Have you noticed that a particular word is cropping up more and more in our political discourse? The word “dysfunctional” is increasingly used to describe the world we are living in. Zigmunt Bauman has offered another word to describe our times: “interregnum”, a void separating past and future.Some authors seem to think that we can […]

“Abe Win Is Good for the Neighbors,” reads the headline of Aaron Back’s story on Japan’s election this weekend. Is this right? Was Abe’s huge win really good for Japan’s neighbors? Maybe, partly: The continued political success of Shinzo Abe is cause for celebration in Southeast Asia…. The election victory endorses his campaign to end deflation […]

If you’re at all interested in how America produces its energy, and to what end, do yourself a favor and click the image above. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) works with the Department of Energy to produce annual flow charts for US energy. In doing so it provides excellent visualizations of how our energy supply […]

A fascinating map of American income mobility has been making the blogging rounds today. The map is based on a study that the NYT notes is being hailed as “the most detailed portrait yet of income mobility in the United States.” The study found that metro areas with greater income heterogeneity had greater social mobility. Gawker used […]

The European Union doesn’t have a whole lot going for it these days. Its economy continues to spin its wheels, its bureaucrats spend much of their time pursuing asinine regulations and the monetary union is still in a profound crisis. Given the continued parade of negative headlines, British voters may be forgiven for questioning their […]

3D printing uses additive manufacturing to create highly customizable stuff with fewer inputs. It’s changing the way many companies manufacture their products, and it has given do-it-yourselfers a new hobby. But what is already a very cool technology is about to get a lot cooler, as patents for what is currently a proprietary way of printing […]

In a series of speeches beginning in his home state of Illinois, President Obama will turn his attention this week to the economy in hopes of amassing public support for upcoming fiscal battles with Republicans. The NYT reports that the President’s “campaign-style tour of the Midwest” will include policy proposals for major economic issues like […]

Since I finished my TAI ebook Broken: American Political Dysfunction and What To Do About It back in March, I have continued to collect data points relevant to the subject. (One of these, a real doozey that some of you may recall, concerns a May 26 post that mentions a certain Congressman Jim Hines from […]

With the Australian government’s announcement that asylum seekers trying to settle in Australia will instead be sent to Papua New Guinea, newly-reinstalled Prime Minister Kevin Rudd continues to shift his government in a populist direction. Today he defended the controversial decision, which he conceded is “hard line”: his government will “make no apology for the […]

Now that Detroit is officially going bankrupt, the debate over its future hinges on how to divide the pain between the city’s creditors, a diverse group which includes both investors and city workers. Unlike some other municipal bankruptcies where pensioners saw their payments slashed to the bone, Detroit is looking to split the pain as […]