Twitter's short form of 140 characters, the iphone, and the tech platforms building on the declining cultural and other literacy in America, Europe, other countries

05/28/2020

Twitter founder Jack Dorsey's regrets on what he sees as the lack of any depth in the short form that works well on mobile phones. The first smartphones came in 2007 and 2008 iphone and android versions, Twitter started in 2006, both growing at the same time, the story of a tech boom that is paralleled by declining cultural and other literacy in America. It also parallels the decline in sense of what is in the national interest among communities in America and Europe and in other countries, leaving them with fewer defences against the coronavirus pandemic by 2020.

Linked Articles

Opinion | A Presidential Smear

WSJ 05/26/2020

The Editorial Board

NYTimes.com 11/09/2013

Matt Richtel

What Bill Gates and France had in common in the fight for health preparedness

05/11/2020

France had learned lessons from SARS epidemic and prepared for the H1N1 epidemic at the time that Bill Gates of Microsoft was pushing for greater awareness of public health priorities. Today Gates says this was not enough, that he did not do enough and feels terrible about it. The irresponsible banking practices that caused the financial crises first in the global financial crisis of 2009 and then in the eurozone financial crisis that followed by 2011 led to the ditching of the pandemic preparedness effort in France and Britain. In all of the western world including the U.S. austerity practices were the response without addressing the root causes of financial crises. Investments in public services and infrastructure were neglected leading to a level of unpreparedness that is shocking. Countries in lesser developed countries with more consciousness of the importance of public services and care of the vast majority of people were better protected in the crisis as a result than the more developed countries.

Linked Articles

Bill Gates Has Regrets

WSJ 05/11/2020

Betsy Mc Kay

France 24 05/17/2020

The Guardian newspaper in Britain- pioneering funding for Quality information through Supporter memberships ($6 a month) and Donate

10/15/2019

The Guardian is experimenting with new sources of revenue and expanding its reader base and sustainable operations with an open access model. The target region is UK, USA, Australia, about a half a billion people in the region.

Linked Articles

Guardian most trusted newspaper in Britain, says industry report

The Guardian 12/17/2018

Jim Waterson

Digiday 10/15/2019

Trump and the skeptics about the direction of the country- contrasting views of Brooks and Krugman about how the message is conveyed

01/09/2018

Linked Articles

Opinion | The Decline of Anti-Trumpism

The New York Times 01/09/2018

David Brooks

The New York Times 01/08/2018

Paul Krugman

President Trump and U.S. relations with Middle East countries

05/25/2017

Linked Articles

Trump Softens Tone on Islam but Calls for Purge of ‘Foot Soldiers of Evil’

The New York Times 05/21/2017

Peter Baker, Michael D. Shear

The New York Times 05/22/2017

Ben Hubbard, Thomas Erdbrink

Robert Lighthizer, U.S. Trade Representative and the effort to renegotiate NAFTA, ensure a level playing field in international trade

05/19/2017

In a 2010 article Lighthizer described the disadvantages for the U.S. in existing trade practices, especially with China. We covered Lighthizer at that time. In 2017 Lighthizer takes up the arduous task of renegotiating NAFTA, and ensuring a level playing field in U.S. trade relations with Germany, China, Japan, and other countries.

Linked Articles

Throwing Free Trade Overboard

New York Times 11/12/2010

Robert E. Lighthizer, Robert, E., Lighthizer

The New York Times 05/18/2017

Julie Hirschfeld Davis

The Women20 Summit in Berlin and the path for women to the workplace in Europe, the U.S., and other countries

05/08/2017

The views expressed at the Women20 Summit at the G-20 summit in Berlin reflect the views of women leaders including Angela Merkel. Problems women in the U.S. are facing are covered here by Fed chairwoman Janet Yellen. For the first time leaders of the stature of Merkel and Yellen are talking about these issues openly to drive the debate and clear the path for women.

Linked Articles

The real issues at Women20 | Business | DW.COM | 26.04.2017

DW.COM 04/26/2017

Tamsin Walker

The New York Times 05/05/2017

Binyamin Appelbaum

Republican House health care bill in 2017 and shift in priorities- $337 billion in savings, expected lower premiums, but leaving 14 million more uninsured in 2018

03/13/2017

A shift in priorities from the poor to the middle class- targeting lower premiums for people who have seen their premiums increase sharply, reducing the overall cost with savings of $337 billion, yet leaving 14 million more people uninsured.

Linked Articles

CBO Sees 24 Million More Uninsured, $337 Billion Deficit Cut in Coming Decade With GOP Health Plan

WSJ 03/13/2017

Stephanie Armour, Kristina Peterson

BBC News 03/13/2017

The 1976 Montreal Olympics, the 2004 Athens Olympics, the 2014 Sochi Olympics and the Rio Olympics- decades long debt hangovers and costs growing from the $1+ billion in Montreal to $50+ billion in Sochi

08/24/2016

Developing and developed countries alike have seen the cost of the Olympics as a huge burden. Many countries or cities that committed to hosting the Olympic games during boom years were facing economic hard times by the time of the games. Corruption and mismanagement of public funds, overspending and cost overruns added to the problems. Citizens uproar caused cities such as Boston and Oslo to withdraw bids for the Olympics. The Olympics appears to be a costly way to show off a country, and raises questions about better allocation of funds in other directions, especially when upward mobility is a problem for the middle and working class, countries have other infrastructure needs, and neglected basic needs in education, healthcare, public services.

Linked Articles

The 40-year hangover: how the 1976 Olympics nearly broke Montreal

The Guardian 07/06/2016

The New York Times 08/23/2016

Michael Powell

Speaker Paul Ryan's House seat in Janesville, Wisconsin- improving economy in a U.S. midwestern factory town and the debate on trade, help for working class families

08/10/2016

The unemployment rate in Janesville, Wisconsin drops to 4.4% in May 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It was over 9% following the closing of the GM plant and the recession from the 2008 financial crisis. A working class town Janesville was hit hard by the closing of the GM plant in 2008. Amy Goldstein of the Washington Post describes the impact of losing about 5000 jobs at the GM plant, and the problems typical of most manufacturing dependent towns. Throughout the period since being first elected to Congress in 1998 Ryan has continued to be able to get elected on the basis of faith, family and public service, even though some of his policies may not have helped the poor and elderly or laid off workers. Ryan voted for rescuing the auto industry and worked hard to keep the GM plant, and listens to his constituents, and as the economy recovered by 2016 won easily in this old industrial midwestern town. His influence in national politics gives Janesville an opportunity to be heard, as it tackles problems common to many midwestern towns in the U.S.

Linked Articles

Could Paul Ryan’s ideas help his struggling home town? - The Washington Post

Washington Post 08/19/2012

Amy Goldstein, Amy, Goldstein

The Guardian 08/10/2016

David Smith

Donald Trump's proposal for 45% tariff on China's exports to the U.S.- how a policy of bringing jobs home could lead to the loss of 1 million U.S. jobs

03/08/2016

By damaging the international trading system including with allies such a Canada, Britain, France and Germany, the result of a downward spiral through higher tariffs in other countries, could end up costing the U.S. 1 million jobs. Under such a system the U.S. would lose many of the advantages of its booming tech sector, its tech driven global advantages in many industries, without signifcant gains in low cost imports such as clothing which would simply migrate to other countries such as India. The problem of worker wage stagnation in the U.S., and loss of jobs in certain sectors, is very real, but this is the wrong way to tackle the problem. China is already moving towards a consumer driven economy. Economists show that trade with Mexico would be seriously hurt both ways, creating more pressure of migrants at the border under such proposals as a 45% tariff and its indirect effect on Mexico, when the actual fact is that net migration from Mexico is the lowest it has ben in decades. Politics can do strange things as when two senators Smoot and Hawley from agricultural states Utah and Oregon, at the head of important committees in the U.S. Congress pushed and passed legislation for a 60% tariff in 1930 for the industrial sector they had no idea about. When Smoot and Hawley lost reelection in 1932 they left behind a lot of damage, especially for the farmers and workers they thought they were fighting for.

Linked Articles

How Trump’s Hard Line on Trade Could Backfire

Wall Street Journal 03/25/2016

Bob Davis, Bob, Davis

Wall Street Journal 03/08/2016

Holman W. Jenkins Jr., Holman, W., Jenkins, Jr.

The Chinese market in 2015 and pitfalls for Yum Brands and its KFC, Pizza Hut stores in China

10/21/2015

Rapid growth and then a public scare with media reports of falling quality standards hurt KFC outlets. Local Chinese and Taiwanese brands offer more options at the higher and lower ends of the price range. Other European competitors partnering with local Chinese companies offer better value and quality upscale hurting Pizza Hut stores. And suddenly the whole landscape has changed for Yum Brands in China. It shows the Chinese market is no place for the complacent, that the discriminating tastes of consumers and search for healthier alternatives is taking place in China, India and other developing countries, just as much as it is in the U.S.

Linked Articles

China Isn’t the Easy Market It Once Was for Fast-Food Chains

Wall Street Journal 10/21/2015

Laurie Burkitt, Laurie, Burkitt

Wall Street Journal 10/21/2015

Julie Jargon, Julie, Jargon