The Economist on the COP26 meeting on climate

As diplomats, scientists, lobbyists, activists, artists, the media, politicians and businesspeople gather in Glasgow for COP26, which begins on October 31st, it is therefore easy to dismiss the entire affair.  That would be a mistake.  The UNFCCC and its COPs, for all their flaws, play a crucial part in a process that is historic and vital: the removal of the fundamental limit on human flourishing imposed by dependence on fossil fuels.

~ The Economist, "Why the COP26 climate summit will be both crucial and disappointing," October 31, 2021

(COP stands for Conference of the Parties.  The 2021 Glasgow meeting will be the 26th meeting, which is why it's called COP26.  It will be attended by countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - a treaty agreed in 1994.)

Al Gore on the green revolution

I think we're in the early stages of a sustainability revolution that's the biggest investing and business opportunity in history.   And those who don't recognize that and adapt to it are in commercial risk, of course, because they're going to be left behind.

~ Al Gore, Bloomberg TV, November 3, 2021

Nassim Taleb on maintaining quality

When you write books, when you do anything, you should never let the person have doubts about the quality of the product.  So if you're not sure about something, you say "I'm not sure, it's not my specialty."  Don't voice an opinion; you devalue yourself.  Or don't produce anything that devalues your product.

~ Nassim Taleb, "Nassim Nicholas Taleb on Skin in the Game," interview with Katrine Marçal, 10:45 mark, October 1, 2019

Bank of America CFO: "We're optimistic about the future"

If you look at the economy, it's improving, people are spending more and businesses are going to have to start investing.  We're optimistic about the future.

~ Paul Donofrio, chief financial officer, Bank of America, "With Solid Profits, Big Banks Are Bullish on Recovery," The New York Times, October 15, 2021

Tom Morey on invention

Almost everything has not been invented yet.  Some people think of one or two new things in their lifetime.  I have the misfortune of being a fabulous inventor.

~ Tom Morey, boogie board inventor, Sports Illustrated interview, 1982

(According to The New York Times, "Mr. Morey worked on various nonsurfing inventions, including a football that produced a better spiral, a three-player chess game, a sailboat with an adjustable mast and a type of hovercraft.  He also sketched out plans for a water park called Morey Boogie Land.  None of the projects were commercialized.)

August 15, 1935 - October 14, 2021

Thomas Sowell on social justice

Envy plus rhetoric equals 'social justice.'

~ Thomas Sowell

Benjamin Graham on how to measure investment success

The best way to measure your investment success is not by whether you're beating the market, but by whether you've put in place a financial plan and a behavioral discipline that are likely to get you where you want to go.

~ Benjamin Graham