I am a realist and and optimist, which in 2009 America, often conflicts in somewhat bizarre ways. Last week, I took my kids to see Transformers II - I made the mistake of thinking that I could actually show up 15 minutes before the movie started, it was on about...

Our leaders have developed an achingly obvious flair for the dramatic when it comes to talking about democracy and what it takes to change the world. For example,

I will never forget that the only reason I'm standing here today is because somebody, somewhere stood up for me when...

Last night in Los Angeles, I had a chance to go to my first (RED)NIGHTS show at the Wiltern Theatre. This particular date of the new concert series from (RED) featured performances by hasidic hip-hop/reggae star Matisyahu and recent up-and-comer K'naan, who enthralled the audience with plenty of...

In the middle of all the conversations about credit card debt, credit card reform, credit card companies and credit troubles, we felt it was important to take a look at the credit card as, after all, this is the revolving credit card's 50th birthday. For many, a 50th birthday is...

Clearly Tom Tancredo is a bigot. And most would say a racist.

And the people who enable him to remain in power, by donating money to his political career, are equally guilty of what he says. Without them, he is nothing.

So Boeing Airlines, or anyone who...

The pattern would be amusing if it wasn't so predictable, and ultimately, so disappointing to anyone who has been negatively impacted by the bursting of the real estate/asset bubble.

Our eager eyes turn to the newest piece of news, about home sales, home prices, a business that has anything to...

The last time I checked, we have some serious issues going on in our country and the world. The continuing issue of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the unbelievable toll that has taken on our men and women in uniform, a burden we will shoulder for generations, the current...

Economists Are About As Accurate As A Bad Weathermen.

How many stories of 'bad models' and flat-out dumb ass wrong predictions do we have to go through until an economist stands up and admits? "Hey, we're just guessing." Here's the latest.

Housing starts fell 12.8% to a seasonally...

Back in December, I wrote a post here called "The Darwin Depression" -- my basic premise being that the US economy, and in fact, the global economy was in the midst of the bursting of the largest asset bubble in world history, and as we returned to a level of...

A lot of Christians are hypocrites.

What else can you say about a faith that supports torture more than any other faith, all while piously going to large churches and preaching things like "do onto others as you want them to do onto you?" Instead of loving their neighbor,

To help get these clowns out of Congress, chip in to help their eventual Democratic challengers.

And in other news, the sun came up this morning.

When I (James) went on MSNBC two weeks ago to talk about immigration reform, I didn't think that I had anything that...

The Editors of the Boston Globe, with the massive sense of self-worth and entitlement that is seemingly a trait of all failing newspapers, led off the Saturday paper with a massive front page whining that its Parent Company was threatening to close it, some say, in 30 days if the...

Here in New England, people look forward to April as the days turn longer, and warmer and the first signs of Spring emerge. The young, and young at heart, often recite the old standard, "April showers bring May flowers." Unfortunately, in far too many parts of world, April is not...

One of my billboards of all time, and I speak as a recovering copywriter, was one of the first ones for Virgin Airlines - written years ago.

Virgin. More Experience Than The Name Suggests.

I fly Virgin Atlantic back and forth to London religiously. I can't stand British Airways, and...

With the needs of the world, and the worlds of the needy, increasing just as our collective ability to support them and aid them plummets, I have a few thoughts.

First, as we watch much of the western world collapse, primarily and really quite simply, under the weight of unsustainable...

Four friends went fishing, their boat flipped and only one has been found. Today, in Florida, the Coast Guard announced the search for the other three would end at sunset tonight.

When you hold your fingers against the horizon on a setting sun, each finger means about 12 minutes of...

The single best piece of political advice I have heard offered someone running for president was this:

Put down the polls and look out the window.

I thought of this yesterday as the markets fell to new lows, blah blah blah, because people were shocked that AIG had actually announced...

There might be great self-help books for dads who have their kids every other weekend, how to act, what to think, tips for getting a six year old to eat cereal and milk made the wrong way because Mommy knows how to pour the milk in the bowl the right...

My father taught at Harvard Business School a long time ago, and one thing he never ceased to marvel at was businesses that didn't understand the business they were in. A simple case of confusing tactics with strategy. He started a long list of historical examples and since his passing,...

I have bought low and sold lower. I have bought high and sold low. I never have bought low and sold high and frankly, if I did the shock would probably kill me.

I have built businesses, blown up businesses, learned from failure and still hope to learn from...