1 in 8 to cut cable and satellite in 2010
Cook your meat in a beer cooler. Definitely planning on trying this out.
Huge money in bankruptcy.
Slate lets you test your media diet.
Via Ezra Klein, the Democrats' immigration proposal.
How cable companies will keep making money even as we shift to online content.
Heather MacDonald at City Journal on Arizona's new immigration law.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Saturday Morning Links
Vogue internship auctioned for $40K.
Interfluidity on Goldman. "A knife fight is not a mediation."
Why Steve Jobs really hates Flash.
Congressional Research Service paper on derivatives. One of my favorite things to do is listen to people rant and rave about Wall Street and how we need to regulate CDOs, CDSs, and derivatives and then ask them "What's a derivative?" Hilarity ensues.
How money is made through television.
Begging the question.
Wall Street responds. "We aren’t dinosaurs. We are smarter and more vicious than that, and we are going to survive." Yawn.
Interfluidity on Goldman. "A knife fight is not a mediation."
Why Steve Jobs really hates Flash.
Congressional Research Service paper on derivatives. One of my favorite things to do is listen to people rant and rave about Wall Street and how we need to regulate CDOs, CDSs, and derivatives and then ask them "What's a derivative?" Hilarity ensues.
How money is made through television.
Begging the question.
Wall Street responds. "We aren’t dinosaurs. We are smarter and more vicious than that, and we are going to survive." Yawn.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wed Morning Links
We have met the enemy and he is PowerPoint. "PowerPoint makes us stupid,” Gen. James N. Mattis of the Marine Corps, the Joint Forces commander, said this month at a military conference in North Carolina.
This could have been easily avoided.
True tolerance versus changing notions of acceptable behavior.
Apparently, women are way more likely to find being around their parents unpleasant.
Yes, it's a bailout bill.
Yale open courses online. Think I might try to do some of these.
Awesome paper on the efficiency of the ancient England's judicial system practice of settling land disputes by having the opposing parties bludgeon one another in front of spectators.
This could have been easily avoided.
True tolerance versus changing notions of acceptable behavior.
Apparently, women are way more likely to find being around their parents unpleasant.
Yes, it's a bailout bill.
Yale open courses online. Think I might try to do some of these.
Awesome paper on the efficiency of the ancient England's judicial system practice of settling land disputes by having the opposing parties bludgeon one another in front of spectators.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Sat Afternoon Links
Posting has been light. Combination of me fending for myself while Leigh is in Santa Fe, the NFL draft, being very busy at work, and a touch of laziness. On to it.
Meet the Bhuttos, Pakistan's political dynasty family.
Sen. Carl Levin releases Goldman Sachs emails that reveal that Goldman Sachs was involved in the financial system. Way to go Carl.
Barry Ritholtz thinks the case against Goldman is solid and he has a list of ten things you should know about the case. Most of the list is pretty dumb, especially if you have been following the case, but he does nail one that I keep coming back to as well, the guy prosecuting the case, Robert Khuzami, is considered, as best as I can tell, a fricking ninja by just about everyone.
The World's Most Recession Proof Sport.
Nudge fail.
Awsome motivational Christian rapper.
Did I say awesome? Because I meant awful.
GM pays back its government loan....except...not even close.
Meet the Bhuttos, Pakistan's political dynasty family.
Sen. Carl Levin releases Goldman Sachs emails that reveal that Goldman Sachs was involved in the financial system. Way to go Carl.
Barry Ritholtz thinks the case against Goldman is solid and he has a list of ten things you should know about the case. Most of the list is pretty dumb, especially if you have been following the case, but he does nail one that I keep coming back to as well, the guy prosecuting the case, Robert Khuzami, is considered, as best as I can tell, a fricking ninja by just about everyone.
The World's Most Recession Proof Sport.
Nudge fail.
Awsome motivational Christian rapper.
Did I say awesome? Because I meant awful.
GM pays back its government loan....except...not even close.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Sun Morning Links
Health care reform as a wealth transfer.
Stay classy Philly fan.
Steve Waldman of Interfluidity discusses the charges against Goldman. I don't know how this case will shake out as I don't know the law on this stuff well enough. Timing is certainly interesting, as it was the appearnace of the Wellpoint story during the health care debate. Will also be watching how Paulson gets treated moving forward. His role seems shady, but I suppose asking the firm to create an investment vehicle that you can bet against is ok. Regardless of how the legal case turns out, Goldman is going to have to do some serious work with their current investors.
How the Iceland volcano shut down Europe's airports.
Is the Bank Bailout a Bargain? (NYT)
Stay classy Philly fan.
Steve Waldman of Interfluidity discusses the charges against Goldman. I don't know how this case will shake out as I don't know the law on this stuff well enough. Timing is certainly interesting, as it was the appearnace of the Wellpoint story during the health care debate. Will also be watching how Paulson gets treated moving forward. His role seems shady, but I suppose asking the firm to create an investment vehicle that you can bet against is ok. Regardless of how the legal case turns out, Goldman is going to have to do some serious work with their current investors.
How the Iceland volcano shut down Europe's airports.
Is the Bank Bailout a Bargain? (NYT)
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Saturday Morning links
I bought a tuxedo this week! I've been meaning to for some time, but finally pulled the trigger because I've got a number of black-tie events to go in the near future. On to it.
"For every doctor, there are five people performing health care administrative support." Misleading, but the overall charge is correct.
The charge against Goldman.
"Crime prediction software." Run.
Poor little liberal law students, they have no one to look up to. This is hard to read without vomiting. I've got two words for the author, Robert Bork. Liberals should never, ever complain about the judicial nomination process as they are its originators.
Norman Ornstein of AEI defends Obama against the charge that he is a socialist. I don't think Obama is a radical, but I do believe that he is, like most of the Democrats in Congress, a European-style socialist. He believes in free-ish markets as long as they have final say and progressive tax rates to operate the American version of the modern welfare state. That he is willing to compromise on legislation means he is pragmatic, but it doesn'tmean that that his beliefs are not socialistic.
My mostest favoritest player, Kevin Durant, wins the scoring title. I'm sure King James will win the MVP, but KD has to get some MVP love for leading the Thunder to a 50 win season and the playoffs in a stacked Western Conference. I mean, look at the roster.
"For every doctor, there are five people performing health care administrative support." Misleading, but the overall charge is correct.
The charge against Goldman.
"Crime prediction software." Run.
Poor little liberal law students, they have no one to look up to. This is hard to read without vomiting. I've got two words for the author, Robert Bork. Liberals should never, ever complain about the judicial nomination process as they are its originators.
Norman Ornstein of AEI defends Obama against the charge that he is a socialist. I don't think Obama is a radical, but I do believe that he is, like most of the Democrats in Congress, a European-style socialist. He believes in free-ish markets as long as they have final say and progressive tax rates to operate the American version of the modern welfare state. That he is willing to compromise on legislation means he is pragmatic, but it doesn'tmean that that his beliefs are not socialistic.
My mostest favoritest player, Kevin Durant, wins the scoring title. I'm sure King James will win the MVP, but KD has to get some MVP love for leading the Thunder to a 50 win season and the playoffs in a stacked Western Conference. I mean, look at the roster.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Wednesday Morning Links
Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water, in Legos.
Good NYT article on the difficulty China is facing in revaluing the renminbi.
Read this to understand the conflict occurring in Kyrgyzstan. Foreign Affairs has a good rundown too.
Elephants in captivity lived an average of 19 years compared to 56 years in the wild.
Since his name is getting tossed around as a possible SCOTUS candidate, now is a good time to brush up on Cass Sunstein and his "nudge" theory, or soft paternalism. (He'd probably prefer you just order his book though.)
Rats figure out the Prisoner's Dilemma.
Best research report title ever.
Good NYT article on the difficulty China is facing in revaluing the renminbi.
Read this to understand the conflict occurring in Kyrgyzstan. Foreign Affairs has a good rundown too.
Elephants in captivity lived an average of 19 years compared to 56 years in the wild.
Since his name is getting tossed around as a possible SCOTUS candidate, now is a good time to brush up on Cass Sunstein and his "nudge" theory, or soft paternalism. (He'd probably prefer you just order his book though.)
Rats figure out the Prisoner's Dilemma.
Best research report title ever.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Monday Links
Kos reviews the iPad. He likes it. A lot.
Verne Lundquist astutely notes that Tiger Woods is less than pleased with his shot.
Matthew Yglesias comments on just how good Steve Nash is. "Floor general for all five of the top-rated offenses of the past 35 years is a pretty gobsmacking achievement." I didn't know that tidbit. Pretty amazing.
What the Bond girls have in common.
Opera economics. Good read. However, I don't think these tow statements make sense together. First, the assertion that "There are no “efficiencies.” Nothing is scalable." Second, "Labor, tightly controlled by 16 powerful and uncompromising trade unions, is terrifyingly expensive, accounting for $213 million last year, more than three-quarters of the Met’s budget."
Verne Lundquist astutely notes that Tiger Woods is less than pleased with his shot.
Matthew Yglesias comments on just how good Steve Nash is. "Floor general for all five of the top-rated offenses of the past 35 years is a pretty gobsmacking achievement." I didn't know that tidbit. Pretty amazing.
What the Bond girls have in common.
Opera economics. Good read. However, I don't think these tow statements make sense together. First, the assertion that "There are no “efficiencies.” Nothing is scalable." Second, "Labor, tightly controlled by 16 powerful and uncompromising trade unions, is terrifyingly expensive, accounting for $213 million last year, more than three-quarters of the Met’s budget."
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Sunday Morning links
Robert Reich says more immigration is the solution to the entitlement problem. Mark Thoma then explains why that is totally wrong.
What Massachusetts can teach us about health care reform. "State politicians are responding to the cost crisis the only way they know how: by promising to impose arbitrary caps on premiums and price controls for medical services."
Broke Cities. "Jagadeesh Gokhale, economist with the Cato Institute, noted in that story that officially Greece’s debt is 113 percent of its total annual economic output. But if its pension obligations were included, Greece’s debt would be 875 percent of output. Bad, huh? Yes. But the comparable ratio for France would be 549 percent and Germany 418 percent. The United States? About 500 percent, says Gokhale, who includes Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security obligations in his figures."
The best of Skymall. I had a laughing fit on a plane earlier this year while thinking about the pet observation dome.
Take the most talentless band in the world, sprinkle in a life changing event like having a child, combine with the failure of public education in America and you get....the Best. Song. Ever.
How does Eleanor Clift still have a column? Does somebody actually pay her to write this crap?
Toward an Index of the 9-11 Commission Report.
What Massachusetts can teach us about health care reform. "State politicians are responding to the cost crisis the only way they know how: by promising to impose arbitrary caps on premiums and price controls for medical services."
Broke Cities. "Jagadeesh Gokhale, economist with the Cato Institute, noted in that story that officially Greece’s debt is 113 percent of its total annual economic output. But if its pension obligations were included, Greece’s debt would be 875 percent of output. Bad, huh? Yes. But the comparable ratio for France would be 549 percent and Germany 418 percent. The United States? About 500 percent, says Gokhale, who includes Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security obligations in his figures."
The best of Skymall. I had a laughing fit on a plane earlier this year while thinking about the pet observation dome.
Take the most talentless band in the world, sprinkle in a life changing event like having a child, combine with the failure of public education in America and you get....the Best. Song. Ever.
How does Eleanor Clift still have a column? Does somebody actually pay her to write this crap?
Toward an Index of the 9-11 Commission Report.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Sat Morning Links
Tax Myths. A study we conducted at the Tax Policy Center found that Washington would have to raise taxes by almost 40 percent to reduce -- not eliminate, just reduce -- the deficit to 3 percent of our GDP, the 2015 goal the Obama administration set in its 2011 budget. That tax boost would mean the lowest income tax rate would jump from 10 to nearly 14 percent, and the top rate from 35 to 48 percent....What if we raised taxes only on families with couples making more than $250,000 a year and on individuals making more than $200,000? The top two income tax rates would have to more than double, with the top rate hitting almost 77 percent, to get the deficit down to 3 percent of GDP."
How to open a chain lock with a rubber band.
Cleverest women are the heaviest drinkers. That's because they're clever.
iPhone helps a dyslexic read the Counte of Monte Otsirc. (Sorry, couldn't resist).
Thriving among the video pirates.
Death of the gayborhood.
How to open a chain lock with a rubber band.
Cleverest women are the heaviest drinkers. That's because they're clever.
iPhone helps a dyslexic read the Counte of Monte Otsirc. (Sorry, couldn't resist).
Thriving among the video pirates.
Death of the gayborhood.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Friday Afternoon links
I've always defended Rasheed Wallace, but I think Bill Simmons is right. In his heyday, Wallace was a freak athlete at 7'0 who could rebound, post, consistently knock down outside shots, was a willing and gifted passer, and, most importantly, was a top notch defender. While the West is still superior as a conference, there was a time when the talent gap was huge and it looked like the West would win forever. Then Rasheed went to Detroit. He was the only power forward in the East that could match up with the freaks from the West (Duncan, Garnett, Webber, etc.).
Instructions on how to write a "successful" news story.
Just how fast are NFL players. This fast.
China on the treadmill to hell. At least, according to one hedge fund manager they are.
A math primer on sovereign debt.
Instructions on how to write a "successful" news story.
Just how fast are NFL players. This fast.
China on the treadmill to hell. At least, according to one hedge fund manager they are.
A math primer on sovereign debt.
Will Wilkinson on the not so golden era of liberty that was the 1880's. I wish he posted more often.
NBC's "behavior placement" designed to have viewers adopt actions they see in their favorite shows.
Arnold Kling on the plight of the unskilled worker.
NBC's "behavior placement" designed to have viewers adopt actions they see in their favorite shows.
Arnold Kling on the plight of the unskilled worker.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Thu Afternoon Links
Joblessness among American young adults. Is Spain's unemployment rate for people under 25 really 44.5%?
Glenn Greenwald on Obama's assassination policy. I'm not through reading on this one yet.
Blogger recommends using Google Analytics to find out "how much you suck." Read the whole thing though. It's a great rundown of the Search Engine Strategies conference and there are some fascinating tidibits.
47% of American households will pay no income tax.
Financial Times report on The Future of Cities.
How to look like Kim Jong-il. Sunglasses are tight.
Cool mug-shots of drunks from Britain in the 1900's (from Slate).
Glenn Greenwald on Obama's assassination policy. I'm not through reading on this one yet.
Blogger recommends using Google Analytics to find out "how much you suck." Read the whole thing though. It's a great rundown of the Search Engine Strategies conference and there are some fascinating tidibits.
47% of American households will pay no income tax.
Financial Times report on The Future of Cities.
How to look like Kim Jong-il. Sunglasses are tight.
Cool mug-shots of drunks from Britain in the 1900's (from Slate).
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Wed Night Links
What's the point of winning the national championship?
Ezra Klein says the new federal health care bill will not cause employers to drop coverage. I respectfully disagree. Dropping coverage when you would be leaving your employees bare is one question, but if you can raise their pay and take health care off your books (which you can) then this will become a no brainer.
White House authorizes killing of American citizen who assisted Fort Hood shooter. Many mixed feelings. Need to read more.
Africa's Forever Wars (Foreign Policy).
WSJ article on adults with ADHD. I'll post more on this one later as I'm ADD. This is intensely personal for me, but I think I can be pretty open about it. Elements of it suck, but elements of it kind of seem like an advantage. As they say, knowing is half the battle.
Ezra Klein says the new federal health care bill will not cause employers to drop coverage. I respectfully disagree. Dropping coverage when you would be leaving your employees bare is one question, but if you can raise their pay and take health care off your books (which you can) then this will become a no brainer.
White House authorizes killing of American citizen who assisted Fort Hood shooter. Many mixed feelings. Need to read more.
Africa's Forever Wars (Foreign Policy).
WSJ article on adults with ADHD. I'll post more on this one later as I'm ADD. This is intensely personal for me, but I think I can be pretty open about it. Elements of it suck, but elements of it kind of seem like an advantage. As they say, knowing is half the battle.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Easter Blogging
Internet Math
A Guide to Eastern European Ancestral Squabbles from The Economist. This is actually really helpful as this is a tough area of the world to keep straight (at least it is for me).
Gizmodo's Essential iPad apps. Still deciding whether to get one. My netbook battery went kaput and I'm looking at using that as an excuse to buy one.
NBER says the recession is over.
So Tyler Cowen, the gentleman who runs Marginal Revolution, did a post calling for other bloggers to list the top ten most books that were the most most influential to them. The result was some very cool responses from some of the best econ bloggers out there. But I thought Scott Sumner's response was the best.
Exit poll data from November 2008 from the NYT. I read about it generally, but the data here is kind of fun to go through. Points I thought were interesting:
1) the drop off in Republican voters in the Northeast which R's won regularly for years.
2) Did not know R's were that strong with the college graduate crowd. D's being popular with the post-grad crowd makes some sense.
3) Apparently, white Protestants don't like Democrats.
4) Suburbs are 49% of the electorate!
A Guide to Eastern European Ancestral Squabbles from The Economist. This is actually really helpful as this is a tough area of the world to keep straight (at least it is for me).
Gizmodo's Essential iPad apps. Still deciding whether to get one. My netbook battery went kaput and I'm looking at using that as an excuse to buy one.
NBER says the recession is over.
So Tyler Cowen, the gentleman who runs Marginal Revolution, did a post calling for other bloggers to list the top ten most books that were the most most influential to them. The result was some very cool responses from some of the best econ bloggers out there. But I thought Scott Sumner's response was the best.
Exit poll data from November 2008 from the NYT. I read about it generally, but the data here is kind of fun to go through. Points I thought were interesting:
1) the drop off in Republican voters in the Northeast which R's won regularly for years.
2) Did not know R's were that strong with the college graduate crowd. D's being popular with the post-grad crowd makes some sense.
3) Apparently, white Protestants don't like Democrats.
4) Suburbs are 49% of the electorate!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Saturday Morning links
Leigh is off to Waco to deliver one of our foster pets, Fiona, to her new home. She was not with us long, but I'm already very attached to her and will miss her. So, too, will her BFF Zoe who whines whenever they are not in reach of each other. Anyway, on to it.
Arnold Kling says break up the banks.
America's Quiet Anger. Umm...you can count me among this group.
The Most Obnoxious Woman in the World? This is truly fantastic. Hat tip to my buddy Mark for pointing this one out.
Why liberals love Joe Biden. Whatever. The part of the story I want to focus on is this quote: "Yglesias notes that the declining salience of foreign-policy issues—such as Iraq, which was once a liberal rallying cry—has helped assuage liberal concerns over Biden's historically aggressive approach to foreign policy". Yes, the declining "salience" of issues such as Iraq. Spare me. Remember when getting out of Iraq was a moral imperative. I do. But that was all total bullshit.
Prostitute street sign in Italy confuses motorists.
Salaries for the top ten hedge fund managers of 2009.
Doctor doesn't want to treat Obama supporters.
Rise in unpaid internships may be illegal.
Most dedicated sports fans vote Republican. This is pretty interesting. I would not have guessed that.
Arnold Kling says break up the banks.
America's Quiet Anger. Umm...you can count me among this group.
The Most Obnoxious Woman in the World? This is truly fantastic. Hat tip to my buddy Mark for pointing this one out.
Why liberals love Joe Biden. Whatever. The part of the story I want to focus on is this quote: "Yglesias notes that the declining salience of foreign-policy issues—such as Iraq, which was once a liberal rallying cry—has helped assuage liberal concerns over Biden's historically aggressive approach to foreign policy". Yes, the declining "salience" of issues such as Iraq. Spare me. Remember when getting out of Iraq was a moral imperative. I do. But that was all total bullshit.
Prostitute street sign in Italy confuses motorists.
Salaries for the top ten hedge fund managers of 2009.
Doctor doesn't want to treat Obama supporters.
Rise in unpaid internships may be illegal.
Most dedicated sports fans vote Republican. This is pretty interesting. I would not have guessed that.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Friday Mid-Day Blogging
Sparse lately, I know. About to make up for it though.
How Texas avoided the real estate meltdown. I've already some folks who are skeptical, but it's worth reading anyway.
John Cassidy at the New Yorker undressing the government's numbers on ObamaCare. I've already posted my thoughts on this, but I'll say it again. Anyone who thinks the health reform bill will lower the deficit either a) has not looked at the analysis, b) is a partisan, or c) is really dumb.
Equality shoes.
The world's weirdest vending machines (slidewhow).
Nissan Leaf priced at $32,780. I'll be interested to see how sales go. This would definitely be on my short list for cars if not for the dogs, but I think being an early adopter, in this case at least, has more drawbacks than benefits. I'm sure Austin will make a push to ensure that recharge stations are available, so it might be more practical here than elsewhere.
Speaking of cars, I'm probably going to be getting rid of my beloved Frijole Negra (Mazdaspeed 3) and getting an SUV. Short list right now is Audi Q7, Mazda CX-9, and the Buick Enclave (yes, a Buick), but just getting started on the research.
Hello Kitty wine. Vomit.
Amare Stoudemire posterizes Anthony Tolliver. Vicious dunk.
Rare photos of life inside North Korea.
Apparently, the Taliban suck at shooting.
How Texas avoided the real estate meltdown. I've already some folks who are skeptical, but it's worth reading anyway.
John Cassidy at the New Yorker undressing the government's numbers on ObamaCare. I've already posted my thoughts on this, but I'll say it again. Anyone who thinks the health reform bill will lower the deficit either a) has not looked at the analysis, b) is a partisan, or c) is really dumb.
Equality shoes.
The world's weirdest vending machines (slidewhow).
Nissan Leaf priced at $32,780. I'll be interested to see how sales go. This would definitely be on my short list for cars if not for the dogs, but I think being an early adopter, in this case at least, has more drawbacks than benefits. I'm sure Austin will make a push to ensure that recharge stations are available, so it might be more practical here than elsewhere.
Speaking of cars, I'm probably going to be getting rid of my beloved Frijole Negra (Mazdaspeed 3) and getting an SUV. Short list right now is Audi Q7, Mazda CX-9, and the Buick Enclave (yes, a Buick), but just getting started on the research.
Hello Kitty wine. Vomit.
Amare Stoudemire posterizes Anthony Tolliver. Vicious dunk.
Rare photos of life inside North Korea.
Apparently, the Taliban suck at shooting.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Saturday AM Blogging
Private equity jumps into the health care arena. Here is one blogger's take.
Obama plan to rescue homeowners. I have huge problems with this approach, and I'll let Keith Hennessey tell you why. "Imagine twin brothers, each with $180K of annual income. One rents, and the other has a $700,000 mortgage on a home that declined from $800,000 in value to $600,000 in value. Both brothers lose their jobs. Why should the renter pay higher taxes to subsidize his brother’s mortgage payments?"
Why women don't want macho men. Interesting article in the WSJ on evoultionary psychology and some recent studies. "After crunching the data—including the women's facial preferences, their country of origin and that country's national health index—the Face Lab researchers proved something remarkable. They could predict how masculine a woman likes her men based on her nation's World Health Organization statistics for mortality rates, life expectancy and the impact of communicable disease."
Good graph showing how the health care bill is being financed. By the way, I mean that the graph itself is good. The actual financing of the bill is a joke.
Mexican police chief decapitated by cartel. I'm sure if we just keep doing what we've been doing that this will stop eventually, right?
Religious stampedes kill the most people. "Over the past 30 years, stampedes have killed at least 7,000 people and injured another 14,000. That's the conclusion that Edbert Hsu (Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions) and colleagues reached after a painstaking trawl of news reports in the world's English-language media."
Ha...this is pretty cool, especially if you shop on Amazon as often as I do. (via The Agitator).
Obama plan to rescue homeowners. I have huge problems with this approach, and I'll let Keith Hennessey tell you why. "Imagine twin brothers, each with $180K of annual income. One rents, and the other has a $700,000 mortgage on a home that declined from $800,000 in value to $600,000 in value. Both brothers lose their jobs. Why should the renter pay higher taxes to subsidize his brother’s mortgage payments?"
Why women don't want macho men. Interesting article in the WSJ on evoultionary psychology and some recent studies. "After crunching the data—including the women's facial preferences, their country of origin and that country's national health index—the Face Lab researchers proved something remarkable. They could predict how masculine a woman likes her men based on her nation's World Health Organization statistics for mortality rates, life expectancy and the impact of communicable disease."
Good graph showing how the health care bill is being financed. By the way, I mean that the graph itself is good. The actual financing of the bill is a joke.
Mexican police chief decapitated by cartel. I'm sure if we just keep doing what we've been doing that this will stop eventually, right?
Religious stampedes kill the most people. "Over the past 30 years, stampedes have killed at least 7,000 people and injured another 14,000. That's the conclusion that Edbert Hsu (Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions) and colleagues reached after a painstaking trawl of news reports in the world's English-language media."
Ha...this is pretty cool, especially if you shop on Amazon as often as I do. (via The Agitator).
Friday, March 26, 2010
Friday
Every time I think our press corps could not suck any harder than they already do, they write something like this.
Sprint's new HTC Evo, it's first Wimax phone.
Ezra Klein on the menu labeling provision in the health care reform bill. Since most of this info is already available if you ask, I,m not a huge fan of micro-managing how restaurants have to display this.
Fascinating online dating statistics.
Indian military weaponizes world's hottest chili. I actually heard an interview on NPR yesterday with the owner of a burger joint in San Antonio that serves a burger with these chiles. He said that customers have to sign a waiver, that they have had to call EMS a few times, and that the cooks have to use gloves when preparing and that they have had to clear the restaurant a few times when they have been left on the grill too long.
The business model of Somali pirates. I love stuff like this.
Sprint's new HTC Evo, it's first Wimax phone.
Ezra Klein on the menu labeling provision in the health care reform bill. Since most of this info is already available if you ask, I,m not a huge fan of micro-managing how restaurants have to display this.
Fascinating online dating statistics.
Indian military weaponizes world's hottest chili. I actually heard an interview on NPR yesterday with the owner of a burger joint in San Antonio that serves a burger with these chiles. He said that customers have to sign a waiver, that they have had to call EMS a few times, and that the cooks have to use gloves when preparing and that they have had to clear the restaurant a few times when they have been left on the grill too long.
The business model of Somali pirates. I love stuff like this.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Thursday
That doesn't exactly inspire confidence. No case citations in Florida health care lawsuit.
Picture of Russian Blackjack Bombers Over Scotland.
Take the DSM-V Disorder Quiz.
The Great Baseball Card Bubble. I was a huge baseball card collector. I went to the shows, built sets, order rookie cards in packs of 100. I LOVED baseball. Growing up in Wisconsin, my brothers would challenge me to games in the dead of winter and it was on....in three feet of snow. My first job was as a paperboy and it was, by far, the best job I ever had. I made like $800 a month as an 8th grader and I think I spent about 90% of it on baseball cards.
Texas first out of the recession. I'm sure it's just an accident.
I don't know if this is serious, but it made me laugh out loud. Is the new tanning tax racist?
Hmmm....More Foreclosures, Please.
Picture of Russian Blackjack Bombers Over Scotland.
Take the DSM-V Disorder Quiz.
The Great Baseball Card Bubble. I was a huge baseball card collector. I went to the shows, built sets, order rookie cards in packs of 100. I LOVED baseball. Growing up in Wisconsin, my brothers would challenge me to games in the dead of winter and it was on....in three feet of snow. My first job was as a paperboy and it was, by far, the best job I ever had. I made like $800 a month as an 8th grader and I think I spent about 90% of it on baseball cards.
Texas first out of the recession. I'm sure it's just an accident.
I don't know if this is serious, but it made me laugh out loud. Is the new tanning tax racist?
Hmmm....More Foreclosures, Please.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Wed Links
How the tablet PC will change the world.
Tyler Cowen on health care reform. My response: It's not a bug, it's a feature.
Via Radley Balko, the awesomeness of Axecop. Axecop is a comic written by a 5-year old and illustrated by a 29-year old. It's outstanding.
Health reform caluclator to find out how it affects you.
Why does Italian academia suck?
Pretty good interview with the world's best chess player, 19-year old Magnus Carlsen. He seems to be pretty grounded. Aware that he is awesome at chess, aware that there are other things in life.
Tyler Cowen on health care reform. My response: It's not a bug, it's a feature.
Via Radley Balko, the awesomeness of Axecop. Axecop is a comic written by a 5-year old and illustrated by a 29-year old. It's outstanding.
Health reform caluclator to find out how it affects you.
Why does Italian academia suck?
Pretty good interview with the world's best chess player, 19-year old Magnus Carlsen. He seems to be pretty grounded. Aware that he is awesome at chess, aware that there are other things in life.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Health Care Reform
Well, the bill is passed and signed into law. I've read a lot about the content of the bill in the press just to see what is getting reported and what is not. I wrote previously on some of the problems I see with the bill, but it was pretty brief. So now I'll give you a litany of reasons, but I'll start with a positive of the bill.
The bill definitely expands coverage to a number of people. Whether we will be able to afford to subsidize that coverage for long is another questions, as is whether people will be able to find a provider and what level of quality we will be able to provide. Of the may problems in the bill, which I'll get into below, I think the biggest one that has gone undiscussed is the lunacy of many of th CBO assumptions. CBOs scoring of the bill is allowing the President and the Democrats to declare that the bill will actually reduce the deficit. It won't and everybody at CBO and among the Democratic leadership knows this for a fact. I'll get into that below.
Medicaid expansion. Many providers don't take Medicaid right now due to the low reimbursement rates and because Medicaid patients are notorious for no-showing (a result, IMHO, of contribtuing nothing to the cost of their care). The bill includes a massive expansion of Medicaid. Now we can give everyone a piece of paper that says they have coverage, but that doesn't make it so. The final package also includes a bump in Medicaid provider rates to Medicare levels, but only for a short period of time after which the states get to pick up the tab.
Individual mandate. It's weak. So weak that it will not accomplish anything close to what Democrats are claiming it will. The math just doesn't make sense. If you have a choice between spending thousands of dollars on health insurance premiums or paying a small fine, the choice is pretty clear. This is especially true when you take into account the requirements that insurers not underwrite for pre-exisiting conditions and must sell policies at artifically low rates. People will be making a wise choice to put off purchasing coverage until they get sick.
Adverse selection. A corollary of the weakness of the individual mandate. Individual premiums will go up, and not by a little, despite the CBO estimates (more on that below).
Medicare. No SGR fix. This was removed from the bill only to improve scoring. The assumption that Medicare will go forward without a problem as providers face massive cuts in reimbursement rates is a fallacy.
The accounting tricks. See here for just a few.
CBO Assumptions. Where to begin?
This is a short list. There is a lot more in there which is problematic, especially on the insurance reform side, but this will do for now.
The bill definitely expands coverage to a number of people. Whether we will be able to afford to subsidize that coverage for long is another questions, as is whether people will be able to find a provider and what level of quality we will be able to provide. Of the may problems in the bill, which I'll get into below, I think the biggest one that has gone undiscussed is the lunacy of many of th CBO assumptions. CBOs scoring of the bill is allowing the President and the Democrats to declare that the bill will actually reduce the deficit. It won't and everybody at CBO and among the Democratic leadership knows this for a fact. I'll get into that below.
Medicaid expansion. Many providers don't take Medicaid right now due to the low reimbursement rates and because Medicaid patients are notorious for no-showing (a result, IMHO, of contribtuing nothing to the cost of their care). The bill includes a massive expansion of Medicaid. Now we can give everyone a piece of paper that says they have coverage, but that doesn't make it so. The final package also includes a bump in Medicaid provider rates to Medicare levels, but only for a short period of time after which the states get to pick up the tab.
Individual mandate. It's weak. So weak that it will not accomplish anything close to what Democrats are claiming it will. The math just doesn't make sense. If you have a choice between spending thousands of dollars on health insurance premiums or paying a small fine, the choice is pretty clear. This is especially true when you take into account the requirements that insurers not underwrite for pre-exisiting conditions and must sell policies at artifically low rates. People will be making a wise choice to put off purchasing coverage until they get sick.
Adverse selection. A corollary of the weakness of the individual mandate. Individual premiums will go up, and not by a little, despite the CBO estimates (more on that below).
Medicare. No SGR fix. This was removed from the bill only to improve scoring. The assumption that Medicare will go forward without a problem as providers face massive cuts in reimbursement rates is a fallacy.
The accounting tricks. See here for just a few.
CBO Assumptions. Where to begin?
- For starters, CBO makes a number of predictions about individual and employer behavior in response to the law. They have to in order to score the bill. But it's a complete and total guess and they basically just make it up. Don't believe me, well believe Uwe.
- CBO assumes individual rates will go up by around 10%. But this is how they get there. They assume the cost of policies will go up 30% based on new benefit levels, then they assume that changes to insurance regulation and an increase in those with coverage would offset that by 20% resulting in a net 10% increase. Here's the problem, there is plenty of info to support the changes of the bill causing individual rates to go up by 30%, but the assumptions offsetting that by 20% are guesses.
- The CBO assumes the individual mandate will be effective. I don't know why as the math makes it a pretty simple decision to forego coverage.
- The CBO ignores the impact of substantial new taxes on GDP.
- The CBO assumes that the independent Medicare commission will effectively control costs. Again, this is just made up, literally. They have zero evidence to support this conclusion.
- The CBO assumes Medicare costs will drop significantly but notes that it may be due to greater efficiencies or lower quality....they aren't sure. This is kind of like the SGR problem. They assume lower costs for scoring purposes and then threaten to make the reductions, but they don't follow through. If the reductions don't materialize there is no repercussion. Congress will just spend anyway. This is how government accounting works.
- The CBO bases the premium subsidies necessary on projected cost increases in health insurance. This is just another case of them assuming costs will be lower, despite the lack of cost controls actually in the bill. The result will be that ever higher tax support will be needed to fund premium subsidies, or the subsidies will by less coverage. But since there is a required floor in coverage, there is only so far you can buy down benefits before subsidies have to be increased.
This is a short list. There is a lot more in there which is problematic, especially on the insurance reform side, but this will do for now.
Vegas Redux
Vegas was both brutal and fun. Some observations:
1) I lost a lot of money.
2) Whoever invented bottle service is a genius. Evil, but a genius.
3) Nove Italiano is still one of the best restaurants in Vegas
4) I'm not a big night club guy, but Tryst at the Wynn was very cool.
5) I think a total of three points in games cost me about $2000. These guys who set the odds, they're good at it.
1) I lost a lot of money.
2) Whoever invented bottle service is a genius. Evil, but a genius.
3) Nove Italiano is still one of the best restaurants in Vegas
4) I'm not a big night club guy, but Tryst at the Wynn was very cool.
5) I think a total of three points in games cost me about $2000. These guys who set the odds, they're good at it.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Wed- Sports heavy
In honor of March Madness, today's post will be basketball heavy.
I've already ordered Michael Lewis' new book The The Big Short, but WSJ says just read this Harvard undergrad's thesis. Pretty impressive.
Where US foreign aid goes.
The real life Matrix.
Erin Andrews' ordeal comes to an end, kind of.
Congratulations to Houston Yates for winning the Texas state championship. They are currently ranked #1 in the country on MaxPreps and they broke the national record for consecutive games scoring 100+ points. They took some grief for running up the score on some teams. Well, I finally got a chance to see them play and wow are they good. They press the entire game and just run waves of people off the bench. Hard to explain how difficult it is to play against a team like that. Even if you have superior talent, it is tough to win because you kind of have to play their style and the problem with that is that is is "their" style. They practice it every day and you don't.
College basketball's most valuable teams.
NYT article on the nun who keeps Xavier basketball players graduating. "Xavier, a Jesuit university in Cincinnati, is entering the N.C.A.A. tournament seeded sixth in the West Region with a 24-8 record. But Sister Rose Ann Fleming is a perfect 77-0. Since she became the academic adviser for Xavier athletics in 1985, every men’s basketball player who has played as a senior has left with a diploma." That is incredible.
The UConn women have now won 72 games in a row (breaking their record of 70) and have won all of those games by double digits. That's phenomenal. Unfortunately, this guy is right.
I've already ordered Michael Lewis' new book The The Big Short, but WSJ says just read this Harvard undergrad's thesis. Pretty impressive.
Where US foreign aid goes.
The real life Matrix.
Erin Andrews' ordeal comes to an end, kind of.
Congratulations to Houston Yates for winning the Texas state championship. They are currently ranked #1 in the country on MaxPreps and they broke the national record for consecutive games scoring 100+ points. They took some grief for running up the score on some teams. Well, I finally got a chance to see them play and wow are they good. They press the entire game and just run waves of people off the bench. Hard to explain how difficult it is to play against a team like that. Even if you have superior talent, it is tough to win because you kind of have to play their style and the problem with that is that is is "their" style. They practice it every day and you don't.
College basketball's most valuable teams.
NYT article on the nun who keeps Xavier basketball players graduating. "Xavier, a Jesuit university in Cincinnati, is entering the N.C.A.A. tournament seeded sixth in the West Region with a 24-8 record. But Sister Rose Ann Fleming is a perfect 77-0. Since she became the academic adviser for Xavier athletics in 1985, every men’s basketball player who has played as a senior has left with a diploma." That is incredible.
The UConn women have now won 72 games in a row (breaking their record of 70) and have won all of those games by double digits. That's phenomenal. Unfortunately, this guy is right.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
In Which My Wife Makes an Excellent Point
So my wife and I were discussing the travails of Rep. Eric Massa. I pick it up in mid-conversation.
Leigh: Well, he's obviously gay.
Me: It doesn't necessarily mean he's gay.
Leigh: Have you ever tickled any of your friends?
Me: (long pause) No.
Leigh: Ok then.
I lose. Slate tackles the story on tickling here.
Leigh: Well, he's obviously gay.
Me: It doesn't necessarily mean he's gay.
Leigh: Have you ever tickled any of your friends?
Me: (long pause) No.
Leigh: Ok then.
I lose. Slate tackles the story on tickling here.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Sunday Morning
Still upset about that lost hour of sleep. On to it.
The 50 best websites of 2009. Somehow, I did not make the list.
Jonathan Cohn on how the health care vote will proceed. From the post: "As I've said before, the point of holding one vote rather than two is to spare House members an explicit vote on the Senate bill. And, as I've said before, that seems utterly pointless to me. Come November, the distinction between voting for a bill directly and voting for a bill indirectly, via "deeming," isn't going to make much difference." I could not disagree more. One of the takeaways from the MA Senate race was that people were not just displeased with the content of the bill, they were especially displeased with the process. The "backroom deals", the "Cornhusker kickback", the "Gator Aid", the proposal to use reconciliation, etc. Utilizing the "Slaughter solution", which basically allows the House to deem the Senate bill passed rather than voting on it directly, allows Republicans to attack the process. The Democratic leadership seems content to go back home and contest elections on the merits of the bill. I'm not sure they want to defend the merits and the accusations that they used a corrupt process to get it done. Seems like a blunder to me if they do.
NYT article on the rise of for-profit trade schools.
Nissan GTR smokes the Bentley Supersports. GTR costs under $80K, the Bentley upwards of $250K. I report, you decide.
Funny police composite sketches.
The 50 best websites of 2009. Somehow, I did not make the list.
Jonathan Cohn on how the health care vote will proceed. From the post: "As I've said before, the point of holding one vote rather than two is to spare House members an explicit vote on the Senate bill. And, as I've said before, that seems utterly pointless to me. Come November, the distinction between voting for a bill directly and voting for a bill indirectly, via "deeming," isn't going to make much difference." I could not disagree more. One of the takeaways from the MA Senate race was that people were not just displeased with the content of the bill, they were especially displeased with the process. The "backroom deals", the "Cornhusker kickback", the "Gator Aid", the proposal to use reconciliation, etc. Utilizing the "Slaughter solution", which basically allows the House to deem the Senate bill passed rather than voting on it directly, allows Republicans to attack the process. The Democratic leadership seems content to go back home and contest elections on the merits of the bill. I'm not sure they want to defend the merits and the accusations that they used a corrupt process to get it done. Seems like a blunder to me if they do.
NYT article on the rise of for-profit trade schools.
Nissan GTR smokes the Bentley Supersports. GTR costs under $80K, the Bentley upwards of $250K. I report, you decide.
Funny police composite sketches.
Parody Becomes Reality
Here is Nancy Pelosi commenting on the need for health care "reform":
"Think of an economy where people could be an artist or a photographer or a writer without worrying about keeping their day job in order to have health insurance."
Here is the post from Stuff White People Like on free health care:
"But the secret reason why all white people love socialized medicine is that they all love the idea of receiving health care without having a full-time job. This would allow them to work as a freelance designer/consultant/copywriter/photographer/blogger, open their own bookstore, stay at home with their kids, or be a part of an Internet start-up without having to worry about a benefits package. Though many of them would never follow this path, they appreciate having the option."
"Think of an economy where people could be an artist or a photographer or a writer without worrying about keeping their day job in order to have health insurance."
Here is the post from Stuff White People Like on free health care:
"But the secret reason why all white people love socialized medicine is that they all love the idea of receiving health care without having a full-time job. This would allow them to work as a freelance designer/consultant/copywriter/photographer/blogger, open their own bookstore, stay at home with their kids, or be a part of an Internet start-up without having to worry about a benefits package. Though many of them would never follow this path, they appreciate having the option."
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Sat Morning
Going to look at some dogs today. Been a rough year around the Wolfe household as we have lost three of our dear pets (actually a rough 18 months). Looking at all the pictures of the dogs at the rescue agencies makes me both happy and sad. Happy that I know we'll be giving an animal a great home (seriously, you don't even understand how much we spoil them). Sad because I can't save them all. In other news, I'm heading to Vegas next week with a group of friends for the opening weekend of March Madness. Cannot wait. On to it.
Absolutely disgusting dunk by J.R. Smith.
Woman turns three shares of Abbott into $7 million simply by reinvesting dividends.
Athletes going broke stories. "Almost 80 percent of National Football League players are flirting with bankruptcy two years after they retire, according to Sports Illustrated. NBA players aren’t faring much better. 60 percent of former National Basketball Association players end up broke within five years of retirement."
Some light weekend reading of the Examiner's Report on the Lehman meltdown. Here's a good short version. The report is 2200 pages long, but I'm definitely going to slog through it.
Add Tom Hanks to the list of morons in Hollywood.
HeeHee.
Felix Salmon said this is the best thing written about regulation of credit default swaps, so read it.
The new Audi R8 Spyder, yet another car I will never own.
Absolutely disgusting dunk by J.R. Smith.
Woman turns three shares of Abbott into $7 million simply by reinvesting dividends.
Athletes going broke stories. "Almost 80 percent of National Football League players are flirting with bankruptcy two years after they retire, according to Sports Illustrated. NBA players aren’t faring much better. 60 percent of former National Basketball Association players end up broke within five years of retirement."
Some light weekend reading of the Examiner's Report on the Lehman meltdown. Here's a good short version. The report is 2200 pages long, but I'm definitely going to slog through it.
Add Tom Hanks to the list of morons in Hollywood.
HeeHee.
Felix Salmon said this is the best thing written about regulation of credit default swaps, so read it.
The new Audi R8 Spyder, yet another car I will never own.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Friday
Bruce Bartlett on the national debt. James Galbraith in defense of deficits. Galbraith is wrong about why Wall Street hates deficits and his attempt at explaining why they do is pretty pathetic. He also hand waves away the problems that come from massive deficit spending, but he also makes some very valid points about deficits. In particular, the difference between government spending and household spending. "It may seem like homely wisdom, especially, to say that "just like the family, the government can't live beyond its means." But it's not. In these matters the public and private sectors differ on a very basic point. Your family needs income in order to pay its debts. Your government does not."
Greg Mankiw succinctly explains why claims of "deficit neutrality" on the health reform bill miss the point. I'd also add that the deficit reduction the health reform bill purports to achieve assumes that CBO assumptions are correct. If this were purely a case of CBO measuring expenditures versus revenue I'd give it more weight, but CBO is also engaged in trying to predict behavior of individuals if the bill passes and they have ZERO expertise in this.
Really bad cars. Notice anything?
About damn time.
Awesome video of street fighter laying the smack down on a gang of guys.
Arne Duncan is a really smart guy, but this is probably the dumbest sentence I've read this week: "The cost of college should never discourage anyone from going after a valuable degree."
Tribune Company CEO bans certain words from being used. Stupid? Probably, but read the list. He may doing a public service. How did "game changer" not make the list?
Megan McCardle on "green jobs". "But green jobs have become the ginseng of progressive politics: a sort of broad-spectrum snake oil that cures whatever happens to ail you. They are the antidote to economic malaise, an underskilled labor force, the inherent unwillingness of the public to suffer any significant economic and personal dislocation in order to save the environment. They enhance nationalistic vigor. (If we don't act now, the Chinese will steal all of our green jobs!) They stave off aging of stale political platforms. And I'm pretty sure they're good for bunions, too." It's like favoring "multi-lateralism" in foreign policy.
Greg Mankiw succinctly explains why claims of "deficit neutrality" on the health reform bill miss the point. I'd also add that the deficit reduction the health reform bill purports to achieve assumes that CBO assumptions are correct. If this were purely a case of CBO measuring expenditures versus revenue I'd give it more weight, but CBO is also engaged in trying to predict behavior of individuals if the bill passes and they have ZERO expertise in this.
Really bad cars. Notice anything?
About damn time.
Awesome video of street fighter laying the smack down on a gang of guys.
Arne Duncan is a really smart guy, but this is probably the dumbest sentence I've read this week: "The cost of college should never discourage anyone from going after a valuable degree."
Tribune Company CEO bans certain words from being used. Stupid? Probably, but read the list. He may doing a public service. How did "game changer" not make the list?
Megan McCardle on "green jobs". "But green jobs have become the ginseng of progressive politics: a sort of broad-spectrum snake oil that cures whatever happens to ail you. They are the antidote to economic malaise, an underskilled labor force, the inherent unwillingness of the public to suffer any significant economic and personal dislocation in order to save the environment. They enhance nationalistic vigor. (If we don't act now, the Chinese will steal all of our green jobs!) They stave off aging of stale political platforms. And I'm pretty sure they're good for bunions, too." It's like favoring "multi-lateralism" in foreign policy.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Thursday
I know I've been bad lately. Sporadic. They've been making me work. Anyway, on to it.
The Art of Chess. Crazy chess sets.
What if everybody in Canada flushed at once? Awesome graph of water consumption from the US v Canada hockey game which, by some accounts, was watched by 80% of Canadians.
The world's most beautiful college campuses.
Somehow it doesn't bother me when my industry is criticized by these people. I guess they are not content with having destroyed the auto industry, California, and public education in the United States.
National memory championship. "Mostly won by Britons, last year's world championship was clinched by Briton Ben Pridmore, who memorized a randomly shuffled deck of 52 cards in 24 seconds."
6 of the 10 richest counties in the country are in the D.C. area. Gee, I wonder why.
A debate between Van Jones and Andrew Morriss on green jobs over at The Economist.
8 Unconventional Ways to be Buried.
This is old, but I still love it. Absurd escapes from the old G.I. Joe cartoon.
The Art of Chess. Crazy chess sets.
What if everybody in Canada flushed at once? Awesome graph of water consumption from the US v Canada hockey game which, by some accounts, was watched by 80% of Canadians.
The world's most beautiful college campuses.
Somehow it doesn't bother me when my industry is criticized by these people. I guess they are not content with having destroyed the auto industry, California, and public education in the United States.
National memory championship. "Mostly won by Britons, last year's world championship was clinched by Briton Ben Pridmore, who memorized a randomly shuffled deck of 52 cards in 24 seconds."
6 of the 10 richest counties in the country are in the D.C. area. Gee, I wonder why.
A debate between Van Jones and Andrew Morriss on green jobs over at The Economist.
8 Unconventional Ways to be Buried.
This is old, but I still love it. Absurd escapes from the old G.I. Joe cartoon.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Saturday
Keith Hennessey explains the mechanics of the two bill strategy for health care reform, then h explains the challenges of that strategy.
In defense of Sean Penn's work in Haiti. Good for him.
Wal-Mart pushing its suppliers to meet environmental standards. "We heard that in the future, to become a Wal-Mart supplier, you have to be an environmentally friendly company," Fung said. "So we switched some of our products and the way we produced them."
From Wired, The Future of Money. Banks and credit cards have had a virtual monopoly on the ability to move money around. This is an interesting take on how that may soon come to an end.
Clausen Puts NFL Teams in a Pickle. Since I'm a huge Domer, I've watched Clausen more than most NFL scouts, certainly more than the average football viewer. My take on him: Clausen is almost perfect technically, his throwing motion is textbook, though his release is a little long because I think he has an average arm (by NFL standards). He throws fades as well as any college QB I've seen. Immature and cocky has been the rap. I really don't know anything about that part, but his teammates defend him and I also watched him take a brutal beating for two years behind one of the worst offensive lines I've ever seen and always get up and never complain. I think it will be his physical limitatiomns that will be a problem, not the other stuff.
NPR story on sexual assaults on college campuses. "He found them by, over a 20-year period, asking some 2,000 men in college questions like this: "Have you ever had sexual intercourse with someone, even though they did not want to, because they were too intoxicated [on alcohol or drugs] to resist your sexual advances?" Or: "Have you ever had sexual intercourse with an adult when they didn't want to because you used physical force [twisting their arm, holding them down, etc.] if they didn't cooperate?" About 1 in 16 men answered "yes" to these or similar questions."
Photo essay of Iraq as it prepares to vote.
In defense of Sean Penn's work in Haiti. Good for him.
Wal-Mart pushing its suppliers to meet environmental standards. "We heard that in the future, to become a Wal-Mart supplier, you have to be an environmentally friendly company," Fung said. "So we switched some of our products and the way we produced them."
From Wired, The Future of Money. Banks and credit cards have had a virtual monopoly on the ability to move money around. This is an interesting take on how that may soon come to an end.
Clausen Puts NFL Teams in a Pickle. Since I'm a huge Domer, I've watched Clausen more than most NFL scouts, certainly more than the average football viewer. My take on him: Clausen is almost perfect technically, his throwing motion is textbook, though his release is a little long because I think he has an average arm (by NFL standards). He throws fades as well as any college QB I've seen. Immature and cocky has been the rap. I really don't know anything about that part, but his teammates defend him and I also watched him take a brutal beating for two years behind one of the worst offensive lines I've ever seen and always get up and never complain. I think it will be his physical limitatiomns that will be a problem, not the other stuff.
NPR story on sexual assaults on college campuses. "He found them by, over a 20-year period, asking some 2,000 men in college questions like this: "Have you ever had sexual intercourse with someone, even though they did not want to, because they were too intoxicated [on alcohol or drugs] to resist your sexual advances?" Or: "Have you ever had sexual intercourse with an adult when they didn't want to because you used physical force [twisting their arm, holding them down, etc.] if they didn't cooperate?" About 1 in 16 men answered "yes" to these or similar questions."
Photo essay of Iraq as it prepares to vote.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Friday
Monsieur IOZ bitch slaps Thomas Friedman. By the way, IOZ is a gay, nihilist, who writes one of the funniest blogs around. I have to keep my Merriam-Webster link open when I read it though because his vocabulary is expansive.
The Day Trader's Paradise. "Originally there was to be 60 monitors, a mix of 19s and 24s however, it changed a bit and there is now 40 24" monitors and another 20 monitors offsite for development. There is six computers running all the monitors, each computer has a core i7 975, 24 gb of DDR 3 memory, two SLC SSDs in raid 0 and a large amount of nvidia NVS 420s as well as Nvidia 9800 GTs." Pfff....only 40 monitors.
How to save $148 on an iPod touch.
India's Overworked Elephants. This is sad.
Cars I want That My Wife Will never Let Me Purchase Update: Lotus Evora and the Porsche 918. By the way, the Porsche is a hybrid that gets 78mpg and gets you 0-60 in 3,2 seconds.
What Adam Smith thought of the role for government.
The Day Trader's Paradise. "Originally there was to be 60 monitors, a mix of 19s and 24s however, it changed a bit and there is now 40 24" monitors and another 20 monitors offsite for development. There is six computers running all the monitors, each computer has a core i7 975, 24 gb of DDR 3 memory, two SLC SSDs in raid 0 and a large amount of nvidia NVS 420s as well as Nvidia 9800 GTs." Pfff....only 40 monitors.
How to save $148 on an iPod touch.
India's Overworked Elephants. This is sad.
Cars I want That My Wife Will never Let Me Purchase Update: Lotus Evora and the Porsche 918. By the way, the Porsche is a hybrid that gets 78mpg and gets you 0-60 in 3,2 seconds.
What Adam Smith thought of the role for government.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday
Hamas U. (from the Boston Globe). Interesting story about the rise of Islam in Gaza and the Islamic University of Gaza.
DNA Deception. "A Texas Tribune review of nine years' worth of e-mails and internal documents on the Department of State Health Services’ newborn blood screening program reveals the transfer of hundreds of infant blood spots to an Armed Forces lab to build a national and, someday, international mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) registry." Who the hell signed off on this?
Obama Bullshit bingo. Great idea for staying awake during Obama speeches.
Federal spending as a share of GDP chart. "Obama’s budget shows that interest payments will start rising rapidly next year and hit 3 percent of GDP by 2015. And that’s an optimistic projection."
The coming collapse of the commercial real estate market.
The story behind five banned toys and games (Popular Mechanics). I like lawn darts.
One cool thing for foodies in Austin has been the rise of some awesome food carts. Here's a website dedicated to them. G'Raj Mahal has become one of my favorite places in Austin, especially since it is right next to Clive, which is also very cool.
I didn't think they had a depp run in them this year because the talent mix on the team is just weird, but what the hell has happened to my Horns?
DNA Deception. "A Texas Tribune review of nine years' worth of e-mails and internal documents on the Department of State Health Services’ newborn blood screening program reveals the transfer of hundreds of infant blood spots to an Armed Forces lab to build a national and, someday, international mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) registry." Who the hell signed off on this?
Obama Bullshit bingo. Great idea for staying awake during Obama speeches.
Federal spending as a share of GDP chart. "Obama’s budget shows that interest payments will start rising rapidly next year and hit 3 percent of GDP by 2015. And that’s an optimistic projection."
The coming collapse of the commercial real estate market.
The story behind five banned toys and games (Popular Mechanics). I like lawn darts.
One cool thing for foodies in Austin has been the rise of some awesome food carts. Here's a website dedicated to them. G'Raj Mahal has become one of my favorite places in Austin, especially since it is right next to Clive, which is also very cool.
I didn't think they had a depp run in them this year because the talent mix on the team is just weird, but what the hell has happened to my Horns?
Saturday, February 27, 2010
The Best Investment
In these uncertain economic times, the best investment is clearly a new car (right honey?). I gove you the Maserati GranTurismo convertible which might be the most beautiful car I have ever seen.
Saturday
Crazy week around here. Committee hearings, travel, and hardwoods installed at the house so didn't get a chance to post anything. Pretty lame week anyway.
8.8 quake hits Chile. That's hundreds of times more pwerful than the quake that hit Haiti. We'll see a slew of articles over the next few weeks comapring the two, but we're about to see the difference between countries with infrastructure.
I think this initiative by the Obama administration is wrongheaded. First, it's a complete sop to organized labor which is apparenty not content with destroying California and Michigan. Second, I'll let Alex Tabarrok explain the objections. Short version: "long term consequences of creating a dual labor market in which insiders with government or government-connected jobs are highly paid and secure while outsiders face high unemployment rates, low wages and part-time work without a career path."
The Exile goes under. This is too bad. I discovered The Exile when I started reading The War Nerd column. If you ever get a chance just sit down on some weekend and read all of his columns. They are awesome. The War Nerd, Gary Brecher, writes about various conflicts all over the world and he has spent most of his life just studying war.
This article had me at "an iceberg about the size of Luxembourg".
Cool photos of lions, but the dedication of the photographer in getting the pictures is pretty crazy.
Boozy ape sent to rehab. I would add more, but the headline pretty much tells you all you need to know since it is about a boozy ape (he also smokes) who gets sent to rehab.
Mark Cuban pwns Al Franken.
Obama Facebook updates. This is pretty funny.
This, however, is not funny. From the NYT, Infections Unfazed by Antibiotics.
8.8 quake hits Chile. That's hundreds of times more pwerful than the quake that hit Haiti. We'll see a slew of articles over the next few weeks comapring the two, but we're about to see the difference between countries with infrastructure.
I think this initiative by the Obama administration is wrongheaded. First, it's a complete sop to organized labor which is apparenty not content with destroying California and Michigan. Second, I'll let Alex Tabarrok explain the objections. Short version: "long term consequences of creating a dual labor market in which insiders with government or government-connected jobs are highly paid and secure while outsiders face high unemployment rates, low wages and part-time work without a career path."
The Exile goes under. This is too bad. I discovered The Exile when I started reading The War Nerd column. If you ever get a chance just sit down on some weekend and read all of his columns. They are awesome. The War Nerd, Gary Brecher, writes about various conflicts all over the world and he has spent most of his life just studying war.
This article had me at "an iceberg about the size of Luxembourg".
Cool photos of lions, but the dedication of the photographer in getting the pictures is pretty crazy.
Boozy ape sent to rehab. I would add more, but the headline pretty much tells you all you need to know since it is about a boozy ape (he also smokes) who gets sent to rehab.
Mark Cuban pwns Al Franken.
Obama Facebook updates. This is pretty funny.
This, however, is not funny. From the NYT, Infections Unfazed by Antibiotics.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday
Enjoy wine more by overpaying. "In one experiment, Mr. Hodgson served 100 wines to actual California State Fair Wine Competition judges, over the course of four years. The tastings were blind, and each judge was presented the same wine three times, each time from the same exact bottle. What Mr. Hodgson found was remarkable: On a 20-point rating scale, from 80-100, judges typically varied in their ratings of the same wine by plus-or-minus four points. The same wine could be rated a 90, an 86, and a 94, all by the same judge in the same year." A nice find here was the essay by Richard Quandt that is referenced in the article- On Wine Bullshit.
Great article on the size of international remittances. It's estimated at $338 billion which is staggering, especially when you consider all foreign aid equals about $100 billion (per the article). Money quote: "Pritchett recently calculated that sending 3,000 Bangladeshis to work to the United States for a year would provide more capital for Bangladesh than a year’s worth of loans from the celebrated Grameen Bank – the microfinance lender whose founder, Mohammed Yunus, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. “If I get 3,000 Bangladeshi workers into the US,” Pritchett asked facetiously in a recent lecture, “do I get a Nobel?”
Two very good posts from Mark Cuban on understanding salary caps and risk management in sports. The second one is really interesting, don't let the risk management thing deter you.
Just read this.
Fareed Zakaria on why Iran can be deterred.
Great article on the size of international remittances. It's estimated at $338 billion which is staggering, especially when you consider all foreign aid equals about $100 billion (per the article). Money quote: "Pritchett recently calculated that sending 3,000 Bangladeshis to work to the United States for a year would provide more capital for Bangladesh than a year’s worth of loans from the celebrated Grameen Bank – the microfinance lender whose founder, Mohammed Yunus, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. “If I get 3,000 Bangladeshi workers into the US,” Pritchett asked facetiously in a recent lecture, “do I get a Nobel?”
Two very good posts from Mark Cuban on understanding salary caps and risk management in sports. The second one is really interesting, don't let the risk management thing deter you.
Just read this.
Fareed Zakaria on why Iran can be deterred.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Saturday
The top five cities for green jobs, via CAP. Detroit and San Francisco are two of the worst run cities in America. Portland strikes me as being a lot like Austin, except with rain. New York basically runs like a Scandinavian welfare state with high taxes on big earners and a ton of people on public assistance or with municipal jobs. And Boston, of course, rules.
His-panic. Article from American Conservative on the myth of high Latino and immigrant crime rates. I'm withholding judgment until my brother, a self-appointed expert on crime statistics, gives me his take. His initial thought was that it was sloppy.
The Chemist's War. Wow. Today's must read. Story about how the US government actually poisoned alcohol during Prohibition.
Daryl Morey is a badass and one of the reasons I'm quickly becoming a Rockets fan. Kevin Martin is a heart throb among all the people enamored with PERs, Hilton Armstrong is a nice, athletic big, Jared Jeffries is an elite defender (and has the best first name possible), the draft picks are huge, and I think Jordan Hill may be the most underrated part of this deal. Yes, giving up Landry sucks, but the Rockets clearly come out on top in this trade.
America's best health care economist discussing cost controls. I think he actually takes it pretty easy on Rove here. The "buying insurance across state lines" idea has never made a ton of sense to me. I'm with Reinhardt on it, it's probably not a bad idea, but you're really not going to get much savings out of it. Part of the fantasy of health care reformers, both conservative and liberal, is that there is some way of tinkering with the regulation that will somehow radically reduce the cost. There isn't.
"Nearly a third of Texans believe humans and dinosaurs roamed the earth at the same time, and more than half disagree with the theory that humans developed from earlier species of animals, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll." Here.
His-panic. Article from American Conservative on the myth of high Latino and immigrant crime rates. I'm withholding judgment until my brother, a self-appointed expert on crime statistics, gives me his take. His initial thought was that it was sloppy.
The Chemist's War. Wow. Today's must read. Story about how the US government actually poisoned alcohol during Prohibition.
Daryl Morey is a badass and one of the reasons I'm quickly becoming a Rockets fan. Kevin Martin is a heart throb among all the people enamored with PERs, Hilton Armstrong is a nice, athletic big, Jared Jeffries is an elite defender (and has the best first name possible), the draft picks are huge, and I think Jordan Hill may be the most underrated part of this deal. Yes, giving up Landry sucks, but the Rockets clearly come out on top in this trade.
America's best health care economist discussing cost controls. I think he actually takes it pretty easy on Rove here. The "buying insurance across state lines" idea has never made a ton of sense to me. I'm with Reinhardt on it, it's probably not a bad idea, but you're really not going to get much savings out of it. Part of the fantasy of health care reformers, both conservative and liberal, is that there is some way of tinkering with the regulation that will somehow radically reduce the cost. There isn't.
"Nearly a third of Texans believe humans and dinosaurs roamed the earth at the same time, and more than half disagree with the theory that humans developed from earlier species of animals, according to the University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll." Here.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Friday
Obviously, it's not a justification for flying a plane into a building, or for violence of any sort, but the law in question does seem unfair.
Yes we can!
I can't tell if this is real, but if it is real then I'm really concerned for my country.
Roger Ebert profile in in Esquire. He's battling cancer right now and has lost the ability to speak.
Do spies and assassins really wear fake beards? They sure do.
The World's 18 Strangest Airports.
The importance of vacations. “The practical lesson for an individual is that you derive most of your happiness from anticipating the holiday trip,” he said.
Yes we can!
I can't tell if this is real, but if it is real then I'm really concerned for my country.
Roger Ebert profile in in Esquire. He's battling cancer right now and has lost the ability to speak.
Do spies and assassins really wear fake beards? They sure do.
The World's 18 Strangest Airports.
The importance of vacations. “The practical lesson for an individual is that you derive most of your happiness from anticipating the holiday trip,” he said.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
I Love Kevin Durant
From Bill Simmons:
"Let's leave out the historical possibilities this time around. (You know, like the fact that he's already at 5,000 career points, that no forward has ever averaged 30 points a game three times and he might do it 10 or 12, that he might have a 37 PPG or a 55-45-95 shooting percentage season lurking in him, etc.) Just look at this particular season. How is Durant not our No. 2 choice for MVP?
"Let's leave out the historical possibilities this time around. (You know, like the fact that he's already at 5,000 career points, that no forward has ever averaged 30 points a game three times and he might do it 10 or 12, that he might have a 37 PPG or a 55-45-95 shooting percentage season lurking in him, etc.) Just look at this particular season. How is Durant not our No. 2 choice for MVP?
The young Zombies have quietly climbed to 30-21 and third in the league in defensive field goal percentage. Durant goes into every game knowing two things: (1) There's a decent chance nobody else on my team will make more than five baskets tonight; and (2) If I suck, we almost definitely will lose. They're 17-8 in their past 25 games; he has scored at least 25 in every game, racked up 29-plus points in all but three and averaged 32.4 PPG (first in NBA in that span), 7.8 RPG, 52.3 FG percent, 88.6 FT percent (third) and 51.9 3FG percent (first, minimum 50 attempts). His plus/minus in those 25 games is plus-194, second only to LeBron. His team is improbably headed for 48-50 wins in a loaded Western Conference, with a top four that's 21, 21, 23 and 20 years old, without anyone averaging even 6.4 rebounds or 1.1 blocks a game. And Durant has scored nearly as many points as his best two teammates combined. I could go on and on. Other than LeBron/Cleveland, Durant means more to that team than anyone else means to any other 2010 team. You can't tell me differently.
UNSTOPPABLE
Players who scored 25-plus points in at least 25 consecutive games over the past 30 years.
| Player | Streak | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin Durant, Thunder | 25 | Dec. 2009-Feb. 2010 |
| Allen Iverson, Sixers | 27 | Jan.-March 2001 |
| Michael Jordan, Bulls | 40 | March 1988-Dec. 1988 |
| Michael Jordan, Bulls | 40 | Dec. 1986-March 1987 |
Thursday
Didn't find too much interesting to post for a few days. Plus, I actually had to work.
Awesome kid gets detention for being hilarious.
Cavs get Jamison. I think this is a way better pick up for the Cavs then Stoudemire would have been. Jamison is probably a better rebounder, he's a crafty scorer, good teammate, and he fits in with Shaq on the frontline much better.
The $555,000 student loan burden. Finding it hard to muster too much sympathy for this doctor who made a number of terrible decisions and then basically said "maybe some of it was my fault."
Holy Rasputin! Marine cheats death, many times.
Why Google failed in China. Some interesting facts about Chinese Internet users and how they differ from Internet users in other countries.
Canadians choose bacon over sex. At least, 43% of them did.
The use of food by police during interrogation.
Awesome kid gets detention for being hilarious.
Cavs get Jamison. I think this is a way better pick up for the Cavs then Stoudemire would have been. Jamison is probably a better rebounder, he's a crafty scorer, good teammate, and he fits in with Shaq on the frontline much better.
The $555,000 student loan burden. Finding it hard to muster too much sympathy for this doctor who made a number of terrible decisions and then basically said "maybe some of it was my fault."
Holy Rasputin! Marine cheats death, many times.
Why Google failed in China. Some interesting facts about Chinese Internet users and how they differ from Internet users in other countries.
Canadians choose bacon over sex. At least, 43% of them did.
The use of food by police during interrogation.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Sunday links
A Stone Age Subculture Takes Shape in the US. From Der Speigel, about the folks who are going back to the caveman diet. One thing I think such people ignore is how bad it must have sucked to be a caveman.
Torture Lawyers on Trial (from The Nation). I don't consider them to be a particularly credible news source, but I think the legal ramifications of whether a government lawyer can be disciplined or prosecuted (not to mention whether they can be prosecuted in a foreign court) for developing a legal strategy are pretty important.
The Fable of Market Meritocracy. It seems to offend some people that the market rewards people they believe lack "merit". I would think those people would be cheered by the fact that you can be an idiot in the overall sense and still get rich.
The 5 Most Notorious Recalls of All Time.
The case against banning the word "retard." I don't understand the idea that we should not use certain words because people have taken the original meaning and turned into a term of derision. That seems backwards. I mean I get that using the N-word or dropping random F-bombs is frowned upon, but those are intended to offend.
Torture Lawyers on Trial (from The Nation). I don't consider them to be a particularly credible news source, but I think the legal ramifications of whether a government lawyer can be disciplined or prosecuted (not to mention whether they can be prosecuted in a foreign court) for developing a legal strategy are pretty important.
The Fable of Market Meritocracy. It seems to offend some people that the market rewards people they believe lack "merit". I would think those people would be cheered by the fact that you can be an idiot in the overall sense and still get rich.
The 5 Most Notorious Recalls of All Time.
The case against banning the word "retard." I don't understand the idea that we should not use certain words because people have taken the original meaning and turned into a term of derision. That seems backwards. I mean I get that using the N-word or dropping random F-bombs is frowned upon, but those are intended to offend.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Saturday (but really Friday's)
Well, my wife accurately pointed out that one of the reason my blog sucks (there are many) is that my links never really describe what's in the article very well. So I'll try to do a better job.
A simple health care fix fizzles out. The current health care system we have really does not concern itself much with results. That's primarily because the reimbursement system for providers really doesn't have anything to do with results. The system rewards volume and high cost interventions (often ones that are not too effective).
In honor of the Winter Olympics, a slideshow of the 10 hottest female athletes participating.
Are snobby bicyclists their own worst enemy? Let me go ahead and answer that. Yes. It will be interesting if more "normals" start biking. Then biking won't be hipster enough anymore and they'll have to find something else that makes them special.
How do you judge a camel beauty contest? Yeah, it really is about camel beauty contests. "We are looking for camels with big heads, firm ears, broad cheeks and big whiskers. There is no single important thing - the neck and body should be long, the hump and the back should be big, and we also look at the colour and posture of the camel."
The best shooters in the NBA. If I were teaching someone to shoot...let me start again. If someone was dumb enough to ask me to teach them how to shoot, I would tell them to watch Ray Allen. He has one of the most beautiful jump shots you will ever see. Steve Nash's isn't as pretty, but as you see in the link, his numbers make it pretty clear he's the best shooter.
Crazy, crazy article from the NYT on the "My Way" killings in the Philippines. From the story:
The authorities do not know exactly how many people have been killed warbling “My Way” in karaoke bars over the years in the Philippines, or how many fatal fights it has fueled. But the news media have recorded at least half a dozen victims in the past decade and includes them in a subcategory of crime dubbed the “My Way Killings.”
Awesome pictures of sled dogs.
A simple health care fix fizzles out. The current health care system we have really does not concern itself much with results. That's primarily because the reimbursement system for providers really doesn't have anything to do with results. The system rewards volume and high cost interventions (often ones that are not too effective).
In honor of the Winter Olympics, a slideshow of the 10 hottest female athletes participating.
Are snobby bicyclists their own worst enemy? Let me go ahead and answer that. Yes. It will be interesting if more "normals" start biking. Then biking won't be hipster enough anymore and they'll have to find something else that makes them special.
How do you judge a camel beauty contest? Yeah, it really is about camel beauty contests. "We are looking for camels with big heads, firm ears, broad cheeks and big whiskers. There is no single important thing - the neck and body should be long, the hump and the back should be big, and we also look at the colour and posture of the camel."
The best shooters in the NBA. If I were teaching someone to shoot...let me start again. If someone was dumb enough to ask me to teach them how to shoot, I would tell them to watch Ray Allen. He has one of the most beautiful jump shots you will ever see. Steve Nash's isn't as pretty, but as you see in the link, his numbers make it pretty clear he's the best shooter.
Crazy, crazy article from the NYT on the "My Way" killings in the Philippines. From the story:
The authorities do not know exactly how many people have been killed warbling “My Way” in karaoke bars over the years in the Philippines, or how many fatal fights it has fueled. But the news media have recorded at least half a dozen victims in the past decade and includes them in a subcategory of crime dubbed the “My Way Killings.”
Awesome pictures of sled dogs.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Monday Morning
Colts lost. Pretty sure the biggest turning point in the game was that I had picked the Colts to win. The onside kick and the interception return for a touchdown were big, but you can overcome that kind of mistake. What you can't overcome are the cosmic forces involved when I wager on a game. Oh yeah, congrats to the Saints, that's a nice story. So, onto some interesting links.
"The unpalatable reality that few, self interested industry participants are prepared to admit is that much of what passes for financial innovation is specifically designed to conceal risk, obfuscate investors and reduce transparency. The process is entirely deliberate. Efficiency and transparency is not consistent with the high profit margins on Wall Street and the City. Financial products need to be opaque and priced inefficiently to produce excessive profits." That's Satyajit Das from his recent blog post on the current proposal to regulative derivatives. He's considered an expert on CDS'.
This is pretty interesting. Graph of how many second mortgages are held by large financial institutions and why that complicates any plan to modify first mortgages. I was not aware that the Big Four held such a high percentage.
Fire department's charging for services. Pretty outrageous if you ask me. I think this does raise a lot of questions about spending priorities and crowding out of certain priorities.
Looks like over 100 million people watched the Super Bowl. Crazy. The NFL is so much more popular than any other sport in the US. I wonder how fans will react if the anticipated breakdown between the owners and the NFLPA comes to pass. I mean people did not really care when the NHL pulled this, and they cared about it a bit when baseball did it, but neither of those sports are anywhere close to the NFL in popularity or ratings.
Nurse to Stand Trial for Reporting Doctor. The sheriff in this story should be fired.
Glad everyone got so riled up about that Tebow ad. By the way, I don't get offended like some people do by the Super Bowl ads and their supposed misogyny, but I am pretty sick and tired "be a man" type ads. They are annoying, usually unfunny, insulting to both sexes, and tired. If they were funny I could live with the other stuff.
"The unpalatable reality that few, self interested industry participants are prepared to admit is that much of what passes for financial innovation is specifically designed to conceal risk, obfuscate investors and reduce transparency. The process is entirely deliberate. Efficiency and transparency is not consistent with the high profit margins on Wall Street and the City. Financial products need to be opaque and priced inefficiently to produce excessive profits." That's Satyajit Das from his recent blog post on the current proposal to regulative derivatives. He's considered an expert on CDS'.
This is pretty interesting. Graph of how many second mortgages are held by large financial institutions and why that complicates any plan to modify first mortgages. I was not aware that the Big Four held such a high percentage.
Fire department's charging for services. Pretty outrageous if you ask me. I think this does raise a lot of questions about spending priorities and crowding out of certain priorities.
Looks like over 100 million people watched the Super Bowl. Crazy. The NFL is so much more popular than any other sport in the US. I wonder how fans will react if the anticipated breakdown between the owners and the NFLPA comes to pass. I mean people did not really care when the NHL pulled this, and they cared about it a bit when baseball did it, but neither of those sports are anywhere close to the NFL in popularity or ratings.
Nurse to Stand Trial for Reporting Doctor. The sheriff in this story should be fired.
Glad everyone got so riled up about that Tebow ad. By the way, I don't get offended like some people do by the Super Bowl ads and their supposed misogyny, but I am pretty sick and tired "be a man" type ads. They are annoying, usually unfunny, insulting to both sexes, and tired. If they were funny I could live with the other stuff.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Super Bowl Sunday
The myth of CPR
NYT article on gender imbalances on college campuses and the impact on dating. My BS detector went off a bit reading this. Favorite quote is from a Ms. Jayne Dallas who is a senior and offers the following: "Out of that 40 percent, there are maybe 20 percent that we would consider, and out of those 20, 10 have girlfriends, so all the girls are fighting over that other 10 percent”. Nice math skills.
Ryanair and the shafting of your customers as a reputational strategy.
America's dismal record ending wars.
I'm taking the Colts.
NYT article on gender imbalances on college campuses and the impact on dating. My BS detector went off a bit reading this. Favorite quote is from a Ms. Jayne Dallas who is a senior and offers the following: "Out of that 40 percent, there are maybe 20 percent that we would consider, and out of those 20, 10 have girlfriends, so all the girls are fighting over that other 10 percent”. Nice math skills.
Ryanair and the shafting of your customers as a reputational strategy.
America's dismal record ending wars.
I'm taking the Colts.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Friday Stuff- Lots!
D's like socialism. I've never understood why people get so bent out of shape about people calling Obama, or other politicians, socialists. I mean, he is. He's not the murderous red type, but his political and economic beliefs are pretty similar to your boilerplate Eurostyle socialist parties which, by the way, openly run as socialists.
Interesting NYT article on Haitian emigres.
This is really, really disturbing. Really.
Yikes. 25 foot crocodile that has eaten over 200 people.
Innocence Project clears 250th person wrongfully convicted.
Cool pictures of Pluto.
Antidepressants no more effective than placebos.
If Colleges (or Air Tavel) Worked Like Health Care.
Guy's wife cries at every movie. He records it and puts it on youtube. Then he started his own site.
Why single women eat salad.
Interesting NYT article on Haitian emigres.
This is really, really disturbing. Really.
Yikes. 25 foot crocodile that has eaten over 200 people.
Innocence Project clears 250th person wrongfully convicted.
Cool pictures of Pluto.
Antidepressants no more effective than placebos.
If Colleges (or Air Tavel) Worked Like Health Care.
Guy's wife cries at every movie. He records it and puts it on youtube. Then he started his own site.
Why single women eat salad.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Tuesday Night
What's a degree really worth. (Wall Street Journal). I've often been thankful for how easy I got off relative to today's students. I came out of five years of college (Super senior!) with "only" about $20K in debt. A lot of that was due to scholarships and grants, but it still seemed a manageable level of debt. I have many friends that are managing $75K+ in debt. In my house it was just assumed that we were all going to college (my dad's an academic). I wonder if that would be true today. Probably so. But it sure is crazy to read about college tuition levels today.
Pretty good article on the NFL labor negotiations. Money quote: "If we can't get this resolved, we will collectively be the dumbest people on the planet."
Keith Hennessey on Obama's budget.
The World's 25 Dirtiest Cities. Africa is well represented.
Rasmussen poll from the Texas Governor's race.
Pretty good article on the NFL labor negotiations. Money quote: "If we can't get this resolved, we will collectively be the dumbest people on the planet."
Keith Hennessey on Obama's budget.
The World's 25 Dirtiest Cities. Africa is well represented.
Rasmussen poll from the Texas Governor's race.
Tuesday
What's the matter with you Americans?
Fall out from credit card industry "reform". Click on the links in the story too, they're interesting.
How to fall 35,000 feet- and survive.
North Korea vs. South Korea from satellite. Any questions?
Good grief. Who is waging the war on science again?
Fall out from credit card industry "reform". Click on the links in the story too, they're interesting.
How to fall 35,000 feet- and survive.
North Korea vs. South Korea from satellite. Any questions?
Good grief. Who is waging the war on science again?
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Saturday Night Stuff
Just watched "Up". It was awesome, you should watch it.
Moron. Seriously, how does this guy have a column? I could learn as much listening to dorm room conversations.
Axe body spray. Hahahahahahahaha. Stuff makes Drakkar seem like a subtle touch of class.
Growing Share of Americans' Income Comes From Government.
CNET's review of the IPad. I'll probably wait a little bit.
Here's a picture of a dinosaur.
Moron. Seriously, how does this guy have a column? I could learn as much listening to dorm room conversations.
Axe body spray. Hahahahahahahaha. Stuff makes Drakkar seem like a subtle touch of class.
Growing Share of Americans' Income Comes From Government.
CNET's review of the IPad. I'll probably wait a little bit.
Here's a picture of a dinosaur.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday Wamblings
Barnes & Noble customer "service".
Food carts in Austin.
This seems like a reasoned and well thought out response.
I feel pretty certain that our robed masters are going to be the hammer on this issue.
A Tale of Two Cheaters.
Looks like my crazy ass brother was right about cell phones. Doh.
We spend a lot on the military.
Food carts in Austin.
This seems like a reasoned and well thought out response.
I feel pretty certain that our robed masters are going to be the hammer on this issue.
A Tale of Two Cheaters.
Looks like my crazy ass brother was right about cell phones. Doh.
We spend a lot on the military.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
