Supreme Court kills DOMA, aids Obama legacy

... but the overall picture is still a mixed bag. As I blogged here, President Obama faces clouds over his record because of foreign interventions, questions about domestic surveillance and data gathering, and a lack of action on the matter of "Too big to fail" financial institutions. - Douglas Phillabaum

Framing the Jobs Debate

A piece in today's LA Times presents an interesting framework about the jobs debate.

While productivity has grown by more than 80% over the last 30 years, wages have effectively been flat for 80% of Americans. So, although we're making stuff faster and more efficiently, the benefits of that hard work have not trickled into the pockets of the people who do it.

Not all jobs are created equal; when we hear the phrase "job creation", we need to examine it more closely. Unemployment numbers are just one way that the debate gets shifted away from the real issues confronting the U.S. right now.

The Value of Good Teachers

Today's NY Times has an interesting article by Nick Kristof on the value of good teachers.

Among other things, Kristof claims that a good 4th grade teacher increases the lifetime earnings of his or her class by about $700,000.

Falling into Line...

Jupiter's 4 Galilean moons fell into line last week... Europa, Io, Callisto, and Ganymede were visible from Earth and lined up with each other. Rare and amazing.

Douglas Phillabaum

Douglas Phillabaum

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