"An era can be said to end when its basic illusions are exhausted." - Arthur Miller

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Blago, Sci-Fi TV, Economy Woes and Columbia

Blagojevich Names Obama's Successor - I can't decide if Blago is delusional or just ballsy. Today he announced his choice of former Illnois Attorney General Roland Burris to Obama's Senate term. Remember that this is the seat that Blago wanted to sell for greater power. I do believe that Blago is one of those types that believe a lie the moment he utters it. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in a truly rare moment of showing some backbone, sad the Senate would try to block seating Burris but such an idea is iffy on Constitutional grounds. As for Burris, he is noted for giving around $15k to Blago for re-election and apparently his company has enjoyed an increase of state business for it. Suffice it to say he is probably corrupt. He has to be to accept the seat in this climate rather then going for it legitimately.

IO9's Sci-Fi Top 20 TV Moments - Click the link for two part video compiled to show the best sci-fi moments of the years. Most of them are blah but it’s nice to know Sci-Fi has enough "moments" to be worthy of listing. As for the worst list, click here.

Home Prices Drop 18% - The bottom is apparently a bit further away as home prices dropped 18% for October. The main reasons include October was when the credit crunch started due to bank failures, foreclosures rising, and the economy meaning most are unable or unwilling to commit to a 20% down payment when job security is iffy at best. Likely November's number will be uglier. My advice is ride it out, the deals are good if you have the money but other then that, people are still popping out babies, having a home is still considered a good investment and the net result is time will correct the wound. It just will likely take about 5 or so years.

Consumer Confidence at All Time Low - Consumer Confidence Index hit 38 in December thanks to the horrible job and economic outlook. People are in turtle mode as their companies and friends futures seem to dry up. It’s hard to get confidence and spend when everything you see going on is either business failing or bailouts to big business that does nothing to help anyone that doesn't measure their worth in millions.

NASA Releases Columbia Death Report - The agency released a very detailed report of the final moments of the Space Shuttle Columbia and its crew. The overall goal is to find out what went wrong so that the mistakes will not be repeated. Personally, considering the technology and the shear complication of the task, I never understood why people are shocked when space launches go wrong. For some reason a plane crash or failure that kills hundreds is taken in better stride then one that kills 9.

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