What I've Been Reading

I keep saving all these links that I keep intending to post about but never do. As a result, I have a few massive text files on my computer desktop that keep getting bigger. Instead of attempting to digest them for you, I figure I'll just link them with brief descriptions.

Development
Africa desperately needs trade links - cause or effect? (aid watch)
The age of the celebrity tyrant (forbes.com)
Healing in a post-genocidal world: a survivor returns to Burundi (wsj.com)

China
Segmenting 22 groups among China's consumers (blogs.wsj.com)
China's growing shanzhai / open fabrication movement (tigoe.net)
Lost opportunities: "Enterprises that should have disappeared, survive" (chinastakes.com)
China warms to new credo: business first (nytimes.com)
The China consumption versus the rest of the world (kedrosky.com)

Economics & Politics
Having more money kills people says a new NBER paper. (kedrosky.com)
Ocean freight update: GRA increase of $400-500 (3plwire.com)
Net insider selling: 'investors will get big shock this fall' (theneweditor.com)
The revolt of the masses: global non-confidence vote (wsj.com)
A tale of two $100,000 jobs; a tale of two Americas (blog.american.com)
Americans rate government, self employment as top job choices (rasmussenreports.com)

Technology & Trends
The growing role of the private sector in space flight. (economist.com)
The human brain is even more efficient than we thought. (scienceblogs.com/cortex/)
Thin film solar startup Nanosolar announces $4B in contracts (wired.com)
Super-strong German steel velcro (popsci.com)