The Guardian's Atlas of Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Click on map to enlarge.

Of "Judicial Activism," Ideology, and the Affordable Health Care Act

Four judges have now assessed the constitutionality of the Affordable Health Care Act's insurance mandate. Two Clinton appointees have upheld the Act. One Reagan appointee and one Bush appointee have ruled that it violates the constitution. Obviously, two of the judges are misinterpreting, perhaps intentionally, the constitution, right? It must be those pesky "judicial activists." But are they the Clinton appointees or the Republican appointees?

My guess is that most readers, including law professors, will know the answer to that question with absolute certainty and sincerity. But their answers will differ. The numbers supporting one side or the other may not be equal, but they will be close enough to raise a serious question about the inherently political nature of constitutional judicial review.

Notwithstanding the claims of Justice Scalia, the constitution itself is not a sum certain, but is amenable to multiple, legitimate, but mutually exclusive, interpretations. Ambiguities inherent to the constitutional document itself provide the opportunity for politicized judicial review, and allow for both sides to claim that judges on the other side are engaged in "judicial activism."

How On Earth To Get a Doha Deal Done

The Doha round of trade talks is still in the works.  Learn how global bigwigs demand that the deal be done by the end of the year.  Think it's feasible?

It urges its sponsors, along with the rest of the leaders of the world’s big economies, formally to commit to finishing the round by the end of the year. It is far from clear how such a deadline could be made binding, but the idea is as much tactical as practical, and received backing this week from the International Chamber of Commerce.

Learn more here.

Illustration credit here.

The Ice Storm Cometh

Indy is predicted to get 1" to 1.5" of ice overnight tonight and through the day on Tuesday. Here's the forecast map from Weather Underground:

The IU School of Law - Indianapolis will close for weather only if the entire IUPUI campus is closed. In my experience, those responsible for making that decision are overly reluctant to close the campus. They do not seem averse to the risks students, faculty, and staff face in getting to school on icy roads.

If the law school does close tomorrow, students will receive an official notification. If the law school does not officially close, I will make my own risk assessment for myself and my students, and let them know if I decide to cancel my Climate Law & Policy class. If students receive no announcements, they should presume that classes are going ahead as scheduled.

UPDATE: Late this afternoon, in an unprecedented preemptive move, the IUPUI brain trust cancelled closed down the campus as of 5 pm, before road conditions had deteriorated much.

John Quiggin on the End of American Exceptionalism

At Crooked Timber (here), John Quiggin tries finally to put the rest the idea of "American exceptionalism." He makes a very strong argument that US policy makers should not be overly concerned about relative political-economic decline because it's already happened:

As a public service, I’d like to bring an end to this tiresome debate by observing that the decline of the US from its 1945 position of global pre-eminence has already happened. The US is now a fairly typical advanced/developed country, distinguished primarily by its large population[1]. Precisely because the US is comparable to other advanced countries in many crucial respects, there is no reason to expect any further decline.

As I’ve observed before, the US is similar to other leading countries in terms of key economic variables like output per hour worked and employment/population ratio. Like other countries it has some distinctive features, that can make it look good or bad on particular measures. Features on which the US is an outlier, in economic terms, include long average hours of work per employed person (particularly notable for women), high levels of inequality in wages and other incomes, low levels of public expenditure and taxation, an exchange rate that has typically been well below most estimates of purchasing power parity, and an international balance characterized by large deficits on the goods and services account, matched by large surpluses on the capital account.

In geopolitical terms, the US spends a lot more on its military than anyone else (in fact, more than everyone else put together) and (contrary to the beliefs of most Americans) hardly anything on development aid or other efforts at promoting global public goods. The amount of sustainable influence generated as a result appears pretty trivial. The number of places in the world where the US can directly determine, or even substantially influence, political outcomes is approximately zero – nothing like what might be associated with an old style Great Power, let alone a superpower or “hyperpower”.As I’ve observed before, Americans of all classes (except those directly connected to the military-industrial complex) get very little payoff for their military expenditure – trillions of dollars of expenditure has been unable to produce positive outcomes in a couple of relatively insignificant countries, or even to put paid to a bunch of pirates in the Indian Ocean.

I generally agree with Quiggin's assessment. Initially, I had some doubts relating to innovation and growth in total factor productivity (TPF), where I assumed the US still had a sizeable advantage. However, a cursory comparative review of patent filings and TPF growth only support Quiggin's hypothesis.




The figure to the left is a comparative assessment of growth in total factor productivity from 1990-2008. Even adjusting for the fact that countries starting from a low per capita productivity can more easily improve productivity than countries that already are highly productive, it's clear that the US has lost its productivity edge.

The figure to the right shows resident patent filings, by country, per $1 million invested in research and development in 2007.

FA Cup: Arsenal 2 - Huddersfield Town 1

It wasn't pretty, but Arsenal got it done in the end, surviving against League 1 side Huddersfield Town 2-1 at the Emirates to advance to the next round in the FA Cup. It was, however, an expensive victory, as Arsenal Player-of-the-year candidate Samir Nasri went off after pulling a hamstring in the middle of the first half.

The Gunners dominated possession in the first half, making plenty of chances but only scoring on one, when Nicklas Bendtner, who made excellent runs throughout the match, had his shot deflected into the Huddersfield goal by defender Peter Clarke. Late in half, Arsenal were reduced to 10 men, when Sebastien Squillaci was sent off for a professional foul; he obstructed a dangerous-looking Huddersfield attack when he was the last defender.

With the numerical advantage, Huddersfield Town came out in the second half in an attacking frame of mind. They dominated possession and plainly earned the goal Alan Lee scored with his head from a corner kick in the 66th minute. Shortly after that, Arsenal brought on their talismanic captain Cesc Fabregas, who almost single-handedly retook control of the match for the Gunners. A draw and reply seemed in the offing until the 85th minute, when Bendtner was pushed down in the box by Jamie McCombe. Fabregas calmly dispatched the penalty to send the Gunners through to the next round.

The Gunners were not at their best today, and needed to display character and patience today after going down to 10 men, which they did. Huddersfield Town acquitted themselves well, playing with poise and tenacity. They look a good bet to make the jump to the Championship next season.

A word of praise is in order for the much-maligned (and not just by me) Andrei Arshavin. Although he squandered a few more scoring opportunities today, he passed the ball better and his work rate was impressive, including on defense, where his timely  intervention denied Huddersfield Town an excellent chance of taking the lead. On the other hand, Denilson continued his poor run of play for the Gunners, giving the ball away on numerous occasions and appearing to shy away from physical contact. Goalie Manuel Almunia, who was in the Arsenal line-up for the first time in several months, acquitted himself well, making one outstanding save and no obvious mistakes.

Now, all Arsenal fans will be awaiting the injury report on Nasri. It seemed a pretty obvious hamstring pull (hopefully not a tear). But such injuries are notoriously tricky to predict. He could be out a week or two months.

RIP Milton Babbitt (1916-2011)

One of the greatest and consistently experimental American composers of the 20th century, Babbitt's early  work was heavily influenced by Anton Webern and other members of the Second Viennese School. Later, he composed music for synthesizers. With his background in mathematics, Babbitt is widely thought of as a composer who was more interested in appealing to the intellect than the heart. His music certainly possesses a cerebral quality, but it is no less interesting for that. The New York Times has an obituary here.

Below is a performance of Babbitt's 1947 composition, "Three Pieces for Piano."

Quiggin on Egypt

Over at Crooked Timber (here), the always thoughtful John Quiggin explores large, important, and very complex questions arising from the developing political situation in Egypt. The questions he raises, by themselves, are reminders to beware of the instant analyses and simplistic advice coming from the editorial pages of US newspapers.

Some of that advice could turn out to be correct, but there is little reason to believe that the the authors have either amassed and digested all of the significant facts or worked through in sufficient detail the long-run implications of alternative US positions.

13% of Public High School Biology Teachers Promote Creationism/Intelligent Design

An article appearing in Science Daily (here) provides a troubling picture of science education in US high schools. Based on a representative sample of more than 900 public high school biology teachers, researchers found that only 28 percent consistently implement National Research Council recommendations for teaching evolution. Nearly half that number instead promote nonscientific theories of creationism and/or intelligent design.

The Science Daily article notes that this is occurring despite nearly a half-century of court rulings that teaching creationism and intelligent design in science classes violates the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. It just goes to show that legal, even constitutional, rules are not always more powerful than social norms, especially at the local level where pressure from religious groups is most acute.

This depressing story gives me the same feeling I from television advertisements for the "Creation Museum" in Kentucky: Ignorance is a correctable problem, but willful ignorance is a deplorable contagion that, if left unchecked, leads to the epidemic disease of militant ignorance.

Has Ferrari Built the World's Ugliest Supercar?

You be the judge.

Maybe it looks better going 200 mph.

A Five-Point Strategy For Making Global Sourcing Successful

As the new Import and Export Guide for About.com, I wrote this article on global sourcing:

Global sourcing offers many benefits, including lower costs, faster go-to market time and a broader resource pool. This article provides tips on how to make the most of global sourcing. But first, it's important to understand exactly what global sourcing means.

Global Sourcing:  5 Ways to Make Global Sourcing a Success

What other tips am I missing?

MIT Economics Symposium Webcast

To celebrate its 150th anniversary this year, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is mounting a series of symposia featuring faculty and graduates from various departments. The first symposium, which took place over two days this past week, is on "Economics and Finance: From Theory to Practice to Policy."

The symposium was comprised a six panels, plus a keynote address by Robert Merton. Distinguished panelists include (this is a partial list): George Akerlof, Avinash Dixit, Jerry Hausman, Oliver Williamson, Robert Solow, Peter Diamond, Robert Hall, Ester Duflo, Olivier Blanchard, Robert Gordon, Paul Krugman, Greg Mankiw, Christina Romer, Dennis Carlton, Richard Schmalensee, Hal Varian, Myron Scholes, and Steven Ross. Each of the panels and the keynote address can be viewed in its entirety at the MIT website (here).

The panels are varied, informative, and entertaining. They shed light on the financial crisis and its aftermath, including what we may (or may not) have learned from it. A couple of presenters have interesting takes on issues of energy policy and climate change. Very highly recommended.

Congressional Black Caucus Creates Deficit Commission

Commission on the Budget Deficit, Economic Crisis, and Wealth Creation


Time Friday, January 28 · 1:30pm - 5:30pm

Location Canon House Office Building Caucus Room
Independence and New Jersey Avenues, Capitol Hill
Washington, DC

Created By Congressional Black Caucus

The CBC recently formed its own Commission where top African American economists from around the country will come together to focus on the recession – particularly on communities of color. The Commission will also examine deficit reduction and their implications for vulnerable populations and the nation at large. Chairman Emanuel Cleaver, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and Congressman Bobby Scott will convene three panel discuss...ions covering numerous topics including but not limited to: utilizing the fiscal year 2012 Budget to understand the national debt and eliminating economic disparities as well as identifying mandatory federal programs that enhance the lives of people of color, and other underserved communities.

A glaring omission from various debt reports is a thoughtful analysis of how their recommendations will affect the nation’s most economically vulnerable populations. The Congressional Black Caucus will not allow that to happen again. Following the panel, the Congressional Black Caucus will create recommendations and a Commission Report and submit these recommendations to Congress and the Administration. More details are included below.

Chairman Emanuel Cleaver, Congressman Bobby Scott and Congresswoman Maxine Waters will chair the following three discussions:

1:30PM Panel 1: Balancing Demand for Resources and Fiscal Constraints – Chairman Emanuel Cleaver

· How does the increasing federal deficit affect our economy? What programs are most at risk to federal budget cuts? Which federal programs have the greatest impact on vulnerable communities? What value do these programs have for the nation at large, and what would be the consequences of drastic cuts to them? Specifically, how would proposed cuts to social security, Medicare and Medicaid affect our communities? Which programs should be protected from any budget cuts, and are there some that should be expanded, even in the current fiscal climate?
Panelists: Dr. Margaret Simms, Dr. Darrell Gaskin, Dr. William Spriggs

3:00PM Panel 2: Surviving the Recession and Accelerating the Recovery – Congresswoman Maxine Waters

· In light of lagging economic development, continued decline in the housing market and pervasive unemployment, how can the United States increase economic growth and competitiveness, and ultimately generate jobs and employment? What about any infrastructure investment (through the Highway Bill, Federal Aviation Authorization or the Water Resources Development Act)? Furthermore, in spite of fiscal restraint, what support can the government provide to enhance the Minority Business Development Agency's position as a driver of economic growth?
Panelists: Dr. Algernon Austin, Dr. William Darity, Mrs. Donna Sims Wilson,

4:00PM Panel 3: Using the 2012 Budget to Address Deficit Reduction- Congressman Bobby Scott

· What recommendations can be offered to help the FY 2012 budget address continued economic hardships and the growing deficit without causing significant harm to households across the nation, especially the most vulnerable communities?
Panelists: Mr. Jim Carr, Dr. Darrick Hamilton, Lisa Mensah

(CBC)

Indian Removal Act

Minority Women-Owned Businesses Forum

With a Special Presentation by ESSENCE Magazine

On the State of African-American Women
February 15, 2011
The Gold Room—2168 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC
8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

For additional information, call 202-225-8699

Register by e-mail at DonnaEdwardsRSVP/events@mail.house.gov

Subject: Women’s Business Forum

PANELS

The State of Play: Trends Affecting Female Entrepreneurship
Moving Forward: Improving the Outlook for Minority Women-Owned Businesses

INVITED PRESENTERS

• Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Ranking Member, House Committee on Small Business
• Hilda L. Solis, Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor
• Dana M. Lewis, executive director, National Women's Business Council [confirmed]
• Cathy Hughes, Founder, Radio One, Inc.
• Alejandra Castillo, Nat'l Deputy Director, Minority Business Development Agency, U.S. Dept of Commerce
• Ana Recio Harvey, Asst. Administrator, Office of Women’s Business Ownership, U.S. Small Business Administration [confirmed]
• S. Lynn Cooper, National Association of Black Female Entrepreneurs [confirmed]
• L. Content McLaughlin, President of the Maryland Chapter, National Association of Women Business Owners [confirmed]

"Obamacare" as Health Insurance Privatization

The Affordable Care Act is often characterized as a massive government program designed to extend health insurance to millions. It might more accurately be characterized, however, as a massive privatization mechanism designed to move millions of individuals from the existing socialist system of de facto public insurance - taxpayer-funded emergency room visits for the technically uninsured - to private insurance coverage. Why aren't conservatives embracing this market-based solution to a problem of socialism?

Speaking of Negative Costs

Ever since the global consulting firm McKinsey & Company first published the above graph of abatement costs of various measures to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions a few years ago, I've wondered about its implications for economic theory. Assuming competitive markets and complete information, each "negative cost" abatement measure (all those extending down from the horizontal axis) should not really exist as an opportunity because they already should have been exploited by businesses seeking to minimize costs and maximize net revenues.

It reminds me of the old joke according to which University of Chicago economists Milton Friedman and George Stigler are walking through the quad one day, when Milton suddenly spots a one-dollar bill on the ground (being much closer to the ground than George, it was easier for him to see).
Milton: "Hey George, there's a one dollar bill on the ground."
George "No, there's not."
Milton: "Look, it's there."
George: "Can't be. If there had been a one-dollar bill on the ground, someone already would have picked it up."
Milton: "You must be right."
They walk on.

On the same basis that George Stigler doubted the existence of an unclaimed dollar on the ground, any true-believing economist must doubt that significant negative cost opportunities exist for abating GHG emissions. And yet, there are reports of companies, including British Petroleum, Kodak, and BASF, significantly enhancing shareholder value through substantial emissions reductions. In 2004, Lord Browne, then CEO of  BP, wrote an article for Foreign Affairs (here), in which he reported on a company plan to reduce GHG emissions 10 percent by 2010 from 1990 levels. The company met that target 9 years early mainly by plugging leaks in pipelines, at a cost saving to shareholders of approximately $650 million.

What explains such deviations from basic economic theory? I have some tentative hypotheses, relating to behavioral economics (availability heuristics), organizational theory, and focal point theory. But, somewhat surprisingly, I don't know of anyone who has seriously tackled what seems to me a central challenge to theory.

Negative Cost Greenhouse Gas Abatement from Agriculture

The February 2011 issue of the Journal of Agricultural Economics includes a study (here) by researchers from the Scottish Agricultural College examining marginal abatement cost curves for emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from UK agricultural, which currently accounts for approximately 8% of total UK emissions (mainly methane and nitrous oxide). They find that emissions could be reduced more than 30% from business as usual by the year 2022 at costs lower than the UK's official shadow price of carbon, which that year will be £34. Nearly half of those reductions could be achieved at negative cost.

Here is the abstract:

This article addresses the challenge of developing a ‘bottom-up’ marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from UK agriculture. An MACC illustrates the costs of specific crop, soil and livestock abatement measures against a ‘business as usual’ scenario. The results indicate that in 2022 under a specific policy scenario, around 5.38 Mt CO2 equivalent (e) could be abated at negative or zero cost. A further 17% of agricultural GHG emissions (7.85 Mt CO2e) could be abated at a lower unit cost than the UK Government’s 2022 shadow price of carbon [£34 (tCO2e)−1]. The article discusses a range of methodological hurdles that complicate cost-effectiveness appraisal of abatement in agriculture relative to other sectors.

What the Climategate E-mails Tell Us about Communication in the Sciences

A very interesting study by Marianne Ryghaug and Tomas Moe Skølsvold in the September 2010 issue of International Studies in the Philosophy of Science treats the Climategate non-scandal as an example of how scientists communicate with one another on complex and controversial issues. Access to the full article (here) requires a subscription, but here is the abstract:

This article analyses 1,073 e-mails that were hacked from the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in November 2009. The incident was popularly dubbed 'Climategate', indicating that the e-mails reveal a scientific scandal. Here we analyse them differently. Rather than objecting to the exchanges based on some idea about proper scientific conduct, we see them as a rare glimpse into a situation where scientists collectively prepare for participation in heated controversy, with much focus on methodology. This allows us to study how scientists communicate informally about framing propositions of facts in the best possible way. Through the eyes of science and technology studies, the e-mails provide an opportunity to study communication as part of science in the making across disciplines and laboratories. Analysed as 'written conversation' the e-mails provide information about processes of consensus formation through 'agonistic evaluations' of other scientists' work and persuasion of others to support one's own work. Also, the e-mails contain judgements about other groups and individual scientists. Consensus-forming appeared as a precarious activity. Controversies could be quite resilient in the course of this decade-long exchange, probably reflecting the complexity of the methodological challenges involved.

Hat tip: RealClimate.org

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2011

Familiarize yourself with what's happening (live in some cases) as leaders worldwide share their insights on issues at the top of the Davos agenda.

Go here for more information.

Photo credit captured from here.

On the Social Cost of Carbon

Today's The Daily Climate (here) asks whether the federal government's official valuation of the Social Cost of Carbon (SCC) is too low. It's a good question, and the article cites a number a couple of prominent economists, William Nordhaus and Marty Weitzman, as well as an obscure law professor.

Last year, the federal government established a SCC of $21/ton (see here). This number is to be used in all regulatory impact analyses and environmental impact statements prepared by Executive Branch agencies.

Is it the right number? No one knows. Different  models of climate change reach different conclusions about the damage function and, hence, the value of the SCC. One thing we can say with certainty is that the federal government's new $21/ton figure is much better than its previous SCC, which was, zero. The $21/ton figure is fairly close to the $23/ton mean estimate Richard Tol derived in his 2007 meta-analysis of climate studies (freely dowloadable here). And even if one believes the federal government should have picked a higher number, instituting an SCC - any SCC -  is the single most important step the federal government has yet taken towards a functioning climate policy (though, admittedly, that's not saying much).

How important is the SCC? As The Daily Climate article makes clear, I don't believe setting a precise value on the SCC is nearly as important as getting institutions in place to start actually moving greenhouse gas emissions in the right direction. The entire history of environmental policy, as well as practical political realities, suggest that the risk of over-spending on climate change in the near term is quite small. I was particularly glad to read in the article that William Nordhaus seems to agree with me about that. He's quoted as saying "While there is debate about whether the 'right' number for a carbon price is $10, $20 or $100, the global average today is close to $1 and moving nowhere.... So we have a long, long way to go before we even enter the range of debate."

The Aon Political Risk Map (APRM)

The APRM is an interactive guide to various risks worldwide.  It shows how the overall risk score has fluctuated for each country over the past five years, as well as reflecting other specific risks such as legal and regulatory risk and political interference.

Play around with it here.

And if the link does not work, do a Google or Bing search to find it yourself:  FT.com / global Economy - May:  How risks are changing around the world.

Illustration credit here.

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

New National Black Chamber of Commerce Chairman

Arnold Baker & Norris McDonald

The National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) held its 'Change of Chair Luncheon' at the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, DC today.  Outgoing Chair Sherrie Gilchrist welcomed incoming Chair Arnold Baker at the luncheon ceremony.

Arnold Baker is  President and CEO of Baker Ready Mix concrete company.  Mr. Baker is also CoFounder of the New Orleans Regional Black Chamber of Commerce. 

NBCC President Harry Alford praised the outgoing chair and welcomed the incoming chair.  NBCC Executive Vice President Kay Alford welcomed the new chairman. 

The luncheon allowed participants to introduce themselves and to briefly describe their work.  The 2011 NBCC Committees and Chairs were also announced at the luncheon.  They include.

Energy - Maurice Stone
Business Development - Robert Blackwell
Section 3 - Arness Dancy
Construction - Samuel Foley
Legacy Project - Sherrie Gilchrist
Church Chambers - Deacon Leon Jenkins
Transportation - Larry Ivory
Telecommications  - Dirck Hargraves

Bill Kovacs, energy coordinator for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, also attended the luncheon.

Black Pastor Calls for Fluoridegate Investigations

Cites Disproportionate Fluoride Risks for African Americans

Memphis, TN: Reverend William Owens, President of the Coalition of African American Pastors, is joining a growing chorus of leaders calling for federal and state hearings and investigations into new revelations about risks from drinking fluoridated water.

In 2006 the National Research Council published a report that listed diabetics, kidney patients, babies and children, seniors, and outdoor workers as "susceptible subpopulations" that are especially vulnerable to harm from fluorides.

Owens is an outspoken advocate for assisting children in their education and is concerned about reports of IQ impacts from children ingesting fluorides.

A recent study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a publication of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, documented diminished IQ in children from fluorides in water.

In 2009 a study in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry noted that black children ingest significantly more fluorides than white children.

CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published data in 2005 showing that blacks have significantly more of the worst forms of dental fluorosis than whites. Owens wants to know why African Americans leaders weren't openly given this and other important information.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposed somewhat reducing the level of fluoride in water in a statement on January 7, 2011.

The HHS actions don't go far enough, according to Rev. Owens, citing the issue that some people drink dramatically more water than others, have medical susceptibilities to fluorides, and have numerous other uncontrolled sources of fluoride in their diet. (Willliam Owens)

Some Relatively Uninformed Thoughts on Davos

The World Economic Forum opened yesterday in the ski resort of Davos, Switzerland, bringing together heads of state, corporate honchos, and high-profile academics (especially economists) to discuss issues of global and regional importance  - everything from climate change and jobs to currency valuation and international trade. The forum includes public meetings, but my understanding is that nearly all of the serious conversation occurs behind closed doors in private meetings, beyond the ears of the media and the public. The World Economic Forum is a private, independent group, and the discussions have no official status. Corporations have to pay to play, forking up tens of thousands of dollars to interact with politicos.

In some respects, there seems to be a need for fora like Davos, where the movers and shakers can get together to plan the world (a grandiose-seeming phrase, but one that I think fits), even if it does smack of corporatism. On the other hand, it really does smack of corporatism, which is becoming something of a recurrent theme on this blog whenever I write about policy.

I can't tell you whether anything important or useful has ever come out of Davos; I haven't studied its history.

70 Useful Links for Celebrating Black History Month

Frederick Douglass

February is Black History Month, and although black history is important year round, this month is an especially good time to study the subject. Whether you're interested in Civil Rights, slavery, African American contributions, or biographies of famous African Americans, you can find so much online.

Read on to find 70 links that offer insight and information for Black History Month.  The categories are below:

General

History, Biographies & Famous Firsts

Exhibits & Libraries

Multimedia

Open Education

Slavery

Desegregation & Civil Rights

For Kids & Students

FULL LIST

(Bachelors Degree Online)

Word Clouds of Rep. Ryan's Response to State of the Union

For the official Republican response from Representative Ryan (from Rachel Maddow's Blog at MSNBC, here):

Word Clouds of the State of the Union Speech

Courtesy of Ezra Klein of the Washington Post (here):

Here's another one from Rachel Maddow's Blog at MSNBC (here):

Very convenient. Even though I didn't see or read the speech, I have a pretty good idea what it was about. I find it interesting that neither the word "climate" nor the word "environment" appears in the cloud.

The New India

Who is the new India?

Find out here:

The Ideas Shaping a New India
NYTimes.com || Global Edition
by Anand Giridharadas

Learn more about the author's book (pictured), "India Calling:  An Intimate Portrait of a Nation's Remaking," published by Times Books

Are Law Schools in Trouble?

For a year or more, I've been reading and hearing gloom and doom stories (many from my own Dean) that the current model of legal education is obsolete and that law schools must change or die. In recent months, these stories have been supported by declining admissions, both at my law school and nationally, and national press reports (such as this one) raising legitimate questions about whether legal education is worth the money.

However, when I look at the graph below (from the Economix blog in today's New York Times, here), I see the very recent downturn in law school admissions, which more or less tracks the recession, as a small part of a longer cycle of generally rising law school applications. Perhaps the doomsayers are right, but I'll need more than one or two years of downturns in law school applications to convince me of structural changes in the market.

Preview of the State of the Union

No idea, really. I suppose the President's going to talk about jobs, improving the economy, the Tucson shootings (with representatives from the shooting to stand to be applauded), civility (reflected in the mixed seating of members of Congress), and how he plans to work with Republicans to get "the peoples'" business done. The president will not strike out against big business. Supreme Court Associate Justice Samuel Alito will not be present to disagree with whatever the President might say about the Supreme Court.

There will be two rebuttals instead of the usual one. Representative Paul Ryan will give the official response of the Republican Party, in which he will blame the President and the Democrats for reckless spending, "job-killing" legislation (including the Affordable Care Act), and the need to reduce the budget deficit. Speaking on behalf of the Tea Party, Representative Michelle Bachmann will say many of the same things as Rep. Ryan, only a lot less intelligently. She will also talk about returning our country to the Constitution. whatever the hell that means, and protecting freedom (except for immigrants).

Since I already know what everyone's going to say, I won't be watching the show this evening. Instead, I'll be watching the rebroadcast of today's Carling Cup match between Arsenal and Ipswich, which I cannot watch live because of class.

UPDATE: I don't know about the State of the Union, but the Arsenal match was excellent. They won 3-0 to advance to the finals of the Carling Cup. They will face either Birmingham City or West Ham. We Gooners have been waiting a long time for some silverware, and it seems like the breakthrough with this maturing team is finally near.

The Cool Factor: Hotel G in Beijing

I'm always on the lookout for cool things related to global business and while I was scanning the Chicago Tribune over the weekend I caught:

Icelandic composer raves about Poland

Why am I sharing this article with you?  Because deep within the body of it Olafur Arnalds mentions his favorite hotel:  Hotel G.

Q: What are your favorite hotels?

A: I've probably stayed at more than 100 hotels in the last couple of years, but my favorite must be Hotel G (hotel-g.com) in Beijing. Very cool interior design, and you can choose the color of your window with the switch of a button in the room. I have tried very hard to persuade the management staff to use the master control to write my name on the outside of the building with the window colors, without much luck! And the floors are so soft that you don't really need the comfy bed. I stay there every time I go to Beijing, if not only for the friendly staff and nice food, then the iPod docks … in every room.

So the next time you travel to Beijing to drum up business, check out the very cool looking place.

Photo credit:  Hotel G

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Islamic Green Leader To Speak at World Economic Forum

Fazlun Khalid, Founder of the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences [IFEES] has been invited by the organizers of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting (January 26-30, 2011),  in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland to chair a workshop on "The Faith Factor: Religion's Role in Addressing Global Trends and Challenges". He will also be joined by Ex-USA President Bill Clinton.

For more information about IFEES and please contact David Price on 0792 608 5947 or 0121 440 3500 , e-mail or visit the website

Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences (IFEES) is an Islamic Environmental NGO, based in Birmingham with projects all over world, working for betterment of all, in our only home, planet Earth.

And the Winner for the Growth Through Global Trade Award Goes To ...

SteelMaster Buildings LLC -- a manufacturer, designer and supplier of arched steel structures.

How did they win it?  Numerous reasons but here are two:

1. SteelMaster Buildings exports to more than 40 countries and has distributorship relationships in more than 50 international markets.

2. Since the company began exporting in 2006, the company’s revenue has quadrupled and now represents 15 percent of the company’s total revenue.

Read all about how SteelMaster Buildings earned this prestigious UPS award that only goes to SMBs who excel in international trade here.

Congratulations!

Full disclosure:  I had the pleasure of serving as one of the judges on this fabulous program.  We originally blogged about it here.

Photo credit here.

The Inanity of Ranking Composers

Long-time readers of this blog will know that I despise numerical rankings of qualitative goods. They are nothing more than exercises in vanity and hubris, designed to attract attention (and sell copy) much like car-wrecks. We are now in the midst of awards season, during which various "experts" will inform the Hoi polloi which are the "best" film, actors (male and female), hip-hop album, etc., of the past year. Other "experts" will dispute the results.

One ranking I did not expect to see this year, and which is even more distressing and depressing than the usual fare, appears in this morning's New York Times (here), where the Times' chief music critic, and lone voter, Anthony Tommasini humbly reveals to his readers his ranking of the 10 greatest composers of music (excluding those still living). He notes that there are many close calls, issues apologies to some composers and their fans, and even wishes he could have chosen a top 20 instead of a top 10 (he cannot, in good conscience, expand the list because he had previously promised his adoring readers a ranking of just ten).

Tommasini's ranking confirms my long-held suspicion that arts critics are really no different in kind from sports writers. Their techniques and sensibilities are similar; only the players are different.

Arsenal 3 - Wigan 0

Robin van Persie scored all three Arsenal goals - the second on a volley from a sublime Cesc Fabregas pass over the heads of the Wigan defense - in a walk in the park for the Gunners. In truth, van Persie should have scored at least four and possibly five as he missed a penalty (earned by Fabregas), hit the post with a shot, and missed a couple of other good chances. The Gunners created enough chances that their final goal tally easily could have been doubled. The defense looked solid throughout the match, though in truth Wigan didn't pose much of an offensive threat. Arsenal goalie Wojciech Szczesny hardly touched the ball in the first half, and I'm not sure he was forced into making a real save throughout the match. All in all, despite the numerous missed opportunities, a very comfortable win at home.

Will Eric Schmidt Run Apple?

In light of what's happening at Apple with the upsetting situation of Steve Jobs taking another leave of absence from the company due to his health, I can't help but wonder at the same time why there is a sudden management overhaul over at Google.

 Change is the only thing that is constant in life.  This could become disruptive innovation at its best.

Your thoughts?

Posted by:  Laurel Delaney, The Global Small Business Blog

Understanding the Tea Party's Motivations

The Washington Post has a story this morning (here) about a rift among House Republicans over the depth of proposed spending cuts. Many want far deeper cuts than the leadership is proposing. They want to cut not only fat, but muscle, sinew, even bone. What they seek is not a more economically efficient federal government - it would be a mistake to suppose that they are social-welfare consequentialists. The motivation of tea-partiers is not economic but ideological. They want to shrink the federal  government simply for the sake of smaller government, pretty much regardless of consequences for social welfare.

The problem the tea-partiers inevitably will confront is that, however much voters say they want smaller government, they tend to want it only for other people. For themselves, they typically want whatever government programs benefit them. That's why it is not irrational, even if it is contradictory, for a protester to carry a sign that reads, "No Socialized Medicine; Keep Your Hands Off My Medicare."

I suspect Tea Party-backed members of Congress are going to find it difficult to retain their ideologically purity of heart, unless they are willing to sacrifice their own political futures. And while it would be a mistake to suppose that they are social-welfare consequentialists, it would be a bigger mistake to suppose that they are heroes who do not care about their own welfare.

On This Date

On January 21, 2011, Cyclingprof began to find his own blog tedious (amazing it took so long).

About.com: Laurel Delaney, Import and Export Guide

Please join me for some serious discussions and sharing of vital information on importing/exporting over at About.com (a part of The New York Times Company).

About.com
Laurel Delaney
Import and Export Guide

Sign up for the newsletter and participate in My Forum.

This site is brand new.  Watch it morph into the go-to-destination for anything to do with importing and exporting.

Herman Cain on Environment and Energy

Herman Cain

Herman Cain is a conservative Republican candidate running to be president of the United States.

AAEA will be covering the environmental and energy positions of all of the presidential candidates. AAEA stands ready to provide information on energy and environmental issues whenever Mr. Cain contacts us.  He has established a Presidential Exploratory Committee.

On energy, he advocates maximizing use of America's natural resources and pursuing renewable fuel technologies.

Asked [The Hill-Ballot Box] if there's one issue he thinks makes him stand out from the rest of the potential field, Cain said it's the comprehensive energy plan he intends to champion:

"We have a path to energy independence in this country and it just baffles me as to why the leadership of either party in Congress or the White House doesn't pursue it," said Cain. "We simply need to remove the regulatory barriers and stop overreacting to the concerns of the environmentalists."

According to Conservative Features.com, "Conseravtives In Their Own Words," Cain noted:

"Energy independence: Real energy independence starts with removing a lot of the regulatory constraints that keeping us from exploring all of the natural resources that we have here. We have tons and tons and tons of resources that are just being choked off because of the “environmental wackos” quite frankly. They are not going to be happy until they totally strangle this country and there isn’t one gasoline company or oil company left in America. They’ve already driven away most of them. Their headquarters somewhere else."

According to Grist and Penn Alternative Fuels and Energy, Cain is a climate change denier.  Their evidence is an archived website, which included the following quote:

It is outrageous that the head of the United Nations, the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Obama Administration are all dismissing these revelations [the manufactured “Climategate” scandal] as they push onward with their political agenda in the face of scientifically manufactured results.

This is no longer a controversy. This is conclusive. And once again, liberals choose to ignore the facts.

It’s a scam.

Herman Cain was born on December 13, 1945 and is an American newspaper columnist, businessman, politician, and radio talk-show host from Georgia. He is best known as the former chairman and CEO of Godfather's Pizza. Cain's newspaper column is distributed by North Star Writers Group. He currently lives in the Atlanta suburbs.

Cain holds a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Morehouse College, and a master's degree in computer science from Purdue University. (Wiki, World Net Daily)

A World View

The popular Small Business Trends does an excellent recap of:

Small Business News:  The Global View

Of particular interest is, "Building Your (Global) Brand with Social Media"

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

On This Date

On January 20, 1801, John Marshall is appointed Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, arguably the most momentous decision in the history of US constitutional interpretation.

Leeds 1 - Arsenal 3

Arsenal overcame a game Leeds side to earn a birth in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Nasri's opened the scoring within five minutes after some quick passing by the Gunners easily (too easily) opened up Leeds' defense. Arsenal scored again in the middle of the first half on a fine shot by defender Bacary Sagna. The best goal of the half, however, was Leeds consolation goal late in the half, when defender Bradley Johnson hit the shot of his life from 30 yards out. As the announcers said, even if all three Arsenal keepers had been playing that shot still would have found its way into the top right corner of the net.

Arsenal sealed the victory in the last quarter of the match, when Nicklas Bendtner, who played reasonably well all evening on the right wing, hit a perfect cross that Robin van Persie headed back across Leeds keeper Schmeichel and into the right side of the net. All the Arsenal players deserve plaudits for working hard throughout the match against a dogged, if out-gunned, Leeds side. Arshavin continue his almost season-long run of poor play, but at least viewers could tell he was making an effort. On the other hand, Denilson had a better match playing in front of the back four.

Arsenal's play next on Saturday in a Premier League match at home to Wigan.

When Fabregas Scores, Arsenal Win

The Telegraph has the story (here). Let's hope he scores today against Leeds in the return leg of their FA Cup tie.

Word is Getting Out about My Favorite Aperitif

The Wall Street Journal has the story of Zubrowka (here). I strongly recommend you keep a bottle in the freezer (not the refrigerator), and savor it in shots, unadulterated by mixers.

On This Date

January 19 is a day notable for premiers of masterpieces: in 1829 - Goethe's Faust Part I; in 1853 Verdi's opera Il Trovatore; and in 1893 Ibsen's The Master Builder.

Hazel M. Johnson Dies: Mother of Environmental Justice

Hazel Johnson

Chicago South Side environmental activist Hazel M. Johnson, 75, died of complications from congestive heart failure Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011. Mrs. Johnson a longtime resident of Chicago's Altgeld Gardens public housing development, was spurred into environmental activism after her husband, John, died of lung cancer in 1969.  She fought corporate polluters and rallied residents to protest contamination.

She founded a group called People for Community Recovery and put pressure on the Chicago Housing Authority to remove asbestos from Altgeld Gardens. Mrs. Johnson focused much of her organization's work on educating minority communities about urban environmental hazards. She became known as the mother of the environmental justice movement.

Mrs. Johnson was instrumental in convincing city health officials to test drinking water at Maryland Manor, a Far South Side neighborhood dependent on well water. After tests conducted in 1984 revealed cyanide and toxins in the water, officials installed water and sewer lines.

Her work in Chicago led to the national stage, where she joined a group of activists in urging President Bill Clinton to sign the Environmental Justice order. Ms. Johnson served on the U.S. EPA's first National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC), established on September 30, 1993.

Altgeld Gardens:Life in a Toxic Enviroment from Jennifer T. Lacey on Vimeo.

Mrs. Johnson was the eldest of four children born in the area of New Orleans now known as "cancer alley." Johnson would spend most of her adult life in the Calumet Region, the industrial area along Lake Michigan's southern tip that is one of the nation's most polluted areas. Mrs. Johnson was preceded in death by her son Michael. In addition to her daughter, Cheryl Johnson, Mrs. Johnson is survived by two other daughters, Yolanda Johnson and Valerie Johnson; sons John Jr., Johnny and Mark; 10 grandchildren; and five great grandchildren.

Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, January 22, 2011 in St. Ailbe Catholic Church, 9015 S. Harper Ave., Chicago. (Chicago Tribune, 1/16/2011)

Best International Shipping Deals

Got an import or export sale and can't decide the best way to ship the goods?  Here's a look at places to consider:

DHL International Services

FedEx International

Fulfillment by AliExpress (learn more about this new service here)

UPS Global Trade

USPS - International Mail & Packages (for the small stuff)

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Mutter Evans Organizes 31st Annual MLK, Jr. Day

Mutter Evans

Former WAAA radio station owner Mutter Evans initiated Martin Luther King, Jr. commemorations five years before the federal holiday was passed.  The 26th edition of the federal holiday honoring him included the 31st Annual Noon-Hour Commemoration in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is one of the oldest Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial events in the United States. 

Ms Evans noted:

"Take the time to acknowledge the person who had been so instrumental, and the freedoms and the liberties which we have acquired," said Mutter Evans, who organized the event in 1979. It makes me feel good from the standpoint that people continue to acknowledge and appreciate the history.  It just seems like there is more division. Not everybody voted for him [Barack Obama], but those strives we thought we'd overcome, continue to rear their heads"

The event was originally held on King's birthday, but is now held at the Benton Convention Center on the federal holiday, which began in 1986. Winston-Salem native Clifton Graves spoke at this year's event. Graves, known nationally for his work in civil rights and education, spoke about everyone's power to help themselves and others.

(Fox 8, Greensboro, High Point, Winston-Salem, 1/17/2010)

New Executive Order on Regulatory Impact Analysis

President Obama signed a new Executive Order (EO) today (available here), which does not replace but supplements the existing Executive Order 12866. The most significant  addition of the new EO is its requirement of regular post hoc regulatory reviews. Until now, federal executive branch agencies have only been required to prepare ex ante regulatory impact analyses (a form of cost-benefit) analysis for newly proposed regulations. This new requirement forces agencies to go back and periodically examine existing regulations to ensure that they are, and remain, cost-effective. It is a very sensible addition to the regulatory review process.

Unfortunately, the new EO does not address the issue of social discounting - the process whereby future streams of costs and benefits are expressed in present dollar values. I, for one, had been hoping that the new EO might adjust downward the current baseline discount rate of 7%, which is quite high especially for regulations with intergenerational effects.

What's Ahead in 2011

My latest contribution for the American American OPEN Forum via Small Business Trends:

2011:  The Year of ...

What else do you think 2011 will bring us?  I welcome your comments!

Posted by:  Laurel Delaney, The Global Small Business Blog

On This Date

On January 18, 1943, the Warsaw Ghetto uprising began against the Nazis. Amazingly, the poorly armed and supplied Jews managed to hold their own for several months. The most significant part of the insurgency began in April and lasted nearly a month before finally being crushed by numbers, greater firepower, and evil.

Cowen Proposes an Oath for Government Economists

Over at the Marginal Revolution (here), Tyler Cowen takes a gratuitous slap at his fellow economists working for the federal government, suggesting that they should be required to swear an oath "not to act against the truths of their discipline for political gain". This is in response to calls for academic economists to adopt an ethical code that requires them to disclose (at least) conflicts of interest in the policy advise they give. As a recent New York Times story (here) reports, this is particularly a problem among a small number of prominent academic economists who write about financial regulation while advising, and even serving on the boards of, investment banks.

It is not immediately clear to me, however, that government economists suffer from the same kinds of conflicts of interest that have led to so much criticism of academic economists in the wake of the financial crisis. Indeed, Cowen merely lists the number of economists working in various branches of the federal government; he provides no analysis in support of his call for them to take a special oath. He does not provide any evidence of cases where government economists' advice has been potentially or actually tainted by personal "political gain" (whatever that might mean). Nor does he specify which eternal "truths" of economics they are not presently upholding. Surely, Cowen does not suppose that bad government policies - of which there are plenty - are necessarily promoted, or even acquiesced in, by government economists, the vast majority of whom are not political appointees.

Finally, Cowen takes an extra gratuitous slap at the Environmental Protection Agency, doubting whether its 163 economists are enough. The unmistakable implication is that EPA is an economically reckless federal agency that imposes substantial net costs on society. That sentiment is as bogus as it is widespread. It is worthy of the Wall Street Journal editorial board. It is not worthy of Tyler Cowen.

On This Date

On January 17, 1961, US President Dwight Eisenhower, in a televised farewell address to the nation, three days before leaving office, warns of the rising power of the "military-industrial complex."

Globalize Where the Return is Everywhere

Globalization is here to stay.  It's not a matter of surviving during current challenging economic times; it's a case of thriving.  This article (heavy emphasis on translation issues) answers the central question:  Is this the right time to expand internationally?

See if it is for you.

Bottom line:  Get out of your local rut and go global!

Posted by:  The Global Small Business Blog

Most Interesting Sentence I've Read in Some Time

A parenthetical in a column by theoretical physicist Brian Greene in today's New York Times:

(Although nothing can move through space faster than the speed of light, there's no limit on how fast space itself can expand.)

On This Date

On January 16, 1786, the Commonwealth of Virginia enacted the Statute on Religious Freedom authored by Thomas Jefferson. It was a remarkable piece of legislation at the time, and the enlightened sentiments it expresses resonate powerfully even today. It is worth reading the text of the statute in full:

An Act for establishing religious Freedom.

Whereas, Almighty God hath created the mind free;

that all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens, or by civil incapacitations tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and therefore are a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion, who being Lord, both of body and mind yet chose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as was in his Almighty power to do,

that the impious presumption of legislators and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical, who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired men have assumed dominion over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible, and as such endeavouring to impose them on others, hath established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world and through all time;

that to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves is sinful and tyrannical;

that even the forcing him to support this or that teacher of his own religious persuasion is depriving him of the comfortable liberty of giving his contributions to the particular pastor, whose morals he would make his pattern, and whose powers he feels most persuasive to righteousness, and is withdrawing from the Ministry those temporary rewards, which, proceeding from an approbation of their personal conduct are an additional incitement to earnest and unremitting labours for the instruction of mankind;

that our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions any more than our opinions in physics or geometry,

that therefore the proscribing any citizen as unworthy the public confidence, by laying upon him an incapacity of being called to offices of trust and emolument, unless he profess or renounce this or that religious opinion, is depriving him injuriously of those privileges and advantages, to which, in common with his fellow citizens, he has a natural right,

that it tends only to corrupt the principles of that very Religion it is meant to encourage, by bribing with a monopoly of worldly honours and emoluments those who will externally profess and conform to it;

that though indeed, these are criminal who do not withstand such temptation, yet neither are those innocent who lay the bait in their way;

that to suffer the civil magistrate to intrude his powers into the field of opinion and to restrain the profession or propagation of principles on supposition of their ill tendency is a dangerous fallacy which at once destroys all religious liberty because he being of course judge of that tendency will make his opinions the rule of judgment and approve or condemn the sentiments of others only as they shall square with or differ from his own;

that it is time enough for the rightful purposes of civil government, for its officers to interfere when principles break out into overt acts against peace and good order;

and finally, that Truth is great, and will prevail if left to herself, that she is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict, unless by human interposition disarmed of her natural weapons free argument and debate, errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them:

Be it enacted by General Assembly that no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of Religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge or affect their civil capacities. And though we well know that this Assembly elected by the people for the ordinary purposes of Legislation only, have no power to restrain the acts of succeeding Assemblies constituted with powers equal to our own, and that therefore to declare this act irrevocable would be of no effect in law; yet we are free to declare, and do declare that the rights hereby asserted, are of the natural rights of mankind, and that if any act shall be hereafter passed to repeal the present or to narrow its operation, such act will be an infringement of natural right.

West Ham 0 - Arsenal 3

The Gunners put their mid-week, Carling Cup woes behind them, winner at West Ham 3-0. Arsene Wenger fielded his strongest available side against a West Ham team that is struggling to avoid relegation. The Gunners were hitting on all cylinders throughout the match, holding possession for nearly two-thirds of the 90 minutes. Their movement and passing were quick and incisive throughout the match. Robin Van Persie, who is rounding into good form after his long injury layoff, scored twice, the second after Theo Walcott earned a penalty. Walcott added the third goal. The defense was generally solid, except for a couple of misplays by the usually reliable Johan Djourou.

When Arsenal are on song like they were today, it becomes all the more difficult to understand how their poor display at Ipswich this past Wednesday. They have the goods to be champions. What they have lacked so far is the consistency and, sometimes, the killer instinct.    

On This Date

On January 15, 1759, the British Museum, one of the world's outstanding museums, opened in London.

Spring of Genius

"Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius." ~ Pietro Aretino

Photo credit: Laurel J. Delaney, lakefront, Rogers Park, Illinois, U.S.A., 2011