Michael Giberson Al Roth draws attention to a New York Times column, “The art of blackmail,” which includes the curious phrase, “sanitized by lawyering” (pointing out that blackmail is illegal, but negotiating a settlement in lieu of filing a lawsuit in which the unpleasant matter would be disclosed is legal). Apparently blackmail is one of …
Michael Giberson Shifting world natural gas supply conditions have put the squeeze on long-term gas supply contracts between Russian gas giant Gazprom and its European customers. A summary from the Wall Street Journal: European energy companies, faced with weakening demand and plentiful lower-cost fuel supplies, have bought far less natural gas from Russia’s OAO Gazprom …
Gazprom, Europe, and Long-Term Take-or-Pay Contracts Read More »
Michael Giberson A week or so ago I posted, “Smart meter benefits mostly going to utilities so far,” riffing off a Forbes.com story, “Smart Meters: Not So Sharp For Consumers.” Today, Tyler Hamilton suggests in a post about smart meters that it is a good idea to focus on the utility benefits of smart meters …
Smart Meter Benefits Should Mostly Go to Utilities, Initially Read More »
Michael Giberson The list of people who agreed, after the fact, that yes there was a {internet company | real estate | … | tulip bulb} price bubble is frequently longer than the list of people who publicly announce a bubble in unequivocal terms in advance of a crash. But here you have someone willing …
Calling the Next Bubble: is There Currently a “Dollar-Led Asset Bubble”? Read More »
Michael Giberson George Soros has promised to spend $5 million a year for 10 years to support an Institute for New Economic Thinking to be hosted at Central European University in Budapest. According to the INET website, the Institute will make research grants, convene symposia, and establish a journal. As part of the announcement, Soros …
In Principle I’m in Favor of Spending Money on Economists Read More »
Michael Giberson Unfair Prices Daniel Little, at Understanding Society, asks about “Fair Prices?” In exploring the topic he draws some upon E.P. Thompson’s studies of the English working class: E. P. Thompson’s work on early modern Britain reminds us that there was a “moral economy of the crowd” that profoundly challenged the legitimacy of the …
Michael Giberson Rebecca Smith reporting in the Wall Street Journal, “Obama to Name ‘Smart Grid’ Projects“: The Obama administration is expected Tuesday to name 100 utility projects that will share $3.4 billion in federal stimulus funding to speed deployment of advanced technology designed to cut energy use and make the electric-power grid more robust. When …
Taxpayer Dollars to Support Utility Smart Grid Expenses Read More »
Michael Giberson Worth reading: Megan McArdle, “The Search for Financial Villains Founders,” at The Atlantic: Business Channel. Apparently, damning remarks taken out of context from emails are not so damning when considered within the original context. On the other hand, I’m not so convinced by the earlier post at The Atlantic Business Channel by Daniel …
Michael Giberson For DC United fans, the MLS season is over. While some fans contemplate coaching and roster changes, a few of us are still scratching our heads about the MLS tiebreaker rules and the complications presented by the final weekend of play (which had five teams angling for two remaining post-season positions. See here …
More Post-season Tournament Design Issues: Mls Tiebreakers Read More »
Michael Giberson Joshua Keating, in Foreign Policy, offers a photo essay on lithium extraction in Bolivia. Keating said: Bolivia hopes its lithium treasure can pull it up from the bottom rungs of the global economy, but as countries throughout the developing world have learned the hard way, resource wealth can just as easily lead to …
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