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moneyboxMoneyboxCommentary about business and finance.3NA=1154&NC=1180&DI=4098&PS=58341&PI=7315moneyboxfalsefalsespacernotembeddedmoneyboxSimple GivingTim HarfordfalseC'mon, you can do better than a gift card.noSimple GivingC'mon, you can do better than a gift card.noIt's Thanksgiving—which means it's just about time to start planning your Christmas shopping. At least some of your loved ones are no doubt maddeningly difficult to shop for, and many of us turn to what seems to be the perfect solution: the gift card. Not so fast, says Tim Harford in a 2007 article. Economically (and sentimentally) speaking, gift cards just don't make sense. The article is reprinted below.truenotochyperlinkno2009112444934PMTuesdayNovNovember1611/24/2009 9:49:34 PM6339467817400000002009112444934PMTuesdayNovNovember1611/24/2009 9:49:34 PM633946781740000000moneyboxBlack Friday Is for SuckersFarhad Manjoo1/123122/2202502/manjoof.gif4242http://img.slate.com/mediafalse2009112433420PMTuesdayNovNovember1511/24/2009 8:34:20 PM6339467366026517162009112433420PMTuesdayNovNovember1511/24/2009 8:34:20 PM6339467366026517162009112433420PMTuesdayNovNovember1511/24/2009 8:34:20 PM633946736602651716false2008101711643PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:43 PM6335984620300000002008101711643PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:43 PM633598462030000000falseNetbooks, e-book readers, and other post-Thanksgiving bargains to avoid.noBlack Friday Is for SuckersNetbooks, e-book readers, and other Black Friday bargains to avoid.noBlack Friday is a treacherous time. Lured in by the promise of fantastic bargains, you flock to local big-box retailers, facing the threat of injury or even death to grab unbelievably cheap "doorbuster" gizmos. Even if you manage to get through the day-after-Thanksgiving shopping bonanza without physical harm, there's a good chance you'll suffer financial damage if you don't plan ahead.truenotochyperlinkno20091124120216AMTuesdayNovNovember011/24/2009 5:02:16 AM63394617736000000020091124120216AMTuesdayNovNovember011/24/2009 5:02:16 AM633946177360000000moneyboxWhat I Saw Inside China's—and the World's—Most Important DamDaniel Gross1/123122/2202502/grossd.gif4242http://img.slate.com/mediafalse2009112433419PMTuesdayNovNovember1511/24/2009 8:34:19 PM6339467365971828262009112433419PMTuesdayNovNovember1511/24/2009 8:34:19 PM6339467365971828262009112433419PMTuesdayNovNovember1511/24/2009 8:34:19 PM633946736597182826false2008101711629PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:29 PM6335984618900000002008101711629PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:29 PM633598461890000000falsePlus: Why can't I find a chocolate bar in China?noWhat I Saw Inside China's—and the World's—Most Important DamA dam tour. Plus a bonus question: Why doesn't China have chocolate bars?noChina may be taking baby steps to develop a consumer-based economy, but it's pretty clear that business of the nation is still business. The needs and comfort of individuals are routinely subordinated to economic development. Much of China's commercial infrastructure—airports, bridges, shipping terminals, office buildings—is state of the art. But the intercity roads are for trucks and buses, not for passenger cars. The airports are designed to accommodate globe-trotting business travelers, not a mass market of local tourists. And while they may be lovely, the green waters of the Yangtze River—and the stunning amounts of concrete that have been poured into them—are intensely commercial.truenotochyperlinkno20091123112529AMMondayNovNovember1111/23/2009 4:25:29 PM63394572329000000020091123112529AMMondayNovNovember1111/23/2009 4:25:29 PM633945723290000000moneyboxShanghai ExpressDaniel Gross1/123122/2202502/grossd.gif4242http://img.slate.com/mediafalse2009112433422PMTuesdayNovNovember1511/24/2009 8:34:22 PM6339467366242013362009112433422PMTuesdayNovNovember1511/24/2009 8:34:22 PM6339467366242013362009112433422PMTuesdayNovNovember1511/24/2009 8:34:22 PM633946736624201336false2008101711629PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:29 PM6335984618900000002008101711629PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:29 PM633598461890000000falseMade in China—and sold there, too.noShanghai ExpressMade in China—and sold there, too.noThese are grim times for American executives. The public is angry, and consumers are holding on to every nickel. It's hard to escape the sense that the economic future may be less comfortable than the past. But not all American managers are gloomy. "Optimism is higher than it was last year," says Brenda Lei Foster, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. A survey of its 370 members found that more than 90 percent are optimistic about the next five years. The reason: Instead of simply shipping goods made in China back to the United States, "companies here [are] focusing on the Chinese domestic market."truenotochyperlinkno2009112171815AMSaturdayNovNovember711/21/2009 12:18:15 PM6339438469500000002009112171815AMSaturdayNovNovember711/21/2009 12:18:15 PM633943846950000000moneyboxHot Pot's Top SpotDaniel Gross1/123122/2202502/grossd.gif4242http://img.slate.com/mediafalse2009112433423PMTuesdayNovNovember1511/24/2009 8:34:23 PM6339467366322507252009112433423PMTuesdayNovNovember1511/24/2009 8:34:23 PM6339467366324069772009112433423PMTuesdayNovNovember1511/24/2009 8:34:23 PM633946736632406977false2008101711629PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:29 PM6335984618900000002008101711629PMFridayOctOctober1310/17/2008 5:16:29 PM633598461890000000falseWhat a meal of beef stomach and duck throats taught me about the new China.noHot Pot's Top SpotWhat a meal of beef stomach and duck throats taught me about the new China.no"So what's that?" I asked, gesturing at a bowl of grayish fleshy ribbons with little spikes. It was one of the many tough-to-identify animal parts cramming the Lazy Susan. Zhang Haiqing, deputy director of the Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, Chongqing Municipal People's Government, mulled the question for a minute. A gracious host to a group of journalists who had traveled to Chongqing, Zhang had lived in Seattle in the 1990s. He probably intuited the squeamishness of the visiting Americans.truenotochyperlinkno20091120102246AMFridayNovNovember1011/20/2009 3:22:46 PM63394309366000000020091120102246AMFridayNovNovember1011/20/2009 3:22:46 PM633943093660000000200311442837PMTuesdayJanJanuary161/14/2003 9:28:37 PM631781585170000000200311442837PMTuesdayJanJanuary161/14/2003 9:28:37 PM631781585170000000falsetruetruetruetruetruetrue20011018111443PMThursdayOctOctober2310/19/2001 3:14:43 AM6313904368300000002005511113011AMWednesdayMayMay115/11/2005 3:30:11 PM632514078110000000