Rob Tsai

InVenture Fund: InVenture responds to the NY Times' coverage of microfinance interest rates & profits

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:54:48 -0400

InVenture Fund: InVenture responds to the NY Times' coverage of microfinance interest rates & profits:

Microcredit has been mired in controversy lately—most recently on the front page of the New York Times, where Neil MacFarquhar’s piece about the commercialization of the microlending industry paints a bleak picture of the future of this institution. He’s right to point out that, in the wrong…

Frank Partnoy on Off Balance Sheet accounting via Kedrosky

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:38:44 -0500

Frank Partnoy on Off Balance Sheet accounting via Kedrosky

I’m proud to be a Taiwanese American. I’m writing...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:07:22 -0500

I’m proud to be a Taiwanese American. I’m writing in “Taiwanese” in the 2010 US Census. Check out this video on why it matters to write in.

Behavrioral economist, and one of my favorite professors at...

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:58:00 -0500

Behavrioral economist, and one of my favorite professors at Princeton, speaks about happiness at TED… ”Money doesn’t buy you happiness, but lack of money brings you misery”

"American business is about maximizing shareholder value,” said Allen Sinai, chief global economist..."

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:40:01 -0500

““American business is about maximizing shareholder value,” said Allen Sinai, chief global economist at the research firm Decision Economics. “You basically don’t want workers. You hire less, and you try to find capital equipment to replace them.””

- From the NYTimes

Visualizing the black hole of state revenue via Zerohedge

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:02:49 -0500

Visualizing the black hole of state revenue via Zerohedge

"The US and Japan… soon China and the ECB - why all the concerns about who will buy each..."

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:29:28 -0500

“The US and Japan… soon China and the ECB - why all the concerns about who will buy each other’s sovereign debt? In a few months each central bank will purchase every single piece of paper printed by respective Treasury departments. Remember - whoever devalues last, loses.”

- Tyler Durden (Zerohedge)

siminoff: Smith and Wollensky created a really funny website...

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:37:26 -0500

siminoff:

Smith and Wollensky created a really funny website called Steak for Stock. At the bottom of the site is a calculator that you can put any ticker symbol in to see what a share of stock will get you.

Looks like we, Ditech (nasdaq: DITC) need to do better because parsley does not fill my stomach…

S&P 500 companies building cash by reducing Capex and liquidating inventories - hardly a signal of a healthy growing economy via Zerohedge

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:33:56 -0500

S&P 500 companies building cash by reducing Capex and liquidating inventories - hardly a signal of a healthy growing economy via Zerohedge

How our patent system rewards people who troll for dollars, not true innovators via Techdirt

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 18:27:56 -0500

How our patent system rewards people who troll for dollars, not true innovators via Techdirt

"As to walking away, I just can’t let go of the fact that, when Blackstone borrows $4 billion..."

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 10:10:47 -0500

“

As to walking away, I just can’t let go of the fact that, when Blackstone borrows $4 billion to buy Stuy Town and then defaults, everyone says “Well, that’s just business.” But when an ordinary citizen borrows $150,000 to buy a house, he or she is giving his “word” or “promise” or “moral obligation” and, in addition to losing his/her house if he/she breaks the contract, needs to rot in hell.

How do you reconcile that double-standard?

”

- Henry Blodget commenting on Business Insider article - “Man Bulldozes House Before It Gets Foreclosed”

Video

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:21:40 -0500

JK Rowling’s Harvard commencement speech on the fringe...

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:21:04 -0500

JK Rowling’s Harvard commencement speech on the fringe benefits of failure

Social Entrepreneurship

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 10:48:00 -0500

Last night, I joined my friend Elaine and attended Columbia Business School’s Annual Social Enterprise reception, and I was blown away by the energy devoted by people making a difference in this world. It’s humbling to see this energy harnessed for the greater good, and it makes you want to get involved.

Of course, it’s about giving - donations, energy, skills, advocacy and word of mouth.

As I was researching social entrepreneurship organizations, I came across the good work of Echoing Green - and I watched some of the videos of the 2009 fellows.

I found Natalie Bridgeman’s Accountability Counsel particularly inspiring. Her bold idea: Partner with communities harmed by international finance and development projects to hold international institutions and corporations accountable and develop new accountability systems where none exist.

I also enjoyed watching Jane Chen’s talk at Ted…..

Jane Chen’s moving talk at TED about Embrace’s...

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:32:00 -0500

Jane Chen’s moving talk at TED about Embrace’s cost-effective solution to high infant mortality of premature babies.

David Rosenberg says be prepared for heightened and extended volatility

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:05:10 -0500

David Rosenberg says be prepared for heightened and extended volatility

The Best Apps for Eating In

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:54:31 -0500

The Best Apps for Eating In:

meghanasha:

jordanreid:

The Huffington Post has officially declared Feb 22-28 “The Week of Eating In.” Inspired by Cathy Erway, author of The Art of Eating In (looking forward to reading this!), the experiment is intended to get those who take the pledge to make good food decisions both for themselves and for the planet.

Check out the above link to learn about some helpful apps for eating in, including the Locavore app (which automatically senses your location and tells you what’s freshest in your part of the country) and The Grocery Gadget (which streamlines the food-shopping process).

Love it!

Great find Jordan! GoodGuide is one of my personal favorites, I’ve been following this company from its launch and really like that they give consumers a vast amount of information on each household product. The GoodGuide application actually allows you to scan the bar codes of over 65,000 products giving you detailed ratings on the health, environmental, and social impact.

Ten investing lessons from GMO via Zerohedge

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:53:24 -0500

Ten investing lessons from GMO via Zerohedge

PIMCO buying Brazilian debt

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:51:07 -0500

PIMCO buying Brazilian debt

msg: Advice on Life according to Hugh via rachelmercer

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:10:26 -0500

msg:

Advice on Life according to Hugh

via rachelmercer