The Big Picture

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• Chinese Food: A Christmas Tradition
• The Banking Oligopoly
• What Did Americans Want for Christmas This Year?
• Washinton Post: Dear Santa SEC, Congress, White House
• BMW M5: The Fastest Christmas Card in the World
• This Small Blue Marble

Chinese Food: A Christmas Tradition Posted: 25 Dec 2011 02:30 PM PST From playright David Mamet, via the Jewish paper The Tablet: Source: Tablet

The Banking Oligopoly Posted: 25 Dec 2011 11:00 AM PST Market share among U.S. banks Top 3 Banks = 44% Top 20 Banks = 92% All Banks = 100% > > Source: The Wild West of Finance ADAM DAVIDSON NYT, December 7, 2011 http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/magazine/adam-davidson-wild-west-of-finance.html

What Did Americans Want for Christmas This Year? Posted: 25 Dec 2011 10:40 AM PST Last year, the typical US shopper spent $688.87 on gifts for others, These were the most wanted items for this Shopmas this year: > click for ginormous version ~~~ > click for ginormous version Source: Visual Economics

Washinton Post: Dear Santa SEC, Congress, White House Posted: 25 Dec 2011 05:00 AM PST > My Sunday Washington Post column is out. Its on the front page of the business section this holiday morning, looking at what Investors are hoping to get from Santa this year. The print version had the headline Dear Santa, SEC, Congress, White House, while the online version used What investors are hoping to find under their trees. Here’s an excerpt from the column: “Despite another trying year, investors have been good little boys and girls. We faithfully made contributions to our retirement accounts but have little to show for the effort. We maxed out our tax-deferred IRAs and 401(k)s and managed to keep our costs down. We even reduced our tendency to overtrade. It mostly has been for naught. It doesn't seem like any of our holiday wishes have been granted over the past decade. All we want for Christmas is to get back to break-even. Rather than mailing you directly and hoping for the best, this year I decided to publish my holiday list in this newspaper. (In Washington, this is called a "well-placed leak.") Here is the short list of what investors are hoping to find under their trees.”> The column then discusses the 10 things investors are hoping for. I really like what the Post did in the dead tree version of the paper — they turned the column into a Christmas card! > click for ginormous version of print edition > > Source: What investors are hoping to find under their trees Barry Ritholtz Washington Post, December 23, 2011 Print December 25, 2011 http://www.washingtonpost.com/what-investors-are-hoping-to-find-under-their-trees/2011/12/21/gIQAdM14DP_story.html Washington Post Sunday, December 25, 2011 page G1 (PDF) Washington Post Sunday, December 25, 2011 page G6 (PDF)

BMW M5: The Fastest Christmas Card in the World Posted: 25 Dec 2011 04:15 AM PST Drive and draw, the M way. http://www.classicdriver.com

This Small Blue Marble Posted: 25 Dec 2011 03:00 AM PST NASA calls the photo below (via Good) “the most detailed true-color image of the entire Earth to date.” It is a spectacular reminder of the small blue marble called planet Earth, and what we humans can accomplish when we cooperate and work together towards a common goal. Regardless of your beliefs system or chosen faith, I like to think of Christmas as a day to reflect on thoughts about peace on earth and goodwill towards man. Photographs like the one below are a gentle reminder we should do that all year. > For more incredible pictures, check out this link (Good.Is) > See also • First Full-View Photo of Earth (National Geographic) • Origins of the The Blue Marble Shot (The Atlantic)

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