The old timers here in Washington, DC tell me that back during the Cold War, the CIA found out that the Soviets had concluded the best time to launch a pre-emptive thermonuclear MIRV ICBM attack on the United States of America was when Washington was paralyzed by a snow storm. The story goes, after the… Continue reading All Your Tweets Are Belong to Us!
Category: Economics and Finance
Rope-a-Dopenhagen
Dr. Kelvin Heissmann was by no means a happy camper when he visited me today for a consultation. He’s the resident climate change expert at the Global Concern Institute, an NGO headquartered here in Washington, DC. True, that recent business with the e-mail hackers at the University of East Anglia didn’t do his blood pressure any good,… Continue reading Rope-a-Dopenhagen
The Case of the 1,069 Purloined Letters
Around eleven this morning, Gretchen let me know that my nephew, Henry Palikowski, Junior, wished to arrange for a telephone consultation today whenever I had the free time in my schedule. I certainly had no problem with that – because while Congress sometimes stages a circus this time of year, as it is doing at… Continue reading The Case of the 1,069 Purloined Letters
The More You Learn, the Less You Know
I was having lunch today at Tosca, a nice Italian bistro on F Street, and midway between the guance di maiale brasate con cannellini, ragu di shiitake e Marsala and the gettuccine alle olive con ragu di cinghiale e castagne arrosto, my cell phone rang. It was my dear sister Rose. Rose: Tom? Tom: You… Continue reading The More You Learn, the Less You Know
HAPPY Tax Bill Goes to the Dogs – and Cats, and Ferrets…
I’ve been laid up in bed for the last four days with a terrible chest cold. No, not swine flu, or vanilla flu either, I’m sure, because I was inoculated against both of those. And of course, like everybody else lately, I’ve been as cautious as possible about avoiding contagion. The rest room at my office… Continue reading HAPPY Tax Bill Goes to the Dogs – and Cats, and Ferrets…