- “So it makes sense that, when Bibi and Poldi were on the outs, the Happs and their colleagues tried to patch things up. After all, this was a couple that—whether they knew it or not—had made it through the Great Depression, two World Wars, and the millennium. Surely one little spat wouldn’t do them in.”
Love, as it turns out, doesn’t last forever – only about eight decades or so. Interesting for a variety of reasons besides the obvious one – the efforts that were taken at reconciliation on part of the staff I found equally instructive! - “Coal use in China is very high and increasing. India has been canceling coal plants as solar becomes cheaper but coal is still by far the largest source of power in India. Thus, there is plenty of opportunity to buy out, high-cost coal mines in China and India.”
Alex Tabarrok on why buying coal might well be a great way to, well, not use coal – or at least, help others not use it. And where else might this idea be usefully applied, hmmm? And does buying always mean by paying money? - “The master key is part of a new global effort to make the whole domain name system secure and the internet safer: every time the keyholders meet, they are verifying that each entry in these online “phone books” is authentic. This prevents a proliferation of fake web addresses which could lead people to malicious sites, used to hack computers or steal credit card details.”
The internet, which we not just take for granted but are positively addicted to, has a rather weird security system underpinning it – and having read the article twice, I can’t quite say I understand it. Which is worrying, really. This is via @insoupciant on Twitter. - “In the meantime, slow productivity growth may be the last thing that’s holding back wage growth. Even as they try to make up for past rises in inequality, policy makers shouldn’t forget the importance of technology and economic efficiency. But regardless of what policy does, workers may finally be getting more of the raises they’ve been missing out on for more than a generation.”
Noah Smith on wage stagnation in the USA – what changed, when it changed and why (the reasons are many). Worth reading for a good introduction to wage rates in the USA. - “Los Angeles architect Tim Smith was sitting on a Hawaiian beach, reading through the latest building code, as one does, when he noticed that it classified wood treated with fire retardant as noncombustible. That made wood eligible, he realized, for a building category—originally known as “ordinary masonry construction” but long since amended to require only that outer walls be made entirely of noncombustible material—that allowed for five stories with sprinklers.His company, Togawa Smith Martin Inc., was working at the time with the City of Los Angeles on a 100-unit affordable-housing high-rise in Little Tokyo that they “could never get to pencil out.” By putting five wood stories over a one-story concrete podium and covering more of the one-acre lot than a high-rise could fill, Smith figured out how to get the 100 apartments at 60 percent to 70 percent of the cost. The building, Casa Heiwa, opened its doors in 1996, and the five-over-one had been invented.”
A fascinating article in Bloomberg on how most modern construction in urban America is on the back of a loophole in the rules regarding construction in USA. An unintended consequence, if you will. The pitfalls of policy-making, rules, incentives and unbridled urbanization, all in piece. Well worth your time!
EconForEverybody 