The Browser weekly newsletter [23 Dec 2011]

Weekly Newsletter       23 December 2011  Best of the Week The Failure Of The Euro Martin Feldstein | Foreign Affairs | 15 December 2011 Outstanding essay on history of euro crisis, way forwards for single currency: "The eurozone is likely to continue with almost all its current members. The challenge now will be to change the economic behavior of those countries" Comments Bashar al-Assad, His Father's Son Jerrold Post | Foreign Policy | 20 December 2011 Ex-CIA analyst discusses Syrian leader's trajectory from moderniser to mass-murderer. Parallels with Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam. Both spent time in the West, enough to learn new ideas, but not enough for deep change Comments The Girl With The Father Tattoo Michele Pridmore-Brown | LA Review of Books | 15 December 2011 How fathers shape their daughters. "The girlish power to redeem men has a long tradition. But the bar on committed or 'good-enough' fatherhood has risen radically in recent years, and especially so with respect to girls" Comments The Wisdom Of Crowds Anonymous | Economist | 17 December 2011 Super piece on science of pedestrian behaviour, how we negotiate space as we walk down busy pavements. “At low densities, behaviour is cognitive and strategic. At high density, it’s about mass movement and physical pressures" Comments Breakthroughs In Faith Olivier Roy | World Policy Institute | 19 December 2011 Fine essay on religion, democracy. "It does not make sense to demand religious liberalism or theological reform or a preliminary secularization as a requirement for making religion compatible with democracy." Here's why Comments On Being The Right Size J.B.S. Haldane | Farnam Street | 20 December 2011 Republished, and still well worth a read. "For every type of animal there is an optimum size. The same is true for every human institution. The English invention of representative government made a democratic nation possible" Comments Smoke Screening Charles Mann | Vanity Fair | 20 December 2011 Writer tests out US airport security. With a bit of help from expert Bruce Schneier. And a fake boarding pass. The verdict? Damning: "Not only is it not done right, but even if it was done right it would be the wrong thing to do" Comments Christopher Hitchens: 'The Consummate Writer, The Brilliant Friend' Ian McEwan | Guardian | 16 December 2011 Wonderful, touching piece from McEwan remembering last weeks of his great friend. A writer, to the last: "His head would droop, his eyes close, then with superhuman effort he would drag himself awake to type another line" Comments  FiveBooks Interview Bruce Forbes on Christmas History Did you know that Santa Claus was a 4th century bishop in what is now Turkey? That Puritans tried to outlaw Christmas? Or Tiny Tim was originally Little Fred? We shed light on Christmas’s pagan past and consumerist present  Featured Topic North Korea In the aftermath of Kim Jong-il's death, we look back at the legacy of his tyrannical rule over North Korea Reader Recommendations @polit2k Simon Johnson: No One Is Above the Law, Even Megabanks: t.co/QK2EAD0b  #browsings  #gfc2  Book of the Week Father Christmas Goes on Holiday by Raymond Briggs Father Christmas says: I don’t know how that Briggs character got a good look at me, but a look he’s had and that’s a fact.  Video of the Week Seconds Of Beauty Compilation of entries for The Beauty Of A Second short film contest. Absolutely breathtaking  Quote of the Week Highdeas, on film "If you watch 'Jaws' backwards, it's a movie about a shark that keeps throwing up people until they have to open a beach" | Homepage | Mobile Apps | RSS Feeds | Twitter | Facebook | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Having trouble reading this email? View it in your browser. You are receiving this email because you signed up for the Best of the Week newsletter on thebrowser.com. Click here to unsubscribe The Browser Ltd, 106 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 6PF

DAI: Santa rally puts S&P 500 up for the year

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	12/23/2011
Good Evening LATEST NEWS Santa rally puts S&P 500 up for the year NEW YORK (Reuters) - The S&P 500 turned positive for the year and closed out its third week of gains in four on Friday as equities extended their rally after a string of unexpectedly strong economic data. | Full Article Consumer, business spending point to slower growth December 23, 2011 04:08 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer spending was tepid in November and a gauge of business investment fell for a second straight month, suggesting the economy lost some of its recent momentum. | Full Article World economy to trudge on in 2012 despite Europe: poll December 23, 2011 01:37 PM ET LONDON (Reuters) - Europe faces another year of dismal economic performance in 2012 that will weigh on global growth, but emerging markets and the United States should at least keep the world economy moving in the right direction. | Full Article Banks downgrade threat remains despite ECB funds: S&P December 23, 2011 10:07 AM ET FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The half a trillion euros the European Central Bank pumped into the financial system buys hard-hit banks valuable time but will not in itself protect them from threatened rating downgrades, one of Standard and Poor's top executives said. | Full Article Analysis: As euro steadies, fund managers hedge bearish bets December 23, 2011 12:47 PM ET NEW YORK (Reuters) - The European debt crisis roiled markets all year, producing the most volatile trading since the 2008-2009 meltdown. That is, except in one market -- the euro. | Full Article US TOP NEWS Congress punts hard payroll tax work to 2012 December 23, 2011 04:28 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama signed into law a two-month payroll tax cut extension on Friday, capping a year of fierce partisan combat over taxes and spending that will resume in January and play heavily in the 2012 elections. | Full Article Double car bombing kills 44 in Damascus December 23, 2011 03:28 PM ET BEIRUT (Reuters) - Suicide car bombers struck Damascus on Friday, officials said, sending human limbs flying in the bloodiest violence in Syria's capital since a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad began nine months ago. | Full Article In ad for newsletter, Ron Paul forecast "race war" December 23, 2011 08:56 AM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A direct-mail solicitation for Ron Paul's political and investment newsletters two decades ago warned of a "coming race war in our big cities" and of a "federal-homosexual cover-up" to play down the impact of AIDS. | Full Article Analysis: What's the plan if North Korea collapses? December 23, 2011 03:24 PM ET SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea appears to be making an orderly transition after the death of leader Kim Jong-il last week, but the risk of collapse is higher than before and regional powers need to start discussing that contingency with China, diplomats and analysts say. | Full Article Insight: Trenches and fear divide heart of Syria protest December 23, 2011 03:24 PM ET (Foreign journalists are not allowed in Homs, the city at the centre of Syria's uprising. A translator born in the city returned for three days last week. This piece is based on his account, relayed to a Reuters correspondent well known to him. Please note strong language in 12th paragraph) | Full Article HEALTH NEWS EU OKs Roche's Avastin for ovarian cancer Enfamil questions linger over Mead Johnson Preventable drug reactions land vets in hospitals Leukemia patients at greatest risk of listeriosis Many stent patients get rehospitalized: study RELATED VIDEO The Exchange: Brazil and its economic model Retail's Christmas winners and losers Quiet trading before Christmas A daily digest of breaking business news, coverage of the US economy, major corporate news and the financial markets. Register Today. Your daily briefing on the latest tech developments from around the world from Reuters expert tech correspondents. Register Today. The latest Reuters articles on M&A, IPOs, private equity, hedge funds and regulatory updates delivered to your inbox each day.. Register Today. » MORE NEWSLETTERS ODDLY ENOUGH NORAD's Santa tracking set to launch on Christmas Eve Full Article Waiting for Congress, Obama takes dog Bo shopping Hungary tech firm immortalizes Steve Jobs in bronze Mystery buyer acquires vatican.xxx web address Florida town seeks nudist vacationers from Europe Canadian charity throws doomed bunnies a lifeline - 3 Times Square New York, NY 10036 USA © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Ensure delivery of Reuters Newsmails, add mail@nl.reuters.com to your address book. Details Subscribe to other Reuters newsletters. Unsubscribe from this newsletter. Follow us on Twitter Friend us on Facebook Forward to a friend

BREAKING NEWS: Wall Street Hits Holiday Week Home Run

The blue chips closed out a jolly trading week on a high note, zooming 124 points, or 1%, higher on the day as traders grew more optimistic about the U.S. economic landscape. For the week, the Dow jumped 3.6%, while the broader S&P 500 rallied 3.7%.

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The Browser daily newsletter [23 Dec 2011]

Daily Newsletter       23 December 2011  Best of the Moment Best Of 2011: Personal Best Atul Gawande | New Yorker | 26 September 2011 You'd be surprised if a successful singer or sportsman had no coach. Why not so for other professionals? Surgeon investigates: "I can’t say that every surgeon needs a coach to do his or her best work, but I’ve discovered that I do" Comments Best Of 2011: Cracking The Scratch Lottery Code Jonah Lehrer | Wired | 31 January 2011 Extraordinary account of how MIT statistician cracked the code behind lottery scratch tickets. Achieved 90% win rate. "The visible numbers turned out to reveal essential information about the digits hidden under the latex coating" Comments Best Of 2011: The Arab Counterrevolution Hussein Agha & Robert Malley | NYRB | 7 September 2011 Outstanding analysis of Arab uprisings, looking ahead to what may follow. "Revolutions devour their children. The spoils go to the resolute, the patient, who know what they are pursuing and how to achieve it" Comments Best Of 2011: Obituary, Colonel Albert Bachmann Anonymous | Telegraph | 4 May 2011 "Mustachioed, pipe-smoking and blessed with an ability to wreak havoc within his own organisation, Bachmann’s resemblance to Inspector Clouseau was striking. He reduced the Swiss intelligence agency to a state bordering on chaos" Comments Best Of 2011: Nato Must Help Us! Wolfgang Bauer | Zeit | 31 August 2011 Extraordinary report by German journalist of secret travels in Syria and meetings with protest leaders. Even hospitals aren't safe for dissidents: “You come in with a bullet in your leg. And you come out with a bullet in your head" Comments Best Of 2011: Tour De Gall A.A. Gill | Vanity Fair | 7 March 2011 Gloriously hostile review of Paris restaurant, L'Ami Louis. On veal kidneys: "The heat had welded them together into a gray, suppurating renal brick. It could be the result of an accident involving rat babies in a nuclear reactor" Comments  FiveBooks Interview Best of FiveBooks on Children’s books for Christmas In the first of seven compilation interviews, we feature five children’s books recommended by a range of experts – including Santa himself  Featured Special Report Extreme Food From foraging in the wild to foul restaurant dining, here is our toothsome selection of writing on the world of extreme food  Reader Recommendations @polit2k RT @clusterstock: UBS's George Magnus: Europe Has Been Mis-Diagnosed, And The Crisis Will Come Roaring Back  t.co/Wp0PaXPB  #browsings  Book of the Day The Big Con by David W Maurer Mike Dash says: “Maurer found out the story of “the big cons”. This is when you stay with somebody for weeks or months and take off with their entire life savings”  Video of the Day American Story I know, you've had enough Rick Perry for one lifetime. So this is bait-and-switch  Quote of the Day Andrew Brown, on marriage "Monogamy is probably the earliest and most successful human experiment in taming the power of markets and harnessing them to social use" | Homepage | Mobile Apps | RSS Feeds | Twitter | Facebook | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Having trouble reading this email? View it in your browser. You are receiving this email because you signed up for the Best of the Moment newsletter on thebrowser.com. Click here to unsubscribe The Browser Ltd, 106 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 6PF