Draine on Society
The global warming debate has become infantile in practice as both sides stick to their approved platitudes and mantras and each side accuses the other of lies, manipulation, and conspiracy.  The truth, as usual, is more complicated than either side makes it out to be, but not so complicated that the average individual cannot get a good understanding of it.

Draine on Society

On Tuesday December 1st, 2009, President Barack Obama made public his intention to send an additional 30,000 American soldiers to the combat theater of Afghanistan.  Though expected, this move was drastic and raised questions about the intentions of his administration regarding the ongoing wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan.  The decision to add 30,000 troops to Afghanistan is reminiscent of the decision of the Bush administration to bolster the troop levels in Iraq by approximately 25,000.

Draine on Society

Money is a fascinating human invention that has facilitated economic activity for thousands for years. The decision to introduce currency allowed humans to shift away from a barter exchange economy which had the burdensome requirement of what economists refer to as coincidence of wants. That is, if we operated in a barter economy and I raised chickens for a living, I could only purchase goods and services from individuals who wanted chickens.

Draine on Society

A “recession” is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth. Thus, by the time a contraction is officially labeled a recession, it may seem painfully obvious to informed observers. A “recovery” is defined as positive growth beginning from the trough of a recession and lasting until the next recession. The overall expansion and contraction pattern is known as the business cycle, and in true cyclical nature manifests itself over and over again.

Draine On Society

The national discussion on health care reform has recently taken a dangerous turn. What should have been a meaningful discussion on goals and feasibility has been transformed into a campaign of deliberate misinformation. The goal of this campaign is not to enact any meaningful reform whatsoever, but to foster an atmosphere of fear and misunderstanding that will threaten any attempt to change the status quo.

Draine on Society
Hydrocarbon consumption is the American way of life. Every facet of our society is supported by the generation of energy through combustion of hydrocarbons, otherwise known as fossil fuels. The explosive use of fossil fuels has allowed us to make a giant break from the dire population predictions of Thomas Malthus. Mechanized production caused workers’ productivity to soar and outpace population growth, which would have otherwise eaten up all material gains in standards of living. However, this party may be coming to an end, or we may at …

Draine on Society

The news has recently been filled with blows and counterblows between Speaker of the House Pelosi and the Central Intelligence Agency. The topic at hand is whether or not Speaker Pelosi was informed by the CIA in September of 2002 about use of water-boarding and other “enhanced interrogation techniques”.

Draine on Society

Research may be considered one of the critical aspects of human activity that separate us from all other known species. Through the continued study of a facet of the natural or human world, we are able to constantly expand the frontiers of human knowledge.

Draine On Society
Quarterly profits are quarterly profits, right? A company simply reports the revenues and costs associated with a three-month period and the difference must be the net gains or losses accrued by the firm. In theory this is how it works; reality often paints a different picture.

AIG and CDS

The popular fury at the executive bonuses paid out by American International Group (AIG) is well-placed. Despite the fact that these bonuses represent only one tenth of one percent of the total bailout money received by AIG, they are still a source of rage and frustration to the average taxpayer.