Good morning. Let’s start the day this way:
The boy in the balloon was a hoax? (NPR)
When the father, Richard Heene, was asked about that Thursday, he seemed uncomfortable and said he was appalled by the question. After Falcon and his father were again asked about the comment during national TV interviews Friday, Falcon got sick.
The family’s history in the spotlight is fueling speculation that the incident was a hoax. They were on the ABC reality show Wife Swap last spring, and they have 55 videos posted on YouTube. Authorities say they’re continuing to investigate the case.
Decide for yourself. Oh, and make sure you watch the part about commuting to work in a low altitude vehicle:
Eliot Spitzer wants to destroy the US Chamber of Commerce (Slate):
The elected comptrollers and treasurers who agree–as a vast majority will–that the Chamber of Commerce has a distorted view of both economic and political policy should demand that each company in which they own stock drop its membership in the chamber. If the CEO doesn’t agree, the public pension funds should pressure the board to drop the chamber membership. If one activist state comptroller begins to build this coalition, the other state pension funds will follow.
Obama isn’t helping (Naomi Klein/Guardian)
After nine months in office, Obama has a clear track record as a global player. Again and again, US negotiators have chosen not to strengthen international laws and protocols but to weaken them, often leading other rich countries in a race to the bottom.
How else Goldman might spend $20 billion (Bloomberg)
Making sense of the foreclosure crisis (PBS NewsHour)
The latest Whiteboard video with Paddy Hirsch (Marketplace) Excellent way to explain derivatives. Gobble gobble:
Derivatives from Marketplace on Vimeo.
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