The Brian Sullivan Blog

Reid's Plan: Higher Taxes, More Coverage, Plan Jumping & A "Gift" To Louisiana

Brian Sullivan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:20:05 +0000

Senator Reid unveiled his health care plan. Here's an early take on what it does and doesn't do. What it does do: Gives insurance to 31 million people. The CBO estimates that 83% of Americans receive some kind of health coverage and the Reid plan will raise that rate to 94%, or an add of about 31 [...]

Thursday Stories: Phantom Jobs Stimulus; AOL Cutting More Jobs; Sony v. Apple

Brian Sullivan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:27:52 +0000

Stories I'm reading this Thursday: The phantom jobs stimulus Mortgage delinquencies hit a record AOL cutting more jobs Even blogs aren't immune to the media slowdown How to make $170 million in just two years Gold's rise in context Why cap & trade is 'dead policy walking' Lehman's bankruptcy slideshow More on the FAA glitch As pensions dried up, 4 companies paid its management millions World's [...]

Air & Train Woes Prove Now Is The Time To Make Real Infrastructure Improvements

Brian Sullivan — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:07:57 +0000

America's mass transportation infrastructure is fast becoming a national embarrassment. The latest black eye is a computer problem this morning at the FAA that is resulting in flight delays and cancellations around the country. The glitch is resulting in pilots being unable to access their flight plans and thus forcing airlines to spend time filing those flight [...]

Wednesday Stories: Housing Weak; "Worst Yet To Come;" $98 Billion In Waste

Brian Sullivan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:03:18 +0000

Stories I'm reading this Wednesday: Housing permits, applications tumble Goldman, Buffett team up to help small business "Dr Doom" Roubini: the worst is yet to come $98 billion in wasteful health care payments this year Brookings on what's blocking the recovery The stimulus fraud of fake job creation As con men cash in on stimulus funds Stunning visual of the growth of [...]

SEIU Goes After Goldman Sachs - Why Not Fannie Mae or Congress?

Brian Sullivan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:32:24 +0000

The Service Employees International Union has Goldman Sachs in its sights. Why not Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Congress? The union will lead a protest Monday in front of the building that houses Goldman's Washington offices (one wonders why they aren't protesting in front of the New York office given that the DC office doesn't house [...]

Friday Stories: More Madoff Arrests; More Insurance = Higher Costs?; Oil & Rock n' Roll

Brian Sullivan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:52:09 +0000

Be sure to catch the latest in our American Icon series. All day Monday I will be broadcasting from one of the oldest and most well known companies in America. It's a company that has paid -- without cutting -- a dividend for 111 years, is consistently ranked as a top place to work and [...]

Graph Revisit: Monetary Base & Stocks

Brian Sullivan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:46:19 +0000

Revisiting a graphic I've previously posted. While the increased monetary base may not be the only reason stocks are higher recently, it is difficult to look at a chart like this and not make assumptions that all the money sloshing around the system has at least some impact on stock prices over time. The question is what [...]

Thursday Stories: FHA In Trouble; Intel & AMD Kiss & Pay Up; Wanna Buy An 80,000 Seat Stadium?

Brian Sullivan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:35:51 +0000

Photo courtesy: Detroit News What I'm reading today: FHA audit shows cash reserves dangerously low The 'awkward dance' between America and China Another sign of a China bubble? Fascinating unsolicited home loan modification offer Intel pays off AMD World's most powerful people Unions pushing on state legislatures GE and HP make deals Builders brace for long winter Launching startups in retirement Incredible simulation video for US Air [...]

Wednesday Stories: AIG CEO Out Already?; Apple v. Nintendo; Viva La TV

Brian Sullivan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:37:03 +0000

Stories I'm reading this Wednesday: AIG CEO threatens to walk Another day, another record for gold What mortgage mods? Orange County foreclosure notices hit highs FHA now trying to boost the Miami condo market Apple now taking on Nintendo Motorola seeks buyer for set-top box unit Huff Po: Pharma deal could net industry $137 billion Revisit: my blog on big pharma a few [...]

Just One Tortilla Chip Per Day = 2Lbs Per Year

Brian Sullivan — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:14:24 +0000

Interesting report on teen obesity. This is the line that caught my eye, citing Virginia Tech professor of diet and nutrition Judith Rankin: Rankin points out that even small changes in a person's energy balance can have a significant effect on weight. Studies have shown that eating just 10 to 20 extra calories per day - that's [...]