Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

A Brief Interlude/PSA

by Ken Houghton My article for Institutional Investor on the investment opportunities available in Emerging Markets Infrastructure, most especially in water and sanitation, is available on their website (subscribers only, it appears). UPDATE: For those looking for discussions of water and sanitation that are not gated, angrybear frequently discusses the subjects.

Is "Five Yeshiva Butchers" Good for the Jews?

Steve Waldman graduated Columbia the year after Barack Obama. His brother Mike was Bill Clinton’s chief speechwriter. So when Steve Waldman declared his suspicion that John McCain would get the highest percentage of the Jewish vote of any recent Republican, with a link that indicated it could put Florida solidly in the Republican column, I […]

Two Hours Later, All is Well

As noted last week, we are in Montreal, and Videotron was scheduled today to install telephone, television, and internet services. They came through with flying colors. At approximately 12:50, I made a phone call to inquire about the arrival time of the individuals I had been expecting. It was revealed by the representative that they […]

Pluralising Anecdotes

In the grand tradition of cactus, I have arranged with Videotron for telephone, television, and internet service at our apartment in Montreal starting on Tuesday morning. If all goes well, I hope to blog about it on Tuesday. If all does not go well, I’ll be blogging it sometime after the opening ceremonies of the […]

Action, Reaction

In honor of this post (from another blog whose political posts I’ve stopped reading; Hilzoy is in good company*), I have decided today to shave off my beard and mustache.** After all, David (“Axis of Evil”) Frum is always right, as John Holbo originally documented: This sentiment or intuition or feeling (whatever you call it) […]

Defining "uprooted"

It rained and stormed a bit yesterday. After speaking with my insurance company, I am told the following: This is considered an “Act of G-d” (clearly, the OT version of same) Since the damage is almost all on my neighbor’s property (their fence, their swing set, their garage), it’s not covered under my policy. Since […]