Humorous Learning

Imagine if a superior force granted a smart analyst of U.S. politics and culture a magic veil to say everything he wants to say but can't because it is politically incorrect. The veil would prevent him from hurting political and cultural sensitivities, avoiding accusations of racism, sexism or bigotry. Also, it would allow him to mock reactionaries both left and right. I believe that such a Chosen One already exists, it's called Stephen Colbert and works under the veil of humor. It is instructive to watch him make fun of authors, professors or celebrities with crazy ideas. His interviews are typically an embarrasing eye opener for argumentative fallacies and flawed beliefs. Watch him interview Kurt Andersen, Dinesh D'Souza or CNN's Anderson Cooper to get a sample. Also, he has a unique ability to express the mainstream opinion on current affairs with crude honesty. Classic reports are the "Anti-gay marriage ad" and "Is it time to care about U.S. soccer?" Last but not least, watch him at the 2006 White House Correspondent's Association Dinner, where he said the definitive word on President George W. Bush.

Foreign Policy Magazine's Quiz

In the 21st century, a lot more people are informed about international affairs than in previous centuries. It is now as easy to learn say about Pakistani domestic politics as it was to get bored 100 years ago. Granted, most of us have contributed zero to such development but we should nonetheless take advantage of it. Fortunately, if you think that you are informed about international affairs, there is a nice free way to find out: take the FP Mag's quiz. The quiz not only tests your basic I-read-The-Economist knowledge but also the unimportant minutiae that will score you points in a cocktail party. Typical questions are, "What percentage of the world’s cargo travels by sea?" and "Which country is home to the world’s busiest McDonald’s?". The only snag is that you have to go through a (pretty smooth) registration process in order to take the quiz.

Real Clear Politics

Back in the old days, political news came in a pre-packaged container called "7 PM news show" in which a middle-aged white man would tell people what they needed to know. Nowadays, information sources are scattered and news arrive at light-speed. There is, however, Real Clear Politics, a fantastic "news aggregator" that gives you free access to a vast collection of political news. Relevant debates, analyses, opinion columns, polls are neatly organized and available in different formats. Visit RCP and feel like you are Walter Cronkite's news editor.

E-mail Etiquette

Sometimes it takes more time to sign-off an email than to actually write it. Certainly, an email's final words can negatively impact its core message. Depending on who your audience/reader is you may need to close the email differently. However, it is hard to know what specific words are appropriate. Thanks to Washington Post's Ruth McCann we can learn more about email-etiquette's basics in this article. Read it and figure out if your boss deserves a "sincerely."

Will Wilkinson

In a previous post on bloggingheads, I mentioned Will Wilkinson. His blog deserves a special recommendation because it is a great free source of everyday knowledge thanks to his admirable ability to make logical well-reasoned arguments. He is superb at bringing together economics and political philosophy analytical tools to make sense of the U.S. policy-making process. For example, check out his unique take on macroeconomics and its impact here, here, and here. He is also extremely insightful on inequality.

Bloggingheads TV

A great benefit of Internet is that it gives everyone access to bright minds. Not only most newspapers, magazines, and academic websites are totally free but extremely smart people have set up high-quality blogs. These blogs are excellent on their own but they also provide links to other equally high-quality blogs. Moreover, Internet's low marginal costs allow creative people to utilize scattered resources, developing innovative experiments. One such an experiment is Bloggingheads, a website that brings together policy wonks of all stripes that share only one thing: they all have a blog. In Bloggingheads case, the innovative individuals were journalists Robert Wright and Mickey Kaus, who in 2005 figured out a way to turn “two not-very-telegenic people into video pundits.” The format is simple, consisting of two bloggers discussing relevant issues on split-screen streaming videos. The result is usually good. Notably, they break up the hour-long debates into shorter segments with a witty descriptive title so you don’t have to watch the whole thing. Also, each debate features relevant links on the side if you want to learn more or follow up the conversation. One of my favorite blogginheads debates is this one between economist Dean Baker and economic journalist Megan McArdle. Their exchange on the "New Deal" (in the video’s second half) is powerful and illuminating. Another great debate is this one between philosopher Peter Singer and economist Tyler Cowen, particularly the segment “Advise for a young utilitarian” in which Cowen shatters Singer’s philosophy. Also, highly recommended are Will Wilkinson's "Free Will" series.

About.com on Job-related Letters

So, you’ve heard all about the 21st century extremely competitive labor market. Particularly, employers are raising the bar on potential employees’ non-technical skills such as written & oral communication, team work, and leadership. The first filter that employers have to assess a job candidate’s non-technical skills is his/her usage of written employment protocol. Although the traditional resume and cover letters come to mind, there are specific letters for each step of the job-seeking process. Knowing their use and style can make a big difference in the job market. Let us all be grateful for About.com’s Resumes, Cover Letters, and Employment-Related Letters. The site is an outstanding source of advise, samples, and videos on all kinds of employment-related letters. It is maintained by job-search-expert Alison Doyle, who has her own useful blog. Imagine that, free employment counseling one click away! [BTW: About.com is a relatively unknown gem of well-organized information buried under Google’s Internet-search dominance. Do check it out.]