The View From Your Recession: Checking Back In

Our reader writes:

In the nine months since I emailed you about my booming, recession-proof dating coach business, I've all but stopped any and all in-person coaching and consultations for helping guys with their love lives.

But not because of the economy or any adverse market forces. On the contrary, men are just as desperate and lonely as ever. Around May, I recognized that my time/effort would be much better applied in the long-run in growing the internet aspect of my business — if I could build it up to a certain level and leverage the ability to automate sales and deliver advice to thousands of men the world over, then I could basically print money and move on to other ventures.

I took advantage of the plummeting rent prices around the country (did you know you could live decently in Vegas for $600/month?), and rock-bottom prices of specialists in the Philippines and India.

I also spent a few months in Europe cashing in on all of the prospects over there that I hadn't had a chance to meet or work with before. In the meantime, I slaved away at the online aspect of my business, and it's finally cresting the threshold of being sustainable and very profitable. The coming year will see me living in Argentina, then Spain, and maybe Japan or Thailand later in the year… all while working 5-10 hours a week and outsourcing the rest. I'll probably avoid the US for the foreseeable future — one, because I'm young, mobile and single, and two, because I'm kind of sickened by the political realities from the last eight years.

But in all of this time, my industry and market have only continued to expand — men opening up and seeking help in their love lives is a growing trend and here to stay, regardless of any economic forces. On top of that, recessions can be kind to entrepreneurs in that you can get started for relatively cheap, and then catch the market demand back on the uptick.

I suppose I lucked out in both cases. I'm extremely grateful for my position as I know I'm in a very, very small minority of people who benefited/persevered through this period. One thing I've learned is that these recessions aren't blips or irregularities, but a reality of our market economics. So in the future, I'll continue to position myself to weather these storms to the best of my abilities rather than get caught with my pants down.

Jack Bauer Lives

The genre of the right-wing pro-torture thriller is on a roll, propelled by Beck and Limbaugh. Jason Zengerle has a terrific piece in the new TNR on the phenomenon:

With Chapter 50 of Pursuit of Honor, Flynn appears to be angling for a new level of conservative street cred. The chapter finds Rapp sitting in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has asked him to explain his torture of a Saudi terrorism suspect. After being scolded for his “immoral techniques” by Carol Ogden–a California Democrat (and thinly veiled send-up of Barbara Boxer) who “moved in the elite circles of her party, listening to the trial lawyers, academics, and the nuttiest of the crazy special-interest groups”–it’s Rapp’s turn to address the committee. “[W]hat do you think is more morally reprehensible,” he asks, “dislocating the arm of a terrorist … or sticking a steel spike into the brain of an eight-and-a-half-month-old fetus and then sucking his brains out[?]” Reminded by one of Ogden’s colleagues (a “jowly Senator from Vermont” who bears a striking resemblance to Patrick Leahy) that he is speaking in the august chambers of the U.S. Senate, Rapp shoots back: “I’m well aware of where I am, sir. This is where we not only say it’s perfectly okay for a doctor to kill a full-term baby, but we think taxpayers should help pay for it. … And you call me a barbarian.”

Dish Award Results 2009: Hewitt Award Winner

This one wasn't even close, with Rush Limbaugh gaining a whopping 50 percent of the votes for this:

"This is the objective. The objective is unemployment. The objective is more food stamp benefits. The objective is more unemployment benefits. The objective is an expanding welfare state. And the objective is to take the nation’s wealth and return to it to the nation’s quote, “rightful owners.” Think reparations. Think forced reparations here if you want to understand what actually is going on."

The race-baiting of this bigot took on new force this year. A distant second: Newsmax's John L. Perry for this.

Resign, Napolitano

Her latest interview on the Today show again reveals a total obtuseness. Yes, as was obvious from the original clip, it was clear she was referring to what happened after the incident occurred and the system does seem to have worked from then on. But before that? This was a massive failure by DHS, and you will notice she takes not a smidgen of personal responsibility for it.

Does she not realize how sick we are of government officials responding to obvious mistakes, errors and failures by bragging about what they did get right?

She is responsible for homeland security and scores of human beings nearly died because of her failure and survived solely because of luck and courage and the incompetence of the religious extremist.

This attitude was what enraged people about the Bush administration. If Obama wants to show he is not like that, he needs to fire Napolitano now, and explain why there are no excuses in his administration for failing to perform a core government function like ensuring that airline security is as fool-proof as possible. The rest of us have had to go through hell for years in airports only to see this happen.

If she won't resign, fire her.

An Iranian Intifada?

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That's the metaphor increasingly being used for the future of the Green Revolution:

In 1987, to Palestinians, Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and the deteriorating political and economic situations there formed the nucleus of the political ideology that legitimized the first intifada. Khamenei's increasing attacks against the Iranian public, followed by full-scale assaults against mosques and religious members of the community, are creating the nucleus of an ideology that is legitimizing opposition, not just in cities, but throughout Iran. However, ideology is not enough. To succeed, what is needed is to increase the frequency of opposition to the point where the morale of the regime and its forces are sufficiently eroded and they can no longer afford to carry on with their current policies, or their ability to function.

Here again Ayatollah Khamenei seems to be aiding the opposition.

The brutal attack against the mourners at Montazeri's funeral meant that more people were motivated to turn up in the streets on Tasua (the day before Ashura), as well as on Ashura, which happened to fall on the 7th day of Montazeri's passing. In fact, small demonstrations have continued in different places since Montazeri was buried. Further, on Ashura, his forces killed Seyed Ali Habibi Mousavi Khameneh, the nephew of Mir Hossein Mousavi. It's very possible that he happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

However, the Mousavi family might understandably assume that he was targeted for assassination. After all, how is it possible that among thousands upon thousands of demonstrators, he was one of the few shot dead? Was he followed from the beginning by an assassination team? Was he marked for death before he left the house? These are questions that cannot be overlooked.

And now his funeral, as well as the 7th day of his death, will provide other occasions for the opposition to demonstrate. Add to this 15 religious holidays, plus at least five major political ones. Meanwhile, more are expected to be killed or arrested, meaning further mourning congregations and demonstrations. Put all of these dates together and the regime could start facing an unprecedented number of demonstrations.