Archive for November, 2009
« Previous Entries Next Entries »WAITING (HOPING) FOR CLARITY
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by The Capital Spectator
“We have to be sure that the recovery is final, that domestic demand is self-sustaining and the peak in unemployment is on the foreseeable horizon,” Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the IMF, said yesterday in London yesterday in connection with a speech he gave at a British […]
IN DEBT WE TRUST?
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by The Capital Spectator
Is it time to consider more radical strategies for repairing the U.S. economy? Perhaps, although as a recent essay from the Levy Economics Institute argues, it’s also clear that the old game of trying to reflate bubbles isn’t going to work this time.
“Like the Bush administration before […]
DOWNSIZING THE FIRST ESTIMATE OF Q3 GDP
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by The Capital Spectator
Today’s release of second estimate of third-quarter GDP reveals that the economy expanded at a slower pace than originally reported. The initial 3.5% annualized real growth in the U.S. for Q3 was, we’re now told, just 2.8%.
Meantime, corporate profits skyrocketed in Q3. As companies shed payrolls, the […]
Debt and Interest Rates: Some Empirical Evidence and Implications
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Econbrowser
Today’s NYT article suggests apocalypse (very) soon:
…the government faces a payment shock similar to those that sent legions of overstretched homeowners into default on their mortgages.
Do we really need to worry so much in the short term?
Figure 1: Ten year constant maturity Treasury yields (blue line), and observation for […]
Jobless Claims Drop for 12th Week; Falling to Below 500,000 For First Time Since Nov. 2008
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by CARPE DIEM
The Department of Labor reported today that jobless claims (four-week moving average) dropped for the 12th straight week, and fell below 500,000 for the first time since November 8, 2008. The 16,500 drop in jobless claims to 496,500 from last week’s 513,000 was the third largest weekly […]
Quote of the Day: H.L. Mencken
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by CARPE DIEM
The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.
~H. L. Mencken
Climategate
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by CARPE DIEM
Recently leaked emails and documents from the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom expose deceit, duplicity and collusion between climate researchers to maintain the fraud of the manmade global warming theory. These emails reveal stunning behind-the-scenes details about how this fraud […]
Price War Brews Between Amazon and Wal-Mart; Cutthroat Competition is a Consumer’s Best Friend
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by CARPE DIEM
Wal-Mart, the mightiest retail giant in history, may have met its own worthy adversary: Amazon.com. In what is emerging as one of the main story lines of the 2009 post-recession shopping season, the two heavyweight retailers are waging an online price war that is spreading through product areas […]
Chart of the Day: Medical School Graduates
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by CARPE DIEM
The chart above displays the gender breakdown for medical school graduates back to 1961 (data here), showing the dramatic shift over time towards gender equality. In 1961, men outnumbered women by more than 17 to 1 (94.5% to 5.5%), and by 2006 it was almost evenly split between […]
Life Is Getting Measurably Better for Many People Here and Abroad; There’s A Lot to Be Thankful For
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by CARPE DIEM
From today’s Wall Street Journal, “20 Advances to Be Thankful For“:
News about health often focuses on the negative: scary new flu viruses, incurable diseases, dashed hopes for miracle drugs. Maybe that’s because we have such high expectations that doctors and scientists can fix anything. But amid all that […]
Fourth Monthly Increase in Case-Shiller Price Index
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by CARPE DIEM
Washington – The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home price index of 20 major cities rose only 0.3% to 144.96 in September, but it was the fourth straight monthly increase (see bottom chart above, first time since early 2006 of four consecutive increases). The seasonally adjusted index is now up […]
Guess Who’s Coming to Your Thanksgiving Dinner?
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by CARPE DIEM
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the average cost for a Thanksgiving feast for ten lies at $42.91 in 2009. The menu items for a classic Thanksgiving dinner used for their survey include turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of […]
From Treasury: Invitation to Financial Bloggers
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by CARPE DIEM
A little late, but a newsworthy report from the NY Times (11/15/2009):
Mr. Geithner, the Treasury secretary, was among the senior officials who talked with bloggers at an outreach session on Nov. 2. The two-hour round table was held on background, meaning that the bloggers could describe the sessions, […]
Markets in Everything: Vacant House Parties
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by CARPE DIEM
SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Some of the most elegant addresses in all of Atlanta are found in this wealthy enclave. Sprawling mansions that occupy 2- to 10-acre lots are home to some of the city’s most prominent residents.
They were shocked last month when a massive Halloween party […]
Sideways Discrimination: An Important Lesson
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by CARPE DIEM
Steven E. Landsburg has argued in his book Fair Play and now on his new blog that it’s generally acceptable (morally and legally) for tenants to discriminate against landlords, and workers to discriminate against employers, but not vice-versa.
Here’s how he explains it in Fair Play:
Let me illustrate with […]
Consumer Attitudes: The Future of Saving and Spending
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Businomics Blog
This recession has shaken people up, but what will be the lasting effects on consumer behavior? That’s one of the key questions as we look forward at the nature of the recovery. I’ve been arguing for a “return to normalcy,” in which people will abandon the […]
Mike Vass asks why women support N.O.W.
Rating 4.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Women’s Rights Blog
Written by Michael Vass
Ok, I need to ask the female readers for help on this.
I was checking back on the website of the National Organization for Women (www.now.org) to see if they had finally made a comment about the ‘death panel’ decision of the Government in regard […]
Glenn Beck asks - win or leave Afghanistan
Rating 4.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Breaking News Blog
Written by Michael Vass
For some time now I have been discussing the indecision of President Obama in regard to our troops in Afghanistan (as well as Iraq with President Bush). I believe I have made my views very clear on this issue. America needs to take a […]
Tyler Perry donates $1 million
Rating 4.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Hollywood Gossip Blog
As the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaches, it’s always nice to have a bit of positive news. This year Tyler Perry is the one giving some cheer.
Tyler Perry has given $1,000,000 to the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) in honor of the 100 year […]
Hugh Jackman ain’t Lee Marvin - Real Steel
Rating 4.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Movies and Film Blog
Written by Black Entertainment USA
Let’s say that you are a Hollywood executive. So between meetings deciding where you can eat dinner and get the most peer attention, and where to drink to get the most peer attention, you have to figure out a movie to greenlight […]
Peer Pressure & Your Fat Loss Diet
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Turbulence Training Blog
Without a doubt, one of the most difficult things about losing fat is eating in social situations. The peer-pressure (from both the ignorant and immature) is the toughest test of your commitment.
BUT…
If you want to succeed, you have to lay the ground rules. There is no room […]
Back to the Weights
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Turbulence Training Blog
Had fun with last week’s bodyweight training, but to be honest I just missed the weights…so it was back to lifting, albeit conservatively in the first week of a new program…
Todays workout: hang cleans, squats, handstand pushups, rope rows, db presses, glute-ham raises, chinups.
And today’s inspiration/motivation:
“To live […]
Healthy Snacks For Thanksgiving
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by My Fitness Hut Blog
Eating healthy snacks during the long Thanksgiving weekend is important! Why? Because you will enjoy your regular Thanksgiving meal(s). The snacks and side food items can really skyrocket your calorie count if you’re not careful!
What you eat between main meals can make the difference in gaining […]
Book Review: Busted by Edmund L Andrews
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by The Thin Red Line
Having previously featured volumes of dream homes, architectural eye candy and even a few practical manuals for home buyers, I suppose it is appropriate now to feature a book about the mortgage market meltdown. Edmund L. Andrews is an economics writer for […]
My Geeky Best of 2009
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Book Nut
This week’s geek is a reprise from last year: help the Weekly Geekers come up with a Top 10 for 2009. The basic guidelines:
This year, when you submit your novels, you must include the genre it is from as well. Last year, when I was trying to categorize […]
