Is That a Russian Spy Plane?

April 21, 2014 / David Kailer / 1 Comment

First, I would like to apologize for the delay in posting this week’s article. I had originally written a post about the notifications in Ukraine allegedly requiring that all Jewish residents register with the government or lose their Ukranian citizenship. As I have heard doubts about the legitimacy of that demand, I decided to write a second article rather than report on something that may or may not be true. Anyway, on to today’s story.
There are obvious tensions between the United States and Russia right now, specifically regarding the aforementioned Ukraine. There is an agreement between the two superpowers, which the article terms the “Open Skies Treaty” which allows Russian intelligence craft to fly over the United States unimpeded. With a wave of new surveillance planes being used by Russia, there is an ongoing debate within the American government about whether or not to certify these new planes as able to fly over the U.S. under the agreement.
According to the article, military and intelligence leaders want to deny certification so that these new planes cannot fly over the country, even though older models conceivably still could. The Secretary of State’s office has stated they are in favor of certifying the new planes. President Obama will apparently present the issue to the National Security Council in the near future for resolution.
“At issue is the Open Skies Treaty. First signed in 1992 and finally ratified in 2002, the treaty adopted by 34 nations allows the safe passage of planes equipped with advanced cameras and sensors that give governments the imagery and data they use to assess everything from compliance with arms control treaties to troop movements,” author Eli Lake writes.
In advocating for certification, the Secretary of State’s office argued that the United States needs to live up to its treaty obligations, and that other signatory countries rely on American intelligence because they lack similar capabilities. To deny Russia certification would likely result in a backlash hurting American intelligence efforts as well, which could trickle down to affect our international allies.
One of the purposes of the treaty is allowing nations to check each other in regards to national nuclear armaments. “The Russian planes, according to U.S. officials involved in the dispute, contain a new sensor package that would allow Moscow to surveil American nuclear assets with a level of precision and detail that makes U.S. military and intelligence leaders deeply uncomfortable,” Lake says.
While the situation in Ukraine has certainly highlighted this disagreement and complicated the certification process, government officials suggest that this would have been an issue even without tensions over Ukraine.

Barilla Pasta and the Italian Economy

April 21, 2014 / Matthew Clemente / Leave a comment

Barilla Pasta and the Italian Economy

Bar none, one of the best podcasts around is NPR’s Planet Money podcast. If nothing else, it provides good small talk/networking fodder as it provides intersects interesting stories with economic concepts. This story (from 2012), which I mentioned to a friend this weekend, is a prime example. It discusses the story of two Barilla pasta factories and the productivity of the Italian workforce.

Here is a description from the NPR website:

A decade ago, the Barilla pasta factory in Foggia, Italy, had a big problem with people skipping work. The absentee rate was around 10 percent.

People called in sick all the time, typically on Mondays, or on days when there was a big soccer game.

Foggia is in southern Italy. Barilla’s big factory in northern Italy had a much lower absentee rate. This is not surprising; there’s a huge economic gap between southern and northern Italy. It’s like two different countries.

Barilla execs told Nicola Calandrea, the manager of the Foggia plant, that they would close the factory unless he brought the absenteeism rate down.

Calandrea decided that to save the factory, he had to change the culture. On today’s show, we visit the factory and hear how Calandrea made it work.

For More: How A Pasta Factory Got People To Show Up For Work.

Barilla Pasta and the Italian Economy

April 21, 2014 / Matthew Clemente / Leave a comment

Barilla Pasta and the Italian Economy

Here is a description from the NPR website:

A decade ago, the Barilla pasta factory in Foggia, Italy, had a big problem with people skipping work. The absentee rate was around 10 percent.

People called in sick all the time, typically on Mondays, or on days when there was a big soccer game.

Foggia is in southern Italy. Barilla’s big factory in northern Italy had a much lower absentee rate. This is not surprising; there’s a huge economic gap between southern and northern Italy. It’s like two different countries.

Barilla execs told Nicola Calandrea, the manager of the Foggia plant, that they would close the factory unless he brought the absenteeism rate down.

Calandrea decided that to save the factory, he had to change the culture. On today’s show, we visit the factory and hear how Calandrea made it work.

For More: How A Pasta Factory Got People To Show Up For Work.

Barilla Pasta and the Italian Economy

April 21, 2014 / Matthew Clemente / Leave a comment

Barilla Pasta and the Italian Economy

Here is a description from the NPR website:

A decade ago, the Barilla pasta factory in Foggia, Italy, had a big problem with people skipping work. The absentee rate was around 10 percent.

People called in sick all the time, typically on Mondays, or on days when there was a big soccer game.

Foggia is in southern Italy. Barilla’s big factory in northern Italy had a much lower absentee rate. This is not surprising; there’s a huge economic gap between southern and northern Italy. It’s like two different countries.

Barilla execs told Nicola Calandrea, the manager of the Foggia plant, that they would close the factory unless he brought the absenteeism rate down.

Calandrea decided that to save the factory, he had to change the culture. On today’s show, we visit the factory and hear how Calandrea made it work.

For More: How A Pasta Factory Got People To Show Up For Work.

Seven years ago, Internet activist Aaron Swartz convinced Lawrence Lessig to take up the fight for political reform. A year after Swartz’s tragic death, Lessig continues his campaign to free US politics from the stranglehold of corruption. In this fiery, deeply personal talk, he calls for all citizens to engage, and a offers a heartfelt reminder to never give up hope.
Recently, Harvard Law School’s Lawrence Lessig gave an impassioned TED Talk advocating comprehensive campaign finance reform and “reclaiming our democracy:”

Here is a description of the talk:

TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more.

Lawrence Lessig’s TED Talk on Corruption and Campaign Finance Reform

April 17, 2014 / Matthew Clemente / Leave a comment