2. New study finds performance - enhancing drugs for chess. The article is fairly long. Basically, the drug actually slows the player down, but increases cognitive function, resulting in better moves.
3. Podcast recommendation: 99% Invisible.
It's about urban architectural/planning issues and stories. Previous podcast topics include: guerilla urban planners, unpleasant and hostile urban architecture (i.e benches that the homeless can't sleep on), and the politics of lawn maintenance.
4. "China: the economic story of our time." Interesting discussion regarding China and its economy.
5. Donald Trump's wall probably won't happen. Like all policy, it's getting bogged down in legal, bureaucratic and logistics problems:
None of the 38-member Texas delegation offered full-throated support of a complete border wall... that would impact Texas more than it would any other state.
Among many Texas Republicans in Congress, the concept, while popular with the party's base, collides with another conservative tenant: eminent domain.
A wall would require the confiscation of ranching land near the Rio Grande, and several Texas Republicans expressed concern about the federal government taking away property — often held by families for generations — and the legal tangles that would inevitably arise from that.
6. The liberalisation of China resulted in decreased productivity of American maths professors.
The article also references the former U.S.S.R, another nation with a mathematically rigorous education sector whose liberalisation also had adverse consequences for American maths professors.
With gradually thawing relations between Cuba and the U.S, I wonder what the consequences of a loosening of Cuban - American borders would have on the U.S high - skill labour market. My prediction is that professors can feel safe in their tenure - it isn't educators who are leaving for greener pastures but instead medical professionals. In an attempt to stem this "brain drain" from the medical sector, Cuba recently imposed a travel ban. It's merit as a viable solution is doubtful. More on this soon.
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