Giraffes, Helmut Schmidt, Russia, Ownership

Interview: Arsène Wenger

Erik Bielderman | Arseblog / L'Équipe | 7th November 2015

Arsenal's manager talks philosophically about life and sport, in an interview translated from the French. "God created man. I am only a guide. I enable others to express what they have within them. I define myself as an optimist. My never ending struggle in this business is to release what is beautiful in man. I can be described as naïve in that sense. But it allows me to believe, and I am often proven right" (4,030 words)

The Month In Science

Rafil Kroll-Zaidi | Harper's | 11th November 2015

Digest of findings from recent scientific papers: "The Philistines brought opium to Israel. Parasitic male fig wasps behead the males of species with which they do not compete, possibly because it is too dark to recognize one’s enemies inside a fig. A ten-year study found that punching glass is very dangerous. Researchers were pleased with their vomiting machine. Viennese giraffes hum to one another in the night-time" (612 words)

Obituary: Helmut Schmidt

Theo Sommer | Die Zeit | 10th November 2015

German Chancellor; afterwards, publisher of Die Zeit. "The newsroom had to get used to the constant presence of the ex-chancellor’s bodyguards while Schmidt had to become accustomed to the dirty dishes that littered the corridor late at night after deadline. During job interviews, he rarely failed to ask male applicants if they had served in the military. His memos on the state of the paper were occasionally 40 pages long" (2,800 words)

Russia’s Next President: Sergei Shoigu?

Europe | The Economist | 7th November 2015 | | Read with 1Pass

Unless you follow Russian politics you have probably never heard of Sergei Shoigu — but then, who had heard of Vladimir Putin? Russia's defence minister is the longest-serving member of the government, admired by the army, tested in crises, trusted by Putin, cast in the same tough-guy mould, and popular with the public. His successor potential is high. And it probably helps that he's a dark horse (1,290 words)

Who Owns A Company?

John Kay | 11th November 2015

Nobody, unless there is a majority shareholder. Directors have the use of the company; small shareholders lack even that, in law and in practice. "Shares give their holders no right of possession and no right of use. If shareholders go to the company premises, they will more likely than not be turned away. The company’s actions are not their responsibility, and corporate assets cannot be used to satisfy their debts" (640 words)

Video of the day: Kurt Vonnegut

What to expect: Excerpt from a talk given by Vonnegut at NYU in 1970, with PBS animation (6'01")

Thought for the day

Ethics is the art of recommending to others the sacrifices required for cooperation with oneself
Bertrand Russell (http://www.quoteauthors.com/bertrand-russell-quotes)