jerseyhoya wrote:I'm having more fun than I should following the RNC election on twitter

the candidate slate suggests this is a tallest dwarf runoff

Steele bowing out. Nice speech actually.

TenuredVulture wrote:Wiz, I was thinking about somehow getting into the distressed european debt market, perhaps hedging by shorting the euro (using etf) but Mohamed El-Arian on CNBC said there might be haircuts involved in European debt. So I care. Has anyone started using the phrase Eurojunk to describe this debt?

The day you start looking to a stay at home, father of two who freelances in his spare time as a sound source of economic analysis is the day your kid's hopes and dreams of third level education disappear in a puff of smoke.

But seriously, CNBC are only now getting round to mentioning haircuts? you read the economist, you should know this. Merkel and the IMF rattling sabres about this shit is what drove the interest rates on irish government bonds through the roof back in november and december. It is very old news.

You really shouldn't care about Ireland. Ireland's political escapades in the next 6-12 months will have little impact on the Euro. the economy is fucked, there is no money, and although the black hole that is the irish banking sector shows no signs of yielding the secret of its limit to the world, or indeed to the shareholders. The IMF/European Central Bank (ECB) deal is in place, and it's up to Ireland to hit its targets from here on out to keep funneling the funds through to the banking sector. Sure, it's a drain on ECB coffers, and yes, the lack of talk of restructuring is foolish in the extreme, but it's a steady outflow, a known unknown, and I doubt that it's going to cause the euro major problems. Spain and Italy had solid bond sales today, so the pressure is off for now from the markets, although the ECB is threatening interest rate rises because, like everyone else, they're feeling cost push inflation threatening because the price of oil is back up.

Seriously, if you're dabbling in that, just go and read up on each country. It's not hard. The likes of El Pais, Der Spiegel, La Monde Diplomatiqe all have english language sites. Go check through the business sections. Go read the IMF quarterly reports, and trawl through the ECB website. There's a shit load of free information out there on which to base sensible decisions. And unlike me, your job affords you the time to do some solid research.

Barry Jive wrote:I care, Wiz. Even though most of my relatives over there are up north.

Well, that's alright then, they'll be untouched by all this bollix because they're safe in the embracing arms of the United Kingdom. Last I heard, the Northern Irish Assembly was pleased with their payout from the UK government this year - it wasn't cut as much as they were expecting. All their political ructions have been about peter robinson's vaguely dodgy real estate dealings and his missus' having her end away with a seventeen year old, and the unionists no longer holding a political majority. It's practically sunshine and light in the six counties. Relatively speaking.

Wizlah wrote:

TenuredVulture wrote:Wiz, I was thinking about somehow getting into the distressed european debt market, perhaps hedging by shorting the euro (using etf) but Mohamed El-Arian on CNBC said there might be haircuts involved in European debt. So I care. Has anyone started using the phrase Eurojunk to describe this debt?

The day you start looking to a stay at home, father of two who freelances in his spare time as a sound source of economic analysis is the day your kid's hopes and dreams of third level education disappear in a puff of smoke.

But seriously, CNBC are only now getting round to mentioning haircuts? you read the economist, you should know this. Merkel and the IMF rattling sabres about this $#@! is what drove the interest rates on irish government bonds through the roof back in november and december. It is very old news.

You really shouldn't care about Ireland. Ireland's political escapades in the next 6-12 months will have little impact on the Euro. the economy is #$&!, there is no money, and although the black hole that is the irish banking sector shows no signs of yielding the secret of its limit to the world, or indeed to the shareholders. The IMF/European Central Bank (ECB) deal is in place, and it's up to Ireland to hit its targets from here on out to keep funneling the funds through to the banking sector. Sure, it's a drain on ECB coffers, and yes, the lack of talk of restructuring is foolish in the extreme, but it's a steady outflow, a known unknown, and I doubt that it's going to cause the euro major problems. Spain and Italy had solid bond sales today, so the pressure is off for now from the markets, although the ECB is threatening interest rate rises because, like everyone else, they're feeling cost push inflation threatening because the price of oil is back up.

Seriously, if you're dabbling in that, just go and read up on each country. It's not hard. The likes of El Pais, Der Spiegel, La Monde Diplomatiqe all have english language sites. Go check through the business sections. Go read the IMF quarterly reports, and trawl through the ECB website. There's a $#@! load of free information out there on which to base sensible decisions. And unlike me, your job affords you the time to do some solid research.

I was joking. Poorly, I suppose. I really don't have the temperament to do this kind of thing with actual money.

From Salon.com's liveblog of the RNC Chair election:

4:00 Steele left, Snagglepuss-style, after saying "exit, stage right." Then he went stage left.

Yeah someone said that on Twitter too. He went to his right but the people watching from the audience/on TV's left. A lot of media commentators are not so good at distinguishing from their left and right apparently.

The guy from Wisconsin ended up winning. Hopefully he raises a lot of money.

UH OH A RINO'S IN CHARGE

Go Pat Quinn Go

Don't you hate little kids working in sweatshops? I know I do. It sucks. Good thing we banned it, and did it in one fell swoop at a federal level. Well, the new Senator from Utah Mike Lee disagrees and wishes it was all done in the perfect way that would've been 100% constitutionally approved (despite the supreme court, congress and executive all being happy with how it was done):

Congress decided it wanted to prohibit [child labor], so it passed a law--no more child labor. The Supreme Court heard a challenge to that and the Supreme Court decided a case in 1918 called Hammer v. Dagenhardt. In that case, the Supreme Court acknowledged something very interesting -- that, as reprehensible as child labor is, and as much as it ought to be abandoned -- that's something that has to be done by state legislators, not by Members of Congress. [...]
This may sound harsh, but it was designed to be that way. It was designed to be a little bit harsh. Not because we like harshness for the sake of harshness, but because we like a clean division of power, so that everybody understands whose job it is to regulate what.
Now, we got rid of child labor, notwithstanding this case. So the entire world did not implode as a result of that ruling.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrkZKgol0Wc[/youtube]

No wonder Bob Bennett was considered too liberal. His political theory wasn't up to snuff.

Anyone been following what's happened in Tunisia? I mean I knew it was not a 'free' country and it was kind of being led by a despot...but I didn't know it was on edge so much. He resigned and fled the country and hte president of parliament has 2 months to have a new election.

the big deals were unemployment and oppression

wowzers

pacino wrote:Don't you hate little kids working in sweatshops? I know I do. It sucks. Good thing we banned it, and did it in one fell swoop at a federal level. Well, the new Senator from Utah Mike Lee disagrees and wishes it was all done in the perfect way that would've been 100% constitutionally approved (despite the supreme court, congress and executive all being happy with how it was done):

Congress decided it wanted to prohibit [child labor], so it passed a law--no more child labor. The Supreme Court heard a challenge to that and the Supreme Court decided a case in 1918 called Hammer v. Dagenhardt. In that case, the Supreme Court acknowledged something very interesting -- that, as reprehensible as child labor is, and as much as it ought to be abandoned -- that's something that has to be done by state legislators, not by Members of Congress. [...]
This may sound harsh, but it was designed to be that way. It was designed to be a little bit harsh. Not because we like harshness for the sake of harshness, but because we like a clean division of power, so that everybody understands whose job it is to regulate what.
Now, we got rid of child labor, notwithstanding this case. So the entire world did not implode as a result of that ruling.

No wonder Bob Bennett was considered too liberal. His political theory wasn't up to snuff.

Mike Lee is the Ed Wood of congresspersons

apparently his "law library" doesn't have tomes published after WWI. He should look into US v Darby Lumber

pacino wrote:Anyone been following what's happened in Tunisia? I mean I knew it was not a 'free' country and it was kind of being led by a despot...but I didn't know it was on edge so much. He resigned and fled the country and hte president of parliament has 2 months to have a new election.

the big deals were unemployment and oppression

wowzers

I understand s some are claiming wikileaks revelations about the (ex?) ruling family's shenanigans helped bring the house down, and that some aren't happy the US was so tolerant/supportive of said shenanigans

I'm pretty sure I have no idea exactly where Tunisia is

across the sea from italy

Next to Algeria.

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Thought he laid out pretty well why we need to invest in our future in multiple sectors, and how we're falling behind.

Headline: GOP in disarray as Steele falls in power struggle. Republicans confused, weak, showing no unity at our nation's critical hour.

I'd suggest that headline writer find a new job

jerseyhoya wrote:I'd suggest that headline writer find a new job

guy's name is reince


percy might be weaker, more confused

LOLogic

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41120343/ns/us_news/

Arizona has become a national leader in the gun rights movement in recent years as the state enacted law after law to protect the people's right to bear arms nearly anywhere, at anytime.

The shooting rampage that wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, a former legislative colleague, has done nothing to slow down the Legislature.

Gun rights bills were introduced in the days after the shootings last week, and more proposals are to come.

"I don't think it really changes anything," Republican state Sen. Ron Gould said of the mass shooting. "I don't see how gun control could have prevented that shooting unless you take guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens."