Last month I was in London, winding up a music project at George Martin’s AIR Studios; but a journalist is never off duty, and anytime I travel I also observe. I love talking to strangers if only for data; hearing others’ varying life stories helps me shape a more accurate perception of the world’s real economic state of affairs. Besides, these conversations never fail to remind me that everyone has a great story to tell — and an individual’s story is just as important as anything you’ll hear anywhere else.