The Trouble With The New "Share Economy"

The Trouble With The New "Share Economy": "Disruption. It's really in the eye of the beholder, isn't it? Take a few high-profile startups that are part of the much-touted "share economy" — ride-sharing services Lyft and Uber. It turns out that where you stand on ride-sharing quickly becomes about larger values, like the role of government in regulating commerce. Start-ups, lean and often libertarian, lionize those who "think different." But governments have to be responsible to everyone, not just investors or shareholders."

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How to Die - NYTimes.com

How to Die - NYTimes.com: "No doubt, we have a crying need to contain health care costs. We pay more than many other developed countries for comparable or inferior health care, and the total bill consumes a growing share of our national wealth. The Affordable Care Act — Obamacare — makes a start by establishing a board to identify savings in Medicare, by emphasizing preventive care, and by financing pilot programs to pay doctors for achieving outcomes rather than performing procedures. But it is barely a start. Common sense suggests that if officials were not afraid of being “death-paneled,” we could save some money by withholding care when, rather than saving a life, it serves only to prolong misery for a little while."

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Age-Old Fixes for India’s Water - NYTimes.com

Age-Old Fixes for India’s Water - NYTimes.com: "INDIA’S monsoon rains are retreating this week, a delayed end to a yearly wet season that has become ever more unpredictable as a result of global warming. Of all the challenges that face India, few are more pressing than how it manages water. In vast cities like New Delhi, where showers and flush toilets have become necessities for a rapidly expanding middle class, groundwater has been depleted. New Delhi once had many ponds and an open floodplain to absorb the monsoon and replenish aquifers; now the sprawling city has more concrete and asphalt than it has ponds and fields to absorb water."

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BBC News - The drive to make giving more effective

BBC News - The drive to make giving more effective: "It is no wonder then that philanthropists are becoming more and more concerned that the money they are donating is being used effectively.

"I don't see it as giving it away. I see it as investing it for the common good," says British philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter.

"It's not just 'here's some money' - we really do see it as an investment. We're looking for a return - it's different to investing for profit, but we still want to measure things in charitable investments."

According to the Charities Aid Foundation, who surveyed those who made the 2012 Sunday Times Rich List - a list of the 1,000 wealthiest people and families in the UK - 88% say they will only invest in charities who demonstrate their impact clearly.

And 81% think that giving strategically is important."

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BBC News - Climate change 'may shrink fish'

BBC News - Climate change 'may shrink fish': "Fish species are expected to shrink in size by up to 24% because of global warming, say scientists.

Researchers modelled the impact of rising temperatures on more than 600 species between 2001 and 2050.

Warmer waters could decrease ocean oxygen levels and significantly reduce fish body weight."

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BBC News - Tehrangeles: How Iranians made part of LA their own

BBC News - Tehrangeles: How Iranians made part of LA their own: ""We're on the map, I mean why shouldn't we be on the map?" says a girl at a hip Los Angeles cafe where young Iranians hang out.

"There's Koreatown, and Chinatown. Why shouldn't we have an area?"

Now they do.

Estimates show anywhere from 300,000 to over half a million Iranians in Southern California, with many living in Tehrangeles.

"Do not engage in any Iranian gossiping if you're not prepared to defend it," says Mahdis Keshavarz, who runs an LA PR agency. "Because everyone here speaks Farsi.""

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BBC News - In pictures: Indian dream

BBC News - In pictures: Indian dream: "For most people, the "Indian dream" is about economic opportunity. India, unlike many Western nations, is showing significant growth (albeit at a slower pace now than at the start of the decade). Large expat communities now exist in every major city.

There are also many who already have attachments to India, for whom the transition and culture shock from New York or London or Sydney is, in theory, much easier. Indians who have successfully studied and worked abroad are returning home, and the large diaspora of people of Indian origin is also exploring the possibilities on offer.

But it is sometimes far from a dream. India can provide a challenging environment, and for some, the realities of life bear little resemblance to their original expectations."

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