Category: Society
Stop Censorship, Stop SOPA
Enemies of freedom will always tell you that there is some trade-off between freedom and civil liberties to get you to give up your freedom. This is a false dichotomy and always will be
Unemployment Insurance for the 21st Century: The Job Guarantee as an Alternative to Enforced Idleness
A new universal direct job creation program would improve working conditions in the private sector as employees would have the option of moving into the JG program. Hence, private sector employers would have to offer a wage and benefit package and working conditions at least as good as those offered by the JG program. The informal sector would shrink as workers become integrated into formal employment, gaining access to protection provided by labor laws
Managing the 99 Percent
The McCourtny Consulting Group: We are witnessing a simmering backlash in the face of the widening class distinction. It is wise to address the fundamental issues behind the backlash and consider approaches to deal with the problem, especially given that these conditions may be persistent and structural. Therefore, we have prepared a brief overview of approaches to the problem
Video: Beach Creatures
This week’s New Yorker magazine features Ian Frazier on Theo Jansen, a Dutch artist who makes kinetic sculptures called Strandbeests that walk along the beach.
In the video below, Frazier discusses the sculptures and how they fit into the tradition of Dutch landscapes. Very cool
What can we learn from the policies that spurred the Industrial Revolution?
Some of the dominant policy issues of today – immigration, energy, the emergence of China – have their analogues in the great Industrial Revolution. The key government policies that laid the foundation for the Industrial Revolution in England include supporting the immigration of skilled workers, allowing for private ownership of farm land, weakening the unions of the day (the guilds), and addressing the energy crisis (in charcoal). And contrary policies in Italy and Spain – countries that were far wealthier and advanced than was per-Industrial Revolution England – derailed a similar revolution from occurring in continental Europe.
England would not have been anyone’s first bet as the cradle of the Industrial Revolution
Quote of the Day: Desmond Tutu
He is a remarkable man, full of energy and optimism. He said something about himself that I found wonderfully humble
Chart of the Day: The World’s Largest Employers
Great graphic from the Economist. Note that 7 of the 10 are government-run. Amazing WalMart employs almost as many as the People’s Liberation Army. Gives new meaning to the “Human Wave Theory.”
The Internet’s Filter: Condemned to be Free?
Rick Bookstaber opines about a future world in which the flood of information being produced will be filtered by third parties like Facebook and Google with as yet unpredictable consequences for society. Perhaps these filters are just computationally more powerful versions of our own cognitive filters. But the filters are not under our control. We won’t understand how they are deciding what to allow through the filter for our consideration
The Backfire Effect
When one’s strongest held beliefs are challenged, mostly those beliefs get stronger, regardless of the facts. That’s the backfire effect
Conan O’Brien’s Dartmouth Graduation Speech
Conan O’Brien was the commencement speaker at Dartmouth College on Sunday. Very cool. So how did Conan do? Apparently, he was hilarious. Take a look