Weekend Reads: August 24, 2018

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Paul Singer, Doomsday Investor

Sheelah Kolhatkar | The New Yorker | Shared by Tyler Cowen

What happens when a hostile and aggressive investor becomes one of your company’s largest shareholders? When Johnathan Bush, CEO of health technology company Athenahealth, got a call from Paul Singer, he was about to experience firsthand how an “activist investor” can quickly turn the tables.

Where Graduates Move after College

Danny Dougherty, Brian McGill, Dante Chinni and Aaron Zitner | The Wall Street Journal | Tweeted by Adam Millsap

In a new interactive chart for The Wall Street Journal, four authors depict where individuals from prominent universities and colleges end up once they finish college. It also looks at growth in 70 metropolitan areas and some smaller communities to show movement around the nation. Find your home or university in the link above.

Living Behind the Wheel

Amy Pollard | Slate | Retweeted by Tyler Cowen

Data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) shows that homelessness is on the rise in the US. More than half of this population lives in vehicles. What does this mean for affordable housing, and how are local governments handling the problem? Amy Pollard explores for Slate.

IBM Has Invented Coffee Drones – and They Predict When You Need a Cup

Zlati Meyer | USA Today | Tweeted by Jennifer Huddleston Skees

If you’re in need of caffeine, you may no longer need to wait for it. New drone technology could proactively deliver coffee to you as IBM seeks to bring humanity into a new coffee revolution.

What I Learned by Studying Militarized Policing

Jonathan Mummolo | Defense One | Tweeted by Christopher Coyne

One researcher spent four years digging through poorly reported and incomplete records in an attempt to find out if militarized police units make people safer. Read more from Defense One  on what flaws he found in current police reporting requirements and how they impact criminal justice reform policy.

Blackbeard was Killed by an Unlawful Act of a Virginia Lieutenant Governor Before He Could Get a Pardon

Jeff Hampton | The Virginian-Pilot | Retweeted by Andrea O’Sullivan

This year marks the 300^th anniversary of Blackbeard’s legendary death. Jeff Hampton examines the research of historian Kevin Duffus, who claims that the circumstances of Blackbeard’s execution were illegal.

A Better Way to Regulate Social Media

Danielle Tomson and David Morar | The Wall Street Journal | Retweeted by Jennifer Huddleston Skees

Does the banning of individual accounts from social media platforms threaten free speech? How can companies such as Facebook and Twitter address the problem of content-moderation while maintaining fairness and transparency?

Venezuelans Rush to Shop Before Monetary Overhaul

Carlos Garcia Rawlins | Reuters | Shared by Alex Tabarrok

In July, inflation in Venezuela hit 82,700%. Now President Nicolas Maduro plans a monetary overhaul that is intended to solve this hyperinflation. Carlos Garcia Rawlins profiles what these costs actually look like and Venezuelans’ concerns for Reuters.

Do People Really Think Earth Might Be Flat?

Craig A. Foster and Glenn Branch | Scientific American | Tweeted by Robert Graboyes

Should academics be concerned about the growing trend of flat-earthers? New polling shows that a surprising share of millennials is attracted to the idea. Craig A. Foster and Glenn Branch discuss these results and what they might tell us in Scientific American.

Why Universities for the Elderly Are Booming in China

The Economist | Retweeted by Tyler Cowen

Interested in taking courses in disciplines like dancing, online shopping, or English for travelers? In China’s “Third Age” cohort, students tend to be an average age of 65-70. Find out how this educational trend is booming.

Could Trade War Lead to the Real Thing?

Kevin Rudd | Bloomberg | Retweeted by Veronique de Rugy

Kevin Rudd examines the historical precedents of trade wars and explores the possibilities in negotiations between the United States and China for Bloomberg.