The Art of PowerPoint
Pigovian Taxes
A Pigovian tax (also spelled Pigouvian tax) is a tax levied to correct the negative externalities of a market activity. For instance, a Pigovian tax may be levied on producers who pollute the environment to encourage them to reduce pollution, and to provide revenue which may be used to counteract the negative effects of the pollution. Certain types of Pigovian taxes are sometimes referred to as sin taxes, for example taxes on alcohol and cigarettes.
Pigovian taxes are named after economist Arthur Pigou (1877-1959) who also developed the concept of economic externalities.
from the Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigovian_tax]
In 2005, carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels climbed to a record high of 7.9 billion tons, an increase of some 3 percent from the previous year. Annual global emissions have been increasing since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the late eighteenth century, when humans first began burning fossil fuels on a large scale to produce energy. Since the early 1900s, emissions have been rising at an increasingly rapid pace. Annual emissions have grown by a factor of fifteen since 1900, advancing nearly 3 percent a year over that time.
Joseph A. Florence, Earth Policy Insitute[http://www.earth-policy.org/Indicators/CO2/2006.htm]
Recent news on Global Warming is dire, with a new U.N. report arguing that we can expect sea levels to rise for the next 100 years, with devastating results. Much of this was discussed in Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth,” of course, but it’s good to see that the issue is attacking some attention in the profit-media. The question then becomes, of course, what to do about it. One idea gaining ground involves a Pigovian Tax on carbon; the more you put into the atmosphere, the more you pay. Last November, MS-NBC reported on Boulder Colorado’s carbon tax program.
Bob’s Your Uncle!
[Q] From Florence C Goold: “What is the origin and actual meaning of bob’s your uncle?â€
[A] This is a catchphrase which seemed to arise out of nowhere and yet has had a long period of fashion and is still going strong. It’s known mainly in Britain and Commonwealth countries, and is really a kind of interjection. It’s used to show how simple it is to do something: “You put the plug in here, press that switch, and Bob’s your uncle!â€.
from World Wide Words
I am officially starting a movement for the United States to join the rest of the civilized English speaking world and start shouting, “Bob’s Your Uncle!” This is a nice blog by Michael Quinion about English in England and the U.S., and he offers a detailed explanation of the phrase. Another related blog, “Separated by a Common Language” by a writer known only as “lynneguist” has an interesting post about Barack Obama’s apparently ambiguous racial standing.
It seems Debra J. Dickerson has claimed (in Salon) that Obama isn’t black because he isn’t a descendant of U.S. slaves. In rebuttal, Gary Kamiya writes (in Salon) that Obama “is black — he just isn’t “black.”” That settles it for me. Of course, lynnequist’s site is named after George Bernard Shaw’s famous quip that “England and America are two countries separated by a common language.” He also said that “Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it.” Bob’s your Uncle!