| The Kensington Review |
23 October 2006 |
| Latest Commentary: | Volume V, Number 125 |
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Bush Shifts Campaign Focus to Economy -- The mid-term elections are 15 days away, and not a moment too soon for those who watch TV or listen to radio in the USA. If the polls are correct, and if the votes are counted properly (that used to be a simple assumption), the Republicans a looking at a huge defeat. To save what he can, President George “LBJ” Bush has started a 2-day campaign on the economy. While Mr. Clinton could claim, “It’s the economy, stupid,” Mr. Bush must realize that he and his party sink or swim based on events in Mesopotamia.
Panama Votes to Widen Canal -- Referenda to approve capital projects aren’t very interesting as a general rule. They tend to be disputes among various construction firms, ego-maniacal entrepreneurs and the “not-in-my-backyard” militants, arbitrated by an uninformed electorate. In Panama over the week-end, an exception to the rule was the referendum held on expanding the capacity of that nation’s canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The $5 billion project won voter approval, and the entire world wins. Venture Capital Investment up 5.4% from Last Year -- In the film “All the President’s Men,” Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein try to figure out the Watergate mess and get advice from “Deep Throat” (who in real life turned out to be the second-highest FBI man W. Mark Felt), who tells them “follow the money.” That isn’t bad advice for those outside politics. When it comes to where the economy is headed, sometimes it’s useful to see what the big money is doing. A quarterly report by Dow Jones VentureOne and Ernst & Young LLP shows venture capital funding is 5.4% higher than it was last year, and it is focused on alternative energy and the internet. Beloit College’s Mindset List for the Class of 2010 is Annual Hit -- Although it’s closer to mid-terms than the start of classes, the Kensington Review is pleased to point out a few things from Beloit College’s Mindset List for the current crop of college freshmen, the Class of 2010. Presuming most are 18 or so, they were born in 1988. That gives them a much different starting place than those born at a more comfortable distance from the apocalypse. © Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux. |
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