News Links: Is Europe About to Unravel?

The key problem always was the internal imbalances, a problem for which European policymakers have never offered a credible solution.  They simply don’t have such a solution in the context of a system of fixed exchange rates.  I believe that currency devaluation is the only option that will change relative competitiveness in any reasonable timeframe and restore internal balance. But that option is unavailable for Euro members. Bottom Line:  In Europe, the unstoppable force of austerity is colliding with the immovable object that is reality.  Expect fireworks.

The European Commission – the EU’s executive arm – has warned Hungary that it faces legal action if it fails to change reforms to its central bank, data protection and judiciary.

During a press event at Arby’s headquarters last week, the company officially launched its new $2.99 Grab-N-Go Meal Deal, which allows patrons to go behind the counter at any franchise location and grab as much roast beef as they can with their bare hands.

Political analysts said they expect Huntsman’s endorsement to have little effect on the race, as Huntsman’s backers are far too small in number to actually help Huntsman.

It’s time to play "beat or miss" and the market will be looking for a decent earnings season to confirm the latest move higher.

The way I see it, there’s a lack of need for any legislation at all. As a publisher, I have a very deep experience here, and the fact is that piracy is not a significant problem. Yes, there are people who are pirating my books, there are people who are sharing links to places where they can be downloaded. But the vast majority of customers are willing to pay if the product is widely available and the price is fair. If you have a relationship with your customers, and they know you’re doing the right thing, they will support you.

In my experience at O’Reilly, the losses due to piracy are far outweighed by the benefits of the free flow of information, which makes the world richer, and develops new markets for legitimate content. Most of the people who are downloading unauthorized copies of O’Reilly books would never have paid us for them anyway; meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of others are buying content from us, many of them in countries that we were never able to do business with when our products were not available in digital form.

While each new national security power Washington has embraced was controversial when enacted, they are often discussed in isolation. But they don’t operate in isolation. They form a mosaic of powers under which our country could be considered, at least in part, authoritarian.

On a local level it is back on the agenda because the states simply cannot afford it: California spends $47,102 per inmate per year. It is a national disgrace. The mass incarceration of African-Americans is the civil rights issue of the day. The statistics are horrific.

China’s economy expanded 8.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year, extending a slowdown that began at the start of 2011 and is expected to continue into 2012.

Of course, you’re going to have to be logged into your Google account on your phone, but theoretically your phone is secure, while the terminal you’re at is not. Also, make sure to log off when you’re done!

After hinting at a site-wide blackout to combat the SOPA anti-piracy bill, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales confirmed today that the English version of the free encyclopedia will go offline on Wednesday, January 18.

Si la France avait conservé jusqu’au printemps sa note AAA dans le classement de Standard & Poor’s, cela aurait-il été porté au crédit de Nicolas Sarkozy et ce dernier en aurait-il retiré un profit électoral ? Rien n’est moins sûr. Mais que la perte de cette note, aggravée par le fait que l’Allemagne conserve la sienne, soit perçue comme un échec pour le chef de l’Etat, cela ne fait aucun doute.