On the current exodus from Hong Kong.
While there are echoes of DOJ vs. Tech battle in the U.S., this is just on a completely different level.
This is an incredible series of vignettes. The best one, of course, is about Putin:
After catching Putin’s eye, I intervene in German in a bid to impress the former KGB agent once stationed in Communist Dresden: “Mr President, what you must understand about Europe is that we are all German these days. All European countries are adjusting their economies on German terms: Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal — even the Baltic states . . . ”
VP: “Why do you mention the Baltic states?”
I start to reply but the conversation quickly moves on to the eurozone sovereign debt crisis and the transatlantic relationship and energy. Putin declares at one point that he is delighted to speak freely without journalists present. This could be a calculated insult to me and John Micklethwait, editor of The Economist; more likely a rare oversight.
Interview with Carl Reiner (Library of Congress)
There is an oral history project at the Library of Congress that interviews veterans of World War II. Comedic legend Carl Reiner, who passed away in June, is interviewed here extensively.
Paul discusses his research, which required compiling interest rate data dating back to 1311. What Maddison did for GDP, Schmelzing does for rates.
I bookmarked this because of the dual globes in The Book Room at Wimpole Hall.
A primer on the history of the Burgundy region in the context of the wine industry.
Why America’s Airports Suck (Institutional Investor)
As I stood in the first completed section of the new Central Terminal at LGA, I wondered why our airports still pale in comparison to, say SIN. They’re basically funded like bus stations.
Renovation on Cox’s Row by Robert M. Gurney Architect (Architectural Record)
If you’ve always wondered what it’s like inside one of those row houses.
Just a crazy story. What happens when you’re operating on both a geographic frontier and a legal frontier.
In Praise of… Tintin (Oi Polloi)
Tintin as a style icon.
High level executive summary of some high level executive suite drama involving Ana Botín and Andrea Orcel.
An oral history of the cult yuppie classic.
If you think politics is crazy today, wait until you hear about Ancient Rome.
Where Ivy Matters: The Educational Backgrounds of U.S. Cultural Elites (Sociology of Education)
Not to be confused with what Piketty calls the Merchant Right. This is (predominantly) about the Brahmin Left and where they went to school.
Someone has to make a movie about this.