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Male Retirement Age and Life Expectancy

Submitted by Roanman on Sat, 03/20/2010 - 16:26

 

I like to troll through Dr.Mark Perry's blog every week or so.

Dr. Perry is a professor at the University of Michigan, Flint Campus, School of Management.

Here's a nice table that illustrates what might be the single most profound issue with the "Social Security Trust Fund".

We are living a lot longer.

But retiring younger.

Click anywhere in the chart for Mr. Perry's fine blog, "Carpe Diem"

 

 

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The Hungry Beast

Submitted by Roanman on Fri, 03/19/2010 - 07:49

 

 

The following piece was produced by the Hungry Beast television program.

It runs for just under five minutes, and is worth every second of life you spend watching it.

Hungry Beast is a weekly, topical news program airing on ABC1 in Australia.

In their own words,

 

"It covers everything from the silly, to the serious, to somewhere in between; always from a different perspective.

Hungry Beast also publishes regular new topical stories exclusively for the web."

 

Unfortunately, you can't (at least I couldn't) fire up segments from their site, but YouTube has a lot of their work.

Way most highly recommended.

As an aside, this segment is hosted by someone who calls himself Daniel Keogh, but who is in actuality, Bozo T. Clown's secret, illegitimate son Bonzo.

 

 

Proof positive you cannot trust "The Press" to get it/anything right.

Thanks to Evan for the above find.

 

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The Decade's Best National Currency

Submitted by Roanman on Wed, 03/17/2010 - 14:24

 

James Turk founder of GoldMoney.com has created the following spreadsheet.

Mr. Turk also writes and publishes the Freemarket Gold and Money Report.

Click anywhere within the spreadsheet to link to the original article.

Recommended.

 

Gold's Rate of Appreciation Against 23 World Currencies
    2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Average
Switzerland franc -4.1% 5.0% 3.9% 7.0% -3.0% 36.2% 13.9% 22.1% -0.3% 20.3% 10.1%
Denmark krone 1.3% 7.7% 5.8% -0.2% -2.2% 35.5% 10.2% 18.8% 10.9% 20.3% 10.8%
euro/DEM euro 1.1% 8.1% 5.9% -0.5% -2.1% 35.1% 10.2% 18.8% 11.0% 20.4% 10.8%
Canada dollar -2.1% 8.8% 23.7% -2.2% -2.0% 14.5% 22.8% 11.5% 31.1% 5.9% 11.2%
New Zealand dollar 10.8% 8.9% -0.9% -4.4% -4.2% 25.1% 19.3% 19.5% 40.5% -1.5% 11.3%
Norway krone 3.6% 4.5% -3.6% 14.9% -4.0% 31.0% 13.5% 14.6% 36.0% 2.8% 11.3%
Australia dollar 11.2% 11.3% 13.5% -10.5% 1.4% 25.6% 14.4% 18.1% 33.0% -3.6% 11.4%
China yuan -5.7% 2.5% 24.8% 19.5% 5.2% 15.2% 18.8% 22.9% -1.0% 24.0% 12.6%
Singapore dollar -2.1% 9.3% 17.2% 17.1% 1.1% 20.4% 13.3% 23.1% 6.0% 21.0% 12.6%
Thailand baht 5.0% 4.3% 21.8% 9.7% 3.0% 24.9% 8.2% 7.4% 24.6% 19.0% 12.8%
Sweden krona 4.7% 13.5% 3.7% -1.0% -2.5% 40.7% 5.8% 24.2% 29.1% 12.6% 13.1%
Malaysia ringgit -5.7% 2.5% 24.7% 19.6% 5.2% 17.6% 14.7% 23.2% 10.3% 22.9% 13.5%
Japan yen 5.5% 17.4% 13.0% 7.9% 0.9% 35.7% 24.0% 23.4% -14.0% 27.1% 14.1%
Hong Kong dollar -5.4% 2.4% 24.7% 19.1% 5.4% 17.9% 23.2% 31.8% 5.2% 24.0% 14.8%
USA dollar -5.7% 2.5% 24.7% 19.6% 5.2% 18.2% 22.8% 31.4% 5.8% 23.9% 14.9%
Taiwan dollar -0.4% 8.1% 23.7% 17.1% -1.7% 22.1% 22.1% 30.8% 6.9% 20.9% 15.0%
UK pound 1.8% 5.4% 12.7% 7.9% -2.0% 31.8% 7.8% 29.7% 43.7% 12.1% 15.1%
South Korea won 5.2% 6.2% 12.6% 20.2% -8.6% 15.3% 13.1% 32.3% 42.7% 14.3% 15.3%
India rupee 1.3% 5.8% 24.0% 13.5% 0.0% 22.8% 20.5% 17.4% 30.5% 18.4% 15.4%
Brazil real 1.7% 21.4% 91.0% -2.2% -3.5% 3.9% 12.3% 9.6% 37.9% -6.8% 16.5%
South Africa rand 15.9% 62.4% -10.8% -6.7% -11.3% 32.5% 36.6% 28.1% 43.5% -1.9% 18.8%
Mexico peso -4.3% -2.4% 42.0% 28.9% 4.4% 12.7% 24.8% 32.9% 34.0% 17.0% 19.0%
Sri Lanka rupee 8.8% 15.2% 29.7% 19.6% 13.5% 15.6% 29.3% 32.9% 10.0% 25.5% 20.0%
 

 

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Reading on a Monday Morning

Submitted by Roanman on Mon, 03/15/2010 - 14:10

 

I don't think I've ever posted two items from the same source, on the same day.

But because both of these stories have something to do with the economy here in Southeastern Michigan.

I'm posting them.

Click anywhere on the first story to get the whole story, it's long but worthwhile.

The gears link to the second story. 

 

Loan Squeeze Thwarts Small-Business Revival

By MARK WHITEHOUSE

 

YPSILANTI, Mich.—Thomas Harrison, chief executive of Michigan Ladder Co., has a plan that would contribute to the U.S. economic recovery: Expand the 108-year-old company, adding at least 20 jobs in the process. His chances of getting the loan of $300,000 or more he needs to do so, though, depend in part on what happens to folks like home builder James Haeussler.

Both are customers of the same community bank, the Bank of Ann Arbor. Mr. Haeussler is struggling to repay $8.3 million he and a partner borrowed to build a residential community in nearby Saline, Mich. In this economic environment, the bank doesn't want to take a chance on what it sees as a risky new loan to Mr. Harrison.

"In a world where Jim Haeussler makes it, Tom Harrison will make it," says Timothy Marshall, the bank's president. "But it's not prudent to do both loans at this point in time. We're in a more risk-averse mode."

 

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China Talks Tough to U.S.

Submitted by Roanman on Mon, 03/15/2010 - 07:55

 

From today's Wall Street Journal

 

China Talks Tough to U.S.

Premier Blames American 'Trade Protectionism' for Tensions Over Currency

By ANDREW BATSON, IAN JOHNSON And ANDREW BROWNE

BEIJING—Premier Wen Jiabao aimed sharp words at Washington on Sunday, ceding little ground on China's currency policy and suggesting that U.S. efforts to boost its exports by weakening the dollar amounted to "a kind of trade protectionism."

Link to the entire story here  

 

If anyone would know it when they see it ............

 

 

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CBS Obama Poll

Submitted by Roanman on Thu, 03/11/2010 - 07:00

 

The CBS News Blog has been running a poll on President Obama's first year in office.

The poll was published on the CBS news web site January 20 2010 at 2 PM and continues until the time of this posting.

While the following qualifier is attached to the poll,

"This is not a scientific poll.  The results above are for information purposes only, and should not be confused with the results of the scientific polls conducted by CBS News."

This is pretty damning stuff.

It's difficult to see how the guy bounces back from a fall like this.

Click anywhere below to vote if you are of a mind to.

I have no idea how long CBS intends to let the thing run.

 

The Economy

A:    2.48%

B:    3.31%

C:    5.20%
D:    19.02%
F:    69.99%
 
Foreign Policy  

A:    4.06%
B:    3.44%
C:    8.24%
D:    23.81%
F:    60.44%
 
Health Care
A:    2.73%
B:    2.45%
C:    3.43%
D:    9.52%
F:    81.87%
 
 
Afghanistan
A:    3.99%
B:    14.57%
C:    28.11%
D:    23.23%
F:    30.10%
 
 
Iraq
A:    3.95%
B:    10.11%
C:    27.07%
D:    24.42%
F:    34.45%
 
 
Threat of Terrorism
A:    3.86%
B:    3.96%
C:    8.95%
D:    21.75%
F:    61.47%
 
 
Energy and the Environment
A:    3.29%
B:    4.30%
C:    12.41%
D:    21.80%
F:    58.20%
 
 
Social Issues
A:    3.78%
B:    4.10%
C:    12.70%
D:    21.11%
F:    58.31%
 
Bipartisanship
A:    3.79%
B:    2.55%
C:    4.37%
D:    9.86%
F:    79.44%
 
 
Obama's Overall Job as President
A:    3.09%
B:    3.29%
C:    4.33%
D:    25.73%
F:    63.55%
 

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