Love is grand!! Divorce is a hundred grand. From my dad, of course…

Over the past few centuries, Western cultures have been very good at creating general prosperity for themselves. Historian Niall Ferguson asks: Why the West, and less so the rest? He suggests half a dozen big ideas from Western culture — call them the 6 killer apps — that promote wealth, stability and innovation. And in this new century, he says, these apps are all shareable.

History is a curious thing, and Niall Ferguson investigates not only what happened but why. (Hint: Politics and money explain a lot.)

From page 1 of The Anything Journal: Hi there stranger! I am an anonymous donor of this notebook to the Phoenix Coffee/Coffee Phix coffee shop! What’s on your mind? Write it in this journal. This is meant to be an anonymous way to get your feelings out, write poetry, doodle, draw, write short stories. You [...]

I don’t think Allen offers any new information, but, like all purveyors of productivity porn, repackages basic truths discovered so far back in History that we have no way of assigning proper credit. This is not to suggest that Allen is a hack or in any way misappropriating others’ ideas. Basic truths must be reinterpreted [...]

From Ian Welsh’s Golden Laws of Prosperity 1. Implement policy which is as good for as many people as possible. 6. Enforce the doctrine of first sale. 10. Do not allow the private sector to pillage the social sector. 25. Enforce accountability on decision makers, especially corporate decision-makers. 31. Reduce barriers to entry in new [...]

There is a corruption at the heart of American politics, caused by the dependence of Congressional candidates on funding from the tiniest percentage of citizens. That’s the argument at the core of this blistering talk by legal scholar Lawrence Lessig. With rapid-fire visuals, he shows how the funding process weakens the Republic in the most fundamental way, and issues a rallying bipartisan cry that will resonate with many in the U.S. and beyond.

Carlinisms…* Why do they call it a TV set when you only have one? From my dad, of course… *I associate this kind of word play with the brilliant comedy of George Carlin…

Carlinisms…* Why do we wash bath towels? Aren’t we clean when we use them? From my dad, of course… *I associate this kind of word play with the brilliant comedy of George Carlin…

Carlinisms…* How come abbreviated is such a long word? From my dad, of course… *I associate this kind of word play with the brilliant comedy of George Carlin…

From Ralph Solonitz, of course…

Matt Taibbi writes: If you’ve ever been arrested on a drug charge, if you’ve ever spent even a day in jail for having a stem of marijuana in your pocket or “drug paraphernalia” in your gym bag, Assistant Attorney General and longtime Bill Clinton pal Lanny Breuer has a message for you: Bite me. Breuer [...]

Thomas Frank writes: There is a scene I always recall when I try to remember the exhilarating effect that Occupy Wall Street had on me when it was first getting going. I was on a subway train in Washington, D.C., reading an article about the protests in Zuccotti Park in Manhattan. It was three years [...]

Carlinisms…* Why do we put suits in garment bags and garments in a suitcase? From my dad, of course… *I associate this kind of word play with the brilliant comedy of George Carlin…

From Ralph Solonitz, of course…

What can they do to you? Whatever they want. …How can you stop them? Alone, you can fight, you can refuse, you can take what revenge you can but they roll over you. It goes on one at a time, it starts when you care to act, it starts when you do it again after [...]

Carlinisms…* Why do you press harder on the buttons of a remote control when you know the batteries are dead? From my dad, of course… *I associate this kind of word play with the brilliant comedy of George Carlin…

From Ralph Solonitz, of course…

Mumia Abu-Jamal tells Chris Hedges: When I first got out in the yard and I heard groups of men talking about how Sarah was going to marry Jim or how Frank had betrayed Susan, I thought, Damn, these cats all know each other and their families. That’s odd. But after a few minutes I realized [...]