Agricultural and Applied Economics—Without Apology
An unfortunately titled op-ed in this morning’s New York Times — “Afghanistan’s Last Locavores” — turns out to be about US development policy in Afghanistan, but the points it makes apply far beyond Afghanistan’s borders:
If you thought the Apple Store felt vaguely Orwellian, the limits imposed on what the employees can say are definitely Orwellian. From Gawker’s Retail blog:
“The Wall Street Journal spoke to a bunch of former employees and Apple Geniuses for an opus on Apple Stores. And they painted a picture that is about as cult-y as you would expect:
Former Geniuses say they were told to say “as it turns out” rather than “unfortunately” to sound less negative when they are unable to solve a tech problem.
Bet that really soothes the guy whose iPhone has exploded next to his ear. ‘As it turns out, you have a shard of glass embedded in your ear drum.'”
Is Quebec Separatism Irrelevant?
From an article in The Economist:
“Quebec’s status has blighted Canadian politics for almost half a century. As recently as 1995 a referendum on independence was lost by barely a percentage point. Two out of five Quebeckers continue to tell pollsters they want separation. Yet if not dead, there are many signs that separatism has slumped into a deep coma.