July 2010
93 posts
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“Most Honda line workers are hired from local technical schools and their average...”
– Bloomberg
Honda workers in the developed world are 7-8 times more expensive. And if you extrapolate the inflation of equalizing those wages to the global economy, you’re just as jobless. We’ll be manufacturing in America any minute now, of course, ushering in a paradise of middle-class unskilled...
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June 2010
123 posts
cswolff-theblog asked: Picked up your thread from a design blogger about Ayn Rand (think that's how it's spelled). I have not read The Fountainhead yet, but last year I did read Anthem. Great book and I certainly recommend it. Have you read that one?
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THE ECONOMIST - "LONG TERM DEBT IS ALL ABOUT... →
A brief but substantial piece of analysis from The Economist about our long term debt scenario in light of new projections from the CBO that if we let the Bush tax cuts expire and keep congressional hands out of the budget, the long term projections for our debt notably decline. Yippeeeeee!…not so fast.
Take a look at these:
Now read this from the CBO’s blog (not a bad place to...
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The Financial Reform Bill: Still Awesome
squashed:
Unsolicited Analysis: This financial reform bill isn’t deck chairs on the Titanic. It’s the missing lifeboats.
Squashed: We’ve found the lifeboats—and we’re getting them back on the ship!
Unsolicited Analysis: More like we’re going to reach for them and nothing will be there.
Squashed:… which will come as a huge shock to you Wall Street types. “We’ve run this ship into another...
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RADDEST NEW ECON BLOG FIND - THE BASELINE...
The Baseline Scenario is the blog of economist Simon Johnson (MIT) and McKinsey-Harvard-Berkeley genius James Kwak. The content is tremendous, generally left-leaning but sensible and substantive. Below are a few links to some recent posts I’ve enjoyed. Hope you dig.
JNOMICS
Eugene Fama: “Too Big To Fail” Perverts Activities and Incentives
Dead On Arrival: Financial Reform Fails
Tim...
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FAMA COMMENTS ON TOO BIG TO FAIL →
Thought provoking.
JNOMICS
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“EFFICIENT MARKET HYPOTHESIS: The view that the prices of shares on the stock...”
– A thought. Over the last 10 years, the markets went up collectively over a specified period of time and then all fell in anticipation of the recession we’ve experienced over the last two years. Efficient market behavior.
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A KINDLY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED.... →
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Hell Explained →
thescrambler:
The following is an acutal question given on a University of Arizona chemistry midterm, and an actual answer turned in by a student.
The answer by this student was so ‘profound’ that the professor shared it with colleagues via the internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of…
Perfection.
JNOMICS
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“Interestingly, this era of inclusion was accompanied by a corresponding...”
– Another bit I had to share from the aforementioned editorial by Feldman. A tremendous piece of historical prose. I’m always thrilled to read what he has to say. If you haven’t read any of his stuff, here is his bibliography.
The Triumphant Decline of the Wasp
JNOMICS
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“Unlike almost every other dominant ethnic, racial or religious group in world...”
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NY Times Editorial: THE TRIUMPHANT DECLINE OF THE WASP
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“DAILY NOMICS: Chinese arguments amount to a boast that their model of...”
– The Economist (via unsolicitedanalysis)
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A Response to - daniel extra: Where's the... →
by Daniel WK Lee
When President Obama took office, progressives in the nation that had voted for him (myself included) thought that at last, habeas corpus and rule of law would once again be restored after 8 years of assault by the Bush regime. Obama even promised the restoration of order, which…
I’m sympathetic to the frustration and have felt similarly since President Obama came...
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“TEDTalks turns 4 today! http://bit.ly/aa2GoR Share your story: How did you...”
– tedtalks
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Dan's Comments: The Financial Regulation Bill ... →
jnomics:
…
That will put auto-dealers in … exactly the same spot they are now. It’s an omission. I wish they were federally regulated. They certainly should be. But that’s simply another good thing the bill could have done but won’t.
…
We’re going to differ on whether the system ever…
I don’t think the financial markets ever reach an equilibrium, but do think they...
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The Financial Regulation Bill ...
squashed:
… is absolutely fantastic. It is incredibly rare that we get a bill with the sort of substantive consumer protections that will actually limit the ability of large banks to gouge the poor. And it’s happening.
It’s a huge step toward a financial system that normal people can actually use.
I agree that it’s a success but I wouldn’t get too happy, too fast. What about...
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FINANCIAL REGULATION'S PASSING →
(click on The Bill txt above for a link to the bill itself)
With the striking of the midnight bell today, 6.25.10, financial reform was approved. I’m not quite sure where I stand; suppose that will have to wait for some longitudinal observations on how the Street and the markets respond. But a few things did jump out. Hopefully they’re worth sharing.
Thank god for the New...
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“WALRAS’ LAW: Given n markets, if n-1 markets are in equilibrium then the...”
– This is part of the General Equilibrium Thoery. Essentially, if we clear the credit market then the commodity market must clear (total supply = total demand). Time to get out of debt folks. The residual benefits are too great to pass on. Dig.
JNOMICS
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THE CITIZENS UNITED DECISION AND THE PROTECTION OF...
People For the American Way just released a report indicating broad support by U.S. citizens for more limited corporate influence in the affairs of our government and elections. The survey providing the report’s data was catalyzed by the Citizens United decision in which SCOTUS held (5-4 with the majority opinion written by Justice Kennedy and the dissent by Justice Stevens) that corporate...
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The Art of the Potentially Deadly Deal: Marketing... →
Sociology and Art collide in this intriguing exhibit opening at the White Box Gallery in NYC today. Dig,
JNOMICS
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I DIG JNOMICS (a recommendation would be much... →
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CREATIVE COMMONS | GLIMPSING A MORE ADAPTIVE...
Given a recent Harvard/University of Kansas study that shows file-sharing to be socially beneficial, coupled with the idea that too-strong-copyright has come to stymie creativity and innovation in the arts, business and the sciences, the license system/structure developed by the Creative Commons is more pertinent than ever. While many of us know of CC (in large part due to their partnership with...
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thunderbeast asked: I'm waiting to hear back from an MSc program in Economics at LSE (The program I wanted, MSc in Economics and Philosophy, closed too early), but I will be applying to Econ PhD programs in the fall. It would be an absolute revelation to work with Sen at Harvard. Thanks for asking : )
nosebluntslide-deactivated20100 asked: Thanks for the Weber suggestion. I have not really ever pursued him. I can see what you mean looking into his methodology, but I just haven't really followed it up. I think I was turned off the protestant ethic very young. What works of his would you recommend?
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The Kagan Family: Left-Leaning and Outspoken →
Perhaps the most telling and interesting piece I have yet to read about the woman who will hopefully be our 112th addition to SCOTUS. Lengthy for the Times but worth the read.
Jnomics
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John Updike’s Archive: A Great Writer at Work →
And once again I am enamored with the work, life and ideal of John Updike.
“The sensation chills and oppresses him, above and beyond the air-conditioning,” he had first typed. Retouching by pen, he tightened the phrasing and also inserted an inspired pun: “The sensation chills him, above and beyond the terminal air-conditioning.”
JNomics
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The Pledge of Bill, Melinda and Warren
As most anyone paying attention for the last few days has heard, Bill and Melinda Gates in partnership with Warren Buffet have announced “The Giving Pledge.” The idea is this:
Having watched the group’s interview on Charlie Rose, read what The Economist had to say and considered Warren Buffet’s Pledge Letter, I am profoundly inspired. There will be many criticisms...
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How The NY Times Hides Behind Copyright Law To... →
The actions of the NY Times are not new (I like to say tired and boring) and their approach is antiquated. This bit in particular bothers me: “We want our readers to respect intellectual property,” says Samson. “Intellectual property is arguably the biggest asset of this company. We value others’ IP rights, and we want their IP rights to be respected.” The question...
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