“Morally bankrupt” is how a recently departing Goldman Sachs executive described the culture of the investment bank. As noted in Business Day, this view “is common among the bank’s critics, many of whom see the firm as a symbol of Wall street’s excesses and a culture of greed which has wreaked havoc on US business […] … learn more→

Greece is rescued, for now…maybe. Perhaps it’s time to move on to the next basket case. So, which of the PIIGS is the next Greece? For the moment, Portugal looks to be the front-runner. The country’s public-debt-to-GDP ratio is above 100%, and with a forecasted growth rate of -3.3%, its economy is shrinking at a […] … learn more→

American consumers who are outraged to learn that sleek iPads and iPhones are made by underpaid, overworked Chinese laborers, take note: Long-distance support for workers who build for Apple Inc. and other companies is unlikely to have much impact. \”Ongoing labor rights violations in China, despite years and years of consumer campaigns in the West, […] … learn more→

Although China has made substantial progress in cleaning up its air pollution, a new MIT study shows that the economic impact from ozone and particulates in its air has increased dramatically. … learn more→

Voters often regard politicians with derision — so often, in fact, they may lose sight of the extent to which elected officials are role models for younger people. Indeed, new evidence suggests that when those politicians are female, they play a highly influential and positive role in the lives of young women. A newly published […] … learn more→

I’m off by a week, but…Happy New Year! I hope everyone resolved to buy a higher fuel economy or electric car or to find alternatives to driving all the time, because it looks like it could be yet another year of oil and gasoline price spikes, thanks yet again to Middle East security issues. Iran/U.S. […] … learn more→

When a hacker (or hackers) released a second batch of emails stolen from scientists last month, the immediate question that sprang to my mind was, “Why haven’t we found them yet?” And now, after months of apparent inactivity, it seems that British authorities are taking a renewed interest in tracking down the criminals who are […] … learn more→

This month marks the formal withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, more than eight years after they arrived in 2003. What effect will the departure of the troops have on Iraq, and what are the remaining security concerns in the country? I asked Stephen Van Evera, the Ford International Professor of Political Science and an […] … learn more→

The United States uses many different technologies to produce electricity. It is important to understand the different impacts these technologies have on water resources. Water’s many roles in electricity Water is involved at many points in the process of producing electricity: Electricity Generation – More than 90 percent of U.S. power plants require cooling, a […] … learn more→