(Source: Wikipedia) In one of the best-known exchanges of all the Sherlock Holmes stories, Holmes mentions to a Scotland Yard detective the “curious incident of the dog in the night-time” (a clue in the theft of a racehorse). When the detective points out that the dog had done nothing that night, Holmes replies: “That was […]

Read more

(Source: Pete Souza) I am not against excellence. I just think it’s over-rated as an aspiration. In fact, I think aspiration itself may be over-rated. When I see excellence—when I’m competent to recognize it (and in many fields, like science and opera, I am not)—it is thrilling and heartening, as a friend once said, to […]

Read more

(Sheldon Adelson | Cource: Wikipedia) Fifty years ago, Americans lived in a society that had been growing—and had become—much more equal. In 1963, of every $100 in personal income, less than $10 went to the nation’s richest 1 percent. Americans today live in a land much more unequal. The nation’s top 1 percent are taking […]

Read more

(Fast-food workers walk out on July 30 in Detroit | Source: Detroit Free Press) Libya Moore typically spends Wednesdays at home in Pittsburgh taking care of her infant daughters. But on July 24, she found herself in a Target store, the lead singer in a dance that she dubbed the “Target Shuffle.” The song, a […]

Read more

(Larry Summers | Kevin Moloney/Flickr/Creative Commons) The reason Larry Summers has become a leading candidate for Federal Reserve chairman is because President Obama is now leaning his way. No, I don’t have direct proof of that, but some journalists claim they have heard this from insiders. And the reason this is credible is that Obama […]

Read more