Central Perk

sâmbătă, 18 februarie 2012

Seth's Blog : Transparent or translucent?

Transparent or translucent?

There's an argument for transparency. If you make it easy for people to see right through you, the thinking goes, you are easier to trust.

The market, though, often seeks out the translucent. Things that glow. We're drawn to the glow, to the illumination and warm feeling it brings.

We'd like our tools and our replaceable institutions to be transparent. We want the bank and the radiologist and the tax man to be totally clear and invisible, so they can get out of the way and we can focus on what's true.

But the brands and experiences and legends that lead to stories and affection and connection--it would be better if they glowed instead.

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vineri, 17 februarie 2012

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Battle Over EU Airline Tax Risks "Carbon Trade War"; US Congressman Equates Tax to " Barbary Pirates for Safe Passage"; Insanity of Cap-and-Trade Revisited
German President Resigns; Major Embarrassment to Chancellor Merkel
Gallup Reports Unemployment in February Increases to 9%, Up From 8.6%; Underemployment Increases to 19%

Battle Over EU Airline Tax Risks "Carbon Trade War"; US Congressman Equates Tax to " Barbary Pirates for Safe Passage"; Insanity of Cap-and-Trade Revisited

Posted: 17 Feb 2012 09:40 AM PST

Led by the US and China, 26 nations are now protesting the EU's airline carbon tax, and a outright Carbon Trade War Edges Nearer.

An alliance of countries opposed to a carbon tax on airlines is threatening to tear up trade deals with the European Union and impose new taxes on EU carriers, in a sign the world's first carbon trade war is edging closer.

A meeting has been called for next week by the 26 countries that have been fighting to stop Brussels' charging airlines flying in or out of the EU for their carbon emissions.

China has already told its carriers to ignore the EU legislation which took effect from January 1 and US legislators are attempting to push a similar measure through Congress.

Retaliatory Measures Considered

Re-open existing trade agreements in sectors other than aviation to put "pressure on EU industries".
Impose new charges on European airlines flying into non-EU countries.
Suspend current and future negotiations about EU airline requests for new routes or airport destinations.
Review important bilateral aviation agreements with individual EU states.
Enact legislation banning their airlines from complying with the EU law.

Airline Tax Background

For background on the airline carbon tax, please consider Emissions: Rivals dig in over EU carbon trading scheme

The European Union has decided that from January 1 2012, any airline flying into or out of the EU will be charged for its carbon pollution.

That is due to aviation being brought into the EU's six-year-old emissions trading scheme (ETS), a system that obliges companies to pay for permits (or allowances), each equal to one tonne of carbon dioxide, to cover their annual emissions.

The decision to extend it to companies outside the bloc – foreign airlines – is the EU's most ambitious move yet to force the rest of the world to comply with its environmental rules.

The ATA [American Transport Association] estimates the scheme would cost US airlines more than $3.1bn between 2012 and 2020, though some analysts say the costs will be lower.

Barbary Pirates for Safe Passage

China told its airlines to ignore the tax, and Republicans in Congress seek to pass similar legislation.

"The ETS scheme is equivalent to the paying of ransom to the Barbary pirates for safe passage" said Chip Cravaack, the first Republican since 1947 to win Minnesota's 8th congressional district.

Insanity of Cap-and-Trade Revisited

For further discussion of the absurdities of carbon tax trading and credits for renewable energy, please see ...

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

German President Resigns; Major Embarrassment to Chancellor Merkel

Posted: 17 Feb 2012 07:28 AM PST

The German presidency is little more than a symbolic position, nonetheless, the announcement by German President Christian Wulff that he will resign is a major embarrassment to German Chancellor Angela Merkel who hand-picked Wulff as president.

Spiegel Online reports Wulff Announces He Will Step Down

German President Christian Wulff resigned from office after prosecutors stated a day earlier they would seek to have parliament lift his immunity. Prosecutors wanted his immunity revoked so they could formally investigate allegations he accepted favors during his tenure as governor of the state of Lower Saxony. At the center of the probe are allegations that a film producer had paid for a vacation in a luxury hotel for Wulff during his time in office in the state.

Speaking nearly a half hour after Wulff's resignation, German Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared before reporters to say she had received Wulff's resignation with "great respect and deep regret." The chancellor also noted that the development underscored the strength of the German legal system because it showed that all people are treated equally, regardless of their position.

Merkel said her coalition government would approach all political parties in an effort to find a "joint candidate" to replace Wulff.

The development is likely to cause embarrassment because Wulff is the second president after Horst Köhler to step down during her term. The chancellor handpicked Wulff to run as Köhler's successor after his sudden resignation in 2010. Even after his selection, Wulff was weakened going into the presidency because it took three rounds of voting in the Federal Assembly before he was ultimately elected.

Financial Times reports that Merkel cancelled a meeting scheduled with prime minister Mario Monti in Rome on Friday in the wake of the announcement by Wulff.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Gallup Reports Unemployment in February Increases to 9%, Up From 8.6%; Underemployment Increases to 19%

Posted: 17 Feb 2012 06:54 AM PST

The latest Gallup survey finds U.S. Unemployment Increases in Mid-February

The U.S. unemployment rate, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, is 9.0% in mid-February, up from 8.6% for January. The mid-month reading normally reflects what the U.S. government reports for the entire month, and is up from 8.3% in mid-January.

US Unemployment Rate, Monthly Averages

Gallup also finds 10.0% of U.S. employees in mid-February are working part time but want full-time work, essentially the same as in January. The mid-February reading means the percentage of Americans who can only find part-time work remains close to its high since Gallup began measuring employment status in January 2010.

Percentage of Workers, Working Part Time but Want Full Time Employment

Seasonal forces typically cause unadjusted unemployment rates to increase at this time of year. In this regard, some of the sharp increase Gallup finds in unemployment and underemployment may result from seasonal factors. Although the government seasonally adjusts the U.S. unemployment rate, and the workforce participation rate could decline, it still seems likely that the BLS will report an increase in the seasonally adjusted U.S. unemployment rate for February.

Regardless of what the government reports, Gallup's unemployment and underemployment measures show a sharp deterioration in job market conditions since mid-January.

BLS Numbers Not Realistic

Gallup only polls those 18 and above while the BLS includes 16 and above. Given teenage unemployment, this would (or at least should) artificially lower unemployment numbers for Gallup. Yet, Gallup is higher, way higher when one considers underemployment.

Fundamental and Mathematical Case for Structurally High Unemployment for a Decade

As I have said many times, the BLS numbers are simply not realistic for many reasons. For further discussion please see ...

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Damn Cool Pics

World's Largest Rope Swing
Cutest Hello Kitty Dentist Opens In Tokyo
Swiss Man Installs Wood-Burning Stove In Car
iPads Vs. Textbooks [Infographic]
World's First Ski-Thru Starbucks Opens In California
Gun Totem By Boris Bally
Romania Villages Buried Under 5 Meters of Snow

World's Largest Rope Swing

Posted: 17 Feb 2012 03:52 PM PST

Extreme junkie Devin Graham went to Moab, Utah with some friends, set up a rope swing over a cliff. It's quickly going viral, already nearing 1 million views in just two days.

Cutest Hello Kitty Dentist Opens In Tokyo

Posted: 17 Feb 2012 03:26 PM PST

There really is a Hello Kitty dentist in Koto-ku, Tokyo. Definitely the pinkest and cutest dentist on earth. The clinic is called "Hearts Dental Clinic."

The reason for making a "Hello Kitty" dental clinic isn't simply that Japan is crazy for Kitty it is but rather, the clinic uses the character as a way to make going to the dentist less nerve racking for patients, especially younger ones. This is one of the major reasons why Japanese pre-school buses look like giant puppy dogs or Pokémon characters. Their cute characters make kids want to ride them much more than a boring old bus.

Via: kotaku

Swiss Man Installs Wood-Burning Stove In Car

Posted: 17 Feb 2012 02:14 PM PST

A Swiss man has installed a wood-burning stove in his 1990 Volvo 240 station wagon. The front passanger seat is gone.

He built and installed the wood-fired stove himself and got an operating permit from the Swiss technical inspection authority.

iPads Vs. Textbooks [Infographic]

Posted: 17 Feb 2012 01:48 PM PST

On January 19th, Apple made a huge announcement: The introduction of iBooks 2, which would include high school textbooks, and iBooks Author, which would allow anyone to create them.

Many think that Apple's foray into education could revolutionize it. We don't know yet how Apple plans to get iPads into the hands of every high school student, but we do know that it's going to be very expensive for schools!

Click on Image to Enlarge.

Via: onlineteachingdegree

World's First Ski-Thru Starbucks Opens In California

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 09:24 PM PST

The Squaw Valley Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe, at 2400 meters above sea level now has a neighboring Starbucks. "Nowhere else in the world can skiers and riders enjoy a delicious Starbucks coffee without missing a beat on the slopes," said Squaw Valley's president and CEO.

Gun Totem By Boris Bally

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 09:01 PM PST

Standing in front of Providence's Federal Courthouse in Rhode Island is an unusual monument constructed out of steel, concrete and 1,000 used handguns. Dubbed the Gun Totem by its artist, Boris Bally, the imposing obelisk was constructed in 2001 with guns from a firearm buy-back program called Guns for Goods, founded by Dr. Michael P. Hirsch.

When Hirsch and Boris Bally met, eventually the conversation morphed into a notion of making artwork out of the reclaimed guns - which typically would have been sent to a local metal shop for demolition. Gun Totem is a result of this coalition. More than 1,000 guns went into the construction of the pillar, which was commissioned by the Providence Parks Department.

Image credit

Image credit
Via: amusingplanet

Romania Villages Buried Under 5 Meters of Snow

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 02:02 PM PST

Snow has stopped but dozens of villages are still submerged in snow. In some places the layer can reach up to 5 meters. People have had to dig tunnels through up to 15 feet of snow in order the leave their homes. Authorities declared an alert Monday in eastern Romania, where 6,000 people have been cut off for days. About a dozen major roads were closed, 300 trains canceled and more than 1,000 schools shut down.