From Paul Krugman’s NYTimes column: 

The logic of the crisis seems to call for an intervention, not at step 4, but at step 2: the financial system needs more capital. And if the government is going to provide capital to financial firms, it should get what people who provide capital are entitled to — a share in ownership, so that all the gains if the rescue plan works don’t go to the people who made the mess in the first place.

I have no background in economics[1] so most analyses of the current financial crisis are above my head.  Regardless of my ignorance, his logic is a great example of a public health approach for intervening with a social problem: intervene as far “upstream” as possible.  I’m not sure this is a great analogy, however.  My impression is that the financial crisis is a full-blown disease at this point.  As such, secondary (preventing it from progressing) or even tertiary (in this case, preventing a full-blown collapse) preventive measures is a necessity.  Only when the disease has been stabilized (or is in recovery) can primary preventive interventions be employed. 

suuuuuuuuuuuuuucks.  It suuuuuuuuucks.

I blogged about wedding planning in the past.  Specifically, how much I hated it.  In truth, there were lots of things I liked about the planning phase.  My two favorite were picking out our wedding bands and just seeing how excited my bride to be was.  The previous blog-post was written shortly after we had a fight about wedding-related stuff I don’t remember.  My bride, who did most of the planning and deserves all the credit for our perfect (and I mean perfect) day, made my dreams come true on August 2nd.  I love calling her my wife.

I was watching this Norwegian news story about the Lehman Brothers filing for Chapter 11.  It was taped on Sunday.  What I can’t figure out is why are people clearing out their offices on Sunday, surely before they officially have been let go?  That’s just weird to me.  Paul Krugman noted the same thing on his NYTimes blog.  The cynic in me wonders if they’re clearing out potentially incriminating evidence.  Likely it’s not, and they’re just clearing out personal things.  As a side note, I think the human element of this is awful.  Lehman Brothers will surely let go hordes of employees, most of whom aren’t financial analysts, traders, etc. I know one of them.  I hope they all find secure jobs when all this settles.  That’s not to say financial analysts, traders and other higher level employees won’t suffer.  I just assume they have bigger financial buffers to get them through this.

Something was perfect, almost all due to someone else.  Then I made it not perfect.  I’m having a really hard time with that.

And yet again I am sitting in my office doing work on a weekend day .  And worse, it’s summer and nice out.  Sadly, I don’t foresee next summer being any better as I’ll be restlessly studying for my comps.  Oh the joy. 

And why did this blog turn into PhD-bitching? Oh, because it consumes my life.  Makes sense. 

This paragraph from an article on the chronicle.com pretty much sums it up.

 Jeff the economist spends a lot of time manipulating data, telling his computer to look at certain variables, and then at others. You can go down a lot of false trails that way, he says. You can spend all day in front of a screen (or two) and have nothing to say about what you’ve seen. You’re just inching closer, trying to get an idea to take root, trying to find the pearl in an ocean full of clams.

I can’t vote (not a citizen) so I don’t follow the political debates as closely as I probably should.  Consequently, I’m not sure who I would’ve voted for in the Democratic primaries (or if I’d go for McCain for that matter) so this post isn’t an analysis of the Obama v. Clinton policies.  However, this video is just funny so I had to post it.

Wedding planning gets on my nerves.  I enjoy almost none of it.  There. I said it.  I know it’s not the socially acceptable view but it had to be said.  I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in this either.  I’m thinking of starting a grooms’ support group.  The fiancé and I are extremely fortunate in that her parents are paying for our reception and some other incidentals, and my dad and brother are paying for our honeymoon (Hawaii).  However, the fiancé still thinks that she and I should shell out $10K for the rest.  I don’t understand how we can possibly do that when I’m in grad school, she’s going back to school, and we’re already living paycheck to paycheck.  Even if we can come up with the money we should be spending them more sensibly (according to me) on tuition, rent, food, transportation, and other practicalities.  Truthfully, though, unless we were among the very rich I still don’t see why we should spend that kind of money on a party.  And that’s really all it is - a party to celebrate something.  Would we have less of a marriage if we had a $5,000 wedding - backyard BBQ, casual wear, etc.?  Of course not.  But because she and her network has been conditioned by the marketing machine into thinking that a wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime-event where you have to go all out, that’s the prevailing thought.  What bothers me the most is that the fiancé is normally extremely practical and responsible.  That’s part of why I love her so much.  But when it comes to this wedding all else gets pushed aside.  I don’t understand it. 

The end.

Contrary to what many people believe, I don’t actually follow politics that closely.  I know this is old news but to this graph from pollster.com I can just say wow.  If I had that performance on my job I’d be fired long ago.