A sober perspective of the ecological crisis

In Bound to Burn, an article copied here, Peter Huber lays out a realistic perspective of the challenge of redirecting our energy consumption patterns.  It is very sobering.  He outlines the seemingly intractable and growing demand for carbon based fuels, comparing them with an insignificant impact of alternative fuels, concluding that carbon sequestration is the …
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Entrepreneurship Education

A new report in a valuable area has been released by the World Economic Forum.  It is a bit institutionally long winded but has valuable recommendations and worthy objectives. Entrepreneurship Education Executive Summary pdf Full Report pdf

Don’t stress about swine flu.

The scare of a potential pandemic of swine flu is newsworthy, but you shouldn’t get too concerned.  While the rise in deaths (now ~150) makes headlines, these numbers are modest compared to historical pandemics and compared to other causes of death.  The resources available to maintain health and cure illness are far better than they …
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The problem with optimism.

Some readers might be turned-off by my insistence on identifying risks.  But if we assume everything is alright and do not focus on the problems, we are acting out the same folly that fed the economic crisis.  We engender moral hazard and have no incentive to fix the system. I reiterate these concerns now because …
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Crisis and Recovery

The IMF’s WEO Crisis and Recovery is available online.  It is sober reading.  And valuable reading being considered, researched and impartial. Their summary: Global Economy Contracts, With Slow Recovery Next Year A little ironic that it has been released on Earth Day (today).  Or maybe a sign of that economic solutions lie in ecology and …
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Economic meltdown? Don’t forget the ecological meltdown …

Losses of $ 4 Trillion (that’s 12 zeroes).

The IMF has warned that potential losses from the credit crunch could reach $4 trillion and damage the financial system for years to come. It says that even if urgent action is taken to clean up the banking system, the process will be “slow and painful”, delaying economic recovery. It says that banks may need …
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World Digital Library

Would you all please stop bickering.

It was never going to be easy.  Before it had begun important participants, like the US, had already turned up their noses.  The UN conference on racism had a patchy history and was bound to raise hackles. It is unfortunate that “diplomats” walked out of a speech by a President, even if they have difficulty …
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Get happy – get off the earnings ladder!

People who compare their earnings with others are damaging their health, becoming less happy, more depressed, and less satisfied with life overall, according to new research by Professors Andrew Clark and Claudia Senik from the Paris School of Economics, to be presented at the annual conference of the Royal Economic Society. (BBC report here.) This …
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