The World According to Us

We not only know we're #1, we also think we are intelligent, educated, modest and fit to lead the world. And hey, Europe-- look at what we think of you:-)

In case you were wondering, that's why Sarah Palin thinks that living between Canada and Russia gives her foreign affairs expertise. Our world view also lets us imagine that we have the best healthcare system in the world..

Well, sometimes you just gotta laugh and this is one of those times. Click on the map to enlarge it.


hat tip: Barry Ritholtz 

Sarah Palin Reminds Me of Hitler

Sarah Palin is going more than rogue these days.  Her book tour should be making Americans of all political persuasions very nervous.  Today is day four of the tour and she is in western Pennsylania  where more than a thousand people started lining up last night to actually get a chance to see the divine one.  According to her publisher, Palin's memoir sold more than 300,000 copies its first day--pretty stunning numbers if you ask me. The book's print run has already been increased from 1.5 million copies to 2.5 million copies.  Who knows where it will all end, but one way or another, Palin will end up with beaucoup bucks.  No wonder resigning as governer was not a problem for her.

Last week Sarah Palin  sat down with Oprah as part of her media blitz.  I, along with millions of others, tuned in and listened with rapt attention.  My conclusion?  This is a very dangerous woman with the power to twist truth and the vanity to think that she is doing it for the good of others and not for herself.  She is shrewd, narcissistic and  is into myth making as much as Hitler was.

Flying the Drunken Skies.

Erwin Vermont Washington, age 51, has the distinction of being the third United Airlines pilot to be accused of being drunk on the job in the past 13 months.  Yesterday, he was  literally taken from the cockpit by police at London's Heathrow Airport, given a breathalizer test, which he failed, and carted off to the hoosecow.

Slow Money: A Fast Growing Idea

Slow Money is the name of a book, a movement, and an idea whose time has come. The subtitle of the book " investing as if food, farms and fertility mattered" explains the heart of the movement which is only about a year old, but which is going viral all over the world.

The principles of slow money are not about capitalism or communism but about common sense and basic morality. The idea of slowing money down means to not invest for a quick killing and maximum return for investors, but to invest for long tern goals and the good of both investment and investor. The movement asks three interesting questions in the principles section of its website:

• What would the world be like if we invested 50% of our assets within 50 miles of where we live?
• What if there were a new generation of companies that gave away 50% of their profits?
• What if there were 50% more organic matter in our soil 50 years from now?