Marketplace of Ideas

Marketplace of Ideas

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Despite widespread economic worries, ‘retail sales excluding cars rose 0.5 percent in April, more than twice what economists had forecast’. . . For California’s top high school students, the Ivy League ‘may soon be cheaper’ than their state’s public universities. . . Even though the social networking site Facebook is valued at $15 billion, its ‘profits remain slim’. . . Without much fanfare, Israel has experienced a roaring economy and a technology boom. . . AEI economist Desmond Lachman reckons that the U.S. housing shock is ‘intensifying’. . .

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

According to Forbes magazine, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Arsenal are the world’s three most valuable soccer teams. . . Canadian climatologist Tim Ball explains the origins of the now-discredited ‘hockey stick’ graph of global warming. . . Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger make the case for free trade. . . Legendary economist Joseph Schumpeter ‘put growth and entrepreneurship at the center of economics’. . . Insurance giant AIG recently experienced ‘the worst three months of the company’s 89-year history’. . .

Monday, May 12, 2008

Ten years after the euro was launched, ‘its role as a global currency is secure, even if it hasn't achieved everything its founders hoped’. . . A new study finds that if a stay-at-home mom were compensated according to her market value, she would earn almost $117,000 a year. . . In 2007, ‘foreign direct investment in Latin America and the Caribbean hit a record of over $100 billion’. . . Arthur Brooks argues that children ‘don't make most parents happier’. . . When will the housing crisis end?

Friday, May 9, 2008

California takes pride in its environmental record. But according to Manhattan Institute scholar Max Schulz, ‘the Golden State’s energy leadership is a mirage’. . . George Mason economist Bryan Caplan explains why he thinks a federal gas tax holiday might be ‘an idea worth supporting’ . . . In Moscow, the restoration of Pashkov House is being viewed as a sign of Russia’s ‘cultural revival’ . . . According to the U.S. Department of Labor, jobless claims dropped significantly last week . . . The anti-ethanol coalition is growing. . .

Thursday, May 8, 2008

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is worried that financial relationships between doctors and pharmaceutical firms will diminish sound science and compromise patient care. But the AAMC may be overreacting. . . The Rasmussen Consumer Index reports that ‘married adults are slightly more optimistic on the state of the economy than non-married adults’. . . As a percentage of per capita personal income, gas prices are ‘not even close’ to their historical high. . . U.S. News & World Report’s James Pethokoukis lists ‘10 reasons to feel good about the economy’. . . To mark World Youth Day this July, Pope Benedict will be going digital . . .

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Former Kansas congressman Dan Glickman, who is now chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America, hopes that his fellow Democrats will support the U.S.-Colombia free trade deal. . . Humorist P.J. O’Rourke offers some unconventional graduation advice to the Class of 2008, including, ‘Go out and make a bunch of money!’. . . According to AEI scholar Charles Murray, ‘the age of educational romanticism’ may be nearing its end. . . The farm bill debate has fostered some unusual political alliances. . . Food riots in Somalia have turned deadly. . .

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

The Houston Chronicle reports that during the 2008 campaign season, 71 percent of all political donations from Texas university professors have gone to ‘Democratic candidates or committees’. . . The military dictator of Fiji ‘has threatened to “shut down” the country’s media if coverage of his government does not improve’. . . As Mother’s Day approaches, Americans may not realize that ‘nearly 80 percent of the fresh flowers sold in the U.S. are imported’. . . Does first-term Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, the son of Indian immigrants, represent ‘the future of the Republican Party’? Berkshire Hathaway may invest in the Royal Bank of Scotland. . .

Monday, May 5, 2008

Thanks to ‘the skills revolution,’ says New York Times columnist David Brooks, ‘we’re moving into a more demanding cognitive age’. . . A new book examines the 12 Supreme Court cases that were ‘the most damaging to our constitutional rights’. . . Even Wall Street powerhouse Goldman Sachs ‘is not totally immune to the credit crunch’. . . Congressional Democrats are turning up the heat on credit card companies. . . Has Japan ‘returned to its 1990s economic thinking’?

Friday, May 2, 2008

Nobel-winning economist Gary Becker says ‘it would be a mistake if Congress and the president allow the present financial turmoil to panic them into inefficient new financial regulations’. . . Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) faces a tough road to reelection. . . Japan and South Korea are hoping to boost bilateral security ties. . . Saudi Arabia is set to launch its first-ever sovereign wealth fund. . . What is the real story on immigration and job competition?

Thursday, May 1, 2008

At a time when the dollar is weak and U.S. demand is slowing, ‘some Chinese exporters are starting to ask European customers to pay in euros’. . . Do the latest economic numbers suggest that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke ‘has been doing the right thing’? Economics columnist Robert Samuelson makes the case for expanding oil drilling. . . The United Nations has been hit with yet another ‘hugely embarrassing’ scandal . . . CEO Eric Schmidt explains ‘how Google fuels its idea factory’ . . .