Lazy Linking, 136th in an Occasional Series

Stuff I liked lately on the Internets:

136.1 The economics of outsourcing handwriting tasks bit.ly/1ulY1qK @medium

136.2 A sign of more climate change transactions to come? Norway pays Liberia to stop deforestation bbc.in/1rsUi8S @bbcnews

136.3 What's the most impactful climate change action of the last 25yrs? (hint: has to do w/Montreal) econ.st/XQC991 @economist

136.4 What should US MBAs learn about Chinese management? econ.st/1uyVMxO @economist

136.5 Upending the myth about "motherhood penalty, daddy bonus" (but why no quotes from non-white moms?) glmr.me/1t0qQav @glamour

Too Long For a Tweet, Too Short for a Blog Post X

Here's an excerpt from an article I recently read: "Academic Ignorance and Black Intelligence," Atlantic Monthly (June 1972).


There is no reason to believe that any nonstandard vernacular is in itself an obstacle to learning. The chief problem is ignorance of language on the part of all concerned. Our job as linguists is to remedy this ignorance: Bereiter and Engelmann want to reinforce it and justify it. Teachers are now being told to ignore the language of black children as unworthy of attention and useless for learning. They are being taught to hear every natural utterance of the child as evidence of his mental inferiority. As linguists we are unanimous in condemning this view as bad observation, bad theory, and bad practice.



That educational psychology should be strongly influenced by a theory so false to the facts of language is unfortunate; but that children should be the victims of this ignorance is intolerable. If linguists can contribute some of their valuable knowledge and energy toward exposing the fallacies of the verbal-deprivation theory, we will have done a great deal to justify the support that society has given to basic research in our field.

Water

This was a nice piece in Philanthropy Age about movie star Matt Damon's efforts around water access.  I've been a fan of Damon since his Bourne movies, and am glad he's been able to translate his fame, fortune, and desire to serve into a great vehicle to do so, which is water.org.

I got a chance to meet Gary White, the guy who helped make that non-profit possible, when we both attended our first British American Project conference in Los Angeles in 2008.  I found Gary to be extremely nice, extremely funny, and extremely thoughtful.  One of my favorite memories of that conference was going to a water bar in Santa Monica with Gary and watching the merchant extol him on the purity of their offerings.  Gary took the whole sales pitch in with a straight face and then schooled us after we left the establishment on what a load of crock it all was.  (See the video below: Gary's in the red shirt, and the woman in the grey shirt is giving us all the hard sell.)

The next year, he had hooked up with Damon, and water.org has been doing good stuff worldwide ever since.  Kudos to Damon, White, and water.org, and let's not forget that basic water access is not yet available to so many millions of our brethren.

Join SBN

This post is pulling double-duty as my promotion of Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, which I'm on the board of and which is having its fall membership drive.  So I'm motivated to make the case for ponying up the annual dues, which my own firm does and which I'm now going to try to convince you to. 

People evaluate membership organizations in different ways, and it's not my job to tell you that one way is better than the other.  Rather, I'm going to say that however you want to think about being a member, SBN makes sense:

If you want it to be a charitable contribution, as in "I support what they're doing so I'm going to give them money," we'll take it, and you can take the tax deduction as well as the comfort that you're supporting a well-run, impactful organization.

If you want it to be about advocacy, joining SBN is a great way to amplify your voice and SBN will be sure to step up for what you're about.

If you want it to be about affiliation, as in "I'm part of this club," that'll work, too, because all the cool companies are doing it (don't you want to be cool like us?).

If you want it to be about the network, you'll get your money's worth, because you'll be joining a group that is thick as thieves - numerous, diverse, and hyper-willing to help you out.

If you want it to be about the perks, it's a good deal - you get all kinds of access, resources, information, publicity, and so on. 

Here's the link.  Click through, join, and get involved!

Lazy Linking, 135th in an Occasional Series

Stuff I liked lately on the Internets:


135.1 Did the Scottish vote prove prediction markets are more accurate than polls? nyti.ms/1sd1Caw @upshotnyt

135.2 Best free things to do in the San Francisco Bay Area bit.ly/1ykv699 @trekaroo

135.3 Best food items to buy in Philadelphia bit.ly/1uOGrth @zagat

135.4 The cost of solving climate change bv.ms/1wAH3Dc @bloomberg

135.5 Is gender inequality an inefficiency that'll eventually get competed away? nyti.ms/1BGwDEQ @upshotnyt

Park it Here

Today is Park(ing) Day, so all over the city parking spaces will be converted into mini-parks.  Go here for a map of where you can find them.  (There will be approximately a bajillion near my downtown office.)  If you're local, step outside for a few to soak up some green.

Sustainable Business 2.0

Nice to see the business of sustainable business evolve over time.  And exciting to see where it's going.  This article in a recent Economist talks about a 2.0 wave that is emerging.  This version of sustainable business goes beyond energy efficiency and good PR and recognizes that the majority of a company's environmental footprint actually happens before and after - before, in the form of its suppliers, and after, in the form of its customers.

There's still a business case to be made for working with suppliers and customers, rather than just sticking with what you can control within your walls.  But this is a bigger stretch for profit-seeking firms, so I think it's going to take some time for business leaders to think in this way.  Here's hoping we keep moving in this direction, because that's what's really going to move the needle on this kind of stuff.  I leave you with this great quote which ends the Economist article:

The first wave of sustainability rewarded itself. The new wave will not do that. It is more akin to investing now to have a licence to operate in future, when consumers, lobbyists and regulators will be ever more demanding about the way firms behave. That does not mean the new wave will not reward its adopters. But it will boost their long-term competitive position, rather than their short-term profits. Unlike the rewards of the superficial first wave, those of deeper sustainability could take years to sink in.

Lazy Linking, 134th in an Occasional Series

Stuff I liked lately on the Internets:

134.1 Finding your love match thru spreadsheets 53eig.ht/1qc0Okt @fivethirtyeight

134.2 New album means Lecrae in the news a lot ble.ac/1xAGjSL @bleacherreport bit.ly/1rUaJa0 @billboard

134.3 Solar's so attractive/successful/mainstream that VCs have moved on from them ti.me/1qMycxn @time


134.4 When will computers be able to do lip reading & what'll be the implications bit.ly/1qN6gd1 @techreview

134.5 One of the architecturally best new academic bldgs is just a mile from my house archdg.st/1lJQ77Y @archdigest

Too Long for a Tweet, Too Short for a Blog Post IX

Here's an excerpt from a book I recently read, "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food":

The Chinese are only part of the illegal flow in and out of Bangkok. Thailand has been drawing people from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan, all of them on their way elsewhere.  The most interesting migrant population in Thailand may be the North Koreans.  Many of them crossed the northern border into China and then walked all the way to Bangkok, he said, running his finger down the length of China.  I gawked.  It was a massive distance - equivalent to walking from Maine to Texas.  He had heard the stories thousands of times: "It's human nature," he said.  "Everyone wants to better their life."

Engagement

15 years ago today, on an auspicious date for love (9/9/99 - the word for 9 in Mandarin sounds like the word for "long-lasting" so is often featured prominently at weddings), I popped the question to Amy and she said yes.

In today's social media saturated world, proposals have become spectacles.  And I don't actually mind that, because sweet and clever and bold and public are a fun combination.

As for me, I went more low-key.  I won't rehash the details, but I had to grade my "performance," I'd give it myself an F.

But the important thing is she said yes. And, 15 years later, I'd still say yes to her. 

Lazy Linking, 133rd in an Occasional Series

Stuff I liked lately on the Internets:



133.1 One man's cigarette butt, another man's energy source bit.ly/1qEqBzv

133.2  Maps that explain the world (love #2, #4, & #33) bit.ly/1or21hu

133.3 My alma mater, Lynbrook, #1 HS in CA! (suck it, Monta Vista) bit.ly/1xr2F96

133.4 Yes, you can add bike lanes/protection AND speed up car traffic bit.ly/1pSNMIA

133.5 Pope Francis, savvy financier bit.ly/1ox6PYa

Bowling for Dollars for Design for Philadelphia

In exactly three weeks, the Community Design Collaborative (which I'm on the board of) will be having its annual fundraiser, Bowling Ball.  'Tis a groovy time of bowling with a fun bunch of folk.  My firm is a sponsor so we get a lane, so come out if only to see how economists approach the vexing problem of rolling a heavy ball down a straight surface towards ten pins.  Tickets and sponsorship levels here.  See you there!

Must See TV

If you're into Philly or history or Philly history, you have to tune in tonight for the latest in History Making Productions' documentary (see trailer below).  I was privileged to catch a sneak peek of the show last month and I am looking forward to seeing the full and finished version.  Love how our city, more so than any other big city, is associated with its founder, who literally towers over our downtown area.  Check out the doc if you want to know what made Billy Penn tick, and you'll get a sense of how Philly works.

Upcoming Webinar

One week from today, I'll be doing a webinar for Pennsylvania Economic Development Association called "Best Practices in Effectively Utilizing Economic Impact Analyses."  (Former students of mine may want to tune in if they are having trouble sleeping.)  This is a great organization and a topic I enjoyed talking about, so I am looking forward to the event.