Big Sole Blog (BSB)

WDSU meteorologist Margaret Orr acknowledged that Hurricane Sandy was a horrific storm and its death toll of 50 lives is tragic, but she also took time on Tuesday night's broadcast to compare Hurricane Sandy to Hurricane Katrina. The picture above shows her basic points, one of which is that Katrina had a storm surge 28 feet, but Sandy had a surge of 13.88 feet. Yes, 13.88 feet is

Mitt Romney, who's been attacking President Obama on the debt, says in his budget plan that he will not be able to balance the budget until the end of his second term. So, how do his supporters defend the Romney argument that Pres. Obama has not balanced the budget in his first term and therefore should be voted out of office? Do people actually listen to the words or read what Romney says he

I applaud how Ali Veshi tried to reason with Jack Welch on CNN tonight. Anderson Cooper was smart to call him in. Had to post the video.

Are there any men out there who will boycott Chik-fil-A because Dan Cathy also downed men who divorce and remarry? He said, ". . . and we are all married to our first wives." (I guess he voted for Obama in 2008, not McCain.) More than likely he disapproves old-school Mormonism, drinking and smoking, and probably scientists who believe in evolution, too. Seriously, it is not news that Cathy is

Here is President Barack Obama's documentary-style campaign film, "The Road We've Traveled." It's an excellent film as campaign films go, and I think it will be effective in solidifying the resolve of those who have already planned to vote Obama/Biden this November and perhaps sway some undecideds who are leaning toward the incumbent already. However, I doubt the film will sway people who are

As I listened to the Republican presidential candidates tonight give their speeches following the Iowa Caucus vote, I heard the usual propaganda: windy invocations of fear regarding American debt and declarations that President Barack Obama wants America to become a socialist state. I then recalled Paul Krugman's recent editorial in the New York Times, "Nobody Understands Debt." Fellow writer

Prince released "Da, Da, Da," featuring a rap by Scrap D, in 1996.The song is on his Emancipation CD, which he recorded after his Warner Bros. contract expired. Listening to this song before Christmas 2011, I was struck by how its lyrics remain relevant today, so I created a little video. You can watch it by clicking this link or the Prince picture above. The video should start automatically. If

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyBear with me here, readers. Consider Ratigan's rant and the advice that he gave to President Barack Obama during an August show, and then consider Obama's December 6th "Teddy Roosevelt speech."I haven't had much time to watch TV this semester or pay attention to politics. I avoid politics in particular lately because I don't

I found the video I've posted above at Mashable; it shows a woman being nearly crushed to death as shoppers go wild, knocking down displays and each other at a Wal-Mart in Mesquite, Tex. Similar reports of Black Friday mayhem appeared on CNN's website yesterday, one about a grandfather and a "bloody arrest" at Wal-Mart, and another about a woman pepper spraying people at where? You guessed it!

The list of Oprah's Favorite Things, 2011, is posted on her website now. The list is worth a look, but nothing--certainly not a printed list with still shots--can top the video of people falling over themselves, screaming, and crying on her Ultimate Favorite Things show last year. I did, however, think I may order the Seeds of Life Baby Magnolia Tree you see pictured here. New Orleans could use

I will be moving this blog away from discussions of politics and race toward something less controversial, mythology perhaps. Something less personal, too, but what I do not know because existence is personal, is it not? Suddenly I am aware of the many reasons a woman should confine her own freedom of speech to the abstract or less threatening and yet even that decision is political. How will I

Despite the Dow plunging more than 500 points today, Wall Street trader Ted Weisberg says in this interview with CNN that corporate America has never been in better shape. In addition, CNN's Ali Velshi calls today's trading behavior "irrational." Other news reports on today's big dip:Stocks, Oil Plunge As Central Banks Battle Gloomy Economic OutlookStocks Tumble as Fears BuildFear makes people

I heard about this video a while back, an education on the two economic theories that influence political decisions, that is John Maynard Keynes vs. Friedrich von Hayek theories. Adherence to one or the other falls along party lines: Democrats tend to be pro-Keynes, who theorized that too much saving makes for a stagnant economy and if the economy stalls, the government may have to intervene to

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyWhat I'm about to say may sound like conspiracy theory talk, but it's not. In fact, to many people who study politics, nothing that I'm about to say will be news. But to most of the people who have been obsessing about the Debt Ceiling and deficit debates, the following may sound like crazy talk. I'm referring to the

It's time for Americans and our politicians to seek unity for the sake of the nation, and "instead of re-fighting the battles of the last two years, let's fix what needs fixing and move forward." That was the theme of President Barack Obama's second State of the Union address that he delivered to the nation tonight. More than once he used the phrase "move forward," appealing to Democratic and

Did you recognize the image Clay Duke painted on the wall from the movie V for Vendetta?When I saw this story about the Florida school board shooting yesterday, I got a chill, not just because the video was scary either. I used to cover school board meetings in other parts of the country and sometimes the people coming in to protest budget cuts or ask for school board backing on some project did

CNN's John Sutter defines the term "cyber attack" in the video above and says a cyber attack is an attack that takes place online, in cyberspace, and not in the real world. He also says the term "cyber war" regarding the attacks in support of Wikileaks and Julian Assange is an exaggeration.These attacks generally involve bombarding a website's servers with request that cause its actual customers

My dad told me yesterday that he heard Wal-Mart was going to stop building mega stores, to get away from big box monstrosities and try to look more like the "little guy." I thought that maybe he had confused the news, but he was fairly accurate in his report.Wal-mart will purue urban areas with smaller stores. That will be good for some communities that grocery stores have abandoned.And its

I hesitated on even posting the above video or approaching the topic of race, ethnicity, and divisive rhetoric in America because some people tune you out as soon as they read the words "racism" or "racist." Will we have to think up new words to discuss this critical topic in order to avoid national implosion or are there still some adults in America?In the video posted above conservative

From the L.A. Times:William Allen Kruse, 55, a charter boat captain recently hired by BP as a vessel of opportunity out of Gulf Shores, Ala., died Wednesday morning before 7:30 a.m. of a gunshot to the head, likely self-inflicted, authorities said."He had been quite despondent about the oil crisis," said Stan Vinson, coroner for Baldwin County, which includes Gulf Shores.Additional reports say