http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=1650
Here are some one liners...
The Unfair Business Practices of Chinese Barbers -- The Chinese barbers are unfairly working harder, longer and appealing to their customer's needs! I also talk about the Koreans in the Rodney King Riots. (I think I talked about this before but from a different angle.)
Harvard Incorporated -- One wonders why Harvard College needed to incorporate at this time. Corporations are somewhat like guilds at this time.
A Few Significant Surprises -- A list of events including a woman who comes back from the dead.
The Unfair Business Practices of Chinese Barbers
The first Chinatown in the Americas is in Mexico City and Chinese barbers have become a source of controversy due their unfair business practices compared to Spanish barbers. The Chinese work harder. They work longer hours and they have moved their barber shops downtown to be closer to their customers even though they must pay higher rents. How can anyone expect to compete with that? A special government official is appointed this year to regulate the Chinese. He begins by limiting the number of razors a barbershop can own. This is meant to limit the amount of business a barbershop can handle but ultimately it's not going to work with people who are willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. [1]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
I lived in Southern California before the Rodney King riots and I remember the attitude toward Korean businesses in the ghetto areas. The news media focused on how Korean grocers were preying on the ghetto community by charging higher prices, expecting their employees to work harder and keeping track of their inventory like they might be robbed at any moment... probably because they might be robbed at any moment. They expected their children to be brilliant students and they sent a considerable amount of money back to South Korea. So when riots broke out, it was no surprise that they were the target of rioters. But the Koreans stood next to their stores while openly carrying guns. If anyone messed with them they were not afraid to shoot. Really. The Koreans didn't wait for the police to protect them. They protected themselves. If it seems like I love the Koreans, well... I find them admirable.
I lived in Southern California before the Rodney King riots and I remember the attitude toward Korean businesses in the ghetto areas. The news media focused on how Korean grocers were preying on the ghetto community by charging higher prices, expecting their employees to work harder and keeping track of their inventory like they might be robbed at any moment... probably because they might be robbed at any moment. They expected their children to be brilliant students and they sent a considerable amount of money back to South Korea. So when riots broke out, it was no surprise that they were the target of rioters. But the Koreans stood next to their stores while openly carrying guns. If anyone messed with them they were not afraid to shoot. Really. The Koreans didn't wait for the police to protect them. They protected themselves. If it seems like I love the Koreans, well... I find them admirable.
Harvard Incorporated
Harvard College (which is Harvard University in the modern day) legally incorporates as "The President and Fellows of Harvard College". The actual working of the college is incorporated into the constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Harvard is considered the oldest corporation North America. [2] [3] [4]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
One wonders why an educational institution needs to incorporate. In 1650 Harvard College is not very large and it seems doubtful that there are a lot of tax benefits from incorporation. Having the college placed into the state constitution has the benefit of endorsing the college's efforts, but ultimately the people in charge of Harvard are the President and the Fellows which presumably means the faculty. In the 17th century corporations are private dictatorships or guilds. The dictators are subject to the will of the shareholders, but ultimately, it is the President's way or the highway until the President is replaced. Guilds work to protect jobs, but more than that, they control competition by limiting the number of members of the guild. That keeps wages high. Corporations also protect the collective rights of the investors including names, logos, property and money, money, money. Colleges today are institutions of learning but not necessarily institutions of teaching. Grants from the government, patents and licensing fees for inventions by the professors makes up a considerable income for colleges these days.
One wonders why an educational institution needs to incorporate. In 1650 Harvard College is not very large and it seems doubtful that there are a lot of tax benefits from incorporation. Having the college placed into the state constitution has the benefit of endorsing the college's efforts, but ultimately the people in charge of Harvard are the President and the Fellows which presumably means the faculty. In the 17th century corporations are private dictatorships or guilds. The dictators are subject to the will of the shareholders, but ultimately, it is the President's way or the highway until the President is replaced. Guilds work to protect jobs, but more than that, they control competition by limiting the number of members of the guild. That keeps wages high. Corporations also protect the collective rights of the investors including names, logos, property and money, money, money. Colleges today are institutions of learning but not necessarily institutions of teaching. Grants from the government, patents and licensing fees for inventions by the professors makes up a considerable income for colleges these days.
A Few Significant Surprises
- * Kolumbo Volcano breeches the surface of the Aegean Sea and explodes. [5]
- * The 1st employment agency opens and closes shortly thereafter. [6]
- * The Coldstream Guards is founded and is the oldest English regiment still in existence. [7]
- * Anne Greene wakes up in the morgue after being hanged for murdering a baby. She is pardoned. [8] [9]
This Year on Wikipedia
Year 1650, Wikipedia.
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