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This is a symptom of something. While it is not easy to identify a specific underlying cause, I think if you’re not socialized at a young age in how to make friends or you don’t come from a large, extended family, it is nearly impossible to make meaningful relationships with others. Hobbies and social clubs are fine, but they can be transactional and transitory. Even with your spouse and kids and their friends/family, these relationships can be transactional. You’ll have a hard time communicating beyond words, sharing at a higher level.

To me it’s weird because when I heard the news I assumed he was full of shit. And the market realized pretty quickly as well. Wished I had shorted the stock...

Why can't Amazon withhold payment from these sellers? They should have all the leverage

It's deflation, the fear is deflation...

I am far from an expert on Colombia but there are many reasons to be skeptical of this peace deal, and the failure of the yes vote is a sign that many people did not support it for reasons related to immunity deals for guerrillas and political representation as well. The peace deal is full of unfunded promises that the GOC lacks the capacity to fulfill. For example, my understanding is that the GOC has agreed to add police forces to the 40 percent of the land that they do not control, but they lack trained officers and funds to pay them. Land reform has been at a standstill, this is a very significant issue that has not been resolved. Lastly, coca production is at an all time high in Colombia. This is after years of reductions under Plan Colombia. Coca fuels the FARC and corruption in Colombia. The perception is that the GOC was going to target development aid under the peace agreement towards areas of high coca development, they cut off aerial spraying and the result is massive increases in coca. I don't see any way you can have peace in Colombia without addressing the coca issue.

It's interesting that you say America has done a good job of assimilating immigrants in light of the popularity of Trump. It seems to me the opposite is true. To me, America is a collection of states that is fairly cohesive, but is quickly ripped apart when politics comes up. Americans can have pleasent conversations over sports, entertainment, and food, but anything beyond that and the debates can get pretty hairy...

Trust is something that I think is often taken for granted as something that is naturally occurring, but as you say it is based on shared culturual/religious background. The un-pc question, the uncomfortable question, is whether diversity/immigration contributes towards lack of trust and lack of assimilation.

Uber stock is like Monopoly money at a $60 billion valuation

This is like the economic twlight zone, when you see one overvalued company trying to rationalize the value of another. Why not pay 4 billion or 5 billion when you are playing with monopoly money?

What standard would you hold corporations to?

I would argue that the repeal of Glass-Steagall in itself was a government intervention, because it happened after Citi merged with Travellers, and it was based on lobbying from Citi.

But there were other pieces of legislation, namely the Commodities Futures Modernization Act, that had a more damaging effect.

The more general problem is that the market prices risk based on the underlying assumption that if anything bad happens the government(s) will step in and bail out the bad actors. The mentality leads directly to risky behavior and, in fact, induces risky behavior. If you take away that inducement, these actors will behave differently.

The article is arguing for more government intervention in the economy which I would argue is exactly what has led to this form of crony capitalism. What is the answer to 'to big to fail'? Failure. But the problem is that the government made a decision decades ago to bail out Chrysler, and the Fed cut rates in 98 and after to bail out the markets. The we had QE1, QE2, ZIRP, etc...All of these GOVERNMENT policies have created a massive excessive of capital in the system and creates all kinds of temptations to do share buybacks and boost dividends. Verizon workers are covered by unions, which are supposed to ensure their workers get a fair wage.

This article is paint by numbers economics designed to whitewash all the problems caused by the gov't and demonize corporations for taking advantage of a situation the gov't created.

I never liked the word corruption because it lends itself to too many interpretations. I see the problem as tribalism. In most third world coutries, the poitical set up is a couple tribes that share power, control industry, and insulate themselves from the problems of the rest of their country. Everyone else not part of the tribe has to fend for themselves. A tribe is more than a collection of people/families, it is an institution that can impose social mores on its own kind.

What foreign aid does is insulate these tribal systems against change. It often supports repression, but also does provide needed medicine or food to people you would otherwise die. That, to me, is the problem.

Ha ha...April Fools came early this year

I don't understand one thing. All the articles I read about Valeant and Phildor say that Phildor only represents 6% or revenue. Does that mean the other 94% is legitimate and comes from pharmacies where Valeant does not have an option to buy them? That is the piece I don't understand.

I have travelled throughout Africa and looked at malaria activities and based on my experience using malaria nets for fishing is purely anecdotal. It is obviously not a good thing, but it is not a pervasive thing.

Of interest, people also use malaria nets for gardening. They are used as a means to keeps bugs out of crops.

The more complicated issue is whether people are using the nets properly. It takes discipline to correctly put the net over your body the entire night and sleep under it.

This is a bit harsh. Jordan is the ultimate competitor and he represents excellence and professionalism. He has single handedly revolutionized professional sports and marketing and every kid growing up in the 90s wanted to be him. He has no need to be humble.

The political system and Senate reflect the division in the country. There is no easy fix. The problem is people do not trust their government, which is reflective of the current political environment and is the primary reason these problems are not addressed.

These types of comments point to the problem which is a fundamental lack of trust between government and its citizens. Democracy, or any other type of government, cannot function if people do not have a basic trust in public institutions. Of course, government needs to earn that trust.

This is a commendable goal, but I feel like it is all too tempting to focus narrowly on one disease and ignore a more holistic approach towards addressing the underlying problems. I have travelled to many countries in Africa and the big difference between countries that are sucessful in addressing malaria and others that are not are having better health systems and trained health workers. Giving out bed nets and spraying has limita. There are a lot of interesting techologies that may one eradicate malaria such as a vaccine or genetically modifying the mosquitos, but it is too short sighted when looking at the problem holistically.

Too often donors are tempted to focus on a single disease because it is much easier to measure progress and it is easier to "sell" to the public. But when you dedicate so much resources towards a single disease you're distorting the health system, and it becomes more susceptible to shocks like Ebola.