Why Affluent Parents Put So Much Pressure on Their Kids

"For the most successful Americans, prosperity feels fragile." Read more in the Atlantic.

Thanks, +Zuhair Khan 

How To Manage Your Time: 5 Secrets Backed By Research

A few of my favorite insights:

• Warren Buffet on the power of "no": The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say “no” to almost everything.
• Have a “Deep Work Ritual”: Whatever gets you ready to crank. Hiding in a conference room and throwing your phone into an abyss is a good one.

Read more in Barking Up The Wrong Tree.

Thanks, +Jordan Dods 

The War on Campus Sexual Assault Goes Digital

"Jessica Ladd, founder and chief executive of Sexual Health Innovations, whose Callisto service lets college students anonymously record details of sexual assaults and report them later. She came up with the idea after she was assaulted as an undergraduate."

Read more in the NYT.

Thanks, Cyrus and Amelia.

"Even Famous Female Economists Get No Respect"

An excerpt:

...Second, Ralph Nader decided to enter the debate on monetary policy recently with an open letter to Janet Yellen, the chairwoman of the Federal Reserve. It was, to be charitable, a rather confused missive — and confusing enough that history may rate Mr. Nader as a more successful presidential candidate than economist. But the real clunker came with his advice to Ms. Yellen that “I think that you should sit down with your Nobel Prize-winning husband George Akerlof.” His directive continued: “Together, figure out what to do.” 

It is not clear why Ms. Yellen would need her husband’s help to do this. She is an accomplished economist in her own right, and arguably the most powerful economist in the world. Moreover, if Ms. Yellen needed help figuring anything out, she would be unlikely to need to rely on her husband, as she has hundreds of Ph.D. economists working for her. And while Mr. Akerlof is a brilliant economic theorist — indeed, he is one of my favorite economists — he would be the first to admit that he is not a leading authority on monetary policy.

Read more in the NYT.

Thanks, +Corinne Grzybowski 

America's bipartisan illiberalism

An excerpt:

There is nothing inevitable about liberalism. 

Our form of government and political culture demand that individuals tolerate disagreements about the highest good, that the state treats all people equally under the law, that citizens resist the temptation to settle political disputes through violence, and that members of the political community forge a common heritage through a process of unending civil discussion, argument, and debate that's undertaken in a spirit of mutual respect. 

All of this is extremely difficult to achieve and maintain, even in the best of times. But in periods of social, cultural, and economic stress, citizens will be especially prone to give in to illiberal temptations. 

Today, the United States is passing through a particularly illiberal phase.

Read more in The Week.

Listening Session With Taylor Swift: 1989 | Part 1

Unfortunately, I can't embed the link: Check out this video on Taylor Swift on her song-writing process.

Thanks, +Katherine Stiner 

To Weld, Perchance, to Dream

An excerpt:

It’s not often that one finds oneself uniquely qualified to comment on a matter in the popular media, but when Marco Rubio argued at the Republican debate last week that the country needs “more welders and less philosophers,” I had my moment. My father was a welder, and I am a philosopher. I actually did have a choice to make some decades ago: to weld or to philosophize?

Read more in the NYT Opinionator.

Thanks, +Alessia Bhargava 

Start-Up Leaders Embrace Lobbying as Part of the Job

Read more in the NYT.

Meet the Uber Driver Who Built a $2 Billion Company

Paul English was a co-founder of Kayak.com and ran a $20 million incubator in Boston. So why's he driving for UberX?

Read more in Inc.

Thanks, +Kathy Wang 

Twitter Cats to the Rescue in Brussels Lockdown

Brussels understands the power of the kitten. Read more in the NYT.

Are Activist Investors Helping or Undermining American Companies?

"Journal examines 71 campaigns at big companies, finds runaway winners, a few duds." Read more in the WSJ.

Thanks, Elliot

Ralph Nader wrote Janet Yellen a sexist letter. Her response is a fantastic short lesson in monetary policy.

Read more in Vox.

5 Strategies Resilient People Use to Overcome Rejection (No Matter How Much it Stings)

I hadn't thought about this one before:

2. They View Rejection as Evidence They’re Pushing the Limits 

Mentally strong people know that rejection serves as proof that they’re living life to the fullest. They expect to be rejected sometimes, and they’re not afraid to go for it, even when they suspect it may be a long shot. 

If you never get rejected, you may be living too far inside your comfort zone. You can’t be sure you’re pushing yourself to your limits until you get turned down every now and then. When you get rejected for a project, passed up for a job, or turned down by a friend, you’ll know you’re putting yourself out there.

Read more in the Muse.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to Take Two Months Paternity Leave

I love this. Read more in Fortune.

Why there is no Uber for healthcare

Read more in Rock Health.

Funny penguin chases zookeeper in Japan

The cuteness.

Thanks, +Fred Ehrsam 

Aspiring biotech entrepreneurs 'would be crazy' not to take this Harvard class

Read more in STAT news.

Powerful Images Showing Where Young Syrian Refugees Sleep

These heartbreaking photographs document what happens when the night comes for the most vulnerable of refugees — the children.

Read more in Buzzfeed.

Father and Son have the most precious conversation about Paris attacks (Le Petit Journal)

Exclusive: What's behind the exodus from Rent the Runway?

Read more in Fortune.

Thanks, +John Griffin 

CEOs Get Paid Less When There Are Women on the Compensation Committee

Read more in the Mary Sue.

Canada’s New Prime Minister Says He Picked a Cabinet That’s Half Women “Because It’s 2015”

An excerpt:

When asked why he opted for gender equity, Trudeau responded: “Because it’s 2015.”

*Mic drop*

Read more in Slate. Thanks, +Cassie Coravos 

42% of Women and 37% of Men Own Game Consoles. Quick, Pretend To Be Surprised

(I was surprised.)

Read more in Learn to Code With Me.

Thanks, Ada's List

Ada's List: This Secret of British Women in Tech is Coming to the U.S.

Read more in Forbes. Also, check out Ada's List tumblr.

Thanks, Vini

The Mother of All Questions

Check out the reflection in Harper's.

Thanks, Natalie

'Women are just better at this stuff': is emotional labor feminism's next frontier?

"From remembering birthdays to offering service with a smile, life has a layer of daily responsibility that is hardly discussed – one which falls disproportionately on women. Finally confronting it could be a revolutionary step." Read more in the Guardian.

Thanks, Megan + Stiner

Should driverless cars kill their own passengers to save a pedestrian?

Ethical experiment: "Imagine you’re in a self-driving car, heading towards a collision with a group of pedestrians. The only other option is to drive off a cliff. What should the car do...?"

Read more in Quartz.

Leslie Perlow: Thriving in an overconnected world

Thanks, Steve Marks

How The Economic Machine Works by Ray Dalio

Thanks, Fred

Rosemary Kennedy and the Legacy of Mental Illness

An excerpt:

As a young girl in the early 1900s, Rosemary Kennedy—the eldest daughter of the auspicious Kennedy family—was beautiful, affectionate, and mild-mannered. But her life story pivots on what became perhaps the century's most chilling manifestation of the fear, shame, and ignorance that surrounds mental health: the lobotomy.

Check out her (rather gruesome) story in Vice.

Life events and career change: transition psychology in practice

Thought this was a nicely depicted graph:

Read more in Eos Life-Work.

Thanks, +Jacquelyn Kung 

Mind stretching

A sobering excerpt:

Mental ill-health costs as much as 4% of GDP in lost productivity, disability benefits and health-care bills, according to the OECD, a think-tank. Many illnesses afflict the old disproportionately, but mental illness tends to strike the young, undermining productivity. In Sweden three-fifths of new disability claims are for mental ill-health. Lives are cut short: seriously mentally ill people die 15-20 years younger than the rest of the population. And the economic burden seems to be growing heavier. A few years ago, the World Economic Forum estimated that in the two decades to 2030 the cumulative cost of mental illness could be $16 trillion.

Read more in the Economist.

Thanks, +Daniel Romero 

People's Deepest, Darkest Google Searches Are Being Used Against Them

"On the Internet, search queries are used to target vulnerable consumers." Read more in the Atlantic.

Thanks, +Rohan Kshirsagar 

NIH’s mental health chief on why he’s leaving for Google: Technology may hold key to better diagnosis

Read more in the Washington Post.

Thanks, Cole

Do Judges Vary in Their Treatment of Race?

This is depressing:

In this paper, we estimate whether judges differ from each other in how they sentence minorities, avoiding potential bias from unobservable case characteristics by exploiting the random assignment of cases to judges. We measure the between-judge variation in the difference in incarceration rates and sentence lengths between AfricanAmerican and White defendants. We perform a Monte Carlo simulation in order to explicitly construct the appropriate counterfactual, where race does not influence judicial sentencing. In our data set, which includes felony cases from Cook County, Illinois, we find statistically significant between-judge variation in incarceration rates, although not in sentence lengths.

Read more in the Institute for Law and Economics.

Thanks, +Rohan Kshirsagar 

Seeing X Chromosomes in a New Light

Fascinating - the gist is that females turn off one of the X chromosomes in each of their cells. Meaning that "that some cells, the father’s goes dormant, and in others, the mother’s does." An except:

While scientists have known about this so-called X-chromosome inactivation for more than five decades, they still know little about the rules it follows, or even how it evolved. 

In the journal Neuron, a team of scientists has unveiled an unprecedented view of X-chromosome inactivation in the body. They found a remarkable complexity to the pattern in which the chromosomes were switched on and off. 

At the same time, each copy of the X chromosome contains versions of genes not found on its partner. So having two X chromosomes gives females more genetic diversity than males, with their single X chromosome. Because of that, females have a genetic complexity that scientists are only starting to understand.

Read more in the NYT.

Thanks, +Claire Richard 

New Federal Program Offers Students Aid for Nontraditional Education

Translation: students can now get federal aid for some coding bootcamps.

Thanks, Byron

Children don't ruin women's careers — husbands do, Harvard study finds

Read more in National Post.

Thanks, +Andrea Sparrey

When women stopped coding: 1984

Read more in NPR.

Thanks, Verdell

Bitcoin Surges, Emerging From a Lull in Interest

Read more in the NYT.

The Un-College That's Training $100,000 App Developers

Check out the interview with the General Assembly founder in NPR.

Thanks, Elliot

Former Instagram Model Edits Her Posts To Reveal Truth Behind The Photos

This was brave. Read more in Elite Daily.

Thanks, +Claire Richard 

How Carly Fiorina is redefining feminism

Read more in Politico. Thanks, +Claire Richard 

How Friendship Fights Depression

"A new study shows that a healthy mood can spread through friend groups." Read more in the Atlantic.

Thanks, +Jeremy Au 

A Calmer Division of Labor at Home

"With couples sharing tasks, it is harder to agree on the best approach; calmer when one spouse is away?"

Read more in the WSJ.

Thanks, +Katherine Stiner 

Childcare now costs more than rent. No wonder more women are opting out of the workforce

Read more in Forbes.

Thanks, +Katherine Stiner 

The Real Payoff From an MBA Is Different for Men and Women

Women with MBAs face a gender-based pay divide that starts as soon as they graduate, and plagues them throughout their careers. Read more in Bloomberg.

Thanks, Tom

It’s good to be the Queen . . . but it’s easier being the King

"Many gender differences are really power differences in disguise."

Read more at McKinsey & Company.

Thanks, +Alessia Bhargava 

A better way to gauge how common sexual assault is on college campuses

Read more in the Washington Post.

Thanks, Cyrus

Class Is Seen Dividing Harvard Business School

An old piece from 2013, but much still rings true today. Read more in the NYT.

Thanks, Obi

Steve Jobs: Vision of the World

Reminds me of the quote: "I must create a system or be enslaved by another."


Thanks, +Mark Wilson 

Photos of latte art too beautiful to drink

Read more in Business Insider.

Thanks, Vini

How Cheap Oil Has Delta Air Lines Jet Fooled

An excerpt:

In 2012 Delta Air Lines did something strange. It bought an oil refinery. No other airline owns a refinery. But Delta executives, led by CEO Richard Anderson, thought it was time to do something radical about the painful cost of fuel. Back then oil prices were stubbornly high–more than $90 a barrel. Its planes were burning the equivalent of 260,000 barrels a day, representing a third of total costs. 

At the time, Delta figured, $2.2 billion of the $12 billion a year it was spending on fuel went to refiners as profit. By making jet fuel in the company’s own refinery, Anderson and his team figured Delta could keep some of that profit for itself. So they plunked down $180 million for an aging Phillips 66 plant in Trainer, Pa., near Philadelphia.

Read more in Forbes.

F-16 pilot was ready to give her life on Sept. 11

I never knew this part of the Sept 11 story -- what a different day it would have been if we had to go through with a kamikaze mission.

Read more in the Washington Post.

Thanks, +Claire Richard 

A New Aristocracy

Daniel Markovits gave Yale Law School's commencement address in May 2015. Worth a read on Yale Law's website.

How can we stop the rat-race?

Thanks, +John Griffin 

Black Arts: The $800 Million Family Selling Art Degrees and False Hopes

Read more in Forbes.

Thanks, Fred

9 Reasons Why Quitting My Job to Move to Paris Was a Good Career Move

My favorite reason was #4:

4. I built an entirely new (and incredibly random) network. 

When I arrived in Paris, I was match-made with various friends-of-friends who lived there, but I also made an effort to meet people on my own. Whereas I once relied on the name game (“Where did you go to school? Oh, do you know so-and-so…”) to contextualize new acquaintances, the old criteria seemed irrelevant in my new setting. It was more like, “Oh, you’re a 70-year-old Romanian astrologer? Perfect. Let’s be friends.” 

Read more in MM La Fleur.

Thanks, +Anu Parvatiyar 

Is This Family Gender-Biased?

Read more in the NYT. Also thought this toolkit from Harvard's Education School was a useful checklist.

Thanks, +Andrea Sparrey 

Why I Stopped Angel Investing

Admittedly, I am not a fan of Tucker Max, but I thought this was a particularly well-written and insightful piece.

Read more in the Observer.

Thanks, +Jordan Dods 

Leisure, the Basis of Culture: An Obscure German Philosopher’s Timely 1948 Manifesto for Reclaiming Our Human Dignity in a Culture of Workaholism

The kick-off quote:

“We get such a kick out of looking forward to pleasures and rushing ahead to meet them that we can’t slow down enough to enjoy them when they come,” Alan Watts observed in 1970, aptly declaring us “a civilization which suffers from chronic disappointment.”

Read more in BrainPickings.

Thanks, +Lucy McKinstry 

The Workplace Culture That Flying Nannies Won’t Fix

A counter-view. Read more in the NYT.

Wall Street’s Gilded Maternity Perk: Nannies Fly Free

"KKR has extended its leave time for new parents and added a benefit allowing them to bring a new child and caregiver on business trips"

Read more in Bloomberg.

Thanks, +Katherine Stiner 

6 Tricks to Get 86% More Chipotle Burrito (for free!)

I appreciate the data collection and analysis used in this article in Rentonomics.

Thanks, Hillary