Author: Sam Kornstein

Iceland’s First Armed Police Incident

Posted on by in Current Events

I saw this this morning. While it’s unfortunate, the fact that Icelandic police have never used lethal force in any operation until yesterday says a lot about the country. From the BBC: Icelandic police have shot dead a man who was firing a shotgun in his apartment in the early hours of Monday. It is the first time someone has been killed in an armed police operation in Iceland, officials say. Tear gas canisters were fired through the windows in an attempt to subdue the 59-year-old, who lived in the east of the capital, Reykjavik. When this failed he was shot after firing at police entering the building. Between 15 and 20 officers took part… The incident was “without precedent” in Iceland,

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Sustainable Approaches to Reducing Food Waste (Continued)

Posted on by in India Food Waste, Markets

The following is a guest post from my good friend and former research colleague Paul Artiuch. Paul and I previously conducted a research study focused on market-oriented approaches to reducing agricultural food waste in India. Paul has since conducted some comparative research in the US, which he describes below. Our original research, including our report and the associated blog posts, can be found here as well as on the MIT Public Service Center website. Over a year ago, my colleague Sam and I researched and documented breakdowns in Indian agricultural supply chains in order to provide insight into a problem which costs India around 40% of its annual output.  Since then, we’ve been in contact with entrepreneurs, researchers and the media

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Wimberley Texas

Posted on by in Beer, Travel

The day after Thanksgiving, I went out to Wimberley with my girlfriend’s family, which is a small town about half an hour outside of Austin. I didn’t know what to expect, and was very pleasantly surprised. We started the day the Blue Hole regional park, a nice area with some hiking trails where we successfully found a geocache by a creek. This was one of the toughest ones I’ve done — and I can’t take credit for finding it (I’m not so sure I would have): We then went to the square, which is filled with lots of artsy stores selling many locally made “things”. I say “things” because while there were plenty of more normal crafty items such as

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Shakshuka Recipe

Posted on by in Recipes

After celebrating my first and only Thanksgivikkah with my girlfriend’s family, we were talking about Hanukkah dishes (after previously eating some latkes), and somehow I came up with the idea to make Shakshuka. It’s an Israeli (or more generally middle eastern) breakfast dish, that is in no way specific to Hanukkah. But I had been meaning to try making it for some time, after having it in Israel in 2009 and the later in Boston at the Bee Hive, so my girlfriend’s mom and I decided to give it a shot. We adapted a recipe I found in the NYT to accommodate what we had available (including celery, which was mixed with a chopped onion left over from Thanksgiving stuffing

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The Broken Spoke

Posted on by in Bars, Music

I spent the Thanksgiving break with my girlfriend’s family in Austin, and finally made it out to The Broken Spoke, a country venue known for some of the best honky tonk in the area. We had tried to go almost a year ago, after it was recommended to me by a friend who lived in Austin for a number of years, only to find out it was closed the day after Christmas. We went back this time and made it in. It’s a pretty interesting place, that from my limited experience, at least appears to capture the Austin country scene well. Inside there are a number of tables surrounding a large dance floor, with a stage in the far back.

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Tyler Cowen on Black Friday Economics

Posted on by in General

From 2011, but still relevant: In fact it seems that early December has in general the cheapest prices of the year, not Black Friday. Dare I suggest that some people like waiting in those lines with their thermos cups and stale bagels. You could try to argue they are “forced to do so,” to get the bargains, but in a reasonably competitive world each outlet will (roughly) try to maximize the consumer surplus from visiting the store, including the experience of waiting in line.

Trendy on a Budget

Posted on by in General

My good friend Linda Nguyen was featured and interviewed in today’s Boston Globe for her ‘Trendy on a Budget’ blog and Instagram feed. “At first glance, 32-year-old South Boston resident Linda Nguyen appears to be your average compliance specialist at a financial services company. She’s engaged, dotes on her precious Yorkshire terrier, and has an obsession with fried chicken and travel. But take a closer look at her fashion choices and it’s clear we’re not dealing with just any financial services employee. Nguyen loves to hunt down bargains and then share (OK, brag about) them on her blog. Which could only mean one thing: She’s our Instagram style star of the week.” A few good lines from Linda: “Over the years, Bentley (my

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Southie Development Time Lapse

Posted on by in Boston/Cambridge, Current Events

I have three good friends who all live in this building, a few blocks up the street from my place. A year ago it was in pretty rough shape, likely abandoned and condemned. This time lapse below, covering the gutting and development of the building, is pretty great. Especially since my friends get to have a professional video of their homes being built. It seems like every fifth lot in the neighborhood is undergoing something similar.