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12316 [lbo-talk] sketching an "anti-economist" -- rank: 1000

On Aug 21, 2007, at 3:27 PM, Jordan Hayes wrote: >> Could you guesstimate an annual budget for the kind of pub >> that would be worth doing? > > You could do worse than to take a close look at Salon. > > http://biz.yahoo.com/e/070627/slnm.ob10-k.html Not encouraging! > Salon has a history of significant losses and expects to incur a > net loss from operations for its year ending March 31, 2008. > Because of past losses, an anticipated loss next year and a history ...

Document Size:	6271
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Tue Aug 21 12:49:18 PDT 2007

12317 [lbo-talk] "Save subprime borrowers, not bloated bankers" by Dean Baker -- rank: 1000

On Aug 21, 2007, at 3:24 PM, Jordan Hayes wrote: >> I'm not sure why shortening the time period gives you more reliable >> results. > > Because the world has changed? As they say on Wall Street, some of the most dangerous words in the language are "This time it's different." > Hell, let's look at real estate prices > over the last 5000 years. That ought to be the same, right? No. Capitalism is, at a stretch, 800 years old. The U.S. has had a national economy ...

Document Size:	6489
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Tue Aug 21 12:47:20 PDT 2007

12318 [lbo-talk] sketching an "anti-economist" -- rank: 1000

On Aug 21, 2007, at 3:20 PM, Jeffrey Fisher wrote: > Interesting. It makes me wonder why, if the major American > newsweeklies > are spending so much money on product, they suck so bad. It's not for lack of workers. Even after downsizing, there are plenty of people working on those things. And some of them aren't stupid. It's just a mediocrity factory. > Could you guesstimate an annual budget for the kind of pub that > would be > worth doing? I have a couple of ballpark fig ...

Document Size:	5640
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Tue Aug 21 12:31:22 PDT 2007

12319 [lbo-talk] more on house prices -- rank: 1000

Here are the average annual growth rates in Shiller's house price index for certain time periods: nominal real 1890 2007 3.76% 0.63% 1890 1920 1.73% -1.37% 1920 1950 2.25% 1.58% 1950 1980 4.42% 0.34% 1950 2007 4.98% 1.09% 1890 1980 2.80% 0.18% 1980 2007 5.60% 1.92% 1980 1997 3.89% -0.39% 1997 2007 8.56% 5.98% The last 10 years really stick out, eh? And, Jordan, here are the period averages for the NAR median you cited, adjusted for inflati ...

Document Size:	5208
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Tue Aug 21 12:11:31 PDT 2007

12320 [lbo-talk] "Save subprime borrowers, not bloated bankers" by Dean Baker -- rank: 1000

On Aug 21, 2007, at 2:34 PM, Jordan Hayes wrote: >>> a century worth of data is useless in this thread. >> >> I'm saying the last 10 years or so have been anomalous; the norm >> is 1% annual real appreciation. > > "The norm" in this case is what has happened to real estate prices in > the last 100 years!? Rubbish. There's _nothing_ "norm" about what > has > happened to real estate in the US in 100 years. You might get more > tra ...

Document Size:	6122
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Tue Aug 21 12:02:14 PDT 2007

12321 [lbo-talk] "Save subprime borrowers, not bloated bankers" by Dean Baker -- rank: 1000

On Aug 21, 2007, at 2:03 PM, Jordan Hayes wrote: >> Nationally, for the century before 1995, house prices on Shiller's >> reckoning only rose about 1% above the rate ofinflation. > > First of all, a century worth of data is useless in this thread. Eh? I'm saying the last 10 years or so have been anomalous; the norm is 1% annual real appreciation. >> There's no reason why, over the long term, house prices should rise >> faster than incomes, is there? > > You j ...

Document Size:	5979
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Tue Aug 21 11:21:52 PDT 2007

12322 [lbo-talk] sketching an "anti-economist" -- rank: 1000

On Aug 21, 2007, at 1:18 PM, Jeffrey Fisher wrote: > Oh, I agree, but as I just said in my response to Doug, better to > spend your > money on the writers (and editors) than on printing and distribution. Printing & distribution aren't that expensive. It's editorial product and marketing that are expensive. People have come to expect everything on the web to be free, which except for business journalism and porn, means downward pressures on quality. Doug

Document Size:	5143
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Tue Aug 21 10:48:57 PDT 2007

12323 [lbo-talk] "Save subprime borrowers, not bloated bankers" by Dean Baker -- rank: 1000

On Aug 21, 2007, at 1:22 PM, Jordan Hayes wrote: > I'm curious what you put in for the values for this 15 year break > even; > was it by any chance your very-low-and-rent-controlled apartment? :) No - market values in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. $2000 rental = $500,000 of house. > I > look back at the apartments I rented over the years in Manhattan and > shake my head: if I had bought any of them at the time, I'd be rich > today. Yes, but the past 12 years or so have been an ...

Document Size:	6267
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Tue Aug 21 10:46:07 PDT 2007

12324 [lbo-talk] Rem Koolhaas explains Europe -- rank: 1000

[one of 50 "manifestos" - is he serious?] <http://www.icon-magazine.co.uk/issues/050/manifestos/manifesto_04.html> REM KOOLHAAS Rotterdam Europe! Europe is doing almost ridiculously well. We fly for next to nothing, we have the highest quality prisons, Europe gave us millions of new friends, Frisian Lakes are maintained in order, sewers that ruined the most beautiful beaches are gone, the Spanish countryside is now a polished backdrop for whizzing high-speed trains. War crimi ...

Document Size:	6465
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Tue Aug 21 10:35:50 PDT 2007

12325 [lbo-talk] MTV poll: the kids are alright -- rank: 1000

<http://www.mtv.com/thinkmtv/research/> MTV AND THE ASSOCIATED PRESS RELEASE LANDMARK STUDY OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND HAPPINESS In-Depth Research Reveals How Sex, Money, Race, Faith, Family and Technology Affect the Current and Future Happiness of America's Youth Associated Press to Unveil Findings in a Series of Five Reports this Week New York, NY - August 20, 2007 - MTV and The Associated Press today began releasing the findings of an in-depth, seven-month study into happiness and young p ...

Document Size:	11622
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Tue Aug 21 10:15:33 PDT 2007

12326 [lbo-talk] half a week's damage: 11,000 jobs -- rank: 1000

CHALLENGER, GRAY & CHRISTMAS, INC. DATE August 21, 2007 For Release Upon Receipt Housing Woes Ripple Through Financial Sector DOWNSIZING SPREE CLAIMS MORE THAN 11,000 JOBS SINCE LAST FRIDAY CHICAGO A wave of job cutting has swept through the financial markets as the housing market continues its prolonged decline. After a fairly quiet July, financial institutions have announced 20,957 job cuts since August 1, with 11,040 or 53 percent coming since last Friday. With few exceptions ...

Document Size:	8383
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Tue Aug 21 09:55:31 PDT 2007

12327 [lbo-talk] Fwd: IPI Press Release, $12.5 Billion in Economic Damage and 71, 000 Jobs Lost Due to Recorded Music Piracy -- rank: 1000

[freedom! innovation!!] A Communication from the IPI CENTER for TECHNOLOGY FREEDOM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 Contact: Erin Fitch, 972.874.5139 or erinfitch at ipi.org $12.5 Billion in Economic Damage and 71,000 Jobs Lost Every Year in U.S. Due to Recorded Music Piracy DALLAS, TX: According to a report released today by the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI), rampant global piracy of recorded music has cost the U.S. $12.5 billion in economic output and 71,060 jobs annu ...

Document Size:	7555
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Tue Aug 21 09:52:42 PDT 2007

12328 [lbo-talk] "Save subprime borrowers, not bloated bankers" by Dean Baker -- rank: 1000

On Aug 21, 2007, at 11:19 AM, Miles Jackson wrote: > You mean that a house with a mortgage payment of $6000/month would > only > rent for $1500/month? If so, why on earth do people buy houses in SF? > You can live in a much nicer place for much less money if you rent. > Does the mantra of "home ownership" drown out all rational analysis? Yes. The ratio of purchase to rental costs reached an all-time high at the peak of the housing boom, and I doubt that it's narrowed a ...

Document Size:	6090
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Tue Aug 21 09:49:31 PDT 2007

12329 [lbo-talk] PE paying lobbyists bigtime -- rank: 1000

On Aug 21, 2007, at 10:41 AM, Mark Rickling wrote: > Labor Union Airs Concerns About Private Equity That's refreshing! What happened to that cooperative spirit of a few months ago? Did Steve Schwarzman not return Andy Stern's calls? Doug

Document Size:	4793
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Tue Aug 21 09:36:03 PDT 2007

12330 [lbo-talk] CommonDreams 8/20/07: "Save subprime borrowers, not bloated bankers" by Dean Baker -- rank: 1000

On Aug 20, 2007, at 11:10 PM, Rick Kisséll wrote: > Save Subprime Borrowers, Not Bloated Bankers > > by Dean Baker > > There is a simple and direct way in which the federal government can > help out millions of moderate income families struggling to keep their > homes. They can simply change the rules on foreclosure to allow > moderate > income homeowners the option to remain in their homes indefinitely as > renters, paying the fair market rent. It's not clear ...

Document Size:	6260
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Tue Aug 21 06:13:13 PDT 2007