Thought of the Day

Monkey controls a robotic arm

Challenges in the Islamic World

Afghanistan - can tradition and modernity mix?


Egypt- would there be a peaceful transition?

My Wish for the Day

I wish somebody at GMU will post on Library Thing the library of James Buchanan

*I've linked [on the side] to libraries of some famous people under construction including Adam Smith, Charles Darwin and John Adams.

The Sociologist in Me

In New York, why do I see more white American men with Asian (Chinese,Korean,etc) women than the opposite. What's the sociological explanation for it?

Related;
The economics of marrying a foreign woman

Do airplanes make weird people stick out less?

Does this mean that weird men are more likely to have foreign wives?

Another interesting fact about New York;
New York City Death Rate Reaches Historic Low

For a Longer Life, Try Living In New York City, Report Says

Updated: I've found an answer, from an economist, Raymond Fisman;
Racial Preferences in Dating

We examine racial preferences in dating using data from a Speed Dating experiment. In contrast to previous studies, our methodology allows us to directly observe individual decisions and thus easily infer whose preferences lead to racial segregation in romantic relationships. Moreover, the richness of our data allows us to identify many determinants of same race preferences. We find that females exhibit stronger racial preferences than males. We demonstrate that this gender difference is not due to different dating goals by men and women. Exogenously bringing attention to possible shared interests increases the willingness to date people from other races. The subject’s background, including the racial composition of the ZIP code where the subject grew up and the prevailing racial attitudes in the subject’s state of origin, strongly influence the desire to be with a partner of the same race. Older subjects and more physically attractive subjects exhibit weaker same race preferences.

Human induced evolution?

What would these dogs look like several thousand years ago?

Another Thought on Suharto

Suharto had probably done more to alleviate poverty of a larger number of people than say Mohammed Younus- should we have given him the Nobel peace prize?

A Question to Tyler Cowen, Dani Rodrik and Greg Mankiw

I recently asked a person from a developing country (he has an economics PhD from one of your universities and not necessarily a recent graduate) about the values he had learned in the university in terms of public service? He replied he had learned none and he was willing to work for a totalitarian government and it’s ok for him to accept bribes if he were working for the government.

This disturbed me a lot. So I would appreciate if the three professors could elaborate a bit on your blogs the values of integrity that you expect from freshly minted economics PhDs from both of your universities.

Advice to Young Muslim

Has the modern day Islamic Scholars failed their community? Why do we have young Muslims wanting to blow themselves up? Who are the model Muslims that young Muslims need to look up to? How did a small band of extremists like Bin Laden hijack an entire religion? What should young Muslims read? These are some questions that often come to my mind.

I plan to start a new series on the blog about some of the modern day Islamic Scholars that the young can look upto.

Advice No. 1; read Akbar Ahmed

Videos;
Journey into Islam

Living Islam

Journey into Islam (CFR event audio)

Judaism and Islam: A Conversation

Akbar Ahmed on CSPAN "Q&A" with Brian Lamb (must see interview)


Other links;
Akbar Ahmed's books

Lawyers and Lectures

Why's that many lawyer academicians don't put their lectures online?