mackerel currency, a daring escape, wild wild west movie, the giant pool of money, proposed bailout
Apparently mackerel has become a form of currency in United States prisons since the ban on cigarettes. (via marginalrevolution)
A bank robber in Monroe Washington used an ad for laborers on Craigslist to disguise his escape. He told them to show up for a job interview outside the bank wearing construction worker clothing, and he wore similar clothing, then escaped by floating in a tire inner tube down a river. (via bruce schneier)
I saw Wild Wild West on tv last night. I liked it. I appreciated the sheer pulpiness of it. My appreciation for pulpy things has grown after having created a pulp-style character for Spirit of the Century.
Also, I listened to the NPR podcast about The Giant Pool of Money, mentioned by flying_squirrel a while ago. It was great. At the beginning they have the sounds of the awards banquet for the investment-type of the year, and they were celebrating the one that has caused all of the problems! They said it was because they'd had a bad year and they needed the award ceremony to cheer them up. :) (Transcript here.)
An interesting question about the proposed bailout in the United States is what price the government will buy the mortgages for. If they buy them at a sufficiently discounted price, then the US taxpayer may come out ahead. They are buying assets. If for example, they buy them at a price assuming that 50% of the loans will default, but then only 25% of them default, then they will actually make money. If the government buys at a high price, then the taxpayers are being fleeced, but if the government buys at a low price, then it might result in less need for taxes in the future. And the banks like it, even at a low price, because they can take these mortgages off their books and get back to business more-or-less as usual.
A bank robber in Monroe Washington used an ad for laborers on Craigslist to disguise his escape. He told them to show up for a job interview outside the bank wearing construction worker clothing, and he wore similar clothing, then escaped by floating in a tire inner tube down a river. (via bruce schneier)
I saw Wild Wild West on tv last night. I liked it. I appreciated the sheer pulpiness of it. My appreciation for pulpy things has grown after having created a pulp-style character for Spirit of the Century.
Also, I listened to the NPR podcast about The Giant Pool of Money, mentioned by flying_squirrel a while ago. It was great. At the beginning they have the sounds of the awards banquet for the investment-type of the year, and they were celebrating the one that has caused all of the problems! They said it was because they'd had a bad year and they needed the award ceremony to cheer them up. :) (Transcript here.)
An interesting question about the proposed bailout in the United States is what price the government will buy the mortgages for. If they buy them at a sufficiently discounted price, then the US taxpayer may come out ahead. They are buying assets. If for example, they buy them at a price assuming that 50% of the loans will default, but then only 25% of them default, then they will actually make money. If the government buys at a high price, then the taxpayers are being fleeced, but if the government buys at a low price, then it might result in less need for taxes in the future. And the banks like it, even at a low price, because they can take these mortgages off their books and get back to business more-or-less as usual.