this is an adventure

Richard Cookson’s thoughts: “Now, it could be that the world and his dog were short government bonds or at the very least underweight and have been forced to cover as prices rose. But in this case, the consensus might be right about the longer term direction of government bond yields, only wrong about the timing.”

From Todd Purdum: “In private conversations throughout his term, as crisis followed crisis—Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, A.I.G., and so forth—Paulson gave the author the inside track, from the political lunacy and bailout plans to the sleepless nights and flat-out fear, as he battled the greatest economic disruption in 80 years.”

“This scheme is the ultimate bait and switch,” Krauthammer writes. “Because at that point the only remaining option will be to give up the benefits we will have become accustomed to. Once granted, guaranteed universal health care is not relinquished. Look at Canada. Look at Britain. They got hooked; now they ration. So will we.”

Spider-Man and Iron Man and 5,000 other characters from the Marvel universe are now Disney property as they expand their empire to cover every cartoon figure worth a dime. Expect an outreach to young men building on “Disney’s recent successes among young women with such fare as Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers.”