Archive for September 23rd, 2008
The Online Bus
While we’re at it: I haven’t tried firing up my PowerBook (TM) on my way to or from campus, but the 41 (or some of the buses on the 41) in Odense has wifi.
The Hungry Blogger
At one point in time, I have the ambition the write the ultimate “Umeå vs. Odense” post but I want to get Odense a bit more under the skin before I say anything definitive. Still, at double the size, Odense has much more of an urban feel to it compared to Umeå-the-oversized-suburb.
But in some aspects Umeå beats Odense hands down. Or rather Umeå University beats the Odense campus of the University of Southern Denmark.
First, SDU is placed on a field in the middle of nowhere. Our nearest neighbours are Bilka followed by Rosengårdcentret. Throw in Jysk and IKEA and you get the picture.
Second, the University library in Umeå was open all days, often with long evening hours. SDU’s library … not so.
Third, UmU had cafés and restaurants all over the place so you could get a meal or a sandwich, in case you had forgotten to bring your own food. SDU … well, today I realised that I had forgot to buy rye bread, so I hoped for the best.
Come by the restaurant at 2:30 and … nope. Not a chance. Not a sandwich in sight. Which meant that I had to head for the nearest megamarket to get a hot-dog. But at least Bilka is open until 9 pm. on week-days. And I have a grand selection of restaurants and cafés just across the street from my apartment.
links for 2008-9-22
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The US financial system is being nationalised. The piecemeal approach which culminated with the AIG operation was clearly not working. The US government had taken control of its biggest insurance company just two weeks after it had to save Fannie and Freddie, by far the world’s largest mortgage underwriters. All this was not enough to restore orderly market conditions, hence the US political system is working over time to find a general solution whose outline is already apparent. The US government is going to buy the so-called “toxic” assets still on the banks’ balances and will then recapitalise the banks to the extent that they make losses. As a result, it will soon own a large share of its own banking system.
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In theory, presidential candidates should clearly articulate their platforms as they move to persuade the median voter. But candidates are often ambiguous and do not tack to the centre. Recent research documents how money-politics pulls candidates away from the median and encourages ambiguity.