How much influence does the occupant of the White House have on the economy, anyway? The standard answer among economists, at least when they aren’t being political hacks, is: not much. But is this time different?
In some ways, maybe.
Racial Bias, Even When We Have Good Intentions →
This post contains a great (short) list of studies, then talks about the author's study, which looks at the unconscious racial bias prevalent in the U.S.:
Arguments about race are often heated and anecdotal. As a social scientist, I naturally turn to empirical research for answers. As it turns out, an impressive body of research spanning decades addresses just these issues — and leads to some uncomfortable conclusions and makes us look at this debate from a different angle.
Does the University of Michigan's New Football Coach Need Food Stamps? →
An interesting aspect of college football (specifically the argument that rockstar coaches' salaries are defensible because of expected donations):
The University of Michigan is a tax-exempt institution. This means that people who make contributions to the university get to deduct these contributions from their taxable income. Since most of the money the university gets comes from people in the highest tax bracket, the government is effectively paying 40 cents of each dollar that these people contribute to the university, in the form of lower taxes. If all of Coach Harbaugh's $7 million salary were covered by donations from high-income individuals, the government would effectively be subsidizing his pay to the tune of $2.8 million.
Hit the Reset Button in Your Brain →
If you want to be more productive and creative, and to have more energy, the science dictates that you should partition your day into project periods. Your social networking should be done during a designated time, not as constant interruptions to your day.
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Increasing creativity will happen naturally as we tame the multitasking and immerse ourselves in a single task for sustained periods of, say, 30 to 50 minutes. Several studies have shown that a walk in nature or listening to music can trigger the mind-wandering mode. This acts as a neural reset button, and provides much needed perspective on what you’re doing.
Gaza Is Almost Totally Cut Off From The World, And It's Getting Ugly →
A great, long read on the civil rights of Gazan Palestinians, and probably a bit surprising given the recent history (filtered through the US mainstream media) we're more familiar with:
Until the early 2000s — prior to the beginning of a partly Hamas-led campaign of terrorist attacks inside of Israel, often planned from Gaza — it was possible for Gazans to fly out of the territory.
Between 1998 and 2001, they could leave Gaza on Palestinian Airlines, which operated out of Yasser Arafat International Airport, just a short drive up a now-sleepy and unpaved road from the Rafah crossing. Like the Erez terminal, it was a sign that both Israelis and Gazans once envisioned a much different future together.
U.S. advisers in Iraq stay out of combat but see fighting edging closer →
In Iraq’s western Anbar province, more than 300 U.S. troops are posted at a base in the thick of a pitched battle between Iraqi forces, backed by tribal fighters, and well-armed Islamic State militants.
The militants, positioned at a nearby town, have repeatedly hit the base with artillery and rocket fire in recent weeks. Since the middle of December, the U.S.-led military coalition has launched 13 airstrikes around the facility.
U.S. troops have suffered no casualties in the attacks. But the violence has underlined the risks to American personnel as they fan out across Iraq as part of the expanding U.S. mission against the Islamic State, even as President Obama has pledged that U.S. operations “will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil.”
War tolls around the world
2014: The deadliest year for Afghan civilians on record
Civilian casualties in Afghanistan rose by 19 percent in the first 11 months of 2014 compared to a year earlier, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). More than 3,180 civilians were killed and nearly 6,430 injured by the end of November. The number of casualties involving children increased by 33 percent. Projections indicate that the civilian casualty count will pass 10,000 for the first time in a single year, the highest number since the organization began systematically documenting civilian casualties in 2009.
Ukraine reports first military death of 2015
Ukraine on Friday reported its first military death of 2015 in its conflict with pro-Russian separatists, saying a soldier had been killed and five others wounded in attacks by the rebels.
More than 4,700 people were killed in 2014 in the conflict, which has provoked the worst crisis in relations between Russia and the West since the Cold War.
Palestinians deliver to U.N. documents to join war crimes court →
...the Palestinians on Friday delivered to U.N. headquarters documents on joining the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and other international treaties.
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Washington sends about $400 million in economic support aid to the Palestinians every year. Under U.S. law, that aid would be cut off if the Palestinians used membership in the International Criminal Court to make claims against Israel.
The Hague-based court looks at cases of severe war crimes and crimes against humanity, such as genocide.
According to the Rome Statute, the Palestinians will become a party to the court on the first day of the month that follows a 60-day waiting period after depositing signed and ratified documents of accession with the United Nations in New York.
The ICC move paves the way for the court to take jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed in Palestinian lands and investigate the conduct of both Israeli and Palestinian leaders over more than a decade of bloody conflict. Neither Israel nor the United States belongs to the ICC.