Try this - http://www.thestreet.com/newsanalysis/investing/10380613.html

I did it myself and it should work. It appears I left out the "t" in street on the last link I gave you. So sorry.

“Political Ponerology"

The Science of Evil

Why does Glenn attract so many loons?

That person believes "The Reconquista" is real and happening.

He believes it is a bigger threat than anything else because it is "real" and the gummint brought down the Twin Towers.

Who needs another fruitcake? It's Christmas. If you'd like links to credible economic analysis, try Atrios.

RMP, I thought you were referring to the YouTube about the gay bar prayer sieges, but thank you for a much more thoughtful post than my Friday night drive-by deserved.

I am in agreement with you on Iraq, FWIW. Unshitting the bed is a literal impossibility at this point.

A good Solstice night to you, and to all.

From "Crashing the Gates" to "No Power"?

from here to eternity.

My oh my how things change.

-- Publican

Just click your heels together 3 times...

What is it with you frigging people? Are you just "Amurricans" strung out on fast food and everything else in a jiffy, think the whole fucking world revolves around you or is it just the MTV generation with the three minute attention span and instant gratification or bust? One fucking election and the world didn't change. Boo fucking hoo. It's true what most of the rest of the world thinks of you. You are fucking ugly, spoiled and rotten.

“I think it's easy to underestimate just how delirious and taken with the Bush Administration much of the Congress (and the public, for that matter) were immediately after 911”.

So true. At times it appears that we are just now awakening to the mistakes made as a result of our “selfish pride in our politicians”. Perhaps it’s time for the American public to awaken Congress of their “institutional refusal to learn from its worst lapses of judgment”.

Thanks for your insight. Anonymous at page 19

Vote now!

Question:

Are those who support telco immunity:

1) EVIL (Wanting power over the citizens)

2) CORRUPT (Wanting money from telcos)

3) PRAGMATIC (They rightly choose to give telcos immunity so as to help protect America)

4) DELUDED (They mistakenly choose to give telcos immunity so as to help protect America)

Vote now!

You're right. The amended link took me right there. I finally found it on my own at another source. Same author, different group quoting him. I finally decided that $485 trillion was such an extraordinary number that I could probably put it straight into Google by itself and kick it. Satyajit Das' projections, ultimately, were quoted by lots of folks it seems. It does appear, however, that a bit more than just residential mortgage backed securities went into his figure. Thanks for following up.

$485 trillion Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs) outstanding. This is the one I'd like to verify. Thanks. -- bystander

According to Bloomberg the entire derivatives market is $681 trillion. ISDA has the CDO (CDS) notional total at $45 trillion.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=ad71potU0EbM
http://www.isda.org/press/press092607.html

I've seen the global GDP pegged at $60 trillion as well at sites like Calculated Risk and Mish Shedlock's blog.
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/

Deep breath. ;-)

Thanks for hunting those up for me. I did stumble across them as I tried to find the Satyajit Das interview. I appreciate your help.

Can I offer a fifth choice?

5) POLITICAL (They stupidly choose to give telcos immunity so as to bargain a deal on other bills and cover their asses)

My pleasure, RMP. I hope others will help out, at the very least, in the summarization stage. I think it could prove to be a useful way to provide information to friends and family.

http://fisa.wikispot.org/FISA_Debate?action=show&redirect=Front+Page

Interesting compilation of excuses, especially those for telecom immunity. I was struck by the number of quotes that do not specifically talk about legal liability, but rather inability to defend themselves from allegations, loss of reputation, and stock valuations.

That sounds more like they are afraid of exposure to the public, that a particular means of communicating isn't secure and is subject to surveillance regardless of anything members of the public might do to try to secure their conversations. There are remedies for internet traffic that the public can try, there are ways to try to determine that a land line has been tapped, which leaves...

In a word, it looks very, very much like they are more worried that either the lawsuits or leakage will eventually produce the impression among the public that cellular telephone conversations are or were being monitored at will, and that the companies have provided the access and/or promised not to impede such monitoring -- they are worried that their biggest cash cow will implode if the public learns that their cell phone calls are being listened to, but not their land lines.

My, my. A Congress who can't muster the support to ban driving while yakking would of course not be able to muster the support to defy the same companies on a subject which if fully exposed would blow the whole cell phone market, a market so paranoid that nobody lists their phones. So there it is: the phones sound like crap, don't work in emergencies, cost a mint, annoy the whole world, cause people to drive like drunks, and the government hears everything you say!

Just a theory.

Though crediting activists for their "passion," Pelosi called it "a waste of time" for them to target Democrats. "They are advocates," she said. "We are leaders."

Then lead fer chrissakes, or get TF out of the way....

What an arrogant azo. She and Reid need to be taught a lesson as to who is important (the constituents) and who is just the humble public servant.

Cheers,

So there it is: the phones sound like crap, don't work in emergencies, cost a mint, annoy the whole world, cause people to drive like drunks, and the government hears everything you say!

Just a theory. --ondelette

Maybe you should call the Car Talk Guys (on NPR). They could use your theory as additional support in their campaign to eliminate distracted driving... which includes cell-phone-talking drivers.

Who knows, maybe they'd even convince a lot of folks to just give theirs up?