Monday, July 13, 2009

The Bank That Sued Itself.



That would be Wells Fargo. In-house legal counsel was apparently not up to the challenge, so two law firms were hired. One to sue Wells Fargo and one to represent Wells Fargo. (via Clusterstock)

I Don't Think The Worst Is Over....



Larry Summers on the economy, the Obama presidency, and Larry Summers. Worth your time.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Gillian Tett on the US Housing Market.



Always well written. Alway worth reading.

Peggy Noonan on Palin.



The last few paragraphs of her column today are worth quoting entirely:

Here's why all this matters. The world is a dangerous place. It has never been more so, or more complicated, more straining of the reasoning powers of those with actual genius and true judgment. This is a time for conservative leaders who know how to think.

Here are a few examples of what we may face in the next 10 years: a profound and prolonged American crash, with the admission of bankruptcy and the spread of deep social unrest; one or more American cities getting hit with weapons of mass destruction from an unknown source; faint glimmers of actual secessionist movements as Americans for various reasons and in various areas decide the burdens and assumptions of the federal government are no longer attractive or legitimate.

The era we face, that is soon upon us, will require a great deal from our leaders. They had better be sturdy. They will have to be gifted. There will be many who cannot, and should not, make the cut. Now is the time to look for those who can. And so the Republican party should get serious, as serious as the age, because that is what a grown-up, responsible party—a party that deserves to lead—would do.

It's not a time to be frivolous, or to feel the temptation of resentment, or the temptation of thinking next year will be more or less like last year, and the assumptions of our childhoods will more or less reign in our future. It won't be that way.

We are going to need the best.

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Peak Gas?



Not happening. Important story, all you Ellisblogging energy traders!

Godzilla and Goliath


AKA: Amazon and Google in the e-book space. Guess who's margins are going to get squeezed? Hint: Not Godzilla's, not Goliath's.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Petabytes Are Huge.


Via Mozy, a nifty primer on what "petabyte" really means.

The X Factor is the Department of Justice.



Excellent Blodgett round-up of Google's decision to launch an OS (operating system) product, initially targeted at the low end of the market (net-books). I disagree with his view that Microsoft should drop search and focus on protecting its crown jewel (the Windows OS). But that's a quibble. Read the whole thing.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

A Happy Column.


And quite touching. Arianna Huffington on a family vacation with her ex-husband and two daughters.

Monday, July 06, 2009

Palin.


Good piece here on Governor Sarah Palin's resignation. She wasn't ready for The Show and it showed. But someone like her will emerge.