An irregular round-up of interesting reads. Most of these made me go "hmmmmm," none of them imply concurrence:
Quote of the Day:
"With everything that attracts you, that you like, or find useful, remember to tell yourself what it is, beginning with the simplest things. If you like a pot, say, ‘I like this pot,’ so that if it breaks, you will not be disturbed. When you kiss your child or your wife, say, ‘I kiss a human being,’ so that if they die, you will not feel disturbed." - Epictetus
China has apparently proved that smartphones are bad for a nation. "High app usage is detrimental to all outcomes we measure. A one s.d. increase in app usage reduces GPAs by 36.2% of a within-cohort-major s.d. and lowers wages by 2.3%. Roommates’ app usage exerts both direct effects (e.g., noise and disruptions) and indirect effects (via behavioral spillovers) on GPAs and wages, resulting in a total negative impact of over half the size of the own usage effect…Using high-frequency GPS data, we identify one underlying mechanism: high app usage crowds out time in study halls and increases late arrivals at and absences from lectures."
Evidence suggests that teacher unions harm the quality and service to students.
An investigation uncovers an army of lobbyists and Public Relations professionals swinging into action to convince the U.S. Senate to oppose RFK’s efforts to improve America’s food production.
Recent U.S. elections’ outcomes are complex, as always, but the plurality driver is clear: non-transitory inflation.
Are these the most important recipes of the past 100 years?
Amity Shlaes addresses the “Economic Consequences of Populism.”
An essay on the failed fatal conceit of a national industrial policy.
Tyler Cowen schools us on the history of destructive and job-killing tariffs.
More evidence that minimum wage regulations have an unequal impact in America.
Are there too many toys? Anti-abundance narratives continue to pervade the marketplace of ideas.
Unpacking the mysteries of the Azetic death-whistles linked to their culture of human sacrifices.
