The Best Paragraph I've Read:

Comes from the economist which had two articles discussing the social safety net programs in Norway & China. You can read the full articles below:

Can a country be too rich?

China's Failing Pension System

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

Is about Space X and the companies upcoming IPO. Don and Zac debate the merits of the company and wonder if they should purchase shares. You can read the full article here:

https://www.economist.com/briefing/2026/05/21/elon-musk-is-going-all-in-on-an-unproven-technology

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

"For most of human history, calories were scarce. Our energy went into finding or growing food. Agriculture steadily made food more plentiful and goods became scarce. Then goods were scarce; hand-me-down clothes were common and tools were expensive. Innovations in technology and manufacturing made goods cheaper. Then, technical knowledge became scarce: Doctors, lawyers and software engineers are paid high salaries because of the rarity of what they know. The fear is that A.I. will make knowledge plentiful; that it will turn the fruits of learning into a commodity as surely as manufacturing turned clothing into a commodity and industrial agriculture made strawberries commonplace."

But something is always scarce. People are looking at the economy as it exists and asking which tasks A.I. can do; they should be asking which jobs people won’t want A.I. doing, or which services A.I. will make us want more of."

This paragraph comes from an essay by Ezra Klein of the New York Times. The essay's title: "Why the A.I. Jobs Apocalypse (Probably) Won't Happen."

You can read the full essay here:

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/opinion/ai-jobs-unemployment-silicon-valley.html

Zac & Don discuss Klein's ideas on why labor markets shouldn't worry about future jobs in a world with AI.

The Best Paragraphs I've Read:

Come from three articles on education:

Why the Future of College Could Look Like OnlyFans

Are Bored Students A Reason to Not Ban Cell Phones & Screens in School?

School Enrollments Are Dropping Nationwide

Zac & Don Discuss these ideas and wonder which has the most merit for further consideration.

The Best Paragraph I've Read...

Is from multiple articles from the Economist Magazine. Zac & Don Briefly discuss the following topics: Iran Divides Into 30,000 Units? USA Travel Deficit? Paying to Avoid Russia's Frontline? Decline Gulf Remittances? Reducing Buffett Waste? Ukraine = Drone Experts? More Nuclear States?

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

"I have driven cross-country four times, at least if you count a 3/4 trip as valid.  I also have driving experience in virtually all states, including Hawaii and Alaska, neither of which would be part of typical cross-country travel.

I recommend this mode of transport highly, especially for the United States.  Here are a few observations:"

This paragraph was written by Tyler Cowen on his blog Marginal Revolution. You can read the full blog post here.

Zac & Don discuss professor Cowen's rules for driving across America.

The Best Paragraph I've Read...

Comes from an essay in the New York Times titled: "How Can America Be So Miserable When It Is So Rich?" The essay is written by David French. You can read the full essay here.

The Best Paragraph I've Read comes from the following two articles in the Wall Street Journal:

Reclassifying Your 8th Grader for NIL & Scholarship Opportunities

Most Elite Adults were NOT Elite as Children

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

comes from the following articles that Zac & Don discuss:

Nuclear Predictions Markets Are Canceled

Should You Work Harder Now?

Bitcoins Vibe is Off

Education Tech Doesn't Show Gains

No One Cares About Tik Tok Anymore

Single Earning Households On the Decline

The Russian Economy Is Dying

The Best Paragraph I've Read:

"Open land represents the future in its purest form — after all, every place was no place at some point. The quest for resources, escaping bondage or seeking places to worship freely have all motivated new settlements and fresh modes of living. Buildings, sure, but also a chance to improve society in a place where the future looms larger than the past."

This paragraph comes from the New York Times. The article is titled: "Maybe America Needs Some New Cities." The article is written by Conor Dougherty. You can read the full article here.

Zac & Don discuss the idea of building cities from fresh land. They wonder what the pros and cons are. They also wonder if they will just become the same places with the same problems once people move in.