Comments for The Ascent of Money | PBS

Comment on The Ascent of Money Episode 4: Planet Finance by D

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:20:27 +0000

Sumsum Make a 5th video in response, even if it’s just a youtube video. Who knows it may turn into a completely new and innovative series.

I would eagerly watch.

Comment on The Ascent of Money Episode 3: Risky Business by H. Stark

H. Stark — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:08:33 +0000

It greatly explains why we have done what we did and why we do it. I was a diplomat in Chile in 75 and again in 81. Simply remarkable vis a vis the other countries in South America.

Comment on Live Q&A with Niall Ferguson, host of THE ASCENT OF MONEY by Jake R.

Jake R. — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:28:46 +0000

Does Dr. Ferguson believe that the US will begin to recover from the worst of the recession by mid-2010? If it is going to be a “jobless” recovery, does that mean only certain sectors will be favored (if so, which ones) and will the stock market remain as volatile as it has been in the last couple of years?

Comment on Live Q&A with Niall Ferguson, host of THE ASCENT OF MONEY by Kat

Kat — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:32:42 +0000

I just caught the episode “Bond of War” last night, Nov 23, 2009 and wanted to know if the Ascent of Money will be airing again? This was an interesting show and would really love to see the whole series.

Comment on Watch a preview of the four-hour documentary THE ASCENT OF MONEY by Kristie

Kristie — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:37:31 +0000

I agree with Dee way to say it! The series is interesting and informative.

Comment on THE ASCENT OF MONEY Production Credits by mike kilner

mike kilner — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:17:39 +0000

well acted and very interesting screener, will look forward to seeing the whole thing. my only gripe was the editing.

Comment on Live Q&A with Niall Ferguson, host of THE ASCENT OF MONEY by Mark Keintz

Mark Keintz — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:43:53 +0000

I understand one of the main themes of this excellent series to be the growth of our understanding and management of risk, rudely interrupted from time to time by externally imposed shifts in our perception of the scale and source of that risk.

But I would have liked to see more discussion of how much of the recent economic shocks chronicled in the series was due to authentic misunderstanding of risk vs. lack of transparency in the composition and recording of financial transactions, (i.e. a failure to communicate known risks to the investor-taxpayer-underwriter). I would appreciate comments from Prof. Ferguson on how to assess the relative importance of these two factors.

This would help us think more intelligently about policy considerations. If lack of transparency is the major issue, we’ll probably consider more public reporting and oversight (e.g. require hedge funds to provide more information to the SEC). If misunderstanding risk is the issue, then we need to rethink the wisdom of letting each person (oops, each employed person) do their own long-term risk assessment through 401K and similar individually managed old-age insurance products.

Comment on The Ascent of Money Episode 3: Risky Business by ITT

ITT — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:34:24 +0000

2 Hikikomori, You also forgot to thank US capitalism for dozen military bases in Japan and all over the world. There is nothing leftist about knowing history. Just open your eyes and stop praying to the golden bull. It won’t pay you back.

2 others: What do you guys expect from a person who was asked by Kissinger himself to wright his biography?

Mr. Ferguson didn’t mention that ATT is a monopolist of the phone service in Chile right now. That would be a good example of capitalism: destroy national company and bring US one on the foreign soil. All that is just for well-advertised reason: “Friedman’s freedom” aka proceeding “national security” agenda.

Comment on Live Q&A with Niall Ferguson, host of THE ASCENT OF MONEY by Reid Carter

Reid Carter — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:13:43 +0000

QUESTION FOR PROFESSOR FERGUSON
Given
1) that America is only 5% of the world’s population and thus in the MINORITY and
2) that China, India, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan are the world leaders in manufactured goods and some of these nations hold $billions in American debt because America no longer adds value and
3) therefore that America having become a debtor nation for the first time it its history and
4) since it was the American financial shenanigans beginning in the 90’s like credit default swaps and collateralized debt obligations (CDO’s) kept proprietary by an arrogant, pompous, aloof banking industry and a strongly Republican blocked government from banking oversight and thus a blemish on America’s credibility as a debtor nation and
5) that the rate of goods creation as a function of limited ability for science to produce as it had over the past 150 years meaning the possibilities of return to capital and therefore investment will taper off, and
6) I’m sure you can add some substantive predictors yourself…

MY QUESTION: What is the future for a free wheeling, free spending, wasteful, careless, world power like the America we’ve know for these past 75 years? [HINT: Just saying "no" won't go! Re. the INABILITY TO AGREE (a bill barely passed the majority by 2 votes in 435) that health care affects us all from the day we're born to the day we die and should be a condition of a society as "advanced" as ours!]

Comment on The Ascent of Money Episode 1: From Bullion to Bubbles by Lindan

Lindan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:29:26 +0000

Has anyone noticed — the Production Editor, the Coordinating Editor, the Executives in Charge, among others — that this episode of The Ascent of Money, “From Bullion to Bubbles,” contains voice-over visual cues and edits all the way through? The voice is male and American, not Ferguson’s voice, and they tell us what Ferguson is doing or seeing every minute or two. “In an archives, Ferguson flips through pages of a yellowed ledger.” Sure enough, we see Ferguson flipping through the pages of a yellowed ledger. “Ferguson gazes at city buildings.” There we see Ferguson gazing.
“In an archives, Ferguson studies a book.” There’s Ferguson, there’s the book. “Ferguson strolls along a Parisian street.” Cue Ferguson and the Parisian street. This intrusive American voice telling me what I was seeing on the screen disrupted the flow of Ferguson’s narrative, and, for me at least, ruined the entire episode.