Does China now have its own Solyndra scandal?An article in Caixin online (h/t Marginal Revolution) traces the downward trajectory of Chinese company LDK Solar Hi-tech Co. Ltd, which has marked similarities to the Solyndra story. As in America, the government sent billions of Yuan to a promising solar company, only to be left holding the bag […]

The twilight battle over the effectiveness of sanctions against Iran is one of the most important world events happening today. There is a real chance that effective sanctions, consistently applied, could head off war with Iran.On one hand, the sanctions are clearly working. Iranian oil production is at a 20-year low, its currency has lost […]

A new study puts Social Security’s funding gap at $30 trillion dollars over the next 75 years. Meanwhile, the program has been paying out more than it’s been taking in since 2010. The Washington Post reports: The projected shortfall in 2033 is $623 billion, according to the trustees’ latest report. It reaches $1 trillion in 2045 […]

As regular followers of Via Meadia will know, WRM is currently in India for the month. He and AI staffer Peter Mellgard will be posting images from the various spots on their trip. 

The revolution in online education is gaining steam. In the past few months alone, new programs like Coursera and EdX have made remarkable strides in attracting the attention of major universities, and they are now beginning to experiment with new ways of monetizing their products. What’s the next step?In a new piece in the FT, Christopher […]

Today is Independence Day in India; I celebrated by driving through relatively traffic free streets in Kolkata, but not before I had to pass through enhanced security measures at the airport. The country was on alert because there were fears of terror attacks and hijack attempts to mark the 65th anniversary of Indian independence.All over […]

Russia has become the latest power to make a move in the Game of Thrones, sending a fleet to a disputed group of islands in the Pacific to strengthen their territorial claims in the Far East. Ownership of the southern Kuril Islands, which the Japanese call the Northern Territories and lie ten miles off Japan’s […]

Although the economy is far from a healthy recovery, there have been some mildly encouraging signs over the past few weeks. The housing market appears to be slowly pulling out of its slump and retail sales are beginning to perk up again. But unfortunately, things are getting worse where it counts most: small business.The Wall Street […]

This was not how France’s new president, François Hollande, hoped to celebrate his first hundred days in office. The town of Amiens was rocked overnight as hundreds of rioters, mostly youths, engaged in what some have called “urban guerilla warfare”, evoking bitter memories of 2005, when France was convulsed by three weeks of nationwide unrest.London’s Daily […]

America and Japan may be long-term allies, but they have had their share of differences recently. In particular, Japanese-American security relations were bogged down for several years over Japan’s pledges to relocate an American Air Force base following the transition in government in 2009.That dispute is finally nearing resolution, however, and the recent White House […]