I was a little surprised that my comment in the NPR community did not generate more discussion. But then that silence is telling in itself. I suppose I am used to noticing these things on occasion, but this bit about the economy just struck me as so oddly inaccurate.

According to a map of the blog-o-sphere published in Discover Magazine, Livejournal community are disconnected from other blogging communites. Connectedness is measured by the number of links (in all their forms, reciprocal, uni-directional). The map was created by Matthew Hurst, who also has several other maps of the connections.

cross-posted to policyresearch

When listening to this story on subprime lending, I felt great sympathy for the woman but could not agree with the lawyer’s statement at the end.

Interviewer: Did you realize the loan [payment] was going to go up after two years?
Lady: No, I did not.
Interviewer: Did they [the lenders] tell you though?
Lady: No ( Read more... )

cross-posted to policyresearchI thought this was an informative essay on the U.S. dollar and trade deficit ( Read more... )

cross posted to policyresearchA school district in Ohio is examining whether offering students monetary awards for performing well on tests improves test scores. The district is using a randomized experiment to investigate the question. The results are due out in June, but an overview of the study and the efforts it took to get schools and ( Read more... )

cross posted to policyresearch and economics I think it is time for the U.S. congress to pass another Gramm-Rudman-Hollings-style deficit reduction bill. There were certainly many shortcomings of the bills like its fixed dollar targets and the fact that it was applied to projected deficits. Moreover, the supreme court ruled that the process for ( Read more... )

cross posted to policyresearch

In the interest of the freedom of choice and informed choice, I think the FDA should require food products that include the meat or milk of cloned animals be labeled. Although the FDA’s research concluded that there is no difference between meat from cloned and non-cloned animals , the research has not looked at ( Read more... )

cross posted to policyresearch

China tightens its rules for foreign adoptions. Those who are over 50, obese, disfigured, or unmarried cannot adopt children. It appears to me that these restrictions only hurt the children. Perhaps I can understand the restriction related to parents taking anti-depressants…but that is a stretch. Ultimately, I know ( Read more... )

I have to agree with this op-ed. Essentially he states the obvious: blogs are a form of self-indulgence and a place for exhibitionists to flex. Yes, fine. They also serve as a forum for people to debate ideas. Early news groups were much less about exhibitionism, and there is also variation by country. Some time ago, I remember seeing some ( Read more... )

On a visit to India, I went to a bank with my uncle. The bank is in a small town near the family village home. I remember being surprised by a sign in the lobby that said something to the effect: “Please only introduce people you know very well to the bank”. The loan markets there depend on personal references more than they do here in the U.S. And ( Read more... )