"Success is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well."
A 'Postcard' View Of China's Global Prominence
Topic: Economics
8:02 pm EST, Jan 6, 2009
Great journalism and coverage of the topic. Listen to the interview on NRP's website.
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Journalist James Fallows explores China's recent rise to power and what it means for the US in his new book of essays, Postcards Tomorrow Square.
A National Correspondent for The Atlanta Monthly, Fallows has been reporting on the economic and political transformation taking place in China since 2006.
Recent Stories # Privacy Issue or Feature: Unpleasant vs Pleasant Surprise # Dick Hardt joins Microsoft # Canada vs US: Identity and Voting # Facebook Connect update # Passport vs OpenID vs Facebook Connect
My friend Steve Clayton, long time employee of Microsoft and general geek genius, posted a video which really blew my mind. The delivery of this “presentation” by Dick Hardt, who recently joined the corporation, is unique in style, and will draw you in, like some crack addict being tempted with a chocoloate fudge brownie.
While this video may not directly involve or to do with students, it’s an interesting delivery style which should be noted for those inevitable presentations we’ll have to give. Also, some of the content about the next generation of identity; how we use it, in what forms, online and offline, is certainly for students. After all, we are the next generation of IT users - this is what we need to look out for.
Journal of a Plague Year: Faith in Markets Cracks Under Losses
Topic: Markets & Investing
3:33 pm EST, Dec 31, 2008
Dec. 31 (Bloomberg) -- It has been a year of record misery: the largest bankruptcy, bank failure and Ponzi scheme in U.S. history; $720 billion in writedowns and losses by financial institutions; $30.1 trillion in market valuation wiped out.
“The wholesale funding model lost its credibility,” said David Hendler, senior analyst at New York-based CreditSights Inc. “That started the semi-nationalization of funding in the financial markets. It’s a real chink in the armor of capitalism as supposedly the best process for allocating capital. The government is now deciding who gets access to capital.”
The price tag has been transcendent, too. Global stock markets lost about half of their value in 2008, or $30.1 trillion dollars. In the U.S., $7.2 trillion of shareholder value was wiped off the books, as the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fell 39 percent through Dec. 30 and the Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 42 percent.
Add Up the Damage: Does anyone know where George W. Bush is?
Topic: United States
1:33 pm EST, Dec 31, 2008
This is the man who gave us the war in Iraq and Guantánamo and torture and rendition; who turned the Clinton economy and the budget surplus into fool’s gold; who dithered while New Orleans drowned; who trampled our civil liberties at home and ruined our reputation abroad; who let Dick Cheney run hog wild and thought Brownie was doing a heckuva job.
This video shows Federal Civil Defense Administration film footage of the March 17, 1953, 16-kiloton ANNIE test and the May 5, 1955, 29-kiloton APPLE-2 test. Both tests were conducted at the Nevada Test Site; ANNIE being part of Operation Upshot-Knothole, and APPLE-2 being part of Operation Teapot. The titles, Operation Doorstep and Cue, were Civil Defense Program names.
Operation Doorstep and Operation Cue. This video shows Federal Civil Defense Administration film footage. In the Operation Doorstep portion, footage shows blast and thermal effects on mannequins, automobiles, and wooden frame houses.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The Iraqi Cabinet on Sunday approved a security pact that would set the terms for U.S. troops in Iraq.
The agreement sets June 30, 2009, as the deadline for U.S. troops to withdraw from all Iraqi cities and towns, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said.
The date for all troops to leave Iraq will be December 31, 2011, he said.
Levin: Big 3 CEOs should resign if necessary to get federal aid
Topic: Industries
4:15 pm EST, Nov 16, 2008
WASHINGTON -- Michigan Sen. Carl Levin said Sunday the top executives of Detroit's Big Three automakers should consider resigning if necessary to convince Congress to quickly pass up to $25 billion in emergency loans for the struggling companies. "If it was the difference between getting this kind of support or not, obviously the management should consider resigning," Levin told NBC's "Meet the Press."
The Detroit Democrat said the government "should have more than a say" in management through an oversight board that would oversee the $25 billion in loans if they are part of the broader $700 billion Wall Street bailout, the source Democrats pushing for the aid prefer.
"I'd be happy to tell (GM CEO) Rick Wagoner that he ought to consider resigning if that is the difference between getting this kind of support and not," Levin said.
Don't let a misplaced bottle opener stand between you and a delicious beverage. If you find yourself with well-chilled bottle of beer but painfully without a proper bottle opener, don't despair. Bottled beverage-lovers at wikiHow have put together a detailed guide for getting that cap off with nothing more than a ring and your gritty determination. Check out the following video to see the magic in action:
Arthur Laffer, economist and author of The End of Prosperity, says President-elect Barack Obama's tax plans and reckless spending by Congress will sink the U.S. economy and stock-market investors.
