If you’re reading this, you’re a victim of my whims – because I write about what interests me, not about what’s necessarily relevant. And right now, what I’m interested in is how we landed on this planet of financial turmoil without knowing it well in advance. Obviously, many knew something, seized with an impulse to […]
I’ve been reading articles about Alan Greenspan through the years, reading in disbelief. At the end of this post, I’ve copied a 2004 article by Bill Fleckenstein, one of many he wrote criticizing Greenspan which, as it turned out, were spot on – and chronicled the history of Greenspan’s bad decisions. They span decades. In […]
Apparently not [Scientists witness the apparent birth of a black hole], at least not the two shown here: The theory that black holes exist was first put forward by Albert Einstein and is now a well-accepted fact in astronomy and cosmology. Although they define darkness, black holes actually can be quite bright – or at […]
I try to avoid opinions about things that directly involve my own well-being for two reasons. First, my opinion is open to suspicion by others, because it has to do with my own welfare. But second, I don’t trust my own judgment either. I notice this problem a lot when people talk about child reaing. […]
I don’t have the exact figures for what would happen if the Bush Tax Cuts are allowed to lapse. But it can be approximated by comparing the Tax Rates under Clinton to those under W. Bush [adjusted to $2009]. The table below uses those rates to compute the difference in tax between the rates. If […]
This is a long post, so I’ll put the conclusion first and let you decide if you want to see how I got here or not. It comes from wondering how the Republican Administrations can be so cavalier about finances – running up the National Debt, borrowing money from China, supporting programs that lead us […]
Bubbles of Energy Are Found in GalaxyNew York TimesBy DENNIS OVERBYENovember 9, 2010 Something big is going on at the center of the galaxy, and astronomers are happy to say they don’t know what it is. A group of scientists working with data from NASA’s Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope said Tuesday that they had discovered […]
com·pro·mise [kom-pruh-mahyz] noun, verb, -mised, -mis·ing. –noun 1. a settlement of differences by mutual concessions; an agreement reached by adjustment of conflicting or opposing claims, principles, etc., by reciprocal modification of demands. 2. the result of such a settlement. 3. something intermediate between different things: The split-level is a compromise between a ranch house and […]
Liberals plan to push Obama not to compromise with GOP Washington Post By Perry Bacon Jr. November 11, 2010 On the heels of the Democratic Party’s huge losses in last week’s midterm elections, liberal activists have begun planning to push President Obama on a series of issues, demanding that he not cede any ground to […]
What… In 1995, Alan Greenspan did something dramatic. He kept Interest Rates low after a Recession for the next five years. The consequences have been covered endlessly here and elsewhere: A period of great prosperity that was illusory and came to an abrupt halt in September 2008 with The Great Recession. The left chart shows […]