Long and technical, but I think this gets at the heart of it: AIG: before CDS there was Reinsurance. Shorter version: AIG wasn't mismanaged, and they didn't merely "assume too much risk"; AIG was a criminal enterprise.

I am so mad about all of this. I actually feel more helpless now then in the run up to the Iraq war. At least war is something people can sort of understand. Credit default swaps are not going to be groked by the general public. The Obama administration is obviously in the pocket of the financial sector (could it be otherwise?) And nothing is going to be done about the largest theft in the history of the world. The measly two trillion or so we wasted in Iraq is nothing compared to this.

paging Jim B: the future is here

april foolishness

50s sci fi tonight on tcm

mark bowden on pinch sulzberger in vanity fair

Slime mold photos.

pistachio recall

Speaking to MSNBC on Monday, the longtime magazine scribe said that the Obama administration is not "too crazy about Krugman" (no surprise, considering how much criticism Krugman has laid on the White House's economic policies) and that, in private, they "think he is naïve."

"They think he is naive, that his idea of bank nationalization is not going to work," said Thomas. "But they are careful not to criticize him on the record."

"You know, I think the administration is trying to ignore Krugman, quite frankly," Thomas went on. "But they can't entirely because he has a big voice. You know, that platform of the New York Times, that's a big platform. And he's got his Nobel Prize. You have to take him seriously and can't just ignore him.

was shamed into admitting that id never heard of phantom of the paradise. ill just suggest at first blush it doesnt seem of a particular type that would necessarily interest me. but what do i know.

never heard of this but worth a look tonight on hbo2, Shadow of the Vampire.

Premised on the notion that F.W. Murnau's silent horror classic Nosferatu was actually a documentary, Shadow of the Vampire manages to turn a highly dubious concept into a subtle and deliciously mordant comedy.

another chance to tivo children of paradise tonight at 1am on tcm.

they're good for your heart...

proof positive that computer science depts are no longer the domain of asexual geeks.

if only i had something handy and absorbent to clean up this blood.

A Guardian Television report suggests that 75% of the 80,000 Afghan army troops are regular marijuana users.

TED bread

the tv doesnt count as light? it says nothing about ambient illumination, right? ok, im in. i think i only have one bulb that isnt burned out anyway.

per se bat menu for those than can afford it

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_E-gIi620L2g/ScmKdmX0oEI/AAAAAAAACHE/JPuqNnkzdP8/s1600-h/psmenu+007+(Small).jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_E-gIi620L2g/ScmKdDapXLI/AAAAAAAACG8/MimUFQRs3GQ/s1600-h/psmenu+004+(Small).jpg

the final frontier of geekdom

from eater

Ramp ALERT: Ramps Now On Menus Across Town
For the love of God, the long wait is over. The ramps have arrived, per Little Giant's Julie Taras Wallach:
"A sure sign of spring! Little Giant receives it's first shipment of ramps this afternoon...20 pounds total. We'll be featuring ramps all season and the spring menu debuts Monday!"

forgot that the famous larry bird v magic johnson 1979 ncaa finals matchup is replaying now on espn classic.

im making this tonight. i started out looking for a spaghet primavera but was swayed by the lamb. : Pasta with Lamb-and-Cherry-Tomato Ragu (pls forget that its RR) ...i posted this for a bookmark

roland hedley alert

So I waited patiently and then decided to pounce with a sharp follow-up. From just a few feet away, I could see in his body language that the normally calm and cool president was perturbed. But it's in moments like that we sometimes find out what's really on a president's mind. In this case, he's not happy about the scrutiny on AIG. So he did slap me down a bit.