#Coronavirus On a train in Italy. A teenage Chinese boy boards the train. A woman comments loudly: “There you go, we are all going to be infected.” He replies in perfect Italian with a Roman inflection: “Ma’am, in my whole life I’ve seen China only on google maps.”
Applauses.
Tommaso Valletti
2,126 posts
Joined March 2013
- Salgo su un treno per Pesaro. Nella carrozza entra un ragazzo cinese. Una tizia esclama ad alta voce:"Ecco qua, così s'ammalamo tutti". Il ragazzo prontamente risponde:"A signò, io la Cina in vita mia l'ho vista solo su Google Maps!". Applausi #coronavirus
- Always nice to blame inflation, not market power. Meanwhile: ~8% inflation in Germany, 30% increase ~10% inflation in Spain, 39% increase ~7% inflation in France, 43% increase
- While we wait for the results, contrast this… - Trump’s Florida votes to increase minimum wage to $15. - Meanwhile liberal California approves that Uber drivers are not employees, so ‘we’ can enjoy cheaper rides (who cares about the drivers). Not sure where I stand any longer.
- Some *personal news* - after many amazing years at @imperialcollege I’m leaving to take up a *joint* position at #Facebook and #Google as the new Global Head of Academic Engagement and Research for the Common Good. So excited!
- Exactly 450 years ago, 7 October 1571, one of the greatest sea battles ever: the Battle of #Lepanto. 1/
- Agile essay of Nobel-prize winner George Akerlof. Reflections on mainstream economics: overspecialization, bias towards the hard and against the important. You can read for free: pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10…
- I wrote on the intersection of academic economics and policymaking - with some advice to young scholars interested in policy. Thanks Luigi @zingales! “Doubt is Their Product”: The Difference Between Research and Academic Lobbying promarket.org/2020/09/28/dif… via @ProMarket_org
- Sydney Opera House, 30 years apart. First came as a young musician, now giving some econ talks. Grateful for an interesting life. (Photo credit Maria)
- Headline twist by the @FT. Instead of saying that abolishing non-competes would reduce market power over workers, it says that it would be ‘damaging’ for shareholders. Everyone is free to pick their fights.













