The news this morning is not the kind a White House likes as it rolls up its sleeves to begin a second term.First comes the dismal headline economic report. “Real gross domestic product—the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States—decreased at an annual rate of 0.1 percent […]

Next to salary, a flexible schedule is the most prized aspect of a job, and the ability to telecommute isn’t far behind, according to a new survey of employees. The study, conducted by CareerBuilder last November, surveyed more than 3,900 employees to find out what job factors matter most to today’s workers.Not surprisingly, a large […]

As readers of my blog have discovered (perhaps with a measure of irritation) my favorite cognitive style is free association. The following post is an exercise in putting together bits and pieces—in the event: flea markets, cowboys, hobos and the root insight of anarchism.This exercise was triggered by the issue of The Christian Century on […]

Is Japan drifting to the right? The ongoing dispute between China and Japan over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea (known in China as the Diaoyu Islands) has triggered a debate about the trajectory of Japanese politics, and the return to power of the old guard Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has further enlivened it. […]

Fellow AI blogger and the chair of our editorial committee Francis Fukuyama has shared some thoughts on the unfolding situation in East Asia. He may be overestimating the fiscal limits on American power in the region—we still seem able to run up large bills on our credit cards—but his understanding of the crucial role of […]

Are you a nationally recognized health finance and economics expert willing to work for beans on a political lightning rod of a project? Do you enjoy being the subject of Senate confirmation hearings? If so, apply to be a death panelist today…because it doesn’t look like anyone else is. The Washington Post reports: The Independent Payment Advisory […]

Yesterday the Financial Times reported that in the energy sector neither private firms nor the government are spending as much on R&D as is spent in other tech-reliant industries: US Energy firms reinvest less than 1 per cent of revenues in research, development and demonstration. In contrast, sectors such as IT, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals typically reinvest 15 to […]

A group of private investors spearheaded by Quicken founder Dan Gilbert is leading the effort for a modest recovery in snake-bit Detroit. Taking advantage of the city’s cheap real estate and generous tax breaks for development projects, these investors have ambitious plans. The Wall Street Journal reports: Today, the district is showing signs of progress, with […]

Poverty is getting richer all the time. Ten years ago, a home broadband connection was a rare luxury. Now school kids can’t do their homework without it. The WSJ reports: Much of what students get on the Internet still comes in books available free at school or the public library. But many school administrators are purposely pushing […]

As France announces plans to stand down in Mali, the United States is standing up. With the French announcing sharp limits on their objectives in Mali, the United States is advancing deeper into the north African theater of the global war on terror that the Obama administration ended four years ago and setting up a […]