The Old Beggar
Writing and data visualizations by me, Nikhil Sonnad. Read more...
As an American living abroad, the Newtown shooting reminds me of the unnecessary fear that guns bring with them.
"Discussion stopped abruptly when we heard earsplitting pops and bangs coming from the floor above our classroom in Berkey Hall. For a moment we paused to look at one another, each wanting to be sure that he or she was not alone in thinking that our lives were in danger."
My prize-losing chart appears to have been better than the winner's. But that's what losers always say.
The real lesson to take from history is that the causes of pivotal historical events are almost entirely unpredictable, or worse, unknowable.
"‘Ali Bey sent another trusted general, Muhammad Bey, with 35,000 troops to finish the job. Unpredictability struck again."
Problems in economic growth, proposed solutions, and why they failed. A summary of the economist William Easterly
"The evidence, however, shows that none of these solutions can be pointed to as drivers of growth in the developing world."
The world map looks a lot different from the perspective of the US presidential candidates.