Month: January 2007

January 10, 2007

No babies in Korea

I mentioned South Korea in a commentary on population a few months ago. New data show that the erstwhile East Asian tiger is now the world’s leader in population contraction. Its fertility rate is 1.08, less than half the replacement rate of 2.1. Continue Reading...
January 09, 2007

Red rising: High Marx for Venezuela

Where have I seen that salute before? A new possible episode for my proposed sitcom: Chavez continues his power grasp in Latin America. My favorite quote: “We are in an existential moment of Venezuelan life … We’re heading toward socialism, and nothing and no-one can prevent it.” Continue Reading...
January 09, 2007

Speaking of lawsuits…

On the same theme as a couple of recent posts (on the inanity of warning labels and signature file disclosure messages), Fast Company links to what they are calling the “Egregiously Legalistic Sig File of the Month.” Continue Reading...
January 08, 2007

Economic lessons in your morning mug

A NYT editorial informs us today that retail prices for coffee products are rising (HT: Icarus Fallen). We are assured, however, that the price rise has been “relatively modest” and that an important factor is “changes in supply and demand in a global economy.” Continue Reading...
January 05, 2007

Mouw’s Musings

Richard J. Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary in California, has a new blog, Mouw’s Musings, and has taken notice of Sam Gregg’s recent Acton Commentary, “Self Interest, Rightly Understood.” Giving Gregg credit for making “an important point” with which he largely agrees, Mouw goes on to say: “At the same time this also seems to me to be true. Continue Reading...
January 04, 2007

Self interest, rightly understood

Order Dr. Gregg’s new book today! With the publication this month of The Commercial Society – Foundations and Challenges in a Global Age, Samuel Gregg embarks on an exploration of the key foundational elements that must exist within a society for commercial order to take root and flourish. Continue Reading...
January 04, 2007

Whither the refugees?

One of the oft-overlooked groups in the Iraq conflict are Iraqi Christians (many of whom are Chaldean Christians). Chances are if you hear about an Iraqi ethnic or religious minority, they are either Kurds or Sunni Muslims. Continue Reading...