It's time for our annual beach reading recs. Today we bring you three books, with a little economic learning to boot. Our recs:
Who is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service by Michael Lewis
El Dorado Drive by Megan Abbott
Algospeak: How Social Media is Transforming the Future of Language by Adam Aleksic
Related episodes:
Beach reading with a side of economics How to beach on a budget
How to beach on a budget
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Audio Mises Wire - Will Jamaica Become a Republic?
Long a constitutional monarchy with ties to Great Britain, many in Jamaica are looking to end the old relationship and become a republic. But is this movement simply a reaction to anti-colonialism, and what kind of constitution would the new republic create? So far, no answers.
Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/will-jamaica-become-republic
Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 3323: Biting Words
Episode: 3323 We learn a new way of speaking in the 1930s. Today, biting words.
Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1421: Rocket Boys
Episode: 1421 The Rocket Boys, a moving story of adolescence and engineering. Today, a book with a surprising subtext.
Audio Mises Wire - Equality under the Hayekian Rule of Law
What do we mean by equality? F.A. Hayek believed that equality under law and the socialist belief of material equality were opposed to each other. Furthermore, he held liberty to be necessary for civilization itself to flourish.
Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/equality-under-hayekian-rule-law
Audio Mises Wire - US Travel Restrictions for Cuba Violate the Freedoms of Americans and Cubans
A relic of the Cold War, the US embargo and travel restrictions to Cuba violate American freedoms and they accomplish nothing to end Cuba's communist regime or win freedom for Cubans. Yet, this failed policy has persisted for nearly 65 years with no end in sight.
Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/us-travel-restrictions-cuba-violate-freedoms-americans-and-cubans
Engines of Our Ingenuity - The Engines of Our Ingenuity 1420: The Erie Canal
Episode: 1420 The Erie Canal. Today, we ride 568 feet uphill in a barge.
More or Less: Behind the Stats - Why it matters that Trump fired data chief
On Friday 1st August the US Bureau of Labor Statistics put out their job report data for August. It included revisions to their estimates for the jobs created in May and June which stated there were 258,000 fewer jobs than they had previously estimated. This news was not received well by the White House. President Trump fired the head of the bureau, Erika McEntarfer, calling the numbers ‘phony, rigged, a scam’ and spreading conspiracy theories that McEntarfer had fudged the data. We speak to economist Michael Strain from the American Enterprise Institute, to understand why the revisions happened and the potential consequences of throwing doubt on one of the US’s most important statistical agencies. If you’ve seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at, email the team: moreorless@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Lizzy McNeill Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Tom Colls Production Co-ordinator: Rosie Strawbridge Sound mix: Neil Churchill Editor: Sam Bonham
Audio Mises Wire - Reintroducing the Levellers
Before the American Revolution, there were the Levellers, who sought liberty during the English Civil War. While their influence on the American colonists would be indirect, nonetheless, many of their ideas reflected what came after American independence.
Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/reintroducing-levellers
Audio Mises Wire - Inflation by Design: How Keynesian Dogma Undermines Capitalism
In most of the world, inflation is no longer an exception, it is the rule. Official inflation targets of 4 percent, 5 percent, or even 6 percent per year have become normalized.
Original article: https://mises.org/power-market/inflation-design-how-keynesian-dogma-undermines-capitalism