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Blog 3 Columns

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Blog 3 Columns

Why the World Needs Optimists 0
- Culture
- February 5, 2018
Optimism (noun): hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something (synonyms: hopefulness, hope, confidence, good cheer, cheerfulness, positive attitude) — This is a love letter to the optimists of the world; the beautiful souls who are brave enough to choose to work for the best possible outcome despite terrible circumstances, to look
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Why Hiring the ‘Best’ People Produces the Least Creative Results 0
- Economics
- February 5, 2018
While in graduate school in mathematics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I took a logic course from David Griffeath. The class was fun. Griffeath brought a playfulness and openness to problems. Much to my delight, about a decade later, I ran into him at a conference on traffic models. During a presentation on computational models
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Over-Optimistic People Aren’t Just Annoying… They’re Also Illogical 0
- Philosophy
- February 5, 2018
Do you know people like this? If someone offers a critique of the local sports team, they’ll predictably jump in to say that the team is fine and there’s nothing to worry about. If someone expresses frustration with another person, they’ll see it as their duty to speak glowingly of that person and his good
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Be My (Compulsory) Valentine 0
- Culture
- February 5, 2018
My three kids returned home this week each with a list of the names of their classmates and firm instructions from their teachers that, if they chose to participate in the festivities, they must write Valentine’s Day cards to every single kid in the class. Nothing like a little forced goodwill and fake friendships to
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The Ideology Behind “So What You’re Saying Is…”0
- February 2, 2018
My social media feed these past few days has contained several references to the recent interview between Canadian psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson and BBC journalist Cathy Newman. Throughout the interview, as Dr. Peterson gave his views on topics like feminism and LGBT rights, Ms. Newman routinely interrupted him with the meme-worthy phrase, “So what you’re
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Is Direct Primary Care the Future of Medicine?0
- Economics
- February 2, 2018
As a fairly healthy individual, I have little occasion to visit the doctor. As such, I spend little time thinking about the costs of healthcare. But last fall, a slight skin issue sent me to my local clinic. The doctor saw me for five minutes, assured me that my concerns were needless, and said goodbye.
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FISA Memo: Who controls our government?0
- History
- February 2, 2018
If you’ve been following the developments associated with the Steele Dossier or the allegations that President Trump colluded with the Russians to disrupt and win the 2016 election, then you will know that February 2, 2018 could go down as a pivotal moment in the history of the United States. According to “The Memo” released on
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A Century Ago, Progressives Were the Ones Shouting ‘Fake News’0
- History
- February 2, 2018
Donald Trump may well be remembered as the president who cried “fake news.” It started after the inauguration, when he used it to discredit stories about the size of the crowd at his inauguration. He hasn’t let up since, labeling any criticism and negative coverage as “fake.” Just in time for awards season, he
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5 Takeaways From that Memo on the FBI 0
- Politics
- February 2, 2018
The much-awaited memo composed by the Republican-controlled House Intelligence Committee was released Friday. The memo, declassified following authorization by President Trump, alleges abuse of surveillance power by the Department of Justice and FBI. The document was composed by House Intel chair Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), and was based on classified documents the committee had been provided
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