A beginner's guide to Islam

http://www.usnews.com/features/news/religion/secrets-of-islam.html

GDC | Economist Conferences

GDC | Economist Conferences

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An Empirical Analysis of Street-Level Prostitution

A brilliant paper by Steven D. Levitt and Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh brings out some interesting facts.

"the willingness to absorb enormous risk for a small pecuniary reward, and the blurred lines between good and evil, where police extort sex and pimps pay efficiency wages."

http://economics.uchicago.edu/pdf/Prostitution%205.pdf

No green shoots here

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1212013/Revealed-The-ghost-fleet-recession-anchored-just-east-Singapore.html

Apparently the world's merchant fleet is moored off South East Asia, looks like it'll be slim pickings for Christmas in the West

Did we learn any lessons at all?

Looking around at fellow bankers a year after the crisis came to a head, i wouldn't bet my money on it.

Diamonds aren't forever, apparently

An excellent report on the worldwide diamond trade and the post-Lehmann effect

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601170&sid=adeU_YHAT0uQ

small steps to crime

http://bigthink.com/bigthinkeditor/do-prada-knockoffs-make-you-evil

Golden State

This song's been running through my head and i can't get it out, but i guess it could have been worse.

if you needed proof that all a government can do is waste away your taxes

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/technology/15speech.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

A brave new world

Us Now from Banyak Films on Vimeo.

Tales from the Crypt, indeed!

“I can’t sit home like this,” she continues, her voice rising. “I want to work. Lehman was who I was. I really loved it there. I was proud to be there.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/business/13lehman.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th

under the veneer of civility

we're all capable of extreme evil and glorious good

Lies, damn lies and statistics

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/96b4b086-9c10-11de-b214-00144feabdc0.html

Insufficient funds?

flee the country, you don't want to be in Dubai when the cheque bounces

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/12/world/middleeast/12dubai.html?th&emc=th

Malthus, here's looking at you

Luigi Zingales weighs in on the future of American capitalism

http://nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/capitalism-after-the-crisis

it's slightly longish but well worth the read

Go Africa, make Dambisa Moyo proud

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/african-entrepreneurs/

and what's the NHS staff up to now

and to think i had to wait 4 hours to see a doctor, maybe they were all 'lying down'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/wiltshire/8246197.stm

lupus and his ilk sure have come a long way

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/science/08dogs.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Top clubs triumph on an uneven pitch

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8bb550b2-97f3-11de-8d3d-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1

Chris Cook at the Financial Times makes an interesting point about immigration

Aa ante ... etc

this indecipherable song is strongly associated in my head with the mayhem that is the Ganesh festival in Maharashtra, you've been warned