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Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Most Beautiful Girl in The Room: The Economics of Being A Part Time Model
Give the song a listen for yourself, before you read on. So in the song Jemaine declares his love for the most beautiful girl at the party. As he notes she's so beautiful she could be a "part time model", but she would still have to keep her day job.
So why would there be part time models, part time musicians, and part time actors. One explanation is that being a model, musician or actor is like a tournament. Top members of those fields make tens of millions of dollars, while other struggle. They continue with that struggle for the hopes of the big payoff. Edward Lazear and Sherwin Rosen, 25 years ago documented this phenomenon in business where CEOs make many times more than Vice Presidents (see this Forbes Article). Similarly, Steve Levitt of Freakonomics fame showed that drug dealers earn very little (in fact below minimum wage) except for King Pins at the top who earn lots.
So people are part time models in hopes of the big payoff. Now go rent Flight of the Conchords
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Stocks Win in the Long Run, but how Long is the Long Run.
My father's response
"Suppose we look at 40 years, i.e., 1968. Prior to this year, stocks had grown at a rate such that $1,000 put in in 1968 would have grown by a factor 48 at the start of 2008. If we reduce that by 30 %, the amount the Dow has fallen this year, then the $1,000 would have grown by 33.7 times. Bonds, however, have grown 17.4 times from 1968 till the start of 2008. (I assume little change from the start of 2008 till today.) So, stocks have performed about twice as well over 40 years, even with the recent downturn. The gap is over 2:1 if we look at the last 30 years. But, over the last ten years, bonds would have returned a compound 50 % while stocks have actually lost ground."
I think the most interesting thing is the last sentence. $1,000 invested 10 years ago in bonds would have returned $1,500 (not accounting for inflation), but the stocks actually lost money.
Is 5 years no longer the stock versus bond horizon? I wonder about investing for college. Vanguard (a well run and managed investment service), offers three options for age targeted college funds. A conservative option, which has no stocks after age 11, a moderate which stops at age 15, and an aggressive one that goes with 25% stocks until 18.
I would still lean toward the aggressive option if the amount in the college savings plan is enough to pay for college, but maybe that's because I finished most of school before the dot-com bubble burst.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Supply and Demand of Inauguration Rentals
I found it hard to believe that rooms would rent out for thousands of $s a night. It seemed like most of these articles, talked about advertised prices and not what people actually paid.
So what happened, my guess is that those people did not actually rent out their apartments for thousands of dollars a night. A check of Craigslist has shown the prices are falling to a few hundred dollars a night, really not that out of line with downtown hotels.
It sometimes take a while for markets to sort themselves out, what price should an apartment rental during inauguration be, it seems like its approaching about $400 bucks a night per bedroom.
If you are interested though my couch is still available to friends/family.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Malaria Vaccine May Come in 2012
Monday, December 8, 2008
Why Housing Prices Will Keep Rising Compared to Food Prices
Monday, November 24, 2008
What Good is the Middleman? Super Broker Shuffle
From an economic stand point why do we want middlemen. Their salaries must be paid so we can get our Ortega taco shells and A1 steak sauce in our grocery stores, but wouldn't are groceries be cheaper without them (or we cut out the middleman.)
In econ 101 it is generally assumed there are no transaction costs, and everyone knows all the goods available and at what price. But in real life a grocery store must choose among 1000s of products, by paying a broker a grocery store may gain access to knowledge about these products.
However, over time we have cut out the middleman. This brief description of food brokers by Steve Hannaford shows the number of food brokers had decreased to 3 by 2003. Unfortnatly Southern Food Brokerage is no more, it was bought by Crossmart in 1991.
It lives on in the Super Broker Shuffle, watch and enjoy!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
When is it cheapest to purchase a turkey?
So if you liked cupzzas, here is more on economics and food. Thanksgiving is a little over a week away. But, my wife and I couldn't wait so last weekend we roasted a whole turkey for the two of us. We had a nice dinner, a few lunches of turkey leftovers, plus a pot pie, and a bunch of turkey to make stock.
Was this optimal? Like most Americans we will also eat turkey on thanksgiving (thanks Mom and Dad). We all know that turkey has diminishing returns at some point (anyone for curry-turkey hash?). But I think our turkey allocation was optimal, because now we have a week in between, and I could kind of go for some turkey right now.
So is it optimal that we all eat turkey at the same time? If we all want turkey at the same time, then this should lead to higher prices for turkey during thanksgiving. But farmers know this and expand turkey farm operations during the holiday. If prices reflect cost in perfect competition, then this indicates that there are economies of scale, that is the cost of average turkey production falls as more turkeys are made.
As the graph below shows this is the case that turkey prices have dropped during the holidays, while whole chicken prices have not. It's not perfect evidence, but really who wants to not eat turkey on thanksgiving?
Monday, November 17, 2008
Markets in Everything: Cupzzas (Pizza in the form of a cupcake)
Cupzzas, a pizza baked in cupcake form. Asa Wilder '09 one of the founders is quoted in an article in Grinnell College's newspaper, the Scarlet and Black.
"We just really wanted to shatter the cupcake-pizza dichotomy. It's just existed for too long."
The Grinnellian entrepreneurs are also capital constrained, more from the article about how they made pupzzas, mini cupzzas.
"[A] lot of our ideas come from just not having the proper materials," Wilder said. "Like the pupzzas came from not being able to find the large tins."
Mortgage and Retirement
He proposes that you purchase what is called a life cycle account. When you are in your twenties you buy on the margin, by basically buying a mortgage on stocks with 50% down. Gradually over time you reduce this 2/3 down by 40, until you start repaying your retirement mortgage in your 50s. Ayres tested this model using data for each age group going back to 1913 and found using past data that it outperformed the standard retirement plan (of buying stocks young and bonds old) and never returned less than 2.5%.
I have to say though I'm skeptical. For three reasons, first past performance does not indicate future returns as they say. I'm also curious about the general equilibrium case. If all young people start buying stocks on margin, will the cost of borrowing to purchase stock increase, could this wipe out the gains Ayres sees? Finally, I don't fully understand the mechanics of it, it seems to me that a lot could go wrong, what if you start to earn less in your 50s, its harder to retire earlier or maybe not. What if you get disabled do you still owe your retirement debt?
Ayres is a smart guy though, so I'll be curious to follow this. If it's a good idea some financial company will offer it (although if it is a bad idea that might happen too).
h/t Dan Rothschild for passing on the idea
Friday, November 14, 2008
Ticket Resale and Obama Inauguration
Ebay has banned the sale of inauguration ticket and there is talk in congress of banning second market sales (i.e. scalping) of inauguration speech ticket. If you are looking for tickets, it looks like e-mailing your Senator or Represenative is the only way at this point.
Economists are generally for free markets and allowing ticket resale is a type of free market. But, it is worth noting that tickets have not even been issued yet, and as the cost of tickets goes up so does the likelihood for fraud. My guess is that if you want an inauguration ticket and you strike out with your congress member, head down to the event and try to purchase a ticket a little bit after things start.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Don't Take Candy from Strangers, Especially Strange Economists
Lately though Karlan's work has turned to US politics. In a recent paper he wrote with a number of others, the trust of New Haven children was tested. The paper received a recent write up in Slate. The abstract describes the experiment below:
We conducted experiments during trick-or-treating at Halloween, four days prior to the 2008 presidential election. We decorated one side of a porch with Obama material and the other with McCain material. Some children are asked to choose a side to get an equal quantity of candy, whereas other children are offered more candy to go to the McCain side. At the candy table, each child chooses between a clear plastic bag and a brown paper bag, thus revealing their level of trust or comfort with ambiguity. We find that, in a predominantly liberal neighborhood, children choose the Obama table and continued to do so even upon the promise of more candy at the McCain table. We also find that Obama supporters, identified as those who choose the Obama table, are more likely than to take the brown bag of candy than the McCain supporters, identified as those who choose the McCain table.
These results mimic results from the General Social Survey in which supporters of Kerry over Bush in 2004 are more trusting.
I think the main lesson we can garner though is to not trust economists with candy.
h/t to Chris Blattman
Thursday, November 6, 2008
When Supply and Demand Fail: Reports from the Tropics
Yesterday's post details his attempt to purchase high speed internet. Here's the first paragraph
I have been waiting for high-speed internet at my house for a long time. Over
three years, to be exact. I have called the ICE, the government monopoly on
telecommunications, every few months and their response is always the same. A
bored voice on the other line says, "There are no ports available." When will
they get some ports in? Again, the same answer every time, and quintessentially
Tico: "I wouldn't know what to tell you." (No sabría decirle).
I won't do it justice, but the post goes on to detail long lines, indifference, and an unwillingness to exchange money for goods. They key economic reason here is that ICE is a monopoly. My guess is that the network may have a certain capacity and that government regulation may hold the price down. So in order to offer more people network ICE would have to expand the network, which could be too expensive.
I'm also considering another theory. Rot goes on to describe something even more puzzling. An US ex-pat living in Costa Rica writes into the local English paper:
When I first moved to Costa Rica in the mid-1970s, I bought canned mushrooms at
a local pulpería [small convenience store]. After a bit, the owner stopped
stocking them, and when I asked him why, he replied, "They sell so fast that I
can't keep them in stock, so I don't bother ordering them anymore." I suggested
that he place a larger order, but it fell on deaf ears.
One place where typical economics fails is when one person's effort mainly benefits another person. ICE employees do not get paid based on how many people get internet, so why work hard. It's possible that the pulpería is owned by someone else and the manager does not want to order more mushrooms, because it is more work. Similarly I wonder if the pulpería cannot raise prices too much on the mushrooms, since people might buy them someplace else. In this case if there is a fixed costed for each mushroom order, it might be worth it to not order a many mushrooms.
In the end though, sometime economic theories fail, people do things that are counterintuitive to an economist.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Kiva Proposal: Request to my Readers
I'm trying something new this semester in my Development Economics class. I had students write a request to fund a micro loan. The micro loan was requested through a website called Kiva. On the website potential borrowers request funds for a loan and people like you and me can provide a loan directly to borrowers in developing countries. To engage my students a little more I chose the top five proposals in the class. The proposal receiving the most votes will receive $150 to put toward the loan of their choice, 2nd place $50, and 3rd place $25.
I would like it if my blog readers, read their proposals and chose their favorite. To vote make a selection using the poll to the right of this post. If you only have time to read a few pick a couple of enteries at random and select one you like.
Fortunately, Kiva is becoming very popular and many of these loans have been funded. In that case I will allow the students to choose a new loan to fund. Thank you for your help, and I hope you enjoy my students' proposals.
Seth Gitter
Maisara Abdusamadova in Tajikistan
Maisara Abdusamadova is a widow who lives with her two children in the rural Isfara region of Tajikistan. She has a small cooking business, selling 'sambusas' (national dumplings) as a means of supporting her family. However, despite an increase in popularity and demand from her customers, she does not possess the means to expand her business. She is requesting a loan of $800 to be repaid in span of six months, in order to invest in cooking equipment and furniture for her customers. This will enable her to expand her business and cater to the demands of her customers more efficiently, through which she can generate even bigger profits.
Maisara is represented by the International Micro-Loan Fund, which is a microfinance organization that helps the most vulnerable groups of the population to improve their economic well being. The organization currently possesses a "5-Star" risk rating on KIVA, which demonstrates a high likelihood of repayment. Since Maisara already runs an established business that caters to regular customers, it adds to her credibility and ensures repayment. As the sole earner in her household, it is important for Maisara to obtain maximum profits from her business so she can provide support for her children and their education the future.
Priyanka Subba
Akua Aboka in Togo
Akua Aboka is a 42 year old married woman and mother of two. She is a merchant and owns a ready-to-wear clothing store in Kpalime, Togo. In order to address her customers demand, increase her clienteles, and prosper her business she requested a loan of $975 of which $775 has been raised so far. The amount of $200 is the only obstacle that is keeping her from buying demand brand names shoes and outfits for her clientele.
There is a myriad of reasons why I think Aboka should be the recipient of your loan. For one, like most entrepreneurs on KIVA, Akua Aboka is from a developing country which has very limited resources to offer a banking system that would allow entrepreneurs like her to request loans for their businesses.
Second, my candidate is from Togo, a very small country of about the size of West Virginia which is located in West Africa. Togo's economy depend heavily on agriculture with about 65 % of the population employed either in commercial and subsistence agriculture. It is no surprise to see that cash crops such as cocoa, coffee, and cotton (40 % of export revenues) generate most government revenues. The only natural resources for this country consist of phosphates, limestone, marble, and some arable land; and Togo is the fourth largest exporter of phosphate in the world. Togo has a deficit of 159 million dollars, huge debts, and a GDP per capita of $900. It is safe to assume that with no degrees, my candidate would make very less than $900 therefore leaving her unable to provide for her family.
KIVA is a window of opportunity where generous people like you can help Akua Aboka improve her living conditions with very little money. I am asking you to consider my candidate, think about the joy you will bring to her and her family, and the satisfaction you will get knowing that you have helped someone in great need.
Pulcherie Konan M'Bra
Mena Abdulaziz in Afghanistan
Afghanistan has experienced international and civil wars resulting in the destruction and creation of various governments over the past three decades. This has undoubtedly hindered its economic development, as the state has an unemployment rate of 40% and per capita GDP of $1,000 (CIA World Factbook, 2008). Providing a loan to Mena will allow her and her husband to improve their standard of living, along with that of their three children. Although any investment is a risk, Mena has a good track record and you can expect to be paid back. Her first loan provided funds to start her husband's store and improve her pottery business. This loan will allow her expand her pottery business even more and improve the stock in her husband's store. While financing retail businesses are relatively common, it is less often that you have the chance to support the spread of artwork. Life in a war-ravaged country can be difficult and discouraging and work that displays beauty and creativity amidst the rubble of war should be encouraged. While one may not think that something as simple as a handmade and decorated bowl can have an effect on others, a small work of art may provide a little encouragement in an otherwise chaotic life. Supporting a loan to Mena and her family will allow them to further their economic progress while increasing the number of people who can enjoy Mena's creativity through pottery.
Lindsay Roberts
Rosemary Maziku in Tanzania
Imagine a country with a diverse landscape, composed of wild animals running free, the tallest mountain in Africa and several landmark lakes. Think about what it would be like if you were able to live in a country where nature is more prominent than technology. Although many Americans would call this a vacation, there are millions in Africa living in such a place. Welcome to Tanzania, the dream getaway spot, where the GDP per capita is $1,300.00 and the life expectancy is 51 years old (Tanzania, 2008)! Sounds like paradise, right?
While life, in general, in Tanzania is difficult, women especially have a hard time. According to Kiva.org, the customs of the Tanzanian society make it hard for women to own property. This, in turn, leaves them without the necessary credit to borrow from financial institutions. Rosemary Maziku is one woman trying to run a business in Mwanza, Tanzania. She is a thirty-seven year-old widow with three young children, simply trying to raise enough profit to keep her family alive. She is requesting a loan for $400.00 that she will use to purchase cloth and shoes to sell. Currently working twelve hours a day, six days a week, Rosemary operates a tailoring business and sells soaps and perfumes for extra income. She turns a small profit of about $120.00 a month. Many Americans spend more than that on food each week. The field partner affiliated with loans in Tanzania is SELFINA. They greatly cater to the needs of poor women, even allowing them to use equipment as collateral for future loans. The loan is near risk-free, with a 0% reported default rate and 0% delinquency rate (RosemaryMaziku, 2008).
Knowing that Rosemary needs only $400.00 to completely better her own life and the lives of her children, how can you not feel a desire to help?
--Lindsey McCurdy
Heng Sophea in Cambodia
This proposal is for a Mrs. Heng Sophea, who is 41 years old who lives in the Andoung Samrith Village in Takeo Province of Cambodia. Mrs. Sophea supports her husband and four children with a rice crop that she is currently unable to harvest because she needs someone to help plow the field. Her husband assists her with her crop, while her oldest child drives a car to produce a supplemental income. Two of her children are currently attending a local school. She is asking for a small loan of $500 to hire a worker that will help her plow her rice crop. The money would be used to pay for the worker; while the remaining money would be used to buy fertilizer and pesticides to aid in the resilience of the crop.
To loan money to this women would benefit her whole family. She will be able to provide more for her family by yielding a crop that they can live off and sell to make profit. This small investment can give a family a chance to gain a higher income and become a larger contributor to the economy of Cambodia. Even though crops are very temperamental and depend on the climate, the addition of fertilizer and pesticides will greatly reduce the risk of crop loss. Cambodia has a GDP per Capita of $1,900 (CIA World Fact Book), where 31% of total GDP is in the agricultural sector, comprising of 75% of the labor force. This shows that agriculture is a way that most people try to make their incomes from. However, it may not produce a large enough income. Micro loans make it possible to loan small amounts to families that otherwise would be too risky, but with the help of these small loans, that have a high success rate, they can achieve the dreams that banks tell them that it is impossible. The borrowers from Kiva have been screened and have the assistance of groups of other borrowers that give support to each other.
Borrowers also learn the ability to save money for those unfortunate incidents. It is very important to lend just a few dollars to these people, who have nowhere else to turn to make their dreams come true.
--Jessica Maurer
Friday, October 31, 2008
Trick or Treat Economics Through Pictures
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Forbes College Rankings, Bad Methodology
"Choosing a four-year undergraduate college is one of the biggest decisions a typical American family can make. And for too many years, information about the quality of American higher education has been monopolized by one publication, U.S. News & World Report."
The US News and World Report's methodology is far from perfect and I agree competition is good. So how does Forbes improve on US News method for selecting the best place to go to school:
"To answer these questions, the staff at CCAP (mostly college students themselves) gathered data from a variety of sources. They based 25% of the rankings on 7 million student evaluations of courses and instructors, as recorded on the Web site RateMyProfessors.com. Another 25% depends on how many of the school's alumni, adjusted for enrollment, are listed among the notable people in Who's Who in America."
Let's start with ratemyprofessor.com . This website suffers from severe selection bias. For example the Forbes study author Richard Vedder, an economics professor at Ohio University, has really great teaching evaluation on ratemyprofessor.com, but on average only 3 students a year have filled out a review of Prof. Vedder. I wonder how schools differ in their use of rate my professor, but with only 3 evaluations per year its hard to believe ratemyprofessor provides an accurate picture.
The bigger issue is the next 25%, which uses Who's Who in America. In 1999 Forbes published an article by Tucker Carlson which refers to Who's Who, as the Hall of Lame. The article details the problems with Who's Who, which has basically become a purchased prestige. Similarly Steve Levitt, yesterday at Freakonomics blogged about Who's Who, citing a study that found ½ of military medals listed in biographies on Who's Who were made up.
Normally, I do not criticize other works too much in this space, but Forbes ranking have the potential to compete with US News, and this point I do not think they should.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Cell phones, consumer expenditure survey and pollster.
So back to the point at hand the CES has been tracking changes in spending on cell phones and land lines. By 2006 the average household spent the same on land lines as they cell phones. This probably isn't the best data to show it but I think it confirms the trend that people are going from land line only to cell phone only, since spending on land lines is down 20% between 2001-2006 (I don't think prices have fallen that much or at all in land line service).
This reminds me of a good article by Nate Silver over at 538. He was discussing the problem of political polls in that they do not call people on cell phones. When this is this case they need to find more people with land lines who are similar to those with those on the cell phone. In other words they likely need to call more young people on land lines to make up for all those missing a cell phone. It's really a good article.
Monday, October 27, 2008
A Two Handed Economist's Take on Slots in Maryland and a Casino in Ohio
I think the issue is actually very similar to the payday loan issue I was discussing last week. On the one hand we have an economic transaction, in this case gaming. The transaction is completed by two consenting adults. Jobs are provided to create this transaction, so there is some economic benefit.
So the next question as an economist is there an externality? That is does gaming create negative consequences for those who are not gamblers. In the case of slots or a casino in rural Ohio, I'm skeptical of crime arising from this type of casino. Gaming addictions could increase, if the public has to support gaming addicts then this could create an externality.
However, I think the question comes down to like the payday loan decision, do we think that casinos or payday loans make people worse off even if those people chose to gamble or borrow?
Second, should the government implement laws to prevent these choices?
I'm not sure how to answer this second question. But I do know this is the question we should be asking.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Microcredit versus payday loan
It's a little long but this New Yorker article does a great job of explaining microcredit as does this shorter piece by Karol Boudreaux and Tyler Cowen. For those of you not familiar with micro lending, basically relatively poor people in developing countries are loaned small amounts of money (10s to 100s of dollars).
As the New Yorker article discusses interest rates for micro loans in developing countries can still approach over 100% APR a year. The article also contrasts two current models of micro loans, one which works as a non-profit and one which makes a profit. So what is different between micro credit and payday loans, besides a slightly smaller interest rate. In microloans in developing countries:
1.) The money is supposed to be used to purchase something that will help generate future income.
2.) Loans are made in typically smaller amounts at first then building to larger amounts as the borrower shows they can repay.
3.) Borrowers are often put into groups of about 10 members. All group members must repay their loans or all borrowers lose the ability to borrow in the future.
4.) The programs often include financial education, and require borrowers to save some part of their loan.
5.) Running loan offices may be cheaper in developing countries, since labor is often much cheaper in developing countries, so interest rates can be lower than in the US check cashing places.
So what is the answer to addressing the problems caused by check cashing/ payday loans places in the US. I think in part it creating a way to allow people to manage their finances better.
One step in the right direction might be the Russell Simons Rush Card. Its basically a pre-paid credit card. It also offers direct deposit and check cashing, at fees that seem lower than the average. The card is aimed at the millions of Americans who are without a bank account.
If this could be linked with microloan program that included grouping borrowers and perhaps financial education. I'm however unsure of the ability of the free market and the government to provide that financial education, so I guess it is up to teachers like me.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Credit Part II: An Economist's Take on Ohio Issue 5 To Cap Pay Day Loan Interest
The Toledo Blade argues that voters should vote against the cap because "Opponents would have voters believe that 6,000 jobs will be lost if H.B. 545 goes into effect because payday lenders can't keep their doors open charging "only" 28 percent interest. They say the issues at stake are financial freedom, privacy, and not limiting lending options."
As I noted in my previous pay day loan post, there are more payday loan operations than McDonalds in Ohio. In my home town of Delaware, OH its 4 McDs compared to 6 check cash/ pay day loan locations. Economic theory would dedicate that if one of them could still make money by charging 50% interest they would and could likely garner all the business by advertising lower prices.
Since there are many payday loan companies and anyone can start one, it is likely few loans will get made at a 28% interest rate.
I'm reasonably sure these payday loan jobs will be lost, people will no longer be able to get loans. From a pure economic theory stand point, we must believe that either people would be better off having the option of a payday loan or that people are not very good at making their own decisions so eliminating payday loan operations would be a net improvement.
I no longer live in Ohio, but I spent the first 18 years of my life there. I'm not sure how I would vote, because I see both beliefs.
Next post (hopefully tomorrow), I will compare payday loans with microcredit in developing countries. Why is that small loans in developing countries have lower interest rates (100% per year) and why are these loans more likely to be repaid.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Consumer Credit
"credit card companies were happy to lend, and consumers were happy to rack up credit card debt, because they both knew that if the credit-card balance got out of hand, it could always be paid off with home equity. Now those days are over, and we're entering a consumer-credit crunch."
This quote is in response to a more detailed post on the credit crunch by Henry Blodgett
Consumers lost another option for borrowing at least for the time being. Prosper.com a peer-to-peer lending website, is entering a quiet period (i.e. no loans) while it tries to register with security authorities.
Tomorrow (or next post) I'll discuss the pay day loan initiative in Ohio.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
What Parking Tickets and Red Cards Can Tell US About Corruption?
Chris Blattman, interviews the two authors over at his blog on their new book. I thought it might be a good opportunity to discuss their two greatest hits.
The first was a paper written a few years ago that measure the relationship between diplomatic parking tickets in New York City and corruption. As I understand it, diplomats at the UN could be issued parking tickets, but did not have to pay them. Fisman and Miguel, found that more corrupt countries like Chad and Bangladesh had over a 1,000 parking tickets, while less corrupt countries like those in Scandinavia had a dozen or less. This might be helpful since parking tickets are easier to measure than corruption. Apparently also countries that have a less favorable view of the US also had more parking tickets.
Miguel is also the lead author on another paper that links the issuing of red cards in international soccer matches and violence within a country. For non-soccer fans red cards are issued when a player commits a severe foul, receiving a red card forces the player to leave the game and the team to play a man short. The paper finds that countries with more violence have soccer players that receive more red cards.
I look forward to reading the book. I'll end with this bit of advice from Fisman from the Blattman interview: "I always tell graduate students that if they want innovative thesis ideas, to read the newspaper, not the economics literature. This is a case in point. You usually don't get exciting new research ideas while reading Econometrica."
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Google's Knol , Technology Adoption, Increasing Returns to Scale, and Paul Krugman
So what's the problem? I was thinking of writing an article, but I wasn't sure if Knol was popular enough. There are few article on there and few with people who seem reasonably credentialed. We might think of the value (or expected value) of me writing an article to be related to the number of articles already written. As more articles are written and Knol becomes more popular the more likely I am to write an article.
A similar problem occurs when countries try to adopt technology. In a developing country a businessman may only pay for internet service if others are also paying for internet services. This is because having e-mail access is a lot more valuable if people you want to e-mail actually have e-mail access to. For a lot of technologies the value of adoption is related to the percentage of other people who have adopted.
The difficult thing is how to get the first few people to write a Knol article or adopt a new technology. As Paul Krugman has suggested, economies cannot adopt new technologies that cost more but are more productive, unless enough others adopt. (See this article, which may be too technical for some)
So what's the solution, in both cases it might be a "Big Push", in the case of Knol pay a few well known experts to write articles, increasing Knol's credibility. In the case of economies it might be to provide incentives to particular sectors to help those sectors grow and making it easier for other businesses to adopt technology.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Paul Krugman Nobel Prize 2008
"Princeton's Avinash Dixit has said that if Krugman were not so valuable to academics, "we should appoint him to a permanent position as the translator of economic journals into English."
Tyler Cowen over at Marginal Revolution has a run down of Krugman's greatest hits. Because not only is Krugman a great economist for the popular reader, but he also has numerous famous academic publications. In 1991 he was awarded possibly the 2nd highest honor in Economics the Bates medal, which is given to the best economist under 40 in the US, and a lot of winners of the medal have gone on to win Nobel Prizes.
I have always been partial to his work in economic development and trade theory. He combined previous work on spillovers and put it into a context of geography and specialization. As someone who reads economics article with lots of Greek letters, Krugman's are some of the most readable and insightful.
There may be a lot to disagree with in Krugman's NY Times Op. editorials. But, there is a seemingly wide agreement that Krugman's scholarly work is well deserving of a Nobel Prize.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
How the Economic Crisis Can Be Good For You!
With an economic slowdown, people will purchase less gasoline, this will and caused the price of gas to go down. In the last 4 months gas prices have fallen about 15%.
There is also evidence, reported by Felix Salmon that the food and commodity price bubble is starting to burst, so food prices could come down.
If you are looking to buy a new car you will be able to find some great deals, as a lot of people are switching to purchasing used cars.
This not to say the overall impact of the crisis will be positive, but its worth noting that economic forces have reactionary forces.
Monday, October 6, 2008
What to Do When The Market is Running Wild? Ask Your Mom.
Recently the Christian Science Monitor had an article on "Why Women Might Be The Winners in
Today's Market" in short women are less likely to panic and sell in a down market and make more stocks trades. Women are also more likely to seek the advice of a financial profession and are more likely to have a financial plan. Men are also more likely to double down on their investments after an initial loss. Although the article also indicates that women are more likely to use lower risk investment vehicles such as bonds and money market funds. In the long run too little risk can lead to low returns.
When the market falls and you see your 401k plunge it's hard not to sell off. Aphorism like buy low and sell high are hard to swallow. But it might just the medicine you need to weather the financial sickness.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Make Wall Street Pay Even if It Hurts Us
In lab experiments Ariely and other have found when two players play a game and one player feels cheated, the cheated player will pay money to take away some of the gains of the other player.
This might be worth thinking of in terms of Wall Street and mortgages. A lot of people feel Wall Street cheated them out of their 401k. Similarly in the housing market people who have sat on the sidelines savings, while others in their mind cheated by lying on loans and taking out more than they can afford should suffer too.
There is also a bit of schadenfreude, as Lisa Simpson taught means finding joy in others suffering, on real estate sites, like socketsite.com which covers the bay area market.
Ariely claims its human nature to want some kind of revenge, but can the House of Represenatives rise above that revenge?
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
What are the Opportunity Cost of 700 Billion Dollars? Aid to Developing Countries Instead of Wall Street.
Over at the Oxfam Blog, Duncan Green, suggests that the 700 billion dollars could be spent on developing countries. The 700 billion is about twice what the poorest 49 countries international debt is. He also suggests it is 5 times the cost of achieving the Millennium Development Goals, which include food, schooling, and basic health care for all.
This makes me think of my class yesterday, we were discussing Paul Collier's book The Bottom Billion. In the book he discusses his previous research that shows that international aid experiences diminishing returns, that is the first bit of aid helps a lot but each additional bit of aid does not help as much. Collier research showed that once aid reached 16% of GDP additional aid had not impact on GDP growth.
I'm not sure if there is currently the capacity and infrastructure to distribute 700 billion dollars in foreign aid. But a comparison of the numbers is always worthwhile.
h/t to Chriss Blattman
Monday, September 29, 2008
Which Party Will Be Better for Economic Growth?
So what does this mean? Greg Mankiw, Harvard Economist, points to the good old question does correlation =? causation. In other words it could have just been a coincidence that both things happened at the same time.
Mulligan has a good response to Mankiw's question, basically if we give democrats credit for growth then we might want to also give Republicans credit for equality.
So who knows, which party will do better?
This makes me think of a similar problem with evaluating the 700 billion bailout plan. If the economy gets better, was it the bailout plan or did the economy just get better?
Friday, September 26, 2008
The Economics of Happy Hour: Why Beer is Cheaper During Happy Hour
I went to the Brewers Art last night for a happy hour with my fellow Towson professor pals. I'm not positive, but I believe the beers were cheaper during happy hour than during regular hours, same deal at Capital City Brewery in DC (where I happy houred on Wednesday).
Why is beer cheaper during happy hours? The supply of bars hasn't changed from happy hour to post happy hour (dinner time), but the demand of the patrons probably has. The happy hour crowd tends to be younger and poorer, they tend to have a thirst for cheap drinks. So to attract this crowd before the dinner crowd arrives, bars lower prices.
In Madison, Wisconsin many drink specials were to be found where students ventured out for cheap drink specials. However, due to problems with people who got a little too happy, the local bars banded together to eliminate happy hour specials. A clear case of collusion, happy hour lovers sued the tavern league. The state supreme court of Wisconsin, ruled that it was OK since the tavern league had immunity.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
You Tried and Failed, Lesson is Never Try
Over at Underlying Logic, Erik Simpson discusses the role of optimal effort and students. The discussion began with Usain Bolt, the Olympic sprinter who eased up at the end of his raise. In his teaching Erik has found that "I slowly came to realize that many of my students were choosing to incur penalties consistently so that I never got a chance to judge their best work in a straightforward way. That was the point. If you never try your hardest, nobody can ever find your limits. "
Erik makes more of psychological argument that we feel worse if we try and fail, then we fail without effort. But economist generally assume effort is costly. In the case of Bolt, that might not be, but a student would have to work longer hours. Additionally, hours worked not only have decreasing productivity the more you work (diminishing returns) and the leisure forgone when you are already working hard is extremely valuable. Try working another hour if you have worked 20 in a row, compared to the first hour worked.
There is a large economic literature on signaling models related to trying and failing. Simple example. Imagine I'm your boss, and I assign you a task say you plant carrots on my farm. I have too many workers to watch you plant carrots, so I pay you based on the number of carrots produced. Output is based not only on your effort, but also random forces (rain, rabbits, ect.). Depending on the payoffs to a good harvest or a bad harvest, your ability, and the impact of outside forces you may choose to put in a lot of effort or not.
In some sense students have only a vague idea of how an extra hour of studying will pay off both in terms of their knowledge and their grades. Part of their grade is their effort, and part is random forces (did they study the right material, is the prof in a bad mood when they grade the exam).
To optimally get the best effort generally the models conclude that high effort must be more likely to yield the good result, which is then rewarded.
So assign tough assignments, where high effort pays off.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
The Rich Get Richer and The Smart Get Smarter
To further complicate the problem those with low skills and income are not able to provide the environment to have their 5 year olds have the same level of skills as high skill and income 5 year olds. So the skill differences remain and it is harder to catch up.
Heckman is becoming a stronger advocate for pre-kindergarten education for disadvantage children. In terms of Presidential candidates Obama starts his education platform with a discussion of Zero to 5 year olds education. McCain discusses head start a policy aimed at 3-4 year olds in his early education policy, which Heckman suggests may be too late.
Monday, September 22, 2008
If You Subsidize Not Enough Come
Humphreys and Dennis Coates, have a great readable summary of the general view of economists that show that these stadiums don't pay off in Econ journal watch.
Friday, September 19, 2008
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!! Second Annual Talk Like an Economist Pirate Day.
Here's an article on Pirate Economics to celebrate international talk like a pirate day:
And 3 Pirate Econ Jokes!
1. How did the Pirate Economist check the validity of his model?
2. How did the Pirate Economist take advantage of different prices in two markets?
3. How did the other pirate economists honor the best young economist?
With the Clarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrk! Medal
If we need to defend against Economic pirates, I'm calling Nobel Prize winner James Tobin, who served in WWII on a Navy destroyer and:
"Tobin invented what has come to be called as Tobit or logit analysis where a dependent variable is restricted to certain values. This regression technique has been found to be useful in many socio-economic problems. Incidentally, the name Tobit is taken from the novel, Mutiny on the Bounty, written by Herman Wouk, who served in the Navy with Tobin and named a principal character in the novel after him."
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
What Should Your Response Be To The Stock Market Plunge? Not Much
1. What's a CD? Any money with a major bank in a savings account up to 100,000 is insured by the FDIC. This includes CDs, which pay higher interest than savings account but require you to keep money in the account longer. If your Bank goes under the Federal Government will refund your money. What if all the banks go under? Then the money under your mattress is probably not worth much either.
2. Why move from a money market account to a CD?
A money market account is basically the safest thing short of a Federal Government guarantee. A money market invests in short term stable bonds. As Megan McArdle pointed out for only the second time in history a money market account has lost money, and it was only down 3%. We (my wife and I) are still contributing to my money market fund, but I'm going to hedge a little bit in case something crazy goes down. NPR has a good story on money markets here.
3. Why are you saving money in a money market account and a CD?
My wife and I plan to purchase a house in the next few years. As you can see from year to year who know what the stock marketing is going to do. If you are saving for something you will purchase within the next 5 years keep the money in a money market or CD, that way you expose yourself to less risk.
4. So you are thinking of buying a house, is it because it is a good time to buy?
The five year rule of thumb also applies to real estate, since prices can also vary a lot. The variation is less, but there is a large transaction cost to buying house. If you aren't going to stay somewhere five years, it is not a good time to purchase. My wife and I both have good jobs now and think we'll be in the area for a while, so it is a good time to buy for us, once we have a down payment we are comfortable with. If you think you may move or lose your job, don't buy a house.
5. What about retirement?
Most of the people who read my blog are in their late 20s, except my parents and grandfather (but they don't need money advice from me). So for us nearing 30 we have a lot of time left to go before retirement (35 plus years). Remember buy low, sell high. If the stock marketing is going down, think of it as everything is on sale. Most retirement advisers would recommend you stick with your general game plan and continue to purchase mostly stocks through a mutual fund (international and domestic), and some bonds (10%) ish to round out just in case. Many companies make this easy with target date retirement funds that do the balancing for you.
A great Warren Buffett story can be found here over at underlying logic.
So how did I learn this. Well as Yogi Berra once said you can observe a lot by just watching. I was lucky enough to have smart parents and grandparents, who passed on their knowledge. But I have also read a lot personal finance gurus. I recommend you go to your local library and pick a book that is right for you.
To find the right book, start with the Simple Dollar's list of personal finance books, which recommends a book based on your personality.
Zack Morris's Telephone and the CPI
Yesterday I was talking about the consumer price index (CPI), the way the government measures inflation. Basically the government makes a list of items a typical person would buy, called a basket, then tracks changes in those prices between years. One problem is that most everyone has a cell phone now, but 20 years ago they didn't. Even if they did it would look like Zack Morris's phone and probably cost a lot more. So it is really hard to track price changes if technology changes rapidly.
Monday, September 15, 2008
News and Economics From Ike
Dan has asked me to take on an interesting econ question. Here is the summary below
There were strangely few people at the mall or at any restaurants. This seems illogical to me. On the supply side, only some fraction, perhaps a third, of area restaurants were open. Grocery stores are still getting resupplied with perishable goods. Refrigerators were off long enough that anything fresh had to be thrown out. On the demand side, many people are still without power, most people are staying home from work, and everyone's doing enough physical labor to work up a healthy appetite. And in addition, no power means no AC, and since the restaurants are all air conditioned, you'd think that it might be an additional reason for people to go out. So you might think, then, that the supply of restaurants is down and the demand for restaurant-cooked food is up. So why are there not lines out the door? I have asked the Blog of Diminishing Returns to take up this question.
Oh and that picture on the right is from Ohio, that's my child hood home the one behind the tree. Remnants of Ike hit central ohio last night. My parents lost power (in their new house not the one with the down tree), but they decided to stay in. Perhaps that is what everyone else is doing, staying in because they are too tired to go out.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Why R U paying so much per text message?
But most of my friends text a lot more and especially younger people. I would guess that most people who text buy the $5.00 all you can text add on. Although there are 82% of cell phone users who have never texted.
I think few people text like my wife and I do. We send about $7-8 a month in text messages, so paying $5.00 teach to buy the all you can text plan is not worth it. In that sense the phone companies are getting you to pay a lot for the first few messages, which have the highest value to you and pay nothing for the least important messages which have the lowest.
So in short they are trying to get everyone to sign up for an all you can text plan, and to get the most money out of people like me who don't text enough for that type of plan unless the per text message is really high.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Hotel Rwanda and Your Netflix Queue: You Can Check Out Anytime You Like, But It Will Never Leave
Slate recently collected information from readers on what type of movies people held on to the longest from their Netflix queue (great article here). At the top of the list were Hotel Rwanda and Schindler's List. Like many other movies at the top of the list they were highly acclaimed, but not bag of popcorn and a beer to forget about your tough day at work type movies.
The article is a good insight into the work of behavioral economics. Sometimes people are not good at judging what they want to do, but instead judge what they wish they wanted to do. The other thing is that depending on the day people's taste change.
This also verifies the Stand Up Economists Principles of Economics that Choices are Bad and People are Stupid (nerdy econ types who haven't seen this watch here).
Monday, September 8, 2008
No Hay Tele
That quip is seeming to be more true than some might have expected as highlighted by a recent Wall Street Journal article about economists doing research on the impacts of TV. About a year ago, I highlighted one work discussed by Emily Oster, which suggests that cable TV in India decreased fertility rates as women wanted to be more like the small families they saw on telanovelas.
One work not highlighted by the article, is by my fellow Wisconsin Ag Econ graduate, Jorge Aguero. Jorge watched hours of the South African version of the TV show The Weakest Link to test for discrimination against black contestants. He finds that white players don't change their strategy to choose African teammates who performed well in the initial round. Indicating possible discrimination.
Since people spend so much time watching, discussing television, the impacts and its information are potentially particularly insightful.


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Chad Ratliff (M.Ed. '06 Admin & Supv) has been appointed to the Governor's Council on Youth Entrepreneurship. Ratliff, who is the Director of Instructional Programs for Albemarle County Public Schools, adds the K-12 perspective to a council that includes university and community college presidents, chief executive officers from private industry, as well as trade organization and higher education officials.
The Council was established by Governor McAuliffe this past August and is co-chaired by Maurice Jones, the Commonwealth's Secretary of Commerce and Trade. It has five priorities: the expansion of student intellectual property rights; the creation of more opportunities for entrepreneurs and students to interact; the introduction of more courses in entrepreneurship; recommendations on how colleges and universities can award academic credit to students who start a business; and the elimination of unnecessary costs for students who start a business in Virginia.
Ratliff is also an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Piedmont Virginia Community College and has served as organizer or mentor at several StartupWeekend EDU events. In addition to his M.Ed. from Curry, he holds an MBA from Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of Business. He resides with his wife, Cay Lee (Coll '00, Curry '09), and their two children in Charlottesville. twitter.com/csratliff

subset: commoncrawl


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Amy Winehouse And Cremation
Q – I have always been under the impression that cremation and tatoos are forbidden by Jewish law. Yet the recent funeral for Amy Winehouse was very Jewish in nature although the singer — who was amply tattooed — had asked to be cremated. Is cremation now accepted in Jewish quarters?
A – The 27 year old British singer was cremated and yes, she was bedecked with tattoos . Since tattoos are a topic I've addressed recently on these pages, I'll focus here on whether it was appropriate for her to have had a traditional Jewish funeral, with a rabbi, shiva and all the trappings, when her body was not laid to rest in the traditional Jewish manner.
Unlike other liberalizing trends in contemporary Jewish life, there has been no great clamor for cremation rights. So the ancient taboo has retained its potency – in theory at least. The practice of cremation is something foreign to Judaism, and that runs across the board, for all denominations. Surely the Holocaust plays into this in our generation (although I've recently heard of some Jews desiring TO be cremated precisely in order to show solidarity with Holocaust victims – a practice that in my mind is counterintuitive), but the rationale goes to the heart of what it means to be a Jew. We believe that human beings are created in God's image; there is something about each of us that is of infinite value. Our bodies are therefore sacred and should not be summarily destroyed. If we treat the dead with dignity, the hope is that we will treat the living with the same measure of respect. The Nazis did the opposite, of course, branding people like cattle, crushing them like insects and slaughtering them like sheep.
That having been said, rabbis should always be looking toward to needs of the mourners and in many cases officiate at memorial services and shivas, regardless of how the deceased was interred. There are rulings allowing for the interment of ashes in a Jewish cemetery. Some rabbis might even officiate at that burial and others would officiate, at the very least, at a service taking place elsewhere, before the cremation occurs.
Had I been asked to officiate at Winehouse's cremation, my response, to quote her most popular song, would have been "No, no, no." But I would have done the funeral, and with an immense sadness having far less to do with how she adorned the outside of her body than with the substances she put into it.
There's no denying the tragic nature of this death, even as many of the details remain unknown. Winehouse's honesty and fragility have had a deep impact on her fans and her death should be a wakeup call as to how we revel at watching celebrities self destruct (see Lohan: Lindsay and Sheen: Charlie).
A death like this should not be fodder for gossip columns. We should strive to salvage a modicum of dignity amidst the media circus that engulfed her soul long before the flames incinerated her body. The real ethical issue here is not how Amy's corpse was destroyed after she died, but how so many burdens and pressures conspired to destroy her while she was alive.
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Now that the holidays are over, most soft line retailers have entered into the Return season. We see everything from Halloween costumes, to holiday linens, and party dresses. While some items do have legitimate reasons for being returned, there is a growing number of customers who are guilty of "wardrobing".
Wardrobing is when a customer buys an item for a specific use, such as a new designer dress for the office holiday party. They wear the item one time, keeping the tags handy. After the event, they put the tags back on and return the item with a receipt for full purchase price. While it is not technically stealing, no retailer is in the business of renting clothing.
Because the customer, and I use that term loosely, pays for the item, any clothing security tags are removed at the register. It will not set the clothing alarm off at the door. Checkpoint tags are not a deterrent to this shopper.
What Checkpoint does have is a new type of pin to deter this sort of event from happening. It is the Shark tag by Alpha Security. It attaches in a visible spot to the front of a garment. Once removed, the tag is unable to be reapplied, and cannot be accidentally removed. This signals usage of the garment at the returns desk.
It's a new type of clothing security tag. It helps secure your sales stay as sales and not unnecessary returns.
Visit the Loss Prevention Store to purchase a clothing alarm or clothing security tags.
For more information on Checkpoint tags, clothing alarm, clothing security, or clothing security tags contact us at security tags on clothes or call 1.866.914.2567


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IBM Watson from Jeopardy! to Healthcare
Could a quiz-show winning computer advise your doctor?
Babbage Lecture Theatre
Abstract. "Chronic kidney disease for $500 please!" Although medical providers are unlikely to utter these words as they search for appropriate medical information and clinical guidelines to diagnose and manage patients, they may soon have an advanced computer system reading their notes and listening to their conversations with patients. Could IBM's automatic question-answering system Watson, which decisively bested the two greatest champions in the quiz show Jeopardy!, be reconfigured to gather evidence for professionals providing your health care? Could it answer questions about the latest medical knowledge, dig up hidden but crucial facts from your health record, and even help diagnose diseases that may have gone unrecognized? Challenges abound, from capturing the much deeper and subtler reasoning that medical reasoning demands, to identifying gaps of information in a patient's records, and ultimately to transform Watson from a system which competed against people on a quiz show to one which can interactively work with them to better care for your health.
Dr. David Gondek leads the Knowledge Capture and Learning and Medical Adaptation groups for the Watson project, which develop and apply artificial intelligence techniques including natural language processing, machine learning, and knowledge representation and reasoning for the Watson question answering system, focusing on the tasks of analyzing questions, weighing evidence, and evaluating confidence in hypotheses. He was the lead for machine learning and game strategy on the IBM Jeopardy! Challenge to build a computer system capable of winning at the quiz show, Jeopardy!, and is currently working on extending Watson to help support evidence-based decision making in medicine. Dr. Gondek received his B.A. in Mathematics and Computer Science at Dartmouth College and his Ph.D. in Computer Science from Brown University.
Dr. Gondek's lecture is part of the celebrations of the centenary of Alan Turing (1912-1954) and is sponsored by the programme Public Understanding of Artificial Intelligence (PUAI) of the AISB. Dr. Gondek will also give a talk at the event TiC@Kings taking place at King's College on Saturday, 18 February 2012, and Sunday, 19 February 2012.
TiC@Kings as well as the special IBM Watson lecture are organized as part of the Alan Turing Year 2012 and sponsored by the King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the Isaac Newton Institute for the Mathematical Sciences, and the Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and Simulation of Behaviour (AISB).
Organizers. Ann Copestake (Cambridge), Liesbeth De Mol (Gent), Benedikt Löwe (Amsterdam & Hamburg), Ken Moody (Cambridge), Giuseppe Primiero (Gent).


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As part of our Deadgood Library installation at YCN until the 27th September, we asked a number of influential, emerging and established industry figures to be involved by answering the question: "What is your favourite book?"
A big thanks to all of our contributors including Marcel Wanders, Karim Rashid, Stefan Sagmeister, Sebastian Wrong, Paul Priestman (designer & director of PriestmanGood), Martino Gamper, Maarten Baas, Matthew Hilton, Yves Behar, Marc Thorpe, Jon Burgerman, Michael Wolff, Raw Edges, Muller Van Severen & Richard Hutten.
Our official Deadgood Library list is available for you to read below and you can purchase the books from Wordery with the special discount code "DEADGOOD" until October 31st. Visit www.wordery.com/deadgood.
Alexander Taylor - Think Like A Freak' by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
Amanda Levete - Museum Without Walls by André Malraux
André Klauser - My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk
Anthony Burrill - Cameraworks' by David Hockney
Assa Ashuach - The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami
Barbara Chandler - The Drowned and the Saved by Primo Levi
Bertjan Pot - The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
Bethan Grey - Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Bethan Laura Wood - Switch Bitch by Roald Dahl
Boaz Cohen & Sayaka Yamamoto - In Praise of Shadows / Jun'ichirō Tanizaki
Brodie Neill - Cradle to Cradle. Remaking the Way We Make Things by Michael Braungart and William McDonough
Carl Clerkin - Candide by Voltaire
Craig Jones - Nice cup of Tea and a sit down by Wifey & Nicey
Cristiano Pigazzini - La Tierra del Fuego se apagó (Tierra del Fuego Has Burnt Out) by Francisco Coloane
Dan Schofield - The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Dan Ziglam - Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryū Suzuki
Daniel To & Emma Aiston - Tim the Tiny Horse By Harry Hill
David Irwin - Where good ideas come from by Steven Johnson
Donna Wilson - Mr Morris has a cold by Bernard Wiseman
Duncan Bull - Dieter Rams: As Little Design as Possible
Ed Carpenter - Moon Palace by Paul Auster
Eero Koivisto - Donald Judd Furniture retrospective by Museum Boymans-van Beuningen Rotterdam 1993
Elliot Brook - Big Sur by Jack Kerouac
Emma Matthias - Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Fabien Cappello - The Lover (French: L'Amant) by Marguerite Duras
Felix de Pass - Architecture without Architects by Bernard Rudofsky
Fien Muller - Berode rozen en gorilla's' by Laura Esquivel
Gala Wright - The Master and Margarita by Mikail Bulgakov
Giles Miller - The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams.
Giulio Cappellini - The Divine Comedy By Dante Alighieri
Hallgeir Homstved - Beatles by Lars Saabye Christensen
Hannes Van Severen - The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking
Humberto Campana - Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar
Ilse Crawford - A happy death by Albert Camus
Ineke Hans - Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse
Jack Pringle - The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Jack Smith - How Things Work series by Paladin
Jake Phipps - The Rider by Tim Krabbé
James Harrison - Let my people go surfing by Yvon Chouinard
Job Smeets & Nynke Tynagel - The Book of Job by 'God'
John Makepeace - Stuff Matters by Mark Miodownik.
John Tree - Sh*it my Dad Says by Justin Halpern
Jon Burgerman - A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Jonas Pettersson - Baked In by Alex Bogusky & John Winsor
Jonathan Barnbrook - Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse
Karim Rashid - The Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle
Katie Treggiden - The Old Man and The Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Kim Thome - Transforming Space by Tony Brook & Adrian Shaughnessy
Kirsty Whyte - The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories by Tim Burton
Lee Broom - Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Li-En Yeung - To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Louise Campbelll - Lucky Per by Henrik Pontoppidan
Luca Nichetto - LE COSMICOMICHE by Italo Calvino
Lucy Weston - The Art of Looking Sideways by Alan Fletcher
Maarten Baas - The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Magnus Long - Little Chimbu by Nancy Curtis
Magnus Petterson - Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Marc Thorpe - In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Marcel Wanders - A Brief History of Everything by Ken Wilber.
Marcus Fairs - Desert, Marsh and Mountain by Wilfred Thesiger
Mark Holmes - Saturday Night and Sunday Morning by Alan Sillitoe
Mårten Claesson - My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgård 2009-2011
Martino Gamper - Exercises In Seating by Max Lamb
Matali Crasset - Choices by Georges Perec
Mathias Hahn - Zorba The Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis
Matthew Hilton - Cider with Rosie, Laurie Lee.
Max Fraser - De Stijl: Art, Architecture, Design by Paul Overy
Max Lamb - The Worm Forgives the Plough
Michael Marriott - On Being an Artist by Michael Craig-Martin
Michael Sodeau - I seem to be a Verb by Buckminster Fuller
Michael Wolff - Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Márquez.
Michael Young - Matthew Barney: The Cremaster Cycle by Nancy Spector and Thyrza Goodeve
Michela Bertaglia - The Clan of The Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
Mr. Bingo 'Dancing with cats' by Burton Silver.
Nick Rawcliffe - Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Odo Fioravanti - Giustizia e bellezza by Luigi Zoja
Ola Rune - Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind 1985
Oona Bannon - Up in The Tree by Margaret Atwood
Oscar Diaz - Postproduction by Nicolas Bourriaud.
Patrick Nourget - Passage by Irving Penn
Patrizia Moroso - Le dodici tribù di Hattie (The Twelve Tribes of Hattie) by Ayana Mathis
Paul Loebach - The Anarchist Cookbook
Paul Priestman - The Atlas of Remote Islands by Judith Schalansky
Peter Marigold - A Dictionary of Word Origins by John Ayto
Petrus Palmér - Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Philippe Malouin - Going solo by Roald Dahl.
Piet Hein Eek - Democracy in America
Richard Hutten - Homo Ludens by Johan Huizinga
Richard Woods - Architecture without Architects by Bernard Rudofsky
Russell Pinch - Maus by Art Spiegelman
Sam Hecht - Bureaucrats: How to Annoy Them by R.T. Fishall
Samuel Wilkinson - The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
Sean Dare - Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Seb Lester - The Golden Thread by Ewan Clayton
Sebastian Bergne - The Book of Symbols by Archive for Research in Archetypal
Sebastian Cox - The New Sylva by Gabriel Hemery
Sebastian Errazuriz - Boy by Roald Dahl.
Sebastian Wrong - A death in the family, My Struggle Book 1 by Karl Ove Knausgaard
Shay Alkalay & Yael Mer - Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Shin Azumi - Little Nemo by Winsor McCay
Simon Pengelly - The Observer's book of British Butterflies
Stefan Sagmeister - Karl Ove Knausgaard, My Struggle, Book 2, A Man in Love
Terence Woodgate - Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
Thomas Heatherwick - De-Architecture by James Wines.
Thorsten Van Elten - Die Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann
Tomoko Azumi - What on Earth Happened? by Christopher Lloyd
Tord Boontje - Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
Vicki Leach - The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
Yves Behar - Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan


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With nearly all the votes tallied in Pinal County, Sheriff Paul Babeu easily maintained his lead among the Republican candidates, while Democrat Kevin Taylor remained the top pick in the Democratic primary.
Both are headed to the November general election, along with Ty Morgan, an Independent who ran unopposed.
Kevin Taylor tells New Times he first plans to thanks those who voted for him, and then get busy trying to capture the votes of those who didn't.
"I just want to bring professionalism and integrity back to the Pinal County Sheriff's Office," Taylor says.
He credits Babeu as an excellent public speaker -- the kind, he says, who will sell you a brand-new Bentley, and by the time he's done, get you thinking the engine is optional.
That aside, Taylor says that Babeu isn't serving the needs of the county.
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He cites all the money Babeu has cost taxpayers in lawsuits over the investigations the sheriff is embroiled in, the PCSO employees who have been on paid leave for months, some longer than a year; and the take-home vehicles he provides for the higher-ups in his department, even though they aren't the officers who respond first, or at all, to emergencies.
Here are the final unofficial results:
MILLSAPS, GLENN (DEM) ..........4,632 votes..........42.57 percent
TAYLOR, KEVIN (DEM)................5,933 votes..........54.53 percent
Write-in (DEM)..............................316 votes.............2.90 percent
Total..............................................10,881 votes
ARNSON, DEREK (REP).............1,395 votes.........7.67 percent
BABEU, PAUL (REP)...................11,208 votes........61.61 percent
BEARUP, TOM (REP)..................1,953 votes.........10.74 percent
MCCLAREN, JACK (REP)...........3,584 votes.........19.70 percent
Write-in (REP)..............................51 votes..............0.28 percent
Total.............................................18,191 votes


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Planning for Father's Day yet?
How about impressing Dad with a feast of premium catch such as Snow Crab Legs, Boston Lobster, Seared Duck Foie Gras and more?
Venue : Marriott Cafe, Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel
Indulge in the freshest International buffet spread at Marriott Cafe, where our chefs take centre-stage to whip up a perfect culinary storm for you à la minute upon request, bringing the "Freshness Redefined" concept to life.
Find the freshest selection of oysters, snow crabs, crayfish and prawns at the Seafood Station, before indulging in some piping hot live-pulled noodles. Savour renowned local dishes such as the Singapore Chilli Crab, Chicken Rice and succulent roasts during lunch or dinner. Visit the hot buffet section for an extensive array of premium meat dishes such as Crispy Pork Saddle with Pancetta Prune and Mixed Herbs, Slow Roasted Prime Ribs and other roasted delights cooked to perfection at the Beech Oven Station. For those with a sweet tooth, our signature desserts that include the Sticky Date Pudding make for pure palate pleasers after a satisfying meal.
Buffet items may vary.
Breakfast Buffet
Monday to Sunday:
Adult $42.00++
Child $19.00++ (Age: 5 to 12 years old)
Lunch Buffet
Monday to Saturday / Sunday:
Adult $58.00++ / $63.00++
Child $34.00++ / $39.00++ (Age: 5 to 12 years old)
High Tea Buffet
Monday to Friday / Saturday & Sunday:
Adult $39.00++ / $42.00++
Child $22.00++ / $28.00++ (Age: 5 to 12 years old)
Dinner Buffet
Sunday to Thursday / Friday & Saturday:
Adult $70.00++ / $80.00++
Child $38.00++ / $40.00++ (Age: 5 to 12 years old)
Prices are subject to 10% service charge and 7% Goods and Services Tax (GST).


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Chicken on a raft.
Microsoft and Rare's Sea of Thieves is almost here- although it feels like I've been saying that for two years now, so what do I know, really- and as we near its eventual launch, Rare and Microsoft are sharing new videos that are showing us increasingly more granular (like, absurdly so) things from the game.
Take this new video, for instance- this one shows us how the AI governing the skeletons in the game, showing us how they are governed by a sense of curiosity and environmental awareness that makes them more spontaneous and emergent threats than enemies in game (and especially skeletons, who are usually low level fodder) typically are.
You can check out the video for yourself below. Sea of Thieves is due out this Spring on Xbox One and PCs running Windows 10; the game will also be getting an open beta later this month, so sign up for that if you want to take it out for a ride yourself.
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Eye Gaze is the most straightforward computer access method for sighted users to grasp regardless of cognitive ability – you look, something happens! In the first instance this is all we are hoping to achieve – direct and tangible 'gaze interaction'. Once we have achieved the first step of attracting a learner's attention we can begin on reinforcing their understanding of cause and effect – software applications such as Sensory EyeFX are designed to do just this.
Through play and learning, users are able to hone in their eye gaze skills. Exploration through play is an important step in learning different mouse functions and how to effect change in a more controlled manner. Users will by now have an understanding of cause and effect, be demonstrating choosing and turn taking, and may be progressing towards early communication methods.
When it comes to communication, the TobiiDynavox range of AAC software is key to learning vocabulary and literacy. TobiiDynavox is a world leader in AAC communication, and have created Sono Suite, a family of communication software suitable for users with different levels of cognitive ability and literacy to become successful communicators.
It is now possible to complete any computing task using only your eyes. Direct computer access is made possible with the Tobii Dynavox PCEye Plus Access which enables users to access everything from online banking to social networking, email, gaming, programming, research and more. With access to a computer, it is easier to gain or maintain independence, and quality of life improves dramatically.
Tobii Gaze Viewer is an assessment tool that helps you understand an individual user's physical capabilities, cognitive understanding, and use of an eye tracker. With Tobii Gaze Viewer and a Tobii assistive technology eye tracker, you can record real eye tracking data from any application, whether from the Internet or e-books, games, movies and more.
TobiiDynavox I-12+and I-15+ is a portable speech generating device that enables effective communication
For gaze-enabled communication and computer access on the go – lightweight and affordable
It replaces the standard keyboard and mouse, allowing you to navigate and control using only your eyes
Eye tracking, Dictation, Switch and IR in one product! Individuals are empowered to tailor their computer interaction.
Is an AAC software platform that converts text and symbols into clear speech, and that gives individuals computer access and more
Records real eye tracking data from any application, which helps you understand user's capabilities and use of an eye tracker
Is an AAC software solution that offers a full-breadth of pre-stored communication, built-in supports and tools for communication
Sensory Eye FX is a set of 30 software applications designed for the earliest level of eye gaze computer access
Eye Gaze Technology allows people with physical disabilities to access a computer using only their eyes


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Koh Tao foi um dos nossos lugares favoritos na Tailândia, uma ilha paradisíaca com estradas ruins mas praias incríveis! Koh Tao was one of our favorite places in Thailand, this small, idyllic island has terrible roads but amazing beaches!
We were featured in a internacional couple series and we are stoked to present the interview to you! Get to know a little bit more about us, but also about the fun and difficulties of being in a international relationship!... Continue Reading →
Isla del Sol, in the middle of lake Titicaca, a beautiful turquoise-blue lake, at 3810 meters above sea level and in the middle of the Andes range mountain, is a very known touristic place. Why? Because is warped in history and myths, that... Continue Reading →
We knew we wanted to came here but what we experienced here was something beyond anything we would have imagined. We chose to do the 3 days tour (2 nights) and we talked to other backpackers about it and everyone... Continue Reading →
We have been saving money for around a year now and in less than a week we are leaving Brazil to travel from São Paulo to Cartagena, in north of Colombia! We are so happy because we are starting where... Continue Reading →
Our second big trip was the south of South America. The Patagonia blew us away with it's amazing nature and culture.


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So after lots of hellos, photographs, cocktails and pretty dresses, New Years Eve got off to a pretty good start. I was actually in a place called Aruba which is a bar in Bournemouth right on the Pier on the beach, cool huh? The place was James Bond theme with casino tables, free drinks, a photo booth and fireworks. At midnight, I did the countdown with my friends and for a split moment whilst we all hugged together and danced, I was feeling on top of the world. January 1st also marked Rich's birthday, so you can imagine the atmosphere was pretty good.
At about 12.20am, I went to find Rich back at our booth that we had with our friends, and whilst walking over, a guy slapped my bum. In the split second I turned around, he had knocked my bag off my shoulder and stolen all the contents. My heart literally dropped as I realised it wasn't an innocent action, I was targeted and had to say goodbye to my iPhone 4S, about £50 cash and personal things that are meaningless to anyone else.
Yes I did have the 'find my iphone' app (which was untraceable as they turned it off) and no, the phone definitely wasn't handed in. I did everything that night, told every member of staff, watched the CCTV footage back with the manager and obviously cancelled, blocked and blacklisted my phone as stolen. I had to go home much earlier than planned. So girls, if this is anything to go by, please be so careful. You could be shopping with your friends and this kind of thing can happen! I thought I didn't have insurance so the whole thing would have cost close to £300, but luckily we had insurance through my mums bank. Few!
Obviously that was a pretty shit start to the year and the saddest thing is, I just came home from my skiing holiday in France and have lost all my photos. They didn't restore to iCloud. After plenty of tears, I realised it was just a phone and it can be replaced, my mum was just relieved I wasn't hurt. Much worse things could have happened.
So anyway, I then got a wonderful letter come through the post that I was caught speeding in Southampton and have to take the 'drivers awareness' speeding course. Yes, I know that is my fault and I'm lucky to even get on the course, but it set me back £85 and unfortunately, is over an hours drive away in Portsmouth on the 15th. Bloody brilliant.
In the heat of travelling to the Police Station today to file a report, get my crime number and sort a temporary phone out, I also had to see a dermatologist at 3 o'clock as my scalp has been very itchy and my lips are blistered and cracked. I've seen 4 doctors and really hoped for some good news today, I'd been waiting for the appointment for a while. But of course, apparently its incurable and I walked away feeling the same, having to pay £15 for more creams, gels and shampoo to use every day. Excellent, just what I wanted actually.
They say bad things come in threes, I wonder if anything else is going to be thrown my way. I won't jinx it but lets agree, I've not had a great start to the year so far.
Hope yours is better than mine,
Ps. Luckily, I have a boyfriend who looked after me on his birthday night, came with me to the police station, sat for an hour at the doctors, waited half an hour whilst I sorted a temp phone out and then drove with me home to give me a cuddle. He's even sat here patiently playing on my iPad whilst I type away. For that, I should feel better.


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People born between 1980 and 2000 are often called the "millennial generation", or "generation Y". They are large in number and are increasingly becoming the backbone of our society. For example, there are about 80 million millennials in America alone, and together they spend a whopping US$600 billion each year. They are no longer the teenagers who had to rely primarily on their parents for income, many are now working adults living in their own houses with their own families. Furthermore, their spending power will continue to rise as a larger proportion joins the workforce in the near future. As a result, it becomes clear that in order for retailers, whether large or small, chain franchise or boutique shops, to succeed in the future, they have to unlock the potential in millennials as customers. This article will help you to do just that.
Social networks are key
One of the key distinguishing behaviors of the millennials generation is that they rely heavily on the Internet. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter dominate their web surfing sessions, and with the rising popularity of smart phones in recent years, going mobile has become a trend as well. Millennials are more likely to obtain information from sites like Facebook and Twitter than any other group, and are more inclined to shop online as well. Therefore, the key here is to advertise online, especially through Facebook and Twitter. It would be useful to set up a Facebook page and Twitter account for your business, and post there regularly. The content doesn't always have to be related to your products or services, in fact it actually helps if the posts are sometimes about trending topics, hot issues or celebrities to keep potential customers interested in the content. Engagement is crucial as well. Replying readily and regularly to comments and retweets enhances customer loyalty, as customers would have a greater sense of interaction.
Make it online friendly
Similar to the first point, online shopping is very popular. This is not just developed countries such as America, it has taken off in less developed markets as well, such as China. In 2014, Chinese company Alibaba's IPO made big news in the U.S., as the online shopping company was valued higher by the market than Amazon and eBay combined. This change could mean much more than you have imagined. The millennials are not only shopping online more frequently, they've also developed a habit of comparing prices and checking out reviews by other customers before making purchases. Where applicable, they expect a seamless transition from online to physical stores, meaning if a purchase is made online they'd expect to be able to pick it up in-store soon after, or if an item is sold online with a discount the in-store price should reflect that as well. These changes necessarily pose new challenges to retailers, but at the same time they also bring opportunities. A well designed and executed online shopping experience could really make your business stand out from the rest. For example, shops could introduce coupons for return customers, and set up online shops on platforms such as Amazon to promote their products. Vouchers or redeem codes can be given to customers as an incentive for them to leave a comment on Amazon about their product experience.
Millennials can be very loyal customers
It is no secret that many retailers are worried about customer loyalty, as they feel that millennials have fast changing tastes and preferences. Although it's true to a certain extent that it is now much harder to accurately capture the likes and dislikes of customers, millennial customers can be very loyal to a certain brand or shop—provided they feel that they're treated well as valued customers. There's only so much a retailer can do in terms of "hard selling", using value for money and discounts to attract and retain customers, but there's virtually unlimited ways to do "soft-selling", ideas and services that make the customer feel a true difference. For example, send each customer a tailored birthday card on their birthdays, promote products that they might enjoy based on past purchases, and so on. The millennials value experience more than perhaps any other generation. Good products alone aren't enough anymore; they want to walk away with a good mood as well.
8 Shopping Habits of Millennials All Retailers Need to Know About, Entrepreneur
How Millennials Are Changing The Face Of Retail Shopping, Aabaco Small Business
Who are the millennial shoppers? And what do they really want? Accenture


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Nexus 5 v/s OnePlus One – Battle of the Flagship and the Underdog
Recently there has been a swarm and hunt of OnePlus One invites all over social media with people gossiping about OnePlus One, its features and how it compares to the best flagship Android phones in the market. We at TechyLab have done a thorough comparison of Nexus 5 v/s OnePlus One and tried to find the best and worst in both of these devices . Here is our comparison which can clear all the doubts of our readers and help them chose the better smartphone of these two.


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Writing may arguably be one of the most important inventions of humankind. For centuries writing was a means for humans to record history, ideas and discoveries, and to communicate with each other.
Thought to have originated in Mesopotamia around 3,200 BC, writing has undergone a mass of technological development to get where it is today. Handwriting has been evident in many forms: inscribing with tools on stone, leaf, wood, wax, papyrus and parchment and in more recent times, on paper.
These days, people handwrite less and less. The arrival of the printing press in the mid-15th century meant multiples of transcriptions and books became easier to produce. Then the typewriter eliminated the need for composing everything by hand. In recent years the rapid development of computers and smartphones all but do away with the need to write by hand; instead we use texting, emailing and instant messaging. And that's a pity.
The Whanganui Regional Museum archives hold numerous examples of handwritten text, some as early as the 16th century, in the form of legal documents, mortgage papers, manuscripts, indentures, patents, diaries, letters, business records, cash books, autographs and personal papers. In delving into the pages of these beautifully kept records we can appreciate the art, skill and importance of hand-written text. Future generations are unlikely to stock museums with our dull digital printouts.
Why is the art of handwriting so important? Firstly, learning to write by hand is a vital component of literacy. There is evidence to suggest that more information is retained and expressed when putting pen to paper. Handwriting engages more sections of the brain than typing. Learning how to shape and link letters improves reading comprehension. Researchers have ascertained that students who hand-write their notes indeed learn more. Writing a word out, letter by letter, is a self-conscious process that requires a certain processing of information, which provides a deeper connection to thoughts than is acquired by using a keyboard. Handwriting can also increase creativity and improve memory.
Secondly, someone's handwriting gives clues to their personality that cannot be assessed in digital text. The unique style and slope of individual letters, a flowing cursive and the expressive quality of an individually written word is something that we stand to lose. There is warmth and personality attached to a handwritten letter or note, a postcard sent home or daily diary entries.
Other than the ubiquitous handwritten shopping list, scrawled reminder note or obligatory form filling, how many of us use handwriting on a daily basis? When did any of us last write a handwritten letter to someone? Texts, emails and other forms of technical communication have taken over and caused us to neglect our penmanship. Technology has diluted our collective handwriting ability and there is a real possibility that the skill of hand-writing is dying out.
Handwriting is unique. It has a tremendous expressive power, and more than that, handwritten text can be incredibly gorgeous. The physical act of writing takes time and can communicate that the writer cares about the content of the communication, and in turn the person intended to receive it. There is something special about sending or receiving a precious hand-written note or letter.
Pick up a pen. And write something.
Rachael Garland is the Events Coordinator at Whanganui Regional Museum.


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|About this Recording
8.554302 - Gershwin for Trumpet (arr. J. Bartos and P. Breiner)
and other Gershwin arrangements for trumpet and piano by Peter Breiner and Juraj Bartos
Hollywood, early 1937. Having returned home from an evening out with friends, George Gershwin sat down to work with his housemate and principal creative collaborator — his brother Ira. George wrote the music, Ira the lyrics, inspiring his brother with a line or two, or even a title. That night, as on so many other occasions, Ira suggested a few words which led to another hit for the already hugely successful partnership. It was an idea for a song for Fred Astaire, Ira saying, "… how about "a foggy day in London"… ?" George liked it, and "[they] finished the refrain, words and music, in less than an hour". The next day they started on the verses, which took a while, as Ira remembered later, since they always put a lot into the verses, making them just as good as the refrain, even if audiences did not pay them as much attention.
George Gershwin wrote large-scale works such as the symphonic Rhapsody in Blue and the opera Porgy and Bess, but was first and foremost one of the greatest tunesmiths of all time, from Swanee (1919), the song that confirmed the young Tin Pan Alley song-plugger's status as a composer, to Love is here to stay, unfinished at his death in 1937. His tunes turned into songs which were then gathered together to create stage and screen musicals, although the songs often bore little relation to their story-lines. Indeed in some cases the story-line's sole function seemed to be simply to introduce one song or another. One song might also sometimes appear in more than one musical, for example The man I love, one of the Gershwins' most famous creations, originally written for Lady, be good (1924). Try-outs in Philadelphia did not go well and George reworked the score, leaving out The man I love. A few years later he included it in Strike up the band, without much more success, and then in Rosalie (1928), dropping it again before the musical was even given its first performance. It finally became a hit in a London night-club, returning to the United States in triumph.
When songs were not met by uncomprehending audiences, they were sometimes met by uncomprehending publishers. The publisher of By Strauss, for instance, wrote to Gershwin to complain about the length of the verse and asking him to make some cuts. The composer refused, suggesting instead that they make particular mention of the length so that potential purchasers would know that they were getting more for their money, and adding that if the song did not sell, at least his grandchildren would be proud of a grandfather who had taken so much trouble over his verses.
A few weeks after writing A Foggy Day, the Gershwins were working on the chorus of Love is here to stay for The Goldwyn Follies of 1938, when George's headaches became too severe to allow him to continue. He was operated on for a brain tumour but did not survive the surgery. Just a few months later Ravel died in Paris in similar circumstances, a coincidence linking two composers who had more in common than might be thought (Ravel had refused to teach Gershwin composition on the grounds that the world of music needed a Gershwin more than it did a second Ravel), specifically a capacity for concealing beneath a certain dandyism a very profound emotion, the kind of emotion that pervades more than one song in the programme recorded here, and which was particularly well conveyed in performance by Fred Astaire. ("Astaire" was by chance the last word spoken by Gershwin.)
Shortly after his death on 11th July 1937, a tribute concert to Gershwin was held featuring the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Otto Klemperer, Oscar Levant, Al Jolson and Lily Pons, as well as Astaire, who sang They can't take that away from me. And no one can take away from George Gershwin the place he occupies in the heart of all musicians.
Philippe Danel
English Version: Susannah Howe
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Website European Recruitment
We are currently looking for Graduate Research and Recruitment Consultants to be based in our Brighton office in the North Laines.
Our Research and Recruitment Consultants speak with clients and candidates all over the world all day every day; they conduct masses of interviews, offer our candidates stellar advice and are always on hand to respond to their queries.
Graduate Research and Recruitment Consultant Responsibilities:
This job might be for you if:
If you haven't already, check us out on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/weareeuropeanrecruitment/
We always do our best to review all applications as soon as possible and provide timely feedback, however in certain circumstances it may not be possible to do so.
Therefore, should you not have a reply within 10 working days, we are sorry to inform you that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful, however please continue to review our open roles and we hope to work with you in the future.
By applying to this role you understand that we may collect your personal data and store and process it on our systems. For more information please see our Privacy Notice (https://eu-recruit.com/about-us/privacy-notice/)
Categories: Graduate , Sales & Marketing
Salary: £21,000 per annum
Location: Brighton, UK
Job type: Permanent, Full Time


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Bamboo Charcoal Konjac Sponge
Bamboo Charcoal Konjac Sponge that is ideal for sensitive, oily and acne prone skin. The all natural mix of konjac glucomannan and bamboo charcoal helps to deep clean and detoxify pores.
The bamboo charcoal konjac sponge is suitable for sensitive, oily and acne prone skin.
Easy to use, soak in water until silky smooth then massage your skin to deeply cleanse and exfoliate for more pore-refined, softer, smoother skin. The bamboo charcoal konjac sponge's natural structure gently cleanses and exfoliates, eliminates oil, draws dirt and excess sebum out of pores, helps the skin looking softer, hydrates and balances p, H without the need to use soap or other cleansing products.
The bamboo charcoal enhanced konjac sponge can be used with only water or together with your favorite cleanser. It washes away grime, dirt, oil, dead skin cells and water-based cosmetics with water only, for regular makeup combine with a drop or two of your favorite cleanser.
Box Includes Sponge with attached cotton thread loop Suction cup hook Ingredients Konjac Glucomannan Bamboo Charcoal Natural Color Black Scent Unscented Quality 100% natural and handmade. Vegan and cruelty free Paraben-free.
No harmful chemicals, preservative agents, bactericide or fungicide.
- Rinse the Bamboo Charcoal Konjac Sponge in water before each use.
- Massage gently in circular motions. (Can be used with only water or together with your favorite cleanser)
- Rinse in water and use your palms to gently squeeze out excess water
- Use included suction hook and attached cotton thread loop to hang in a well-ventilated area to dry
- Repeat morning and night.
- Replace every two to three months.
- World Wide shipping is available.
- After adding products to you cart, you can view your orders estimated shipping cost on the shopping cart page
- The exact shipping cost will be shown during the checkout procedure after you have added in your delivery address.
Green tea konjac sponge that gently cleans and detoxifies your skin as well as helps to protect...
Aloe Vera konjac sponge with 100% natural plant-based fibers that gently cleans and exfoliates the...
Turmeric Konjac Sponge that gently cleans your skin while also helping to brighten, clarify and...


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Call us: (530) 662 7103
Hours of operation:
Mon-Friday 7-5:30pm
Saturday 7-2pm
Email us:
446 5th street
Woodland, CA 95695
Founded in 1922 Elfrink`s has been around for 4 generations; passing family tradition and a strong work ethic from father to son. Nowhere does that show more than with our customers. People come from all over the Sacramento area to our little town of Woodland, because they know that Elfrink`s is the kind of establishment that is going to take care of their customers before and after the sale.
We specialize in small engine repair and carry a full line of outdoor power equipment, accessories and parts. Have a question? Come on in and talk to our knowledgeable sales and service staff. We look forward to assisting you with your outdoor power equipment needs.