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POPSThe Semantics Of 'Nationalization' Everyone's talking about nationalization -- but few can agree on precisely what the word even means. How about we define the terms of the debate before we have it?
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POPSThe Paradox Of Thrift The paradox -- of spending to stimulate the economy AND saving to stimulate the economy -- is real, but perhaps not as contradictory as we thought. Ron Wilcox wrote a piece for Forbes on the subject: http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2009/02/16/spending-saving-stimulus-opinions-contributors_0217_ron_wilcox.html
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POPSCommunal Vs. Solo Fasting This op-ed from the Guardian is about fasting for Ramadan, which ended last week, but it's applicable to Yom Kippur, which is on Thursday. Which do you prefer -- fasting alone or fasting communally? When I fast, individual reflection and self-discipline are important...but more than anything, I like to feel like I'm a part of something bigger.
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POPSEconomists On The Bailout I enjoyed this straightforward presentation of the arguments about the bailout. This pro-con display in the Charlotte Observer really boils down the issues and makes them understandable and palatable to the average reader.
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POPSRon Paul On Oil Prices And Free Trade
The Council on Foreign Relations caught up with former presidential nominee Ron Paul last week, who attributed high oil prices to misguided foreign policy and inflation. He also passionately affirmed his pro-free trade stance. The interview is a lively read!
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POPSI Dream Of Sarah Apparently, people have been dreaming about Sarah Palin. Or maybe it's just Slate writers?
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POPSGreg Mankiw On Freddie And Fannie The Harvard economist weighs in. He called for reform in 2003, but he's not bragging. He's just expressing regret that bailouts aren't the answer to the financial crisis.
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POPSChina's Targeting University Alumni A really fascinating piece about how top Chinese universities are trying to grow a culture of donation along their alumni so that they can raise funds and beef up their resources.
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POPSYounger Boomers Cut Back Some boomers aged 45 and up and are resorting to tactics like postponing paying bills and cutting back on medications to compensate for their shrinking wallets. What would you cut back on?
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POPSFood For Thought On Memorial Day What do Americans miss about home when they're stationed abroad? Everything from pizza to sex. Jokes aside, though, it's sobering to think about people just like us in service overseas. Let's try to think about them a little bit more this weekend.
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POPSWomen And Science -- Again A study has found that while there actually is a significant number of women working in fields related to science, engineering and technology, it's their longevity in those fields that's lacking. Women's reluctance to stay in these jobs isn't due to innate abilities, rather, there are a variety of converging causes, from the attitudes of their co-workers to their decisions to start a family. The article provides some good food for thought.
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POPSWhat Global Warming? Apparently, the average temperature this April was one entire degree cooler than the average for the entire twentieth century. What happened to global warming?
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POPSPoll: Wright Won't Influence Obama...Yet Interesting poll that shows the relationship between Wright and Obama isn't going to hurt the latter's political standing...until the fall election. http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/04/28/obama-wright-theology-oped-cx_hra_0428blackqanda.html
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POPSJust For Fun Just the fact that a mullet competition exists makes this article worthwhile. Also, what stellar reporting is exhibited in the last paragraph I clipped -- the prize-winning mullet is in jeopardy!
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POPSBehind Reverend Wright Barack Obama's former pastor is in the news again, making three public appearances since Friday. Even with all of his comments, it's nice to have some background information on black liberation theology, the discipline in which Wright was educated. I did a Q&A with James Cone of New York City's Union Theological Seminary, and he touched on some topics that shed light on the issues that concern Wright and Obama -- like how the black community in America is, inevitably, angry. Read the Q&A for more enlightening background. Talking to him really helped inform my perspective on these complicated issues.
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POPSMaking Credit Safer With Regulation A law professor details the current state of the credit problem, ultimately encouraging the creation of a Financial Product Safety Commission to protect consumers from dangerous and risky financial transactions. Regulation, she argues, contrary to popular belief, can actually "often support and advance efficient and more dynamic markets." I think the author presents a compelling case. What do you think?
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POPSWhy Bother Being Green? Michael Pollan makes the excellent point that, with issues of climate change as dire as they are, one might think there's little point in changing small habits on an individual level. But he convincingly explains why that's not so. A lot of small things can add up, and there's a few pieces on www.forbes.com/opinions that share that sentiment. Check out our Earth Day package: http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2008/04/18/green-planet-earth-oped-cx_daa_0418green.html
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POPSSlaughtering To Reduce Supply This can't be the only example of things like this happening in North America -- I wonder what other industries are taking steps to reduce their supply.
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POPSBernanke -- A Graduation Speaker? Some of the things Harvard students wish they'd see at Ben Bernanke's graduation speech this June are pretty funny. He certainly wouldn't be my first choice for a graduation speaker!
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POPSSo Is It A Hoax? Or Not? Yale University is calling senior Aliza Shvarts' senior art project -- in which she allegedly inseminated herself, induced miscarriages and recorded them -- a piece of "creative fiction." But Shvarts has called the University's assertion "inaccurate" and claims that Yale is just trying to dissociate itself from the controversy. Who is telling the truth?
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POPSControversial (And A Little Gross?) A senior at Yale has undertaken a somewhat unorthodox senior project. Aliza Shvarts induced, in her own body, a series of pregnancies and miscarriages that she has documented in both video and physical evidence. Her project has prompted an outcry on campus. What do you think?
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POPSThe Busiest Day of Their Site's Year Imagine running a website that gets the bulk of its traffic in one 24-hour period. It better not crash during those crucial hours, right? Are there other websites besides this one that have windows of relevance that result in very short spans of very high traffic?
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POPSBruce For Barack The Boss has endorsed Obama. Obama must have been "born to run" for president. (Sorry, I had to.) More on Obama: http://blogs.forbes.com/trailwatch/
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POPSCaught In Between This Salon article captures how I feel about the election. Obama-lovers are often such virulent Hillary-haters that sometimes I feel a little uneasy during conversations. I'm stuck in the middle. I support one candidate without feeling the need to relentlessly bash the other. Is that so bad?
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POPSBritVote 2008 Continues... I like this photo in the Times this weekend, showing how Brits are invested in the election taking place across the pond. The connection goes beyond fundraisers and colorful signs, though, to striking parallels between Barack Obama and Conservative Party leader David Cameron. Read more here: http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/09/london-obama-election-oped-cx_mnm_0409britvote.html
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POPSWhy Brits Care About Our Election It boggles my mind that BarackObama.com was the 11th most visited sited in the U.K. in February. I suppose it's a good thing that there are a lot of American expats in the U.K., because those are the only ones who can actually vote on Election Day...
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POPSCreative Vocabulary I love articles about language, and this essay on the editorial page of the Times today does a good job mixing wordplay and wonderment.
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POPSBehind Reverend Wright A great New Yorker article that gives enlightening context to the Reverend Wright debacle. Kelefa Sanneh interviewed an academic and one of the founders of black liberation theology, Professor James H. Cone. More insights from Cone can be found here: http://www.forbes.com/2008/03/24/obama-black-liberation-theology-oped-cx_hra_0324cone.html
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POPSThe True Cost Of March Madness It makes me think: How many hours do I spend each day doing things that aren't directly related to work? If I didn't have a few bouts of unproductive Googling -- whether it's related to March Madness or the presidential campaign -- would I really be as efficient the rest of the time? I think burn-out is a real thing, and everyone needs a few minutes worth of distraction from the daily grind. So procrastinate away! You'll be more efficient the rest of the time.
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