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POPSLiving On Nothing But Food Stamps "The main cash welfare program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, has scarcely expanded during the recession; the rolls are still down about 75 percent from their 1990s peak. A different program, unemployment insurance, has rapidly grown, but still omits nearly half the unemployed. Food stamps, easier to get, have become the safety net of last resort."
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POPSHome Sweet Home-All 5 Feet X 6.5 Feet Of It. More from the article below: "Mr. Nakanishi, who studied economics at a regional university, dreams of becoming a lawyer and pores over legal manuals during the day. But with no job since Christmas, he does not know how much longer he can afford a capsule bed. The rent is surprisingly high for such a small space: 59,000 yen a month, or about $640, for an upper bunk. But with no upfront deposit or extra utility charges, and basic amenities like fresh linens and free use of a communal bath and sauna, the cost is far less than renting an apartment in Tokyo, Mr. Nakanishi says."
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POPSObama's Health-Care Gamble Amazingly this is coming from Newsweek's Howard Fineman. He goes on to say: "The effort to jam the bill through Congress made the public dubious. Most Democrats voted for a version of the bill on the first round without having read, let alone digested, its thousands of pages. As the Christmas Eve vote approached, desperate last-minute stocking stuffers appeared in the small print, such as a $1.2 billion payoff to the state of Nebraska that secured Sen. Ben Nelson's reluctant vote." There's much more and it's indeed very telling. Get a grip Capitol Hill and "start over". Nobody wants it as is.
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POPSTop 25 Censored Stories for 2009/10 "Project censored is one of the organizations that we should listen to, to be assured that our newspapers and our broadcast outlets are practicing thorough and ethical journalism." — Walter Cronkite
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POPSCity Slickers Head to the Country For More Security Motivations can vary, but typically there are three groups: young people buying land as an asset or investment, with vague hopes to live on it someday; exurban commuters who have jobs in big towns or cities but want to escape the sprawl; and back-to-the-land types who want to dabble in hobby farming.
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POPSWill The Recession Scar You For Life? Economists Say Yes Unfortunately, a side-effect of recession experiences is that people stop believing in the very public institutions that might - if reformed - be able to help with this redistribution. I don't think distrust of institutions is a bad thing. That distrust makes sure people don't become sheeple and makes them constantly scrutinize, criticize and exert pressure on their governments, instead of just having blind faith that they will "do the right thing".
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POPSThe psychology of menus...seriously. I suppose it makes sense that at a time of financial stress for so many people, restaurant owners are doing whatever they possibly can to make the experience of laying out money for food less intimidating. That said, I think our national past time has shifted from baseball to figuring out how to get consumers to feel comfortable spending more money than they should.
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POPSObama's Critics Are Also in His Administration Those deficits were nothing compared to those provided in Obama's budget. His deficits would last years after the recession is over and in spite of the massive tax increases that promises to accompany them. The Democrats correctly criticized Bush's deficits. Feldstein notes that Obama's deficits, because of its expensive health care agenda will reach $9.3 trillion -- more than twice the amount of the previous administration. In an earlier article in the Washington Post, Feldstein noted that "For the 85 percent of Americans who already have health insurance, the Obama health plan is bad news. It means higher taxes, less health care and no protection if they lose their current insurance because of unemployment or early retirement." Feldstein also notes that the price of the program is enormous and would cost more than $1 trillion and would raise the current maximum tax rate from 35 to 45 percent.
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POPSGet Yer Merry On! Based on the latest warmal Algorithm, this month’s holiday lightup is probably going to cost us at least 1,500 polar bears! Speaking of which, anyone know what the lighting bill is at the newly green White House this year? “I’ve been doing it for six years,” said 26-year-old D.J. Damato, who each year trims his family home on 9 Butternut Road with more than 30,000 lights. “Little kids love it, and that’s kind of what keeps me going,” he said. Little kids love it? For Gaia’s sake! Frank Armata, a 30-year resident, began stringing his display when the neighborhood was still relatively dark. “I was the first on my street to set up the lights,” he said of his 25 Preston Road home. “Now, there’s competition … ” Can’t we all just get along? Not far away on 38 Bartlett St., there’s another amazing show. “I love lights,” said Felix Barcelos, 84, who has been decorating his house for three decades. BostonHerald http://bit.ly/4RWf
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POPSChina’s Asset Bubble It is a matter of time. What will it mean to the Chinese Government? Will it buckle under the weight of massive dissatisfaction? Or will it mean some dark years for the Chinese people? What will it mean to the US Dollar? Will China unload the dollar thus massively devaluing the currency in order to keep their economy afloat? But would they if they are so dependent on foreign trade? And what will it mean to the world economy. Will the world economy be firm enough to absorb Chinese economic contraction? So far, China's economy has been one of the few bright spots. If the world economy is not strong enough China's asset bubble burst may lead to another global recession.
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POPSThe NEXT BIG THING for 2010
· Neo-Survivalism: A new breed of survivalist is devising ingenious stratagems to beat the crumbling system. And, they’re not all heading for the hills with AK-47’s and pork & beans. · Not Welcome Here: Fueled by fear and resentment, a global anti-immigration trend will gather force and serve as a major plank in building a new political party in the US. · TB or Not TB: With two-thirds of Americans Too Big (TB) for their own good (and everyone else’s), 2010 will mark the outbreak of a “War on Fat,” providing a ton of business opportunities. · Mothers of Invention: Taking off with the speed of the Internet revolution, “Technology for the Poor” will be a major trend in 2010, providing products and services for newly downscaled Western consumers and impoverished consumers everywhere. · Not Made In China: A “Buy Local,” “My Country First” protectionist backlash will deliver a big “No” to unrestrained globalism and open solid niches for local and domestic manufacturers. · The
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POPS Heck of A Job, Barack (feel the gestalt shifting?) And the Copenhagen talks are in shambles, even though the world loves us now that Bush is out: China and U.S. Hit Strident Impasse at Climate Talks "Strident"? Yike. Down a bit, Obama met with some bankers to rail at them; three biggies skipped the flogging op, blaming fog. Obama Presses Biggest Banks to Lend More. Quite a batch of headlines. The grim (heroic!?!) story of Lieberman holding health care hostage is at the bottom: Lieberman Gets Ex-Party to Shift on Health Plan Feel the gestalt shifting. Posted by Tom Maguire on December 15, 2009
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