expected track usage, based on train schedules. The solution then produces an optimized plan to get trains moving faster and more efficiently. By helping to maximize existing railroad resources, RailEdge can also help improve railroad crew management availability.

Having implemented the solution on a 200-mile section of its railroad in Georgia, Norfolk Southern is expanding the technology’s use to its entire 22-state rail network through 2012. In the Georgia application, the solution will help Norfolk Southern increase the average network speed train velocity of its trains by 10-20%, representing a significant opportunity for cost savings and train delay reductions.