text:
Dilbert explains comparative advantage
After the comic, I explain a bit about comparative advantage (a post from 2018).
I think it means the not smart ones have a lower opportunity cost of their time, which gives them a comparative advantage.
Now the post from 2018:
Do looks matter for an academic career in economics?
From Marginal Revolution.
"It seems they do:
We document appearance effects in the economics profession. Using unique data on PhD graduates from ten of the top economics departments in the United States we test whether more attractive individuals are more likely to succeed. We find robust evidence that appearance has predictive power for job outcomes and research productivity. Attractive individuals are more likely to study at higher ranked PhD institutions and are more likely to be placed at higher-ranking academic institutions not only for their first job, but also for jobs as many as 15 years after their graduation, even when we control for the ranking of PhD institution and first job. Appearance also predicts the success of research output: while it does not predict the number of papers an individual writes, it predicts the number of citations for a given number of papers, again even when we control for the ranking of the PhD institution and first job. All these effects are robust, statistically significant, and substantial in magnitude.
That is from a recent paper by Galina Hale, Tali Regev, and Yona Rubinstein. Via John Chilton."
Here are some related posts:
Better Looking Real Estate Agents Make More Money
Do looks matter?
Do Good Looking People Get Better Loan Terms?
Do Looks Help In The Job Market?
From The Life Is Not Fair Category: Better Looking, Tall, Thin People Make More Money
The Unfairness of Unattractiveness
Higher economic status can offset lower physical attractiveness in men much more easily than in women
The vaccine lottery is a worthwhile investment
"Conditional cash lotteries (CCLs) provide people with opportunities to win monetary prizes only if they make specific behavioral changes. We conduct a case study of Ohio's Vax-A-Million initiative, the first CCL targeting COVID-19 vaccinations. Forming a synthetic control from other states, we find that Ohio's incentive scheme increases the vaccinated share of state population by 1.5 percent (0.7 pp), costing sixty-eight dollars per person persuaded to vaccinate. We show this causes significant reductions in COVID-19, preventing at least one infection for every six vaccinations that the lottery had successfully encouraged. These findings are promising for similar CCL public health initiatives.
That is from a new paper by Andrew Barber and Jeremy West."
Ohio sees surge in vaccinations after offering $5 million lottery
Florida counties give away vaccine for free and there are long lines
The Best Herd Immunity Money Can Buy
Each sex tended to report more demanding preferences for attractiveness and resources where the opposite sex was abundant, compared to where the opposite sex was scarce
See Sex differences in human mate preferences vary across sex ratios from The Proceedings of The Royal Society.
"Abstract
A wide range of literature connects sex ratio and mating behaviours in non-human animals. However, research examining sex ratio and human mating is limited in scope. Prior work has examined the relationship between sex ratio and desire for short-term, uncommitted mating as well as outcomes such as marriage and divorce rates. Less empirical attention has been directed towards the relationship between sex ratio and mate preferences, despite the importance of mate preferences in the human mating literature. To address this gap, we examined sex ratio's relationship to the variation in preferences for attractiveness, resources, kindness, intelligence and health in a long-term mate across 45 countries (n = 14 487). We predicted that mate preferences would vary according to relative power of choice on the mating market, with increased power derived from having relatively few competitors and numerous potential mates. We found that each sex tended to report more demanding preferences for attractiveness and resources where the opposite sex was abundant, compared to where the opposite sex was scarce. This pattern dovetails with those found for mating strategies in humans and mate preferences across species, highlighting the importance of sex ratio for understanding variation in human mate preferences."
Is It Okay To Use An App To Bribe Someone Into Going On A Date?
Who wrote your potential love's online dating profile? (maybe they outsourced it to a professional who specializes in that)
When Women Earn More Than Men, Is Dating Affected?
Who Pays on the First Date? No One Knows Anymore, and It's Really Awkward
Can Giving Up Money And Material Things Lead To More Love?
Can You Put A Price Tag On Love?
Do Opposites Attract? Not Usually, Except Maybe When It Comes To Money
eHarmony To Provide Personal Counselors To Help You Find Mr. Or Ms. Right
Do Women Really Value Income over Looks in a Mate? by Marina Adshade
Arming Women for the Dating Battlefield
There really is a marriage market in many countries
Do Monkeys Pay for Sex?
Posted by Cyril Morong at 8:39 AM No comments:
Texas power companies seek to shift storm prep costs onto consumers
By Eric Dexheimer of The Houston Chronicle. Excerpts:
"Thanks to skyrocketing energy costs during the February freeze that paralyzed the state and killed hundreds of people, Texans will be paying billions of dollars in higher gas and electric bills for decades.
Now, energy companies are asking to pass on to ratepayers millions, even billions in additional storm-related costs.
Last month, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law new rules intended to strengthen an energy grid that failed Texans during a week of subfreezing temperatures. "Bottom line is that everything that needed to be done was done to fix the power grid in Texas," he said at the time.
A major component of Senate Bill 3 was a requirement that electric companies weatherize their facilities to withstand future freezes — something lawmakers failed to do after a 2011 winter storm froze power equipment and caused rolling blackouts.
Yet the new law didn't say who should pay for the upgrades. In recent filings with the Public Utility Commission of Texas, several large electric generating companies have said residents — not the investor-owned companies themselves — should cover the cost of weatherproofing their equipment.
Because the new requirements "represent a societal judgment that mandates an additional investment in additional extreme weather conditions," it makes sense for the public to pick up the tab, Houston-based Calpine Corp. said in a filing.
The companies said that if they had to bear the costs of weatherization, it could make the Texas grid less reliable.
Absorbing the costs might cause some companies to become uncompetitive in the cutthroat Texas energy market, which would force them to take generating facilities offline, said Texas Competitive Power Advocates, which represents electric generating companies."
"the new law requires generators and transmission companies to weatherize their equipment enough to withstand a future severe storm. Failure to do so could result in a penalty of $1 million per day."
"the details of what weatherization will look like were left up to the utility commission. The agency has until September to write the necessary regulations"
"Several electric companies warned against a one-size-fits-all rule, noting that a generation facility in Lubbock may require very different cold weather protection from one in Houston. Older plants, too, may have different needs than modern equipment.
The companies also noted the challenge of installing insulation, windbreaks and heaters while having to protect the same generating equipment from intense summer heat several months later. "The commission should balance whether certain requirements for cold weather preparedness have a corresponding reduction in summer output," wrote Vistra Corp."
"estimates of the costs of mandated weatherization have varied widely"
"An April study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas pegged the cost of winterizing the entire Texas energy system at $430 million a year. The study concluded that was a reasonable expense, compared with the damage February's storm did to the state economy, estimated at $80 to $130 billion." [Texas has a population of about 29 million so this works about to about $15 a year per person to winterize the energy system]
"Ratepayers probably will end up paying many of the new mandated storm prep costs. Transmission companies can petition the Public Utility Commission for permission to charge higher rates to recover extraordinary costs. Municipal utilities and co-ops can obtain cash through local governments or members to upgrade their equipment."
"companies said having to spend millions of dollars on the new requirements could force them to reduce the size of their generating fleets, which would mean less power when the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state's grid manager, needs it most."
"Whether state leaders intended for the companies or the public to cover the costs is unclear. The power companies say Abbott signaled that he wanted generators to be able to recover their costs when he directed the Legislature to mandate weatherization but also "to ensure the necessary funding.""
"Consumer advocates respond that lawmakers had ample opportunity to approve public funding for weatherization — one failed bill would have used money from the state's rainy day fund — but chose not to do so. That suggests they intended that the companies should pay for it, the advocates say."
Some provisions of the new law regulating the Texas power grid
Companies were paid to cut off power during February storm in Texas
Many Jobs Lost During the Coronavirus Pandemic Just Aren't Coming Back
Companies see automation and other labor-saving steps as a way to emerge from the health crisis with a permanently smaller workforce
By Lauren Weber of The WSJ.
There are different types of unemployment (seasonal, frictional, structural and cyclical).
Structural-unemployment caused by a mismatch between the skills of job seekers and the requirements of available jobs.
One example of this is when you are replaced by a machine. Another example is when there is a fall in demand for your product, so you get laid off, like with typewriters since people now use computers. A third example is geographical, when the jobs are not in your region of the country.
Excerpts from the WSJ article:
"Job openings are at a record high, leaving the impression that employers are hiring like never before. But many businesses that laid off workers during the pandemic are already predicting they will need fewer employees in the future.
As with past economic shocks, the pandemic-induced recession was a catalyst for employers to invest in automation and implement other changes designed to curb hiring. In industries ranging from hotels to aerospace to restaurants, businesses have reviewed their operations and discovered ways to save on labor costs for the long term.
Economic data show that companies have learned to do more with less over the last 16 months or so. Output nearly recovered to pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2021—down just 0.5% from the end of 2019—even though U.S. workers put in 4.3% fewer hours than they did before the health crisis."
"The U.S. tax code encourages investments in automation, particularly after the Trump administration's tax cuts, said Daron Acemoglu, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who studies the impact of automation on workers. Firms pay around 25 cents in taxes for every dollar they pay workers, compared with 5 cents for every dollar spent on machines because companies can write off capital investments, he said.
Given the expense and complexity of large automation projects, they aren't always the right solution for companies facing worker shortages or wanting to reduce costs, Mr. Acemoglu said. But there are a lot of piecemeal automation steps that companies can take that might be cost-effective, he added: "If you're going to try to completely revamp your factory, that's very expensive. But if you're a retailer, if you introduce 10 checkout kiosks, that's not very expensive.""
Can computers write poetry? Could they replace poets?
Will computer programs replace newspaper columnists?
McDonald's Tests Robot Fryers and Voice-Activated Drive-Throughs: Burger giant wants to speed service as competition for fast-food diners mounts
Is Walmart adding robots to replace workers or because it is hard to find workers?
Robot Journalists-A Case Of Structural Unemployment?
Structural Unemployment In The News-Computers Can Now Tell Jokes
WHAT do you get when you cross a fragrance with an actor?
Answer: a smell Gibson.
Robot jockeys in camel races
Are Computer Programs Replacing Journalists?
Automation Can Actually Create More Jobs
The Robots Are Coming And It Might Not Be A Case of Structural Unemployment
Broncos to debut beer-pouring robot at upcoming game
Robots Are Ready to Shake (and Stir) Up Bars
Is Covid causing some structural unemployment?
Is Covid causing some structural unemployment? (Part 2)
Warehouses Look to Robots to Fill Labor Gaps, Speed Deliveries
Is unemployment still high because of structural unemployment?
The Pizza Delivery Guy Will Be a Robot at Many Campuses This Fall
How to Motivate Your Teen to Be a Safer Driver
Showing teenage drivers how to avoid being distracted behind the wheel works better than nagging them to put their phones away, research finds
By Julie Jargon of The WSJ. Excerpts:
"Through apps from insurers and other providers, parents can track their teens on the road and see how well they're driving."
"An age-old parenting quandary is whether and when to use positive reinforcement or punishment with children. When it comes to teen driving, the stakes for choosing the right approach are high. Do you take away teens' driving privileges if the tracking apps show them to be speeding or using their phones too much while driving, or do you focus on what they're doing right?"
"Summer is the most dangerous time of year for auto accidents, and new teen drivers are three times as likely as adults to be involved in a deadly crash, according to the Automobile Association of America. Distraction plays a role in about 6 out of 10 teen crashes."
One man "had been using State Farm's Drive Safe & Save app to keep tabs on his young drivers, and to receive insurance discounts if they drove without speeding or braking too hard."
"A State Farm spokesman said the app positively reinforces safe driving behavior by offering insurance-premium discounts up to 30%."
"New research is emerging that shows positive reinforcement works best with drivers, according to a study out of Australia and preliminary findings from University of Pennsylvania researchers, who are still analyzing data collected from more than 2,000 drivers. In their study, one group of drivers received weekly feedback from Progressive Auto Insurance's Snapshot app on how their hand-held phone use while driving compared with that of others in their age group; another group received up to $50 at the end of a seven-week period if their phone use was among the lowest in their demographic group; and another received both feedback and the monetary incentive."
"Still another group received weekly feedback and weekly incremental incentives that could add up to $50 if the driver had comparatively low phone use all seven weeks. Depending on how their phone use compared with others for the week, they would either earn or forfeit money. They would receive text notifications letting them know how much of their weekly allotment they had received—or sacrificed.
Drivers who were promised money at the end of the study for keeping their phone use comparatively low showed a 17% reduction in phone use, compared with a control group. The drivers whose earnings were meted out week by week did even better, reducing their phone use by 23%. "Showing people how much they were losing each week created regret," said lead study author Kit Delgado, an emergency room physician and associate director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics at the University of Pennsylvania."
Lose the Fat to Lower Your Insurance Rates
How Did Astronauts Of The 60s "Purchase" Life Insurance?
Should Overweight People Pay More For Health Insurance?
Should We Pay People To Adopt A Healthy Lifestyle?
'Spy car' worries raised by new Allstate patent
Should your company or insurer reward you for meeting exercise goals?
How insurance companies are using technology to better assess how risky customers might be
The EU Says Insurers Can No Longer Discriminate On The Basis Of Gender
Some History of Insurance
The EU forbids the use of gender to help calculate car insurance premiums, leading women to pay more and men to pay less
This Summer, Jobs Come With a Hefty Signing Bonus
As companies grow more desperate to fill open roles, some dangle incentives worth $1,000 or more
By Patrick Thomas of The WSJ. Excerpts:
"Signing bonuses are usually reserved for professional athletes and a privileged few white-collar professionals. Not this summer.
As U.S. employers' search for hires increases in urgency—especially in the manufacturing, logistics, healthcare and food-service industries—truck drivers, hotel cleaners and warehouse workers are being offered signing bonuses of hundreds and even thousands of dollars.
Nearly 20% of all jobs posted on job search site ZipRecruiter in June offer a signing bonus, up from 2% of jobs advertised on the job search site in March. The states with the highest shares of job listings that include a signing bonus are Iowa, Missouri, Vermont, Wyoming and Arkansas, according to ZipRecruiter labor economist Julia Pollak.
Hiring bonus offers start at $500 and quickly rise from there. Job postings across sectors show that a $1,000 hiring bonus is quickly becoming table stakes in recruiting hourly workers who make between $16.50 and $25 an hour. The $1,000 hiring bonus is advertised on jobs listed for apartment-complex groundskeepers in Texas, movers in Florida, cabinet makers in Georgia, housekeepers in Wisconsin, pool cleaners in New Mexico and welders in Ohio, among others."
"Cash signing bonuses are attractive to employers because they are a one-time cost and don't require raising wages for the long term or paying out greater benefits indefinitely, such as more paid vacation time, said Brad Hershbein, senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. The bonuses appeal to potential employees, especially new college graduates and lower-wage workers, who may need the cash up front for expenses such as rent payments, he added."
Economic benefits from mega-events like the Olympics are often overstated
See Are the Olympics ever worth it for the host city? by Tim Hyde of the American Economic Association. Excerpts:
"A study appearing in the Spring issue of the Journal of Economic Perspectives breaks down the costs and benefits of hosting the Olympic Games and explains why some of the perceived economic blessings of the Olympics are mostly wishful thinking.
In Going for the Gold: The Economics of the Olympics (PDF), authors Robert Baade and Victor Matheson consult estimates from academic, public, and media sources on the costs and benefits of hosting the Games. As with any mega-event, costs and benefits can be hard to estimate, but the general story is clear: for most modern Olympics, the costs have far outstripped the benefits.
The direct costs of hosting the Games are probably easier to estimate and tabulate. First there is the non-trivial cost of mounting a bid, which can run into the hundreds of millions of dollars for planning, marketing, and architectural renderings."
"often the bids must include plans for new hotel capacity and dormitories."
"The IOC will tend to favor the city that makes the most lavish offer of gleaming new facilities and infrastructure improvements, so the bidding process can give way to a "winner's curse" effect. The city that wins tends to be the one that overestimated the value of hosting the Olympics the most, and hence the one that went furthest overboard in their bid.
Once the Olympics have been assigned, the host city must typically spend billions of dollars building transit and airport improvements, reaching the requisite hotel capacity, and constructing specialized athletic facilities like a swimming facility, a velodrome, or a larger stadium that can accommodate an Olympic track. Disentangling these costs from planned infrastructure improvements that would have happened even in the absence of the Olympics can be difficult, but the best estimates put the cost of hosting at between $5 and $15 billion for most recent events."
"The costs are clear, but the benefits of hosting the Olympics can be substantial as well, even if they are usually overstated by overzealous city officials or self-interested boosters. Host cities receive revenue from ticketing and sponsorships, and local organizing committees receive a share of the proceeds from the sale of television broadcast rights. These benefits are easy to quantify, but don't add up to a significant fraction of the hosting costs in most cases. Vancouver 2010 produced about $1.5 billion in direct revenues and London 2012 about $3.3 billion; in each case, far less than the costs.
The rest of the benefits are more nebulous. Proponents tout supposed benefits ranging from the economic stimulus provided by construction demand, to increased tourism during and after the games thanks to a worldwide advertising campaign, to increased foreign investment and better trade connections, to an improved sports infrastructure for future generations (this last benefit is most easily debunked). The authors argue that most of these benefits tend to be less than hoped, or only appear in specific situations.
Infrastructure improvements can provide a form of fiscal stimulus to a city with a slack labor market, but if the city's economy is near full employment anyway in the years leading up to the Games, the extra construction jobs are more likely to come at the expense of other sectors.
Tourism, meanwhile, can be crowded out by the hustle and bustle of the Olympics themselves – Beijing and London both saw fewer international visitors during the months they were hosting the Olympics in 2008 and 2012 compared to the same months in previous years, and Utah ski resorts noticed a dip in traffic during the 2001-02 ski season that coincided with the Salt Lake City games.
A few cities have had success generating future tourism business with the Olympics...But many other host cities ... have seen limited increases in tourism after their games.
One study did find that countries hosting the Olympics see a 20% increase in export trade in the years after hosting, relative to similarly-situated countries, which might go a long way to justifying the economic expense of hosting the event. But the same study found similar gains for countries where cities unsuccessfully bid for the Olympics. The authors suggest that the very act of bidding for the Olympic Games suggests a government is looking to increase international connections and willing to make infrastructure investments, which can attract foreign interest.
It is also likely that the types of cities that decide to mount bids are on an economic upswing and poised for growth, and actually winning that bid might be more likely to stunt that growth rather than accelerate it.
The balance of evidence is that the economic costs of hosting the Olympics far outpace the benefits, so why do cities bother to bid at all? One possibility is civic pride or the desire to affirm a city's status as a "world city."
These benefits are hard to translate into economic terms, but two careful studies used contingent valuation survey methods (similar to the techniques economists use to see how much people value maintaining the rainforests or keeping a species from extinction) to measure this benefit in the runup to the 2012 Olympics in London. They found that people across the United Kingdom collectively valued the opportunity to host the Olympics at about £2 billion, still well short of the cost of hosting."
Does It Pay to Host the Olympics?
Canada Wins The Olympics! (based on the market value of the medals)
Montana Boomtown Jumps to No. 1 on WSJ/Realtor.com Housing Market Index
Rankings show how the housing boom has ignited homebuying in smaller to midsize cities around the U.S
By Nicole Friedman of The WSJ.
This is a follow up to yesterday's post about the indifference principle. This shows that people will move to what they think is a better city (which could make costs higher there, and it ends up not being any better). People are moving to Billings, Montana and housing prices are rising much faster there than across the country. It probably won't be long until people will be indifferent to moving there or staying put since it is getting more expensive and that will eat up any extra benefits it might have.
"Billings, Mont., is the new No. 1 on The Wall Street Journal/Realtor.com Emerging Housing Markets Index, boosted by its affordability and appeal to remote workers.
The index reflects how the housing boom has ignited homebuying activity in smaller to midsize cities around the U.S. The top 20 cities in the ranking have an average population size of just over 300,000."
"The index identifies the top metro areas for home buyers seeking an appreciating housing market and appealing lifestyle amenities. This quarter's version added the new criteria of real-estate taxes, which caused some areas in the Northeast, Midwest and Texas with higher property taxes to fall in the rankings."
"Billings, the biggest city in Montana, rose from the fourth spot to the first due to its low unemployment, affordability and booming housing market. With a metro-area population of about 184,000, Billings had a 3% unemployment rate in May, or about half the national rate."
"The average single-family home-sale price in Billings and the surrounding area was $376,248 in June, up 32% from a year earlier"
"Home prices in the top 20 markets in the index have risen 13.7% on average in the past year, outpacing an 8% rise for all 300 areas"
The Indifference Principle Comes To San Antonio
The economist Steven Landsburg gave this definition for the "Indifference Principle." "Except when people have unusual tastes or unusual talents, all activities must be equally desirable" (from his book "The Armchair Economist").
Two recent articles touch on this:
12 San Antonio companies that have been named best places to work each of the last 5 years: The San Antonio Business Journal has crowned these local employers multiple times from KSAT.
San Antonio dramatically drops on U.S. News & World Report's best places to live by Sarah Martinez of mysanantonio.com. (We fell to No. 75, a 34-point drop from 2020 when San Antonio ranked No. 41)
For the first one on best places to work, the article says:
"Here are a few characteristics that come across multiple times across many of the repeat best places to work companies:
Care for their employees first, which translates to excellent customer service for their respective customers
Team engagement through fun family or company-wide outings or even through online platforms throughout the pandemic
Periodical "State of the Company" addresses by upper-management
Employee bonuses
Focus on professional development and education initiatives such as tuition reimbursement or attendance to go conferences or workshops
Free food or goodies in the office or delivered to their house
Health-focused programs and incentives
Laying out specific strategic goals and providing consistent yearly reviews for employees"
Having all those benefits and programs certainly makes a business a great place for employees. But if that is so, then more people will start applying for jobs there. The company could then start offering lower salaries and the workers end up paying for it. There would be a cost that offsets those extra benefits. Potential job seekers then would be indifferent between getting a job at one of these "best places" and a job at a company not listed.
Same with the second article ("The publication considered data related to affordability, quality of life, job prospects, and other factors to determine its ranking.")
If a city has a high quality of life, then more people want to move there. But that raises prices (like housing, for instance). Then it costs more to get those extra benefits from the quality of life. As more people come here, prices keep rising and eventually all the extra benefits are completely offset by the higher cost of living). Maybe it is not a surprise that San Antonio fell in the rankings.
San Antonio cracks top 25 on U.S. News and World Report's "Best Places to Live"
What Is Is the Richest City in America?
North Dakota Is Number One!
Can Some Places Really Be The "Best" Places To Retire To?
The Top Budget Vacation Spot Is...Austin, Texas!?
There's No Such Thing As A Free Lunch (Or A Free Concert)
America's Most Affordable Places to Retire
The 10 Most Affordable Housing Markets
The Covid recession lasted two months
See Business Cycle Dating Committee Announcement July 19, 2021 from NBER. Excerpts:
"The Business Cycle Dating Committee of the National Bureau of Economic Research maintains a chronology of the peaks and troughs of US business cycles. The committee has determined that a trough in monthly economic activity occurred in the US economy in April 2020. The previous peak in economic activity occurred in February 2020. The recession lasted two months, which makes it the shortest US recession on record.
The NBER chronology does not identify the precise moment that the economy entered a recession or expansion. In the NBER's convention for measuring the duration of a recession, the first month of the recession is the month following the peak and the last month is the month of the trough. Because the most recent trough was in April 2020, the last month of the recession was April 2020, and May 2020 was the first month of the subsequent expansion.
In determining that a trough occurred in April 2020, the committee did not conclude that the economy has returned to operating at normal capacity. An expansion is a period of rising economic activity spread across the economy, normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales. Economic activity is typically below normal in the early stages of an expansion, and it sometimes remains so well into the expansion.
The committee decided that any future downturn of the economy would be a new recession and not a continuation of the recession associated with the February 2020 peak. The basis for this decision was the length and strength of the recovery to date."
"The NBER's traditional definition of a recession involves a decline in economic activity that lasts more than a few months. For example, the previous shortest recession occurred in the first half of 1980 and lasted six months. However, in deciding whether to identify a recession, the committee weighs the depth of the contraction, its duration, and whether economic activity declined broadly across the economy (the diffusion of the downturn). The recent downturn had different characteristics and dynamics than prior recessions. Nonetheless, the committee concluded that the unprecedented magnitude of the decline in employment and production, and its broad reach across the entire economy, warranted the designation of this episode as a recession, even though the downturn was briefer than earlier contractions."
When the U.S. Gave Up Gold
Fifty years ago, President Nixon turned the dollar into a fiat currency, overturning the basic monetary arrangements of the postwar era
By Jeffrey E. Garten. Mr. Garten is dean emeritus of the Yale School of Management. He has written a book called "Three Days at Camp David: How a Secret Meeting in 1971 Transformed the Global Economy." Excerpts:
"Fifty years ago next month, at a secret weekend meeting at Camp David, President Richard Nixon and his top economic advisors decided to take the U.S. off the gold standard. The dramatic move, announced by the president upon his return to the White House on August 15, 1971, suspended the most fundamental rules of the international monetary system, affecting the prices of all products, commodities and services in world commerce."
"Nixon's decision overturned arrangements created by the U.S. and its wartime allies in 1944 at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, where Washington had agreed to exchange dollars for gold at a rate of $35 per ounce. Making the dollar convertible into gold, and pegging every other currency to dollars at a fixed rate, was meant to inject stability into international commerce. The hope was to avoid the sort of competitive currency depreciations and rampant tariff increases that had worsened the Great Depression in the 1930s and helped to precipitate a world war.
The dollar-gold link was credible because Uncle Sam owned most of the world's gold after the war—and because American leaders publicly stressed their commitment to the agreement."
"Confidence in its solidity fueled the phenomenal recovery of Japan and Western Europe from wartime devastation and played a big part in the American economic boom of the 1950s and 60s."
"So why did Nixon cast aside this system? In the late 1960s, inflation began to accelerate, and holders of dollars feared the erosion of the currency's purchasing power. At the same time, U.S. trade balances were deteriorating, thanks to fierce competition in manufactured goods from Japan and West Germany. Protectionist sentiment in the country was growing. The Nixon administration, congressional leaders and many CEOs believed that the link to gold overvalued the dollar, making U.S. imports too cheap and exports too expensive. They thought that severing the gold link would devalue the dollar in relation to other currencies and boost American trade.
Perhaps more important was the fact that the U.S. no longer had the gold supplies to convert all the world's dollars. In 1955, U.S. gold reserves exceeded dollars held by foreign governments and central banks by 160%; by 1971, those reserves equaled just 25% of dollars held abroad."
"policy makers were deeply concerned that if too many countries requested gold for dollars, Washington would have to abruptly end its pledge of convertibility. Such a failure, it was feared, would not only undermine U.S. credibility in international finance but raise questions in the minds of allies about the durability of American military commitments under NATO and other treaties."
"The Camp David decisions opened the way for new arrangements, in which exchange rates were not fixed against one another and not backed by gold, but instead allowed to float up and down depending on market forces. Nothing tangible backed currencies—only domestic economic conditions and international trust in a country's policies and institutions."
"In the years between 1945 and 1971, there were hardly any global banking crises. The era of floating exchange rates, by contrast, has produced many"
"floating exchange rates also had benefits. They could accommodate rapid changes in the global economy, such as gyrating oil prices or new competitive pressures from emerging markets. They allowed trade and capital flows to flourish, which helped to lower prices and expand consumer choices while dramatically reducing global poverty."
Monetary Policy and the Great Crash of 1929: A Bursting Bubble or Collapsing Fundamentals?
Does The Increase In The Price Of Gold Mean More Inflation In The Near Future?
Is There Economic And Political Meaning In "The Wizard of Oz?"
Inflation Threat May Be Boosted by Changes in Globalization, Demographics and E-Commerce
Economists see shifts in these long-term trends putting upward pressure on prices
By Gwynn Guilford of The WSJ. Excerpts:
"Global trade more than doubled from 27% of world gross domestic product in 1970 to 60% in 2008, buoyed by falling barriers to trade and investment. In the U.S., it soared from 11% of GDP in 1970 to 31% in 2011. Global competition compelled companies to build elaborate international supply chains, sourcing materials and products in the cheapest possible place. They were aided by access to cheap labor, as the fall of the Berlin Wall and China's shift toward a market economy in the 1980s and 1990s more than doubled the workforce integrated with the global economy."
"U.S. "core" goods prices, which strip out volatile energy and food prices, rose just 18% between 1990 and 2019. Prices for core services, most of which are produced domestically, surged 147%."
"But the benefits of globalization "would appear to have been largely spent in a number of respects, not the least of which is the move toward anti-globalization and increasing protectionism," said Peter Hooper, chief economist for Deutsche Bank Securities."
"Laundry equipment prices fell 5.8% annually between 2012 and 2017. After then-President Trump announced tariffs on imported washing machines in January 2018, prices for washing machines shot up 12% in the first half of that year. Laundry equipment prices edged lower over the next year or so but are still at 2013 levels."
"A paper by Mikael Juselius, a Bank of Finland economist, and Előd Takáts, of the Bank for International Settlements finds lengthening lifespans initially nudge inflation lower because they spur earners to save even more for their retirement. Eventually, though, a rising ratio of dependents to workers adds to inflationary pressures."
"Nearly 14% of retail sales are now conducted online, more than five times as much as in 2005. The price transparency from having retail prices clearly marked and aggregated online, as well as advances in delivery speeds, forced businesses to compete on price both online and offline, and to face more rivals, a phenomenon sometimes called the " Amazon effect.""
"online prices fell an average of 4% a year from 2015 through 2019"
"Online prices have risen 2% since March 2020, according to Adobe data."
'Too big to fail': San Antonio's fledgling job training program under scrutiny
By Joshua Fechter of The San Antonio Express News. Excerpts:
"As San Antonio's job training program lags and officials try to suss out the details of its next phase, a key backer worries the initiative is in trouble.
COPS/Metro, a grassroots advocacy group, aggressively lobbied city leaders to create an emergency program to help some of the thousands of people thrown out of work amid the pandemic get the skills they needed to land higher-paying jobs.
The group's leaders later threw their weight behind Mayor Ron Nirenberg when he asked voters in November to use sales tax dollars to create an expanded program.
But months after the idea proved victorious at the polls, members of COPS/Metro have grown increasingly disillusioned with how the city's job training efforts have played out. They feel city officials have all but ignored their concerns. The group's leaders are disappointed in the meager number of participants who have obtained training certificates and landed jobs through the emergency program — dubbed Train for Jobs SA.
Nine months after the $75 million initiative began, 214 people have been placed into jobs.
And COPS/Metro leaders worry the city hasn't done enough to prepare for the next stage of its training efforts — Ready to Work, the $200 million program backed by a sales tax that will also help residents enroll in college degree programs. Already, the program's rollout has been pushed back a month from September to October.
City officials drawing up Ready to Work have done so at a breakneck pace, COPS/Metro leaders argue, and focused too much on figuring out bureaucratic procedures rather than what jobs participants will train for — points that officials contest."
"When Train for Jobs began last September, officials said the program would help 10,000 people in some fashion, even if they didn't complete their training and land jobs."
"The person overseeing the city's current job training program is Heber Lefgren, who leads the city's Animal Care Services department."
Hospitals Often Charge Uninsured People the Highest Prices, New Data Show
Cash payers are often charged more than insurance companies for the same service by the same hospital, according to a WSJ analysis of previously confidential data
By Melanie Evans, Anna Wilde Mathews and Tom McGinty of The WSJ.
There might not be anything wrong here (like something sinister or unethical). The WSJ did not talk to any health care economists. I have no expertise on this but there were a couple of things I noticed.
Excerpts from the article:
"The reasons for high cash prices are complex and, even to many healthcare experts, baffling.
Hospitals typically have a sticker price, often called the "chargemaster" price, that can be the starting point for negotiations with insurers. Discounts off that sticker price tend to be steeper for those that bring large volumes of patients. Insurance plans offered under government programs like Medicare and Medicaid get even lower rates, tied to prices mandated by federal and state agencies.
The cash prices for patients who must pay for their own care can be equal to the sticker prices or sometimes represent a percentage lopped off that top rate. Sometimes, those cash rates are also applied to people who have some form of insurance but get a service that the insurance doesn't cover.
Will Fox, who advises hospitals on pricing as an actuary with Milliman Inc., says hospitals often keep cash prices above the rates negotiated by big insurers.
"They don't want to give away too much of a discount because they really want the best discounts to go to these larger volume negotiated insured rates," he said. "Somebody walking off the street, we'll give you a 20% discount, but we're going to give our favorite customer, who sends us millions or even billions of dollars in business, we're going to give them a much bigger discount."
Yale New Haven Health offers cash prices that represent a discount off sticker rates, but it keeps them above all of the prices negotiated by insurers, says Pat McCabe, the system's senior vice president of finance. "We didn't want there to be that tension, for an insurer to look at that data and say, 'you're providing better rates to uninsured patients than you are to our insureds, how do we justify that to our members and/or employer partners?'""
If insurers bring in a large number of customers, that might help hospitals attain economies of scale which means average cost falls as quantity produced increases. The large cost of the hospital is spread over more patients. So it makes sense that hospitals would give this incentive to insurers.
Then it also says that insurers would worry if people paying cash got the same incentive. This would reduce the incentive for people to buy insurance. The insurers' customers might say "why are we buying these policies if we could get the discount without them?"
Also, the article discusses discounts that some cash patients get based on their income. This means that they are charging people different prices, what economists call price discrimination.
Firms will make more money if they charge different prices to groups of consumers with different elasticities of demand (the related post linked below shows how this works). Customers with higher elasticities will pay lower prices.
Price elasticity of demand just tells us how much quantity demanded will change in response to a change in price.
There is some information below about how price discrimination work and what determines price elasticity of demand. But it tells us that when people spend more of their budget on something, they have a higher price elasticity of demand. Since the lower income people will spend more of their budget on hospital bills than others, they have a higher elasticity. Firms will charge such people lower prices (and doing so increases their profits-again, see the related post linked below to see how this works). So, as the article discusses, the hospitals offer some discounts based on income.
Necessary Conditions for Price Discrimination
1. The firm must face a downward sloping demand. Monopolies do but firms in perfect competition do not (their demand, also their MR line, is flat).
2. The firm must be able to readily (and cheaply) identify buyers or groups of buyers with predictably different elasticities of demand (senior citizens have a more elastic demand and will shop around more since they have more time so restaurants might give them a discount). The more elastic the demand, the greater the change in quantity demanded for a given change in price.
3. The firm must be able to prevent resale of the product or service. If a student can buy a movie ticket for $6 while everyone else pays $8, the firm will lose money if the students turn around and sell their tickets for $7. So the theater can prevent resale by checking student IDs to make sure people holding the lower price ticket really are students.
Determinants of price elasticity of demand
1. Share of the budget going to a good
If this is low, then price elasticity of demand is low or inelastic. For example, if you only buy one box of cooking salt a year and the price doubles from $1 to $2, you will probably still buy that one box because this spending makes up a very small share of your budget.
If this is high, then price elasticity of demand is high or elastic. But if the price of cars doubles, you will probably buy fewer cars since that takes up a much larger share of your budget.
2. Adjustment time.
In the short-run price elasticity of demand is low or inelastic. For example, if the price of gas doubles, you will probably only reduce your quantity purchased slightly because you still need to get to school and work.
In the long-run price elasticity of demand is high or elastic. In the long-run, when you have more time to adjust to the higher gas prices, you can shop around and buy a car with better mileage, move closer to your job, get into a car pool or find a bus route. So your quantity purchased of gas will decrease more than in the short-run.
3. Number of close substitutes.
If there are few substitutes for a good, then price elasticity of demand is low or inelastic. For example, if there is a drug you need to take (or something like insulin for diabetics), there will be few substitutes. So if the price increases, your quantity purchased will not change much because you must buy this drug.
If there are many substitutes for a good, then price elasticity of demand is high or elastic. For example, if the price of potato chips increases, your decrease in quantity purchased will be great because there are many substitutes for potato chips. You can get nachos, pretzels, corn chips, etc. instead.
Price discrimination and profit
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Our approach to advocacy is driven by three key principles: collaboration, insight and creativity. Through collaboration, we build a foundation based on a solid understanding of your objectives and target audience, which ultimately delivers superior results. Insight is finding the single, compelling idea that will influence our audience. And creativity is communicating that one, simple insight in a vibrant way through the right media, to make a difference. Our philosophy is focused on strengthening your connection to your target and accomplishing your objectives.
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Even though competitors come and go and market needs shift, foundational values can remain solid. If you're building a company which is based on solving real-world needs and treating people fairly, these are principles which don't need to change much. The same with being creative or generous.
These values transcend the products and services you're providing. And, believe me, your employees will find great motivation when they know that you won't sacrifice these principles for short term gain.
There are times when values and principles do become obsolete. I met a business owner last year who was very clear that he'd rather shut down his company than adapt to the changing needs of younger workers. Then again, he was close to retirement and this was a reasonable exit scenario for him.
But in the bigger picture, this wasn't a bad thing. He was moving his company aside so that fresher competitors could take over the market, and he was just fine with that. He even helped his workers to have a graceful and honorable exit. Because that was also part of his values.
When I work with clients, we always start with getting clear on values and goals. This is the foundation which provides direction and purpose, both for our coaching and for the business itself.
It makes decisions a whole lot easier.


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Obchodní podíl představuje účast společníka v obchodní společnosti a z ní plynoucí práva a povinnosti. Každý společník může mít pouze 1 podíl v téže obchodní korporaci; to neplatí pro účast v kapitálové společnosti a podíl komanditisty. Při navýšení vkladu se společníkovi výše jeho podílu zvyšuje, stejně tak se může i snížit.

Jestliže obchodní zákoník nebo zakladatelský dokument společnosti nestanoví jinak, lze podíl smlouvou převádět na jiného, je předmětem dědictví a oceňuje se mírou účasti společníka na čistém obchodním majetku společnosti, jež připadá na jeho podíl. Při odchodu ze společnosti má dosavadní společník právo na vypořádací podíl, pokud se společnost ruší s likvidací, vzniká právo na podíl na likvidačním zůstatku.

Podíl má kvalitativní a kvantitativní stránku. Kvalitativní stránka podílu je dána souhrnem práv a povinností plynoucích z účasti společníka ve společnosti (zahrnuje např. míru, v níž je možné s podílem disponovat). Kvantitativní stránka podílu zahrnuje:
 výši (velikost) podílu, která určuje rozsah, v němž společník vykonává svoje práva a je povinen plnit svoje povinnosti společníka (např. hlasovací právo),
 hodnotu podílu, která se mění podle výsledků hospodaření společnosti a je závislá na rozsahu práv a povinností společníka na hodnotě čistého obchodního majetku společnosti.

Obchodní společnosti

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Cayman Islands (November 19, 2018) – Health City Cayman Islands has been recognised for its commitment to education by the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce.
Along with Dart Enterprises Ltd., Health City Cayman Islands was the recipient of the Commitment to Education award at the 2018 Business Excellence Awards on October 27.
Health City was recognised for its Healthcare Explorers education program, and shared the award with DART's Minds Inspired and Dart Scholar programs. Both programs put a strong focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education.
Regarding the Commitment to Education Award, Chamber President Paul Byles explained that the organization wanted to highlight the important philanthropic work of local companies in the Cayman community.
The Healthcare Explorers program at Health City Cayman Islands was founded in June 2014 to provide a STEM education pathway for young Caymanians with an aptitude for science and expose them to career options available in the medical field.
The Healthcare Explorers Program provided 1,428 free STEM education opportunities to Cayman Islands students from its inception through to July 2018. The program encompasses several education initiatives aimed at different age groups, including its Shadow a Doctor Program, STEM education webinars, a partnership with the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI) School of Nursing and its Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program.
Several Shadow a Doctor and SURF students, including Lee-El Blake (University of Montevideo), Gledys Melany Gonzalez (University of the West Indies, Mona), Taneil Lee (University of South Florida) and Brandon DaCosta (University of Florida) have gone on to study for careers in medicine.
The Healthcare Explorers Program is offered to students at both public and private schools in the Cayman Islands from Year 8 through to university students.
Health City Cayman Islands Education Coordinator & Chaplain Charles D. Bush accepted the 2018 Commitment to Education Award on behalf of the hospital.
Health City Education Coordinator & Chaplain Charles D. Bush accepted the award on Health City's behalf.


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You are at:Home»TV»TV Review: 'The Flash' Episode 2.15 – "King Shark"
TV Review: 'The Flash' Episode 2.15 – "King Shark"
By Mae Abdulbaki on February 24, 2016 0 Comments
A warning for those who haven't seen the episode yet that this review contains spoilers!
I'm not going to lie. I totally expected "King Shark" to be a filler episode and for it to probably take place a couple of weeks or so after the events of last week's "Escape from Earth-2." Nope, not on "The Flash." Things are picking up and slowing down, and for an episode that has a CGI man-shark running around, I was also surprised by how many emotional conversations this episode had.
Right after Jay is swept up into the speed cannon after being stabbed by Zoom, the breach is finally closed and the team has no way of reopening it in hopes of getting Jay back. Caitlin is devastated (it's like she has a man-curse or something, poor woman), everyone is shocked, and Barry is angry that he can't do anything about it. Obviously, the team needs a distraction so they're not swept into the waves of emotion they're all feeling after Earth-2. Namely, Caitlin.
Harry, ever the downer, tells Barry and Cisco to keep all information about everyone's doppelgangers a secret. But, of course, when do they ever listen to Harry's advice? Cisco caves first, worried that Caitlin's "cold" and distant demeanor means she's headed down the path to becoming Killer Frost, like her Earth-2 doppelganger.It's nice to know that Barry is no longer keeping secrets from his family and tells Joe and Iris that he met their doppelgangers. What's troubling him more than Jay's death is the fact that his interference caused Earth-2 Joe's death and while it wasn't really his life on Earth-2, Earth-1 Barry felt like it was. Grant Gustin really killed it in that emotional scene. I think laying it all out and getting these feelings off his chest helped immensely. Diggle's advice doesn't hurt, of course.
Barry and Wally actually interact for the first time, and there was a lot of tension. Both of them are a bit jealous of each other, guarded, and distant. Iris and Joe want them to try and get along, but Wally especially is defensive and Barry tries for the sake of Iris and Joe. Wally is jealous because Barry lived the life he didn't, with love from Iris and Joe showering him when he never got that.
Their tension su cks the life out of the West house, but at least Joe's conversation with Wally at the end seems to have the desired effect and will probably have the younger man changing his tune. "The Flash" has been good thus far in hitting its emotional beats pretty well and it's nice to know that the character tensions and interactions are just as important to the show as The Flash is to Central City. Even Wells and his daughter weren't neglected and got their moment.
Elsewhere in the episode, Diggle and Lyla (who has taken over ARGUS as Amanda Waller's replacement, RIP) have a problem: King Shark has escaped an ARGUS facility and is headed to Central City to complete his mission to kill The Flash, per Zoom's instructions months ago.
With all the emotional turmoil happening, King Shark was a good distraction for Team Flash. Barry's vow to go back to Earth-2 to defeat Zoom once and for all sets the stage for what the remainder of the season will be. But before we can all get excited about all the good stuff this episode provided, Zoom is seen throwing Jay Garrick's lifeless body to the ground in front of the caged Man in the Iron Mask. In the privacy of his cave, Zoom unmasks himself to reveal… Jay Garrick? His doppelganger Hunter Zolomon? Another Jay? His reveal is fantastic, but leaves us with even more questions.
"This… is a complication," declares Zoom/Jay. You can say that again! Ultimately, "King Shark" dealt with everyone's emotions post-Earth-2 and wasn't just a filler episode that forgot to take into account the show's recent events. King Shark was pretty fun as a meta of the week, but thankfully doesn't detract from the characters' interactions.
"The Flash" is back with new episodes March 22. That is far too long a wait!
Random Thoughts:
Cisco and Caitlin's interactions are wonderful in this episode. More of this, please.
Wells finally saved Jesse from Zoom, but glad that Jesse called him out on ignoring her. They're both smart, so it's nice to know she'll be of some help with the team.
They will revisit Earth-2. I am extremely excited about this!
If Jay is Zoom, then who was the Jay we got to know? Are there three Jays? Four Jays? 52? The Jay headache continues.
The Man in the Iron Mask mystery is still up in the air. Is he old Jay? Earth-1 Eddie Thawne, perhaps? There will be a 100 theories before March 22, I'm sure!
Love that the seeds for Caitlin's eventual turn as Killer Frost was really teased in this episode.
Wally: Jaws busts through your house like the Kool-Aid Man, The Flash shows up, and you all act like it's no big deal.
Iris: Well, we've had a lot of weird things happen in Central City over the last two years.
Wally: Weirder than a talking shark wearing pants?
Joe: Man, you'd be surprised.
Fun fact: Teddy Sears wasn't listed as a guest star until the very end to conceal his appearance in that final scene. Well played, show!
The special effects really upped their game for King Shark. He looked fantastic!
Joe West is one of the best dads on TV right now.
"King Shark" dealt with everyone's emotions post-Earth-2 and wasn't just a filler episode that forgot to take into account the show's recent events. King Shark was pretty fun as a meta of the week, but thankfully doesn't detract from the characters' interactions.
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« Shah Rukh Khan Answers Fan Questions in Impromptu #AskSRK sessions | Main | Birthday Special: 5 Favorite Arshad Warsi Performances to Watch If You Are New To Bollywood »
More Than Just a Pretty Face: 5 Powerful Films Starring John Abraham
The 2005 Canadian drama Water tells the story of a group of destitute Hindu widows - including children and the elderly - living together in an ashram in 1938 India. Into their world comes young and charming upper-class Mahatma Gandhi follower Narayan (John Abraham) who falls in love with the young widow Kalyani (Lisa Ray) and seeks to marry her. But life is complicated ...
In Water, John Abraham delivers a memorable performance as he quietly takes on the establishment by rejecting irrelevant cultural norms through his understanding of the real drivers of social, economic, and cultural oppression. In the end he does not save his love, but he does save a life.
While John Abraham has starred in many successfully Bollywood action and comedy films, his dramatic performances stand apart. Each of the following dramas feature John Abraham in memorable stories with striking scenes that stay with you long after the film has ended.
If you are new to Bollywood, check out these five John Abraham films.
1. Kabul Express
Director: Kabir Khan
Music by: Raghav Sachar, Julius Packiam
Producer: Aditya Chopra
Description: Drama. After 9/11, Indian journalists Suhel Khan (John Abraham) and Jai Kapoor (Arshad Warsi) go to Afghanistan in search of the ultimate news scoop: meeting the Taliban. They hire the driver Khyber (Hanif Humghum), a proud Afghan who has seen the destruction of his country over the decades. Along for the ride is Jessica Beckham (Linda Arsenio), an American photojournalist ready to risk her life to photograph the Taliban. The trip takes a unique turn when Taliban soldier Imran Khan Afridi (Salman Shahid) hitches a ride to flee the wrath of the Afghans and escape to his country, Pakistan.
Why I Love This Film: The film is loosely based on the experiences of Kabir Khan and Rajan Kapoor in post-Taliban Afghanistan. In an IndiaGlitz.com interview, John Abraham explains:
"My character is partly based on what Kabir [Khan] is all about. He is a black and white person. Pretty no–nonsense person. He gets his job done. Wants to go wherever there is danger During the shooting…Arshad said that Kabir would chose his location….That what are the chances of living here…5%....Ok we are going there. He doesn't believe in boundaries, religion. He just gets his job done at whatever cost. There is a soft side to him. He is a strong silent person and that's what my character is in the movie."
Filmed in Afghanistan, the banter between the characters offsets the dangers of the trek. The film offers a unique and authentic travelogue of the journey of five people from different worlds through a war-torn country.
2. No Smoking
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Music by: Vishal Bhardwaj
Producer: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Vishal Bhardwaj
Description: Neo-noir psychological thriller. When chain-smoker "K" (John Abraham) discovers his wife has left him, he visits the "Laboratory", a labyrinthian rehabilitation facility that will help him kick his habit. Here he meets Baba Bengali (Paresh Rawal) and is presented a contract saying, I hereby agree to do whatever I am asked to do in order to successfully quit smoking. I am getting into this programme knowing exactly the risk my smoking will pose to me and my family. After signing the contract, K is told that for each cigarette he smokes from now on he will lose something ... or someone. Defiant at first, K soon learns the cost of his smoking habit.
Why I Love This Film: From start to finish, this is an surrealistic, mind-blowing story full of strange events and bizarre consequences offered in a realistic framework. John Abraham appreciated the script so much that the non-smoker was willing to smoke 80 cigarettes a day. In an Indicine interview, he explained:
" ... I am a non smoker. You won't believe this, but during the shoot of this film I had to smoke and I actually took an x-ray of my lungs to ensure that I have not damaged by body! I was shocked to see my lungs filled with smoke."
John Abraham turns in an excellent performance as a narcissist who tries to maintain control of a situation far beyond his control. The film has a comedic edge wrapped around a totally unique story complex enough to incite viewers to find their own interpretations.
Music by: Pritam, Pankaj Awasthi, Julius Packiam
Description: Dramatic thriller. In 1999, Americans Samir (John Abraham) and Maya (Katrina Kaif) attend a university in New York where they meet and become friends with Omar Aijaz (Neil Nitin Mukesh), a student from Delhi. As they spend time together Omar begins to fall for Maya only to learn that she and Samir are in love. As he nurses his emotional wounds, the country is wounded by 9/11. Omar moves to Philadelphia and years later is picked up by the FBI as a suspected terrorist. As he tries to clear his name, he learns that the FBI is really after Samir. When Omar reunites with Samir and Maya, FBI undercover agent Roshan (Irrfan Khan) sets the ball rolling for a series of tumultuous events that dramatically changes the lives of these friends.
Why I Love This Film: The story is told from the viewpoint of a community of people who experienced ethnic profiling after 9/11. Each of the characters has both good and bad qualities which come into play as they navigate the impact of terrorist activities in the United States. How each person responds to this new reality is what provides the depth to this story about love, loss, and life. According to a DNAIndia.com story, John Abraham explained:
"It dwells on how the world and America looks at a certain community after the (9/11) attacks and vice versa. But it is not a jingoistic America bashing film. It shows both sides of the coin."
4. Force
Director: Nishikanth Kamath
Music by: Harris Jayaraj
Producer: Vipul Amrutlal Shah
Description: Action thriller. Narcotics Control Bureau ACP Yashvardhan (John Abraham) and his team is in the midst of his most dangerous and significant operation to crack down on India's drug cartels when he meets talkative, free-spirited Maya (Genelia D'Souza). He slowly allows his friendship with Maya turn into love while tracking down drug dealer Anna Reddy (Mukesh Rishi). An encounter with the team kills Vasu, and some of the team gets suspended. Tensions escalate when they meet their greatest challenge in Anna's brother Vishnu (Vidyut Jamwal) who is on a murderous rampage targeting the police unit and their families.
Why I Love This Film: While this film has some of the old-school Bollywood item numbers , the story is modern with an authentic storyline. Even intense action sequences relied on the actor's physicality. In a SyFy.com interview, John Abraham explained:
"Force doesn't have any unreal action sequences...yet they are all very entertaining and commercial. Generally with technology progressing so much, we use cables for stunts. But in this film, be it me or the villain Vidyut (Jamwal) or others, we mostly didn't use cables and kept it real in real locations. That's why I sustained quite a few injuries during shooting. My bones broke, I fell from great heights, but after we saw the film, I was satisfied that everything looked real. ...There is a scene where I pick up a motorcycle and throw away. At that time my weight was around 100 kilos. And if the motorcycle weighed 115-120 kilos, it was like doing pull-ups. The stunt was not difficult, but looks good on screen."
John Abraham's Yashvardhan is honest, confident, focused and not quite sure how to deal with his sudden attraction to Maya. Maya brings out the human aspect of Yashvardhan and his relationship with her is a both a distraction and his salvation. The tension between Yashvardhan's work and personal life is felt throughout the film and he manages to navigate both sides with strength and honor.
5. Madras Cafe
Director: Shoojit Sircar
Music by: Shantanu Moitra
Producer: John Abraham, Shoojit Sircar, Ronnie Lahiri
Description: Political espionage thriller. After the unsuccessful Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war, RAW intelligence officer Major Vikram Singh is sent Jaffna to disrupt the rise of the Liberation Tamils Front (LTF) - a.k.a. the "Tigers" - a violent guerrilla group fighting for a separate homeland for Tamils on the island of Sri Lanka. Leading India's covert operations Major Singh leverages the information and resources of British war correspondent Jaya Sahni (Nargis Fakhri), Bala (Prakash Belawadi), and local contacts. As Major Singh navigates through the situation in Sri Lanka, he discovers a conspiracy that threatens India. Racing against time, he tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together and take action before it's too late.
Why I Love This Film: While the film is a fictional account adapted from history, the story highlights important events that shaped the political landscape of both India and Sri Lanka. The film presents the complex political situation with honesty and responsibility. Highlighting the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka and the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the film also tries to portray authentic experiences of spies in the field. In a Newswala interview, John Abraham talks about what he learned while preparing for the role:
"Real RAW agents don't jump off the buildings like Spiderman. They don't show six-pack abs around. They are very regular people like you and me. They know how to be so normal that if one of them sits beside you in a cinema hall, you will never know. So for Madras Cafe we had to normalize a lot of things. I had to work on my body language as well as my dialogue delivery so that I don't sound like a hero. Shoojit had done enough research to make me look like a true intelligence officer. The first thing he told me was 'Lose all the weight you have got and look like a regular guy.'"
Don't know which film to watch first? The following playlist features trailers for each of these films, including Water.
If you liked this, please check out our other posts or leave a comment.
Posted at 11:21 PM in Bollywood-Hindi cinema, Friday Five, John Abraham | Permalink


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Check that, vote for Coram in CD3 primary
Letter to the Editor Letter-to-the-editor | May 6, 2022
A week ago, I submitted a letter to the editor encouraging disgruntled Democrats in Congressional District 3 to change their party affiliation to "unaffiliated" and request a ballot for the Republican primary in June, and to vote for Marina Zimmerman ("Vote Zimmerman in GOP primary for CD3," April 28).
Marina is concerned that she'd be splitting the vote with Don Coram, who is also running in the Republican primary to unseat Lauren Boebert. After a lengthy conversation with her, I'll echo her sentiment and say instead to change that party affiliation and vote for Don Coram.
Don is likewise a conservative politician, with some positions I will disagree with, but one of his primary concerns is getting politics back to some semblance of normalcy and respect. He is already experienced in the ins an outs of lawmaking, having six years experience in the Colorado House and five in the Colorado Senate. He has the respect of his fellow lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in Colorado, and understands that compromise is a necessity for effective legislating. On a personal note, as a retired vocational teacher, I applaud Don's support and leadership at the Delta-Montrose Vocational Center, a top-notch vocational facility that has helped hundreds of students move on to secure, well paying careers.
Changing your party affiliation and requesting the appropriate primary ballot is three-minute simple. Visit http://www.coloradosos.gov/voter/pages/pub/home.xhtml. It is self-explanatory. While I would prefer a representative who leans more liberal, I also would like to see respect and dignity returned to our politics. Lauren Boebert has demonstrated little regard for those attributes, preferring to grandstand and oppose pretty much any and all reasonable legislation. Let's get respect and civility back into politics. Vote for Don Coram for representative in the Republican primary.
Bob Shettel
Fortunato: Hearing on flawed project Tuesday
Polayes: Don't be fooled
Lyon: Get me off this plane!
Maiolo: Grateful to Thrift Shop
Mooney: Bury the thing
Pine Creek Cookhouse
Sous Chef & Line Cooks HOUSING AVAILABLE
Seeking experienced sous chef and line cooks. HOUSING AVAILABLE FOR IMMEDIATE MOVE IN. COMPETITIVE PAY IN A STUNNING ENVIROMENT.
Tyrolean Lodge
Front Desk Position
Front Desk Clerk/ Night clerk for a small family lodge in Aspen. Must be hardworking, reliable, flexible, willing to do…
L: 4°
L: -0°


Are Email Attachments Bad for the Environment?
I haven't encountered anyone with that irksome habit since, probably because most people now understand that printing something doesn't make it more real. But according to Matthew Yeager, a data storage expert who works for the UK data services and solutions company Computacenter, emails—especially those with attachments—still use energy and create greenhouse gas emissions, even if you don't print them. Last month, Yeager told the BBC that sending an email attachment of 4.7 megabytes—the equivalent of about 4 photos taken on a point-and-shoot digital camera—creates as much greenhouse gas as boiling your tea kettle 17.5 times. I called Yeager to find out the whole story.
The good news is that we are getting better at sharing data more efficiently. Many email programs are beginning to make use of a concept called virtualization, or spreading the workload of transmitting data across many different servers, thereby making the whole process more efficient. "Virtualization is like the carpool lane," says Yeager. "Your email is carpooling. The more people you stick in that car the better." Equipment is getting more efficient, too. According to Yeager, the newest servers are about 1/20th the size of old servers, and as many as 50 times more powerful. Yeager notes that a few email servers—for example, Google—have already made these improvements (meaning that if you're a Gmail user, you're probably doing significantly better than the 17.5 boils figure).
The bottom line: Avoid sending giant attachments if you can. "In the last five or ten years a lot of people have added these 'think before you print' signatures to their emails," says Yeager. "Well we should all have 'think before you attach.'" Luckily, there are easy ways to share your data without attachments: Instead of sending photos directly to all your friends and family members, upload them to central locations like Flickr or Facebook. "It's much more efficient to send a link to a place where everything is stored," says Yeager. For audio and video files, I often use hosting sites like Sendspace or MediaFire.
*- This sentence originally misquoted Matthew Yeager that 1.2 zettabytes was equal to the data in all the world's academic libraries multiplied by half a million. 1.2 zettabytes is actually only equal to the data in all the US's academic libraries multiplied by half a million.
Are Your Business Trips Killing the Planet?


If you are reading this article, you are probably looking for recommendations on where to book multi-day tours. There are many websites where you can book multi day tours. Here is a list of websites in order to help you out with your research.
Tour Radar is a trusting booking platform with more than 500 operators offering last minute deals, promos and more than 2,000 multi-day tours.
Evaneos is one of the leading online marketplaces for customized multi-day tours. Plan your trip with the expertise of a local travel agent in your travel destination.
G Adventures is an adventure travel company who offer a wide selection of group tours, safaris and multi-day tours all around the world.
Viator is the biggest online travel agency specialized in selling tours, activities and multi-day tours.
German based startup Getyourguide focuses on booking tickets for multi-day tours, excursions, attraction tickets and many things to do worldwide.
Veltra offers hundreds of tours and activities around the globe.
Isango is an online platform to book multi-day tours, attractions and experiences in more than 300 destinations at guaranteed low prices with good reliable suppliers.
Stride Travel is one of the world's largest search and review site for multi-day tours and travel packages.
Affordable Tours is a travel seller of escorted tours, cruises and resorts in the United States. Their mission is to provide the best experience to travellers with the lowest prices and highest quality guaranteed.
It is one of the world's largest green travel companies. Responsible Travel agency offers over 5,000 responsible holidays from 400 providers and their main objective is to minimise the harm involved in tourism.


Meet at the Northwest Spit of Fort Flagler State Park to visit the spit, sewage pond and Marrowstone Point, all good birding hotspots. Trip Leader John Comstock: jhn.comstock@gmail.com. Discover Pass required for parking.


No one likes a fever, headaches, stuffy nose and a sore throat. That's what you can expect with the flu. The single best way to prevent seasonal flu is to get a flu vaccine each year. Older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions are at a higher risk for serious flu complications. Flu season is now here, so protect yourself and your family from this serious illness.
Pediatrics: November 14 from 1-4:30 p.m.
Family Practice: November 1 from 1-4:30 p.m.
November 15 from 4-7 p.m.
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-11:30 a.m. and 2-4:30 p.m.


1) A few years ago, Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, and a handful of others decided that maybe heavy metal could have bass groves, melodies, and sorta discernible lyrics…and alternative metal was born. Since 1999, 10 Years have produced six albums and been one of the most reliable exemplars of this subgenre. Their songs have tight melodic traction, and lead singer Jesse Hasek knows a hook when he hears one. But that doesn't stop them from rocking out mightily and taking on the usual metal themes of suffering and pain. To further showcase the craftsmanship beneath their loudness, the band is playing unplugged at a tour that comes to the Rex Theater today. Opening is Milwaukee's Trapper Schoepp & The Shades and locals ShirtCollarSmile. 7:30 p.m. 1602 E. Carson St., South Side.
2) Whether you were introduced to it via a children's book, the animated Disney classic, or Steven Spielberg's Hook, the story of Peter Pan no doubt conjures up colorful images. So it is strange and kinda brilliant that CMU-trained visual artist Terry Boyd has used sparse, black-and-white, ink-drawn landscapes to represent the story in Neverlands, his exhibit of Pan-inspired art at 709 Penn Gallery. Whether the drawings call to mind the simplicity of a child or are an attempt to spark your own imagination as to what could complete the scene in honor of a story that inspires us to never stop imagining, we think Boyd honors the legend—however unconventionally. The work is on display through Feb. 23. 709 Penn Ave., Cultural District.
3) Phillip-Michael Scales, a.k.a. Briar Rabbit, is a nephew and protégé of B.B. King, and there is an organic quality to his work that shows the influence of an old hand. Briar Rabbit sings clearly and tenderly, obviously loves his acoustic guitar, and avoids most the electronic flourishes that have infiltrated all modern genres. Not quite bluesy, he shows the droll folk-rock qualities of a Wilco or a Gomez. Scales has deemed his work "thought pop," and he's draped it across three albums. Check him out at Club Café today. Spokane-based singer-songwriter Joel Ansett and Pittsburgh's own Tony Cenname open. 8 p.m. 56 S. 12th St., South Side.
4) Each Thursday, Jekyl and Hyde has one of the most boisterous, well attended karaoke nights in the city. The South Side bar offers $2.50 shots all night and a few of them might mean the difference between doing a classy version of an Al Green song, like a Dr. Jekyl, or belting out Warrant's "Cherry Pie," like a Mr. Hyde. 9 p.m. 140 18th St.


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WHO staff and health workers respond to an outbreak of Rift Valley fever in Sudan, 2007 (Photo: WHO).
Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a viral zoonosis that primarily affects animals but can also infect humans. Infection can cause severe disease in both animals and humans, with symptoms ranging from a mild flu-like illness to severe haemorrhagic fever that can be lethal. The disease also results in significant economic losses due to death and abortion among RVF-infected livestock.
The majority of human infections result from direct or indirect contact with the blood or organs of infected animals. The virus can be transmitted to humans through the handling of animal tissue during slaughtering or butchering, assisting with animal births, conducting veterinary procedures, or from the disposal of carcasses or fetuses. Human infections have also resulted from the bites of infected mosquitoes.
In 1977 an explosive outbreak of RVF was reported in Egypt, where the virus was introduced via infected livestock trade along the Nile irrigation system. Following infected livestock trade from the horn of Africa, in 2000, RVF spread to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, marking the first reported occurrence of the disease outside the African continent and raising concerns that it could extend to other parts of Asia and Europe. Subsequent outbreaks in the Region have included Egypt in 2003 and Sudan in2007-2008.
Prevention measures for RVF include sustained animal vaccination, restricting movement of infected livestock, an active animal health surveillance system to detect new cases, public health messages to raise awareness, and reducing breeding sites for mosquitos.
For more severe human cases of RVF, the predominant treatment is general supportive therapy. Although no human-to-human transmission of RVF has been reported, as for managing any viral hemorrhagic fevers, proper infection control in health care setting is warranted.
Regional outbreak updates
Global disease outbreak news for Rift Valley fever
Geographic distribution of Rift Valley fever outbreaks
Requirements for Rift Valley Vaccines
Growing threat of viral haemorrhagic fevers in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
» All information resources
Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, see Haemorrhagic fevers, Viral
Ebola haemorrhagic fever, see Haemorrhagic fevers, Viral
»All related topics


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The death penalty is a controversial topic across the United States, but for states that do allow for capital punishment, executions continue to occur. Some would argue that these executions are both necessary and a form of justice—as would be the case for the execution of Bill J. Benefiel.
Benefiel was sentenced to death on November 3, 1988, for the murder of Delores Wells. But there is more to the story than what happened to Delores in the Benefiel house of horrors.
The Horrors of Benefiel House
Terre Haute, Indiana: Alicia Elmore, a 17-year-old high school senior, was kidnapped only two blocks from her home by Benefiel. He held her captive for approximately four months where he continually raped and sodomized her, beat her, chained her to a bed, and super-glued her eyelids shut.
A little over three months into her captivity, she discovered Delores Wells, a 19-year-old girl who, as it turns out, had also been kidnapped by Benefiel and held captive for 12 days before killing her. Benefiel killed Delores after beating and raping her by inserting super glue into her nostrils. He pinched her nostrils shut and she later died of asphyxiation.
He was represented by a defense attorney (such as this criminal defense lawyer in Nashville) and used a not guilty by reason of insanity defense, which was not successful as the jury found him both competent and guilty of the murder of Delores Wells and sentenced him to death.
Death by Lethal Injection
Benefiel was executed on April 21st, 2005, at 12:35am by lethal injection. He spent the day watching television and was visited only by his attorney. His final meal consisted of four pints of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, a large pizza, an Italian beef sandwich, twelve cans of soda, and an apple pie.
As a death row inmate of Indiana State Prison, he was asked if he had any final words, to which he replied, "No, let's get this over with. Let's do it." Dolores Well's mother, Marge Hagan, went to the prison for the execution but was not there to witness it. Hagan said, "He was there for her last breath, and I want to be there for his. I want to be as close as I can and know for sure this monster is gone and he will never, ever again hurt anyone else ever again."


While it's well past time that the Confederate markers and monuments are taken down, for several reasons I question why we are fighting over this at the moment. By asking the question, I mean no disrespect to the people who are offended by these markers on principle, nor — in particular — to those who suffered and died under the 250-plus years of slavery in America, and the many who continue to suffer and die under the inequality that has been slavery's legacy since.
1) Distraction: Until Charlottesville, this issue was hardly on anyone's radar. Confederate monuments are being taken down all across the country. While their removal has drawn protests by the Right, few on the Left knew or cared about either the monuments or the protests against taking them down. Granted, Charlottesville was a national disgrace, but the intense focus on this matter since has taken our eye off of other urgent issues. Just over a week ago, we were on the brink of nuclear war with North Korea, and apocalypse-level threats to our environment, social justice, education, security, health, and economy continue. Yet, this issue has sucked all the air out of every other aspect of the Progressive agenda. We didn't pick this fight to be our next focus, and now it's the most important thing on our agenda to the exclusion of all other issues. While we do need to respond, we can't be so easily distracted.
2) Slacktivism: Lord knows we need some easy wins on our side, but this one smacks of check-box activism. How many people who aren't otherwise engaged put their full focus and all of their outrage in posts on Facebook about this forgotten grave marker, and then within short order it was solved? While that's great, this isn't all that there is to do. People are going to give themselves medals for showing up this one time and — in their minds at least — making a difference. But is this "a difference"? This brings me to my next point.
3) Metrics: What are we measuring here? How many fewer people are going to die because we removed a little-known marker that has for decades mouldered in a dark corner of a seldom-visited cemetery in an otherwise Left-leaning city? By removing this marker, how many more people are we going to feed? Educate? Shelter? How much less hate will there be in the world? (How do we measure that, even?) How many more people will have signed up for our cause? As importantly, how many fewer — or more — will sign up for the other side? I'm not a cynic, but at the end of the day I'm a pragmatist. Moral victories are great and all, but since people are checking the box that something got done here, I would like to see the bottom line on what this means. I suspect that our side got more people to commit to us; I suspect that the other side did, too. I suspect that just as many (or maybe far more) tuned out for good, which we know bodes well for the other side. That's another thing I'd like to talk about.
If removing Confederate statues brings out the racists and embedded hatred and inequality that has been a part of our culture since the birth of this nation then I am all for it. Being a Liberal Democrat, I sat idle while the right openly demonized President Obama with all types of ridiculous and horrible things. In my opinion, this battle should have been fought years ago.


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Q: Why do the Paladins want to kill jumpers? The Paladins always try and kill the Jumpers for no reason other than they're "dangerous" which they have no evidence of -- so why do they insist on killing them instead of just leaving them alone?

A: In the book, one of the first things Davie does is rob a bank - partly because he doesn't believe he has other options.  He also speculates about finding others with the same talent, by looking at unsolved crimes.  If I recall, in the movie he goes somewhat farther in using the talent only to his own ends.  It may be that the order doesn't show what proof they might have that it is dangerous, but it wouldn't surprise me if they had some evidence, that there are those with the talent who have used it selfishly.
The specific reason why they are so sure of the danger of jumpers may be linked to how the Paladins were formed, or how a group found out about the teleporting, or to any number of real or suspected encounters with people who learned about the ability (and banded together) - there's no real way to know, but it is quite likely they have some evidence that is convincing to them.  It may have started with actual danger that was exaggerated and given religious overtones, or religion that encountered danger and screamed, 'unnatural'. And as long as they believe in the danger, of course they will only try to kill any jumpers first, and take any counterattacks as proof of aggression, and build up a deep, irrational, and eventually pseudo-religious belief that there is no other way to deal with Jumpers than by killing them.

A: As you can somewhat infer from the name, the Paladins have a pseudo-religious hatred for Jumpers. If you listen to the way they talk about jumping, they believe that the Jumpers are using a power that only God should have access to.
They never give any specific reasons why this power is dangerous, but just looking at all the bad things one Jumper got up to it's not hard to imagine what a truly unscrupulous Jumper could do. To the Paladins, the power is unnatural and not meant for human consumption, and since they can't take it away from the Jumpers, in their religious fervor, they conclude that they have to kill them.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Tweed Forum staff who look after the 5,000 sq km catchment of Scotland's second largest river. Pictured are: Emily Iles, Janet Landells, Director, Luke Comins, Derek Robeson, Hugh Chalmers and Alistair McDonald.
The charitable company set up to promote and effect sustainable land use across the River Tweed catchment wants to work with the Scottish Government to ensure the Borders does not lose out as a result of Brexit.
The multi-interest Tweed Forum, which has seven full time staff and is based at Drygrange, celebrated its 25th anniversary last year during which it has protected and improved the 5,000km2 catchment area of Scotland's second largest river.
Looking to the post-Brexit era, Tweed Forum believes it has a key role to play in shaping national policy on land and water management after the UK leaves the European Union.
"We have a proven track record of working with farmers, foresters, landowners and communities to get practical works on the ground and, crucially, to get the right measures in the right place at the right scale," said forum director Luke Comins.
"The need for this role will be crucial in the post Brexit landscape.
Mr Comins said some EU directives – such as those covering river basin habitats and water management – had brought positive benefits to the environment.
"However, others, such as aspects of the Common Agricultural Policy have caused environmental damage over the decades – as well as a good deal of bureaucracy – and Brexit offers an opportunity to build a new system that helps us make the most of our land and water assets," said Mr Comins.
"Tweed Forum has many years of experience of dealing with agri-environmental support measures and we know what has worked and what has not been so successful so we feel well-placed to contribute to the debate.
"If money is going to get tighter after Brexit, as is generally accepted, then we need to ensure any support mechanisms are targeted to bring about the maximum positive effect.


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Xavier Gilles de Maupeou d'Ableiges (ur. 16 marca 1935 w Saumur) – francuski duchowny rzymskokatolicki posługujący w Brazylii, w latach 1998-2010 biskup Viana.

Życiorys
23 grudnia 1961 został wyświęcony na diakona. Święcenia kapłańskie przyjął 30 czerwca 1961. 2 sierpnia 1995 został prekonizowany biskupem pomocniczym São Luís do Maranhão ze stolicą tytularną Casae Medianae. Sakrę biskupią otrzymał 3 września 1995. 18 lutego 1998 został mianowany biskupem Viana. 7 lipca 2010 przeszedł na emeryturę.

Bibliografia

Francuscy biskupi katoliccy
Ludzie urodzeni w Saumur
Urodzeni w 1935