“What Would TR Do?” “It’s too soon to tell.” –Mao Tse Tung’s response, when asked (in 1947) about the consequences of the French Revolution. Just as perspective is needed to appreciate signal historical events, so, too, is distance required to assess great individuals. More than a century after Teddy Roosevelt successfully challenged the monopolists and concentrated financial...Read More
New Old Year’s Resolutions My cheeky 9 year-old, who’s been on a sugar binge basically since Halloween, has promised to swear off sweets “for the rest of the year.” Starting at 10 p.m. tomorrow night. Nice one, Gabriel . . .Read More
“You Know What They Meant” Dept. ‘Truely (sic) a diamond in the rough. A little neglect here will save your buyer thousands. A must see. Great location.” –“Agent remarks,” MLS. Presumably, the listing agent is referring to neglect on the Seller’s part, not suggesting that the Buyer neglect their new home. I suppose the obvious follow-up...Read More
Juxtaposing U.S., Chinese Justice Systems According to a Chinese government report released today, “primary leadership responsibility for the bullet-train collision rests with top Railway Ministry officials.” The report noted that 54 government, ministry and industry officials face disciplinary action, including possible criminal charges. —China Blasts High-Speed Rail System; The Wall Street Journal (12/29/2011). Former MF Global CEO Jon Corzine says...Read More
Boycotts, Social Media & Goldman Sachs [Editor’s Note: if TV networks play re-runs during traditionally slow times of the year . . . bloggers can recycle old posts. The following, which originally appeared November 13, 2009 (!), is one of my favorites. “Your Money’s No Good” is also the title of the second book I...Read More
Average Payment per Countrywide Victim: $1,595 “When you strike at a king, you must kill him.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson Surveying the latest paltry big bank settlement for predatory lending practices that helped pump up the housing market — before causing it to collapse — it seems obvious that Emerson’s famous line about killing kings has a...Read More
