“How ugly are the state budget problems?
Nasty enough that traders are betting that two big U.S. states, California and Illinois, are just as apt to default on their bonds as Portugal — and almost as likely as Iraq…
The going rates in the CDS market say traders believe there is an equal chance — about 1-in-4 — that California, Illinois, Portgual or Iraq will default on their obligations within five years.”
David Brooks takes a run at defending the liberal arts. Perhaps not an easy task in this financial milieu. According to Brooks, the benefits: improved reading and writing, increased knowledge of the language of emotion, providing a wealth of analogies, and a better understanding of “The Big Shaggy.” Seems like a typical defense…though I question the use of the term “The Big Shaggy.”
Interesting New Yorker gallery of pictures/cartoons using US maps to comment on US life.
I like Rodin’s “The Thinker” + the state map of Georgia.
h/t The Infrastructurist
In what has been a slow summer movie season thus far, Toy Story 3 looks like it is ready to break out. According to Rotten Tomatoes, 111 reviews have been counted so far – and all are positive. How does Pixar do it?
What happens when, perhaps if, Pixar ever releases a clunker?
In my mind, Cars was the worst Pixar film: too sentimental (regret over the loss of small-town life), dull characters.
The best? Wall-E had both strong characters and interesting commentary on the future. Up had a stunning opening sequence but got bogged down in the second half. The Incredibles was entertaining.
This is the estimated cost for raising a child from birth to age 17 from a U.S. Department of Agriculture report. The figure is calculated for a middle-income family. Bet this study has some interesting methodology and calculations…
With the financial difficulties in the country plus expanding college costs across the board, particularly at state schools (and especially in broke Illinois), I wonder how UofI leaders could have thought commissioning a $100,000 statue of the Interim President (though he was formerly president from 1979 to 1995) was a good idea.
Alvin Greene, the man who is the virtually unknown Democratic US Senate candidate in South Carolina, says he is the best candidate…and also is ready to be the Man of the Year:
“To Vic Rawl, his well-funded opponent, Greene is the possible beneficiary of a historic voter-machine malfunction or, worse, a stolen election. Greene maintains that the answer is much simpler. “I am the best candidate for the United States Senate in South Carolina,” he says, hitting his talking points, as he is apt to do. “And I am also the best person to be TIME magazine’s Man of the Year.””
The state Democratic party, among others, is looking to see how in the world he won the primary election. It’s always interesting to watch a Political Party try to figure out what to do when it doesn’t like its own candidate…
Some of the major banks are looking to end free checking accounts:
“The transformation of checking accounts comes at a time when banks are bouncing back from the steepest financial losses in a generation and are facing new regulations. To accelerate that recovery and recoup losses from new banking rules, financial institutions are increasingly leaning on customers who don’t now generate enough revenue for the bank.
More than half of all checking accounts are currently unprofitable, according to a report issued last month by Celent, a unit of Marsh & McLennan Cos. It costs most banks between $250 and $300 a year to maintain one of the roughly 200 million checking accounts, according to industry estimates. ”
As someone once said, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
The 30th anniversary of the Blues Brothers is coming up – and tributes are being written.
From the Chicago Tribune: Apparently John Belushi had to go to the mayor, Jane Byrne, to ask that the movie could be shot in Chicago.
“I know how Chicago feels about movies,” the comedian said to the mayor. Byrne nodded. Belushi said the studio would like to donate some money to Chicago orphanages in lieu of throwing a big, expensive premiere. “How much money?” she asked. He said, “$200,000.” She nodded again.
“And so he kept talking,” Byrne recalled. “Finally, I just said, ‘Fine.’ But he kept going. So again I said, ‘Look, I said fine.’ He said, ‘Wait. We also want to drive a car through the lobby of Daley Plaza. Right though the window.’ I remember what was in my mind as he said it. I had the whole 11th Ward against me anyway, and most of Daley’s people against me. They owned this city for years, so when Belushi asked me to drive a car through Daley Plaza, the only thing I could say was, ‘Be my guest!’ He said, ‘We’ll have it like new by the morning.’ I said, ‘Look, I told you yes.’ And that’s how they got my blessing.”
And that, more or less, is how Chicago became a regular location for movie production.”
Reuters reporting from the Vatican: “On the 30th anniversary of the film’s release, “L’Osservatore Romano,” the Vatican’s official newspaper, called the film a “Catholic classic” and said it should be recommended viewing for Catholics everywhere.”
Interesting trend? Article claims more companies telling applicants that they must be employed to apply.
Kind of like the conundrum for many college graduates: how can you get experience if no one will hire you?
Updated version for 2010: how can you apply for a job if you don’t have one right now?
Legally Sociable 