| Reflections on the Presidential Races of Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul
First, these unexpected results reminded me once more how difficult it is to understand contemporary events. Second, they showed that there is only one current candidate, Dennis Kucinich, who actually represents my views. Third, they suggested that each and every Republican except Ron Paul must be classified, in my book, as an enemy of the American people. Fourth, they suggested that, for a Republican, Ron Paul is pretty decent. In some ways he would be better than Clinton; in some ways, worse—certainly not someone worth going to a polling booth for. To confirm these tentative impressions, I studied Kucinich’s and Paul’s websites. Kucinich’s site was informative enough to offer all the information I needed. In Paul’s case, to get a clearer view, I had to review a sampler of his congressional speeches.
Personal Finance Notebook: Slicing up home equity pie
Question: I recently saw an advertisement from Rex & Co., a San Francisco firm that offers cash, in exchange for a percentage of your home's value when it sells. Could you give me information on this company? I have more than 25 percent equity in my house, which is worth about $300,000. I'm on a fixed income and have other debts I'd like to get rid of without adding another payment. Is a Rex Agreement a good option to lower my debt? Don B., Orangevale .
Tower Records to be scratched from Strip
Now the iconic music industry landmark at 8801 W. Sunset Blvd. famous for its hundreds of impromptu rock 'n' roll performances and album signings awaits demolition.
Its iconic yellow facade has been repainted somber blue.
Some preservationists are beginning to feel the same way.
"This is an important place," said pop culture historian Domenic Priore, author of "Riot on the Sunset Strip: Rock 'n' Roll's Last Stand in Hollywood" and the leader of the preservation effort. "The Sunset Strip is an international landmark, and this building has an historic cachet."
The preservation effort has even won the backing of Jerome Cleary, an actor and comic who has lived next door for 22 years. Cleary acknowledges that he hated the neighborhood "chaos" the store caused when it was in business but said the structure was important enough to be saved from the wrecking ball.
Earlier 'Reader Response'
Here's some of the response we've received from readers earlier. A newspaper editor cannot be much more arrogant than to banner a headline "Norway applauds resignation..." . Norway? Or, just the few bureaucrats in the Norwegian government who have a stake in status quo in world organizations? The paragraph cited here from the May 19,2007 article on Paul Wolfowitz is plain and simply false: "Wolfowitz got in trouble for allegedly arranging a high-ranking position at the bank for his girlfriend, and ensuring that she got a large pay raise. Wolfowitz, a conservative long supported by US President George Bush, had taken over his top post on an anti-corruption platform, so the appointment was viewed as hypocritical and violating bank regulations." The fact is that Wolfowitz arranged the position for his girlfriend, following the guidelines approved and communicated to him by the directors of the bank.
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