Author Archive

Here is the follow up to Climate Change: The Scientific Debate: 4. Climate Change — Gore vs. Durkin This video, the fourth in my Climate Change series, looks at urban myths spawned by two iconic films — An Inconvenient Truth and The Great Global Warming Swindle. Whatever you “believe” about climate change, there is no...
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Quite fascinating: “Over the past couple years, millions of Americans have reneged on their debts — because they lost their jobs, because they took on more than they could handle, or both. For many, those defaults have brought immediate financial relief, leaving more cash to spend on other things. Now, though, they’ll also have to...
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I had an interesting discussion with a music buddy about some of the least popular, best discs of the past few decades. The challenge: Name 5 outstanding Rock and Roll albums that 90% of the music buying/downloading public are unfamiliar with. 3 rules: 1. Rock and Roll (including Pop)!  No jazz, classical or world music 2. Obscure: Not...
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Nice interactive graphic from the FT on reforming the financial system >The financial centers covered in the graphic are: US, European Union, UK, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan.
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Goldman Sachs addresses the systematic problem within its culture by announcing a zero-tolerance policy for profanity in employee e-mails.The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
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I honestly have no idea what this means, but jeez, how is this for some cliff diving: >Chart via St. Louis Fed > This is what the BOG reports on the G.19. The footnotes on g.19 state the following: -Outstanding balances of pools upon which securities have been issued; these balances are no longer carried on the balance...
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Over the past few years, I have increasingly taken to referring us humans as “Slightly smarter, pants wearing primates.” (here, here and here). When I discussed it in an Forbes interview (Ritholtz’s Monkey Theory)  it generated a ton of email: What is the greatest financial lesson you’ve ever learned? You’re a monkey. It all comes down...
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Laurie Santos looks for the roots of human irrationality by watching the way our primate relatives make decisions. A clever series of experiments in “monkeynomics” shows that some of the silly choices we make, monkeys make too. >Laurie Santos studies primate psychology and monkeynomics — testing problems in...
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White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel characterized the relationship between the administration and the business community as “misunderstood”. In an interview with WSJ Executive Washington Editor Jerry Seib, Mr. Emanuel also defended Pres...
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Hank Paulson, the criminally inept Treasury Secretary who shoveled trillions of taxpayer dollars to insolvent banks, facilitated the grand theft of some near $20 billion dollars from AIG by Goldman Sachs (where he was previously CEO), is attempting to change the narrative of the credit crisis and collapse. In today’s Washington Post piece, Paulson ignores...
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