Throwing Like a Girl

Why do girls throw balls like girls?

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1996/08/throwing-like-a-girl/306152/1/

SEP IRA

Since Robert started investing in self-directed retirement accounts 401K, IRA, SEP-IRA, he has wondered what might be the record amount anyone has ever accumulated in such a tax-deferred account. It might be quite a bit. The amount one can contribute in a year is limited by law, but the absolute amount a person can earn on those investments and hold in these accounts is not capped.

Mitt Romney, according to his own limited disclosures, says he has accumulated between $20M and $100M in his SEP IRA.  Robert assumes that this means it is very close to being $100M.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-15/the-secret-behind-romney-s-magical-ira.html

Robert's understanding is that the average American has about $90K is his/her retirement account.

Still, Robert wonders what the all-time record amount might be.

Perry Case

Last Friday the Plaintiffs in the Proposition 8 case filed their opposition to petition for certiorari in the United States Supreme Court. Plaintiffs argue that the case is not a good one for review by the highest court because the Ninth Circuit, whose opinion would be appealed, addressed a very specific situation in California, the circuit ruling does not make any new law, and because there is no conflict among circuits on the matter. As you recall, the Ninth Circuit's ruling in this case very carefully does not say states must allow homosexuals to marry under the Equal Protection clause or Due Process clause. In its opinion, that circuit court merely follows the Supreme Court's rationale in the Romer case by holding that there was no rational basis for the California public to rescind the right of homosexuals to marry. A right they had previously enjoyed.

Funny To Us

We're here at Mammoth Mountain with a view of the ski lifts from our room.  Rory gets a little confused and can't remember the word gondola. He says "bungalow" instead.

Maybe we'll take a ride to the top on the bungalow tomorrow.

Literary Recommendations

Sylvia Nasar makes some reading list recommendations here. She is very talented, so probably worth listening to.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/12/books/review/sylvia-nasar-by-the-book.html?_r=1