"The odds of escaping poverty in the U.S. (i.e. economic mobility) haven’t changed in 20 years."

"A fast-growing group of people in the United States, households with children, are living on $2.00 or less per person per day."

Goldman buys back band bonds from Fannie and Freddie (rubber baby buggy bumpers?)

City court basketball brought to you by ...

Litter removal brought to you by ...

And the beat goes on: small fines for big crimes.

Selling a skeptical British public on Pfizer's $106 billion takeover plan for AstraZeneca.

"American pharmaceutical giant Pfizer wants to become British, joining the ranks of other major corporations opening “headquarters” in low-tax-rate countries. At 21.0 percent in the U.K. versus 32.8 percent in the U.S., it’s a no-brainer."

"The biggest ever foreign takeover of a British company is on the cards after American drugs giant Pfizer revealed it was preparing a £60billion bid for AstraZeneca."

"In April 1998, a decade before a historic crisis wreaked havoc on global financial markets, an obscure regulator saw a potential gap in the government’s oversight of Wall Street and tried to do something about it."

"When people visit with friends and neighbors in southern West Virginia, where paved roads give way to dirt before winding steeply up wooded hollows, the talk is often of lives that never got off the ground."

"Will this be the year that the superrich finally pay higher taxes than the very rich?"

Fed chief-in-waiting prefers jobs to low inflation.

Before Madoff there was Keating. A history lesson in white-collar American crime.

"U.S. prosecutors say they have evidence like this to support their case that bankers at Credit Suisse Group helped U.S. customers evade taxes on at least $4 billion in hidden assets."

"Major US technology groups paid Spain’s revenue agency just 1.2 million euros in 2012. Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook, eBay and others use fiscal engineering to avoid payments."

The most recent comprehensive source on world inequality: "Almost half of the world’s wealth is now owned by just one percent of the population."

Are loyalty schemes any good for consumers?

Reinhardt and Rogoff debt calculations under fire.

And now for something completely different, from first dates to alligator populations to penis lengths.

"Canadians are concerned about what they see as a growing gap between the rich and the poor and are willing to consider tax increases to create a more equal society"

"Here are just a few things made worse by tax breaks for the wealthy: unequal schools segregated by race, class and quality that are funded by property taxes. ..."

The cry that goes up in dealing rooms when a trade is bad is ‘OPM’ – other people’s money

"The Jimmy Carr tax business provided a screen for a more sinister piece of high finance."

Math, computers, software, ..., well, depending on the criteria: happiest, most income, least stress, ...?

"During the post-recession period of 2009 and 2010, the rich snagged a greater share of total income growth than they did during the boom years of 2002 to 2007."

Many regions in the U.S. still continue to lose jobs according to a report commissioned by the United States Conference of Mayors.

It's about time Congress wasn't just a well-paid insider-driven boondoggle? Twenty-first century folks.

"The man who made millions shorting Lehman Brothers was fined together with his hedge fund Greenlight Capital for trading in Punch Tavern shares while in possession of insider information."

The Advertising Standards Authority is to investigate the online company after receiving a complaint that fake and misleading reviews have reached "epidemic levels."

"How much money does the presidential hopeful really have stuffed in off-shore accounts around the world? The new mantra: Earn locally, invest globally."

SNP leader and Scottish prime minister Alex Salmond wants to ask 'loaded' question for Scots independence: 'Do you agree your country should be independent?'

"The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says that the gap among its member states is at its highest level for more than 30 years."

"All that the authorities have done so far is kick into touch action against the errant banks. The result is simmering public anger over the fact that the bankers have escaped justice whereas the boy who stole a bottle of water in the summer riots had his moment in court almost instantly."

Former French president, Paris mayor, and convicted criminal, Jacques Chirac, gets less than a slap on the wrist -- no time in jail for fraud.

Steve Kroft reports that members of Congress can legally trade stock based on non-public information from Capitol Hill.

So you want lower taxes, a return to constitutional protections, and clean government?

Eisenbeis writes about the attempts to reduce the deficit by a total of $1.5 trillion over a period of 10 years.

"It's not class warfare, it's math," noted the president in a Rose Garden address.

10.9 million, or 22.5 percent, of all residential properties with a mortgage were in negative equity at the end of the second quarter of 2011.

"Debt ceilings, sovereign debt crises, credit crunches, senate battles over debt protection agencies, subprime mortgages, the creeping feeling that the United States has somehow hocked itself to China. ..."

"The analysis shows the racial and ethnic impact of the economic meltdown, which ravaged housing values and sent unemployment soaring."

"It was a lavish party packed with oligarchs and mining magnates. Just the sort of occasion where you might expect to see Peter Mandelson."

"The number of former lobbyists working as key congressional staffers has more than doubled since the Republican Party took control of the House, a new report finds."

"The analysis shows the racial and ethnic impact of the economic meltdown, which ravaged housing values and sent unemployment soaring."

Not quite what Lincoln had in mind!

"Hearing some politicians talk about taxes, one might be convinced the United States has one of the highest tax rates in the world."

"Fast as the number of millionaires in emerging economies might be growing, it'll be quite a while before any country catches the United States."

"An investigation into the conditions of Chinese workers has revealed the shocking human cost of producing the must-have Apple iPhones and iPads that are now ubiquitous in the west."

The American tax system is "a mess that's completely unfair, and that few Americans understand," says David Cay Johnston, who teaches tax regulation at Syracuse University Law School.

"President Obama will call for shrinking the nation's long-term deficits by raising taxes on wealthier Americans and requiring them to pay more into Social Security, drawing a barbed contrast with a Republican plan to save money by deeply slashing Medicare, Medicaid and other domestic spending."

Thoughts from the IMF: Inequality amplifies the risk of crisis and makes it difficult for the poor to invest in education.

Crisis and Renewal: International Political Economy at the Crossroads. Talks from Kenneth Rogoff, Larry Summers, Joseph Stiglitz, Niall Ferguson, Paul Volker, George Soros, and many others.

Politician and activist Ralph Nader examines the future of workers' unions in the US.

Isn't it time to end the most foul form of punishment, especially in a country that supposedly trusts in God.

The 5 craziest exploits of the world's shadiest politician.

"Social psychologists are a 'tribal-moral community' united by 'sacred values' that hinder research and damage their credibility - and blind them to the hostile climate they've created for non-liberals."

Credit cards used to pay mortgage or rent by 2 million people.

Yankees hit with $18M luxury tax, their lowest since 2003.

"That the middle class is under attack is not news. People know it in their own lives as pay cheques wither and jobs disappear."

Larry Summers speaks about policy decisions made during his tenure as director of the White House National Economic Council.

"Last week's events have finally brought to national and international attention the true extent of the solvency crisis we face."

Is Apple's suicide factory outsourcing to even cheaper Chinese peasants?

"The 2008 income tax data are now in, so we can assess the fulfillment of the Republican promise that tax cuts would produce widespread prosperity by looking at all the years of the George W. Bush presidency."

About 44 million lived below the poverty line in the US in 2009.

Does he respect you in the morning? The Irish prime minister drinks up a storm hours before a televized Morning Ireland interview.

Northwest agreed to plead guilty to a single felony count that its now-shuttered Northwest Airlines Cargo conspired to fix prices, the department said. It agreed to pay a fine of $38 million.

"The state of California has reached a $173 million settlement with six computer chip makers charged in a price-fixing scheme."

"Children following in their parents' footsteps has been a hallmark of our electoral system."

"Even in tough times, it's good to be a lawmaker." The Center for Responsive Politics counted 237 millionaires serving in Congress.

Arnold tells us what he really thinks.

Fact or fiction (or what is meant by a 'notable margin'): "We will endeavour to cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by a notable margin by 2020 from the 2005 level."

Faults similar to those on an Air France Airbus that crashed into the sea on 1 June were major factors in two little-noticed fatal losses of passenger jets more than a decade ago.

"The US has a huge corporate safety net, allowing the banks to gamble with impunity, but offers little to struggling individuals."

CNBC's David Faber takes an in-depth look at Bernie Madoff's multi-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme.

Two sets of laws -- for the extraordinary and the ordinary: President Obama comments on Tom Daschle, Nancy Killefer and Timothy Geithner, not paying all of their taxes.

"DISGRACED former Taoiseach Charles J Haughey stole €45m in today's money from taxpayers, Fianna Fail and his best friend's medical fund." His best friend's MEDICAL fund!

"A five-year-old whose parents earn more than £67,500 has reading skills six months more advanced than one whose parents are jobless."

The Standard Oil kings go green to the tune of $860 mil.

"The 18 countries that use the euro as their currency reduced their deficits, on average, to 3 percent of gross domestic product in 2013, down from 3.7 percent in 2012."

New U.K. fracking rules explained with fracking licensing map.

U.S. securities regulators enforce foreign banking derivatives to comply with new U.S. rules.

"The Seattle City Council unanimously approved a $15 minimum wage Monday, giving its lowest-paid workers a path over the next seven years to the nation’s highest hourly pay."

What not to do: Corn biofuels worse than gas for global warming.

"The municipality of Rivas Vaciamadrid is looking to export a technology that reduces waste by 70 percent."

"There are a lot of great things Europe has that the U.S. doesn't -- comfortable taxis, good table wine, Idris Elba -- and then there's offshore wind, lots and lots of offshore wind."

A penny saved is a penny earned. Gotta penny leave a penny, need a penny take a penny.

When spokes become wheels in the land of Chaos, Eros, Tartarus and Nyx. The beginning of the end of the European monetary union?

Find out if the work of the great city planner and writer of The Death and Life of Great American Cities (published 1961) is still relevant.

When is a haircut a scalping: When 15% + 35% at 2% for 30 years is too much

This blog uses physics and estimation to assess energy, growth, options.

"Of course the world has changed. 'The last 10 years have really been America waking up from essentially a dream.'"

"It was very difficult to imagine any cuts in spending that would amount to more than 0.5% of GDP, given the limited size of non-discretionary spending."

Living within one's means means more money.

Larry Summers resigns as director of the White House National Economic Council.

"The New York Yankees are the best-paid team in global sport measured by average first-team wages, ahead of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and basketball's Dallas Mavericks, according to the inaugural Annual Review of Global Sports Salaries."

The always engaging Hans Rosling graphs global economic growth since 1858 and predicts the dates when India and China will pass the United States.

"Nature's rules: 1. Total human consumption = 130% of Earth's capacity, 2. The rich 15% use 85% of the stuff; while the poor 85% use 15% of the stuff."

"For several years, there has been controversy about whether the CPI overstates or understates inflation, how it is measured and whether it is an appropriate proxy for inflation."

$50bn William Gates III (Microsoft), $40bn Warren Buffett (Berkshire Hathaway), $27bn Lawrence Ellison (Oracle), $21.5bn the Waltons (Wal-Mart), ...

Television series that examines the boom years before the bust.

"It feels like 1977 all over again: economy in the doldrums, crisis in the Middle East, and a charismatic new Democrat in the White House preaching the gospel of clean energy. Can Obama succeed where Carter did not? Yes-but only if we've learned the lessons of three decades of failure."

How many lawyers are there in congress?--The number might surprise you.

How much is that strategically placed Coke cup really worth?

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown meets with President Obama on a snowy January day and then speaks about growth to the joint houses of Congress (only the fifth British prime minister to do so).

"It's incredible that Madoff could have sucked so many rich and very sophisticated people into his Ponzi scheme."

This report presents data on income, poverty, and health insurance coverage in the United States. To see if the rich are getting richer, see, especially, Selected Measures of Household Income Dispersion: 1967 to 2009.

How much are your representatives making and how many are millionaires?"

Politics, economics, law and life from a 'radical centrist' perspective, defined by Noel Pearson as "the intense resolution of the tensions between opposing principles."

Professor Paul Krugman addresses the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University after being awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Economics "for his analysis of trade patterns and location of economic activity."

FDR's original G.I. Bill falls far short of actual costs today because of cut backs and skyrocketing college tuition and fees.

"Over one million taxpayers are audited each year, but your chances are only 2%. What types of things will increase your chances of being audited?"

GQ interviews Paul Krugman about the growing American income gap.

"According to the American Bar Association there are currently 1,116,967 lawyers practicing in the United States."

"The U.S. economy has lost some 47,000 jobs per year and an estimated $23 billion in economic benefits related to the production of theatrical length films alone since 2000."

Fortune's Carol Loomis asks Warren Buffett why he gave his money to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Full text of Gordon Brown's speech to the annual conference of the Confederation of British Industry in London.

"U.S. corporations are picking up the pace in shifting well-paid technology jobs to India, China and other low-cost centers, but they are keeping quiet for fear of a backlash."

"Fifty years ago, anyone caught 'playing the numbers' might be in serious trouble with the law. ... How could such a complete turnaround have taken place?"

Prior to his declaring a run for New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg got his start in 1981 providing real-time market information (estimated $2.5 billion annual revenues at Bloomberg LP).

The beginning of the end of modern banking regulation? The beginning of the boom that went bust?

"I believe [lotteries] are a tax on the poor, ... and I do not like to promote gambling." Mr. Jim Maloway (Elmwood)

The Harvard economist discusses the political response of an economically mature nation.

All 12 episodes from the acclaimed BBC television series, from Ep. 1 (The Prophets and Promise of Classical Capitalism) to Ep. 12 (Democracy, Leadership, Commitment).

The coolest solar system math and physics right in our own celestial backyard.

Remember your times tables? It's good to memorize.

Happiness = a function of (x,y,z).

"Canada vs the U.S.A blow-by-blow account in the controversial pipeline routing.

"Carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted into the atmosphere and absorbed by the ocean may be invisible to the naked eye, but it is extraordinarily visible in its effect, as will be chronicled herein, and it shows up in the weirdest places."

"Two international tests released Tuesday show that U.S. students continue to lag behind those in many Asian and some European countries in reading, math and science."

Can mind-reading of voices in our heads let brain scientists listen into our thoughts?

See how high a lego man flies in a home-made baloon/parachute--video of the students and lauch.

See the list of America's largest corporations (Wal-Mart, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Fannie Mae, ...).

"A team of researchers has successfully factored a 232-digit number into its two composite prime-number factors, but too late to claim a $50,000 prize once attached to the achievement."

Data from the most recent earthquakes around the world, including fascinating animated maps from the US. More geological information about earthquakes, tsunamis, minerals is also available at Answers.com (Geology)

Plotting the biggest city, the next biggest, etc., shows a power-law exponential fall-off in size. The same goes for word size in books, earthquakes, and other distributions).

Georgia Tech's Professor Vazirani talks about algorithm design and the theory of computing.

The Princeton mathematician discussing his work at a Nobel seminar.

Lots of interesting links (especially in his Math, Science, and Critical Thinking section).

StatTrek's mission is to help solve common statistics problems - from the basics to probability distributions.

Awesome interactive applet showing the effect of pertubations on traffic flow.

Articles and videos on simulating dynamical features of escape panic.

Who really won? Count up the Gore + Nader Electoral College votes and see if they equal more than Bush's in any state.

A Ponzi scheme that brought down the governement. How to prevent similar disasters.

"Want to discover an impact crater, and even get it named after you? All you've got to do is spend a few (hundred) hours poring over images in Google Earth or Google Maps."

Loads of cool animated earth data (aerosol optical depth, carbon monoxide, cloud fraction) from the EOS Project Science Office at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Debunk stupidity using the simplest of physics knowledge.

Which hits the moon first--a hammer or a feather? Watch Apollo 15's commander David R. Scott drop a 1.3-kg aluminum hammer and a 0.03-kg falcon feather on the moon at the same time.

The tribbles of Star Trek fame grew exponentially, with just one multiplying to 1,771,561 in 3 days via a tenfold growth every 12 hours, according to Spock's calculation.

The art of animation transports one from a boat on the Ottawa River to the end of the universe (8-minute animated film).

From a girl sititng on a square at the Univeristy of Utah to the Virgo cluster 10²⁴ meters out. See the exponential growth.

A classic on learning about scale and gemoetric growth in powers of 10.

The original questionnaire used by Herman Hollerith (director of the first mechanical census calculation and founder of the precursor to IBM).

Malthus's original 1798 essay on the principle of population, as it affects the future improvement of society with remarks on the speculations of Mr. Godwin, M. Condorcet, and other writers.

$ Consumer credit increased at an annual rate of 10%, revolving credit at 8-1/2%, and nonrevolving credit at 10-3/4%.

₹ India was the world's fourth largest energy consumer in 2009 after the United States, China, and Russia.

¥ China is the world's second largest oil consumer (behind the United States) and in 2006 became the world's third-largest net importer of oil.

$€¥ Tables and graphs of world GNI per capita converted to U.S. dollars using the World Bank Atlas method.

$€¥ Maps showing changing GNP from World Bank GNP data (1960-2000).

$€¥ Text data of changing GNP from World Bank GNP data (1960-2000).

$ How to calculate the effect of inflation on oil prices.

$ How to calculate inflation from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).

$ Contains data from 1940 to present on budget receipts, outlays, surpluses or deficits, debt, and employment.

$ IESO publishes detailed price and demand information for the IESO-administered markets, including electricity demand.

$ The BEA publishes industry economic data from 1998.

$ More than half a trillion dollars per year is spent on advertising. That's a 5 followed by eight zeroes and preceded by a dollar sign.

$€¥ World energy consumption (from 1990 to a projected 2035 in OECD and non-OECD countries).

$€¥ Deloitt'es study "examines the next decade in global wealth in 25 economies selected for their size, growth potential and strategic importance."

$ Total executions since 1976 = 1278, including 477 in Texas (as of Jan, 2012)

$ American population data from 1900 (nation, states, counties, place and county subdivisions, metropolitan areas).

$€¥ Total oil consumed in barrels per day (bbl/day) by country from CIA The world factbook and other important data.

$ Population data from year 0 to near stabilization and beyond?