“First favorite moment of my new job: I mentioned being into gaming and having a friend who's into World of Warcraft, and one of my new coworkers immediately asked me if I'd seen The Guild, and then we talked about Felicia Day and The Guild for like half an hour.”
"Geithner did not see the current collapse coming. And if you think about it, the idea that he did makes no sense. He foresees this huge economic mess and his reaction is to give a speech in Hong Kong, not actually do anything about it here at home--although he runs one of the Fed’s most important branches. Like so many others in positions of power and trust, Geithner was eminently well placed to see the developing crisis and avoid or mitigate its worst effects. He should have known, but he didn’t. His view was much more conventional. He saw no shocks that the financial system couldn’t handle. He could not have been more wrong, but this is the guy that Obama wants for his Treasury Secretary." - Mark Horne
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I found this on the Fire Dog Lake blog. I'll be back to read more. - Mark Horne
"Obama's campaign for "change" included a promise not to hire "retreads." As Philip Giraldi points out in this interview with Scott Horton, he is already betraying this promise with a vengeance. They are not only retreads but pro-war ones at that. As of now, the peace wing of the Democratic Party, which was crucial to electing Obama, is being left out in the cold." - Mark Horne
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"Zhou said the radical taxation cut package was among the suggestions which he has submitted to the central government. He also said apart from the fiscal stimulus and monetary polices, China needs comprehensive reforms and broader policy packages to cushion the negative impacts of the unfolding global financial crisis.
He urged the government to take further measures to lift barriers private enterprises have faced when they invest in monopoly sectors, education and health care.
He even suggested that the government give up pricing regulation and let the market have the final say. "It's high time we do that and today's worsening economic situation has partly resulted from incorrect signals due to too much pricing regulation," said Zhou, who has predicated this time last year that "all Chinese enterprises should be ready to spend a winter period in business."" - Mark Horne
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