I just saw The Counterfeiters on DVD. Good movie. It's about a currency counterfeiting operation that the Nazis ran out of a concentration camp.

But it got me to wondering... why couldn't a high-technology nation print the currency of one of it's enemies in order to spark hyperinflation? Why, England's De la Rue prints about 150 currencies itself. The technology for top-flight currency production resides mainly in western countries.

Maybe it's already happened. Iran has double-digit inflation now, kinda high for a country that has oil revenues and little reason to print money. And how about Iraq before the war...

I'd be interested to hear if anyone has heard of documented cases of this, instead of just my rank speculation.

Well, it's been about 6 months since the last meeting of the New York chapter of the Forvm Drinking/Debating Society. Is it time for another session, I ask?

I'm flexible on dates, but I would propose Wednesday, December 17th, at 7:00pm. I'm flexible on places too, but reprising our visit to Old Town would be fine with me. If not there, then let's make it a bar that is earthy rather than chic, quiet rather than loud, sparse rather than crowded, and sit-down rather than stand-up. A decent bar menu helps too.

Do we have a quorum?

And it's all your fault. You've convinced me to work this piece up into something more substantial.

Please leave diary up, though... I might replace the text at some point.

Thanks.

- Wagster

I've been a supporter of Obama since before the Iowa primary. I haven't volunteered for him (because that's not really me) but I've advocated for him and donated to his cause. Generally speaking, I've been proud of the campaign and its supporters.

However, one of the things that has discomfited me about the behavior of my side is how quickly -- not Obama -- but the supporters of Obama have imputed racist motives on their opponents, whether it be Hillary Clinton's camp or John McCain's.

Who will be Obama's Secretary of the Treasury? It looks like this position could be nearly as important as President. He or she will have to lead what will probably be the most sweeping re-regulation of Wall Street since the New Deal. And of course, there's the small matter of having to spend $700 billion (at least) to -- hopefully -- save the financial system.

David Brooks thinks the bailout will usher in a new era of 'Progressive Corporatism'.

I'm not sure, but it's a watershed of sorts.

Decades don't begin on January firsts. The sixties began with JFK's assassination. The seventies began with Nixon's resignation. The eighties began when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated on the same day the Iran hostages were released. The nineties began with the fall of the Berlin Wall. The oughts began with 9/11.

This major New York Times piece leads me to believe she is.

Cronyism? Check.

Secrecy? Check.

Insularity of decision-making? Check.

Lashing out at perceived enemies? Check.

Why is this template so attractive to conservatives? I would not be able to say these things if John McCain had chosen Kay Bailey Hutchinson, but competence I suppose just has no appeal for that side.

If John McCain is elected he will be the oldest U.S President to begin his first term. At 72 years of age, he will be 3 years older than Ronald Reagan was in January 1981.

While this fact is often joked about, the media has not made a systematic exploration of what this means. This paper puts the incidence of Alzheimer's in someone as old as John McCain would be by the end of his first term at around 3.3%. Another study shows that about 22% of people over 71 suffer from cognitive impairment without dementia. Add these numbers together, and statistically there is a better than one if four chance that John McCain will suffer some sort of significant mental decay over the next four years. There is already plenty of anecdotal evidence that McCain's powers might already be diminishing:

This Week With George Stephanopolous, August 3, 2008:

I was curious about this viewpoint, so I called Mr. Will up. He kindly agreed to a brief interview.

Andrew Sullivan links to this compilation of Steadicam shots.

Yes, the Steadicam's invention in 1976 revolutionized cinema forever. But there is a little-known fact about Garrett Brown, the genius inventor of the Steadicam... and no, it's not that he also invented the Skycam, an aerial camera rig that produces swooping shots, mainly for sports events.

Garrett Brown is also a remarkable voice talent. With his wife, Anne Winn, he has recorded some very funny radio commercials, nearly always in the genre of romantic comedy. Take a listen at their site. Start with the Amex or the Molson commercials.