This is a very important book. This is not another partisan screed telling us how the Right is trying to screw you over or how the Left is treasonous and gladly handing our country over to terrorists. This is a book about how our system of democracy has been corrupted by money, and how that… Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: “Republic, Lost” by Lawrence Lessig
I remember hearing a story on the radio when I was much younger that talked about a man that was surly to his family, unkind to his friends, wrote racist and anti-Semitic articles and was all in all just a completely unpleasant person. I’m sure there are other details that I have forgotten. The big… Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: Steve Jobs by Walter isaacson
The World Championships have come and gone for another year. However, it is the first time that they have come and gone with me as a participant. While there is a world championship event every year, it is only every four years that an open world championship is held, i.e. he events are open to… Continue reading BRIDGE: World Championship Recap
Going into the last round, the relevant section of the standings in our group looked like this: 3. Siwik BT 129 4. Belgium 128 5. Rumelhart 120 The schedule makers were wise in our group as we got to play Belgium in the last match in what looked like a play-in match. Chatting with my… Continue reading BRIDGE: World Championships, Day something or other
Welcome to the big leagues. The “World Bridge Series” in Philadelphia moved to the team championships phase with the Rosenblum Cup (Open Teams) and McConnell Cup (Women’s Teams) events starting today. The buzz around the tournament is that a substantial number of players have had visas denied (I have heard numbers as high as 130). … Continue reading BRIDGE: World Championships, Day 1
The World Bridge Series started on Saturday in Philadelphia. Right now, the Mixed Pairs Championships are going on. I am flying to Philadelphia tomorrow for the Open Teams Championships which start on Tuesday. As of right now, there are 143 teams entered. We will be separated into groups and play a round robin over three… Continue reading BRIDGE: World Championships in Philadelphia
There have been a lot of books written about the Great Recession, with surely more to come. “Diary of a Very Bad Year” is different in that it was actually written during the crisis. Keith Gesson, a writer for n+1 magazine, was introduced to the Anonymous Hedge Fund Manager (HFM) by a friend and interviewed… Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: “Diary of a Very Bad Year: Confessions of an Anonymous Hedge Fund Manager”
Back during the go-go days of the mid-naughts when housing prices were appreciating at dizzying rates, Nouriel Roubini put out a prediction that the increase was unsustainable and would lead to a crash. For that he earned the nickname “Dr. Doom”, which was not meant as a compliment. As we have all painfully learned, his… Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: “Crisis Economics” by Nouriel Roubini and Stephen Mihm
This past week saw the start of, what best evidence tells us, the 7th season of the RouteOne Fantasy Football League. It’s been a great catalyst for building social relationships at work, giving co-workers a structure for interactions that don’t involve work topics. Also, for those of us that are quite (or even overly) competitive,… Continue reading My Fantasy Football Draft Journey (or HBO’s Hard Knocks, this ain’t)
Some years ago, I read the book “Word Freak” by Stefan Fatsis. In the book, Stefan becomes involved in the competitive Scrabble tournament world. He described the games and the personalities that make the subculture so fascinating. Ever since, I have told those who want to understand what is so compelling about playing tournament bridge… Continue reading MOVIE REVIEW: “Wordplay”
Apropos of Mark 