WHEN I LOOK BACK at Irish broadsheets from summers past, I know there's less value in purchasing Sunday papers while much of the country is on holiday. So I've limited my Sunday paper round to one quality titlte, the FT Weekend, and made a short video clip as I flicked through its pink pages in search of items of interest.
Chocaholics Will Pay More. "A London hedge fund has swept up a large chunk of the world's stocks of cocoa beans, helping to drive prices of the basic ingredient of chocolate to their highest level in 33 years," according to Jack Farchy on the front page of the FT Weekend. Production problems continue in Ivory Coast and cocoa output has fallen short of consumption for four years in a row.
Billionaires and NGOs. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett may have misjudged the public mood with their "Giving Pledge". Gates sees an almost formal decision-making role for billionaires in a new constitutional order. It's a story written by Christopher Caldwell in the Comment and Analysis section of the FT. I'm waiting for the same backlash to sweep across Ireland in the bankrupt years ahead.
Pay Headmasters What They're Worth. The UK education secretary has declared no headteacher should earn more than the prime minister. Michael Skapinker asks, "Why not?"
Jobs Says Sorry. Steve Jobs apologised for poor antenna design during a press conference at Apple But he also tried to spin the issue into "most smartphones have similar issues", something that simply isn't true. Three things have emerged on the heels of the iPhone 4's weak antenna performance. First, a lot of iPhone owners don't use voice. Second, clean industrial design pre-empts all other aspects of Apple product manufacturing. Third, Apple PR won't respond directly to requests for clarification on products that don't work right. Joseph Menn has more in FT's Techgiants.
Dreamliner Progress. Further delays are likely for Boeing's already overdue passenger jet, writes Pilita Clark. I would like to ride aboard Virgin Atlantic's B787 service from London to Honolulu, seated next to my wife, of course. Beyond going that distance in one hop, the plane's improved internal pressurisation and humidity levels help people to arrive feeling more relaxed.
Chinese Labour. An unprecedented wave of strikes has hit China's factories in the past few months, throwing the spotlight on a young and exploited workforce. It's a story that resonates in the FT Magazine.
Direct link to video and audio.
One Week Ago: "Observing the Sunday News, 13 July 2010.
One Month Ago: "Scratch and Sniff Boo", June 18, 2010.
One Year Ago: "Waking up outside Twitter", 18 July 2009.
Five Years Ago: "Where are mid-career IT women?"
