Paradise is for learners

"As the CNMI economy continues to transition to a totally government-based economy, anyone who wants to earn a living in the Commonwealth while remaining in the much-hated 'private sector' has got a tough challenge...but it's a doable challenge."

Here are links mentioned in today's column:

1. May 23 review of The Long Tail.

2. The A.P. story on Wyoming's Ten Sleep. (The title of this article is different than the one I mention in my column, but it's the same article.)

The Korean Juggernaut

As 2008 is drawing to a close, I noticed that I haven't filled my quota of glaring typos. So here's a "baron peninsula " just to lend an air of genuine Stephens authenticity to this week's article. Enjoy hunting for that little gem! Accept no substitutes.

Financial wisdom from Mom

"...Earned money trumps make-believe wealth in the long run. This wisdom will set the stage for the coming financial turmoil, which is just getting started. Some people in the Commonwealth get the point. Some never will."

True indeed. Catch today's column here.

Crazy Eddie's Saipan Love Brokerage

"...I suggest that you list 'rich,' 'in poor health,' and 'heavy smoker' as the primary attributes you seek in a husband."

Catch the column here.

TEOTWAWKI syndrome

The End Of The World As We Know It? Relax. The world is doing just fine. Don't let the winds of doom cloud your view of the opportunities out there, particularly in Asia.

World Wide Woes

Need to build a great web site? You've come to the right place for inspiration...

...or maybe not!

Zany, mad-cap antics

A quote from today's column:

"....Many (not all, but surprisingly many) of your counterparts in the Prozac Nation have ceded management of their own lives to any institution or demagogue who had a slick sales pitch. The Panic of 2008 is probably in its infancy; just wait until the masses figure out that their pensions are worth less than my old gym socks. Some odd notion in the states goes that if you collectivize something, then everybody gets more of it, since the pile is so big."

The household budget?

Sick of all the pompous advice about "household budgets"? Join the club. Here's my take on the gig in today's Saipan Tribune.

The Tribune is also running an insightful piece by former Tribune publisher John DelRosario, Jr., who takes a look at the U.S. Wall Street Bailout bill here. Well said, JR!

All about Azipods

All the whining about self-inflicted economic problems, be they in Saipan or the U.S., is too boring of a scene to cover all the time. So today, we contemplate the Azipod!

I warned you

I've been warning Saipan Tribune readers for years that the U.S. financial bubble would eventually bring weirdness to markets.

Post script: A bailed-out bubble is still a bubble. The economic underpinnings of distorted capital allocation don't magically disappear. Joe Six-Pack is happy that stock prices have zoomed up at the end of the week, but he doesn't know who the rube is yet.