Although it is alluring to think that living in diverse communities fosters tolerance and social solidarity, Harvard sociologist Robert D. Putnam, of Bowling Alone fame, says the evidence points overwhelmingly in the opposite direction.
Culture and economics tend to encourage low population growth. These days, the only people still having lots of babies seem to be the deeply religious.
First Lady Abigail Adams was a shrewd speculator who pressed and wheedled her husband, John, to get out of farmland and invest in bonds.
THE SOURCE: “America’s Favorite Buildings” by Witold Rybczynski, in Wharton Real Estate Review, Fall 2007.
THE SOURCES: “The Faculty ‘Problem’” by Wilson D. Miscamble, in America, Sept. 10, 2007, and “Catholic Enough? Religious Identity at Notre Dame” by John T. McGreevy, in Commonweal, Sept. 28, 2007.
THE SOURCE: “Lasting Impacts of Indonesia’s Financial Crisis” by Martin Ravallion and Michael Lokshin, in Economic Development and Cultural Change, Oct. 2007.
THE SOURCE: “The Erosion of Racial Equality in the Context of Cuba’s Dual Economy” by Sarah A. Blue, in Latin American Politics and Society, Fall 2007.
Promises countries make to gain entry into NATO or the EU are similar to Mary Poppins’s description of pie crust: Easily made, easily broken.
Voting records suggest that Republicans should hope for a rainy, snowy day on November 4, 2008.