disciple, husband, father, college minister
I love the idea of a dinner for the top taxpayers. That’s brilliant. If donations buy access, then why not taxes?
…I find it remarkable that I have yet to receive a thank you note for paying my taxes. When I fill out my taxes, I notice that even receipts for $25 donations have thank you notes attached. But for t…
The bit about amnesia made me laugh out loud. Wow.
Do sleeping pills like Ambien work because of the placebo effect? — Barking up the wrong tree
Join 25K+ subscribers. No spam, ever. Enter your email here: Sleeping pills on average only make people fall asleep 12 minutes faster and sleep 11 minutes longer during the night. The placebo effect m…
Very interesting — and contrary to what you normally hear. Be sure to read the pieces linked to in the addendum.
It is undeniably the case that racist Americans are almost entirely in one political coalition and not the other. Chris Hayes, Up w/ Chris Hayes, August 18, 2012. Here is data asking whites the quest…
Osborne brings his usual wisdom — especially point 3.
SLOW DOWN – YOU MOVE TOO FAST!
It is difficult to overstate my pessimism about the trajectory of China’s economy.… I hope I am wrong but I deeply fear another big blow to the global financial system. Google for “Chinese Ghost Cities” to have your socks scared off.
To the point (Austro-Chinese business cycle theory)
“There is persuasive evidence to conclude that the Chinese economy is actually growing at just 4 or 5 per cent right now based on a composite of other indicators,” says Patrick Chovanec, a business pr…
Interesting way to think about it.
Does new information slow down your life?
From William Reville, here is a speculation: Finally, here is a “guaranteed” way to lengthen your life. Childhood holidays seem to last forever, but as you grow older time seems to accelerate. “Time” …
Yet another reason to view divorce (and the societal systems that make it easy) negatively. Marriage matters.
What’s the single strongest predictor you will die an early death? — Barking up the wrong tree
Barking up the wrong tree. I want to understand why we do what we do and use the answers to be awesome at life. About. Eric Barker; First visit? Start here. Bakadesuyo.com is proud to be listed on blo…
The growing disconnect between those who make decisions about the use of military force and those who are called upon to fulfill their decisions has been disturbing me for a while. But this fact caught me off guard.
Also: no military service among either prez/VP nominees, Scotus justices, Senate leader and (save 8 weeks) House speaker. That thought has a legacy through David Leonhardt and Sarah Wilcox.
Wait. What? I need more information.
Join 25K+ subscribers. No spam, ever. Enter your email here: No. Educational TV increased physical aggression at school almost as much as violent TV. And the more educational TV a kid watched, the cru…
As I was standing in line for security screening at a flight, I began to think about how ridiculous so much of airport security is.
I decided that if I were rich and bored it would be fun to buy thousands of nail clippers and stuff them into my suitcase. I suppose it would look like solid metal when the machine scanned it, and so a physical inspection would be required.
I imagine the TSA agents unzipping the suitcase and gazing upon countless nail clippers. At first they would be puzzled. Then, slowly, comprehension would dawn. I would wait one heartbeat after that moment of awareness, then yell to the passengers behind me, “Operation nail clippers is a no go. Repeat, no go. Run for it!”
And then as I rush off into the distance, I would cackle back over my shoulder, “This isn’t over. We’ll be back. Next time we’re bringing bottles of water! Your planes will never survive against our schemes! Bwahahahah!”
And then I would use my rich person magic to make the charges against me go away.
That’s what I would do if I was rich and bored. As things stand, I was bored but not rich, so I left my nail clippers at home and disposed of my deadly beverage and all you get is this meditation upon the security farce we endure when we fly.