While much has changed since Earth Day was founded, unfortunately much has remained the same. The US is once again engaged in war, people still drive gas guzzling vehicles, and we all waste far too much of the Earth’s resources.
"Since our last meeting, there have been at times sharp fluctuations in major currencies, and we are concerned about their possible implications for economic and financial stability," says the statement from this weekend’s G7 meeting.
Men have endlessly enjoyed making nasty remarks about women’s hormonal cycles. But a recently published study concludes that male traders are to blame for stock market bubbles and their subsequent crashes. The findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences recommend that “you could stabilize financial markets by hiring more women and older…
"Since our last meeting, there have been at times sharp fluctuations in major currencies, and we are concerned about their possible implications for economic and financial stability," says the statement from this weekend’s G7 meeting. It was the first time since the Prague meeting of 2000 that the G7 have united to voice explicit concern…
Photo:trackrecord, Creative Commons, Flickr Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has become extremely concerned that his legacy is being tarnished by the loud chorus of critics who blame him for engineering the housing bubble. After being criticized by several economists for his March 17 op-ed piece in the Financial Times, Greenspan was back Monday morning,…
It was refreshing to read Anatole Kaletsky’s contrarian piece in Sunday’s London Times, and it should be required reading for all investors. "I am probably the only economist left in the world who still believes that a U.S. recession is likely to be avoided," says Kaletsky. Given the massive amount of doom and gloom in…
Bill Clinton calling Jay-Z is the third of my three aspirational and fictional ideas that are (relatively) cheap, that would make concrete environmental gains, that could be accomplished almost instantaneously by motivated people in positions of power (by phone calls, in two cases), and that would immediately set an agenda for the next election.
A policy shift at Conde Nast is the second of my three aspirational and fictional ideas that are (relatively) cheap, that would make concrete environmental gains, that could be accomplished almost instantaneously by motivated people in positions of power (by phone calls, in two cases), and that would immediately set an agenda for the next…
The University Consortium is one of my three aspirational and fictional ideas that are (relatively) cheap, that would make concrete environmental gains, that could be accomplished almost instantaneously by motivated people in positions of power (by phone calls, in two cases), and that would immediately set an agenda for the next election.
Photo:refractionless, Creative Commons, Flickr Welcome to April. On Sunday night, 3/30, Al Gore announced his new $300 million public service ad campaign on "60 Minutes." The hopefulness of the moment was undercut by the Toyota (TM – $102.90) dealer ad that preceded the segment. The Toyota spot featured good deals on the Sequoia and the…
Photo:Jeronimo’s Eye, Creative Commons, Flickr Bond had been offered the Aston Martin or a Jaguar 3.4. He had taken the D.B.III. Either of the cars would have suited his cover – a well-to-do, rather adventurous young man with a taste for the good, the fast things of life. But the D.B.III had the advantage of…
“Remember Friday, March, 14 2008: it was the day the dream of global free-market capitalism died,” says the Financial Times‘ Martin Wolf. “For three decades we have moved towards market-driven financial systems. By its decision to rescue Bear Stearns, the Federal Reserve, the institution responsible for monetary policy in the U.S., chief protagonist of free-market…
It seems that the parties involved in JPMorgans (JPM – $46.44) takeover of Bear Stearns (BSC – $10.87) like to work on the deal on holidays, Sundays, and when the Moon is Void-of-Course.* Following are the bear facts about the amended deal between JPM and BSC. If The Wall Street Journal timeline is accurate, Bears…
Is the commodity bubble about to pop? Edward Hadas at BreakingViews.com argues that commodities have become the last refuge for speculators as other bubbles have popped. But it looks like the party is now over. The Economist talks about the biological reasons why so many people believe in God, gods and religion in general. Still…
Is this the real price?Is this just fantasy?Financial landslideNo escape from reality
In response to Michelle Haimoff's piece about the environment and religion, here's another example of people mushing religion and environment together (but they usually do it to attack environmentalists). And here's the central argument from Shellenberger and Nordhaus:
Budget blueprint: The House and Senate take the first major step in the budget process this week, voting on their respective "budget resolutions" which act as a blueprint for the twelve spending bills Congress will churn out this year. Weighing in at $3 trillion, the current drafts top the president's budget proposal by about $20…
Congress busies itself with a couple of dead-end bills this week on energy, housing and Iraq, while long-stalled action – on the Farm Bill, secret intelligence courts, consumer product safety and patent reform – simmers on the side. The House revives an energy bill that would extend and build out alternative energy incentives. While lawmakers…
A depressing little story from The Irish Examiner notes that “Ireland Inc is well positioned to benefit from new tax laws aimed at foreigners living and working in Britain, which may result in an exodus of wealthy expatriates.” The background to this story is straightforward. Resident, non-domiciled individuals in Britain pay tax only on income…
Listening In. Congress could wrap up a surveillance bill if all goes well this week. The bill would roughly legalize a secret wiretap program that let feds listen in on foreign phone calls, while at the same time adding a bit of oversight from the courts and Congress and, possibly, giving telecoms immunity from lawsuits…
In May of 2008, construction on the Minnesota Pipeline Company's (MPL) MinnCan pipeline will start. In 2009, the first oil from the Athabascan Tar Sands may begin running through the line, connecting the Enbridge Energy Partner's (EEP – $50.70) pipeline and oil-tank farm at Clearbrook, Minnesota to refineries in Rosemount.
Imagine a theft has just been committed. A big one – say billions of dollars. Imagine everyone can see what has been stolen, and from whom. It’s clear who has ended up with the goods, but it’s impossible to prove they stole it. Some people say it was an inside job, that one of the…
Will McDonald's qualify as an Olympic Sustainability Partner?
Starwood (HOT – $38.97) has announced the introduction of “element, inspired by Westin,” a new hotel brand with an identity deeply rooted in well-being and environmental sustainability.
Corporate social responsibility is more than a buzz word. For better or worse, it has joined mainstream business lingo and is changing the landscape of the private, public, and social sector. This week's Economist delves into the many facets of CSR in its special report on the issue. The articles range in topic from the…