Regular News
Pictured: Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke addresses the Washington Bar Association on the current state of the economy.
Well, it's only going to go straight downhill from here, so let's start off with some good news.
Finally! Everybody talks the big talk when it comes to global warming, but these guys are actually doing something about it.
So at least we've got that pesky little problem out of the way.
Under the same heading of Fantasy Made Real, this headline cracks me up:
GM of Europe concerned Asian suppliers will take electric vehicle market by storm
Yeah, that's it.
By storm.
Words Of Warning Dept:
Learn how to spot compromised ATM machines
Billions of Reasons for Banks to Raise Your Checking Fees
How to steer clear of checking account fees on the horizon
That rascal Archimedes is back in the news:
Archimedes Set Roman Ships Afire with Cannons
Junkie linked to the following a few days ago, but I thought it deserved re-mention not because of its content, which was excellent, but its writing style.
Let's say your editor hands you a tough assignment. He wants you to write on one of the most crashingly boring subject in the Southwestern Galaxy, economics. And not just American economics, mind you, but foreign economics. And not some fun, hip place like Japan or China, mind you, but (discrete barf) European economics.
Here's how you do it:
In the private sector, countries like Spain saw huge real estate bubbles develop as home buyers rushed to take advantage of cheap mortgages — and developers enjoyed cheap financing as well.
Central banks are supposed to be the chaperons at parties like this, locking up the liquor cabinet when the guests start getting too happy, but the European Central Bank wasn’t paying attention. That wasn’t a mistake; it was on purpose. The ECB is supposed to think about the European economy as a whole, so it was watching economic conditions in the biggest economies like Germany and France. The ECB sat in the living room, watching Mom and Dad stay sober even while the kids were whooping it up in the basement. Mom and Dad were pretty well behaved so the bankers left the punch bowl alone — but things got a little out of hand down below and now the whole house is on fire.
A superb article and a very engaging style.
Bulldog Grip Dept:
Tenacity is such an endearing trait. The anti-Bisphenol-A (also known by many people as "plastic") nutcases are still hard at work, despite a mountain of evidence that's piled up in recent years discrediting their claims. (You could draw an exact parallel to the cellphone-brain-cancer stories that refuse to die.)
A good starting point on the current battle is Truth Or Scare, a Junk Science counterpart (and winner of this week's coveted 'Clever Blog Title' award), and there's an interview with an expert here.
While on the subject of moronitude:
10 Most Stupid Predictions and Statements in History
6 Laws That Were Great On Paper (And Insane Everywhere Else)
Political News
First Dog Opens Blog Site
