Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading and videos I have been viewing lately:
online.wsj.com
“Jason Gay has discovered the cure for ‘Irrational Soccer Crankiness'”
The real war on women
aei.org
Quoting from this article, “Policies put into place by liberals and conservatives alike have discouraged women’s labor force participation, and no one is talking about it.”
Is Work Killing You? In China, Workers Die at Their Desks
bloomberg.com
“Chinese banking regulator Li Jianhua literally worked himself to death. After 26 years of “always putting the cause of the party and the people” first, his employer said this month, the 48-year-old official died rushing to finish a report before the sun came up.”
Facebook prompts outrage with experiment on users
online.wsj.com
“A social-network furor has erupted over news that Facebook Inc., in 2012, conducted a massive psychological experiment on nearly 700,000 unwitting users.”
It Took Studying 25,782,500 Kids To Begin To Undo The Damage Caused By 1 Doctor
upworthy.com
“Here’s the deadly results when people say things about science without actually looking at science.” The infamous (retracted) Lancet article by Wakefield et al. is available online at http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2897%2911096-0/fulltext.
economist.com
Here’s what The Economist has to say about the “value proposition” of traditional universities: “Traditional universities have a few trump cards. As well as teaching, examining and certification, college education creates social capital. Students learn how to debate, present themselves, make contacts and roll joints. How can a digital college experience deliver all of that?”
economist.com
“IS A university degree a good investment? Many potential students are asking the question, especially in countries where the price of a degree is rising, as a result of falling government subsidies.”
economist.com
“HIGHER education is one of the great successes of the welfare state. What was once the privilege of a few has become a middle-class entitlement, thanks mainly to government support.”
Case of Uncreative Destruction
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, Bari Weiss talks with two entrepreneurs who wanted to help the U.S. Postal Service digitize mail. Some local postmasters liked it. Washington didn’t.”
Iraq’s Brittle Nationhood
bloomberg.com
“Does it still make sense to think of Iraq as a country?”
One of these cat videos will be named best of the year. Which one should it be?
blogs.wsj.com
Check out the nominees for the Golden Kitty Award. In my opinion, it’s a close call between “Jedi Kittens Strike Back” (@ https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4Z3r9X8OahA) and “8 Signs of Addiction” (@ https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2-vyTE35EL0)…
Obama Goes Too Far for Even Supreme Court Liberals
bloombergview.com
“… just the latest in a series of unanimous rebukes by the court of the administration’s legal positions.”
runnersworld.com
“Although most runners agree that beer is not exactly a “health food,” there’s good news for those of us who like to imbibe. Downing a few cold ones as you’re heading out the door for a run is obviously not the best choice, but beer–in moderation–can be a perfectly acceptable option for after a run or on non-training days.”
The IPO is dying. Marc Andreessen explains why.
vox.com
“Netscape cofounder and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen says the decline of the initial public offering is bad for ordinary investors. He also critiques economist Thomas Piketty.”
Top CIA and military officials warn US drones could create endless war
vox.com
“The US executive branch has yet to engage in a serious cost-benefit analysis of targeted UAV strikes as a routine counterterrorism tool.”
Four Reasons NOT to Raise the Minimum Wage
catoinstitute.tumblr.com
“The debate over minimum wage continues to rage across the country. But, would raising the minimum wage actually harm the very people it is purportedly designed to help?”
Supreme Court: abortion clinic ‘buffer-zones’ violate the First Amendment
vox.com
“Restricted access to sidewalks near abortion clinics, the court ruled, violates the first Amendment”
Charles Krauthammer – Government by Fiat
nationalreview.com
“The Supreme Court this week admonished the Environmental Protection Agency for overreaching in regulating greenhouse gases.”
After crisis, risk officers multiply, gain more clout at banks
online.wsj.com
“Risk officers are gaining power and multiplying in number across the U.S. banking industry.”
How dads improve their kids’ lives, according to science
vox.com
“Paul Raeburn’s new book, Do Fathers Matter?, is a comprehensive review of studies on the role of fathers.”
The optimal number of immigrants
johnhcochrane.blogspot.com
University of Chicago economist John Cochrane’s answer: “Two billion, two million, fifty-two thousand and thirty-five (2,002,052,035). Seriously.”
Supreme Court strikes down Obama recess appointments
politico.com
“The decision gives the Senate broad power to thwart future recess appointments, but did not go as far as some conservatives hoped to undercut the president’s ability to fill vacant executive branch posts and judicial slots.”
Get Ready for the Soccermania Letdown
online.wsj.com
“In the Wall Street Journal, Gerald Eskenazi says hooray for the U.S. World Cup team. But let’s not get carried away with the ‘breakthrough’ talk.”
40 maps that explain World War I
vox.com
“Why the war started, how the Allies won, and why the world has never been the same.”