May 4

5-4-2010—40th anniversary of Kent State killings
--Halliburton was providing a number of services on the [BP oil] rig, including cementing, which is a method of aping the well to control pressure from the oil and gas beneath.—NYT A1 [hey, they were great in Iraq...?..]
-- Only about 6.7 percent of Swedish-Americans live in poverty. ...When two economists calculated Swedish poverty rates according to the American standard, they found that 6.7 percent of the Swedes in Sweden were living in poverty. ... There are certain high-trust regions where highly educated people congregate, producing positive feedback loops of good culture and good human capital programs. This mostly happens in the northeastern states like New Jersey and Connecticut. There are other regions with low social trust, low education levels and negative feedback loops. This mostly happens in southern states like Arkansas and West Virginia.-- David Brooks, NYT A25