China may soon overtake the US as the world’s leading oil importer, and Washington couldn’t be happier. Due in large part to the shale gas revolution, America is becoming less dependent on foreign oil; in January, crude oil imports were down 8 percent from August. China, meanwhile, is moving in the opposite direction, with its […]

In just a few years, a neighbor’s basement may serve as a college classroom, the local YMCA as the dormitory, and a degree might come at the cost of one year’s tuition at a private college. That’s the idea behind Tim Cook’s Saxifrage school, an alternative (as yet unaccredited) to college profiled in the WSJ: Saxifrage is woven […]

The dreaded college tuition bill is only the most obvious cause of parental headaches. Miscellaneous items tucked into the fine print are also draining their pockets, like a “globalization fee,” a “parking/pedestrian fee,” and a “student success fee.” It’s a cunning sleight of hand, as Propublica reports: “It’s a way for colleges to increase the cost […]

The debate over immigration is heating up just as immigration itself is slowing down. According to the NYT, [a]ll across Mexico’s ruddy central plains, most of the people who could go north already have. In a region long regarded as a bellwether of illegal immigration — where the flow of migrants has often seemed never-ending — the streets […]

At a ceremony last weekend, President Ma of Taiwan unveiled two gleaming new patrol ships that will increase Taiwan’s presence around disputed waters in the East China Sea. “We will not concede one step” in defending Taiwan’s claim on the islands there, said Ma at the ceremony. The announcement builds on the “water war” incident back in […]

Spain has just announced that it, like France, will miss its deficit target this year. Its deficit is now 6 percent of GDP,  far from the target of 4.5 percent. The EU is now debating relaxing Spain’s terms, but it’s unclear exactly what they have in mind, as the FT reports: The European Commission had […]

The United Nations yesterday approved the first ever global arms trade treaty in an effort to regulate the multibillion-dollar international weapons trade. The treaty is supposed curb the ability of countries like Iran and Russia to sell weapons to countries like Syria, though implementation of the agreement is still years away and no actual enforcement system […]

Looking to get involved in your community? Try teleworking. A new study shows that people are 44 percent more likely to regularly volunteer if they have flexible work arrangements, like flexible schedules and the option to work remotely. The Canadian government released a report yesterday (h/t Globe and Mail) that looks at the link between flexible work arrangements and […]

American employers are scrambling to hire foreign skilled workers. And for the first time in five years, they will hit the allotted annual visa quota just under a week into the process. The WSJ reports: U.S. companies each year can sponsor a total of 65,000 foreigners with at least a bachelor’s degree for a so-called H-1B […]

Drilling giants like Exxon and Shell are safer and more ecologically responsible than their smaller competition. In many industries, scaling up production actually leads to more mistakes and quality control issues, but oddly enough, when it comes to fracking shale in Pennsylvania, bigger companies violate regulations the least. The WSJ reports: As big energy companies buy out […]