Why Brazilian Soybeans are Changing the World, The Georgia Political Review

This article discusses the impact of China's rise on the developing economy in Brazil. China's demand for Brazilian raw materials is helping the South American nation grow, but at the cost of creating what may be an unsustainable trade relationship between the two countries. The effects of this relationship may even change Brazil's current relationship with the United States as a central trade partner.

You can find the article here on the Georgia Political Review website

Is Private Equity Getting a Fair Portrayal, The Georgia Political Review

Mitt Romney's opponents have, at varying points of vulnerability, attacked his wealth as a sign that he should not be nominated to be the Republican party presidential candidate this year. Mr. Romney's wealth, which resulted largely from his executive postion at Bain Capital has brought unusual attention and criticism to the Private Equity industry. This article explains what private equity is and why it is relevant to the 2012 Republican primary elections.

You can find the article here on the Georgia Political Review website

Never Trust Government Numbers, Rasmussen Reports

When the government reports a new deal to decrease spending by $2 trillion dollars over the next decade, what does that really mean? This article discusses how these annocuemenls of deficit cuts are misleading because the government is not cutting, but rather slowing the increase in their spending.

You can find the article here on the Rasmussen Reports website

Sunken treasure haul arrives in Spain from US, BBC News

The chance of finding an undiscovered shipwreck full of treasure seems slim to slimmer for those who have considered treasure hunting as a career leaving would be sailors to choose more conventional career paths such as teaching or working as a researcher. The treasure, however, is still out there shown by the massive discovery  of 17 tons of coins on a sunken Spanish galleon ship estimated to be worth over $500 million.  Leaving your job or quitting school at this news would not be a great idea because a recent court ruling stated the treasure officially belongs to the Spanish government. Unfortunately for  US Odyssey Marine Exploration who made the find, international treaties usually hold that the cargo of warship sunk in battle remain the property of a nation unless they formally relinquish ownership. The treasure will go to Spain hopefully to be displayed in a cultural heritage museum (and not used to pay the high interest coupons on Spain's recent sovereign bond issuances).

You can find the article here on the BBC News website

Parking Meters in the Driveway, SmartMoney

If you have ever paid for parking, you know that in some situations (urban settings, sporting events, concerts, etc.) economics would say the demand for a space to leave your car is high enough relative to the supply of convenient space available to convince buyers to part with hard earned money for the non-lasting benefit. The good news is that it can now work the other way easier than ever before. This article discuses the growing number of people, businesses, churches, etc. that are adding substantial income through selling parking permission to the space around their homes or businesses. Including the fascinating new website, parkatmyhouse.com provides the unique service of linking those in search of parking (special event or regular parking) to people offering up space.

You can find the article here on the SmartMoney website

Are You As Busy As You Think? The Wall Street Journal

For busy people the (automatic) answer to many things is "I don't have time" (or a variation such as "This is a crazy week" or "I'm slammed"). This answer is easy to give when you confronted with a task (exercising, preparing a healthy meal, taling to family, sleeping enough, attending class, or going to a social event) when you are working a 60 hour work week, balancing this work with heavy personal life demands, or taking a full course load of advanced classes.

This article discusses this issue and provides some excellent strategies for changing where your time goes and how you think about it.

You can find the article here on the Wall Street Journal website

To Tailor Burgers for France, McDonald's Enlists Baguette, The Wall Street Journal

The world's second largest fast food chain by number of stores (after Subway) has just announced an update to their French menu, the McBaguette. This article provides interesting statistics into the French diet (for example, the average French person eats 121 pounds of bread each year) ans why their love for bread may mean better business for the American fast food chain.

You can find the article here on the Wall Street Journal website

Google’s Newest Frontier: The Ocean, The Wall Street Journal

Google's latest project was just announced at the World Oceans Summit in Singapore, an underwater mapping program of coral reefs similar to Google Street View and Google Art project. In addition to its products that I use everyday everyday (Google Chrome, Gmail, Google Search, Blogger) and the many other products that I use regularly (Google Finance, YouTube, Google Translate, Google Scholar etc.), this unique company continues to develop new and interesting projects like mapping the oceans underwater and programming cars to drive themselves. In spite of the recurring privacy complaints and occasional antitrust claims against Google, O am thankful for a company that continues to innovate in so many different ways to make information and communication more available to me.



You can find the article here on the Wall Street Journal website

Who, What, Why: How long can someone survive without food? BBC News

If you've ever wondered how long you can really go without food, you should read this article. It adds a new perspective to the commonly used phrases "I'm hungry" and "I'm starving."

You can find the article here on the BBC website

Plan B for China's Wealthy: Moving to the U.S., Europe, The Wall Street Journal

You can find the article here on the Wall Street Journal website

Blogger Orders the Most Expensive Starbucks Drink Possible, Time

A humorous article about a man who decided to take full advantage of Starbuck's "Free drink on your birthday policy" by studying the menu to come up with the most expensive drink combination possible.


You can find the article here on the Time website.

Zurich is World's Costliest City, The Wall Street Journal

The updated data from the Economist Intelligence Unit states that Zurich is now the costliest city in the world to live in. For Americans (especially those who have lived in a big city or have relatives living in a major city), the first reaction to this data is mild surprise that there are cities more costly than our own domestic models of high cost living (New York City, San Francisco, Washington D.C. etc.)

This article, however, states that North American cities do not even break the top ten on this list. Zurich and Tokyo are almost twice as costly to live in as NYC (180%). The costliest cities are now largely located in East Asia and Europe.

You can find the article here on the Wall Street Journal website

New Brazil Boom: Collecting Debts, The Wall Street Journal

You can find the article here on the Wall Street Journal website.

Kim Jong Il Dies, The Economist

Kim Jong Il, dictator of North Korea, died on December 17th, aged 69 or 70

You can find the article here on the Economist website.

The Carlyle Group - 2011 Holiday Founders' Video, YouTube

You can find the video here on the YouTube website.

Dividend Stocks Become the Heroes, The Wall Street Journal

You can find the article here on the Wall Street Journal website.

Swiss Bankers’ Millionaire Dreams Fade, Bloomberg

You can find the article here on the Bloomberg website.