Comments on: Wednesday Night #1367

By: Diana Thébaud Nicholson

Diana Thébaud Nicholson — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:32:21 +0000

The credit crisis claimed the career of another important banker when Ken Thompson was asked to quit as chief executive of Wachovia “at the request of the board”. America’s fourth-biggest bank has come under withering criticism from shareholders over its earnings, which have been particularly hurt by its $25 billion takeover, at the peak of the housing boom, of Golden West Financial, a mortgage lender based in California.
Bradford & Bingley, a British bank, announced that it would renegotiate the terms of a recent rights issue to avoid “a fight with the underwriters”, and was selling a 23% stake to Texas Pacific Group, a private-equity firm. With the housing market slowing, the news was taken as a portent for other British lenders, causing their share prices to fall sharply. See Economist

By: Diana Thébaud Nicholson

Diana Thébaud Nicholson — Sat, 17 May 2008 04:54:41 +0000

On invoking The Right to Protect
“Given the country’s history, there is no way European troops could go into Zimbabwe, and Asia is maneuvering for advantage on the continent, which leaves it to Africa. But there are a lot of dictators in Africa who wouldn’t want to set up the precedent.”
Another voice: “I would have loved to attend the Responsibility to Protect discussion. The question of its status goes to fascinating debates about the nature of law. I always found this to be a spooky and unsettling topic as the discussion leads us to question the basis and legitimacy of our social order.”

By: Diana Thébaud Nicholson

Diana Thébaud Nicholson — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:12:56 +0000

The purpose of this note is to clarify geography. Gerald and I went to Huntsville, Ontario, not Alabama. The only objects approaching spectacular trajectories there are small, round, white, and originate on golf tees.
Cheers, Tony

By: Cleo Paskal

Cleo Paskal — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:44:01 +0000

WE STAND (SIT?) CORRECTED by Cleo, our indefatigable fact checker
BTW Burma does have oil and gas: hence the strong relationships with both China and India.
Also, while the press in the West was saying ‘no aid is being allowed in’ to Burma, India had sent their army, air force and navy, including four warships and helicopters, all of which was allowed in.