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Friday, February 27, 2015

Our Condolences: How the U.S. Paid For Death and Damage in Afghanistan

Our Condolences: How the U.S. Paid For Death and Damage in Afghanistan

Byron Wien Isn’t Too Worried About World - Barron's

Byron Wien Isn’t Too Worried About World - Barron's

Leonard Nimoy: What I've Learned

"Just keep in mind, there's always room for one more good one."



Leonard Nimoy: What I've Learned

Clapper Calls for Arming Ukrainian Forces: Who Would That Actually Empower? - The Intercept

Clapper Calls for Arming Ukrainian Forces: Who Would That Actually Empower? - The Intercept

Can a Stock-Trader-Turned-Convict Start a New Life? - NYTimes.com

Can a Stock-Trader-Turned-Convict Start a New Life? - NYTimes.com

U.S. Regulator Questions Banks About Dividend-Arbitrage Trading - WSJ

U.S. Regulator Questions Banks About Dividend-Arbitrage Trading - WSJ

Building the First Slavery Museum in America - NYTimes.com

Building the First Slavery Museum in America - NYTimes.com

Thursday, February 26, 2015

The Clash of Civilizations That Isn’t - The New Yorker

The Clash of Civilizations That Isn’t - The New Yorker

Why You Should Start Saying Grace With Your Children (Even if You Don't Believe in God)�|�Ron Lieber

Why You Should Start Saying Grace With Your Children (Even if You Don't Believe in God)�|�Ron Lieber

I Am Beginning to Think That the Backlash Against the Skills-Gap Story of Wage Inequality Has Gone Too Far...: Focus - Washington Center for Equitable Growth

I Am Beginning to Think That the Backlash Against the Skills-Gap Story of Wage Inequality Has Gone Too Far...: Focus - Washington Center for Equitable Growth:



The key things to avoid are:

Keeping people who won’t successfully complete college from enrolling and having an experience that they look back at as not worthwhile…
Keeping people who won’t successfully complete college from taking on enormous student loan debt in the process…
Keeping people who could successfully complete college from signing up for a very low-quality college–and we are looking at you, Washington Post, or Stanley Kaplan University Daily–as having played a large role in blocking action to minimize this problem…





And the key things to promote is:

Persuading people who will successfully complete a reasonable-quality college that their loan debt will be a very small burden on them, and that college is really a very good investment.
Figuring out better and cheaper ways to teach and verify what people learn in college.
Figuring out how to boost the human capital of people who will not successfully complete a reasonable-quality college.

CONVERSABLE ECONOMIST: U.S. R&D in (Troubling) Context

Key is not numbers of scientists, it is the productivity.



CONVERSABLE ECONOMIST: U.S. R&D in (Troubling) Context

Stumbling and Mumbling: The relative income problem

Stumbling and Mumbling: The relative income problem

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Monday, February 16, 2015

Jonathan Ive and the Future of Apple - The New Yorker

Jonathan Ive and the Future of Apple - The New Yorker

Pro-Iran militias’ success in Iraq could undermine U.S. - The Washington Post

Pro-Iran militias’ success in Iraq could undermine U.S. - The Washington Post



“We don’t need them, either on the ground or in the air,” said Karim al-Nouri, spokesman and military commander for the Badr Organization, which has emerged as the most powerful of the armed groups. “We can defeat the Islamic State on our own.”

Yanis Varoufakis: No Time for Games in Europe - NYTimes.com

Yanis Varoufakis: No Time for Games in Europe - NYTimes.com

What ISIS Really Wants - The Atlantic

What ISIS Really Wants - The Atlantic

Chris Rock Pens Blistering Essay on Hollywood's Race Problem: "It's a White Industry" - The Hollywood Reporter

Chris Rock Pens Blistering Essay on Hollywood's Race Problem: "It's a White Industry" - The Hollywood Reporter

Friday, February 13, 2015

The War Nerd: Islamic State and American Narcissism | PandoDaily

Interesting take on foreign jihadies.



The War Nerd: Islamic State and American Narcissism | PandoDaily

The super-rich don’t care about us. It will be their downfall | Oliver James | Comment is free | The Guardian

The super-rich don’t care about us. It will be their downfall | Oliver James | Comment is free | The Guardian

The historical and cultural differences that divide Europe’s union - FT.com

The historical and cultural differences that divide Europe’s union - FT.com

Yahoo’s Alibaba spinoff attracts big discount

Yahoo’s Alibaba spinoff attracts big discount:



 It’s to be expected that SpinCo will trade at a discount. For one thing, it will represent only an indirect interest in Alibaba. For another, the new vehicle will still face a tax bill if it ever sells shares in the Chinese firm, so that exposure is only deferred. And of course the spinoff hasn’t happened yet.

The Big Lesson From a Bet With Warren Buffett | Pragmatic Capitalism

The Big Lesson From a Bet With Warren Buffett | Pragmatic Capitalism

Complicated Politics of Medicaid Expansion Are Playing Out State by State - NYTimes.com

It took seventeen years from its implementation for all of the states to approve medicaid. This will take time, but it will come.





Complicated Politics of Medicaid Expansion Are Playing Out State by State - NYTimes.com

Battling Infectious Diseases in the 20th Century: The Impact of Vaccines - WSJ.com

Battling Infectious Diseases in the 20th Century: The Impact of Vaccines - WSJ.com

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

The Rich Man's Dropout Club - Administration - The Chronicle of Higher Education

The Rich Man's Dropout Club - Administration - The Chronicle of Higher Education

CONVERSABLE ECONOMIST: A Snapshot of University and College Endowments

CONVERSABLE ECONOMIST: A Snapshot of University and College Endowments

Health Spending: Individual vs. Aggregate | askblog



"we know that as individuals we want unlimited access without having to pay for services. You could easily have an improvement in health care policy that is experienced negatively by individuals."





Health Spending: Individual vs. Aggregate | askblog

The Only Basic Financial Advice You’ll Ever Need | Pragmatic Capitalism

The Only Basic Financial Advice You’ll Ever Need | Pragmatic Capitalism

Kenji Ekuan, Japanese Designer Who Gave Soy Sauce Its Curves, Dies at 85 - NYTimes.com

Kenji Ekuan, Japanese Designer Who Gave Soy Sauce Its Curves, Dies at 85 - NYTimes.com

Sunday, February 08, 2015

Buffett wisdom that you may not have heard before — Millennial Invest

"If you lose money, that’s something which is easy to earn back. But if you lose reputation, it is extremely difficult to earn that back. Act in a way such that if your actions were published in the local newspaper you would not be ashamed of your neighbors and friends reading that story. Play in the center of the field. I am old and cannot see the boundaries at the edge, don’t venture there”









Buffett wisdom that you may not have heard before — Millennial Invest:

What I Read (And Why)

What I Read (And Why)

Friday, February 06, 2015

Retro Running Diary: Super Bowl XLIX �

Retro Running Diary: Super Bowl XLIX �

xkcd: University Website

xkcd: University Website

US endowments pare bets on alternatives - FT.com

US endowments pare bets on alternatives - FT.com

BPS Research Digest: Art affects you more powerfully when you view it in a museum

Obvious after visits to Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid to see Picasso's Guernica and to Accademia in Florence to see David.



True for MOOCs as well.



BPS Research Digest: Art affects you more powerfully when you view it in a museum

Seth Klarman: What I’ve learned from Warren Buffett - FT.com

Good advice for billionaires. All others should use index funds and diversify.



Seth Klarman: What I’ve learned from Warren Buffett - FT.com

The Afghanistan War Is Still Raging—but This Time It’s Being Waged by Contractors | The Nation

The Afghanistan War Is Still Raging—but This Time It’s Being Waged by Contractors | The Nation:



Department of Defense currently employs 39,609 contractors in Afghanistan

Brian Williams’s War Story - NYTimes.com

Trust takes a long time to build. It can be destroyed by one lie.



Brian Williams’s War Story - NYTimes.com

Thursday, February 05, 2015

Obama Attack On "Trust Fund Loophole" Could Increase Tax Advantage Of Trusts - Forbes

There is lots of confusion on this topic. It is almost not worth discussing until a final bill is passed.



Obama Attack On "Trust Fund Loophole" Could Increase Tax Advantage Of Trusts - Forbes

Yahoo Would Rather Not�Pay Taxes on Its Alibaba Shares - Bloomberg View

Yahoo Would Rather Not�Pay Taxes on Its Alibaba Shares - Bloomberg View

Getting Out Of Afghanistan | Fast Company | Business Innovation

Lesson is that it is much easier getting in than getting out.





Getting Out Of Afghanistan | Fast Company | Business Innovation

Uber’s Business Model Could Change Your Work - NYTimes.com

The business model is still arbitrage. Find a regulated industry, break all the rules and hope that the law does not shut you down.



Uber’s Business Model Could Change Your Work - NYTimes.com

Wilson Saw a Window to Victory, But Butler Stole the Show - NYTimes.com

Great use of graphics to understand the Super Bowl final play. Not a bad call. The receiver was wide open but the corner back read the offense and made a spectacular catch.







Wilson Saw a Window to Victory, But Butler Stole the Show - NYTimes.com