Twenty years ago, Venezuelan financier David Brillembourg dreamed of a shimmering, glass-clad financial center in downtown Caracas to symbolize the nation’s economic prowess. The destiny of Torre Confinanzas was another—to become home to an informal community of 2,500 homeless people who are gradually colonizing, and completing, the unfinished 45-story building.
Category: News and Views
Weekly Economic Update | LAEDC
THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES:
- First Quarter 2011 Economic Report Card
- Global Economic Monitor
- Events of Interest
- May 18, 2011: International Trade Outlook
Could Goldman Sachs Fail? | The Baseline Scenario
Intellectually speaking, the bankers have no clothes. Unfortunately, the officials in charge of making policy on this issue are still unwilling to think through the implications; capital requirements need to be much higher.
.
Weird Science’s heart loves booze, hates mornings
Your heart is not a morning organ: Circadian rhythms, the changes your body undergoes based on time of day, influence a huge number of your body’s normal processes. It looks like they might influence abnormal processes too. Researchers tracked myocardial infarctions based on time of day, and measured their severity based on standard tests of enzyme levels. It turns out the heart hates the morning,…
Los Angeles to Kick Off Rebate on EV Chargers | GreenPacks.org
Los Angeles has made a gallant move, endorsing more green in society. A pilot program was announced last week by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, LADWP (Los Angeles Department of Water and Power) General Manager Ron Nichols, and environmental leaders that will bestow rebates for electric vehicle chargers.
TMI: Fear, Fukushima and Facts – Anil Dash | dashes.com
Thirty-two years ago today, I noticed that things were odd at our pre-school. The teachers had drawn the blinds closed in a few rooms and at least one of the other kids had had his mom pick him up in a big wood-sided station wagon before the day was actually over. I didn’t really know much more about what was going on, or why the day was strange, until years later I read much more about the accident at Three Mile Island and realized that since my pre-school and my home were just ten miles from the reactor meltdown, it’s surprising that the parents of our classroom full of three year olds weren’t more disturbed.
Billboard Houses | CoolBusinessIdeas.com
Got the flu? Call a doctor. Can’t pay your mortgage? Call Adzookie.com.
A Brief History of The War on Drugs | TIME.com
It’s a war without a clear enemy. Anything waged against a shapeless, intangible noun can never truly be won — President Clinton’s drug czar Gen. Barry McCaffrey said as much in 1996. And yet, within the past 40 years, the U.S. government has spent over $2.5 trillion dollars fighting the War on Drugs.
Paul Ryan’s Budget Arithmetic Makes No Sense | zero hedge
How is lowering the corporate tax rate going to change that exactly? Uh, it’s not. What it would do, is create a wider budget gap and send more politicians scratching their heads over why. So, it’s really just a super-bad and dumb idea.
China Proposes To Cut Two Thirds Of Its $3 Trillion In USD Holdings | zero hedge
Anyone who thinks that China would never pull out of U.S. Treasuries MUST read this article.
China should reduce its excessive foreign exchange reserves and further diversify its holdings, Tang Shuangning, chairman of China Everbright Group, said on Saturday.
The amount of foreign exchange reserves should be restricted to between 800 billion to 1.3 trillion U.S. dollars, Tang told a forum in Beijing, saying that the current reserve amount is too high.
Dispatches From The Front 