Month March 2008

China, India, and peak oil

Energy investment bank CEO Russell Simmons on what happens if (when?) India and China develop like Japan did in the ’50s and ’60s. “If that happens, then we need to be prepared for for one of two things: either bringing…

Progressives for Obama

All American progressives should unite for Barack Obama. — Opening sentence of an article in The Nation by Tom Hayden, Bill Fletcher Jr., Danny Glover & Barbara Ehrenreich We did not foresee the exciting social movement that is the Obama…

The secret to successful investing

In the irrational, out-of-control world of the financial markets, acting rationally loses money rather than making it. Anyone who thinks that financial markets can be successfully self-regulating hasn’t understood the way that acting crazy can be the way to make…

Free Kareem

Kareem Amer was sentenced to four years under harsh conditions which have included torture for a blog post that criticized the president of Egypt and insulted Islam. Even some of those who disagree with what he said say he should…

Auction rate securities still frozen

Most brokerages are refusing to buy them back which means the investors can’t get any money out of what was sold to them as a cash equivalent. Ouch. Who buys auction-rate securities? It’s not just “the rich.”‘ I’ve heard from…