Sunday Reads...

An irregular round-up of interesting reads.  Most of these made me go "hmmmmm," none of them imply concurrence:

Quote of the Day:

Many whose sense of morality is offended by large economic disparities among individuals, groups, and nations tend to see the causes of these differences as “advantages” or “privileges” that some people have over others. But it is crucial to make a distinction between achievements and privileges. This is not simply a matter of semantics. Privileges come at the expense of others, but achievements add to the benefits of others.
- Thomas Sowell

• Regarding AI, research suggests the use case falls roughly into two camps.
• In tough times, non-conformists outperform groupthink.  A casual knowledge of history would confirm this as well.
• Conversational dynamics can predict a negotiation outcome.
• More evidence debunking the lipid-hypothesis is found.  Eat eggs!
• Entrepreneurial short-term thinking reduces growth by 5%.
• Common sense confirmed yet again across almost a dozen cultures: attractive people are found more likable.
• More confirmed common sense:  The smarter you are, the better at your job.
• Evidence suggests that anti-natalists (those opposed to having children) are more likely to exhibit personality traits known as the Dark Triad.
• New research demonstrates the failed “affordable housing” mandates that cities often promote.
• An awesome read: the Techno-Optimist-Manifesto.
• Cancel culture kills.
• Good news!  C02 emissions at the lowest level in nearly 200 years.
• The financial advantages of being in a union is nearly gone – and when the dues are netted against the dues plus productivity losses – Unions cost their members more than they help.  Fact.
• The global economy continues to send troubling signals for a less than secure near-term future.
• Hurricane Katrina’s impact on student achievement appears to have been positive (well, not the hurricane per, se but the government school reforms that ensued).
• Post-college careers for athletes appear to have some advantages over non-athletes – no revenge of the nerds.
• Aside from lowering the probability of disadvantaged students graduating, teacher strikes correlate to -.0015 percent drop per day of a teacher strike.
• Graphing the fav/unfavs of the federal agencies.  We see you, DOJ, near the bottom.
• This year’s Economics Nobel Prize winner argues that the “gender gap” barely exists, and where it does results not from discrimination but other dynamics.  Read about her research here.
• An essay on how viewpoints of “structural racism” inhibit moral reasoning seeks to explain the current silence on Hamas.
• Staggering plunge in the birth rate for CCCP China.
• George Will outlines how judges keep undermining the 14th Amendment.
• More evidence that “free play” is important in human development.
• Of course, scholars have charted the tit-for-tat between Israelis and anti-Israelis.