Tag: Economist

  • Spanish Silver

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    Brendan Barry
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    A few weeks back now the Economist posted a graphic about the link between lead, silver, and the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. But not in the way you probably think. Instead, they graph the appearance of lead deposits in the glaciers of Greenland. For the full explanation you should read the short…

  • Forecasting the American Midterm Elections

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    Brendan Barry
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    We are inching ever closer to the US midterm elections in November. In less than a week the largest state, California, will go to the polls to elect their candidates for their districts. So late last week whilst your author was on holiday, the Economist released its forecast model for the results. They will update…

  • Open Door Cabinets

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    Brendan Barry
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    Here in the States we are accustomed to unstable governments—the Trump administration has set records for the most departures so early in its term. But the United Kingdom is not to be outdone as Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, resigned in response to an immigration scandal. She makes six the number of cabinet officials who…

  • Germany

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    Brendan Barry
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    Last week Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, visited President Trump in Washington. This post comes from the Economist and, while not specifically about that trip, describes Germany in a few different metrics. Back in the day it would be what I called a country-specific datagraphic. That is, it shows metrics not necessarily connected to each…

  • The Cost of Giving Birth

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    Brendan Barry
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    Monday was the birth of the newest British prince. We covered that here. Interestingly, the Economist then covered the cost of giving birth. No surprise, those involving royals tend to be costly. But I did not think that the average American birth actually cost more. Credit for the piece goes to the Economist’s graphics department.

  • Circle This

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    Brendan Barry
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    Last week I met a friend for drinks and part of our conversation was about how on a trip to east Asia, he flew from New York and then over the North Pole. The North Pole! I then explained it was cool, but not unique. Instead aircraft typically fly between destinations via great circles. Basically,…

  • All Hail the Nurses and Working People

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    Brendan Barry
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    Let’s start this week with a quick hit on popularity and politics. It ties in nicely with the fact that my local congressman, a Republican, announced on Sunday he would not be seeking re-election in a very competitive district. This piece in particular comes from the Economist and in terms of form, it is fairly simple.…

  • Russia Tomorrow

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    Brendan Barry
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    In news that surprises absolutely nobody, Russia “re-elected” Vladimir Putin as president for another six-year term. The Economist recently looked at what they termed the Puteens, a generation of Russians born starting in 1999 who have no memory of a Russia pre-Vladimir Putin. This piece features a set of interactive dot plots that capture survey results on…

  • The Russian Threat

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    Brendan Barry
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    A few days ago a former Russian spy and his daughter were poisoned with a nerve agent, e.g. VX, in Salisbury, England. Over a decade ago, another former Russian spy, Alexander Litvinenko, died in London after being poisoned with polonium, a highly radioactive substance produced inside nuclear reactors, placed inside his tea. Russia’s spies are…

  • Post-Brexit Trading

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    Brendan Barry
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    Off of yesterday’s piece looking at the potential slowdown in British economic growth post-Brexit, I wanted to look at a piece from the Economist exploring the state of the UK’s current trade deals. I understand what is going on, with the size of the bubbles relating to British exports and the colour to the depth…