Articles 2001
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Little Sense in Setting Fuel-Efficiency Targets
Setting fuel-efficiency targets for vehicle fleets makes little sense
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", December 06, 2001
Gasoline prices have fallen sharply, to below $1 a gallon in some places, encouraging Americans to drive more. The war on terrorism, meanwhile, is raising questions about relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia and the future of Persian Gulf oil supplies. In response, some activists and commentators are calling for government action to require more fuel-efficient automobiles.
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Yes, Don't Impede Medical Progress
The Wall Street Journal, December 05, 2001
To many biologists, the recently announced creation of a cloned human embryo was no big deal. True, researchers at Advanced Cell Technology replaced the nucleus of a human egg with the genetic material of another person. And they got that cloned cell to start replicating. But their results were modest. It took 71 eggs to produce a single success, and in the best case, the embryo grew to only six cells before dying. That's not a revolution. It's an incremental step in understanding how early-stage cells develop.
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The New Republic
The grandest buildings in America were built to gratify bankers' egos. In Dallas these proud monuments have sat as cavernous relics. Until now.
D Magazine, December 2001
The grandest buildings in America were built to gratify bankers' egos. In Dallas these proud monuments have sat as cavernous relics. Until now.
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The Decline of the Muslim Middle East, and the Roots of Resentment
The decline of the Muslim Middle East, and the roots of resentment, can be traced to Islamic inheritance law.
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", November 08, 2001
Until the late Middle Ages, the Muslim Middle East was at least as economically developed as Europe. Then, beginning with the rise of the great Italian traders in the 14th century, Europeans pulled ahead, while the Islamic world gradually declined. By the 19th century, European economic influence had translated into political domination of the Middle East. The Islamic world has never fully recovered, and that disparity feeds resentment today.
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Beyond "Machines for Shopping"
Can design give a mall the comforts of home?
D Magazine, November 2001
Dallas is famous for its shopping malls. But when I first came here last year, I couldn't figure out why.
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Even in good times, airlines depend on a hairline balancing of supply and demand
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", October 11, 2001
On a recent flight from Los Angeles to Dallas, the American Airlines pilot thanked the passengers profusely at the beginning and end of the trip.
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This Bold House
Some people call it the "Smurf house" or the "mushroom house," and a lot of people hate it. But this unusual home has something rare in Dallas: conviction. And it's evidence of the city's freedom to realize your dreams.
D Magazine, October 2001
Some people call it the "Smurf house" or the "mushroom house," and a lot of people hate it. But this unusual home has something rare in Dallas: conviction. And it's evidence of the city's freedom to realize your dreams.
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A Vital Economy Suffers Fools Gladly
A vital economy is one that suffers lucky fools gladly.
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", September 06, 2001
The dot-com bubble has burst. The stock market keeps taking scary plunges. Even well-established technology companies are suffering from surprising downturns. The cynics of a few years ago are laughing. All that "irrational exuberance," they say, was not just irrational but downright stupid. Grown-ups don't become carried away with the idea of striking it rich.
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It was not so long ago that married women had no property rights
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", August 09, 2001
When Anne M. Mulcahy became chief executive of Xerox two weeks ago, her promotion occasioned more than the usual notice of a corporate transition. With her ascension, women now make up 1 percent, for a total of five, of the Fortune 500 chief executives. That may not seem like much but only a generation ago, when Ms. Mulcahy was starting her career at Xerox, women were almost completely absent from even the middle ranks of corporate managers.
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Can Good Looks Really Guarantee a Product's Success?
The New York Times, "Economic Scene", July 12, 2001
Last week brought bad news for people who like their products with at least as much style as substance. Apple Computer said it was canceling its beautiful Power Mac G4 Cube, barely a year after it introduced the machine it called "the coolest computer ever."