Good morning
The headlines:
- Republicans accuse Senator Reid of lying.
Link: “Of course Mr Romney paid tax!”
Senate Majority Leader Graham Reid said, at some point recently, that Mitt Romney hasn’t paid tax for the last 10 years.
As an entirely unaffected observer, I would have read the statement as less of an actual accusation and more of a character slur. You know, something like: “relative to his level of income, Mr Romney has paid practically no tax at all!”
The Republicans have reacted as though this was an allegation of tax evasion/tax fraud, and have started using descriptive phrases like “dirty liar”.
Of course, Mr Romney has only released one year’s worth of tax return. And he’s “promised a second one”, which is, you know, forthcoming of him. So he’s told Mr Reid to “put up or shut up”.
Sarcasm: it’s all so adult and relevant to their economic crisis solution.
- The Google ebook suit.
Link: $750 a book.
Yadda yadda google’s unauthorisedly digitised my book and therefore they should pay me $750 for it.
You know what the trouble is? I reckon they had a point until they quantified it. A book, priced at $10 a shot, is saying that the digitisation costs them 75 copies. This is either too low for the big-shots, or too high for the small fry.
Besides – they may as well sue libraries for having the books in the first place. Libraries can lend out on an unlimited basis*, not so? What’s the real difference here? Accessibility?! Again – not income-related.
It’s the same argument that applies to piracy, I reckon. Piracy starts when you download something that you would buy, and ends when it’s something that you would only borrow and return.
The former is a lost sale; the second is nothing at all.
*Except for limits of time and physical copy. Which are not really income-related…
- Marks & Sparks a takeover target?
Link: Bloomberg reports a report.
Bloomberg reports that the Sunday Telegraph reported it yesterday. It’s all hearsay at this point.
- UBS dismisses traders and managers over Libor.
Link: Bloomberg reports another report.
Bloomberg reports that Der Sonntag reported it yesterday. Also hearsay.
But still interesting.
That’s all for now.
Have a good day.
