A recent Nick Anderson cartoon in the Houston Chronicle highlights the city’s concerns about the proposed United-Continental merger, which would relocate Continental’s headquarters to Chicago. Houston, which has been the airline’s home since 1982, fears the merger means a loss of jobs, prestige — and charitable contributions. Research outlined in a previous Miller-McCune.com article suggests this concern is well founded. Corporate headquarters do increase charitable donations in a city, not necessarily because the corporations themselves donate more, but because they employ and ... Read More
Waiting for the Train Wreck
May 11, 2010 • By • 2 Comments
Over the weekend, reliably conservative three-term Sen. Bob Bennett pretty much lost his job. Delegates to the nominating convention before Utah's Republican primary decided Bennett, after 18 years in Washington, was no longer conservative enough to be their party's candidate this fall. His transgression? He voted in 2008 for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the bank bailout that garnered 74 votes in the Senate (including that of GOP leader Mitch McConnell), as well as the support of numerous economists. And he attempted at one point last summer to work with Democrat Ron Wyden on a health ... Read More
When Grading Papers, Red Ink May Mean Lower Scores
May 11, 2010 • By • 22 Comments
Remember those gut-wrenching high-school moments when a teacher handed you back a test or assignment, having corrected your mistakes and rendered a harsh verdict in bold red ink? It may be small consolation now, but newly published research suggests your grades may have been higher if that ink had been blue. A study in the European Journal of Social Psychology suggests the use of red pens may make teachers more likely to spot errors on tests and to be more critical when grading essays. “Despite teachers’ efforts to free themselves from extraneous influences while grading,” write ... Read More
Vineyards in the Desert
May 10, 2010 • By • 4 Comments
I see that vintners are making the desert bloom with wine grapes, but where is their water coming from? Location: in a desert canyon on the Rio Guadalupe, near a waterfall and natural hot springs, where a nice old man lets people camp. Conditions: starry night and calm, save for a Mexican family sitting around a bonfire laughing in the distance. Discussion: Instead of going directly to Ensenada along the coast, we veered inland and went upriver, to the main wine and olive growing region in Baja: the Valle de Guadalupe. The valley has the rocky appearance of a desert, which makes ... Read More