June 2009

You're late.    You're over-billed.   You're not in the system.    But it's okay because they "apologize for the inconvenience". I've heard those five words - "we apologize for the inconvenience" way too much lately and ill bet you have too. I'm not sure what's going on with customer service lately but its taken a steep drop down from an already precipitous decline the last few ... read more

After a very brave multi-year fight with brain cancer my good friend Jason Dowell passed away a few days ago. Many of you may remember I spoke with him from our hometown of Winchester, Virginia back in November and he was in remission and doing great.    Sadly, things took a turn for the worse near Christmas and it had been a fight for the last few months. You can read his families read more

It is one of the most widely quoted stats in the media today: '46 million in America are without health insurance.'   Is it true? Yes.   The latest numbers have just about 45.7 million people in America lacking health insurance. But there are some important details missing in this rather startling figure. An interesting article in American Spectator breaks down the health ... read more

Stories I'm reading this Tuesday: Let the recount in Iran begin In true form, Iran clamps down on foreign journalists What the market's moving averages tell us Are hedge funds making a comeback? How do you say "I've found a buyer" in Swedish? Who exactly is Koenigsegg Boeing really means it will deliver the 787 this time High altitude wind machines could ... read more

Stories I'm reading this Monday: The President compares America to GM (9th paragraph) with regards to health care Why the "46 million uninsured" line the White House throws around isn't true 8,000 California employees making more than $100,000 per year Fox learns the President may "trade" fewer lawsuits for health care reform support What's another $283 billion among amis? The ... read more

Stories I'm reading this Friday: Shocking debt-to-GDP historical graphs Watch oil if the hard liners win again in Iran Why the recession may not end as soon as many think Getting tougher on tobacco Dell  is making money on Twitter Buyer for the Boston Globe? Brookings on a North Korea collapse scenario "Thanks for not running" Why a Burger ... read more

Oh!  What a tangled web we weave ... Here are some of what I believe to be the key points in the series of emails going back and forth among Fed officials regarding the Bank of America / Merrill Lynch deal. Though the emails are incomplete and a bit confusing, I have put them in chronological order to better detail the progression of events. While a bit convoluted, the bits selected and ... read more

Stories I'm reading this Thursday: California nearing financial meltdown But is California too big to fail? Retail sales actually rose a bit last month People who bought homes in the last 5 years not only overpaid but now also will miss out on what could be a $15,000 tax credit But will it even matter with higher interest rates? Laffer says get ready for even ... read more

Steven Strasburg's retirement is set before he throws his first big league pitch. Yesterday the lowly Washington Nationals selected San Diego State pitcher Steven Strasburg with the first pick in the baseball draft. There is no doubt to Strasburg's talent.   The kid has got a gun of an arm.   But you have to wonder about the wisdom of the pick on a ... read more

Try starting your work day like this (looks like he did it on purpose, doesn't it?) Courtesy: Failblog Stories I'm reading this Wednesday: On again, off again Chrysler / Fiat deal is on again Michigan workers try to reinvent themselves Stocks set to rise on positive economic data out of China Home Depot also helps the market by raising its ... read more