February 2010
110 posts
RT @felixsalmon: RT @TonyFratto: Obama/Harper wager: we get Ontario if USA wins; we get Quebec if USA loses.
US Manufacturing Is Not Dead →
Today’s economic article at 538 is from me (Hale Stewart) and my co-blogger at the Bonddad Blog Silver Oz. Over the last few weeks we have been discussing manufacturing in the US – or, more…
RT @felixsalmon: A fantastic Cockburn column on orcas in captivity. Make sure you read through to the bit about Pete Peterson! http://bi …
Concepción, Chile →
I haven’t been to Concepción since December 1989, yet I will never forget my trip there. It was the first time I learned what was for me to become an important truth. If you set off to a mid-sized…
Populism: Just Like Racism! →
Shared by Nick Ragaz
This is great: “… the rise of China is a factor in the overall decline of the American economy, but it has nothing to do with the Goldman story, which is a specific crime…
Is a need for fiscal stimulus a symptom of a... →
In the debates on the need for a fiscal stimulus, both sides generally agreed that this particular policy instrument is one of the clumsiest available to policy makers. The dangers are well-known…
In praise of invisible payments →
Shared by Nick Ragaz
Are you listening, TTC?
One consequence of going on staff at Reuters last April is that I got a W2 this year for the first time in a decade, and I’m pretty impressed at how…
RT @felixsalmon: Astonishing, on many levels. http://bit.ly/br8Oas via @pourmecoffee @Slate
What happens to house prices when the Fed stops... →
Paul Smalera asks what’s going to happen to mortgage rates after March 31, when the Fed has said that it will stop buying mortgage-backed securities. The answer, predictably, is that they’re going…
And Oh By The Way, Did You Notice NEAL KATYAL... →
This “Gitmo Nine” fucking bullshit is beneath the dignity of all thinking people. There is not a single shameful thing about representing a Guantanamo detainee. And singling out Neal Katyal — only…
Political differences masquerading as... →
“There’s a philosophical difference in how we do this,” Sen. Tom Coburn said at the Blair House Summit. “It does have to do with the philosophical difference,” Rep. Eric Cantor agreed….
Karzai's Newest Power Play →
Anyone who thought Gordon Brown’s proposed changes to the electoral system to a bit brash should have a look at Hamid Karzai’s most recent exploit. Ahead of Parliamentary elections in September,…
First Reaction to The Health Care Summit →
President Obama is so much smarter and a better communicator than members of Congress in either party. The contrast, side by side, is almost ridiculous.
Update: Good example of what I’m talking…
Bravo again Joannie - amazing. Truly amazing.
Breakthrough in Katrina Shootings →
The original state case against the cops accused of shooting unarmed civilians on a bridge in New Orleans just after Katrina swamped the city in 2005 was botched, but now the feds have secured a…
Financial Innovation II: Much, But Not All →
Robert Litan at Brookings has a paper out, In Defense of Much, But Not All, Financial Innovation. You should check it out, it is pretty good. Here’s the summary chart, that Kevin Drum grabbed…
6-2 OMG OMG!
Feel like this may be the most important event in the history of our nation.
Phew! 4-1 shd hold.
Hope it wraps up before my flight!
Getting to Work →
(cc photo by KarlOnSea)
Doree Shafrir explains:
Each day, the average American spends nearly an hour getting to and from work—and less than 20 minutes at the gym. (Actually, the…
Applying negotiation theory to health-care reform →
“The most basic predicate for success in any negotiation,” writes Gerald Seib, “[is] that both sides, at the outset, think reaching an agreement is preferable to failing to reach an agreement.” As…
Yes, mistakes obvs were made. But 30 cents/yr/Cdn is a great price for Games this good. Shortsighted to cut now! http://bit.ly/bOajcF
RT @felixsalmon: Good news:RT @Awl So Long, Hummer! — http://www.theawl.com/?p=28975
Newborns' blood used to build secret DNA database →
Texas state health officials secretly transferred hundreds of blood samples taken from newborn babies to the federal government to build a DNA database, reports Ewen Callaway
Ombudsmanfail →
I think it’s pretty striking what a spectacular failure the whole concept of having “ombudsmen” at newspapers has been. Rather than actually doing probing criticism of their employers’ work, they…
A Lottery in Your Savings Account →
I want to flag this story by Anne Stuhldreher because it’s a pretty great financial innovation. From the Washington Post, Credit unions launch a savings lottery, and everyone hits the jackpot…
All Presidents Engage With Tyrants →
I’m normally a James Traub fan, so I was taken aback by his recent article on the Obama administration’s policy of engagement and the alleged deep ethical compromises that it’s entailed….
Monster crocodile was ancient human nightmare →
Our ancestors would have been no more than a snack for a newly identified man-eating croc
What can Obama trade? →
In Roll Call, Norm Ornstein games out Thursday’s health-care summit:
Here is my suggestion for how the summit and its aftermath might go. First, the president could explain the core…
Bravo.
Monoline datapoint of the day →
Bloomberg reports:
Ambac, MBIA Inc. and Assured Guaranty, the three largest bond insurers, have set aside 0.04 percent of the total public finance debt they insure, or $520 million, to pay…
The Unholy Union Of Blackwater, Afghanistan And... →
Sometimes I think to myself, Blackwater is not real. No actual corporation could really operate like the caricatures offered by the punk rock songs of my youth. Dave Dictor, I’m a…
How increasing tuition fees can increase... →
I’m recycling this old post in celebration of Lucien Bouchard’s call for an increase in Quebec university tuition fees.
The Quebec government has just released a collection of studies on…
They just set up a perfect play and got a goal. Will he admit that this is a failure for his theory?
CTV should fire the robot who says nothing but “don’t be cute, just get pucks to the net.”
“They’re just missing nets cause they’re trying to be too refined.” Wow. Deep. Has he seen how hard Canada outshot the US?
Think we’re just converging on the puck better, making fewer long passes and giving up more chances in our zone to have more guys up front.
Nope - he said it again.
Life, According to Patti Stanger →
Emily Gould interviews “millionaire matchmaker” Patti Stanger and she outlines her theory of why you shouldn’t date poor guys:
“You’re gonna end up having sex, thinking he’s cute, and…
Where Did All the Jobs Go? →
Why were so few jobs created during the aughts? In net terms no jobs at all were created, but even if you exclude the post-bust years the aughts saw a net increase of only 7 million jobs compared to…
This Won't Make You Smile →
Shared by Nick Ragaz
We really should cover basic dental under OHIP. It would help to keep costs down, too.
Harold Pollack is the Helen Ross Professor of Social Service Administration…
Tim Cook Q&A Session at Goldman Sachs... →
Paraphrased transcript from Dan Frommer: We are the most focused company that I know of or have read of or have any knowledge of. We say no to good ideas every day. We say no to great ideas in…
Great gold. Still hate that “Believe” song, though.
Hey Americans — what was that you were saying about hockey?!?
Why I Love Washington →
A recent poll found that Americans think they’d be better off with a Congress chosen randomly from the phone book. Gene Weingarten decided to have some fun with this idea by picking random names…
The new world of credit cards: Still treacherous →
Shared by Nick Ragaz
Imagine a 2.1% tax hike to pay for flights for rich people - that’s essentially what this is.
Barbara Kiviat asks whether credit card companies “might be getting their…
Economist: If Only Obama Had Done Things He’s... →
Shared by Nick Ragaz
Full ack. I heart the Economist, but this sort of stuff is reflexive for them.
The Economist has put together a good website featuring a number of good blogs, which…