All Posts Tagged Tag: Ivan Obolensky’

October 2014 Ivan Obolensky Infectious diseases are not new, nor are they a byproduct of our technologically advanced societies. As western economies and cultures have expanded into remote areas, new pathogens have made themselves known to us. Sometimes the contact has been relatively benign, but at other times quite the opposite. Between 1951 and 1955 almost 2,500 US soldiers suffered …

September 2014 Ivan Obolensky There is a legendary tale that Nathan Rothschild, the founder of the banking firm of N. M. Rothschild & Sons, rode beside Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo and when it looked like Britain had won the day, he put spurs to his horse and made for London as fast as he could. He crossed the …

August 2014 Ivan Obolensky When did TV broadcasting start? A typical answer might be that it started in Los Angeles just after World War II. A good guess, but the correct answer is that the first regular television service was broadcast from Wheaton, Maryland, just outside Washington DC on July 2, 1928. Still, it was hardly television as we know …

July 2014 Ivan Obolensky Previously (in Part I and Part II) it was determined that a family must receive an annual income in the top 20% of the population (minimally over $105,000) to be part of the middle class.1 One of the reasons cited for this was the fact that real wages (the buying power of the money after inflation …

June 2014 Ivan Obolensky Part I covered the following: A US family must receive an income today in the top 20% to enjoy the benefits of a typical Middle Class family of the 1970s. Although incomes have increased many times since then, real wages peaked in 1972 and have remained flat ever since. Put another way: Incomes may have risen, …

May 2014 Ivan Obolensky   In the United States it has been observed that in order to enjoy the benefits of the Middle Class a family must receive an income in the top 20% of the population (minimally over $105,000)1. The next few articles will examine how this might be true, what factors have contributed to this result, and what …

April 2014 Ivan Obolensky Any time one feels the need to liven up an otherwise uneventful day, simply ask someone how they feel about climate change and then disagree with them. The subject can set off a debate as sizzling as swinging a golf club in a thunderstorm. Opinions on climate change generally fall into several categories: Those who believe …

March 2014 Ivan Obolensky Here are some interesting facts to ponder: Economics consists of two main parts. The part that explains what is happening and the other part that supplies the raw data that the first part is based on. Here we examine some raw data. Please do not be put off by the large numbers and the fact that …

February 2014 Ivan Obolensky Markets in Europe and in the US tanked recently. The reasons cited were turmoil in Emerging Markets and the unwinding of the carry trade. Nice to know, but whatever does it mean? Emerging Markets are countries characterized by rapid growth and industrialization. They include the BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) and the MIKTs (Malaysia, Indonesia, South …

January 2014 Ivan Obolensky Human history is the result of the many contributions by individuals. Some individuals we consider good. They have tried to make the Earth a better place, and we try and emulate them as best we can. Some we consider bad. We record their destructive ways and use them as examples of what not to do. Luck …