TIME October 5, 2009 - the difference between stocks and bonds

Before we get into the details, it's worth going over the difference between stocks and bonds. When you buy stock, you get part ownership of a company. If it does well, you share in the gains. If it flounders, you lose money. Bonds, on the other hand, represent a promise from a company or government or other borrower to pay you back, with interest. When you buy a bond, you're making a loan. Sometimes bond issuers (a.k.a. borrowers) renege on their promises. The financial crisis originated with a rash of defaults on subprime mortgages that had been packaged into bonds. But the bond risks that vex Atteberry have little to do with that default risk — Uncle Sam will make the payments. The worry is over rising interest rates.

Thought Bonds Were Safe? Think Again - TIME

Intermovie n. - A film within a film, a technique used by directors such as Joel and Ethan Cohen

Usage: "Intermovies have long been a way for filmmakers to offer wry asides on the industry. In Burn After Reading, the Cohen brothers featured a rancid-looking cookie-cutter romcom called Pushing Up Daisy."
- Guardian, Sept 15, 2009

$148
Cost of an MIT student project to send a camera 17 miles into the sky--high enough enough to capture a glimpse of space--using a hardware-store parts.

Letter:
Shame on Joe Klein for playing the race card to make his point about healthcare reform [Sept 21]. Is his implication that white people lack "character" if they oppose legislation that may or may not disproportionately favor minorities? I am a reasonable American with a bunch of formal education and life experience, and I am opposed to the current plan solely because I do not believe there is a way to pay for it, either individually or collectively. Wait until you see the premium you will be charged to cover your existing serious illness--and everyone else's--no matter what it costs. Simply legislating something doesn't make it work.
Michael Babbit, HUDSON, OHIO