Good day, Bad day
Fiddling while Rome burns, Making history
GOOD DAY FOR: Fiddling while Rome burns, after hard-hit, bailed-out U.S. securities firms—including failed Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch—have about $20 billion set aside for bonuses this year. The average $210,300 bonus for each Goldman Sachs employee is down 32 percent from last year, however. “Wall Street has created this mindset that most people find obscene, which is that it’s hard to live on just half a million dollars a year,” said Bill Coleman at Salary.com. (Bloomberg)
BAD DAY FOR: Making history, after freelance writer Larry Olmsted was banned from the Guinness Book of World Records, apparently for writing a book about his experience setting a world record. The Guinness record book is the best-selling copyrighted book of all time, and it claims that Olmsted violated its intellectual property rights. One of the three records Olmsted wanted to set: Most Bars Visited in One Night, including a 12-ounce drink at each stop. (The New York Times)
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Selfies ban in art galleries: a sign of the times?
Talking Point Priceless art has been damaged by visitors desperate to take a snap with star attractions, leading some galleries and museums to start fighting back
-
Quiz of The Week: 21 – 27 June
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
The Week Unwrapped: How do you turn plastics into paracetamol?
Podcast Plus, what is the Wagner Group doing now? And why is it so hard to find a job after university?