Tuesday, January 12, 2010
The Case for Europe
Paul Krugman, professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton University and Nobel Prize in Economics, makes a convincing case for the European economic and social model in The New York Times, opposing the conservatives' view that the old continent is not competitive and has lost its economic dynamism. Read his column here.
With America's version of capitalism seemingly heading for bankruptcy, is there a crisis-proof economic model that can shape the 21st century?
In THE WORLD'S NEXT SUPERMODEL, three prominent thinkers argue for competing economic models, including Europe, Asia and Brazil. The proposals for these models are discussed by expert "judges," in a lively debate, examining them on the basis of issues such as social stability, environmental sustainability, government and market relationship, and their crisis-proof nature.
Labels: Asia, Brazil, economics, Europe, macro-economy, Paul Krugman, world affairs
Extreme-right British National Party wins two seats at the European Parliament
As European countries are voting to elect their European Parliament representatives, Great Britain is shaken by the victory of far right party BNP, gaining two seats for the first time, as reported by the AFP. The BNP is known for its anti-immigration stance and has been referred to as a racist and fascist organization, even though its leaders deny these accusations. ALL WHITE IN BARKING offers a snap shot of the current situation in a working class suburb of London where older white residents, including a supporter of the BNP with a mixed-race grandson, learn to live with their new neighbors, immigrants from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Balkans. Labels: Barking, BNP, elections, Europe, Great Britain, London
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
New Study on Link Between Happiness and Contentment
Shankar Vedantam in the Washington Post on October 1st discusses a new study concerning the effect of positive and negative events on people reporting being "generally happy". A high level of happiness, the article reports, causes an increase in expected happiness and thereby diminishing returns from positive events and increased disappointment in negative events. The article also discusses possible cultural links to attitudes toward happiness as well as genetic predisposition to this condition.
For more information on genetic and cultural links to happiness as well as further discussion on causes of happiness, watch HOW HAPPY CAN YOU BE? by Line Hatland.Labels: Europe, Japan, Shankar Vedantam
Going Underground to Discover the Universe's Origins
The New York Times reports today that the world's largest particle accelerator, being built 300 feet underground in Switzerland, is nearing completion. After 13 years under construction, it could be done in just 3 years.
"A Giant Takes on Physic's Biggest Questions" by Dennis Overby explores how such a span of time might seem long, but the discoveries that the Large Hadron Collider, based at the CERN laboratory in Switzerland, might yield could lead scientists to understand the origins of the universe.
Filmmaker Samy Brunett is a former employee CERN laboratory where the accelerator is being built, and he returned to make
SCIENTISTS AT THE RIM OF REALITY. The film is an insider's guide to the project that could provide huge discoveries shortly.
Labels: articles, CERN, Europe, physics, scientific discovery
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