Monday, August 8, 2011

The Leopard's LImb 08/08/11 (leftovers, off-topics, etc.)

The Chinese and whining
JD: I note your agreement with O. T.'s sage analysis of the successful merging of Communist leadership and capitalistic business practices in China, along with your comment re "whining" re unions here. Please note that unions are not part of the Chinese "economic miracle," nor is the office of China's chief political leader staffed with union hacks. Also, the Chinese leadership is not trying to subvert business by making it easier for unions corrall workers and render business less competitive and less productive. I will continue to "whine" about the Administration's subversion of both business and individual rights.

Word watch
The hackneyed phrase today is "wake-up call," used twice by an "NPR Monday Edition" correspondent in the course of an otherwise excellent and balanced consideration of the S & P credit downgrade.

Lost in the shuffle
Apparently the above-mentioned downgrade is having less of an effect on markets than thought, as it doesn't appear to occupy center stage this AM. Asian markets are down, but over export concerns. It seems that the Japanese and Chinese currencies may strengthen, making those countries exports more expensive, with the reverse happening to US exports. In Europe, concern is focused on Italy and Spain's debt and budget issues. US Treasury bonds have actually increased in value.

Movie review
Mrs. Stab and I dodged yesterday's heat by settling in front of the Grand Theater's IMAX screen for a matinee showing of "Harry Potter." The movie was easily the best of the series, and the most adult in presentation. Mrs. Stab is not really a fan of the series, but she said the movie deserves awards, recommends seeing it. I agree, but for those who are unfamiliar with the storyline, a visit to Wikipedia to learn about the Potter universe and history might be helpful. Harry's IMAX run ends this week, but the regular screen presentations will no doubt be around for a while.

Interesting anomaly
Today is the anniversary of the cave-in that trapped 33 Chilean miners a half mile underground for 69 days. Subsequent to their rescue, it has been determined that 32 of these fellows suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. The lone survivor who does not is a preacher as well as miner.

No comments:

Post a Comment