The Capitalist Manifesto: Greed is Good

Another great article from Fareed Zakaria (I feel like I post all of his articles).....a big picture look at the world today......Enjoy! Beckmania

The Capitalist Manifesto: Greed is Good

Wall Street's Toxic Message

Awesome big picture article by Joseph Stiglitz about the impact that the current economic crisis is having on the reputation of American style capitalism, and the subsequent impact THAT is having throughout the world on the types of governing systems that are seen as preferable. Enjoy! Beckmania.

Wall Street's Toxic Message

The Cost Conundrum

Amazing article on the issue of health care costs in the US (thanks Misha Palecek for sending it to me). Two things jump out at me - one is that you simply cannot have health care decision makers associate revenue and profit with the choices they make. We all know what road human nature will take us down. Generally speaking, rules are created and needed precisely to prevent what would be the human nature path in individual choices. The second thing is what irks me the MOST about government policy making - we absolutely KNOW what the answer is in some cases, or what BETTER ideas are, and yet we can't get them implemented. Health care screams of this. The Mayo clinic works fabulously, yet it's losing the fight. There needs to be an overall owner of this mess, who isn't thinking from the perspective of insurers or doctors.....Really interesting. Enjoy! Beckmania

The Cost Conundrum

Argentina: The Superpower That Never Was

Great article comparing the US and Argentina over the last 150 years, and how important decisions and cultural features made a monumental difference in the success of each. Essentially Argentina and the US were 'tied' at the beginning of the 20th century, but the rest is history...Enjoy! Zigmania

Argentina: The Superpower That Never Was

The Diamond Invention

A fascinating article about the history of the diamond industry, and how its current role in society was the result of careful manipulation by DeBeers. Scary. All because they were able to push the right emotional buttons....Enjoy! Beckmania.

Have You Ever Tried To Sell a Diamond?

Message In What We Buy, But Nobody's Listening

The more I read about shopping and consumer habits, the more I find it intriguing. The difference between what we think is going on, and what really is going on, is fascinating. Even worse, behavior doesn't seem to change even when we DO know what is going on.....Enjoy! Beckmania

Message In What We Buy, But Nobody's Listening

How David Beats Goliath

A fun article by the always entertaining Malcolm Gladwell about how insurgents can beat incumbents if they implement novel strategies - a lesson that is relevant in sports, wars, and business. The article is mostly centered around a girls basketball team from Redwood City and Lawrence of Arabia. Enjoy! Beckmania

How David Beats Goliath