working the knobs

1. control over NYC: Bloomberg wins third term as mayor

NEW YORK, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg won a third term on Tuesday after defeating his Democratic challenger Bill Thompson.

Bloomberg, an independent candidate, had successfully persuaded the City Council to amend a law that would have restricted him to two terms, and spent some 90 million dollars of his personal fortune on his campaign.

It was the fifth straight defeat for the Democrats, who, despite a massive registration advantage, have not captured the mayorship since 1989. Bloomberg, born on Feb. 14, 1942, is the richest man of New York City with a fortune of 16 billion dollars. He is also the founder and 88-percent owner of Bloomberg L.P., a financial news company.

source: chinaview


2. control over the food supply chain: Buffett buys out second largest US railroad company

NEW YORK, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- Renowned investor Warren Buffett has put his biggest bet on Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp (BNSF), second largest U.S. railroad company, according to a statement released on Tuesday.

Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. will pay 100 dollars per share in cash for the 78 percent of BNSF that it has not already owned, which comes to a total of 34 billion U.S. dollars. The price is 31.5 percent premium on BNSF's closing price on Monday.

read more @ chinaview

3. control over ideas: a personal interest in creating and fostering international academic links

He’s a New York Jew who speaks fluent Irish and is an expert in the anthropology of Irish Catholicism. Now, he’s making international connections for NUI Maynooth, writes GRÁINNE FALLER

excerpts:

A well-known anthropologist and writer, Taylor quickly made his mark in the office and, after a year as dean, was promoted to vice president at the beginning of this academic year. Universities are now working on a global stage. Smaller universities in particular can punch well above their weight in certain areas thanks to collaborations and partnerships with international counterparts. “That was a signal to the universities and the people he goes to see that he truly can speak on behalf of the university,” commented one source.

In many ways, the job could have been made for Taylor. As an anthropologist, he was accustomed to dealing with people and different cultures. He had a large amount of international experience under his belt and importantly, according to those who know him, Taylor makes friends easily and recognises the importance of personal friendships and connections in the larger business of university collaboration.

...
Learning the Irish language was just one element that allowed him to get under the skin of the community, but it was an important one. He developed a fascination in particular with the role of the Catholic Church and the priest in the community and gradually, that took over as his main area of research.

...
By the time he reached Maynooth, Taylor’s research focus had shifted from Ireland to the US-Mexico border, an area in which he is still working today.


read more @ irish times