Can Turtles Fly?

(source: ExxonMobil 2010 The Outlook for Energy: A View to 2030 ( pdf here )) Note that these are electricity input costs in 2025 and aren't reflective of the current situation. It's impressive that wind cost drops below nuclear. However, note that the wind cost doesn't include backup power (from baseload plants) which is necessary to operate the intermittent wind power plants... On another note, very few would have expected natural gas to be so cheap, and just a bit above coal.

Battling a nasty cold & cough... and so disillusioned with love... Anyway, here's something for investors to reflect upon... Bull is Goldman Sachs; bear is Societe Generale (read the linked article if interested) (Graphic by Sataoshi Kambayashi for The Economist. " Buttonwood: Worlds Apart ," January 20, 2011)

World's largest mechanical front-end loader (Photo by John Lehmann for The Globe & Mail, January 14, 2011. " Copper Mountain Mine gets new life ")

When American States Defaulted... Land values soared. States splurged on new programs. Then it all went bust, bringing down banks and state governments with them. This wasn't America in 2011, it was America in 1841, when a now-forgotten depression pushed eight states and a desolate territory called Florida into the unthinkable: They defaulted on debts. This was an incredible step, even then. Fledgling U.S. states like Indiana and Illinois were still building credibility on global debt markets. They rightly feared "a prejudice so deep and wide" that they could never sell bonds in Europe again, said one banker. ... When the defaults began in January 1841, investors dumped state bonds, pushing yields above 12% in early 1841, and to nearly 30% by 1842. The consequences of those defaults would last for decades: Among historians, the rule of thumb is that U.S. states would pay interest rates one percentage point higher than Canadian issuers the rest of the 19th century. To t...

Borders Group (BGP), the 2nd largest physical bookstore in America, is on the verge of bankruptcy ( here is a history of Borders for those interested in the industry). It's still a bit too early to put the nail into the coffin, but the odds are long that Borders can survive without concessions from bondholders or book suppliers. Borders has posted losses for 4 years straight and something like 14(?) of 16 quarters. The question is whether it will liquidate (chapter 7 bankruptcy) or restructure and re-emerge (chatper 11 bankruptcy). The path chosen is important because it has big ramifications for competitors like Barnes & Noble. I started looking at Barnes & Noble (BKS) after Geoff Gannon suggested but it looks like Geoff has sold out of his position for a negligible loss (apparently because he found better opportunities elsewhere). I, on the other hand, still find Barnes & Noble attractive. I am sticking with the notion that, suggested by Geoff a while ago, ...

Letter Exchanges during the Enlightenment Period (source: " Digital Keys for Unlocking the Humanities’ Riches ," Patricia Cohen for The New York Times. November 16, 2010. Graphic accompanied the article .)

History books would record the year of two thousand and ten as... Top eight market blow-ups of 2010 (Forbes; h/t Financial Post): Flash crash was obviously the big one this year Thirty questions to test your 2010 business stories knowledge (The Globe & Mail) Fortune 2010 business quiz (Fortune) Dumbest business moments of 2010 (Fortune) The Globe & Mail's favourite news photos of the year (The Globe & Mail): Check out the bullfighter photo (graphic) Amazing photos that made 2010 what it was - Part I - Part II - Part III (The Big Picture at boston.com) 2010 Financial Jokes (Financial Post): Not all of them 2010 but some are good hehe :) Top ads of 2010 (The Globe & Mail) Parting Shots of 2010 (The Star) Best technology ideas of 2010 (The New York Times) Top ten books of 2010 (The Star) 2010's top ten science stories (Scientific American) Excerpts from Fortune's favourite books of 2010 : The Facebook Effect By David Kirkpatrick: Ma...

Happy New Year and All the Best to You & Your Family Here's to Investing Success in 2011... (Image credits: Bull and bear based on sculpture by Roger Martin ; Fireworks photo by Tony Shi )