I am running well behind schedule so I am just going to put these links out there unsorted and try and catch up later today or early tomorrow. Apologies for the thin links today. Do see the Magnus post, however. It is an important topic.
Fifty States of Fear – NYTimes.com
“Even democracies founded in the principles of liberty and the common good often take the path of more authoritarian states. They don’t work to minimize fear, but use it to exert control over the populace and serve the government’s principal aim: consolidating power. Philosophers have long noted the utility of fear to the state. Machiavelli notoriously argued that a good leader should induce fear in the populace in order to control the rabble.”
What Google’s Sale of Motorola to Lenovo Means for the Companies
“We have to remember that Google sold the Motorola Home unit for $2.35 billion in cash and stock to communications-technology company Arris last year. What’s more, the 2011 Motorola deal afforded Google a tax break worth $1 billion, and gave the company access to Motorola’s $3 billion in cash, according to Reuters. Taking those figures into account, Google’s loss looks more like $3 billion. Not an insignificant amount — but nowhere near the nearly $10 billion it may appear to be at first glance. “
“Lenovo’s ThinkPad is the brand of choice when it comes to enterprise notebooks – Dell has a strong footing still, to be sure, but Lenovo dominated the PC market in 2013, followed by HP and then Dell. The acquisition of Motorola Mobility today gives them a chance to parlay that success in the traditional computing world into the booming enterprise hotspot of mobile tech.”
Spain’s black economy booming as GDP continues slow growth | Business | theguardian.com
“Report finds shadow economy has expanded to 24.6% of GDP, as official figures show fourth-quarter economic growth at 0.3%”
Goldman Sachs deal brings Danish coalition to brink of collapse – FT.com
“Denmark’s centre-left government was scrambling to hang on to power after one of the three parties in its minority coalition quit on Thursday over mounting anger at Goldman Sachs’ investment in a state-owned utility.”
Puerto Rico: Bail-out by the back door | The Economist
“the American government moves tax revenue away from its own coffers and towards Puerto Rico’s”. Cate Long was onto this seven months ago. See here: https://blogs.reuters.com/muniland/2013/06/17/is-the-u-s-treasury-bailing-out-puerto-rico/
Lawsuit alleges Ford ordered jailhouse beating | NOW Magazine
Official Blog: Lenovo to acquire Motorola Mobility
” Google will retain the vast majority of Motorola’s patents, which we will continue to use to defend the entire Android ecosystem. “
“it is not true to say that gold is international currency, for international contracts are never made in terms of gold, but always in terms of some national monetary unit; there is no essential or important distinction between notes and metallic money; money is the measure of value, but to regard it as having value itself is a relic of the view that the value of money is regulated by the value of the substance of which it is made, and is like confusing a theatre ticket with the performance.”
3 Timeless Parables For Regaining Perspective | Fast Company | Business + Innovation
Tom Perkins Watch – Business Insider
Wage Against the Machine – The Daily Show with Jon Stewart – 01/28/14 – Video Clip | Comedy Central
This one’s on Peter Schiff, minimum wage, poverty and the US economy.
George Magnus interview pt 2: stagnant wages, Ed Miliband and the banks
George Magnus on interest rates, Mark Carney, and the housing bubble
Why low inflation hurts the 99% – The Term Sheet: Fortune’s deals blogTerm Sheet
Inequality and household debt: New evidence | vox