Quickthink

Tom Friedman can be a bit pompous, but he also is a pretty good writer. And today he has written the sort of piece he is best at — asking a very big question in plain language that anyone can understand.

He may be stretching things a bit when he says

… Turkey has become one of the best places to observe (Europe and the Middle East coming apart at the seams). To the west, you see the European Monetary Union buckling under the weight of its own hubris — leaders who reached too far in forging a common currency without the common governance to sustain it. And, to the south, you see the Arab League crumbling under the weight of its own decay — leaders who never reached at all for the decent governance and modern education required to thrive in the age of globalization.

The European project is in danger, but Europeans at least have policy options that could make things work — if they choose to use them. The Middle East faces much larger challenges. Ok, this may be a quibble.

But the part that got my attention is about the US — it should be well suited to cope with the changes that are buffeting the world. But … alas things could be better.

Yearning to travel between New York and London in one hour. Read on, Magellan. The vacutrain is for you from Smart Planet.

The Frugal Traveler column  is not usually my cup of tea. It is not that I crave spending lots and lots of money when I travel. But I don’t like chattering on about saving money either. That seems to me to miss the point of the exercise.

But there are times when a few tips about inexpensive dining are welcome. And today, Frugal Traveler is up to par, with a list of suggestions about where to eat less expensively in Copenhagen. I have added this to my eclectic list of restaurant reviews of places around the globe, the Travel Tidbits page.

Felix Salmon wrote this in his review of two new books

(The US)  is now a country run by the rich, for the rich.

Have things really gone this far? That the great middle class of the US no longer has a political voice? We all know the trend - the rich have gotten much richer in recent history. But have they won the game?