So many times when the big credit- rating companies have embarrassed themselves, the world has sighed and chalked it up to a business model that by design invites corruption and incompetence. Perhaps never before have the public’s expectations for the industry been lower.
Here are some things you could learn about black Americans from the recent statements and insinuations of Republican presidential candidates, Republican congressmen and Republican-friendly radio personalities.
Almost 65 years ago, in 1947, the US government sued 17 leading Wall Street investment banks, charging them with effectively colluding in violation of antitrust laws.
Rarely in US history has the end of a war been marked with less fanfare than the withdrawal of the last troops from Iraq in time for Christmas. Indeed, you could almost be forgiven for failing to notice it at all, so arbitrary does the timing seem.
If Asians got together to name a person of the year, someone who brought surprise, intrigue and economic impact to the region, the choice would be obvious: Mother Nature.
I first met Christopher Hitchens some years ago at a panel put together by a publishing house. Our topic was, as I recall, the future of the public intellectual.