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An interview with businessman, philanthropist, and author Charles Koch is presented. He discusses his thoughts on the 2016 U.S. presidential election, noting his plans to support the Republican party. Other topics covered include campaign donations, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, and market-based management.

The article presents commentary criticizing not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) attitudes in the U.S. as of 2015, hindering developments energy development, large scale conservation plans, and infrastructure projects throughout the country. Topics addressed include description of the NIMBY phenomenon, profiles of several individual projects which are necessary and beneficial but are perpetually stalled, and the economic consequences of such opposition fronts.

The article discusses technological advances in financial transactions developed global payments technology company Visa. It examines the career of Visa chief executive officer (CEO) Charlie Scharf, revenues and operating profits for Visa, and Visa's position as the center of a global network of banks for transactions. The article discusses technology such as Apple Pay, experimental alternative payment systems, and the computer software known as application program interfaces. It also discusses Visa's collection of personal data via transactions.

The article presents "30 under 30" lists of influential people and entrepreneurs in various fields including law & policy, sports, and entertainment under the age of 30. Persons profiled include Austin McChord, founder of data security company Datto, Eben Bayer, founder of packaging manufacturing company Ecovative, and Alan Schaaf, founder of Internet image sharing website Imgur.

The article profiles four finance professors, offering information on their investment strategy. Investors include Andrew W. Lo, founder of quantitative investment management company AlphaSimplex Group, who integrates behavioral economics and artificial intelligence; Robert Whitelaw, chief investment strategist of exchange-traded fund company IndexIQ, which attempts to replicate the performance of hedge funds without the fees; and Lasse Pedersen, who combines momentum and value investing.

The article profiles defense contractor Lockheed Martin under the leadership of chief executive Marillyn Hewson. It examines the company's financial conditions, noting the decrease in market capitalization after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump criticized the cost of the company's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet program. Other topics covered include Hewson's career at Lockheed since 1983, the purchase of the Sikorsky helicopter unit from United Technologies, and the company's approach to research and development (R&D).

The article discusses the claim that the finances of the Vail Resorts Inc. ski resort ownership firm have increased under the leadership of chief executive officer Robert "Rob" Katz, and it mentions high-end amenities for skiers and guests such as the Eagle's Nest gourmet restaurant in Vail, Colorado. The Vail and Breckenridge resorts in Colorado are addressed, along with the Utah's Park City Mountain Resort and the costs associated with season ski-lift passes, food, and labor.

The article discusses Dow Chemical. Activist investor Daniel Loeb has accused the company of underperfomance and demanded a reassessment of its strategy. Under chief executive Andrew Liveris Dow's petrochemicals business has prospered thanks in part to an abundance of shale gas in the U.S. At a key juncture billionaire Warren Buffett provided $3 billion in funding to help Dow complete its purchase of specialty chemical maker Rohm & Haas.

The article presents a profile of American billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch as of December 2012, focusing on an analysis of the multinational Koch Industries manufacturing and raw materials company and the conservative political leanings of the Koch brothers. Liberal television hosts such as Chris Matthews have publicly opposed the wealthy Koch brothers and their support of conservative politicians such as former 2012 U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Charles Koch's decision to acquire the paper company Georgia-Pacific LLC is also mentioned.

The article presents a list of the top 50 private equity investors as of October 2012 according to "Forbes" Magazine, including David Rubenstein and William Conway Jr. of the Carlyle Group asset management firm, and George Roberts of the private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR). INSET: THE DEAL OF THE CENTURY.

The article discusses the Bain Capital asset management company as of October 2012, focusing on an examination of the company's investment record to date, including an analysis of Bain Capital's partnerships with other financial services firms such as Merrill Lynch & Co. U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his founding of Bain Capital in 1984 are addressed, along with an examination of the company's financial investment in firms such as the Burlington Coat Factory and Michaels Stores retail chains.

The article presents the 2012 "Forbes 400" list of the wealthiest Americans, which includes private equity manager Stephen Schwarzman, real estate developer Donald Bren, and Michael Dell, head of computer manufacturer Dell Inc. INSET: The Numbers Game.

The article lists the top 40 highest-earning hedge fund managers in 2011, including Raymond Dalio of investment firm Bridgewater Associates, James Simons of management company Renaissance Technologies, and Carl Icahn of Icahn Capital Management investment firm.

The article focuses on campaign funding in the U.S. in 2012 and the effect that private patronage has on the electoral system. Information is provided on the campaign funding controversies in the 2012 presidential campaign, which include the funding of candidate Newt Gingrich's campaign by casino and hotel mogul Sheldon Adelson and the U.S. Democratic Party's efforts to win over large donors. The article discusses the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which classified campaign donations as free speech and eliminated the ban on campaign funding by corporations. INSET: PSST! WANNA BUY SOME INFLUENCE?.

The article discusses the 2013 America's Cup, to be held in San Francisco, California, focusing on changes to yachts. It examines the catamarans of Oracle Corporation founder Larry Ellison, particularly commenting on his AC45 model. The author reflects on the importance of tactical maneuvering and speed in yacht racing and notes changes to rules. Sailors considered include Halsey Herreshoff, Chris Draper, and James Spithill. Ellison's competition with Swiss pharmaceuticals industry heir Ernesto Bertarelli is also discussed.

The article offers a list of the top thirty entrepreneurs under the age of thirty chosen by "Forbes" magazine. These include Donald Glover, a writer, rapper, and actor on the television program "Community," Danielle Fong, the co-founder of the energy storage company LightSail Energy, and Kevin Systrom, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the photography sharing company Instagram. The list also includes Ronan Farrow, a special advisor on global youth issues for the U.S. State Department and speech advisor to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The article focuses on Phil Falcone, a financial investor and hedge fund manager. Information is provided on how Falcone plans to build a cellular telephone network called LightSquared that uses satellite communications on the L-band network of the radio spectrum. The article offers an overview of the fight between Falcone and U.S. Senator Charles Grassley, who is attempting to block the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) approval of LightSquared in order to appease the farm equipment manufacturer Deere & Co. It is noted that Deere & Co. fear the transmissions will interfere with their global positioning system technology and are one of Grassley's largest campaign contributors.

The article presents a chart of where in the U.S. job growth has occurred in 2011, professions that pay over an annual income of one hundred thousand dollars, and the best cities in the U.S. for job growth. A graph shows the amount of growth in the U.S. service sector and the number of self-employed people between 2006 and 2011. Statistics are offered on the U.S. companies that have increased their employees the most in one year including the information technology company Cognizant Technology Solutions, computer manufacturer Apple Inc., and electronic commerce company Amazon.com.

The article discusses German engineering firm Siemens and the increasing share of its sales that come from the infrastructure needs of large global cities. Examples of Siemens technology in use around the world are cited, including low-cost X-ray machines in India, electrical generators in Brazil, and smart-grid technology in China. The article discusses the growth of megacities and their attendant slums, and the need in these places for the infrastructure technology that Siemens manufactures. Past bribery scandals at the company are also described, along with chief executive officer (CEO) Peter Löscher's efforts to eradicate corruption since the beginning of his tenure in 2007. Siemens' water treatment business and its importance in developing countries are also discussed.

The article discusses how chief operating officer Linda Hudson of defense contractor BAE Systems PLC plans to cope with cuts in the U.S. military budget. BAE sells the government some $13 billion worth of artillery shells, missile guidance systems, tanks, and other equipment each year. Anticipating reductions in spending on conventional arms, Hudson is strengthening her firm's presence in areas that are likely to see increased spending such as cybersecurity and electronic surveillance. She is also emphasizing ship repair, a growing business in which BAE employs 4,300 people. INSET: In Brief: Turn That Battleship!.

The article introduced the publications list of the "Forbes 400" richest people in the U.S. by discussing why it is important to keep track of such wealth. The author observes that in the fluctuating fortunes of billionaires one may discern how well the U.S. is doing. Increasing levels of wealth, she says, reflect innovation and entrepreneurship.

This article presents information about a little-known revolution that is taking place in public schools across America. Although the poor economy has resulted in teacher layoffs and school closings in some areas, other schools are using a corporate management model to control costs and students. Achievement First of New Haven, Connecticut, a nonprofit organization, manages several schools in New York and Connecticut. The company uses constantly collected data to adjust lesson plans and individual teaching strategies. The management model helps schools to use resources more efficiently and to make changes quickly based on collected data.

The article discusses global debt and aspects of spending strategies designed to recover from the economic recession. Dallas, Texas hedge-fund manager Kyle Bass is cited regarding his Hayman Advisors fund and profits to be realized depending on interest rate trends. The article notes the global issuance of debt instruments and international interest rates. JPMorgan Chase analyst Masaaki Kanno is cited regarding Japanese bonds. INSET: Setting Sun.

The article presents a profile of the Reorg Research financial news subscription service dealing in information pertaining to distressed debt and other corporate information such as litigation and bankruptcy. Biographical information on Reorg founder Kent Collier is offered and the company's research on the corporate bond and securities markets is described.

The article discusses the management of the real estate and securities brokerage company BGC Partners, an offshoot of private securities firm Cantor Fitzgerald LP, by chief executive officer Howard W. Lutnick. Emphasis is given to topics such as his stopping of dead employees' payment after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Lutnick's control of voting shares as sole general partner, and BGC's stake in the commercial real estate market.

The article discusses litigation finance as a form of investment. Particular focus is given to the online electronic investment platform Mighty Group Inc., which allows investors to lend money to plaintiffs in personal injury lawsuits. Details on Mighty Group chief executive officer Joshua Schwadron are presented. Other topics include peer-to-peer lending, laws regulating litigation finance, the investment firm Burford Capital, and interest rates.

The article discusses the impact of the financial crisis on rich people in the U.S. Populist rage is aimed at rich people, the article indicates. The U.S. government is raising the rates at which rich people are taxed. Other topics include parties that are not as obvious in New York City and buying discounted designer goods.

The article reports on the U.S. economy. David Murrin, chief investment officer for Emergent Asset Management in Great Britain, believes that the U.S. will no longer be the world leader and that Asian economies will take over. He has advised Emergent, a private equity and hedge fund firm, to invest in African farmland, oil companies in Russia, and other emerging markets.

The article discusses Timothy F. Geithner's appointment as United States Treasury Secretary. Geithner, who was formerly president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, will face many challenges with the treasury as he attempts to deal with a global economic recession in 2009. The author attempts to predict Geithner's actions. INSETS: GEITHNER'S CHECKLIST;PAYDAY.

The article reports on the U.S. stock market and the Nasdaq OMX Group. The Nasdaq market features a solitary technician who oversees two computer screens which give readings on stock quotes and stock trades that have been completed. Nasdaq was started in 1971 and is electronic, holding an estimated 33% of U.S. equities. Robert Griefeld, chief executive officer of Nasdaq, claims they are trying to add more incremental trades in order to lower their costs. INSET: STEALTH TRADING.

The article discusses investing in distressed securities. Eric Wagoner of Source Capital began investing in these securities in the late 1970s. He has been purchasing Ford Motor bonds at yields upwards of 16% versus the 10% they went for in 2006. He also buys Rite Aid bonds which sell for 50 cents on the dollar.

The article reports on securities which are being purchased by investors in Spring 2008 as a recession, as some are calling it, sets in. When times are bad, the article indicates, one should buy assets. Commentary is provided by Christopher Ailman, chief investment officer for the California State Teachers' Retirement System. The various stocks and bonds being purchased, and the individuals and institutions purchasing them, are detailed.

The article reports on the job chief executive John Thain has in rehabilitating the fortunes of financial services and investment banking company Merrill Lynch after it suffered huge losses in the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis. Thain's upper management changes and other plans for the firm are discussed, as is his previous success as head of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).

This article discusses how three entrepreneurs have unlocked a new source of fluid energy in coal. GreatPoint Energy has claimed that it can make natural gas at 40% below market price. GreatPoint was founded by a trio of Boston, Massachusetts friends, Andrew Perlman, Avi Goldberg, and Aaron Mandell, who made a career out of scrounging through scientific literature for business ideas.

The article presents a profile on Italian oil company Eni. Particular attention is given to the history of Eni's international business transactions, as well as its dependence on Russia in 2007. Article topics include the business policies of Paolo Scaroni, the CEO of Eni, the pipeline that runs between Europe and Russia, as well as the stability of Gazprom, the Russian state-controlled gas producer that is nationalizing its domestic oil and gas production. INSET: The Power of the Spigot.

The article focuses on mania surrounding renewable energy suppliers and investment groups looking to capitalize on the trend, such as Goldman Sachs and venture capitalist Vinof Khosla. The article details some of the companies involved in renewable energy processes and their connections to shell companies and defunct mining outfits, such as NewGen Technologies, formerly XsunX, formly Sun River Mining. The operations of GreenShift Corp., a holding company for six public traded entities, are discussed, as well as several fraudulent operations. INSET: Energy Dreams and Schemes.

The article looks at how successful investors sometimes make bad decisions with big financial repercussions. What makes smart investors so dumb? Greed, of course. They wouldn't be in this game if they didn't hope to rake it in. But we're talking about sophisticated investors who rarely take people--or balance sheets--at face value. Avarice alone can't explain why so many of them fall for flimflammery, from hedge funds and secretive offshore commodities pools to ordinary Ponzi schemes. How, for example, could a buyout artist like Thomas H. Lee be taken in by Phillip Bennett, the Refco chairman eventually caught hiding (so say prosecutors; Bennett denies the charge) $430 million in bad debt? A certain predisposition to folly is hard-wired into the human species. Decision making means processing an immense amount of data, and so the brain takes shortcuts. "Authority, scarcity, consensus, social proof--these are relatively primitive decision-making strategies we deploy," says Robert B. Cialdini, a professor of psychology at Arizona State University and author of Influence: Science and Practice (Allyn & Bacon, 2000). In other words, we're all susceptible to suggestions by influential people; we gravitate to something if it seems to be unavailable to everyone else, and we trust strangers who appear to be like us.

This article focuses on General Electric's efforts to be environmentally friendly. GE is green? For a long stretch GE has been near the top of environmentalists' most-hated lists. GE's finance division and NBC Universal are harmless enough, but the rest of the conglomerate depends heavily on pollution-spewing, global-warming things that enviros love to condemn: appliances, plastics, fossil-fuel-fired turbines and diesel locomotives. In the Ecomagination talk there is showmanship but also some reality. GE's new philosophy, which roughly coincides with the ascension of Jeffrey R. Immelt, 49, to the chief executive position four years ago, is this: If you can't beat the environmentalists, join them. Immelt's GE is going to make a business out of being green. It will not just clean up its own industrial act but also get more deeply into the business of selling eco-friendly devices to other companies.

This article reports on the struggle over AIG. How in one 1998 case David Boies tried to get New York Supreme Court Judge Edward Greenfield removed from a lawsuit--three years after his client, New York landlord Sheldon Solow, had settled the underlying complaint. The key section in the Gen Re contract exposes AIG to as much as $100 million of losses should claims come in higher than the $500 million it received in Gen Re premiums. INSETS: Lowdown on the Showdown;When Gray Becomes Black-and-White.

This article focuses on studies about the effect of food on the brain. In a lab at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, Gene-Jack Wang is injecting overeaters with a radioactive sugar solution and putting them into a positron-emissions tomography machine to see how their brains react to food. If Dr. Wang's previous studies are any indication, he will see that a test subject's striatum, a sort of communications hub inside the brain, has fewer dopamine receptors than the striatum of someone with normal eating habits. Wang has already demonstrated that the mere sight and smell of food can cause a release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with motivation and pleasure. Wang's theory could mean nothing more than that drugs hijack the same brain circuits that evolved over millions of years to motivate people to find and eat food. Dr. Neal Barnard of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, author of Breaking the Food Seduction, maintains that chocolate acts on the brain like heroin. INSET: From Aroma to Appetite.

The article examines problems associated with class action suits in the U.S. Three years ago a couple of little-known law firms stood poised to reap the biggest shares of a huge legal fee: $262 million--$10,861 per billable hour--for their role in landing a $3.2 billion settlement against scandal-scarred Cendant Corp. Then Leslie Conason got in their way. Conason, a staff lawyer for New York City, whose pension fund was one of three lead plaintiffs represented by the two firms in the Cendant suit, was outraged by the sum. She tried coaxing the pair of firms--Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann of New York and Barrack, Rodos & Bacine of Philadelphia--into taking less. They refused. Then she appealed to the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeals court called the fees "staggering" and ordered the parties to agree on a smaller sum. But here's the weird part: Conason had to wage this fight alone. The other two lead plaintiffs--the New York State Common Retirement Fund and the California Public Employees' Retirement System--did not join her push for lower fees. H. Carl McCall, who at the time was state comptroller and the sole trustee of the New York State fund, says there was no need for him to challenge the legal fees because the city was taking care of it. Was that the only reason he wasn't complaining about the $10,861-per-hour fee? McCall's ties to the two law firms are close. He played a role in naming Bernstein Litowitz and Barrack, Rodos to handle the Cendant case and a few others, including a suit against WorldCom and Citigroup in the wake of the telco's belly flop. McCall, meanwhile, received $140,000 in campaign contributions from the two class action firms. And so it goes in the cozy confines of the class action racket. Plaintiff lawyers give handily to the politicians who hire them. None of this is illegal per se; nor does it violate existing rules of legal ethics. But even some lawyers have problems with it. INSETS: Negative-Sum Game;Money on the Table.

After two years of declining values, the rich finally got richer. On this, "Forbes" magazine's 21st annual edition of "The Forbes 400," the aggregate net worth of the nation's wealthiest 400 citizens leapt 10% in the past year, to $955 billion -- just one Bill Gates away from $1 trillion. Leading the charge: Internet stocks. A rising price of admission -- $600 million -- pushed 20 members off the list, including wrestling's Vince McMahon and Global Crossing's Gary Winnick. Their places were filled by newcomers like hedge fund managers Steve Cohen and Ken Griffin, both of whom would prefer we keep them out of our club.

The article focuses on the international politics associated with petroleum. ExxonMobil Chemical Co. controls concessions covering 12 million acres off the coast of Angola that hold an estimated 7.5 billion barrels of crude. ExxonMobil handed hundreds of millions of dollars to the corrupt regime of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos in the late 1990s, helping to prolong Angola's ruinous civil war--but then the oil business is rarely pretty. Chadian President Idriss Deby bought arms despite an ingenious structure that the World Bank set up to guarantee that oil-related revenue would be spent on social needs instead of on weapons and the military. Under that program, the $2 billion in taxes and royalties the project in Chad is expected to throw off over the next 30 years goes into bank accounts monitored by a nine-member panel, chosen by the government, churches and labor unions, that has a mandate to spend at least 80 percent on social programs and infrastructure.

From the penthouse of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. you can hear the shouts and sirens as crowds of demonstrators clash with troops loyal to President Hugo Chávez. It's a familiar cacophony on the streets of downtown Caracas these days--part of a general strike that has paralyzed the country and all but shut down oil production. It's precisely the kind of civil unrest Alí Rodríguez Araque tried to foment during a 15-year career as a Marxist guerrilla in the 1960s and 1970s. But now the head of the state-owned oil company, PDVSA, is on the other side, appointed by Chávez to contain the divisive politics that threaten to tear PDVSA--and Venezuela itself--apart. With 78 billion barrels of proved oil reserves (to the U.S.' 22 billion) and uncounted trillions of cubic feet of natural gas, Venezuela has the largest hydrocarbon deposits in the Western Hemisphere. Its exports of 1.2 million barrels a day to the U.S. trail those of Saudi Arabia, Canada and Mexico today, but that could change if war disrupts the flow of oil from the Middle East. Energy Department planners believe Venezuela will outstrip Mexico as an exporter to the U.S. by 2020, as Mexico's fast-growing demand eclipses production of 4.4 million barrels a day. By that point Venezuela could also be a significant exporter of refined products like gasoline and jet fuel, as environmental controls and poor investment returns keep the U.S. refining industry from expanding to meet demand. To boost production, Rodríguez must contend with venomous politics in Venezuela and within PDVSA, which is seething with anti-Chávez plotters starting at executive grades immediately beneath his own. A strike at PDVSA helped spark the short-lived coup that briefly unseated Chávez in April; oil employees, a key force behind the current strike, are demanding Chávez's resignation.

The article focuses on the 2002 Cup sailing competition held in the U.S. Dennis Conner first won the competition in 1974, then lost the Cup in 1983 as skipper for the New York Yacht Club, breaking a 132-year wining steak. This time however a Conner must overcome a boatload of billionaire rivals. Boat design is still the biggest challenge. A yacht must perform well in a wide range of conditions in both water and air. A boat that screams in light breezes might too much and skid side- ways when the wind kicks up to 20 knots.

The article introduces "Forbes," magazine's list of the 400 wealthiest people in the U.S. The nation's 400 wealthiest people misplaced $80 billion in net worth over the past year, a contributing factor in the exit of 35 people from the list. This year's new members include David Gold, who paid his admission in pennies collected by his chain of 99 Cent Only Stores Inc., Timothy Boyle, who climbed on with the success of Columbia Sportswear.

This article focuses on the growth and development of Dell Computer Corp. Dell's operating costs, including research and development, were around 10% of revenue last year. For Dell's growth plan to work, software allies like Microsoft Corp. and Oracle and chipmakers like Intel Corp. and Broadcom must develop technology that allows switches and routers to be assembled from off-the-rack components. And the devices have to be able to communicate with each other without an army of consultants to design and set up the network. Dell has been able to muscle into storage because standardization is starting to erode the technological defenses of companies like EMC and IBM.

This article presents information on Charles Watson, chief executive of energy company Dynegy Inc. In 15 years he had built the natural-gas producer into a powerhouse, but he chafed in the shadow of his far bigger hometown rival, Enron Corp., and its chairman, the silver-tongued Kenneth Lay. Lay's swagger personified the freewheeling energy-trading markets, and Enron dominated the action, but now the titan was reeling from allegations of dirty self-dealing, a raft of sudden resignations and an SEC investigation. Watson was sure the skeptics on Enron were wrong and that with a few problems solved Enron was still a rock-solid money machine. Its revenue grew 57% in the third quarter to $47 billion more than one kind a half times what Dynegy generated in all of 2000. For a fire-sale price, Dynegy would suddenly expand six fold into a $200 billion-a-year giant with $90 billion in assets.

This article focuses on the financial performance of Coca-Cola Co. The truth is that the company hasn't come up with a memorable advertising campaign or a new flavor in years. Ever since the death of the company's Chief Executive Roberto Goizueta in 1997, no one seems able to put life back into the 115-year-old company. The Atlanta, Georgia-based soft drink giant is trading at 6 times last year's revenue of $20.5 billion and 27 times estimated 2002 earnings of $1.78 a share. This year's joint venture of Coca-Cola with the firm Procter & Gamble was ill conceived.

Discusses classic yacht racing. Mention of the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta, which is part of the Antigua Sailing Week; Differences between classic and modern yachts and how they are raced; Description of three J-boats that have survived from the 1930s, the Endeavour, the Velsheda, and the Ticonderoga; Why classic and modern yachts race separately; Real estate developer Donald Tofias, who has built modern yachts with the classic lines of 1930s racers.