We need a Confidence Reset. Good Interview with Obama (and his wife, Michelle) on ’60 Minutes.’ Here’s an excerpt (check out the video below):
"There's no doubt that we have not been able yet to reset the confidence in the financial markets and in the consumer markets and among businesses that allow the economy to move forward in a strong way," Obama said. "And my job as president is going to be to make sure that we restore that confidence."
Rocking Party at my Pre-school Fundraiser. Oxymoron, I know, but after dancing with my wife to Sweet Child O’ Mine (and many other classic songs), and hanging out with a bunch of nice parents and great teachers at some place called ‘The Log Cabin’ in the Presidio, definitely a good time. No qualifiers necessary.
Now We’re Cooking: Epicurious.
I have been cooking a lot more lately, which has refreshed my memory about why I love Epicurious so much. Start with great recipes (sources: Bon Appetit, Gourmet).
Make them search-able by food type, ingredient, etc. and filterable by many, many different combinations. Cultivate deep user reviews and ratings, including answers to “Would you make again?” and you have something special. For example, the notes from other people who actually cooked the recipe are invaluable since they include suggested refinements and detailed sentiments. All of this is easy to save, print (with some, none or all notes) and send to phone. I have made a LOT of meals across all of the food courses using this service, so I highly vouch for. Case in point, I decided to make some vegetable soup the other day but I did not want to spend a lot of time making it. I was able to filter on lentils, soup and quick & easy to find and make French Lentil Soup. Quick, easy, YUM.
Need a Bigger Boat. Thomas Friedman comparing the financial crisis with a pivotal scene in Jaws: If you want to know where we are right now, rent the movie “Jaws.” We’re at that moment when Roy Scheider first sets eyes on the Great White Shark and comes back and says to the skipper, with eyes wide with fear: “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.” Read the full article. 
Putin Russian and the Financial Crisis. In ‘Why Experience Matters: On Palin, Putin and Prudence,’ I expanded upon “Dead Soul,” the definitive assessment of Vladimir Putin in Vanity Fair (October). In essence, it documents how Putin’s Russia is an unseemly marriage of endemic corruption, Mafia-style criminality and 1984-like spy state tactics. Well, Russia has not escaped the one-two punch of falling oil prices (a cornerstone of its wealth) and the global financial crisis (it’s stock market has fallen by 75 per cent since August). Telegraph (UK) captures what’s going on. Here’s an excerpt:
Until last week, Svetlana, a young mother of two, held decidedly middle-class ambitions. An executive at a construction company, she was hoping to save enough to send her children to school in Britain and buy a new flat in an upmarket part of Moscow. But then, without warning, she was made redundant along with about 70 colleagues. She received no severance pay and was instead forced to sign a letter saying she had voluntarily resigned. "They said that if I didn't sign then I could look forward to burying my own children," Svetlana says. "What kind of country do we live in? I thought we were close to becoming a civilized nation, but I've been forced to realize that that is an illusion."
