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I really can't tell, but I suppose it's nice to be mentioned by one's favorite Wall Street Journal columnist. Holman Jenkins today:

A bit of bumf came across your desk recently from economist Donald Luskin, who says that though some banks may be in trouble, "other investment banks such as Goldman Sachs have thrived on the recent chaos and have emerged in superior competitive positions, poised to accelerate their profit growth. We're seeing not the impairment of a sector, but rather the realignment of the competitive landscape -- which is usually a healthy thing."

He makes a valid point. If contributing to the superfund were a patriotic and profitable duty to help protect the broader economy, that's one thing. But contributing just to save a few banks from having to own up to their slippery dealings with a few SIVs?

Okay, so what the hell is "bumf"? According to this, it's one of two acronyms -- one seems irrelevant, the other unkind.

BUMF Brakes Undercarriage Mixture Fuel (pilot mnemonic for takeoff/landing check list)

BUMF Bum Fodder (toilet paper; chiefly British military slang for information developed without an accurate basis)

I can't see how my comment had anything to do with piloting an airplane -- on the other hand, if I make "a valid point," then why is it "information developed without an accurate basis"? Maybe my information is deemed correct despite its putative lack of accurate basis. I'm lost...

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