Reading

Created
Thu, 11/09/2025 - 21:50

Every year, we wonder what might be appropriate on this day, and we can never think of anything more appropriate than this piece, which John Hodgman originally delivered at a literary reading shortly after September 11, 2001.

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Good evening.

My name is John Hodgman. I am a former professional literary agent, which on a good day is a pretty small thing to be, and these days feels rather microscopic. Before I was a professional literary agent, I thought it would be a good idea to be a teacher of fiction in a college MFA program because it is easy and you are adored all the time, and of course, it pays a lot of money.

I used to have a lot of bright ideas.

Created
Thu, 11/09/2025 - 19:00

It’s purely a coincidence. Nothing to see here, Number 10 insisted. Perish the thought that the reshuffle marked an entrenchment of the right and a further widening of the gulf between Labour and government. Deputy leadership contest? Bit of a nuisance really, and anyway, Keir’s already bypassed that and appointed a deputy PM. Job done, […]

Created
Thu, 11/09/2025 - 18:43
What are the causes of secular stagnation? What are the solutions to revive growth and get the U.S. economy out of the doldrums? … One headline conclusion stands out: the secular stagnation is caused by a heavy overdose of savings … All these savings end up as deposits, or ‘loanable funds’ (LF), in commercial banks […]
Created
Thu, 11/09/2025 - 16:21
Last Tuesday (September 9, 2025), the US Bureau of Labor Statistics published a news release – Preliminary benchmark revision for March payroll employment is -911,000 (-0.6%) – which told us that its employment estimates for the current year are likely to be significantly overstated. Given that the BLS has been under intense political scrutiny in…