and as they went on, they admitted that in this case, discussing banking and political entanglement, it is indeed a good thing.
Nothing Happening in Canada
I don’t need much of an excuse to post an econtalk podcast, and in this case it touches on a subject of much interest: how Xty is right that it is good when little occurs. But it also touches on a crucial subject when it comes to understanding the perversion that is our current political and economic system: how banks need politicians and politicians need banks, creating a nexus of strange bedfellows, with Acorn testifying on behalf of Nationsbank when they wanted to acquire Bank of America, creating the largest bank in the United States, to spoil a great example.
Starting with an interesting historical account of banking crises and politics in the States, and then moving on to the boring northern snoozefest that is Canada, they spurred me to share, as the inimitable Russ Roberts saves us from reading yet another book that we really might benefit from:
Calomiris and Haber on Fragile by Design
Charles Calomiris and Stephen Haber
Hosted by Russ Roberts
Charles Calomiris of Columbia University and Stephen Haber of Stanford University, co-authors of Fragile by Design: The Political Origins of Banking Crises and Scarce Credit, talk with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about their book. The conversation focuses on how politics and economics interact to give some countries such as Canada a remarkably stable financial system while others such as the United States have a much less stable system. The two authors discuss the political forces that explain the persistence of seemingly bad financial regulation. The conversation includes a discussion of the financial crisis of 2008.
Enjoy your day, unless you have made other plans!
Russia-Norway starts in a few minutes. Loser goes home. Norway could do everyone else a favor, but the chances are slim and none.
I saw an interview the other day with some Russians, and they were talking about how important men’s hockey gold was to the nation. The guys said “If they win the gold, then no other sport matters. If they lose, then no other sport matters.”
No pressure.
How do you say Go Norway Go in Norwegian?
I believe our girls are going to play your girls in the girls’ finals. Thought Mrs. O would like to know!
Bringing forward EO’s morning link:
1% Jokes and Plutocrats in Drag: What I Saw When I Crashed a Wall Street Secret Society
Amazingly, 0-0 at the break, and shots pretty even as well.
Norge playing tough defense (Thank You, Thor!), while the Russkies are trying to be too pretty. They don’t seem to know how to just dump and chase and muck it up in the corners. This is getting very interesting!
Here is a page with live comments if you can’t get it on the tube.
Just pretend it says icon-icon, okay? Best I could do on short notice.
i like your song today Xty. here’s the lyrics so you can “catch their drift”.
http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/93227
Wide Mouth Mason “Change”
Change
Change
Did you bring anything that you made yourself?
Did it all come from somebody else?
Are you there, anywhere
On the ground, in a chair
Asking flesh and blood for help
Change, but be yourself now
Change, but be yourself now
Do you go what you know and feel just fine?
Or do you try, on the fly, to be fresh?
A bed of nails, a night in jail
That’s the hard way to learn
Doing what you’re told makes no sense
Change, aw yeah, but be yourself now
Change, aw yeah, but be yourself now
Change, aw yeah, but be yourself now
Change, aw yeah, but be your be yourself now
Change, aw yeah, but be yourself now
Change, yeah, but be yourself now
Change, but be yourself now
Change, but be yourself now
Woo hoo
Woo hoo
But tomorrow dive deeper with me
Share them things and well go far indeed
We could slow down, holding, under
Try everything that ever made you wonder
How to change, but be yourself now
Change, but be yourself now
Change, but be yourself now
Change
Chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaange
Change, aw yeah, but be yourself now
Change, aw yeah, but be yourself now
Change, aw yeah, but be yourself now
Change, aw yeah, but be yourself now
Change
Change
(repeat)
First! (to read Xty’s entire post)
still digesting, but i’ll say this… the story i’ve been told is politically charged and overly simplified. in fact the average American would not understand the interview at all. when you are told what to think your whole life, you forget how to think. but i’ll stop there for now since so many people already want to kill me. 🙂
thanks Xty. i hope you can start a trend that catches south of the border. (thinking)
let them eat concrete. 🙂
So here’s a valid question. EO, for all the downplaying and poo-pooing of metals you do lately, why do you also seem to still read about it a lot?
Simple and utilitarian answer. Even though I don’t believe the “magic show” aspects of precious metals anymore, physical metal remains about 20% of my assets at this time. Physical metal is slow to unwind. It’s not a click-click proposition. In other words, I still have A LOT of eggs still in that basket, and so I naturally WATCH THAT BASKET!
Gold articles catch my eye, though I mostly skim, and ridicule. I watch the charts obsessively though.
do not be controlled by fear and hate. if i may say it more bluntly, take your “doom and gloom” and cram it up your ass! 😛 😛 😛
this flash mob took place in Moscow in 2012. Irving Berlin, a Russian born American Jew wrote this song, “Puttin’ on the Ritz”, 83 years ago…
the outcome is most often gray, but choosing between good and bad is always
the weather doesn’t suck here today! yeah, yeah… i know that sounds only half assed positive, but i don’t want to jinx it. 🙂
By some sort of miracle, as in good luck and the application of money, my Nana is going into a home right near by, that specializes in alzheimer’s and dementia and convalenscent care. Today. It looks really nice and I had looked at it on the web before – and suddenly it was just exactly what was needed and they had one room available. They had exchanged medical papers and prescriptions before I had even appeared on the scene. Sudden awesome efficiency. Back to a blend of public and private care, but it looks like a more appropriate venue for my aging p.
Whew. And other than telling the social workers yesterday to leave me alone, which they finally did, I was pretty darn nice. Back to the hospital now, to get mum moved, and into a pretty sweet suite – it is a refurbished hotel, so like a nice holiday inn, with a full medical staff and guests who are interesting, and very wrinkled.
way to go Xty! when ever you get the chance,
man hat sich immer wollte hoch zu sein.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alps
That’s great news, xty! Hopefully a load off your shoulders soon then.
despite being a libertarian socialist i do see the need for at least some light handed regulation of weed.
Um, I really hesitate to mention this DP, but have you seen the forecast for next week? 😯
This is just plain cruel now.
i am in total denial.
here we go…
Balls