Bob's Blog

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89023752011-12-20T01:26:12.495-05:00Bob's BlogThis is the successor to the Kronish Chronicle, an investment newsletter that was published for some 10 years. Whereas each Chronicle was a digest of several different subjects, Bob’s Blog incorporates in-depth columns on a single major issue with wide ranging subjects from investing, to politics, to government measures, to economics.Please send your comments to bobkro@hotmail.com.Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comBlogger1221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-45697625731189433942011-12-15T13:19:00.002-05:002011-12-20T01:26:12.509-05:00The Cassandra Syndrome – Part II

Now follow this timeline: The deadline for article submission for the November issue of this newspaper was October 24 th. That edition was actually delivered on or about November 15 th. You may (hopefully) recall that in that issue this column incorporated information related to “the disappointing start of what was supposed to be the second coming of the American Century, questioned whether

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-75459333765394437102011-12-01T13:15:00.001-05:002011-12-20T01:19:31.935-05:00How’s Your Financial Behavior? – Redux

There are occasions when most people think they are smarter than they actually are. For example, here is a straightforward arithmetic question: A bat and ball cost $1.10. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?" Quick! What’s the answer? The obvious answer is that the ball costs 10 cents. However, if that’s the solution you came up with, it’s wrong. Think about it––if

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-41448631239967220292011-11-01T21:27:00.002-05:002011-12-20T01:23:36.608-05:00The Cassandra Syndrome – Part I

At least on the surface, it would appear that much of the American public is under the spell of what I term The Cassandra Syndrome. Here are a few synonyms for the word Cassandra: pessimist, doomsayer, kill-joy, prophet of doom, worrywart. That seems to describe the sentiment and mood of a vast segment of the population. An op-ed piece in The New York Times a month and a half ago cited the

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-90846263379558395352011-10-01T10:43:00.002-05:002011-10-11T22:46:01.822-05:00Who You Gonna Believe?

It’s interesting to note that there are some quotes from years ago that are just as valid today as they were when originated. One such is from the 1933 movie Duck Soup that starred the zany Marx Brothers. Although sometimes attributed to Groucho, it was Chico who said, “Well, who you gonna believe, me or your own eyes?” Essentially, this is the question that the mutual fund industry has asked

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-30617553208069837302011-09-01T22:44:00.003-05:002011-09-01T22:46:09.949-05:00The Roosevelt Recession

Attributed to Albert Einstein (probably incorrectly) is this definition of “insanity”: “doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.” Okay, that makes sense. But does that identical definition apply if the “thing” was not done over and over, but only once? That’s the enigma that must be resolved by economists, legislators, and in the final analysis by the nation as a

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-71615879701181155432011-08-01T11:51:00.002-05:002011-08-06T23:59:49.489-05:00Those who cannot remember the past...

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" I have used that statement, originated by the Spanish American poet and philosopher, George Santayana, so often in past articles, I hesitated to use it again, but for the fact that it is particularly relevant to the following two articles that have appeared here in Viewpointe in the past. As you will read, the subjects dealt with

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-63831896100860579362011-07-01T16:23:00.001-05:002011-07-10T16:28:54.301-05:00Education, Innovation, Infrastructure – The Resurgence: Part V

It’s the Culture Stupid! For the past 69 years, high school students have competed for scholarship prizes in the “Science Talent Search,” a competition that for many years was sponsored by Westinghouse, and more currently by Intel. How smart are the participants? Calling them very smart would be an understatement. Their talent is clearly indicated by the fact that finalists have achieved some

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-81259919642829209802011-06-01T11:36:00.002-05:002011-06-08T23:46:51.151-05:00Education, Innovation, Infrastructure – The Resurgence: Part IV

Knowing nothing else about its education system, how would you evaluate a country that, as described by the Wall Street Journal, embraces a policy whereby “High-school students rarely get more than a half-hour of homework a night? They have no school uniforms, no honor societies, no valedictorians, no tardy bells, and no classes for the gifted. There is little standardized testing, few parents

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1358067279613602102011-05-01T12:25:00.002-05:002011-05-08T00:29:01.265-05:00Education, Innovation, Infrastructure – The Resurgence: Part III

As described here in last month’s column, a staggeringly critical article bewailing the future status of the United Sates appeared in a March issue of Time magazine. The author, Fareed Zakaria, a highly respected foreign affairs expert, condemned an education system that is failing too large a portion of our children––1/3 rd do not graduate high school––thereby stifling efforts to maintain our

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-31347724936609682662011-04-01T12:38:00.000-05:002011-04-10T01:02:30.900-05:00Education, Innovation, Infrastructure – The Resurgence: Part II

In April 2006, the headline in a five part series in this column questioned, “Are We Losing the War for Innovation?” The conclusion was, “Whereas the 20th Century went down in history as the ‘American Century,’ the consequences of a failing educational system as well as a major demographic shift will prevent America from a repeat performance in the 21st century.”A Time Magazine Classic That was

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-28203846352387830572011-03-01T12:32:00.000-05:002011-03-04T00:02:23.395-05:00Education, Innovation, Infrastructure – The Resurgence: Part I

“When something happens that is agreeable but unexpected, that phenomenon is called serendipity. The term is derived from an old name for the island of Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon), Serendip. The famous English writer, Horace Walpole, in a letter written to Horace Mann in 1754, coined the word itself. Walpole created the word based, as he wrote, on ‘a silly fairy tale, called The Three

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-48988985365354301552011-02-01T00:34:00.001-05:002011-02-01T00:38:53.719-05:00The Investment Answer

If there is one skill that investors, as well as financial professionals value the most, it is the power of prognostication. Yet that is a talent that is also revered in many other areas of human activity, and this has been so perhaps since the dawn of mankind’s existence. Ancient civilizations used various types of practices for divination purposes, including observing the flight of birds,

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-33441522234142548712011-01-01T10:08:00.003-05:002011-01-06T01:19:56.266-05:00Pollarized Nation – Part II

The artificially constructed word, pollarized, is an agglomeration of the word polarized (with one L) and the word poll. This newly contrived expression (my candidate for “word of the year”) accentuates the significance and influence that the polling process has demonstrated as related to politics. While the polling process has proliferated in an increasingly polarized nation, that condition in

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-19321515829709210362010-12-01T11:34:00.005-05:002010-12-09T18:34:13.800-05:00Pollarized Nation – Part I

No, the above spelling is not a typo –– more on that shortly. However, my most recent mishap occurred when The New York Times scooped me. Scooping The Times would have been a celebratory occasion, but as you will read, while I came close, in reality the Times was the scooper, and I’m the scoopee. Now the wordsmiths amongst you might rightfully point out that neither of those two words (as used)

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-76711662904383256082010-11-01T12:35:00.001-05:002010-11-04T00:32:00.207-05:00A Plague On Both Your Houses

In 1883, during a tour of the United States, Oscar Wilde came across a saying (one that actually had existed since the 1860’s) posted on a notice in a Leadville, Colorado saloon, It read, “Don't shoot the piano player; he's doing the best he can.” The more current expression is “Don’t shoot (or kill) the messenger,” and a similar sentiment was used not only by Sophocles many centuries earlier,

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-55167127019037560292010-10-01T10:59:00.000-05:002010-10-09T23:04:17.990-05:00The Morningstar Dilemma

The name Morningstar has become almost synonymous with the phrase Mutual Funds. For over 25 years, this company has provided investors with what has been generally accepted as meaningful, helpful, and accurate data, information that aids in making investment decisions. Its “star rating system” that grades mutual funds, has become the “gold standard” for identifying fund performance predicated on

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-59293910969717856702010-09-01T10:31:00.001-05:002010-09-04T22:34:07.383-05:00The Start-Up Nation –– Or Is It The Chutzpah Nation?

About eight years ago the word “chutzpah” was given legal sanction when it was used in a decision written by Supreme Court Justice Antonia Scalia, probably the last person on that bench one would expect to use Yiddish. By contrast, when two Jewish authors wrote a book titled The Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle, it is not surprising that they attribute at least part of that

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-57855744896624689352010-08-01T23:17:00.000-05:002010-08-01T23:18:23.057-05:00ETF’s – The Saga Continues

Exactly seven years ago, in August 2003, an article titled “The Mutual Fund Insurrection” appeared in this column. The opening paragraphs read as follows: “Despite its popularity with investors, the mutual fund industry is ripe for innovation and change. The miserable performance of the vast majority of actively managed funds has been fully recognized by investors who are moving to low cost index

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-76136240951184560532010-07-15T12:09:00.000-05:002010-07-16T12:11:18.970-05:00Plus Ça Change, Plus C'est La Même Chose

The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same NOTE: The French version of the above epigram (colloquially abbreviated to “ Plus ça change,”) was created in mid-1800 by Jean-Baptise Alphonse Karr, a French journalist, critic, and novelist. While reading the article below, see if you can figure out its relevancy to the subject matter. Whom Can You Trust?“Is there anyone out there in the

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-39264863688223728992010-07-01T13:41:00.000-05:002010-07-10T13:47:55.905-05:00The Eighth Annual Boca Pointe Meal Deals

So here we are now with the eighth issue of “Meals,”Where we’ll describe once again good values and deals.But I wonder myself why a poem is required,It just seems that’s the way that my brain has been wired.But nevertheless my intentions are pure,To provide you with info that’s valid and sure.So just like last year we’ll review what took place,In the no-ending struggle in the Summer Deal race.

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-76972390777399395982010-06-01T12:49:00.001-05:002010-06-08T00:53:13.016-05:00The Demographic Dilemma –– Part III

In an op-ed piece in The New York Times in October of last year, Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman wrote, “If you had to explain America’s economic success with one word, that word would be ‘education.’ In the 19th century, America led the way in universal basic education. Then, as other nations followed suit, the ‘high school revolution’ of the early 20th century took us to a whole new level. And in

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-47165806190717944982010-05-01T12:21:00.000-05:002010-05-12T00:35:30.788-05:00The Demographic Dilemma –– Part II

Scooping David Brooks, op-ed columnist of The New York Times? As the National Car Rental commercial says, “Now that’s a good call.” OK, maybe we didn’t actually scoop him, but consider this: Had last month’s Part I of this current series (with subject matter identical to Brooks’ April 6th op-ed piece) been delivered just 10 days earlier, Viewpointe would have scooped The Times. Nevertheless, it

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-15138122540318107692010-04-01T12:41:00.000-05:002010-04-11T00:09:09.489-05:00The Demographic Dilemma –– Part I

Exactly three years ago, a five part series titled, The Doomsday Book: An Environmental Nightmare, started in the April 2007 issue of Viewpoint. Covered in some detail was a book authored by Lester R. Brown, president of the World Watch Institute. The book was titled Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble. In that article I wrote: “Mr. Brown’s tome, that I have

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-72912214131624616302010-03-01T12:13:00.000-05:002010-03-05T00:32:08.924-05:00The Supremes Sing Their Song

This article was originally scheduled to run in last month’s (February) Viewpointe in addition to the article that was printed. As a result of my error in submitting it to the publisher, it was omitted. However, much of the following was written the day after the Supreme Court’s historic decision, one that related specifically to another article that had been published in the November issue of

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-76536336279472371092010-02-01T13:19:00.001-05:002010-02-04T01:20:56.521-05:00The Supremes Sang Their Song

In 1941, Franklin Roosevelt called the day that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor “a Day of Infamy.” January 21 of this year may be viewed in the history books as the day this country was transformed from a democracy into a corpocrasy. Yes, that is a real word defined as “a society in which corporations have much economic and political power.” We may find ourselves revising our country’s name into “The

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-89453327889992164222010-02-01T13:17:00.000-05:002010-02-04T01:19:34.978-05:00The Dismal Science: Perhaps Not

The field of Economics is not the most dynamic and exciting scientific discipline (if it can be called a “science” in the first place), nor are economists the most ebullient or scintillating characters one might find. Most would picture economists as being rather nerdy, using language to justify their decisions that is at best incomprehensible, and at worse incoherent. In any number of articles

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-84526451093860397862010-01-01T22:29:00.002-05:002010-01-10T23:05:47.305-05:00The Professional Manager Dilemma

The blog posted here last month was rejected for publication in the newspaper, Viewpointe of Boca Pointe, by the management of the Boca Pointe Community Association. The rationale was that it could be interpreted, as too strong a criticism of the Wells Fargo Bank, despite the fact that every point made was accurate and verifiable. As a result, for the February issue of Viewpointe, the article was

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-69904524990910752622009-12-01T12:46:00.000-05:002009-12-06T00:50:02.518-05:00Whom Can You Trust?

“How do you turn an investment portfolio into $1 million? Start with $2 million.” That is an old stock market joke that is more formally illustrated by the following: “ Speculation is an effort, probably unsuccessful, to turn a little money into a lot. Investment is an effort, which should be successful, to prevent a lot of money from becoming a little.” That observation is from a book published

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-20053246724715883582009-11-01T11:26:00.000-05:002009-11-07T23:29:18.283-05:00Are the Supremes Singing From the Wrong Songbook?

In 1976, Billboard magazine named Diana Ross the female entertainer of the century. Her celebrity status was originally secured during the 1960’s, as the lead singer for the group known as the Supremes. Ms. Ross still pursues an active performance career, and in fact participated in the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo in 2008. The new crop of Supremes (my appellation for Supreme Court justices)

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-3883592041784590332009-10-01T12:20:00.000-05:002009-10-05T00:27:50.598-05:00Pharmaceutical Follies — Redux — Part II

Katy, Bar the Door, a Tsunami May Be ImminentThe Random House Dictionary of the English Language, a volume that is comprised of 2,059 pages, weighing exactly 9.5 pounds defines the word tsunami as follows: “An unusually large sea wave produced by a seaquake or undersea eruption.” Interestingly, that particular dictionary was printed in 1966, yet an excellent modern website, dictionary.com (that

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-5923876699128964682009-09-01T12:37:00.000-05:002009-09-04T12:39:22.313-05:00Pharmaceutical Follies — Redux

On more occasions than not, a current news item gains some notoriety but then quickly disappears from memory. Every so often however, an unexpected something occurs that resurrects history, and once more excites public interest. What follows is such an incident Here is a story of duplicity and deceit; influence peddling and arm twisting; virtual bribery and extortion; lies and broken promises;

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-83892482697563787612009-08-01T21:49:00.000-05:002009-08-02T21:51:18.675-05:00Just In Case You Missed It

“No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.” That was an observation expressed by H.L. Mencken, who is described in Wikipedia as being “regarded as one of the most influential American writers and prose stylists of the first half of the 20th century.” Mr. Mencken has been dead for over 50 years, yet his mostly satirical, acerbic, and critical comments on

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-22869473555723805862009-07-01T12:29:00.001-05:002009-07-07T00:37:17.978-05:00What’s In Your Garage? Part III

Just two days before this article was submitted to the publisher, Stephen Chu, President Obama’s Energy Secretary, made an announcement that will insure that the Tesla Motors Model S sedan, described two months ago in this column, will become a reality. Tesla had requested a $465 million low interest loan from the government (that will be granted) in order to construct factories to support the

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-42970904374287428902009-07-01T12:16:00.003-05:002010-07-10T13:50:52.487-05:00The Seventh Annual Boca Pointe Meal Deals

It’s once again that time of year When the rhyming muses do appear. That’s triggered by the thought of meals That lends themselves to all kinds of deals. With snowbirds gone restaurants have it tough, But economic woes make it especially rough. Vying for the customers, the few that are still here With menu prices lower than in any previous year. Price cuts are all so deep and also so extensive,

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-74193357811621798482009-06-01T12:24:00.000-05:002009-06-03T00:25:34.021-05:00What’s In Your Garage? Part II

Serendipity strikes again –– and more than once. You will recall that in last month’s article, I referred to the delayed government response to the Tesla car company’s request for $450 million in federal funding. As of this writing, no decision on the hoped for grant has been made. However, a most surprising (even astonishing) bit of news was reported just two days before the deadline date for

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-65544003240936363562009-05-01T10:34:00.002-05:002009-05-03T23:22:28.566-05:00What’s In Your Garage? Part I

These days it’s almost impossible to evade the ubiquitous and constant replays of the TV commercials sponsored by that would be pillar of the community, Capital One Banking Corp. Forget for the moment that those commercials are in a true sense paid for with some of the $3.5 billion of TARP money supplied to that company by your tax dollars. Despite that however, I must admit that the commercials

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-89298040512754885282009-04-01T11:42:00.000-05:002009-04-08T23:44:04.359-05:00The Case of the Clock That Doesn’t Tick: Is That All There Is? – Part II

“All too often macro economic episodes, global developments, or ill-advised legislative actions occur that overwhelm financial markets, negating even the wisest, most sophisticated strategic endeavors initiated by investors. Unfortunately, the potential for such an event, one that could have a disruptive, perhaps even a destructive impact on the traditional investment process, becomes more and

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-17435655371568030172009-03-01T11:41:00.000-05:002009-03-17T23:44:34.432-05:00The Case of the Clock That Doesn’t Tick: Is That All There Is? – Part I

The tick-tocking normally associated with traditional clocks is missing from this particular instrument because it is hardly traditional. For one thing, it’s 11’ x 26’ in size; for another, it does not show the time of the day. It also lacks the usual clock hands, instead registering its information in boxes with lighted numbers that change relentlessly, for the moment ever upward. Yet, when

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-21025317249925458292009-02-15T13:02:00.001-05:002009-02-17T01:08:13.906-05:00Everything Old Is New Again — Part II

The letter that could have changed the world Many economists and financial experts are citing comparisons between the economic crisis that occurred in the 1930’s and the country’s current fiscal problems. With that in mind, it is unlikely that anyone recently noted what could have been one of the most important letters that ever appeared on the editorial pages of the New York Times. It was

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-6949501455969344222009-02-01T13:03:00.004-05:002009-02-10T01:23:04.567-05:00Everything Old Is New Again — Part I

One of the more entertaining dance routines in the annals of film history was enacted exactly 30 years ago in the movie “All That Jazz” (it can be viewed on YouTube here). The music accompanying the performance was a song titled “Everything Old is New Again,” a fitting description of the current economic policies resurrected from the past, some already enacted, others being considered, all

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-52448524953838769292009-01-01T19:27:00.000-05:002009-01-04T19:30:42.439-05:00Infrastructure Insanity — Part V

The golden age of infrastructure building and spending took place during mid-1950 through the 1970’s. It was during that period that the Internet Highway System was planned and built. The key difference then and now lies in the word “plan.” As described in a mid-November article in The New York Times, while the level of infrastructure spending (measured as a percentage of gross domestic product)

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-76040527205802932022008-11-15T13:24:00.000-05:002008-11-22T01:24:58.275-05:00Buy Baby, Buy

What happened? Were we bushwhacked, or should we have seen it coming? How did we end up in the middle of a perfect storm at a most imperfect and inconvenient time? Here we are, supposedly the most sophisticated and certainly the most technology adept and computerized country in the world, suddenly confronted with doubts as to whether a capitalistic based society is, as almost universally accepted

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-5732825516637737232008-11-01T12:38:00.001-05:002008-11-04T00:49:00.493-05:00Infrastructure Insanity — Part IV

In 1919, a young Army Lieutenant Colonel traveled with a convoy of Army vehicles on a cross-country trip from Washington D.C. to San Francisco for the purpose of establishing the viability of the nation’s highway in the event of a military emergency. He wrote, “The road is one succession of dust, ruts, pits and holes,” also reporting of impassable and unstable sand and wooden bridges that cracked

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-62929871103042809182008-10-15T23:55:00.000-05:002008-10-22T23:58:06.133-05:00Drill Baby, Drill!: Unrealistic, Reality, or a Bit of Both?

Attempts to keep politics out of any issue in today’s ultra sensitive pre-election atmosphere, be it the economy, religion, social values, foreign policy, the environment, and a host of others is difficult. However what stirred my interest in the subject of drilling for oil was the “Drill Baby, Drill” mantra voiced so effusively at the Republican Party Nominating Convention. Of course,

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-30123105867310535462008-10-06T14:28:00.002-05:002008-10-06T14:32:15.081-05:00Infrastructure Insanity — Part III

The October issue of Vanity Fair magazine featured an interview with Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City. One question asked of him was, “Who are your favorite writers?” The first name he mentioned was Tom Friedman, three time Pulitzer Prize winner, and op-ed writer for the New York Times, for whom I have expressed admiration in several previous articles. Mr. Friedman’s major strength is

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-74735630065302241372008-09-01T11:57:00.000-05:002008-09-05T00:00:20.537-05:00Infrastructure Insanity — Part II

What’s insane about the country’s infrastructure? Think about it! Here we have our most valuable physical assets, our roads and transit systems, bridges and tunnels, drinking water and waste water facilities, levees, inland waterways, airports and ports, electric power generation and transmission systems, and we have allowed them to deteriorate and decay.Last month’s article on the subject,

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-72320439530228244562008-08-15T12:29:00.000-05:002008-08-18T00:33:34.341-05:00Past Articles Redux

A wonderful source for determining the etymology of a word is wiktionary.com. That describes the word redux as originating from the Latin reducare: to bring back. Its definition is: Of a topic: redone, restore, brought back, revisited. It is the latter word that best applies, since we are about to revisit several subjects that have appeared in this newspaper in past columns, subjects that have

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-31049370842550944882008-08-01T21:31:00.001-05:002008-08-02T21:36:48.012-05:00Infrastructure Insanity — Part I

The term “infrastructure” is rarely seen as a freestanding word. It is normally accompanied by deprecating terms such as “decaying,” “deteriorating,” “deficient,” or “debilitated.” All of these expressions accurately describe the condition of our country’s basic infrastructure assets, but I have introduced a new word, “insanity,” that conveys the fact that there is a total absence of any coherent

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-27697123162603357582008-07-17T12:13:00.001-05:002008-07-17T17:44:09.870-05:00The Sixth Annual Boca Pointe Meal Deals

If you ever have any inclination to go into the restaurant business, disabuse yourself of that urge immediately. Even if you are a high roller and an inveterate casino gambler, you won’t like the odds. A Hospitality Management professor at Ohio State University studied the life span of new restaurants from 1996-1999 discovering that 26 percent failed in the first year, 19 percent closed in the

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-3450583104956992862008-07-01T12:17:00.001-05:002008-07-03T00:31:40.757-05:00Alternative Energy—Our Only Alternative—Part VI

Science Fiction? With the price of oil, gasoline, and natural gas skyrocketing, and payments for coal doubling, the costs to build nuclear plants tripling to quadrupling, and the heightened awareness of climate change, it is no wonder that the development of alternative energy sources appears significantly more compelling. As a result, the pace of research and experimentation in the field has

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-27706474436450180382008-06-01T12:16:00.004-05:002008-06-02T00:37:19.239-05:00Alternative Energy—Our Only Alternative—Part V

Here’s The Good News If you haven’t noticed, the concept of global warming has not only been gaining recognition, the acceptance of its existence has been gaining momentum in some unexpected circles. In mid-May the presumptive Republican president nominee, Senator John McCain delivered a very forceful and emotional speech in which he criticized the fact that in the past eight years the current

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-64126502441344226742008-05-01T12:16:00.000-05:002008-05-02T00:18:10.211-05:00Alternative Energy—Our Only Alternative—Part IV

SOLAR POWER “High prices for gasoline and home heating oil are here to stay. The U.S. is at war in the Middle East at least in part to protect its foreign oil interests. And as China, India and other nations rapidly increase their demand for fossil fuels, future fighting over energy looms large. In the meantime, power plants that burn coal, oil and natural gas, as well as vehicles everywhere,

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-71526050724459757682008-04-01T23:26:00.000-05:002008-04-03T23:38:43.004-05:00Alternative Energy—Our Only Alternative—Part III

It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future — Yogi Berra Many, many, many years ago, while visiting relatives in Montreal, Canada, I was persuaded to seek a reading from a gypsy fortune-teller. Although my memories of the prophecies are dim, I do remember that she predicted that I would join the army — with a draft in progress, this was pretty much a given anyway — and that I

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-31479730755229020402008-03-15T23:07:00.000-05:002008-03-17T23:10:02.473-05:00Creative Destruction — The All-Electric Car = The End Of Oil?

It’s been about two and a half years since I last wrote about the concept of Creative Destruction in these pages. That force does not occur too often, but when it does, the results can be revolutionary. Let me warn you beforehand that we are about to enter the realm of Economics, a field most consider about as exciting as watching paint dry. However, there are times when an event occurs that is

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-43061486181643942962008-03-01T12:35:00.000-05:002008-03-05T00:38:40.712-05:00Alternative Energy—Our Only Alternative—Part II

With increasing recognition and acceptance that the threat of global warming is real, the subject of alternative (renewable, clean) energy sources has become a hot topic (excuse the pun). On February 10 th, the Sunday edition of The New York Times ran an editorial titled “Clean Power or Dirty Coal?” The Times editorial wrote, “…the failure — by both the Bush administration and Congress — to

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-52636648477613057652008-02-15T23:48:00.001-05:002008-02-18T20:16:45.656-05:00The Battle of the Titans—Wal-Mart vs. Target

It’s almost embarrassing for a man to develop the reputation as a consummate shopper. Men are supposed to hate shopping, an activity that is accepted as being dominated by the female gender. Scientists are still attempting to discover the existence of the elusive shopping gene that is rumored to be embedded somewhere in the female psyche, a finding that will go far to substantiate the theory of

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-82956694263876716812008-02-01T11:27:00.000-05:002008-02-08T11:40:46.031-05:00Alternative Energy—Our Only Alternative—Part I

Anyone with a sense of history would have to conclude that the 20 th Century was the century of oil. Without oil the world’s powerful move to industrialization would not have been possible; oil provided the fuel for wars, literally and figuratively; empires were built on oil; oil (at least cheap oil) was the primary commodity that propelled the United States into its position as the economic

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-29124946354002819312008-01-15T12:18:00.000-05:002008-01-21T00:21:58.611-05:00You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet: A Hospital Like No Other

Disclaimer: Just three days before this article went to press, the Boca Raton Community Hospital stunningly revealed that as a result of a poor financial year, the hospital posted a loss of $28 million resulting in a temporary halt to the beginning construction of the new hospital. The original targeted opening date (mentioned below) has been pushed back by about one year. There has been no

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-57528058801954422952008-01-01T12:53:00.000-05:002008-01-02T00:58:34.888-05:00Water, Water Everywhere, But Just 1% to Drink: The Global Water Crisis—Part V

There are a number of reputations that seem to persist, some for very long periods, whether deserved or not. Take the incomprehensible (to most) field of Economics that has suffered the ignominy of bearing a title that would turn even the most adventurous students from its halls of learning. It has been known as the dismal science for over 150 years with few defenders.This has resulted in a

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-28962220078919197102007-12-15T21:14:00.000-05:002007-12-16T21:17:18.828-05:00Where Has All the Sechel Gone?: The Ethanol Fiasco

Fifty-one years ago, Pete Seeger, the legendary folk singer, appeared before the House Un-American Activities Committee and was subsequently found guilty of contempt by the House of Representatives. He was ultimately cleared of the charges, and during that period he wrote the song “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” popularized by the Kingston Trio, and Peter, Paul, and Mary.You might remember the

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-92122227418680464762007-12-15T21:12:00.000-05:002007-12-16T21:14:31.488-05:00There’s No Such Thing As a Free Lunch

Although Milton Friedman, the legendary professor and Nobel Laureate at the University of Chicago, considered as perhaps the most influential economist of the last half of the 20 th century, generally gets credit for coining the above axiom, it was actually Leonard P. Ayres, who was the originator. Mr. Ayres had a remarkable career as an educator, an economist, and a brigadier general in World

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-10373081070253338452007-12-01T12:41:00.000-05:002007-12-04T00:50:22.314-05:00Water, Water Everywhere, But Just 1% to Drink: The Global Water Crisis—Part IV

“The world is coming to an end.” Now, as unlikely as you may think that as a possibility, and as depressing as that thought might be (can anything be more disheartening than a life-ending prediction?), that is not necessarily my current belief. Although I am now just relaying a message that has existed for a few millennia, I can picture the day when I might join the guys in long white robes

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-14151103332253168692007-11-15T15:33:00.000-05:002007-11-15T15:34:04.600-05:00The Toy Store For Adults—IKEA

April in Paris—the City of Light, romance, the fashion capital of the world (at least it was then), romance, certainly the home of croissants, romance. That’s where I fell in love, except it was really in September, actually a better time to be in Paris than April. Yes! Some twenty five years ago, just by happenstance (probably the better word would be serendipity), is when I stopped at a doorway

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-55795058597941605012007-11-15T15:22:00.000-05:002007-11-15T15:30:58.205-05:00Don’t Believe Everything You Read

I hate a mea culpa especially when it’s my turn. So, allow me to prostrate myself, seek your forgiveness, and fall back on the now familiar, “If I had known then what I know now…” Hey! If it’s good enough for Hillary… In last month’s issue, I wrote that delivery of the revolutionary new plug-in-electric Tesla sports car would begin this month. I’m now convinced that information was provided by

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-39541223132202922352007-11-01T12:29:00.000-05:002007-11-01T12:31:51.072-05:00Water, Water Everywhere, But Just 1% to Drink: The Global Water Crisis—Part III

While you may or may not be enamored of the editorial pages of TheNew York Times, the content of its Sunday magazine section is generally objective, and more to the point, the magazine’s cover articles are usually devoted to important issues of the day. Obviously, not all are upbeat and exhilarating. In fact, the October 21 st cover article that ran for 10 pages was as disturbing, distressful,

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-16120328985300686372007-10-01T23:46:00.000-05:002007-10-01T23:48:16.054-05:00Water, Water Everywhere, But Just 1% to Drink: The Global Water Crisis—Part II

“Crises of any kind inevitably bring out the best and the worst in people. They inspire the too few voices of reason as well as the predictable strident expressions of hysteria. And especially intriguing perhaps are the unexpected revelations they offer.” I wish I could say I composed those words since they are so relevant to the subject of this article. However, they appeared in a recent issue

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-50043855803497724022007-09-01T23:15:00.000-05:002007-09-03T23:01:28.768-05:00Water, Water Everywhere, But Just 1% to Drink: The Global Water Crisis—Part I

In the year 1798, in An Essay on the Principles of Population, Thomas Malthus proposed the theory that while resources tend to grow linearly, population grows exponentially. That led to the argument that (as explained in Wikipedia) “If left unrestricted, human populations continue to grow until they become too large to be supported by the food grown on available agricultural land, causing

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-53713709984547387902007-08-15T12:25:00.000-05:002007-08-17T12:26:29.653-05:00The Cult of Personality

You might recall when the above phrase was applied to several individuals, almost always dictators, who fit the definition as expressed in Wikipedia, namely, “A cult of personality arises when a country’s leader uses mass media to create a larger-than-life public image through unquestioning flattery and praise.” This characterized the regimes of Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, Castro, Mao Zedong, and

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-51263120135103714642007-08-15T12:22:00.000-05:002007-08-17T12:28:30.012-05:00Shift Happens

Karl Fisch is more than just a teacher, he must be classified as an “educator.” He works for the Littleton, Colorado, school district as Director of Technology in Arapahoe High School. To even have a Director of Technology in a high school makes it quite unique, and apparently, Mr. Fisch is equally unique. He has a blog (The Fischbowl) that is used by the high school staff and his students. He

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-71125201583690182572007-08-15T12:19:00.000-05:002007-08-17T12:20:56.078-05:00More Pharmaceutical Follies

I hate to say I told you so, but… more than two years ago, in a series of articles titled, Pharmaceutical Follies, I denigrated the pharmaceutical industry and its reprehensible use of a massive group of lobbyists (some 6000 in total), whose sole function was to influence legislation at both the federal and state levels, to insure a continuation of the industry’s enormous degree of profitability.

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-34415666607816791822007-08-01T12:28:00.000-05:002007-08-01T12:31:22.592-05:00The Doomsday Book, An Environmental Nightmare — Part V

On January 6 th, 1942, just one day short of one month after the attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt presented his annual State of the Union address to the nation. Few people today have a vivid recollection of the details of that speech, and that is unfortunate since there are lessons that can be learned from it. He said, in part, “Our task is hard — our task is unprecedented

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-57220076111853274862007-07-15T18:20:00.000-05:002007-07-15T18:22:07.033-05:00The T-word and the Pigou Club

There are few words in the English language that can engender equal rancor with that of the term “taxes,” and that, the T-word, has long been considered the equivalent of the “third rail of politics.” After all, colonial Americans initiated a political revolution based in part on resentment over British taxation without representation. Yet, therein lies the problem; representation requires

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-61574842272435446062007-07-15T18:14:00.000-05:002007-07-15T23:27:12.327-05:00Johnny Still Can’t Read — The New York Times Agrees

The Sunday Times magazine section of April 27 th featured an article on the testing standards implemented by the states for the No Child Left Behind (N.C.L.B.) program. The article claims, “So one of the most glaring legacies of [that program] is surprising; it has made a muddle of meaningful assessment. Testing has never been more important; inadequate annual progress toward ‘proficiency’

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-64826429416382537122007-07-01T20:18:00.000-05:002007-07-01T20:20:35.615-05:00The Doomsday Book, An Environmental Nightmare — Part IV

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! A miracle has transpired. Yes indeed! In a stunning reversal of a doctrinaire disregard for the findings of a vast majority of international climate scientists, our illustrious president has announced that “global warming” does indeed exist. This phrase was previously off-limits to federal government workers and barred from usage in governmental documents. That

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-53106226901740003472007-06-15T23:27:00.000-05:002007-06-15T23:37:20.984-05:00Just In Case You Missed It

Sicko = Socko!; + Mea Culpa Mea Culpas come particularly hard to politicians since even one admission of error is a clear indication that he (Mr. Bush, for example) or she (substitute Mrs. Clinton here) is not infallible. Despite the unease that results from a mistake, in the case of my imprecision, it is not of the caliber of Mr. Bush’s entry into a wasteful war, or Mrs. Clinton’s vote to

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-32968946593358115422007-06-01T22:13:00.000-05:002007-06-01T22:18:04.263-05:00The Doomsday Book, An Environmental Nightmare — Part III

I must admit to a certain bias when I consider information emanating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), not only because of its world-renowned reputation, but because that institution was the recipient of a not insignificant sum of my money in return for providing my son with his undergraduate degree. This revelation might influence your opinion regarding the objectivity of my

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-69544254694234308112007-05-15T11:21:00.000-05:002007-05-15T23:42:12.420-05:00A Must Read — “The Power of Green”

If you are a Conservative, you probably know the name Brent Bozell III. He is a widely distributed syndicated columnist and the founder and president of the Media Research Center, the largest media watchdog organization in the United States. Liberal or Conservative, you undoubtedly are familiar with the name Thomas L. Friedman, The New York Times columnist, three time Pulitzer Prize winner, and

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-33994134065728428942007-05-15T11:14:00.000-05:002007-05-15T23:36:34.968-05:00Johnny CAN Read — If He’s Finnish

Shortly before last month’s article on our failed school system appeared under the title Johnny Still Can’t Read, U.S. News & World Report ran an article (March 26/April 2) titled The Secret to Smarter Schools. It described how Finland has achieved the type of school performance success about which the U.S. can only dream.Every three years the Paris based Organization of Economic Cooperation and

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-4496144713422338992007-05-01T14:45:00.000-05:002007-05-03T15:00:39.589-05:00The Doomsday Book, An Environmental Nightmare — Part II

It would be ingenuous to believe that this or any article on environmentalism immediately captivates the attention of, and enthralls all prospective readers. Yet, the apparent popularity of the Al Gore movie, An Inconvenient Truth, whether one agrees with its premise or not, certainly propelled the subject into the forefront and initiated a dialog on what most will agree, is an important subject.

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-13524950956363553912007-04-15T12:33:00.000-05:002007-04-21T15:59:04.106-05:00Johnny Still Can’t Read

Are the nation’s politicians so obsessive about remaining in office that they are willing to compromise the educational process through distortion and misrepresentation? Of course they are — after all, the phrase “honest politician” has always been viewed as an oxymoron. You may recall a recent six-part article in this blog titled “Are We Losing the War for Innovation?” Its conclusion was,

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-80883086805429806712007-04-01T11:42:00.000-05:002007-03-30T23:45:13.015-05:00The Doomsday Book, An Environmental Nightmare — Part I

How would you like to pursue a new career, or if you are retired, perhaps a part-time job? If you are willing to wait a couple of years, the government will be hiring tens of thousands for the upcoming 2010 census. This will be quite a contrast to the earliest censuses that were conducted; there were far fewer people then, and the costs associated with the enterprise were surprisingly inexpensive

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-53709161673892210292007-03-15T19:41:00.000-05:002007-03-15T21:21:39.122-05:00Death and Taxes

Those two words, connoting unpleasant consequences, have been conjoined for at least 380 years, ever since Daniel Defoe, the author of Robinson Crusoe and Molly Flanders, wrote in 1726, in his Things as in the Political History of the Devil, “Certain as death and taxes can be more firmly believed.”I always accepted the myth that it was Benjamin Franklin who first wedded those two words, but that

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-56249427602457536452007-03-01T09:57:00.000-05:002007-03-01T11:41:17.511-05:00Nobody Doesn’t Like Costco

Yeah, yeah! I know — never use a double negative. So what’s the worst that can happen? Someone will get the grammar police on my tail — or I’ll be reported to William Safire? But let me ask you, doesn’t accuracy override the use of the double negative in the headline? More to the point, do you disagree with the premise? I’m willing to defend the headline’s assertion on the basis that rarely do I

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-86014854249691425202007-02-15T12:20:00.000-05:002007-02-15T12:36:54.241-05:00JICYMI

Heresy! Apostasy! Revisionism! Doctrinal divergence! Implying an insurrection in the mutual fund industry is the equivalent of burning the American flag; slapping Mom in the face; crushing the apple pie with your foot. It desecrates everything we’ve learned about investing. What has happened to loyalty, to reverence, to respect? Ah! But you see that’s really what America is all about: progress,

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1170395068906055612007-02-01T12:41:00.000-05:002007-02-02T01:18:24.296-05:00Ethanol or Hybrids? — The Real Story, Part IV

Hey Dude! Are you still driving that old clunker? Don’t you think it’s time to get wheels that reflect your true personality, hidden character, and flamboyant attitude? Admit it! It’s really past time. So, as the old-time barkers used to say, “Do I have a car for you!” — an automobile you’ve seen only in your dreams. Small problem! — the one I have in mind has not even been produced — yet. But if

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1168923583756206292007-01-15T23:57:00.000-05:002007-01-17T15:20:04.093-05:00The Budget Debacle

With apologies to accountants, that’s one career I never yearned for. I admire their ability to work with numbers, but that is not my forte. In fact, it is my belief that most individual are bored with numbers — that’s why we have accountants, because they are good at it. That’s also the reason I hesitated to write this article — it’s about numbers — dollars really. But they’re your dollars so

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1168923424957567012007-01-15T23:54:00.000-05:002007-01-15T23:57:05.300-05:00Index Funds — Boring! Boring!

In a recent interview on the TV program “Frontline,” John Bogle, the founder of the Vanguard Group, was asked, “What percentage of my net growth is going to fees in a 401(k) plan?” Bogle’s answer was both revealing, and probably surprisingly disappointing to participants in that type of program. “Well it’s awesome. Let me give you an example. An individual who’s 20 years old today, starting to

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1167715459081995012007-01-01T22:20:00.000-05:002007-01-02T00:24:20.206-05:00Ethanol or Hybrids? — The Real Story, Part III

Who Killed the Electric Car?There must have been a considerable amount of consternation expressed within the headquarters of General Motors several weeks ago with the release of the movie, Who Killed the Electric Car? The movie theorized a conspiracy that was led by General Motors to eradicate a concept that could have revolutionized not only the automobile industry but the oil industry as well.

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1166238028579893062006-12-15T21:57:00.000-05:002006-12-15T22:04:26.700-05:00JICYMI

The Sage Does it Again Don’t you hate it when you hear someone brag about the stock he or she told you about sometime ago (advice you didn’t follow) that went up umpteen percent? Well, I’m going to risk your condemnation by recounting a series of articles published herein a few years ago, although technically, the stock itself was not the point of the recommendation.Exactly three years and two

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1165037905241597602006-12-01T12:36:00.000-05:002006-12-02T00:38:25.436-05:00Ethanol or Hybrids? — The Real Story, Part II

There is a general assumption that Americans are a patriotic bunch, perfectly willing to make considerable sacrifices to lifestyle and even pecuniary interests in order to insure long-term benefits to country and humankind. If that were indeed the case, we all would 1) be driving hybrid cars, 2) clamoring for that wondrous combination of ethanol and gasoline called E85, a mixture of 85% ethanol

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1163654626570473702006-11-16T00:13:00.000-05:002006-11-16T00:32:10.020-05:00JICYMI

Pharmaceutical Follies — Redux“Pfizer and Other Drug Makers Report Higher Profits.” That was a headline in the October 20 th business section of The New York Times. Included was a sub-head reading, “The Medicare Part D prescription drug plan is having a positive impact on earnings.” That should not come as a surprise to those who read the three part series of articles titled “Pharmaceutical

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1162836204947772072006-11-01T20:15:00.000-05:002006-11-06T13:05:04.343-05:00Ethanol or Hybrids? — The Real Story, Part I

If anyone doubts that Americans are addicted to oil, he or she must be living on another planet. President Bush was absolutely correct in calling attention to this dependence on what has been called “black gold” but could be termed today as “black platinum.” But recognizing that a problem exists is much easier than establishing a solution. After all, that solution has eluded every president for

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1161038662970003672006-10-15T17:41:00.000-05:002006-10-16T17:47:56.360-05:00JICYMI

An Unexpected British Prophet This was written 106 years ago!!!“How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries. Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1159668465639306982006-10-01T09:04:00.000-05:002006-10-01T15:58:19.396-05:00Are We Losing the War For Innovation? Part V

“If current trends continue, the proportion of workers with high school diplomas and college degrees will decrease and the personal income of Americans will decline over the next 15 years.” This is the opening paragraph of an important policy alert issued about one month ago by The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, an independent, non-partisan organization.The report,

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1158436918736861272006-09-15T14:56:00.000-05:002006-09-16T15:14:11.143-05:00JICYMI

Just In Case You Missed It Singapore: A David to Our Goliath? The July 23 rd issue of Time magazine featured an article under the headline “Stem Cell Central.” A portion read as follows: “Just last week President George W. Bush used the first veto of his presidency to block a congressional action that would have lifted his 2001 ban on federal funding for most stem-cell research, ensuring that

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1157145291665751712006-09-01T16:10:00.000-05:002006-09-01T16:14:51.686-05:00Are We Losing the War For Innovation? Part IV

“The next time there’s a moon shot, don’t expect the United States to take the prize. Over the past century, Americans have become accustomed to winning every global battle that mattered: two world wars, the space race, the Cold War, the Internet gold rush. Along the way, Americans have enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and live lives that were the envy of the rest of the world.”That was the

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1154493802099326212006-08-01T19:06:00.000-05:002006-08-02T20:48:45.233-05:00Are We Losing the War For Innovation? Part III

For a book to be posted on the New York Times “best seller” list every week for a year and a half after being published is quite a feat. While The Da Vinci Code has had an even longer run, the book I’m now referring to is not fiction, so its longevity is even more remarkable. Amazing too is its ranking as of this writing as number four on the list.The book, titled The World is Flat: a Brief

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1154495157327184272006-08-01T18:22:00.000-05:002006-08-02T21:09:01.003-05:00JICYMI

While the above headline might be considered puzzling at best and indecipherable at worst, it is actually an introductory attention grabber to what is intended to be the first of a continuing series of articles. The contents of each column will be multi-faceted in the sense that several subjects will be covered, each in a relatively short manner, dealing with an eclectic group of topics taken

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1151892622222863472006-07-01T21:07:00.000-05:002006-07-02T21:25:12.546-05:00Are We Losing the War For Innovation? Part II

A Prairie Home Companion is the name of a popular radio show. After running for some 32 years it has become almost legendary in nature, so much so, in an attempt to capitalize on its fame, a movie by that name opened about a month ago. Garrison Keillor, the real-life creator and host of the radio program wrote the script and starred in the movie directed by the famous Robert Altman. I can attest

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8902375.post-1149131191930411282006-06-01T07:55:00.000-05:002006-06-01T15:03:19.366-05:00Are We Losing the War For Innovation? Part I

The following was sent to me as an email. It’s supposed to be a joke. It may be humorous, even amusing, but it isn’t funny:“Last week I purchased a burger and fries at McDonald’s for $3.58. The counter girl took my $4.00 and I pulled eight cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and three pennies. While looking at the screen on her register, I sensed her

Bob Kronishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13347059845869505417noreply@blogger.com9