Marty Manley on economics, politics, technology, and culture

Archive for February, 2008

Coldest Winter Ever: Climate or Weather?

Four research keep track of global warming and other climate changes: the UK’s Hadley Centre and Royal Statistical Society along with NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and the University of Alabama at Huntsville. All four centers recently updated their data, which confirms that we just had the largest 12 month change in weather that [...]

Angels and Angles: Trompes Triumph

It seemed like a low-key Oscar night, although I haven’t watched in many years. Best joke: the John Stuart gag on Barack Obama’s politically challenging name ("His middle name is the last name of Iraq’s former tyrant and his last name rhymes with Osama."), recalling the presidential candidate "Gaydolf Titler". Best moment: French actress Marie [...]

Tipping Point Ahead

This primary election is tipping. Astonishingly, the House of Clinton is reeling and the Democratic primary is almost, but not quite, Obama’s to lose. (Take that prognostication along with my assertion last September that the race was "Hillary’s to lose"). To recap for those who are not yet motion sick: Barack Obama, the brother from [...]

The Berkeley Paradox: Atoms and Atavism

It’s a typical week here in Berkeley: monumental breakthroughs coupled with monumental stupidity. Berkeley today hooked up the first microscope powerful enough to actually see individual atoms. Got a picture of ‘em here (the little guys between the gold crystals). OK, they are small and not a lot to look at — but they are [...]

It's Hope and Change — not the Economy, Stupid.

Polls tell us that the economy has replaced Iraq as the largest concern of American voters by a 39 percent to 19 percent margin, according to one recent poll. That voters vote their pocketbooks is not surprising. James Carville became an instant celebrity when he put up a sign in the Clinton War Room that [...]

It's Super Tuesday in California…Disaster Looms.

On election day, it’s not just Obama girl — all the hot Berkeley Deans dig Obama! Where will it all end? Answer: in the Party Credentials Committee at the Convention. A bit of math tells you that even a record turnout of voters will not be enough to name the Democratic candidate. Neither is the [...]

The Jet Set: America's Middle Class

I am starting a new company so I located our offices over a gym so that I could exercise more easily. With more treadmill time has come an appreciation for the astonishing influence of Lou Dobbs. The man has taken over CNN and thrown journalism out the door. CNN, like Fox, no longer pretends to [...]

Obama's Secret Weapon

Every Democratic primary that Barack Obama has entered has seen between double and triple the normal turnout – and 60% of the new voters have voted for Obama. Many of these voters are young, many are college students and many are, face it — smokin’ hot. Mainstream media has been trying to figure out exactly [...]