Here’s some good news worth sharing. It’s from a paper by Harvard economist Andrei Shleifer. “The last quarter century has witnessed remarkable progress of mankind. The world’s per capita inflation-adjusted income rose from $5,400 in 1980 to $8,500 in 2005. Schooling and life expectancy grew rapidly, while infant mortality and poverty fell just as fast. […]

A friend recently passed on a chain letter urging independence from Middle Eastern oil. It’s a seductive idea. Here’s the gist: “Every time you fill up the car, you can avoid putting more money into the coffers of Saudi Arabia. Just buy from gas companies that don’t import their oil from the Saudis. Nothing is […]

“Stimulus: something that incites or rouses to action; an incentive.” Last week Congress approved a $168 billion economic stimulus package to help our slowing economy. One hundred and sixty-eight BILLION dollars—a staggering amount to most of us, but only a drop in the bucket of our $14 trillion dollar economy. At first glance, the bill […]

This January I’ve had the luxury of previewing retirement. It was not, however, what I hoped for, no skiing or even driving off our place. Being allergic to TV, I spent time reading, writing, and listening to more NPR than ever before. This experience broadened my perspective on winter. Consider this introduction to an “All […]