Want good reporting on bankruptcy news? You want Bill Rochelle.

Here's a perfect example (today's column, here).  Full disclosure:  I've known Bill for several years now and have enjoyed talking with him about developing news, and I've gotten to know other great Bloomberg folks as well.

Update:  to get the podcasts, click here.

David Brooks and "haimishness."

In today's New York Times (here).  Nice.

Why tax law matters.

See here.  Hat tip to TaxProf Blog, of course.

Well, thanks!

See here.  Thanks, Inter Alia!

Jon Macey on the Buffett-B of A investment

As always, a fascinating take on things:  here.

One of my new heroes.

See here.  Leadership always, always must come by example.  Thanks, Dr. Powell!

And when Joe Nocera writes, I pay attention.

Here's his latest piece--a great column about Steve Jobs (here). 

When Tom Campbell talks, I listen.

See here.  Couple this idea with the Van Niel mortgage proposal, and you can see how an economic recovery might work.

Kvelling about Mike Frisch.

See Alan Childress's post on the Legal Profession Blog here.  For a partial listing of why Mike is cool, see here.  To look up what "kvelling" means, click here or here.

Two good Wall Street Journal op-eds about Steve Jobs.

See here and here.

Rice's 100th entering class.

See here.  Go, Owls! 

My dad was ahead of his time when he taught me math.

Today's op-ed in the New York Times, "How to Fix Our Math Education" (here), argues that students should learn math in context--that teaching them practical applications of math will make the concepts of math stick.  I'm proof of that. 

When I was in high school, my dad realized that, even though I was getting all As, I knew nothing about algebra.  (I went to high school in Texas.  Aside from a very few wonderful teachers, the only real education that I received was the education that Mom and Dad gave me at home.  I still have only the concept of geography that I learned in school:  "Texas" and "other"--and "other" meant "Dallas on up.")  He gave me homework in algebra and more advanced math subjects, as well as science homework.  That homework, which I'm sure frustrated the heck out of Dad, got me into Rice, and Rice got me into my various careers.

So the op-ed is smart.  As is Dad.

Great post over at Credit Slips.

See here.  Adam Levitin's post is worth reading.  Hat tip to my buddy Eric Van Horn for pointing it out to me.

Caused a spit-take when I read it.

Here.  Hat tip to my buddy Marc Stern.

The older I get, the more I like straightforward things, like the West Point Honor Code.

See here for a good discussion about the difference between codes that force community members to turn in their colleagues and those that don't.

Quelle surprise! Law firms manage their profits per partner for the rankings.

See here.  At what point do we stop measuring things that don't really matter, rather than chase the tail of the rankings dog?

I would say this even if I didn't hang out with Bloomberg folks.

People who think that they can have it all (a wonderful, engaging job; full participation in family life; time for themselves) are too optimistic.  It's totally possible to have all of these things, but not all of them 100% of the time.  Priorities have to shift; things have to give.  So I wasn't surprised by this story (here) in the New York Times.

A chance to hang out with Randy Cohen, of "The Ethicist" fame.

See here.  Well, not literally hang out with him, unless you scroll down to the bottom right-hand side of his Kickstarter page--but he is funny and it is a good project.

Best foreclosure story ever.

See here.  Hat tips to Marc Stern, Chicago's Real Law Blog, and The Daily Show.  Students lucky enough to get Professor Porter for a course should discuss it with her.

Freaking brilliant.

See here.  Hat tip to Jack Ayer.

A good column about NASA.

My dad sent me this P.J. O'Rourke column, and I really appreciated it (here).

A story that will break your heart and inspire you.

Read "Rachel's Last Fund-Raiser," by Nicholas Kristof, in today's New York Times or here.  To donate in Rachel's memory, see here.

Rest in peace, Bernadine Healy.

Just saw the news about her death (here).  We overlapped at The Ohio State University, and I remember her as being quite gracious.  She never seemed to shy away from tough decisions. 

A class act.

(update) WONDERFUL column on Enron's former directors.

See the Deal Professor's column in today's New York Times (here).

UPDATE (or why I shouldn't monitor my blog before 6:15 a.m.)--my buddy George posted a great comment, which I accidentally deleted, so here it is:

While I do not think all of the folks mentioned in the article are as pure as the driven snow, there is a thinly veiled assumption that they knew what was going on when bad things were happening and turned a blind eye. I think it is premature to indict them in the media when they were probably lied to like the unlucky investors in those companies (or would any of you like some of our Lehman Brothers stock?).

Me:  George, I'm sure that they were lied to.  There's no way that they weren't.  The question that I have (and one that I don't know how to answer) is how boards can pierce through any lies that their managers throw their way, especially when they assume that their managers are the good guys.  If you post another comment, I promise to have had coffee and won't accidentally delete it!

I didn't think that Elizabeth Warren could get any cooler. I was wrong.

See today's Doonesbury strip here.  Based on this strip, her appearances on The Daily Show, and Joe Nocera's columns about her (like this one, here), she has officially become the coolest law professor ever.  If I were a Massachusetts resident, I would be delighted to campaign for her Senate run (should she choose to run).

Best prep for becoming a first-year law student.

See here.  One of our new first-years has been helping people who can't afford lawyers to understand the system.  Here's what the story says about him:

Berchtold is particularly enthusiastic about a staff assistant designated to handle customers who have received home mortgage default notices and are thinking about opting for the Foreclosure Mediation Program run by the Nevada Supreme Court. That position is filled by Adam Tully, who will enter UNLV’s Boyd Law School this fall.

 Welcome, Adam--I can't wait to see the kind of good you'll do when you get your J.D., pass the bar, and can help people parse the system in your role as a lawyer.  BRAVO!