Category Archives: Art, Music, and Culture

Lenny Bruce quote affirming free enterprise

I love this Lenny Bruce quote:

“Capitalism is the best. It’s free enterprise. Barter. Gimbels, if I get really rank with the clerk, ‘Well I don’t like this’, how I can resolve it? If it really gets ridiculous, I go, ‘Frig it, man, I walk.’ What can this guy do at Gimbels, even if he was the president of Gimbels? He can always reject me from that store, but I can always go to Macy’s. He can’t really hurt me. Communism is like one big phone company. Government control, man. And if I get too rank with that phone company, where can I go? I’ll end up like a schmuck with a dixie cup on a thread.”

Assorted Links (6/14/2010)

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

Stephen A. Blumenthal: It’s Time to Nationalize Fannie and Freddie – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Stephen A. Blumenthal writes that any solution that allows private companies to have a special relationship to government is destined to fail.”

Think Smarter About Risk – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Moshe A. Milevsky says in The Wall Street Journal that when gauging risk, too many investors don’t consider the most important asset: their human capital.”

Opening weekend – 2010 World Cup – The Big Picture – Boston.com

boston.com

“The 2010 FIFA World Cup opened last Friday in South Africa, after years of preparation, with an Opening Ceremony at Soccer City Stadium – the first matches taking place over the weekend.”

Foreign Tax Bill Likely, But ‘A Bad Idea,’ Validus CEO Says

highlinedata.com

“NEW YORK-Proposed legislation denying tax deductions for reinsurance premiums paid to offshore affiliates will likely pass through Congress, a Bermuda executive predicted here yesterday, but he criticized the measure as a restriction of free trade.”

The Dark Side of Stimulus

“‘Regulating Wall Street’ Co-Editor and NYU economics professor Thomas Cooley breaks down the pros and cons of stimulus spending…”

Gerald O’Driscoll: The Gulf Spill, the Financial Crisis and the Failure of Big Government – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Gerald P. O’Driscoll notes that Republicans and Democrats fail to see the limits of centralized regulation in a modern market economy.”

Dynamic Dr. Krugman|KeithHennessey.com

KeithHennessey.com

“In his column today Dr. Paul Krugman argues that the deficit impact of a large ($1 trillion) stimulus would be mitigated by the effects of higher GDP growth.”

Women Prefer Men Holding State Bonds, Japan Ad Says (Update1) – Bloomberg.co.jp

Bloomberg.co.jp

“June 9 (Bloomberg) — Japanese women are seeking men who invest in government bonds, according to an advertisement being run by the Ministry of Finance.”

The Road to Price Controls — The American, A Magazine of Ideas

www.american.com

“Conventional wisdom is that U.S. pharmaceutical companies made out well under the Obama health plan by bargaining with the White House. That wisdom is wrong.”

Just How Risky Are Nuclear Industry, NASA Missions? – The Numbers Guy – WSJ

online.wsj.com

“Scientists in some risky pursuits attempt to quantify risks, which helps identify trouble spots. That might be in the future of the deep-sea oil-drilling business.”

Scenes from the Gulf of Mexico – The Big Picture – Boston.com

boston.com

“Based on recently revised estimates, BP’s ruptured oil well at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico continues to leak 25,000 to 30,000 barrels of oil a day. The new figures suggest that an amount of oil equivalent to the Exxon Valdez disaster could still be flowing into the Gulf of Mexico every 8 to 10 days.”

Lawrence M. Krauss: Science and the Gulf Spill – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, scientist Lawrence M. Krauss says that TV has fueled unrealistic expectations of a quick fix to the oil spill.”

Fouad Ajami: Iran and the ‘Freedom Recession’ – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Fouad Ajami writes in The Wall Street Journal about the anniversary of the Iranian crackdown on pro-democracy protests that Facebook had no answer to the pro-regime vigilantes who ruled the streets. And the U.S. president, who might have helped, stood aside.”

Andy Kessler: The iPhone, Net Neutrality and the FCC – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Andy Kessler writes in The Wall Street Journal that the FCC should make it easier for more companies to enter wireless data and cable broadband markets.”

Peggy Noonan: ‘We Are Totally Unprepared’ – WSJ.com

online.wsj.com

“Peggy Noonan writes in The Wall Street Journal that nine years after 9/11, there is a chilling complacency about WMD attacks.”

Charles Krauthammer – The myth of Iran’s ‘isolation’

washingtonpost.com

“Obama’s strategy against Tehran hasn’t worked.”

Don’t Believe the Double-Dippers

online.wsj.com

“Alan Reynolds writes in The Wall Street Journal that while liberals issue dire warnings to argue for more stimulus spending, Republicans embrace gloom as evidence stimulus hasn’t worked. Truth is the economy isn’t that bad.”

Obama Meets Toto

online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Dan Henninger writes that with the Gulf oil spill, faith in the omnipotence of government has put us in the land of Oz.”

Europe’s Determination to Decline

www.project-syndicate.org

“At a time when their economies are sputtering, European leaders have embraced the bizarre idea of further reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions. There is a strong correlation between carbon emissions and GDP growth, so, in the absence of alternatives to fossil fuels, Europeans are, in effect, calling for an even deeper recession.”

Assorted Links (5/29/2010)

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately: 
 
Charles Krauthammer – A disaster with many fathers
“Obama is as responsible for the Gulf as Bush was for New Orleans.”
 
Academics on What Caused the Financial Crisis – Real Time Economics – WSJ
“The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission on Friday and Saturday heard several academic economists’ take on what led to a near-meltdown of the global economy.”
 
Static In Search for Cellphone-Tumor Link – The Numbers Guy – WSJ
“Why a long-term study couldn’t reach conclusive results.”
 
Mark Helprin: On Memorial Day – WSJ.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Mark Helprin writes about what we owe to the fallen, and to those now serving.”

 
Calling a State Sponsor a State Sponsor

“A growing body of evidence points to Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez’s singular role in supporting terrorism and related criminality.”

 
“Waves & Beyond and The Gift by Jan Florence Garven: Jan Florence Garven is an artist who specializes in mixed media. She combines paper, metal, wax, textiles and found objects to convey conceptual images.”
 
Lighter than air – The Big Picture – Boston.com
“Fill a lightweight material with hot air, helium or hydrogen, and you have a vessel that floats in the air. People around the world use balloons, blimps and airships for transportation, to conduct research, to deliver messages, to protest, and – mostly – for having fun.”
 
Peggy Noonan: He Was Supposed to Be Competent – WSJ.com
“The spill is a disaster for the president and his political philosophy, Peggy Noonan argues in The Wall Street Journal.”
 
Obama’s Blowout Preventer – WSJ.com
“The Wall Street Journal that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar had a reform plan to prevent blowouts like the one at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.”
 
“Governments were the solution to the economic crisis. Now they are the problem.”
 
“After a yearlong effort to get it right, the U.S. Senate passed a financial overhaul bill last week that actually weakens the government’s ability to manage the next financial crisis. The House version passed last December is better, but not much.”

Assorted Links (5/29/2010)

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately: 
 
Charles Krauthammer – A disaster with many fathers
“Obama is as responsible for the Gulf as Bush was for New Orleans.”
 
Academics on What Caused the Financial Crisis – Real Time Economics – WSJ
“The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission on Friday and Saturday heard several academic economists’ take on what led to a near-meltdown of the global economy.”
 
Static In Search for Cellphone-Tumor Link – The Numbers Guy – WSJ
“Why a long-term study couldn’t reach conclusive results.”
 
Mark Helprin: On Memorial Day – WSJ.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Mark Helprin writes about what we owe to the fallen, and to those now serving.”

 
Calling a State Sponsor a State Sponsor

“A growing body of evidence points to Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez’s singular role in supporting terrorism and related criminality.”

 
“Waves & Beyond and The Gift by Jan Florence Garven: Jan Florence Garven is an artist who specializes in mixed media. She combines paper, metal, wax, textiles and found objects to convey conceptual images.”
 
Lighter than air – The Big Picture – Boston.com
“Fill a lightweight material with hot air, helium or hydrogen, and you have a vessel that floats in the air. People around the world use balloons, blimps and airships for transportation, to conduct research, to deliver messages, to protest, and – mostly – for having fun.”
 
Peggy Noonan: He Was Supposed to Be Competent – WSJ.com
“The spill is a disaster for the president and his political philosophy, Peggy Noonan argues in The Wall Street Journal.”
 
Obama’s Blowout Preventer – WSJ.com
“The Wall Street Journal that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar had a reform plan to prevent blowouts like the one at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.”
 
“Governments were the solution to the economic crisis. Now they are the problem.”
 
“After a yearlong effort to get it right, the U.S. Senate passed a financial overhaul bill last week that actually weakens the government’s ability to manage the next financial crisis. The House version passed last December is better, but not much.”

Assorted Links (4/8/2010)

Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately (organized by topic):

Economics and Public Policy

  • Leslie Hook and Joseph Sternberg: Confessions of Two Unpaid Interns – WSJ.com

Source: online.wsj.com

“In The Wall Street Journal, Leslie Hook and Joseph Sternberg say that the Obama administration’s latest crusade, to prevent the use of unpaid interns, is a mistake that will harm opportunities for young men and women looking for a leg up in the work force.”

  • Daniel Henninger: Joblessness: The Kids Are Not Alright – WSJ.com

Source: online.wsj.com


“In The Wall Street Journal, Dan Henninger asks if Obama’s economic policies have sent the U.S. toward European levels of youth unemployment.”

Source: caseymulligan.blogspot.com


“Labor unions are among President Obama’s political allies, and were actors in the story of the demise of General Motors. But I do not yet see much evidence that their influence on private-sector outcomes has become more significant.”

Economics and Culture

  • ‘Extreme Makeover’ Show Downsizes Its McMansions – WSJ.com

Source: online.wsj.com

“While it’s unclear just how many Extreme Makeover families have run into financial difficulty, the show’s producers say they are aware of the problem and are making a change appropriate to current economic reality: downsizing.”

  • Extreme Home Foreclosure Trouble – WSJ.com

Source: online.wsj.com


“Some recipients of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition homes end up in trouble once the cameras leave town. Here are five family’s tales.”

Source: www.reuters.com


FORT WASHINGTON, Md (Reuters) – By the time thousands of parishioners stream into the 3,000-seat Ebenezer AME Church on Easter Sunday, church leaders hope to have something else to celebrate: financial revival.

Financial Crisis

Source: jeffreymiron.com

“Lewis’s main message is that Wall Street engaged in reckless and dishonest behavior by leveraging and mispresenting unimaginable amounts of risky, subprime debt.”

Source: www.theatlantic.com

“The Government Accountability Office has a report out today on the unfunded liabilities of the GM and Chrysler pensions.”

 

Health Care Reform

  • Will the Individual Mandate Hold up in Court? — The American, A Magazine of Ideas

Source: www.american.com


“The healthcare insurance mandate is unconstitutional. But don’t expect the Supreme Court to rule it so.”

John Coltrane Quartet – Afro Blue

Last night, my two sons (Chad and Erik) and I took in a performance by a wonderful trumpet player named Ephraim Owens. One of the tunes he covered was “Afro Blue”, by John Coltrane. Thanks to YouTube, a substantial archive of live Coltrane performances, including Afro Blue, are now available for everyone to enjoy. Here’s Coltrane’s performance of Afro Blue, with McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums!