I’m a fan of Bret Stephens, the regular conservative voice on the New York Times op-ed pages. In today’s column, he argues that the U.S. needs a new “liberal” party. What catches my eye is his definition of liberal. By “liberal,” I don’t mean big-state welfarism. I mean the tenets [continue reading . . . ]
That’s the title of a new book by Kishore Mahbubani, a Singaporean scholar, author and diplomat and former president of the United Nations Security Council. Subtitle: The Chinese Challenge to American Primacy. Mahbubani, the so-called “muse of the Asian century” per his Amazon blurb, is plowing familiar ground. Exactly two [continue reading . . . ]
Well-done piece in the New York Times today on the politics of the coronavirus. Here’s an excerpt: As Republicans prepare for a re-election battle almost certain to hinge on perceptions of the Trump administration’s readiness and efficiency in performing its most solemn duty — to protect American lives — the [continue reading . . . ]
From Andy Kessler’s column in today’s (March 20, 2020) Wall Street Journal: By now you may have read about how Isaac Newton, while sheltering in place during the 1665 closure of the University of Cambridge for the bubonic plague, used his free time to discover gravity and invent calculus. And [continue reading . . . ]
Somewhere in the past I remember a quote that goes something like this: “My idea of a good conversation is to find someone who will listen to me.” I had thought it was Oscar Wilde or perhaps George Bernard Shaw. But I can’t seem to nail down proper attribution. Can [continue reading . . . ]
Thoughts on sheltering in place from Donald G. McNeil Jr., the New York Times reporter who has been covering epidemics for two decades: It’s very, very inconvenient. It destroys your vacation plans. My niece’s wedding is off. People are heartbroken over this, but it beats being dead, or having somebody [continue reading . . . ]
Will we live in a unipolar world dominated by China in 20 or 30 years? Not likely, says Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs. Writing in the Financial Times, Sachs notes that China’s economy, already larger than that of the U.S. measured at international prices (what is called purchasing-power parity), will [continue reading . . . ]
From a December 15 2018 review in the Financial Times of Seasonal Associate, a new book about work in an Amazon.com warehouse: [M]ost of us are both customers and workers, but for the former to be treated like kings, must the latter be made to bow and scrape? For Henry [continue reading . . . ]
Don’t miss Greg Ip’s column in the Wall Street Journal Feb. 22, 2018, on increasing oil production in the United States and its implications. The article is behind a paywall. If you are not a subscriber (as I have been for 50 years), your library card might do the trick. [continue reading . . . ]
As we move into a New Year, here are some thoughts that stimulate my weak brain: The ascendance of Mr Trump — added to the growing power of China — has changed the political atmosphere around the world. There is such a thing as a global mood and the signals [continue reading . . . ]
As Amazon.com stock flirts with $1,000 a share*, here are some thoughts to ponder from the Wall Street Journal (editorial page May 19, 2017): Amazon marks 20 years as a public company this week, and if you got in on the ground floor you have a lot to celebrate. A $100 [continue reading . . . ]
Buried in yesterday’s knockout earnings report from Amazon.com is detail that will further encourage Amazon bulls but disappoint anyone trying to get a job at the Everything Store. In the quarter to the end of March, Amazon added a mere 9,600 to its army of full- and part-time employees, for [continue reading . . . ]