Assorted Links (8/30/2010)

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately:

How Dismal is the Fiscal Future For America and Europe? Becker – The Becker-Posner Blog

www.becker-posner-blog.com

Here’s Nobel Laureate Gary Becker’s views on the possibility of a (developed economies) debt crisis: “Posner lays out clearly many of the present and future solvency and default risks to the United States federal government. He bases some of the analysis on a valuable recent Morgan Stanley report with the provocative title “Ask Not Whether Governments Will Default, but How”.”

O’Grady: Kirchner’s Assault on the Press – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In the Wall Street Journal, Americas columnist Mary Anastasia O’Grady writes about the Argentine president’s campaign to silence the country’s two most influential daily newspapers.”

Mark Helprin: The World Trade Center Mosque and the Constitution – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In the Wall Street Journal, Mark Helprin of the Claremont Institute writes that proponents have a right to build the mosque, but no American can be forced to pour concrete or cross a picket line of grieving families.”

Robert Barro: The Folly of Subsidizing Unemployment – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In the Wall Street Journal, the economist Robert Barro of Harvard writes that his calculations suggest the jobless rate could be as low as 6.8%, instead of 9.5%, if the Obama administration hadn’t extended jobless benefits to 99 weeks.”

Paul Rubin: Ten Fallacies About Web Privacy – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In the Wall Street Journal, Paul Rubin of Emory University writes that we are not used to the Internet reality that something can be known and at the same time no person knows it.”

Life-Insurance Coverage Wanes for U.S. Households – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Nearly a third have no policies, a combination of the financial pressures on middle-income families and a reticence to purchase insurance due to the high cost of some policies and the hardball tactics used by some agents.”

ABREAST OF THE MARKET: The Decline of the P/E Ratio – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“As investors fixate on the global forces whipsawing the markets, one fundamental measure of stock-market value, the price-to-earnings ratio, is quietly shrinking, both in size and importance.”


Fermat’s Last Theorem

I highly recommend viewing the 45 minute documentary produced in 1996 about the process by which Andrew Wiles proved Fermat’s Last Theorem; Professor Wiles’ enthusiasm for his research and his persistance in pursuing this research achievement is inspiring:


Assorted Links (8/28/2010)

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately: The Emerging Markets’ Century — The American, A Magazine of Ideas www.american.com “Whereas public debt levels in many major industrialized countries will soon exceed 100 percent of GDP, those in the major emerging market economies generally range between 40 to 50 percent of GDP.”


Assorted Links (8/26/2010)

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately: Biden’s Prediction: Inside Information or Pure Bluster? – NYTimes.com freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com Stephen Dubner provides the latest from the prediction markets on the midterm elections – 75% likelihood of a Republican House, while the Dems will most likely retain Senate control (however, with a substantially diminished


Assorted Links (8/20/2010)

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately:    FASB’s Tort Bar Gift – WSJ.com online.wsj.com “The Wall Street Journal editorial board on the accounting group’s proposal to require companies disclose the potential costs of litigation.” Alex Epstein: Obama Follows Nixon on Oil Spill – WSJ.com online.wsj.com “In The Wall Street Journal,


Assorted Links (8/17/2010)

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately:    Bam’s lousy economic record: Let’s just look at the facts, shall we? www.nydailynews.com “On the campaign trail, President Obama is talking about everything except his own economic record. He attacks his predecessor – a man for whom I worked – as his advisers


What if office buildings had jet-style escape chutes?

Source: http://bit.ly/ajIiaz


Duke/CFO Business Outlook Survey

I received an email invitation today from CFO (Chief Financial Officer) Magazine to register for an upcoming webcast on the “Recent Findings from the Duke/CFO Magazine Global Outlook Survey” (see below).  According to the Duke/CFO Business Outlook Survey website located at http://www.cfosurvey.org/, the survey is conducted quarterly, and it “…polls CFOs of both public and


Assorted Links (8/12/2010)

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately:  U.S. Is Bankrupt and We Don’t Even Know It: Laurence Kotlikoff www.bloomberg.com Great read – hat tip to (my former student) Jason Gould: “Let’s get real. The U.S. is bankrupt. Neither spending more nor taxing less will help the country pay its bills.” Timothy


Assorted Links (8/10/2010)

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately: William McGurn: Are Americans Bigots? – WSJ.com online.wsj.com “In The Wall Street Journal, Main Street columnist William McGurn says elites have become far too ready to attack the motives of those who disagree with them.” Henry Olsen: Unemployment: What Would Reagan Do? – WSJ.com