Daily Links From Glimpse From a Height

• Chicago Fed: Economic Growth in January above Average
  Via Calculated Risk: The Chicago Fed National Activity Index decreased to +0.22 in January from +0.54 in December, but remained positive for the second straight month for the first time in a year. … The index’s three-month moving average, CFNAI-MA3, increased from +0.06 in December to +0.14 in January, reaching its highest level since March […]
• Taking on Ambush Elections Rule
  From the National Association of Manufacturers: Senator Enzi and Congressman Gingrey are invoking Congress’ right to review regulations issued by the federal government under the Congressional Review Act. The Act allows Congress to vote up or down on a final rule and is a privileged motion – meaning it cannot be filibustered and only needs […]
• More Of That Smart Diplomacy
  US Trade Representative doesn’t know what “transparency” or “lobbyist” means: The US Trade Representative claims that the Trans-Pacific Partnership, closed-door copyright treaty being negotiated in even greater secrecy than the notorious ACTA, is “transparent.” Actually, he says it has “unprecedented” transparency, because an advisory group is allowed to see it under nondisclosure, and they’re not […]
• Garbage In, Garbage Out
  More proof that you measure what you try to measure, no matter what you say you’re measuring: A growing world population, mixed with the threat of climate change and mounting financial problems, has prompted University of British Columbia researchers to measure the overall ‘health’ of 152 countries around the world. Encompassing both economic and ecological […]
• Arctic Drilling Closer
  The Administration has approved Shell’s emergency plan for Arctic drilling off Alaska’s coast.  Sen. Begich is in favor of it, showing that for competitive states, interest can still trump ideology.
• Competing Models, Different Availability for Adele’s “21?
  Turns out that Spotify turned down Adele’s conditions for streaming her “21″: Multiple sources confirm that Adele was willing to play ball with the streaming service, as long as the content was accessible only to paying subscribers and not to its freemium users…. The various strategies are understandable depending on the perspective. For Adele, it’s clear […]
• Barnett’s Integrate Core At Work?
  Over at the New Geography, there’s a post comparing Arlington, Virginia (where I used to live) with Shenzhen, China: The two cities hold more similarities than differences. Both are thriving as a result of technological innovation, free market activities, and growth of their human capital. And both cities are now united under a common banner […]