News from around the web: 2009-07-24

  • Stop And Smell The Flowers — The Scent Really Can Soothe Stress

    Japanese scientists have shown this.

  • Comment: Why people don’t act on climate change – New Scientist

    "People’s attitudes towards climate change, even Pope’s, are belief systems constructed through social interactions within peer groups. People then select the storylines that accord best with their personal world view. In Pope’s case and in my own this is a world view that respects scientists and empirical evidence. But listen to what others say. Most regard climate change as an unsettled technical issue still hotly debated by eggheads. Many reject personal responsibility by shifting blame elsewhere – the rich, the poor, the Americans, the Chinese – or they suspect the issue is a Trojan horse built by hair-shirted environmentalists who want to spoil their fun."

  • US vehicle efficiency hardly changed since Model T – New Scientist

    This is pretty crazy.

  • AT&T: iPhone Exclusivity Won’t Last

    Where can they switch to: T-Mobile?

  • My whopping $32 emergency room visit in the land of socialized medicine

    Interesting. Feel free to comment.

  • Warren Buffett’s Goldman Sachs Bet Worth $2 Billion on Paper – MarketBeat – WSJ

    Nice return

  • Amazon posts lower profit, shares drop after hours | Reuters

    AMZN and MSFT disappoint.

  • Swiss move closer to leaving tax-haven list – swissinfo

    double-taxation treaty with Finland

  • naked capitalism: Representative Alan Grayson on His Questions to Bernanke Over Dollar Swap Lines

    Grayson’s defense.

  • Economist’s View: "The Fed is Lending to ‘Foreigners’ instead of Americans!"

    Demagogues with a billy pulpit?

  • Latvian banks face reserve shortfall – FT Alphaville

    This seems to confirm Minsky’s view that deposits create reserves and not the other way around.

  • Europe house finances on firm foundations – FT

    Across Europe, households in pretty good shape.

  • Online Ad Revenues At The New York Times Keep Dropping Like A Rock

    Is this the same at other newspapers?

  • U.S. existing home sales rise 3.6 percent in June | Reuters

    A nice sign for the housing market. Three months now.

  • How CNBC Dennis Kneale Begged for Blogger Bile – Gawker

    Did CNBC fabricate its blogger story?

  • Mrs Watanabe eyes the dollar

    The yen carry trade beckons Australia

  • Credit Suisse’s Q2 net beats forecasts despite charge

    Bigger than UBS now. 15.5% Tier 1 Capital.

  • LeBron James Dunk Video Proves You Can’t Hide From Social Media

    People have cameras everywhere. 2nd video is best.

  • Obama Approval 49% Among U.S. Investors, 87% Overseas – Bloomberg.com

    The difference has to do with George W. Bush. Hat tip Yves Smith

  • The Beckham experiment? Job done – Guardian

    Wonderfully snarky.

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    Distraction of the day:  LeBron James gets faced by a college student

     

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