08-03-2016, 10:43 PM
The enduring popularity of the related term “meritocracy” is a bit harder to figure. British sociologist and Labour politician Michael Young coined it in 1958 in his dystopian satire, “The Rise of the Meritocracy,” the whole point of which was that a true meritocracy would be a nightmare. Yet the word has gone into everyday use in the U.K. and U.S. stripped almost entirely of that irony and menace. Given all the seeming resentment in both countries lately of elites and experts -- meritocrats, basically -- it seemed like a good time to finally read Young’s book. So last night and this morning, I did (the edition I read was only 144 pages, not counting endnotes and such). I recommend it! “The Rise of the Meritocracy” is told from the perspective of a pro-meritocracy sociologist, writing in 2033 in an attempt to explain the social unrest that had recently broken out. Hard scientists and engineers are at the apex of the U.K. meritocracy of the 2030s, but sociologists and psychologists seem to have done pretty well for themselves too. The psychologists design the ever-more-accurate intelligence tests used to separate the elite from the rest; the sociologists help design the strange society that results.
'Meritocracy' Is Just Another Way to Put You Down - Bloomberg View
Since the job market bottomed out in January 2010, in the depths of the Great Recession, the U.S. economy has produced more than 14 million jobs. That's pushed the total level of payrolls some 5.7 million higher than when the recession hit in late 2007.
Obama's record on jobs versus five other presidents
The higher income brackets saw drastic growth in their income while the bottom 90% of us actually saw our real income decline from 1980 until 2013. The average income of the bottom 90% of us fell 5% from $33,478 to $31,652. The average household income of every other bracket rose. The average income of the next 9% rose from 42% from $126k to $178k. The average income of the bottom nine tents of the top 1% rose 94%, up to $657k. The bottom nine tenths of the top 0.1% saw its average income rise 183% to just over $3 million/year, and the average income of the top 0.01% rose a stunning 325% to nearly $25 million per year. This data is drawn from an update that Professor Emmanuel Saez released to data accompanying a paper published by himself and Thomas Piketty entitled Income Inequality in the United States, 1913-2002 (2004).
Income Growth in the United States by Bracket Between 1980 and 2013
The company wants to build battery-powered bubble-shaped ships that hover a few inches above water and transport as many as five people at a time. The founders intend to be operating by the summer of 2017. As it seeks more cash to turn its bubbles into cabs, the startup says it’s reached out to car-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc. as well as construction company Vinci SA and luxury-goods maker LVMH. There are discussions but no commitments have been made.
SeaBubbles Flying River Taxi Along the Seine in Paris Raises 500,000 Euros - Bloomberg
Over the past several years, there has been emerging evidence illustrating the importance of sleep in diminishing age-related memory loss and progression to mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Animal studies have shown that sleep allows clearance from the brain of waste products such as amyloid.
BBC - Future - How do politicians get by on so little sleep?