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Archive for the ‘Opinion’ Category

Lessons from a Sears’ century of success and troubles (access required)

by Raymond Keating Published: January 6,2012

Tags: Keating

Bad news recently hit about the Sears Holding Company. Or, perhaps it’s more accurate to say that more bad news was reported. After all, this is nothing new for the long-troubled retailer. It’s easy to forget that Sears once ranked as the nation’s largest retailer. Today, though, Sears serves as another example of how vulnerable even [...] [...]

Who’ll turn on the lights? (access required)

by Raphael Sassower Published: January 6,2012

Tags: Sassower

Colorado regulators have agreed to a compromise between environmentalists and energy companies. They will require energy companies and natural-gas explorers to disclose the chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing starting in 2012. This compromise sets the tone for natural gas exploration around the nation. And this is good news for all of us. The mix of gas [...] [...]

Billionaires in space and in Russia (access required)

by Raymond Keating Published: December 30,2011

Tags: Keating

What if you were a billionaire? Perhaps you’ve played this kind of “what if” game with friends. How would you spend time and money with billions of dollars at your disposal? Based on recent announcements, it’s been interesting to see what a couple of real-life billionaires are planning to do with their big bucks. One wants to [...] [...]

New Year’s resolution: No more wars this year (access required)

by Raphael Sassower Published: December 30,2011

Tags: Sassower

It’s customary to make New Year’s resolutions that last a few days at the most. Lose weight, exercise more, be nice to rude people, park as far as possible and enjoy the walk to the store. But the year that passed requires a more serious approach to our wishes for 2012. The Iraq war is over after [...] [...]

Your fire department is the deal of a lifetime (access required)

by Contributing Writer Published: December 30,2011

Tags: fire department, Letter to the Editor

I’m writing in response to Raphael Sassower’s Dec. 16 editorial, “Eliminate the Fire Dept?” My initial reaction to the article was one of disappointment and frustration. This stems from the multitude of inaccurate information and lack of understanding from an author that has admittedly yet to find himself in need of emergency services. We appreciate the praise, [...] [...]

Consider Tebow, Newton and Christmas this season (access required)

by Raphael Sassower Published: December 22,2011

Tags: Sassower

As Christmas arrives, believers and non-believers alike participate in the time-honored, all-consuming orgy. Perhaps they believe that once a year their generosity and goodwill goes beyond the personal and spins the nation’s wheels of commerce: About 20 percent of annual retail spending occurs between Black Friday and Christmas. Perhaps we are fed up with bad news and [...] [...]

Business, the economy, the election and the apocalypse of 2012  (access required)

by Raymond Keating Published: December 22,2011

Tags: Keating

If you believe the latest doomsday cranks, the apocalypse arrives on December 21, 2012, a date marking the close of the ancient Mayan civilization’s “Long Count” calendar. Don’t ask me — or any reliable historian — how the Mayan calendar became a means for apocalyptic prophesies. It’s another combination of myth making, book selling, and some [...] [...]

The economics of extending unemployment benefits (access required)

by Raymond Keating Published: December 16,2011

Tags: Keating

How about more than two years of unemployment benefits? What might be the implications of extending unemployment benefits, which already has been pushed out to reach 99 weeks? Let’s first consider the current state of unemployment in the nation. As reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics early this month, the unemployment rate declined from [...] [...]

Eliminate the fire dept.? (access required)

by Raphael Sassower Published: December 16,2011

Tags: Sassower

It’s easy to conjure images of firefighters from movies, their heroic efforts to battle flames and save lives. And no one can forget the images of 9/11, seeing the firefighters who lost lives while saving others, selflessly doing what they do best. And those cute Dalmatians, who can resist them? But that heroic nostalgia and iconic imagery comes [...] [...]

A couple ideas about bases in foreign countries (access required)

by Raphael Sassower Published: December 8,2011

Tags: Sassower

Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul has some interesting ideas, and they don’t all make sense but let’s consider a recent one. During a CBS “Face the Nation” interview, Paul said the idea that the U.S. must have 900 military bases spread over 130 countries is an old fashioned. “It makes no sense at all,” he said. “Besides, [...] [...]

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