Behind the Blog

Zackonomics was recently featured in the Behind the Blog Series over at Dan-Oliver.com. There is some information about my inspiration for blogging, my creative process, and my plans for this blog in the future! (I should note that Dan is my brother who encouraged me to try out blogging, and I've thoroughly enjoyed it.)

Also, take at look at the Behind the Blog series if you are looking for other blogs to add to your RSS feed. I've found several good ones via the series.

The Best American Sports Writing 2010 - FREE!

The Best American Sports Writing 2010 is a must-read book - a compilation of the best sportswriting published in 2009. This book is not just for sports fans, but anyone who enjoys great writing. I just starting reading it, and can't put it down. I've taken the time to link all 26 articles because I want others to enjoy them as much as I have. All articles are free to read except for one. If you prefer the real thing, it will only set you back $5.98 on Amazon)

Below is the linked table of contents of The Best American Sports Writing 2010. Please post comments about your favorite articles, and any other suggestions for sports reading.

The Way It Should Be by Thomas Lake

Shadow Boxing by Wright Thompson*

Offensive Play by Malcolm Gladwell*

The Impossible Redemption of Jonathan Boyer by Steve Friedman

Whatever Happened to Greg LeMond? by Mike Magnuson

Ripped. (Or Torn Up?) by Cynthia Gorney*

The Ghost Course by David Owen*

Flat by Jennifer Kahn

Close to Home by John Brant

(Still) Life by Skip Hollandsowrth*

The NFL's Jackie Robinson by Alexander Wolff

NBA Leads This Race by Bob Ryan

Allonzo Trier Is in the Game by Michael Sokolove*

Failing Our Athletes by Bob Hohler (Boston.com subscribers only)

The No-Stats All-Star by Michael Lewis*

This Is Your Brain on Football by Jeanne Marie Laskas

This Is Ted Johnson's Brain by Robert Sanchez*

Scout's Honor by Bill Plaschke

Stay in the Moment (with Doctor Baseball) by Karl Taro Greenfeld

The Death of a Pitcher by Eric Nusbaum

Dream Derailed by Mike Sielski

The Revolutionary by Richard Hoffer*

The Ever Elusive, Always Inscrutable, and Still Incomparable Bobby Orr by S. L. Price

Life Throws Bernie Kosar for a Loss by Dan Le Batard

The Man Who Never Was by Mike Sager

Chasing Jose by Pat Jordan

*personal favorites

If you want to save this list or print it out, click here for a word doc.

10 Questions with Wendy Kopp

Rick Stengel over at Times.com sits down with Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp with 10 questions about TFA. Wendy's idea for TFA was borne out of a dissertation that she wrote while at Princeton. For those of you who don't know much about the program, this is a good primer on what the program is all about. I'm nearing the end of my two year commitment in TFA, and even I learned that she hopes to double the amount of incoming corp members over the next five years. I highly encourage those of you who are interested to apply.

Egypt's Military - Bottled Water and Microwaves

Egypt's military produces consumer products and even operates resort hotels. Articles here and here. Part of the reason that they have maintained relative peace in Egypt is because they have a large economic interest in stability. Their customers are the people of Egypt. Check out this interesting podcast from NPR's Planet Money about the topic.

Greg Mankiw on Higher Education

Grew Mankiw comments on higher education in his latest NY Time piece:

[...] we should view higher education in the United States as one of our most successful export industries. The United States has 5 percent of the world’s population but most of the best universities. Is it any wonder that students from many nations flock here to learn? And as they do so, they create opportunities for Americans — from the professors who teach the classes to the grounds crews who maintain the campuses.

 I couldn't agree more. I alluded to the University Economy a few weeks ago in my post about US Higher Education.

Inflation at the Gas Station - 2010 CPI

Inflation slowed last year. Compared to 2009 inflation of 2.7 %, 2010 inflation fell to 1.5 %. Overall, energy prices are rising at the fastest rate despite a slight decline in natural gas prices. Food prices are also rising again, whereas in 2009 they were falling. Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs are leading the way with prices increasing an average of 5.5 % in 2010. Dairy had an increase of 3.7 % in 2010.

Here are a couple of charts that I put together based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2010 CPI-U data.

 

Here is a PDF of the charts for better viewing.

A Victory in Egypt?

As President Mubarak left Cairo today, it appears to be the first major victory for the protestors. Articles here and here. The process of restoring order in Egypt is far from over, but this is a step in the right direction. The period of transition that is starting to take place will offer its own unique challenges for the people of Egypt.

Meanwhile, Mubarak is reportedly staying in the coastal resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh located approximately 350 miles from Cairo. The Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh is nicknamed "The City of Peace." Hopefully the name will hold true. After all of this time on the streets of Cairo, protesters may be ready for a vacation of their own.

Courtesy Google Maps

Consumer Price Index - Interactive Chart

Very cool interactive chart about inflation over at the NYTimes. It is from May 2008, but I have not been able to find an updated version.

Click for interactive chart. (Source: NYTimes)

(Hat Tip: My Money Blog)

Graduate School

I have been thinking a lot about graduate school lately. I've applied to a handful of schools and have several  others that I will apply to if necessary. I'm seeking a masters in economics. Right now, I'm playing the waiting game as schools process my applications materials and make the final judgment.

Greg Mankiw blogged recently about graduate education in the field of economics. He suggests an expansion of master of economics programs, and I completely agree. Tyler Cowen has also posted some crowd-sourced rankings for economics departments across the world. When reading economics rankings, I am always left thinking "What about the masters programs!?". There are no rankings out there for terminal masters degrees in economics, and it has been sufficiently frustrating.

Some Economists see a masters degree as the easy way out, and it may be for people who enroll in a Ph.D. program and dropout early. However, there are others (myself included) who would rather spend more time in the workforce earning income and think a masters degree will prepare them just as well as a Ph.D. to be successful in their endeavors.