Summer 2010

Two current (issued within two days of each other) expert opinions about whether or not to worry about a double dip recession.

1. No reason to worry:

No fear of double dip recession: US treasury chief

WASHINGTON: "US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner dismissed fears of a double dip recession in an interview aired on Sunday, but warned of a slow US recovery with the economy only gradually gaining strength.

Geithner was asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" whether he thought the economy would dip back into recession before things got better.

"No, I don't," he answered. -more

2. Start worrying:

Chance of double-dip recession is high: (Reuters)

- "The state of the economy is worrisome and there is a high possibility of a double-dip recession, one of the property market's most well-known economists said on Tuesday.

Robert Shiller, professor of economics at Yale University and co-developer of Standard and Poor's S&P/Case-Shiller home price indexes, told Reuters Insider he does not know where home prices may be headed, but believes the economy may be on a precarious path.

"For me a double-dip is another recession before we've healed from this recession ... The probability of that kind of double-dip is more than 50 percent," Shiller said.

"I actually expect it." -more

* * * As for me ... I plan to worry. It's the Jewish thing to do.

In the Oval Office

The Obama administration has managed to alienate America's friends without picking up any new allies. Most intriguing is his loss of popularity on the Arab Street and in the Muslim world. According to a report published three days ago by the Christian Science Monitor:

New poll: angry at US, Arabs support an Iran nuclear bomb
A majority of Arabs said it would be a positive development if the Iran nuclear program built a bomb – a first in the Arab Public Opinion Poll. Pollsters say it's part of an anti-US Arab backlash.

By Howard LaFranchi, Staff writer / August 6, 2010
Washington

"A new poll of Arab opinion finds that for the first time a majority of the public across the region – including a sizable minority in Saudi Arabia – believes a nuclear-armed Iran would be a positive development in the Middle East.

The portion of the Arab population thinking that way has doubled since a similar survey a year ago, in part because of huge majorities this year in Egypt and Morocco. Egypt, which makes up a quarter of the Arab world, was not in last year’s survey.

The findings, however, say less about a change in Arab opinions of Iran than they do about a change in opinions about another country, say the organizers of the 2010 Arab Public Opinion Poll: Arabs have soured on the United States of Barack Obama." -more

* * * Your thoughts?

Read more Great ToonLogs at Dry Bones by Yaakov Kirschen

Assessment

Today's cartoon can be seen as a serious assessment of the situation ...or as a blatant grab for a laugh. Personally, I find it funny, which explains the joke-telling expression on the face of the guy delivering the punchline in the last panel.
And your assessment of the Obama administration's record so far would be?

Strings of Peace

Yup. On Sunday, March 29, 2009, Palestinian officials in Jenin announced that they have disbanded a youth orchestra after it played for Holocaust survivors in Israel. The youth orchestra was founded three years ago and was called "The Strings of Peace". The group began their concert with an Arabic song called We Sing For Peace.

The story in the BBC is here. The NY Times report is here.

The Strings of Peace

Read More Dry Bones by Yaakov Kirschen

Banks

Actually it seems to me that it is the whole world that is now "caught in the cross-hairs"

We are all exposed!

Read More Dry Bones by Yaakov Kirschen