A few interesting things in the news
Jul. 17th, 2002 07:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sophiaserpentiaA breakaway Catholic bishop ordained seven women as priests June 29. The problem this presents for the Vatican is that this bishop, while having legitimate apostolic succession, is not formally connected with Rome. This issue could prove much more problematic for the Roman leadership than they, in their ivory towers, realize.
Read the story
Paul Krugman's been writing a series of columns about the fact that George W. Bush has personally profitted from the kind of "cooked books" he is now criticizing in the media.
From Succeeding in Business
"In 1986, one would have had to consider Mr. Bush a failed businessman. ... But he was rescued from failure when Harken Energy bought his company at an astonishingly high price. ... Despite these connections, Harken did badly. But for a time it concealed its failure -- sustaining its stock price, as it turned out, just long enough for Mr. Bush to sell most of his stake at a large profit -- with an accounting trick identical to one of the main ploys used by Enron a decade later. (Yes, Arthur Andersen was the accountant.) ... A group of insiders, using money borrowed from Harken itself, paid an exorbitant price for a Harken subsidiary, Aloha Petroleum. That created a $10 million phantom profit, which hid three-quarters of the company's losses in 1989."
Maureen Dowd writes about something much more immediately relevant to most people: Hitler on TV.
From Swastikas for Sweeps
"Yet the monster will not die. Fifty-seven years after he swallowed a bullet instead of Europe, Hitler is still a hot property. For sweeps next season, CBS will bring us Hitler in the demo: Young Hitler, the miniseries, covering the years between 18 and 34 -- the demographic sweet spot of network television. The Gathering Sturm. The Young and the Racist. From 'Achtung, baby,' to 'Achtung, dude.' If there's one thing Hollywood executives understand, it's megalomania. And if there is one audience they crave more than any other, it's teenagers and young adults."
Read the story
Paul Krugman's been writing a series of columns about the fact that George W. Bush has personally profitted from the kind of "cooked books" he is now criticizing in the media.
From Succeeding in Business
"In 1986, one would have had to consider Mr. Bush a failed businessman. ... But he was rescued from failure when Harken Energy bought his company at an astonishingly high price. ... Despite these connections, Harken did badly. But for a time it concealed its failure -- sustaining its stock price, as it turned out, just long enough for Mr. Bush to sell most of his stake at a large profit -- with an accounting trick identical to one of the main ploys used by Enron a decade later. (Yes, Arthur Andersen was the accountant.) ... A group of insiders, using money borrowed from Harken itself, paid an exorbitant price for a Harken subsidiary, Aloha Petroleum. That created a $10 million phantom profit, which hid three-quarters of the company's losses in 1989."
Maureen Dowd writes about something much more immediately relevant to most people: Hitler on TV.
From Swastikas for Sweeps
"Yet the monster will not die. Fifty-seven years after he swallowed a bullet instead of Europe, Hitler is still a hot property. For sweeps next season, CBS will bring us Hitler in the demo: Young Hitler, the miniseries, covering the years between 18 and 34 -- the demographic sweet spot of network television. The Gathering Sturm. The Young and the Racist. From 'Achtung, baby,' to 'Achtung, dude.' If there's one thing Hollywood executives understand, it's megalomania. And if there is one audience they crave more than any other, it's teenagers and young adults."
