News from around the web: 2009-11-03

I will be on Canada’s BNN TV at noonish talking about finance: Banks and Buffett. It will be a casual discussion with the moderators Howard Green and Andrea Mandel-Campbell and one other guest, Brian Milner of the Globe & Mail.

Below are today’s links. Enjoy.

• Hillary’s Ill Will Tour – Patrick J. Buchanan’s website

  This is not the image we want to project. The author suggests Clinton is "John Bolton in a dress?" Interesting.

• FT Alphaville – China is ‘the most obvious area of concern’, Fitch says

  via a Reuters chat room

• Executive pensions rose in ’08 even as stocks fell: report | Reuters

  Pensions rose 19 percent for top execs. Nice one. While ordinary Americans 401(K) got decimated, you get this.

• FT.com – Gold nears record high on India purchase

  200 tonnes from the IMF.

• RBS and Lloyds break-up: the main points – Telegraph

  Must-read to get overview of what is planned

• UBS’s Third Quarter Results Disappoint – MarketBeat – WSJ

  "the flagship private banking arm is what really missed forecasts"

• RBS Surpasses Citigroup as World’s Costliest Banking Bailout – Bloomberg.com
• Animal House Rules: Treasury Proposes to Use DOUBLE SECRET PROBATION – Bill Black

  Hilarious but sad

• Inside the Motorola Droid, an iPhone likeness | Nanotech – CNET News

  Another positive review of the Droid.

• FT.com – Ackermann hits at split-up of banks

  He calls effort “totally misguided”

• Global protocol could limit Sub-Saharan land grab

  "limit aggressive moves by China, South Korea and Gulf states"

• Obama’s latest use of "secrecy" to shield presidential lawbreaking – Glen Greenwald

  More of the same

• Economist’s View: "Half of US Children — and Most Black Children — Will Use Food Stamps"

  The title says it all

• RBS to cut 3,700 branch jobs

  "EU-imposed restructuring to be outlined tomorrow"

Distraction of the Day: Forklift operator causes $100,000 in booze to come crashing down. He’s OK though.