“Houston, Washington, We Have a Problem . . .” “If you are 20 or 30 you probably see capitalism in terms of two dramatic themes. The first was the crash of ’08, in which heedless, irresponsible operators in business and government kited the system and scrammed. The second is income inequality. Why are some people...Read More
Cheap(er) Copper = Less Expensive New Homes? “U.S. Housing Starts Fall 11% in October.” —headline, WSJ (11/18/2015) According to today’s Wall Street Journal, copper prices just fell to fresh six-year lows (about $2/lb.), in part due to softness in new home construction. Which begs the reciprocal question: will falling copper prices reduce the cost of new...Read More
Maybe the Devil Made Him Do It How do you demonize someone with a photo? The one above, of Towers Watson CEO John Haley, does a pretty good job. The accompanying story in the Wall Street Journal discusses Haley’s (very) well-timed sale of company shares, prior to the announcement of a merger. “Hook ’em Horns?”...Read More
WSJ Headline: “Big Soda Fights Image as Public Health Enemy” Yup, apparently “Big Soda” is a real term. According to Wikipedia: “Big soda is a term used by the media and various activist groups to describe the soft drink industry as a collective entity. The term connotes the business and lobbying power of soft drink companies, much like...Read More
“You Know What They Meant” Dept. If a person (presumably a woman) can be well-accessorized, can a new condo building — in this case, a 34-story Denver tower called “The Confluence” — be well-amenitized? At least according to the builder, yes: “We’re looking for people who want to live in a highly amenitized building with tremendous views, close to...Read More
Downsides: Traffic, Peer Pressure “Many residents say they glory in the excitement and attention. Some moved here to get in on the tradition. But life in a winter wonderland brings more than glad tidings for the neighbors, who must deal with high public expectations, traffic jams, a parking shortage, litter and nosy visitors.” –“It Can...Read More
