The controversy over Keystone would seem curious to someone visiting from the year 2010, regardless of that time traveler’s green or brown sensibilities. The project is, as the FT puts it, “[o]f little strategic importance in itself,” but has morphed in to the dominant environmental issue in America today.Choosing to make their opposition to the pipeline […]

Just as the Obamacare rollout failure is calling into question the whole project of top-down federal health care policy, the WSJ has an encouraging interview with Brent James, the CEO of Intermountain Healthcare. Intermountain is a hospital network that’s creating a data system that complies and tracks prices for every medical procedure. It’s designed in part […]

It’s like a Dickens novel come to life. The Economist has an eye-opening write up on the rise of “debtor’s prisons” in the American criminal justice system. Here’s how it works in a nutshell: people who can’t afford to pay fines for things like expired license tags and speeding tickets are put on probation under the supervision […]

Health care apps are slowly becoming an established feature of our health care system. The WSJ has a good list of some of the most popular ones already being used by doctors and patients. Some improve or aid diagnostics on the doctor side, others empower the patients by encouraging preventative care. Here’s one that can help […]

It’s been a while since the civil war in Syria descended into a bitter stalemate, but things took a definite turn for the worse for the rebels this weekend with the death of Abdelqader Saleh. Saleh was one of the most prominent, charismatic, and successful rebels in Aleppo. He reportedly commanded 10,000 men—the Tawhid Brigade. […]

California Governor Jerry Brown has had some noteworthy success in dealing with the state’s deficit and unemployment rate, but it’s still not clear whether he has found long-term solutions, or has temporarily steered the state away from the brink.Governor Brown has commanded victories that have eluded many of his fellow Democrats: California’s credit rating is […]

Sixteen years ago, Japan hosted international climate talks and was a key driver for the Kyoto Protocol that emerged. It had been making strides toward targets set for emissions reductions when the Fukushima disaster promptly sank those plans in devastating fashion.In the wake of the ongoing nuclear disaster, the country shut down its nuclear reactors […]

The Postal Service has just announced plans to install automated kiosks at Staples locations across the country, allowing customers to buy stamps and send packages without having to go to a Post Office. The pilot program will service 82 stores, with more to follow if successful. Coming on the heels of its announcement of Sunday […]

American energy policy got smarter last Friday, as the EPA announced a plan to cut next year’s biofuel mandates by roughly 16 percent. The new targets reflect a growing understanding of the many problems brought on by annually increasing biofuel quotas, as set out by the 2007 Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). That law requires American […]

The largest delegation of Japanese business executives to visit China in more than a year got a cold reception when it arrived in Beijing today. Hoping to meet with Premier Li Keqiang and President Xi Jinping, the group of almost 200 Japanese businessmen were instead shunted off to meet lower officials.As the Japan Times reports, “The business community […]