BOOMSDAY IS COMING!

NEWSWEEK (2007) 4/16

SAMUELSON (44)  The author plays on a new book called BOOMSDAY in which a Gen Xer

decides to help social security and medicare is to give an incentive to Boomers that

they off themselves. Problem is solved. In everyday parlance, the year is 2011 in which at that time, Boomers start to retire. Incidentally, there is no money in either medicare or social security. The regressive tax that pays for them is borrowed by Congress to pay for other things along with the needs of the elderly. Further, Boomers are not popular and stereotyped as selfish. So, it looks like an age struggle will be coming soon to your local neighborhood. Boomers are strong and have a great lobby in the AARP. Don't trust anyone UNDER 60!

Samuelson stops here. I believe that Congress will wait to the last moment on this because it makes it easier to compromise. On social security, the full amount will come to those who are 70. For both the medicare and drug benefit, catastrophic care will replace standard care. That means that you pay the first five or ten thousand dollars and then your benefits click in. Boomers get a lot less and the really poor if they can prove it can get extra allowances periodically. Don't count on rolling back the Bush tax cuts. That is my guess.

I am part of the Silent Generation, we followed the Greatest generation and mainly

kept our mouths shut because we could get blown up by nuclear arsenal or put in prison

or more likely lose one's job by being accused of being a communist. .

BRESLAU (51-62)

The King of the new green movement is Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He wants to know why cars and buildings need to burn stuff that causes harm and heats up the world. So he has hit the trail . Many corporations are going green or pretending to so.

BEGLEY (65-66)

The big word is CARBON CAPTURE. If one can direct heat elsewhere then into the sky. No matter what happens if one can really make clean COOL coal of which there is tons and tons, that is the breakthrough. Or, to create something from what appears to be nothing. The earth has no shortage of places to stow junk so lets get pragmatic. Half of the problem is China. They spew most of the junk. Stay tuned.

ZAKARIA (54)  We need a carbon tax! It is elegant and swiftly does the job. What does that mea? You go to the gas station and gasoline cost another couple of dollars per gallon. So... you want a car that really gets good mileage. Well, that is unpopular. Again..then you go to cap and trade. You sell pollution credits. You can cheat on that and it requires a big bureaucracy. Further, how does this affect China and India. IT ALL GETS DOWN TO COAL. There is lots of it.

Let's do something with it. Clean it up and cool it down.( Do you think you can get all the countries to go green? My guess is that is not the case. Call it the tragedy of the commons.)

TIME (2007) 4/23

BEINHART (18) We have a problem. Regardless of the outcome of Iraq, we will be facing a war on Radical Islam. BLAIRISM (from outgoing Tony Blair) wants to make most countries internationalist when many countries and a divided United States is leaning towards isolationism.

POINIEWOZIK (30-34) Who can you trash anymore? It is getting damn hard to know who you can call a name and get away with it. Imus lost his job because he trashed once to often but also because he lost sponsors. The new normal is not yet here. You can make fun of yourself. You can clobber a politician. There may be others.

KLUGGER (59) Onscreen smoking is helps create another generation of addicts. Why do movie stars have to smoke?

KIVIAT (64) Do you have a friend or a colleague that is just nuts about a product? They keep talking about it all the time. The secret is out. THEY ARE GETTING PAID TO TALK ABOUT

A PRODUCT. Companies crave word of mouth support.

KADLEC (66) homeward bound, yes those boomers are going to be homeward bound. They have lived in the sun belt, money gets tight and they head back home. Their health fails and they want to be near the kids.

THE WEEK (2007) 4/27

SACHS& NUNZIATO(14)   THE DAY THAT THE MUSIC DIED

Teens and others are no longer buying CD albums. They are buying songs for their Ipod.

It is killing the music business.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Blood shortages may be a problem of the past .Scientist have found ways to strip blood

of it's type, so rare blood can be made/set back for super collider/ new test to assess autism at

the age of 1/ dirt has a natural antidepressant./ willpower can be strengthen through exercise/about 25% of patients taking antidepressants don't need to do so.

THE FEMININE MISTAKE by Bennetts. Women who drop out of the Labor force lose seniority and the ability to get a job as good as the one that they left. However, one of the mates should have the right to do so if they chose to.

MEYERSON (43) U.S. firms are sell out Chinese workers. Capitalist fundamentalist say if you want freedom you have to have capitalism (actually capitalism is an intervening variable) At any rate, when workers vote for a raise and benefits, the corporation and the government come down hard on them.

BUSINESS WEEK (2007) 4/23

COOPER (25) The economy is in a delicate phase. The numbers look good but it is based on debt.

MANDEL (30-32) Government stats say spending is down. It isn't corporations are spending more than ever in OTHER countries. Steven Appleton, CEO of Micron. I DON'T HAVE TO HIRE ONE MORE PERSON IN THE U.S. I DON'T HAVE TO INVEST ONE MORE DOLLAR HERE AND WE'LL BE JUST FINE. (Would he like to sell his goods in the USA?)

KHARIF (36) If you would l ike to get a telephone number and not pay $1.57 for it. Call  1-800-GOOG-411. This is a recommendation from BUSINESS WEEK. You may have to listen to a 15 second ad, but it may be worth it.

EDMONDSON (44-48) American manufactures laughed, but other car companies are taking it seriously. India is going to make and sell a Three thousand dollar car. Toyota should have

a SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLAR CAR ready for U.S. in a few years.

OREY (52-60) For whatever reason SOME PEOPLE ARE HARD TO FIRE. Managers must keep good records on the employee. The chances of losing in court are small.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (84)

Cancer spreads but a new  blood test can catch it/ bi-polars on Lithium, MRI can catch extra gray matter in strategic areas to keep mania low/ Diabetic workers cost three times the amount of non-diabetic workers. /virtual technology can help phantom limb syndrome/ Boeing has new airplane that can cruise on a fuel cell./

HOLAHAN (94) Cell phones will have ad vertisements as well as global positioning systems. They will also know a lot more about you than you think.