Greetings from Taipei! I've been reading full-length books and less articles so I haven't put this out for a few weeks. I didn't receive any angry e-mails, so I'm going to assume everyone is doing okay.
#1 Pad Thai: Pad Thai was used in the 1930's as Thailand was getting it start to promote a national identity.
#2 What is enough?: For Paul Jarvis, its living on a small island and keeping things simple. He has avoided the urge to "grow" his business for twenty years.
#3 Solitude: Maria Popova offers Delacroix's perspective on solitude:
Everything tells me that I need to live a more solitary life. The loveliest and most precious moments of my life are slipping away in amusements which, in truth, bring me nothing but boredom.
#4 Thoughts On America: Wendell Berry's writing was recommended by reader Andrew Taggart and I decided to start with The Unsettling of America which at its core is a deep criticism of farming policy, but offers a deeper reflection on work, community, love and relationships through that lens. Here is Berry's perspective on education:
The standard of practical education, on the other hand, is based upon the question of what will work, and because the practical is by definition of the curriculum set aside from issues of value, the question tends to be resolved in the most shallow and immediate fashion: what is practical is what makes money; what is most practical is what makes the most money. Practical education is an “investment,” something acquired to be exchanged for something else—a “good” job, money, prestige. It is oriented entirely toward the future, toward what will work in the “changing world” in which the student is supposedly being prepared to “compete.” The standard of practicality, as used, is inherently a degenerative standard.
#5 Parenting Science: Emily Oster argues that most parenting beliefs come from rich parents mistaking activity for causation. Her takeaway: we can't be sure what works, so don't spend too much time trying to "optimize" parenting. Her podcast episode on EconTalk on the same topic was great too.
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