published Sep 1st 2016, 1:37 pm, by Noah Smith (Bloomberg View) — In the age of colonialism, there were mainly two kinds of countries: empires that controlled their economic destinies, and colonies, which were denied the chance to industrialize. After World War II and the end of colonialism, a different

published Sep 1st 2016, 5:00 pm, by The Editors (Bloomberg View) — Barack Obama and Xi Jinping have obvious disagreements over how to handle North Korea’s illicit weapons program. China is angry about U.S. plans to deploy advanced missile defenses in South Korea to counter the threat, while Obama faces

published Aug 31st 2016, 1:30 pm, by Suzanne Woolley (Bloomberg) — Retailers use Labor Day to sell us “elegant” fire pits and pom-poms for handbags (yes, an accessory for an accessory). That isn’t quite what the holiday is about. It’s about work. So instead of adding to debt or dipping

published Aug 31st 2016, 3:56 pm, by Natasha Doff and Matthew Kalman (Bloomberg) — Emerging-market stocks fell, trimming their third consecutive monthly gain, as declining commodity prices weighed on benchmark gauges in exporting nations from Russia to South Africa and Brazil. A 0.6 percent decline that pushed the MSCI Emerging

published Aug 31st 2016, 6:33 pm, by Kevin Cirilli and Eric Martin (Bloomberg) —Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto downplayed differences and set aside harsh rhetoric after a meeting Wednesday in Mexico City that was a prelude to the Republican candidate’s speech on immigration later in the day.

I am currently reading a book entitled, George Washington’s Sacred Fire by Jerry Newcombe and Peter Liliback, Ph.D., published in 2006. It is a close examination of the religious comments and actions of George Washington as a child and as an adult. The authors discuss Washington’s education in detail. Schools,

published Aug 30th 2016, 1:19 pm, by Elizabeth Campbell (Bloomberg) — Chicago had its credit outlook raised by Fitch Ratings to stable because of the city’s work to shore up its retirement system and avert insolvency for the pensions that don’t have enough money to pay the benefits promised. “The

published Aug 30th 2016, 3:33 pm, by The Editors (Bloomberg View) — It shouldn’t qualify as news when a university says it strives to be an intellectually unsafe space that encourages unrestricted discussion. Yet the current climate on American campuses virtually guaranteed that a letter from the University of Chicago’s

published Aug 30th 2016, 5:57 pm, by Tsuyoshi Inajima (Bloomberg) — Oil is poised for the biggest monthly advance since April amid speculation talks among OPEC members in Algeria next month may result in action to stabilize the market. Futures in New York have risen 11 percent in August. Iraq

published Aug 25th 2016, 12:15 pm, by Justin Fox (Bloomberg View) — Despite a big increase in total miles traveled over the past two years, Americans are still driving markedly less per capita than they were a decade ago. I wrote about this Tuesday — and published the above chart,