So Greg Mankiw Walks Into a Jury Box …
… and five minutes later, is sent home. You get the sense that maybe his feelings are a little hurt: the only thing the lawyers knew about him was his being a Harvard economics professor. What’s wrong with that? Read More »
What Captain Sullenberger Meant to Say (But Was Too Polite to Do So): A Guest Post
We recently introduced you to Captain Steve, an airline pilot for a major U.S. carrier, who will be regularly fielding your questions about any and all aspects of air travel. But before we get to that, Captain Steve had something he wanted to say about the overall state of the industry, and particularly how pilots fit in — or don’t. Read More »
Mao’s Little Red Aircraft Carrier
Freakonomics readers know that a baby’s name reveals more about its parents than about the baby. That’s also true of naval ships. The Christian Science Monitor reports that China’s online community has taken a strong interest in naming that country’s first aircraft carrier — if it ever gets built. The most favored name? Mao Zedong. China’s state newspaper approved, with one caveat: if an aircraft carrier named after Mao is damaged in battle, “it might hurt ordinary people’s feelings.” Read More »
No Cash in Japan?
When we last talked about abolishing paper currency, we joked about it happening in 2012. In Japan, where the future comes early, they’re considering banning cash now, as a way to stave off deflation. Read More »
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