It didn’t get much notice, but this small news item caught my eye: on Thursday, the rather bloodless sounding International Swaps and Derivatives Association’s Determinations Committee met to decide whether Greece had actually defaulted or not. They judged that Greece hadn’t, because although private bond holders had taken a loss of 53.5% on the face […]

I generally wake up before dawn to the sound of the News Briefing on BBC Radio 4. This morning, the dulcet tones of the presenter informed me that Mitt Romney had won the primaries in both Michigan and Arizona. As I took my vitamins in the darkness, my first thought was “good.” While Romney is […]

I haven’t written much through the course of 2011 as it has been a year of massive change. As I type out these words, I’m living in a different home than I was a little over a week ago. On Monday, I’ll be starting a new career with a new company. And all this is […]

The massacre in Tuscon which killed six (including a 9 year old child and a federal judge) and critically wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords is more than a tragedy, it’s utterly unnerving. It’s deeply frightening to see lives taken with such a profound lack of discrimination or mercy. America is a nation that craves clear-cut answers: […]

My self-imposed vacation from blogging fell at the first hurdle. Admittedly, it has been a rather steep obstacle, indeed one that is impossible to ignore. The British have a penchant for complaining about the weather: seldom has that habit been more justified. I thought I might be in trouble as I watched the snow come […]

I intend this to be my last blog post for 2010; shortly, I will be going on an extended holiday, and hopefully I will feel reinvigorated afterwards. If so, I am likely to have a lot more about which I wish to comment. This year concludes with more than a tinge of sadness. On my […]

Far from being happy about the violence, most of the students at Demolition 2010 were outraged by what happened, such as the throwing of a fire extinguisher off the roof at police, as this video demonstrates clearly:

Had John Lennon lived, he would have turned 70 today. Celebrating his music seems a good way to celebrate his life. Perhaps the song that best fits this occasion is the one the that his fellow Beatles made (using an old Lennon recording) as a final commemoration of John’s life and their splendid career: The […]

It’s long been forgotten, but there was a mini-recession between 2000 and early 2003. It occurred largely due to the dot com bust, an event which seems a mere firecracker going off in comparison to the nuclear detonation that is our present crisis. However, I was negatively affected by the downturn: the company for which […]

This blog post is being written as the sun is setting over the Mersey. Outside my hotel room window, I can see the last hints of orange and pale blue fade out on the horizon: the streetlamps are lit, there is a distinct chill in the air. Another day is over, and the city is […]