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Most of the banks revealed their holdings of European government bonds for the first time, addressing a key source of market angst.

-WSJ

As a relatively disinterested spectator in all of this, I’m actually a bit optimistic about the results. The next step is for most banks to stop lending to banks that own too much Greek (or whatever) debt, unless those crappy-asset holding institutions raise new equity capital. Regardless of who passed or failed, or what the regulators say, the other banks should now be able to single out the weak institutions and force them—by eliminating their access to short-term capital—to dilute their obstinate shareholders and become unimpeachably solvent.

Except for the German banks, which seem to have refused to release their sovereign debt holdings. In my ideal world, no one would lend them any money until they released their holdings, and raised any needed new capital.

1 month ago | Tags: EU stress tests finance

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Clyfford Still charts the stock market, at MoMA

Clyfford Still charts the stock market, at MoMA

1 month ago | Tags: MoMA Clyfford Still

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My sister Cathrine’s flight was so delayed that she had to spend the night at my apartment!

My sister Cathrine’s flight was so delayed that she had to spend the night at my apartment!

1 month ago | Tags: sister yay!

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Despite fears of rain, it has turned into a lovely night for the NY Philharmonic in the Park. A celebration for all New Yorkers, including the lady in the bottom left, wearing a nightgown & brushing her cat.

Despite fears of rain, it has turned into a lovely night for the NY Philharmonic in the Park. A celebration for all New Yorkers, including the lady in the bottom left, wearing a nightgown & brushing her cat.

1 month ago | Tags: New York Philharmonic Central Park

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I had been looking for this since the Governor’s Island Beer Fest.
Morton Williams at 57 btw Broadway & 6th

I had been looking for this since the Governor’s Island Beer Fest.

Morton Williams at 57 btw Broadway & 6th

1 month ago |

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Among couples who score high on marital happiness tests, a distinguishing characteristic is that they typically do not have major debt problems. Happy couples have fewer worries about money and agree on the proper amounts to save. Stop for a minute and think about what this finding means to your own relationship happiness. If you solve debt problems, you will go a long way to solving your marital problems.

- more from For Better, by Tara Parker-Pope.

Luckily we don’t have debt problems and are both pretty tightfisted. I do have an ocean of student loan debt, but it’s not a problem.

1 month ago | Tags: debt marriage * tara parker-pope

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The most important lesson from the scientific study of conflict is that you don’t need to worry about what you fight about or how often you fight. Instead, just focus on the first three minutes of your argument. Improving the way you and your spouse start a conflict discussion will ultimately change the tenor of the entire fight and better your chances for resolving the dispute.

For Better, by the fantastic (inimitable?) Tara Parker-Pope, formerly of the Wall Street Journal, now of the NYT.

Don’t say “you”, say “I” and other conclusions from actual research on what does and does not work in marriage. A good book.

1 month ago | Tags: * how things work tara parker-pope

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I finally got around to making Lemon Almond Cake, part of my project to figure out how to make cookies that I remember from my grandparents’ house in Sweden. Tant Anna was a neighbor of theirs, and the smakakor that she brought over for teatime stick in my memory. I intend to recreate the recipe, which is lost to my family.

I finally got around to making Lemon Almond Cake, part of my project to figure out how to make cookies that I remember from my grandparents’ house in Sweden. Tant Anna was a neighbor of theirs, and the smakakor that she brought over for teatime stick in my memory. I intend to recreate the recipe, which is lost to my family.

1 month ago | Tags: baking

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