I promise to try posting more this weekend, but this one is just too good to pass up. Since most people don’t know it beyond three to six digits, today, 14 March (14.03)—er, oops, March 14 (3.14)—has been officially designated “Pi Day.” Ten Republicans voted against the (purely symbolic) designation: Chaffetz Flake Heller Johnson (IL) […]

For those wanting a slightly shorter version of the post below, here’s 11:15 of video dealing with how the Bad Banks got that way:

Via the Chronicle of Higher Education (link may not be public): The Arkansas legislature is taking a different approach to reining in soaring tuition costs: Today it sent a bill to the governor’s desk that would cap the amount of money public colleges can spend on scholarships. Increases in scholarship aid lead to higher tuition […]

In this corner, as previously mentioned, Yves Smith goes for the slam dunk: Let’s see, the credit default swaps market, due to some netting, is now somewhere north of $30 trillion (as opposed to its earlier “north of $60 trillion” level). Investment banks were believed to have hedged most of their exposure via offsetting contracts, […]

Dr. Black (you know the site) links to AIG Strike Three. And unlike the Citi debacle previously discussed (relatively) positively and rather negatively here, this one makes some form of sense. The difference comes down to the meaning of an accounting concept: ongoing concern. More below the break (yes, this might get wonkish. It’s me, […]

I’ve spent most of the past two weeks alternating between dizziness and sleep. Maybe the dizziness explains why I find myself in agreement with a WSJ editorial: In a better world, Citi would have long ago been put into bankruptcy. The FDIC could have taken over and disposed of the bank’s assets, while protecting insured […]

In the past two minutes of checking out Coates’s latest—well worth reading, otherwise—there have been banner and frame adverts for: The Atlantic Business, edited by Megan McArdle, “Decoding the Mysteries of Today’s Economic Order” or McMegan Explains Modern Business Models (a.k.a. “Built to Flip”) All to You and “Need Advice? Ask Jeffrey Goldberg“ Sorry, but […]

There is now an Angry Bear Chat Room facility, accessible from the lower-right corner of the blog. Does anyone want to use it? Do you need/want posters and others to schedule regular times in there used water slides?

What my brain wants to do: Bank capitalisation, stress testing, book value, and discussion of other data that clearly indicates the need for the nationalisation of several LARGE banks. What my brain is currently capable of doing: The cheerleader who saves the world? Hayden Pantierre (Heroes) George W. Bush (ex-President of the USA) Christy Carlin […]

Following up on Tom’s post of yesterday, PC World offers a list of “10 Ways Microsoft’s Retail Stores Will Differ from Apple Stores.” With links. In honor of #7, it’s time once again to put the picture from this link at the fore: Take that, McMegan!