Deep-sea mining is
closer than you think: Along with the discovery of hydrothermal vents and
thousands of ghost-white yeti crabs came the ramp-up of mining companies to
extract minerals from deep-sea deposits. Nautilus Minerals was just weeks away
off the coast of New Guinea, and many will follow suit to satiate consumers’
demand. [Note: Somehow this news is not very comforting, don’t think we know of
the consequences fully yet]…Source: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/12/deep-sea-mining-is-closer-than-you-think/
The caveman’s curse—that
it’s easier to get fat and hard to slim down: As an individual gets fatter,
levels of leptin, the fullness hormone, rise so much that the brain seems to
stop responding to it, all while dopamine receptors decline (less pleasure from
eating). It serves the cavemen well, but not so much for us in an abundant
society nowadays. What’s more, the evolutionary process has led to a gene pool
that is designed to defend body weight against falling below a minimum, but not
to defend against gain. [Note: I mean, it’s pretty obvious that the problem is
excess calories, not genetics, no?]…Source: http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21568061-why-it-easy-get-fat-and-hard-slim-down-cavemans-curse/comments#comments
7 facts about
government benefits and who gets them: (1) 55% of all Americans have
received benefits from one of the six federal programs (Social security,
Medicare, Medicaid, welfare, unemployment benefits, and food stamps), (2) it’s
actually > 70 if you broaden to household rather than individuals, (3)
actually 86% if you add veteran benefits and college assistance, (4) assistance
to women, black, and rural residents more likely; (5) 33% of all adults from 18
to 29 have received at least 1 major entitlement payment; (6) there are nearly
as many people on Food Stamps (SNAP) as there are on Medicare, and (7) SS is
still the biggest benefit program from the government [Note: Not sure if
admirable or inefficient]…Source: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/12/7-facts-about-government-benefits-and-who-gets-them/266428/
US shale gas sparks a
chemical revolution: the boom has driven down price of essential inputs for
petrochemical manufacturing, particularly ethane; and if the chemical giants
can successfully use ethane to make ethylene, the building block for plastics
and 40% of world trade in chemicals by volume, then we are looking at the US
with a serious competitive advantage—and it’s not just this we are looking at.
[Note: I recall reading a note earlier about a company that can benefit from
this…?]…source: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/d1a183d2-40a3-11e2-aafa-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2FEfRQdLC
Austerity-battered
Western companies are looking everywhere for growth: They turn to (1)
emerging markets and applying to rich countries the lessons learned from
reaching customers in poor ones; (2) adjusting corporate policies to target
more so the marginalized and the rich, (3) seeking fortune from the poorest,
and (4) harnessing the power of new technology. [Note: the age of austerity
will pass, and we will once again prosper]…source: http://www.economist.com/news/business/21568359-austerity-battered-western-companies-are-looking-everywhere-growth-gold-hunting-frugal
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