Interesting Reads for the Day

Last weeks New Yorker had two pretty interesting articles. One was a profile on Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook.

The other was is a profile on Sir James Dyson of the Dyson Vaccum fame.

Healthcare Spending and Quality of Care

When it comes to healthcare spending, the United States leads the developed countries in terms of amount of money spent on Healthcare. If we look at Healthcare spending as a % of GDP among the developed countries, the United States is the highest with Health Care spending accounting for 15% of GDP.

For all the spending associated with Healthcare, the US ranks 37th in the most recent WHO rankings. Though the rankings methodology might have its shortcomings, given the complexity of ranking a national healthcare system, the US has been slipping in ranking in other indicators or public health including male and female life expectancy and infant mortality. 

Data Source: CATO Institute 

Worst Companies in America

Who do you think would qualify for one of the worst companies in America as ranked by the American Customer Service Index

There are the usual suspects in the airlines. How can you have a worst company list without the cell phone companies or the cable company? In the year when anything with a bank or a banker is hated, you would expect banks to be on the list.

But there are a few surprises as well. Did anybody guess that Facebook and Myspace would on the list? How about McDonalds?

If you want to know the American Consumer Satisfaction index for a company that you do business with, you can visit the ACSI website for the scores.

The Growing Income Inequality

Slate magazine is running a series on the growing income inequality in America. Its worth a read. The slide show on the growing income inequality is especially great.

The income share graph below, obtained from this slide show, depicts the growing income divide between the rich and the poor.

Sources: Congressional Budget Office, Census Bureau. 
Chart by Catherine Mulbrandon of VisualizingEconomics.com.

Cricket - The Gentleman's Game No More

The most recent allegations of spot fixing (certain aspects of the game are fixed rather then the game itself) against three cricketers from Pakistan have just scratched the surface of what many had suspected. Big money changes hands every-time a bowl is bowled or a run is scored.

There was a time not too long ago, when cricket was played for the love of the game and money and fame were an afterthought. But now it feels like the opposite is true. Fame and fortune are all that matter.

Harsha Bhogle captures this very essence in his article for cricinfo. He writes

India's new generation of cricketers is not just wealthy beyond imagination, they seem to have acquired it without a lot to show for it. I do not know if these young men are looking 10 years into the future, acquiring a work ethic that their solidly brought-up seniors possessed. They seem satiated, two years at the top seems to drain them; the BMW seems more alluring than the sustained effort of a 10-year career. For those that don't want a place in history, the low-hanging fruit can come from many sources.

Whats in a Name?

We have gone from Bombay to Mumbai, Calcutta to Kolkata and Madras to Chennai. Now we have "Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar" to a growing list of name changes.

The honorable Chief Minister of UP Ms Mayawati has won a political victory when the Supreme Court of India decided to favor her in allowing Amethi to be renamed as Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar

Makes you wonder where our politicians and courts spend their time and valuable tax payer money.

What Happens to the Old iPhone's

With people snapping up iPhone 4 like there is no tomorrow, I have always wondered what happens to all the old phones that are out there in the market. Do people just junk them, Store them in the closet just in case they need them or is there a resale market.

Well there definitely is a resale market and companies like Gazelle and Nextworth are making brisk business.