Two bakers in 1900 each bake 1000 loaves and, on selling them, place the proceeds in the stock market. In 1900 a loaf of bread sold for 10c so they each had US$100 to invest. The elder brother went straight to the stock market and bought directly into the share index. The younger brother had […]
Allegiance is the prime driver in all human decision making. While a computer may use data, even scientists decisions are primarily driven by allegiance. Understanding allegiance is critical to understanding how to work or even live in a group or get traction with a new idea. When someone is speaking or writing, a significant amount […]
There are positive rationales for bringing the private sector into care and education. Subsidy allocation and efficient use of resources can not be accurately aligned in a public system. Market signals of what the service user wishes are only distantly correlated to the allocation of funding to and within a public hospital, school, or home. […]
As income and asset inequality in the US exceeds levels in feudal Europe nearly one thousand years ago, a few question this progeny of capitalism and democracy. The current problems are well documented and do not need to be repeated here. Yet this time, in a world first, revolution has been avoided by some innovative […]
As a parent reviewing schools I look with interest at what has changed, what has been gained and what has been lost in a generation. There is an air of moving forward in the teaching community, that schools are better than they have ever been. As an amateur historian I watch how mnemonics two thousand […]
The ‘bright spot’ in the global economy for the second half of 2013 is the perceived stronger than expected recovery in the US economy. As with the rating agency scandal, reality often bears no resemblance to the information proffered. The key indicators for a recovery in the USA are, lower unemployment, and GDP growth in […]
-A foreign investor’s perspective on Iceland- Three letters to the Prime Minister Letter One Credit is due not just literally Outsiders are often blind to the complexity of a nation’s problems, but sometimes, a fresh set of eyes, however myopic, can see the wood from the trees. As an Englishman living in the third […]
The death and revival of the Russian commune 1850 – 1920 The Obshchina, village commune, or Mir, has historical origins which are not known but date back to even before the medieval period in early antiquity. The village commune was an association of peasants holding communal land allotments. This land, divided into strips, was redistributed […]
Comparing asset distribution, wages, and working hours over the past thousand years Medieval wealth distribution In medieval England the crown, the church, and the leading 200 noblemen owned 75% of the land. Land was the chief asset in a time when the biggest city, London, had 35,000 inhabitants. The crown and church were the two […]
In an age when a US presidential campaign costs USD 1 Billion and 400 million people are choosing between just 2 candidates, after run-offs between a dozen, it seems there are problems with the mechanics of the election process. Further, when this individual is finally elected the current process can see his or her leadership […]
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