| Bill’s books of wisdom
The reading habits of successful business people are often revealed at this time of the year, when leisure is foremost.Mostly, they seem be top-of-the line thrillers or solid works of history or biography.So I was pleasantly surprised to learn of Bill Gates’ holiday reading list while in central Otago at Christmas.You might expect some heavy duty stuff on technology and the future.But, no, the world’s richest philanthropist is more interested in poverty and how to cure it.In fact, his books are an economist’s work list: Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), William Easterly’s The White Man’s Burden (2006), Professor C K Prahalad’s The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid (2004) and Paul Collier’s The Bottom Billion (2007).Incidentally, Collier, an Oxford professor, is a keynote speaker at the Global Development annual conference in Brisbane this week along with the likes of Jeffrey Sachs and New Zealander Graeme Wheeler, managing director of the World Bank.Other books on Bill's list included Hernando de Soto’s The Mystery of Capital and Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism (2007).
Hillary Stuns--Four Theories
Attention, Thomas O. Barnett: I went to Staples to buy a replacement cartridge for my HP printer. Usually I buy a "Staples" brand replacement--they're a little cheaper. But they were no longer on display. Only the pricier HP cartridges were for sale. I asked the store manager if this was because HP had sued Staples. No, she said--HP "paid us more" to carry only their brand. ... If true, isn't this a pretty clear antitrust violation? HP would seem to be trying to enforce a (presumably lucrative) semi-monopoly position in HP replacement cartridges. I don't think semi-monopolists can do that. Or am I misremembering antitrust law? ... Backfill: Business Week has covered this, and finds a prof who says there's no antitrust violation because "there are alternatives being sold at other office superstores, and other printer brands are being sold at Staples." Second opinion, please.
Last Light
Best known for time-lapsed portraits of friends, family and herself, often made over several decades, Ford has consistently produced powerful elegies for the impermanence of youth. Her latest exhibition reveals an artist still absorbed with time but depicting a more prosaic subject: tourists photographing elusive, luminous moments at sunset. "I wanted my pictures to be highly seductive," says Ford, "capturing the moment as the sun goes down when the light is at its most magical and extraordinary." Ford noticed that, with the advent of digital photography, cameras were being used differently. With fewer cameras having viewfinders, people were reduced to holding them with both hands, at arm's length - doing what American photographers soon called chimping.
Councilman MikeK Recalls Knievel Action Figure
The dean of the College of Business has stepped down temporarily after a university audit found the college had violated a state ethics law with a "courtesy car" program/WSU Daily Evergreen. Click here. 4. News Roundup: Domestic wolf causes headaches in Idaho/Modesto Bee; Young Jehovah Witness dies after refusing blood transfusion/KTVB; Memorial service set for ex-WSU star/Seattle Times; DUI ruling threatens Spokane court authority/Spokesman-Review; Spokane parents deny guilt in starvation of cleft-palate baby/Spokesman-Review; and Slow Montana hunting season ends with a bang/Missoulian. 5. Blogosphere: Johnson makes list, Alexie doesn't/Movies & More; Idaho'll never adopt Queen Chaney's gun ban bill/Palousitics; The last good day/Kellogg Bloggin'; Ron Paul: Of blimps and pimps/Adam's Blog; and Dilbert creator endures blog-book backlash/Blogspotter.
VUSD outlines changes to math, science
Classes using the program spend 20 minutes of each school day in the computer lab solving math problems. As the students answer each question, the program charts their progress and determines their weak and strong points."It's really exciting," Karen Burke, district director of educational services, said about the software. "The kids love it."Contact staff writer Stacy Brandt at (760) 901-4009 or sbrandt@nctimes.com. Previous Story:
Next Story: Egyptian theme rides set to open in March .
Half Political, Half Painful
Witnessing the birth of the new show is like nothing more than observing the evolution of the old “liberal new bias" battle cry into the newly-minted hypothesis that a liberal bias exists in fake news. If there was doubt that the show was created to overturn this perceived liberal bias in news-based humor, the first promotional ad should have erased it.
According to the promo, “The ½ Hour News Hour" may offend “the left, the far left, anyone standing to the left," as well as “democrats, people who voted for democrats, [and] people who know democrats" This doesn't quite stand up to the promo's last claim of being an “equal opportunity offender." So much for “Fair and Balanced." However, the greatest injury caused by the show isn't inflicted on liberals but rather on humor itself.
Park visitation increases
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