The minutes of the September meeting of the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee released Wednesday explained why three Fed board members had dissented from the majority’s “close call” decision to keep rates unchanged. The highly anticipated transcript provides insights into internal and external developments, illustrating the “unusual uncertainty” that policymakers must contend with.　The transcript is an important reminder of how difficult it has become to maintain a high level of conviction

Oct. 16, 2016

The permanent members of the UN Security Council have chosen Antonio Guterres, a former prime minister of Portugal, to succeed Ban Ki-moon as secretary-general. The appointment to the initial five-year term still needs approval by the 193-member UN General Assembly but that should be a formality.There is little question that Guterres, 67, is up to the job. Portugal, a country of nearly 11 million, has a complex economy and foreign policy that spreads across the world, as a result of Portugal hav

Oct. 16, 2016

There is a troubling trend of cities putting new taxes — so-called Netflix taxes — on streaming music, online gaming, e-books, and online video distributors like Netflix, Hulu and Sling. Pennsylvania, Chicago and dozens of California cities have recently implemented or proposed taxes on online media. Yet there are several legal and economic problems with these taxes.　First, some of these taxes may violate the First Amendment since they single out certain types of media for taxation. Courts take

Oct. 14, 2016

There were differences and reservations but when push came to shove, the deal was done.　A historic UN consensus to cap carbon emissions for the aviation sector has received solid backing from major countries, including those in Southeast Asia.　Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia are among 64 countries that have agreed to participate on a voluntary basis in a global market-based measure to control carbon dioxide pollution from international flights.　Together, these countries account for a

Oct. 13, 2016

I continue to hear from many people who call themselves progressives or liberals but tell me they won’t vote for Hillary Clinton in the upcoming election. With due respect, I believe they’re wrong.The following are their three major arguments and my responses.Some claim that Clinton is no better than Donald Trump. “He’s bad, but she’s just as bad,” they say.I’m sorry, but anyone who equates Trump with Clinton hasn’t been paying attention.Donald Trump is a dangerous, bigoted, misogynistic, narcis

Oct. 13, 2016

During this ugly presidential campaign, Republican Donald Trump has shown enough about his character and temperament to prove himself unfit for the Oval Office. But on the issues facing this country, Trump has given voters little to go on, offering mainly bare policy outlines and vague generalities. Perhaps that’s because his ideas are poorly thought out -- or they don’t work as advertised.　Take Sunday’s presidential debate, for example. When asked how he would make the wealthy pay their fair sh

Oct. 13, 2016

The international order is undergoing structural change, not just from the rise of emerging economies, but from the way technologies, social and mobile, are revolutionizing the way information flows within and between societies.　We live at a turning point in history, full of promise but also of danger. We are seeing a resurgence of hard nationalism, a backlash against the globalization and the liberal global order.　Voters everywhere are confounding all previous expectations in voting against exi

Oct. 13, 2016

This is the time of year when you wake up and discover the alma mater you cherish and support isn’t even in the fourth tier of some expert’s widely publicized idea of the best colleges in the nation.　Just when you — having steadily contributed to the institution’s welfare since your own graduation, even when you couldn’t afford it — were planning to send your kid there for a gazillion dollars a year, some bozo or group of bozos comes along and tells you East Blah U. ranks No. 450 out of 500 in t

Oct. 12, 2016

“One town’s very like another / When your head’s down over your pieces, brother,” according to the lyrics in the musical “Chess.” That is probably not the case when your head has an unfamiliar, unwanted piece of cloth draped over it because of the town -- and the country -- you are in and because you are a woman.So you have to wonder what (and whether) world chess officials were thinking when they decided to hold next year’s women’s world championship in Tehran, where the Islamic Republic comman

Oct. 12, 2016

While major government players are distracted by the three-ring circus otherwise known as national politics, the Zika virus has steadily and explosively spread throughout Southeast Asia, triggering travel alerts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Already, there are 12 reported Zika cases in the Philippines, including one involving a pregnant woman in Iloilo. Those infected had no history of travel to any affected country prior to the illness, which meant they must have acquir

Oct. 12, 2016

In Washington on Sunday night, the popcorn was popped, the pitchers of election-themed cocktails given a final stir. And then a hush fell over the city as the streets emptied and the professional political class gathered huddled around screens to find out whether Donald Trump would somehow rescue his improbable campaign, or whether he would pound the final nails into its coffin after a brutal weekend of scandalous recordings and cascading Republican disendorsements.　The consensus going in was th

Oct. 11, 2016

There is only one thing I say to people when asked about the incident involving Baltimore Oriole’s outfielder Kim Hyun-soo and a Toronto Blue Jays fan during Tuesday’s wild card game.  “Every city has its fair share of idiots, and Toronto is no exception.”  The wild card game was a great game to watch. It had everything a game requires to make it great: big hits, big catches, double plays and a walk off home run. It was exciting and emotional for both players and fans. It was the type of game th

Oct. 11, 2016

Voters who wondered just how low Donald Trump would go in his race against Hillary Clinton got their answer on Sunday night.　From the run-up to the debate -- in which Trump held a news conference starring women who say Bill Clinton abused them -- to the debate itself, in which he encroached on Clinton onstage, called her names and threatened to have her jailed if he is elected, the Republican nominee made it clear who he is and what he stands for, which is, among other things, misogyny.　The deba

Oct. 11, 2016