February 2011
3 posts
“The City, a bigger financial centre than Paris, is keen on French workers,...”
– The French community in London: Paris-on-Thames | The Economist
“The statement underscored concerns in some quarters that Mr. Liu cut corners in...”
– China Rail Chief’s Firing Hints at Deeper Problems - NYTimes.com
Book Chat: A Conversation With Tobias Moskowitz -... →
Key Snippet:
“As you said, fan attendance is actually far more sensitive to beer prices at Wrigley than it is to wins and losses (the opposite is true of the White Sox by the way).
As a result of fans’ feast-or-famine interest in the Cubs, the team has little incentive to win. When the owners are not threatened by fan boycott or weak ticket sales, what reason do they have to go that...
January 2011
2 posts
“I am not a politician, just a teacher,” she said, “I want my pupils...”
– A Russian woman stands, alone, for her rights
What does one TRILLION dollars look like? →
Very cool.
December 2010
2 posts
Mapping America — Census Bureau 2005-9 American... →
Amazing.
“In Washington, the view is that the banks are to be regulated, and my view is...”
– Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL), the incoming chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, in an interview Wednesday. (via officialssay)
October 2010
2 posts
Geithner Urges G-20 Set Limits on Trade Imbalances... →
Highlights:
“Mr. Geithner called for the biggest industrialized economies to keep their current-account balance — whether a surplus or a deficit — below 4 percent of gross domestic product.”
“Officials from Britain, Canada and Australia quickly expressed support for the idea, but Germany expressed resistance and Japan seemed ambivalent. China, whose currency battle with the...
BBC News - Chile miners: Lift to the surface →
Great infographic on the rescue mission for miners in Chi!-Chi!-Chi!, Le!-Le!-Le!.
September 2010
1 post
Another headache for Philippine Airlines: rival... →
April 2010
1 post
How Goldman Fell to Earth →
Interesting piece by Felix Salmon on how Goldman fundamentally changed in 1999 after going public, and changed some more once Lloyd Blankfein took the reigns.
Salmon argues that going public allowed GS to take larger risks with other people’s money, and Blankfein brought a trader’s focus on short-term gain to the company. Overall, the company lost its focus on its customers in favor...
September 2009
1 post
August 2009
8 posts
"Health Insurance Reform" v. "Health-care Reform"
This issue demonstrates the importance of semantics in public policy. I think that proponents of the initiative should call it “health insurance” reform instead of “health-care” reform. Insurance reform is more specific and more accurately depicts what the White House and Congressional Dems. are trying to accomplish. Health-care reform, on the other hand, gives the...
The Lurking Menace of Weeds →
Interesting article by the FAO on the threat weeds pose to crops around the world. Some figures even indicate that weeds should be regarded as natural enemy no. 1 for agriculture.
Snippets:
“Droughts, insects and diseases like Swine Flu are attention-grabbers because their effects are dramatic. Weeds are different. They play havoc quitely all year round, year after year”-...
Emilio Morenatti Badly Injured on Assignment →
Emilio Morenatti is an amazing photojournalist with the AP. Sadly, Morenatti lost his left foot after being seriously injured by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.
NY Times One in 8 Million Series: Buster English →
The latest profile in the NY Times’ “One in 8 Million” series is great. Buster English lives in a public housing project in Brooklyn with his three teenage daughters. Mr. English’s vegetable garden has won several prizes in the annual garden contest held by the NYC Housing Authority. Best of all, Mr. English says that his garden provides his family fresh food at low...
1 tag
There's something rotten in the state of Denmark. →
Bill Clinton Meets Kim Jong Ill to Negotiate... →
Wow. I wonder how this will pan out.
May 2009
1 post
The End of Plenty →
Great article on the need for a new green revolution and the debate on how it should be achieved.
Guyanese Army Ants
For one of my classes I recently read the Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki. There was a part about ant colonies that, at the risk of sounding like a total geek, was just mind-blowing.
In a jungle in Guyana naturalist William Beebe discovered a huge group of army ants moving in a circle. The circle’s circumference was 1,200 ft, and it took each ant 2.5 hours to complete the loop. ...
November 2007
1 post
Consumer Product Safety Commission a threat to... →
Nancy Nord, chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (aka the Death Star, apparently ), says a Senate bill that would double the agency’s budget and authority would be too difficult to implement and “put the American people at greater risk.”