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Biometrics Brings a |
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| Every individual has a set of unique characteristics that can be used to confirm his identity. Fingerprints, the pattern of the iris, and DNA can all be captured, filed, and then compared at a later date. |
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Inflation Remains a |
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| Many Americans assume that inflation is rising. They fear that the recent increase in commodity prices will lead to higher finished goods producer prices and then higher consumer prices. This fear is intensified because people tend to notice when prices go up for products they buy most often.
As economist A. Gary Shilling points out in a recent commentary, such “widespread fears of inflation are understandable. Historically, inflation is a wartime phenomenon when government spending is huge, while deflation reigns in peacetime. Still, the nation suffered a uniquely long 60 years of war, which started with rearmament in the late 1930s, was followed by World War II, which promptly gave way to the Cold War that was augmented by the War on Poverty. So, most Americans have never experienced anything but inflation, which they believe is the way God made the world.” |
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The Increasingly Bin |
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| Over the past 15 years, the United States has become the world’s sole superpower, dwarfing every other nation in terms of economic and military might. And while Japan, Russia, and the EU have fallen further behind, one nation has emerged to join the U.S. as the primary driver of global prosperity: China. In astronomical terms, we might envision the U.S. and Chinese economies as two stars revolving about each other, while accelerating and pulling a host of planets along with them. |
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Housing Boom Peaks O |
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| We are in the midst of . . . the biggest world-wide housing boom ever,” declared Robert Shiller, the Yale economist and author of Irrational Exuberance. In August 2004, sales of new homes went up by 9.4 percent, the biggest increase since December 2000. |
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Geothermal Energy Is |
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| Speculation, economic growth, and global tensions recently drove oil prices to around $50 per barrel. In a world in which energy consumption is constantly rising, the potential to tap geothermal energy is stunning. |
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