Commonplace of a Magpie: February 2013

Environmental Kuznets Curves: A Review of Findings, Methods, and Policy Implications by Bruce Yandle, Madhusudan Bhattarai , and Maya Vijayaraghavan

Why Parents Need to Let Their Children Fail by Jessica Lahey

Why Parents Need to Let Their Children Fail by Jessica Lahey

Flaubert's Dictionary of Received Ideas by Gustave Flaubert

Flaubert's Dictionary of Received Ideas by Gustave Flaubert

The Boys at the Back by Christina Hoff Sommers

The Boys at the Back by Christina Hoff Sommers

Boys, Girls, and Behavior by Sara Mead

Boys, Girls, and Behavior by Sara Mead

The Psychological Meaning of Words: LIWC and Computerized Text Analysis Methods by Yla R. Tausczik and James W. Pennebaker

The Psychological Meaning of Words: LIWC and Computerized Text Analysis Methods by Yla R. Tausczik and James W. Pennebaker

Gender Differences in Language Use: An Analysis of 14,000 Text Samples by Matthew L. Newman, Carla J. Groom, Lori D. Handelman, and James W. Pennebaker

Gender Differences in Language Use: An Analysis of 14,000 Text Samples by Matthew L. Newman, Carla J. Groom, Lori D. Handelman, and James W. Pennebaker

What Your Choice of Words Says about Your Personality by Jan Dönges

What Your Choice of Words Says about Your Personality by Jan Dönges

He Counts Your Words (Even Those Pronouns) by Jessica Warner

He Counts Your Words (Even Those Pronouns) by Jessica Warner

The Philosophy of Data by David Brooks

The Philosophy of Data by David Brooks

A revolution in the works? by Glenn Harlan Reynolds

A revolution in the works? by Glenn Harlan Reynolds

Monday, February 4, 2013

Creative Ways to Encourage Students to Read by Robert Morgan

Creative Ways to Encourage Students to Read by Robert Morgan

Clues For Unlocking Life-long Learning and Literacy by Brian Scott

Clues For Unlocking Life-long Learning and Literacy by Brian Scott

Reading on the Rise for First Time Since 1982, NEA Reports by Bob Thompson

Reading on the Rise for First Time Since 1982, NEA Reports by Bob Thompson

Do They Read for Pleasure? Recreational Reading Habits of College Students by Jude D. Gallik

Do They Read for Pleasure? Recreational Reading Habits of College Students by Jude D. Gallik

Growth in Reading and How Children Spend Their Time Outside of School by R.C. Anderson, Paul T. Wilson and Linda G. Fielding

Growth in Reading and How Children Spend Their Time Outside of School by R.C. Anderson, Paul T. Wilson and Linda G. Fielding

Books, reading and book usage in the European Union by Miha Kovac and Mojca Kovac Sebart

Books, reading and book usage in the European Union by Miha Kovac and Mojca Kovac Sebart

Where does the reading problem go when children grow up? by Thomas G. Sticht

Where does the reading problem go when children grow up? by Thomas G. Sticht

Books for Schools: Amanda Craig shares some tips on how to choose the right book for your child

Books for Schools: Amanda Craig shares some tips on how to choose the right book for your child

Economic, neurobiological, and behavioral perspectives on building America’s future workforce by Eric I. Knudsen, James J. Heckman, Judy L. Cameron, and Jack P. Shonkoff

Economic, neurobiological, and behavioral perspectives on building America’s future workforce by Eric I. Knudsen, James J. Heckman, Judy L. Cameron, and Jack P. Shonkoff

The economic impact of the achievement gap in America’s schools from McKinsey

The economic impact of the achievement gap in America’s schools from McKinsey

The Technocratic Dilemma by Megan McArdle

The Technocratic Dilemma by Megan McArdle

Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning by Horst W. J. Rittel and Melvin M. Webber

Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning by Horst W. J. Rittel and Melvin M. Webber

Do We Live in a Post-Truth Era? by Ronald Bailey

Do We Live in a Post-Truth Era? by Ronald Bailey

Ruth Benedict, Patterns of Culture: From Culture to cultures by Jason Antrosio

Ruth Benedict, Patterns of Culture: From Culture to cultures by Jason Antrosio

Real heroes: four died so others might live by Bob Greene

Real heroes: four died so others might live by Bob Greene

Private-Sector Pensions: A New Front in the War on the Young by Walter Russell Mead

Private-Sector Pensions: A New Front in the War on the Young by Walter Russell Mead

Starting a Business Is a Huge Pain by Matt Yglesias

Starting a Business Is a Huge Pain by Matt Yglesias

Northern lights by Adrian Wooldridge

Northern lights by Adrian Wooldridge

Nordic Countries Reinventing Capitalism from The Economist

The Economist: Nordic Countries Reinventing Capitalism by Walter Russell Mead

Seeing Mexico Through Blood-Tinted Glasses by Walter Russell Mead

Seeing Mexico Through Blood-Tinted Glasses by Walter Russell Mead

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Slate’s Matt Yglesias Sings the Blue Model Blues by Walter Russell Mead

Slate’s Matt Yglesias Sings the Blue Model Blues by Walter Russell Mead

The History of Torture - Why We Can't Give It Up by Colin Woodard

The History of Torture - Why We Can't Give It Up by Colin Woodard

Talent Grab: Why do we pay our stars so much money? by Malcolm Gladwell

Talent Grab: Why do we pay our stars so much money? by Malcolm Gladwell

Dorothy and the Tree: A Lesson in Epistemology by Stanley Fish

Dorothy and the Tree: A Lesson in Epistemology by Stanley Fish

2010 Baccalaureate Remarks from The Princeton News

2010 Baccalaureate Remarks from The Princeton News

The Great Prescriptivist reviewed by Warren Clements

The Great Prescriptivist reviewed by Warren Clements

How the "Cravath System" Created the Bi-Modal Distribution by Bill Henderson

How the "Cravath System" Created the Bi-Modal Distribution by Bill Henderson

The Misandry Bubble from The Futurist

The Misandry Bubble from The Futurist

Thinking About NASA History

Thinking About NASA History

Economics of the Singularity by Robin Hanson

Economics of the Singularity by Robin Hanson

The Islanders by Rudyard Kipling

The Islanders by Rudyard Kipling

The Remarkable Rightness of Rudyard Kipling by Katharine Fullerton Gerould

The Remarkable Rightness of Rudyard Kipling by Katharine Fullerton Gerould

The Six Chief Lives from Johnson's "Lives of the Poets" Preface by Matthew Arnold

The Six Chief Lives from Johnson's "Lives of the Poets" Preface by Matthew Arnold

Forget What You've Heard: Mass Shootings Aren't Rising. But They Probably Aren't Going Away by Megan McArdle

Forget What You've Heard: Mass Shootings Aren't Rising. But They Probably Aren't Going Away by Megan McArdle

S=E-(O1+O2+O3. . . .) An Economic Analysis of Career Anxiety Among Yale Law Students by Glenn H. Reynolds

S=E-(O1+O2+O3. . . .) An Economic Analysis of Career Anxiety Among Yale Law Students by Glenn H. Reynolds

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Measure of America website

Measure of America website

The Great Conversation by Robert M. Hutchins

The Great Conversation by Robert M. Hutchins

English Pronunciation

English Pronunciation

Developmental Timing Explains The Woes Of Adolescence by Alison Gopnik

Developmental Timing Explains The Woes Of Adolescence by Alison Gopnik

Culture Matters by Lawrence E. Harrison

Culture Matters by Lawrence E. Harrison

What's a Man? from The Economist

What's a Man? from The Economist

Why My Books Really Are 12-up by Alix Flinn

Why My Books Really Are 12-up by Alix Flinn

Web Readers Hit the Books Less Frequently by Alex Mindlin

Web Readers Hit the Books Less Frequently by Alex Mindlin

Building a Knowledge Base in reading by Jan Braunger and Jan Patricia Lewis

Building a Knowledge Base in reading by Jan Braunger and Jan Patricia Lewis

How the Poor Die by George Orwell

How the Poor Die by George Orwell

Against School: How public education cripples our kids, and why by John Taylor Gatto

Against School: How public education cripples our kids, and why by John Taylor Gatto

Earnings, Education, Genetics and Environment by Paul Taubman

Earnings, Education, Genetics and Environment by Paul Taubman

The Limits of the Coded World by William Egginton

The Limits of the Coded World by William Egginton

The Left’s ‘Colonel Kurtz’ Summer by David Steinberg

The Left’s ‘Colonel Kurtz’ Summer by David Steinberg

Social Life and Social Inequality by Laura Hamilton and Elizabeth Armstrong

Social Life and Social Inequality by Laura Hamilton and Elizabeth Armstrong

The Limits of Uiversalism by Henry A. Kissinger

The Limits of Uiversalism by Henry A. Kissinger

Hymns in a Man's Life by D.H. Lawrence

Hymns in a Man's Life by D.H. Lawrence

Return of the Kingsley by Matthew Walther

Return of the Kingsley by Matthew Walther

Europe’s Real Crisis: The Continent’s problems are as much demographic as financial. They won’t go away soon. by Megan McArdle

Europe’s Real Crisis: The Continent’s problems are as much demographic as financial. They won’t go away soon. by Megan McArdle

What Uncle Sam can (and cannot) do to improve K–12 schooling: Lessons for the next four years by Frederick M. Hess,Andrew P. Kelly

What Uncle Sam can (and cannot) do to improve K–12 schooling: Lessons for the next four years by Frederick M. Hess,Andrew P. Kelly