Will's Weekly Email Digest 8-5-15

Will's Weekly Digest | [August 5, 2015]

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D-D-D-Dog Days

August is upon us, and with it, the dog days of summer. It's hot out there, y'all. Make sure you're staying cool and hydrated. As a popular male model once put it: Moisture is the essence of wetness, and wetness is the essence of beauty. Let the words of Zoolander guide you through the humidity. Stay hydrated and stay beautiful.

Quick thank you to everyone who sent along dogs last week! I received quite a few great pictures, and I promise that if you sent me a pic it will be included in a future digest!

Happy Wednesday and happy reading!

This Day in History

1914 - The first electric traffic light is installed in...wait for it...Cleveland, Ohio! Raise your hand if you thought Cleveland was home to the first electric traffic signals. Now put your hand down, because no one can see it, and you're probably lying. I would never have guessed Cleveland, but really, what do I know?

Dear Gen X, Sincerely, Millennials

I've read two interesting articles recently about the economic struggles of my generation. The first, a reader rec from Meghan in Florida, about the how millennials are struggling in a weak economy, and how we are likely to face significant fiscal hardship down the road due to the irresponsible spending of Generation Xers (from the NYTimes). The second piece is a millennial's perspective on this issue, focusing specifically on the burden of student debt that turns out to not be the best investment in a faltering economy (from Medium). Education is the key to our future, but we must find a way to make it both affordable and practical if we are to continually secure that future. That the world's most educated generation is on pace to be less economically viable than our less-educated predecessors is a very bad sign. It might be easy to blame those predecessor for their lack of financial prudence, but if it bankrupts us, it won't matter who we blame. Frankly, I'd prefer not to focus on the spending of Generation X, but rather figure out how we can make education both effective and affordable.

Mo Babies, Mo Problems?

If we millennials are struggling, what does that herald for future generations? I can't answer that question, but it's one we need to be asking, especially since the American birthrate rose 1% last year, the first time it has risen in seven years (from the LA Times). If and as our population grows, how can we ensure that we are providing opportunity for all children so that they will grow up to be self-sufficient and fulfilled contributors to our society? Is this possible within our current economic paradigm? Is our growth-based model infinite? Or are these new American babies, brought into the world by older mothers, destined to live in a world of economic stagnation?

Generally, as populations become more affluent, birth rates level off, as parents invest more time in resources in fewer children. In 1315, it made sense to have children since four of them would likely die before age five. In the developed world, we no longer face that tragic paradigm, and birthrates are more steady, but the global interplay between population trends and economic development will force us to think critically about how we utilize our resources to create stable conditions worldwide.

About that Economic Paradigm...

If our growth based model is finite, how will we adjust to that? Is there a better model? Is there a way to ensure infinite growth absent new markets? These are just some of the questions we will have to consider as we work to put ourselves on firm economic footing that gives everyone a chance to reach their potential.

Some of these changes are already underway. The on-demand economy has already led to the creation of a new - if not formally recognized - type of employee, whose rights as a worker are still undefined. Is an Uber driver an employee or a contractor (from Buzzfeed)? For many of us this might seem to be an arcane or trivial distinction, but it has profound economic consequences for the individuals in question, and how this issue is decided will play an important role in shaping our future labor laws.

This isn't easy business. There is a fine line between encouraging productivity and growth, and treating people fairly. Too much of the former likely (but not always) undermines the latter, and of course too much of the latter can stymie the former. Figuring out how 21st century workers fit into a new type of economy in a way that capitalizes on our skills and pays us accordingly without limiting growth will require dialogue and compromise. In other words, don't get your hopes up.

Try NOT to be What You Eat

And thank goodness for it, since we eat a lot of crap. The funny thing is, our bodies recognize this, even if we don't. This is highlighted in a reader rec from Katrina in NYC in which the author explains that those tummy aches I get after consuming my third Klondike Bar are my body telling me to chill out for a bit. (from Vox Media). Many of the foods we love most are so full of different flavorings and other chemicals that they trick our tastebuds, but they can't fool our stomachs. The reason you feel the way you feel after certain meals has less to do with how much you ate, and more to do with what you ate. As sentient beings we can work our way around this dichotomy, but if I were a yak or something, I'd never eat a Klondike Bar again after the first one (or three) made me feel icky. Essentially what this means is that the food our body is rejecting via stomach ache is not really what we should be consuming, and while it's not going to kill me to have a Klondike every now and then - I hope, b/c if it's going to kill me, I'm already done - consuming massive amounts of processed food amounts to a slow form of poisoning. Not necessarily lethal, but with the potential for many negative side effects.

The Wonderful World of Sports

Wild, wonderful, wacky, it doesn't matter how we describe sports, they are an important and deeply ingrained part of our culture with all the positive and negative side effects that come along with that. There is no shortage of bad publicity for athletes, and often it is well deserved, but let us not forget that some athletes are fantastic human beings (from SB Nation). Albert Pujols has a long history of charitable behavior, and for that he deserves recognition. Whether they wish it or not, athletes are role models, and in a world full of people we should NOT be emulating, I think it's important to talk about the people who model good behavior. Albert Pujols is famous because he can hit a baseball a long way, but his hug with Champ Pederson is probably more important than every homer he has ever hit. Kudos, Albert, and thank you.

The Dynamic Duo

Last week, I called out my mom for not sharing her dogs with me for the digest, so naturally instead of sending me pics, she made me travel home and get them myself. SOOOOOO, meet the dynamic duo of Boomer and Muffin (if you can't figure out who is who we've got a problem...). Boomer and Muffin enjoy a happy life with my parents here in MS. Muffin - who also responds to Mufflupagus Rex - lives indoors and spends her day napping under the couch or begging for attention from any and every human being who walks through our front door. Boomer lives outdoors, and spends most of his time sunbathing, occasionally mustering up enough energy to conduct a failed pursuit of a squirrel. Every now and then he also drinks out of the swimming pool, so his insides must be squeaky clean. Over the course of my life, my family has had a total of 14 dogs, including these two, so perhaps that explains my mild obsession. All I know is that I'm happy to be spending the week with these two!

Until We Meet Again!

Which I hope will be no later than next Wednesday, if not before then!

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