Guest Thinkers — December 28, 2010

The Battle for Africa’s Mines

An Australian-based firm’s $3.9 billion bid for a coal mine in Mozambique says much about its ambitions and the battle that giant mining firms will face in securing Africa’s resources.

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Coal prices are surging. China’s hunger for energy turned it into a net importer in 2009 of the thermal coal that fuels power stations, a trend that is set to continue. And steelmakers, fearful of the rising prices of raw materials, are hunting for captive sources of metallurgical (coking) coal as well as iron ore. Booming commodity prices are a burden as well as an immense boon for big miners. Rio, BHP Billiton, Vale and others are planning on vast increases in capital spending in the coming years, and have the bumper profits to finance it, yet there is only so much fruitful investment to be made in their current mines.

The most counterintuitive, surprising, and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every Thursday.

Flipping the script on leader feedback: Why leaders need feedback too

Leaders don’t lack resources aimed at helping them deliver more meaningful employee feedback. Yet, candid and comprehensive feedback for leaders, particularly on leadership and management skills, receives far less attention. […]

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Hard Science

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Life

Test Internal Ceros

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How “somatic markers” can transform your decision-making

Ditch the old brain vs. heart assumptions, and instead think about a heart-led brain.

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How logic and reasoning can fail as scientific tools

In logic, ‘reductio ad absurdum’ shows how flawed arguments fall apart. Our absurd Universe, however, often defies our intuitive reasoning.

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America’s Crumbing Infrastructure

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