Ulterior Motives

I was reading an article in the June 22 issue of The New Yorker by John Seabrook that described the Ceasefire program that aims to curb gang violence. The article described a collaboration between the Cincinnati police department and an anthropologist named David Kennedy. Among the interesting elements of the program was that gangs were brought into meetings with police, former gang members, clergy, and social workers, and were told to stop the violence. Read More

I enjoy running. On a good week, I might get out and run 3 or 4 times, and run between 10 and 20 miles total. I collect a few t-shirts by running in races, but I have made a clear decision not to run a marathon. Four hours of running just seems like too much wear-and-tear on the body. The stress of running a marathon also has an effect on your mind. Read More

Credit cards are much in the news these days. Consumer debt is high, and many people have been forced to declare personal bankruptcy to get away from high-interest credit card loans. Lawmakers are working to tighten the rules on credit cards to protect people from themselves.

There are many reasons people rack up consumer debt, of course. But as I was reading yet another story about the proposed regulations on credit cards, I started thinking about the role of impulsivity in consumer spending, and how credit cards may help feed that process. Read More

It is easier to set goals than to achieve them. Setting goals requires only thinking about the future, and envisioning what you would like that future to be. If you want to learn to sing, you can imagine yourself as a successful singer and how rewarding it would be to sing for a group of people who are enjoying your music. If you want to become a better student, you can think about studying or passing tests or getting a good report card. Actually satisfying your goals, though, requires effort. It requires the energy to move forward and actually carry out a plan to achieve the goal.

Where can that energy come from? Read More