Want to Increase the Value of Your Home? Plant a Tree

According to a study done by the US Forest Service on over 3000 homes in Portland, Oregon, planting a tree directly in front of your house could raise its value by $7,593.
Not just good for the environment, good for business.
We found that two tree characteristics affected house price. First, each tree directly fronting a house [...]

Emotional Economics: the Psychological Basis of Decision Making

No, Emotional Economics isn’t the state of our sad economy.  It’s one more bullet hole in the old dog-that-won’t-die theory of “rational choice” in the social sciences.
Mathematical and Evolutionary game theorists have nearly done away with the idea of the rational actor:  Is a single-celled organism rational?  No.  But, it makes decisions that affect [...]

What Do YOU Know About Karl Marx?

The Proletarian gives the low-down on the what’s and how’s of Marx, and why you probably don’t know as much about him and his ideas as you think you do.
And for more, see his post:  Academic Marxism Part I

Top 25 Graduate Schools in Political Science, Ranked the Right Way

What’s more important, the prestige that comes with the name of your school, or the likelyhood that your school will get you a job?
The following results come from a study done by Benjamin Schmidt and Matthew Chingos that ranked Phd programs in Political Science based on how well placed their graduating Phd’s were into tenure [...]

Anatomy Art: Pork-Face

Anatomy art from Hungarian artist Géza Szöllősi
The above is made of pork.  Not a joke.

Dino Growth Rates on Predation

From Paleoblog:
With long limbs and a soft body, the duck-billed hadrosaur had few defenses against predators such as tyrannosaurs. But new research on the bones of this plant-eating dinosaur suggests that it had at least one advantage: It grew to adulthood much faster than its predators, giving it superiority in size.

The Real Sarah Palin: And How to Know if YOU are a Sexist

If you are a woman who voted for Hillary Clinton, and are now thinking of voting for McCain because of his vice-Presidential pick, Sarah Palin, then YOU are a sexist voter.  Why?  Because Hillary and Sarah dissagree on nearly every issue there is, while Hillary and Barrack AGREE on nearly every issue.
For example, From Slate
What’s [...]

Sarah Palin on Taxes

Libertarian concerns over the Palin pick:
As Chris Edwards noted, Palin has a spotty record on tax issues, mentioning the windfall profits tax on oil companies and noting she’s offered only minor tax breaks.
Libertarians should be cautiously optimistic about Palin. She has shown a dogged willingness to go to war with the worst elements of the [...]

Revolt at the Convention: Should McCain have Picked Lieberman?

With all the hoopla surrounding John McCain’s VP pick, Sarah Palin, one has to wonder: was it worth it?  Right out of the gates, scandal. It’s not the kind of scandal that is all that interesting to me, but it brings the wrong kinds of attention.  And contrasting her media reception with that of [...]