Posts Tagged Austan Goolsbee

It didn’t pack the punch that was anticipated but Irene made her mark.  Everyone on the east coast knows someone without power.  Twenty-one people died.  Vermont is flooded, as well as areas in North Carolina and up the coast to Canada. Preparations were unprecedented, but better safe than sorry.  Goodnight Irene.  (Okay, how many times is that line going to be used?)

It was revealed Sunday that Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, al-Qaeda’s current number two guy, was killed by a U.S. predator drone in Pakistan last Monday.  While this kind of news might not make you choke on your coffee, it’s a big deal.  Al-Qaeda continues to plot against us and plenty of other random targets they find offensive and al-Rahman was their operations guy.  David Ignatius at the Washington Post explains more.

A new Gallup poll shows Rick Perry is the Tea Party’s guy right now for the GOP presidential candidate nomination, which leads me to share with you an article from yesterday’s New York Times Magazine by Bill Keller.  “Separation of church and state” is not a minor concept.

President Obama appointed Alan Kreuger from Princeton to be his chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, replacing the outgoing Austan Goolsbee.  Oh, good luck to you, Alan.  That sounds like a fun job right about now.

MTV’s Video Music Awards took place last night here in Los Angeles.  It’s not a show I regularly watch, but the husband was there with my cousin from out of town, so I thought I’d tune in and do a “Where’s Waldo?” to see if I could find them among the thousands in attendance.  There’s a lot I can say about the show, but none of it is important except this: Adele killed.  Every now and then, I get obsessed about a performer or performance.  I downloaded Adele’s album “21” quite awhile ago and so had listened to “Someone Like You” plenty of times prior to last night BUT seeing her and listening to her sing it live, well, it was profound and heartbreaking and unforgettable.  She wrote it about a break-up with a man she thought she’d marry who, shortly after they parted ways, decided to marry someone else.  Watch it.  You’re welcome.

I hope you’ve never been called a niddering.  Have a brave day.

Opposition forces in Libya have called for a mass rally Friday and are headed toward Tripoli.  Ghaddafi’s son once again addressed the situation on television, saying his father is still in control and denied claims that the crackdown on anti-government protestors has left hundreds dead.

Naturally, the price of a barrel of oil has risen and now stands at $103 per.

On Wednesday, the Obama administration and the Department of Justice announced it would no longer defend the federal law banning recognition of same-sex marriage, also known as the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  Citing Obama’s “evolving” attitudes toward gay marriage, Attorney General Eric Holder said the focus lies in the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution and the president’s belief that DOMA violates it.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker got caught Wednesday looking foolish by a prank caller pretending to be billionaire David Koch, a conservative businessman thought to have undue influence on politicians who stand to benefit from his largess.  I’ll let Jon Stewart give you a look and listen on the matter.

Democrat senators in Wisconsin are still on the run, though a State Trooper was sent Thursday to find them.  Seriously.  Meanwhile, the state’s assembly, Democrats in attendance, is nearing a final vote on their version of the bill, negotiated in marathon sessions over the last two days, which will narrow certain rights for union workers.  It won’t mean much if the senators from the left remain in hiding.  Protests at the state capitol in Madison continue.

General Motors today announced its first annual profit since 2004.  I’ve been seeing a lot more of those Chevy Equinox SUVs on the road lately.  Union workers will benefit from the good news, receiving bonuses of up to $4300, and none of it would have been possible without the government bailout put into place by President Bush in 2008.

Jobless benefit claims fell last week by 22,000 as the labor market continues to heal.  There are still nearly 400,000 Americans looking for work, but good news is good news.  You can’t take it away.

I don’t generally report on Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan news, but this, this is ridiculous.  Sheen’s ex-wife, the third or fourth – I can’t keep track, Brooke Mueller, has moved back in with him temporarily with their twin sons before moving into the house Sheen bought them down the street.  What, they couldn’t get a hotel room?  Oakwood rents furnished apartments on a weekly basis.

Nearly 100 people have been confirmed dead in the aftermath of Sunday night’s devastating earthquake in New Zealand.  Fears continue to mount of that number increasing substantially as rescue workers continue to search collapsed buildings like the Canterbury Television headquarters, where 48 students and staff members are believed to be buried.

The Space Shuttle Discovery launch, the one that has been delayed so often I forget when it was originally planned for, looks to be happening today.  Fueling has begun and crowds are gathering.  This is NOT the mission that Mark Kelly, Gabrielle Giffords’ husband, will commandeer.  His Endeavour hopes to take off in April.

Austan Goolsbee is a great name, isn’t it?  He’s the chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers and believes there’s little reason to worry that Democrats and Republicans won’t hammer out a compromise in the fiscal 2012 budget to avoid a government shutdown after March 4^th.  That’s next Friday.  Glad he’s so relaxed about all of it.

Remember Paul the Octopus who successfully picked the winners in last year’s World Cup soccer tournament in South Africa?  Well, the very funny late night show Jimmy Kimmel Live gives us Heidi, the cross-eyed possum, to pick the winners of the Oscars.  We’ll see how accurate she is when the Academy Awards air live on Sunday, 5pm PST.

I eat oatmeal most mornings, regular flavor with added Bran Buds, a dash of brown sugar and low fat milk.  When I’m feeling crazy, I throw in a few raisins.  Mark Bittman at the New York Times wrote a great piece on Tuesday about how McDonald’s can even screw up this simple food.

Fast food restaurants are inexorable when asked to honestly address their shortcomings offering healthy food for the masses.  Then again, it’s really not their responsibility.