Parents often struggle with selecting baby names. Should they name the baby after a loved relative or friend? What about naming him or her after one of the parents or combining the parents' names? Should the name mean something in English or some foreign language?… Read full post »

While finishing a 2-week stint here in Egypt, I can't help but reflect on the current and future state of Egyptian democracy. Egypt has gone through great changes in a short period of time. It shocked the world when the protests, known here as the 25 January… Read full post »

My flight to Chicago was delayed 3 hours. "Could be worse," I calmly thought. "After all, I have a great book, really just want to get there safely and this delay is out of my control."

When we landed, the pilot announced that our plane… Read full post »

When you try to determine what is important to someone, it is useful to pay attention to how that person spends their time and their money. Someone who talks endlessly about how passionately they feel about getting involved in a certain cause, but never puts any time… Read full post »

As the presidential campaigns get revved up, I find myself chatting with friends increasingly about politics, the American political system and, of course, the political parties. One thing I find strange is the impressively high number of friends who call themselves independents, despite the fac… Read full post »

It is human nature to select the facts that are convenient to our own point of view while ignoring those facts that contradict. We discard them as though they had no merit even though often the set of facts supporting a counterargument may be even more… Read full post »

Before diving into any detailed analysis of government data, I usually hear the voice of one of my professors telling his favorite statistics joke. It went something like this, "Statisticians are brilliant people. They can analyze raw data, develop complex models, draw causal inferences and make bold… Read full post »

Dear Mitt,

History doesn't repeat itself exactly, but there are lessons to learn from other people's mistakes. Al Gore had a lot of advantages going into the 2000 election against George W. Bush, yet he lost for a variety of reasons. One of the key… Read full post »

"Anyone getting unemployment benefits should be tested for drugs before they receive benefits. They are benefiting off of my hard-earned tax dollars and the government shouldn't give my tax money to any crack addict."

"How about politicians? Shouldn't they get tested? After all, they are… Read full post »

The following conversation did not take place... but wouldn't it have been interesting if it did?

Geithner: Glad I found you. We really need to talk about our trade imbalance. Every month America's importing over $20 billion more in Chinese goods than we export to China.… Read full post »

2011 marked the announcement that the world's population had reached 7 billion. While the media coverage focused on the implications of the growing population and the resulting strains that this growth can cause, less attention was paid to the fact that the population growth varies greatly… Read full post »

"You Americans sure do have a funny democracy."

"Tell me about it."

"Let me get this right, you have to win the party nomination in order to be on the presidential ballot."

"So far, so good."

"And the party nomination is determined by these states saying which… Read full post »

Many historians argue that the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were a turning point in mankind's history, events that marked the beginning of humanity's ability to instantly self-annihilate. After the United States had its first successful nuclear test in 1945, the nuclear club was soon expan… Read full post »

I was in the supermarket a few days ago and came across a bag of goji berries. The bag was proudly labeled as a Superfood. Now, I know Americans love a good advertising pitch as much as a simple solution to a complicated problem, but, I… Read full post »

In a recent article , I discussed how according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Yearbook 2011, America spent nearly $700 billion in military expenses 2010 or about 43% of the entire global military spending. The US military expenditure as a percent of GDP is… Read full post »

How much a country spends on its military budget is a reflection of a number of factors, including the size of the economy, the perceived military threat or opportunity, the influence of the private sector on government policy and the overall priorities of a society.… Read full post »

In a recent interview with Piers Morgan, Colin Powell was asked about the enormous salaries paid in the financial industry. Powell's reply, in echoing the words that so many have parroted before, praised the capitalist system and expressed the conviction that the rewards in the finance… Read full post »

Mayor Bloomberg just learned a lesson that leaders have known for centuries and was most recently seen in the latest Zuccotti Park showdown. Only a few days earlier, the mayor stated that peaceful protests would be allowed, as one might expect since Freedom of Speech is… Read full post »

Every news outlet loves reporting about the activities of the Tea Party, the influence of the Tea Party, which candidate is most supported by the Tea Party.... Some talk about the Tea Party as being a great positive influence on American democracy and others mock the Tea… Read full post »

"Thanks for inviting me to your baseball tournament. So explain the rules to me again."

"The rules are simple. All the teams from my hometown play each other until we have a hometown champion. All the teams that came from somewhere else play each other.… Read full post »

In the months leading up to the 1980 Democratic nomination, incumbent President Carter was challenged by Ted Kennedy. The Iran Hostage Crisis and poor economy had painted Carter as a weak leader, one with little chance of re-election. Carter eventually won the nomination as Kennedy's presidential… Read full post »

In a previous article, I discussed the fact that the U.S. is an outlier regarding incarceration rates, having a rate that is about 7 times the amount of typical OECD countries (the OECD is an international organization comprised of 34 countries, representing many of the wealthier… Read full post »

In high school, a friend of mine once borrowed $100.  That was a decent amount of money for a 14-year-old to lend out but, since he was a friend in need, I figured why not.  Problem was, he never felt it was important to pay me back.  He trivialized my requests… Read full post »