Another day, another soft power contest in the Pacific. A new East Asia Forum report acquaints us with the scattered islands of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and their strategically crucial 2.5 million square kilometers of ocean: It is an area near critical sea lines of communication and is located directly in the so-called […]

The New York Times is reporting that more than half of all black New Yorkers are now unemployed, and that they remain unemployed for a year on average after losing their jobs. Meanwhile, the number of “discouraged workers”—people who give up looking for work after a long period of unemployment—has risen to 40,000 among blacks, […]

Reports continue to indicate that China’s manufacturing sector is continuing to slow down. HSBC, which publishes a monthly purchasing managers’ index, said China’s PMI was on track to fall to 48.1 in June, down from 48.4 in May.The magic number for the PMI is 50; any number below suggests a contraction. If HSBC’s initial report […]

Hiring managers take note: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced that it will more aggressively enforce rules prohbiting hiring bias against applicants with criminal histories. Under the new enforcement guidelines, companies that don’t hire people with criminal records (regardless of race) can be sued for discrimination.The news is catching small business owners by […]

This morning, the Supreme Court handed down a decision that strikes at the very heart of the blue model. In the case Knox v. SEIU the Supreme Court ruled that the Service Employees International Union was at fault for neglecting to notify nonmembers about an increase in fees, making it difficult for them to object. […]

Via Meadia has long viewed the G-20 as one of the most useless international talking shops, and the recent meeting in Los Cabos certainly fit the bill.  But while it is useless from a pragmatic political perspective, it does serve one important function: an opportunity for world leaders and politicians to look important, be photographed […]

California’s once vaunted and now derided high-speed rail project keeps getting kicked in the pants. In early June a poll revealed that 59 per cent of Californians oppose the project. A few days later, Central Valley farm groups filed a lawsuit seeking to block rail construction. Now the Sierra Club, traditionally a group loyal to […]

Once again, California is boldly going where no state has gone before. As budgetary pressures continue to dictate the political reality, the Golden State has decided to hand over the management reins of six major state parks to private companies, the Wall Street Journal reports. The move comes after a whopping 20 percent decline in annual […]

Pop stars around the world, rejoice: the production of new hit singles may soon require only the push of a button, forever banishing those moody and overpaid songwriters. Researchers in London have transposed the law of natural selection onto the world of music, devising a program to evolve simple tunes out of scattered sounds:The Telegraph […]

The Lightest of a Succession of CalamitiesOn September 10, 1814, John Quincy Adams, son of the second president of the United States and destined to become its fifth, the most accomplished American diplomat of his generation (and perhaps the most able in American history), conversant in half a dozen languages, was, as usual, dissatisfied with […]