The Stinging Nettle

Most successful business leader in North Carolina history endorses Obama for President. Hugh McColl, Jr. wrote an op-ed in the Charlotte Observer, and here is the nut: In 49 years of living in Charlotte, I've seldom offered my opinion in writing and never submitted a piece such as this. The condition of our country compels me. The economic disarray threatening our community and nation poses DrFrankLiveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045445948725325218noreply@blogger.com

Want perspective on the stock market gyrations these days? Ask a guy who was working during the last one. The WSJ interviews Seth Glickenhaus, who started working on Wall Street in 1934, for his perspectives. Money quote is a long one: "People are frightened and very angry," Mr. Glickenhaus said. "They feel that everything that has been done is to benefit Wall Street and these preposterous Sharpedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15863266712230214204noreply@blogger.com

The Debates. Queen Latifah as Gwen Ifill: excellent. Jason Sudeikis as Joe Biden: perfectly fine. Tina Fey as Sarah Palin: outstanding as always. There are a few money quotes, digging at all three of them, but I've got to go with this one responding to the question about whether they support gay marriage. After Joe Biden talks about how he's happy to extend benefits to same-sex couples but not Sharpedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15863266712230214204noreply@blogger.com

Back in August before things really went into the toilet, my lovely wife and I decided we were going to look for a new house so we could take advantage of a buyer's market. It's gotten even more buyer's market than ever. But we can't find a house worth buying. Why not? The devil is in the details of what "worth buying" means. We have no kids, and no plans for kids. So we don't need a big house. Sharpedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15863266712230214204noreply@blogger.com

Mark Cuban has a good post full of general tips today. He called it "How to Get Rich" in order to get people's attention, but he's not giving get rich quick tips. It's basically suggestions that your mom could have told you: be smart, don't overspend, pick an industry and work in it and learn it. The last one hits home for me. I get a lot of questions asking me how to get work in entertainment. Sharpedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15863266712230214204noreply@blogger.com

How do you make sure Lance Armstrong will win the Tour de France in his comeback race next year? Being French and saying something like this would help: PARIS -- Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong has been an embarrassment to the French race, the new head of the Tour's organizer said in an interview Saturday. L'Equipe quoted Jean-Etienne Amaury as saying that Armstrong has not DrFrankLiveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045445948725325218noreply@blogger.com

Of course, we all knew it would come to this. The McCain campaign, now desperate to do something, anything, to overturn the virtually settled reality that the American people are choosing Barack Obama to be their next President, has announced it is going negative: "We are looking for a very aggressive last 30 days," said Greg Strimple, one of McCain's top advisers. "We are looking forward to DrFrankLiveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045445948725325218noreply@blogger.com

Yes! I get to pick the future of American television. Get ready for ratings of Yo Gabba Gabba and Blue's Clues to skyrocket. Unfortunately, the week I have a diary, Battlestar Galactica is on hiatus. Durn. I am going to scrawl on the front of the diary "CANCEL FOX NEWS!"DrFrankLiveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045445948725325218noreply@blogger.com

Given a mulligan by ABC News, Sarah Palin now does in fact read only specific publications and does know law. She claims that she was a bit deer-in-the-headlights because she thought Katie Couric was trying to trip her up and that her answers were "a bit flippant". She suggests that she reads the WSJ, NYT, and Economist, and when asked about cases cites Kennedy v. Louisiana on the death penalty Sharpedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15863266712230214204noreply@blogger.com

Sharpedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15863266712230214204noreply@blogger.com

Good for Gwen Ifill to ask what the VPs would do if they had to take over. This was my favorite question of the night. Some followups for each candidate (of course, if they were allowed to have any...): Joe Biden: If you really do agree that Barack Obama is right on every major policy point and he and you have always been pulling for the same things, then why did you run against him? Why didn't Sharpedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15863266712230214204noreply@blogger.com

Three minutes ago she asked for the federal government to exercise greater oversight and control. Now she's asking the Feds to "get out of the way" and decrying government involvement in health care. Proof she isn't thinking, she's just spouting.DrFrankLiveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045445948725325218noreply@blogger.com

RBC, the banking behemoth that just finished building a sparkling 40 story tower in downtown Raleigh, sent out the greatest press release in the history of corporate press releases this morning: Dear Downtown Raleigh Alliance Member, RBC Bank has an important update they would like to share regarding their grand opening of the RBC Plaza. A Red Bull BASE jump was one of several activities DrFrankLiveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045445948725325218noreply@blogger.com

Thanks to the New York Daily News for pointing out that Larry Flynt obviously reads the Nettle for ideas. Per Rush & Molloy: "Larry Flynt is Hustling up an Ala-skin flick with Sarah Palin look-alike"Sharpedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15863266712230214204noreply@blogger.com

I've kept this article on hand for years and thought of sharing it recently. It's come to mind a few times as I've watched the footage of Sarah Palin giving interviews, although it applies to plenty of politicians on both sides of the aisle (and if you don't believe that, listen to the crap people are saying around the financial bailout). The thesis of the article is this. People who are really Sharpedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15863266712230214204noreply@blogger.com

I guess politically she couldn't say Griswold v. Connecticut, even if you give her the benefit of the doubt. But something tells me that's one she might have been thinking about. Otherwise, you have to just assume she couldn't name a case she disagreed with. And I would think that as Governor of Alaska and wife of a commercial fisherman that Exxon v. Baker would have merited some DrFrankLiveshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01045445948725325218noreply@blogger.com

Wow. Just, wow. Maybe now we know why when given 0.01% of a reason to skip it, McCain didn't go on his show. I think Dave might be voting Donkey... Sharpedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15863266712230214204noreply@blogger.com

Since she said she reads all of them, let's play a new game by guessing... I'll start: Hustler?High Times?The Plain Truth?Soldier of Fortune?Others?Sharpedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15863266712230214204noreply@blogger.com

Edmund Phelps, winner of the 2006 Nobel Prize for Economics, has an interesting op-ed in the Journal in which he analyzes why each of the Elephant and Donkey responses to the current financial situation are both overblown and wrong-headed. He then goes on to say why it's not a good idea to just inject money into the system to restore it. Money quote: "What has occurred is not just an Sharpedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15863266712230214204noreply@blogger.com

Money quote: "Photographs, fingerprints and confidential documents relating to suspected Al-Qaeda terrorists were allegedly found in the memory of the second-hand Nikon Coolpix camera, which was bought on the auction site for only £17." Way to go, James Bond. Maybe Facebook will help you find better candidates: http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/227040/mi6-recruits-through-facebook.htmlSharpedohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15863266712230214204noreply@blogger.com