Archive for September 13th, 2011

Team iLuminate will win … but NBC has a problem.

September 13, 2011

Team iLuminate will win, but  there’s going to be controversy.

First, Team iLuminate — one of my favs — knocked it out ot the park with their techno dance routine.  Unbelievably clutch performance.

But, Silhouettes– the artsy shadow dancers — didn’t get a a fair shot.

There were tech problems on the live show, so their act was delayed — while techies fixed the problem.

It’s reported that the large back doors of the stage wouldn’t open, so the crew couldn’t get Poplyfe’s set off the stage.

Silhouettes didn’t get the emotive run-up that other acts got — no poor neighborhood, no disease, no nothin’.

Finally they got hustled to the stage,

But, on my cable system, about 30 seconds of their 90 second act was blacked out.

Great beginning and GREAT ending, but no middle … not their fault — NBC’s.

Ouch.

Update: The plot thickens.

Apparently the blackout isse was localized and only indirectly lrelated to the tech set-up problem.

I was watching a Baltimore NBC affiliate via Comcast-Annapolis.  Part of Silouettes’ performance was blacked out.

I’ve gotten reports that the full performance was visible on DirecTV.

My hypothesis: I didn’t realize it at the time, but  NBC let the show run into the 10 o’clock time slot.

I’m betting some local affiliates didn’t get the word and tried to switch to local commercial content … causing a temporary disconnect … a blackout.

Quickly corrected … but still part of the performance was blacked out.

Raises another issue: for folks DVR’ing the show — rather than watching live — most or all of Silouhettes’ performance wasn’t recorded — since the show ran unexpectedly long.

That’s a problem, too.

Some part of AGT’s regular audience might not of even seen Silouhettes’ performance.

What a mess.

Biggest TV problem for NBC since they swithced from a close football game to Heidi-the-movie in 1968.)

My opinion: other 2 acts weren’t close to iLuminate (video) or Silhouettes (video).

So, what’s NBC going to do?

Fair thing: name co-winners: Team iLuminate & Silhouettes.

But, NBC will just go with the vote, and Team iLuminate wins.

You heard it on the Homa Files first,

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Posted in Entertainment | 2 Comments »

It ain’t just the Tea Party …

September 13, 2011

Punch line: Obama performance is now approved by about 1 in 3 whites and only 1 in 2 Hispanics … still holding strong with blacks.

According to Gallup …

“President Barack Obama earned the lowest monthly job approval rating of his presidency to date in August, with 41% of U.S. adults approving of his overall job performance, down from 44% in July.

He also received term-low monthly job approval ratings from both Hispanics (48%) and whites (33%) and tied his lowest rating from blacks (84%).

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Note: All data is pre-jobs speech.

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Posted in Obama, Polls & Surveys | Leave a Comment »

Channeling Buffett: Is Obama proposing a (substantial) hike in capital gains tax rates?

September 13, 2011

OK, I keep harping on the point, but …

At 7:25 pm last Thursday, Obama repeated the tired refrain about how Warren Buffet pays less taxes than his secretary and wants to pay more – his fair share.

Cutting to the chase: Buffett pays more in dollars, but pays at a lower rate.

Why?

Because most of Buffett’s income is “unearned income”.

English translation: capital gains and dividends.

So, there are only two ways to get Warren-the-sage on an equal rate  footing with his secretary: (1) lower marginal tax tax rates on the secretary’s earned income or (2) increase Buffett’s tax rate on his capital gains … to be taxed at the same rate as “earned income”.

Here’s the good news for Buffett: thanks to the ObamaCare bill, Warren will be paying a higher tax rate on his cap gains and dividends starting in 2013 (after the next election, of course).

So, the Buffett-secretarial gap will narrow.

 

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Technical note: The ObamaCare Surtax on Investment Income takes effect Jan. 2013.

It’s a new, 3.8 percent surtax on investment income earned in households making at least $250,000 ($200,000 single).

Other unearned income includes (for surtax purposes) gross income from interest, annuities, royalties, net rents, and passive income in partnerships and Subchapter-S corporations.

Source

But, even then there still may still be a gap.

So, either the rate on earned income comes down or rate on cap gains goes up.

I’m betting the latter.

So, to stop Warren from whining, Obama will likely raise the cap gains and choke capital flows – in order to stimulate the economy.

Huh?

Or, maybe Obama doesn’t understand the implications of his applause lines.

Hmmm.

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Posted in Buffett, Warren, ObamaCare, Taxes | Leave a Comment »

Enrollments plunge at for-profit colleges …

September 13, 2011

Punch line For-profit colleges are facing a tough test: getting new students to enroll.

Excerpted from WSJ: “Party Ends at For-Profit Schools”

Enrollment at for-profit colleges soared during the recession, amid heavy advertising that appealed to suddenly jobless people needing new skills.

But recently , new enrollments are down by as much as 45%

Why?

Responding to government investigations, a number of for-profit schools including Corinthian, Apollo. and others have tamped down aggressive recruiting … and are  tightening admissions standards.

  • State and federal investigators began turning up the heat last year on for-profit schools as default rates on federally backed student loans began to climb.
  • Even before the enrollment boom, default rates—at 11.6% in 2008, the latest year available— were about double that of public colleges.

Washington Post Co.’s Kaplan Higher Education now requires certain students to participate in a trial program before enrolling and paying tuition.

More fundamental, many students are re-considering their options, including attending community colleges.

The would-be students are questioning the potential pay-off for degrees that can cost considerably more than what’s available at local community colleges.

Surprise, surprise, surprise …

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Posted in Education - Academics | Leave a Comment »