The deadly persistence of cholera
The news of cholera outbreaks in Zimbabwe reminds me of reading The Ghost Map, Steven Johnson’s gripping account of the discovery of the causes of cholera in London in the 19th century. This was my review of it in the FT.
It seems improbable now that there could be cholera in Soho in the middle of London, but an outbreak there in 1854 led to the proof that the deadly illness was caused by drinking sewage-infected water. Read more
The hard road from Detroit to Washington
The decision of the chief executives of the big three Detroit companies to fly by corporate jet to Washington to seek a federal bail-out two weeks ago must rank as one of the great corporate public relations blunders of our time.
Now, it seems, Rick Wagoner of General Motors and Alan Mulally of Ford are going to waste time by driving themselves to the Capitol to have a second go, while Bob Nardelli of Chrysler is pondering his transport options. According to the Wall Street Journal this morning: Read more
| About this blog | Blog guide |
John Gapper is an associate editor and the chief business commentator of the FT.
He has worked for the FT since 1987, covering labour relations, banking and the media. He is co-author, with Nicholas Denton, of 'All That Glitters', an account of the collapse of Barings in 1995.
Andrew Hill is an associate editor and the management editor of the FT. He is a former City editor, financial editor, comment and analysis editor, New York bureau chief, foreign news editor and correspondent in Brussels and Milan.
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