Can charitable giving ever be a bad thing? After Hurricane Matthew left parts of Haiti with significant amounts of destruction, the world responded with large amounts of charitable contributions. But could such contributions actually do more harm than good? Examining such a question was the focus of a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. … Continue reading The Charity Paradox →

I'm sure many of you recognize the line above as coming from the classic "You're So Vain" song by Carly Simon. But how many of you know what the last part of that line is? I always thought the full line was: "You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself go by." … Continue reading 🎧 You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself … →

Today is the one year anniversary of the second World Statistics Day, and in honor of such a momentous occasion, I thought I'd share some of my blogging statistics with you (technically the date is only celebrated every five years, but I missed last year's...) I'll start with the number of subscribers to my blog: … Continue reading Between FiveThirtyEight.com and My Site, We Average over 5 Million Visitors per Month →

I just listened to the presidential candidates offer their differing viewpoints on the Second Amendment, and while both state that they support the Second Amendment, Hillary Clinton would also like to see some common sense gun control laws enacted. I am very much on Clinton's side on this issue, and would actually prefer even stronger … Continue reading Alternative Ways to Control Gun Violence →

I married when I was 24 years old. We had our first child before I was 25. I quit my job when I was 25, and went  back to school for my PhD. I opened a high-end personal training studio right before the economic crash of 2008. All of the above represent key decisions I've … Continue reading It’s a Miracle That Humans Ever Make the Right Decision →

I laugh every time I see it. Southwest has just come out with a new commercial in its "Wanna Get Away" series, and I think it's pretty funny. The commercial is set in a war room, and apparently the "system" has been breached. A general has been called in, and he is required to reveal … Continue reading What Your Passwords Say about You →

For the past two years, six days a week, I have tweeted my favorite stories from the Wall Street Journal. I have found it to be an easy way for me to keep track of such stories, and when appropriate, incorporate those stories into my teaching. Many of those stories have also served as the basis … Continue reading I Stopped Tweeting for a Week, and This Is What Happened →

As our plane got closer and closer to Philly, I started thinking about how much I love the city. It doesn't have the 24/7 buzz of New York City or the bright lights of Los Angeles, but it's a gritty town with more history than any other U.S. city. I also can't imagine I'll ever … Continue reading Back Home in Philadelphia →

What a great week it has been, and the sunset above was the perfect way to end it. I arrived in San Diego last Saturday with my son Pat and my Aunt Eileen and we headed to my Aunt Mary's house north of San Diego. As I mentioned in a previous post, it has been … Continue reading Checking Out of Hotel California →

There are 17 ballot measures that Californians will vote on this year. That's right, s-e-v-e-n-t-e-e-n. Some of these measures deal with critical issues such as repealing the death penalty, background checks for ammunition purchases, and funding for schools. Fifteen measures were put on the November ballot by citizens through signature petitions, and two by the legislature. It's … Continue reading California – A State of Confusion →