Hydraulic fracturing, Sumy explains, usually causes very small earthquakes that aren’t felt by humans. The novelty of the study therefore lies in the fact that the magnitude 3 earthquake is one the largest earthquakes ever thought to be induced by hydraulic fracturing in the United States. Moreover, she says, the findings show that hydraulic fracturing could potentially trigger larger magnitude earthquakes than previously observed in the US.
Why the NYPD Turned Its Back on the City →
This is an important time for the internal US security state. We all, the right and left, should come together and demand the highest standards from our police. This level of impunity must end.
What a Stronger Dollar Means for the Economy →
"Stronger" does not mean better (for the average American).
Twin Peaks Planet →
...What Mr. Milanovic shows is that income growth since the fall of the Berlin Wall has been a “twin peaks” story. Incomes have, of course, soared at the top, as the world’s elite becomes ever richer. But there have also been huge gains for what we might call the global middle — largely consisting of the rising middle classes of China and India.
And let’s be clear: Income growth in emerging nations has produced huge gains in human welfare, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of desperate poverty and giving them a chance for a better life.
Now for the bad news: Between these twin peaks — the ever-richer global elite and the rising Chinese middle class — lies what we might call the valley of despond: Incomes have grown slowly, if at all, for people around the 20th percentile of the world income distribution. Who are these people? Basically, the advanced-country working classes....
Presidents and the Economy →
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.