Posts Tagged ‘Crisis’

5 items.

Ugly Hair Day

by Seraphine Khorana on April 19th, 2010
Posted In: Comics
Ugly Hair Day

When you have an ugly hair day, conventional wisdom says to put your hair into a ponytail or wear a hair accessory. The other option is to wear an invisibility cloak.

Scientists at UC Berkeley have taken a major step toward making Harry Potter’s disguise of choice a reality. They’ve engineered two new materials — one using a fishnet of metal layers, the other using tiny silver wires — that neither absorb nor reflect light, causing it instead to bend backward.
Quotation from Time Magazine

I’m fine but you’re obviously having a bad hair day.
Quotation from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992 movie)

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The New Normal

by Seraphine Khorana on September 9th, 2009
Posted In: Comics
The New Normal

I heard this at work today: “This is the New Normal.” It was spoken in reference to the increased regulation and oversight under which the financial industry will now operate.
I also heard that former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said another global financial crisis is inevitable. “The crisis will happen again but it will be different,” he said.
That sure sounds like the “Old Normal” to me.

It’s human nature: unless somebody can find a way to change human nature we will have another crisis.
Quotation from Alan Greenspan

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The Financial Stability Plan

by Seraphine Khorana on February 11th, 2009
Posted In: Comics
The Financial Stability Plan

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s new Financial Stability Plan is more “bandaid” than comprehensive plan. It throws more money at financial institutions (including the ones that got us into this mess) rather than strongly supporting healthy companies (and prudent financial institutions) that provide jobs. Throwing good money after bad will continue to bankrupt us all.

Geithner Remarks on Financial Stability Plan (The Wall Street Journal Blog)

An elderly waiter with trembling hands was hurriedly spreading a pink and white checked cloth over the rusty green iron table, saying: “If the lady and gentleman wish to take their tea in the garden, if the lady and gentleman wish to take their tea in the garden…” I decided that if the shaking of her breasts could be stopped, some of the fragments of the afternoon might be collected, and I concentrated my attention with careful subtlety to this end.
Poem by T.S. Eliot, Hysteria

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The New Economy

by Seraphine Khorana on July 19th, 2008
Posted In: Comics
The New Economy

Merrill Lynch, one of the largest investment banks in the world, lost $4.9 billion this past quarter. Merrill has written down $40 billion since the credit crisis began a year ago. They are selling $8 billion in assets, including their stake in Bloomberg, to raise fresh capital. I expect thousands of additional job layoffs from Mother Merrill.
They’ve terminated talks with the Port Authority of New York over moving their headquarters to one of the new 71-story office towers planned on “ground zero.” The timely rebuilding of the World Trade Center site is now in jeopardy.

“I would love to kiss you.
The price of kissing is your life.
Now my loving is running toward my life shouting,
What a bargain, let’s buy it.”
Poem by Jelaluddin Rumi

“Dance, when you’re broken open.
Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off.
Dance in the middle of the fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance, when you’re perfectly free.”
Another poem by Jelaluddin Rumi

The Marina Moon Fashion Show scheduled for 1:00pm today has been postponed due to unforseen circumstances. I’ll post the reschedule date asap. Thanks for understanding.

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Beating Off Myths

by Seraphine Khorana on July 17th, 2008
Posted In: Comics
Beating Off Myths

The world is vulnerable to additional crisis. Institutions are hedging the weakness of the dollar by buying oil. When the oil price bubble bursts, there will be additional strains on the financial system as traders scramble to unwind positions or cover losses. Lawmakers and regulators should impose additional equity requirements on the commodity markets immediately.

The Price of Oil (This New York Times article published in 2005 is even more timely now.)
Oil Price History and Analysis (WTRG Economics)

“When speculation has done its worst, two and two still make four.”
Quotation from Samuel Johnson

“Any onset of increased investor caution elevates risk premiums and, as a consequence, lowers asset values and promotes the liquidation of the debt that supported higher asset prices.”
Quotation from Alan Greenspan

“I guess I should warn you, if I turn out to be particularly clear, you’ve probably misunderstood what I’ve said.”
Quotation from Alan Greenspan

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