Bernanke Inc.: Lucrative Life of a Former Fed Chairman - Bloomberg Business

Bernanke Inc.: Lucrative Life of a Former Fed Chairman - Bloomberg Business: "One day only, live from Sin City -- the economist formerly known as chairman of the Federal Reserve.
Fifteen months after leaving the Fed and its trappings of mystery and power, Bernanke, 61, is settling into the peripatetic and highly lucrative life of a Washington former.
Beyond the dancing fountains of the Bellagio, in the gilded splendor of the Grand Ballroom, Bernanke will play to a full house at the SkyBridge Alternatives Conference on Wednesday: 1,800 hedge fund types who used to hang on his every word. Bernanke is, in a sense, one of them now -- a well-paid investment consultant who can fete clients, open doors and add a gloss of Fed luster to conferences and meetings.
Call it Bernanke Inc., a post-Fed one-man-show that’s worth millions annually on the open market. While the former chairman hasn’t disclosed his fees and compensation -- nor, as a private citizen, is he required to -- he is almost certainly pulling down many times what he did while in government."



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How Amsterdam became the bicycle capital of the world | Cities | The Guardian

How Amsterdam became the bicycle capital of the world | Cities | The Guardian: "Anyone who has ever tried to make their way through the centre of Amsterdam in a car knows it: the city is owned by cyclists. They hurry in swarms through the streets, unbothered by traffic rules, taking precedence whenever they want, rendering motorists powerless by their sheer numbers.

Cyclists rule in Amsterdam and great pains have been taken to accommodate them: the city is equipped with an elaborate network of cycle-paths and lanes, so safe and comfortable that even toddlers and elderly people use bikes as the easiest mode of transport. It’s not only Amsterdam which boasts a network of cycle-paths, of course; you’ll find them in all Dutch cities.

The Dutch take this for granted; they even tend to believe these cycle-paths have existed since the beginning of time. But that is certainly not the case. There was a time, in the 1950s and 60s, when cyclists were under severe threat of being expelled from Dutch cities by the growing number of cars. Only thanks to fierce activism and a number of decisive events would Amsterdam succeed in becoming what it is, unquestionably, now: the bicycle capital of the world."



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Parliamentary Panel raises questions about quality of Ph.D holders in India - The Hindu

Parliamentary Panel raises questions about quality of Ph.D holders in India - The Hindu: "Raising serious questions about the quality of Ph.D holders in the country, a parliamentary panel has sought an evaluation report to understand why suitable candidates were hard to find for vacant teaching posts.

With over 7,000 research scholars being awarded Ph.D every year, the panel has suggested “reorienting” the entire system of evaluation of Ph.D and other research scholars.

In its report tabled in Parliament last week, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on HRD stressed on increasing the number of research fellowships and new schemes for teaching assistantship, taking into account the shortage of teaching faculty in higher educational institutes.

Drawing attention to the quality aspect of Ph.D holders, the committee said they were rolling out of Indian universities like dime a dozen.

“The Committee would like to have an evaluation report, if any, about the quality and standard of Ph.D holders across the country to understand why suitable candidates are difficult to find for the vacant positions. Maybe we need to reorient the entire system of evaluation of Ph.D and other research scholars,” it said in its report.

Shortage of faculties in premier institutes such as IITs, IIMs and NITs continues to be grim with no improvement foreseen in the near future, it said.

To address the issue, it suggested that if stricter norms for the appointment of faculty are coming in the way, then UGC and other regulatory bodies should review them on regular basis and bring in necessary changes so as to fill up the vacant posts at the earliest."



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Why We Can't Take Chipotle's GMO Announcement All That Seriously : The Salt : NPR

Why We Can't Take Chipotle's GMO Announcement All That Seriously : The Salt : NPR: "Chipotle is trumpeting its renunciation of ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. The company says that using GMOs — mainly corn in its tortillas and soybean oil for cooking — "doesn't align" with its vision of "food with integrity." According to Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold, it represents "our commitment to serving our customers the very best ingredients we can find."

Here at The Salt, though, we've been hearing from people who think Chipotle's stance shows little integrity at all. Rather, it shows a double helping of marketing hype, they say. Greg Jaffe, the expert on GMOs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, calls it "hypocritical" and based on "smoke and mirrors." The Washington Post, meanwhile, accused the company of joining a "global propaganda campaign.""



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