Friday Topic Jumble

The Patriots preseason game is on at 8pm, so tonight's post will be a jumble of topics and then some entertainment.

Short Term Deficits, as In Decades are "Short Term"
My favorite economist Paul Krugman lashes out today, in this opinion article, against any and all that are concerned over the US debt load and deficit spending. Krugman notes:

As I said, deficits saved the world.

And I thought deficits were bad, but they can actually save the world! Maybe they should don a red cape and become a superhero or something.

Krugman goes on to use the same old Keynesian idea that "short term" deficits are ok, but not long term ones. I am wondering what Krugman's definition of short term is, as the US had run a budget deficit for almost every year of the last 30! 3 decades is short term I guess!

Ben Bernanke Success Story
If deficits did not save the world alone, they had help from FED head Bernanke. Faced with banks that were "too big to fail" Bernanke and company set in motion a corrective support program to solve the problem. Here is their solution to oversize banks that carry too much risk:
Banks 'Too Big to Fail' Have Grown Even Bigger
Behemoths Born of the Bailout Reduce Consumer Choice, Tempt Corporate Moral Hazard

Heck of a job Benny!

Creepy Similarity
Besides the chart showing the "4 bad bears" stock market comparisons from DS Short, Zero Hedge had an even more creepy comp chart of the S%P 500 and the Nikkei from matching bubble time terms:

Scary indeed!

5 Stages of Panic Buying
I saw this floating around today and I think it does offer a good "check yourself" lesson, enjoy "The 5 Stages of Panic Buying" from The Reformed Broker.

Friday Night Entertainment
All kinds of goodies to end the week.

Humor Can be Rough
I submit a picture (which I am sure was a photoshop deal) that I saw over at The Slope of Hope which is at once; nasty, funny, mean, hilarious, poor taste, wildly amusing, and just a must see. I cannot put it on the blog (no permission) but you need to check it out tonight.

The Wilhelm Scream
If you have ever seen a George Lucas or Steven Spielberg film, you have heard "The Wilhelm Scream". Once just a random added sound effect, it has become a staple of film and TV the world over. Once you learn to pick it out, you will always find one in most films. Here is a compilation of samples:

Now you will always hear it, just as if you see the arrow in the FedEx logo that is all you will ever notice.

Film Clips
Some cinematic snippets!

Perhaps you have noticed my bio picture is of a young Darth Vader given over completely to the Darkside of the Force. He first totally gives himself over the the Darkside on Mustafar, when Vader "takes care" of the Separatist leadership (in the novel, this scene is truly terrifying). Check out the 1:33 mark on and my picture comes from the 2:11 mark:

Awesome!

One of my favorite films is "Escape from New York". My favorite scene is when Snake Plisskin is made the offer to save the president. So many classic lines..."president of what".."Call me Snake". Enjoy:

Classic!

Rock Blogging
Time to get in a groove to start the weekend. From all the requests, I am not sure how to pick and choose! (sarcasm)

A song my Dad used to play on the guitar, and yes I would sing the lyrics at his behest, was Johnny Lee's "Looking for Love". I found this good quality video from the Urban Cowboy soundtrack, and I do like that film as well. Try it out:


Van Halen without David Lee Roth, to me, was never the same. Still, the song "Right Now" with Sammy Hagar at vocals is pretty good. Somebody should cut this song up and make it the theme song for the Audit the FED bill!:


Just like Todd Harrison from Minyanville, I like the HBO series "True Blood". The opening theme music is called "Bad Things" from Jace Everett and any song with a steel guitar is going to be a good one:


I did one for my Dad, and now one of my Mom's favorite songs (and I like it as well) is Dolly Parton's "Jolene". Dolly certainly has many assets, and a great voice is one of them:


An 80's hair band that never really caught on was Winger. Still, the song "Seventeen" certainly has some appeal, for various reasons:


Last Call! One more for the road.

As a personal favor, please subject yourself to another Randy Rhoads Tribute album song. This song is called "Revelation Mother Earth" and it is moving on many levels (lyrical, music, emotion, etc). I would ask you to try it out, especially when Ozzy and Randy meld piano with metal guitar at the 3:19 mark, which to me, is as beautiful as anything I have ever seen or heard. You will not regeret it. The end is pretty raucus as well:


Have a good night.