Contradictory Notions of Fairness

There was a time when Thanksgiving meant an occasion for counting our blessings. But, now that we have so many blessings that previous generations could hardly have dreamed about, we take them all for granted and are much more likely to count our grievances and the...

The ‘Next Big Thing’ in Technology?

You may know Jim Jubak from his frequent appearances on CNBC. Jubak, the senior markets editor at MSN Money, holds a core investing principle: the conventional wisdom is always wrong. Suffice it to say that this guy has an independent streak, which is a great virtue...

Arab World Poverty: Whose Fault?

“I don’t have the knowledge to blame a government,” said Bakhtiar Khan, an Afghan man in his mid-twenties. “I don’t know about politics, but for our problems I blame the world community. All humans should be equal, but we are not. You ask...

Diversity vs. “Diversity”

Sometimes it seems as if “diversity” is going to replace “the” as the most often used word in the English language. Yet the place where this word has become a holy grail — academia — shows less tolerance for genuine diversity of...

On Shovels, Caterpillars, and the Capital Gains Tax

I live up a narrow, one-lane private road that winds up a steep, wooded canyon in Northern California. A couple years ago, during the El Nino winter that dropped record rains here, a side of the canyon collapsed and a massive mudslide closed the road. Heading uphill...

U.S. Kids Speak on the War

Why did 19 Islamic extremist terrorists attack America on Sept. 11, 2001? Why do so many hate America? Here’s how some American children answered those questions. Josh, age 12: “I just think (Osama bin Laden) needs to find something a little bit like the...

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