Newsletter 912

Japan-China Crisis: "They Are At War"

Ian Bremmer & Henry Blodget | Business Insider | 24 January 2013

Interview. Bremmer says Japan-China arguments over islands in the China Sea are getting dangerous, and could lead to fighting. "This isn't Russia invading Georgia with tanks, but we could absolutely see direct military skirmishes over the contested territory, sure. And that potentially could involve escalation of American presence in the region"

Everything Was Fake But Her Wealth

Karen Abbott | Past Imperfect | 23 January 2013

Strange tale of Ida Wood, who checked into the New York Herald Square Hotel with her sister in 1907 — and never opened the door of her suite again until 1931, when the sister died. By then Ida was 93 and deaf, but far from destitute, thanks to $750,000 in cash hidden around the room and 54 trunks of gowns and jewels in the hotel basement

Listening To Lupu

Leo Carey | New Yorker | 24 January 2013

Short reflection — a note, really — on the mystique and genius of concert pianist Radu Lupu. "There’s another facet to the excitement of a Lupu concert: he no longer records. You know that when you hear him play, you will never hear the piece like this again. When you go to his concerts, your ears and brain have to drink in all they can"

Timothy Geithner On Populism, Paul Ryan, And His Legacy

Liaquat Ahamed | New Republic | 24 January 2013

Treasury secretary's exit interview. "The things we did in this crisis, the things we did in financial reform, will significantly reduce the probability and the intensity of crises for a long period of time. I know that markets will find their way around those things, and memories will fade. But if we’re lucky that will take a long time"

Maria When She Loses

Brian Phiips | Grantland | 24 January 2013

On the physical beauty of sports stars. "Sharapova brings the plane of sports almost as close to the plane of pure culture as Beckham does. She has the same gift for taking our fantasies about the sexuality of famous athletes and nudging them toward something else, something glamorous or witty, so that we can indulge them without being too overt"

The Most Interesting Company In Tech: Valve

Eugene Wei | Remains Of The Day | 8 January 2013

"Valve is a completely flat company, with no hierarchy, and everyone has to find their own project or start their own project and recruit other employees to the cause. You have no boss, no one can tell you what to do. Some companies have occasional hackathons or hack weeks. Valve is run like a perpetual hackathon"

Video of the day: Which Came First: Chicken Or Egg?

Thought for the day:

"It's never great to let your hair down, your hair trusted you" — Seaton Kay Smith

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