There’s good news in a new and certifiable global trend: More elderly people are dying of cancer and heart disease.That may not sound like good news, and in one obvious sense it isn’t. But before you can die in old age of so-called “rich-country” ailments like these, you have to survive many decades. That so many people are doing so represents a huge achievement.“It shows that many parts of the globe have largely overcome infectious and communicable diseases as a pervasive threat, and that peopl

Business moguls who favor stricter gun-control laws ― among them Bloomberg LP founder and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, financier George Soros and entertainment honcho David Geffen ― are in the unique position of being able to put their money where their mouths are, and with a single bold move can change the raging gun debate in a way that intransigent politicians cannot. These well-intentioned billionaires (and others) should buy Freedom Group Inc., the world’s largest gun manufacturer

Ever since the invention of the wheel in Mesopotamia around 3500 B.C., technological innovation has been improving our lives. Because new devices and processes help us produce more (output) with less (labor input), prices fall, real wages rise and we are all better off. If there is a free lunch in this world, it’s productivity growth. There is even an economic school of thought, known as real business cycle theory, which views technology shocks as the main driver of the business cycle: not the c

In a few weeks, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will be reinaugurated with great fanfare in Washington. Soon after that, in Beijing, Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang will ascend to the presidency and premiership of China. (China’s premier is the second-highest office but unlike the American vice president is more like the country’s chief operating officer, with the president as chief executive officer.) If our political leaders would play their cards right, the concomitant inaugurat

I want to pay tribute to a few brave men and women who fought in 2012 for dignity, justice, and peace in some of the world’s most troubled countries.My list is limited by space considerations. So I’ve chosen to focus on people I’ve been privileged to meet or whom I’ve learned about from contacts in their countries. What distinguishes them is that each has chosen to struggle, at great risk, for values that most of us take for granted ― though their odds of success are small.I’ll start with someon

Is the U.S. getting ready to wage the Cold War again? If one believes the critics, that’s the aim behind a planned $10 billion modernization of the B61 nuclear bomb, the backbone of the Pentagon’s tactical nuclear arsenal. Actually, there are some other reasons for the upgrade: to reinforce global deterrence, to provide options against a range of future threats, and to make the U.S. stronger and safer. Achieving those goals is worth the money. As wonderful as the idea of a world without nuclear

After a tragedy like the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Conn., the injection of anything short of seriousness into the subsequent public discourse about guns is touchy. But last week, the National Rifle Association blasted numerous rounds into that particular barrier with NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre’s mouth.The organization’s hysteric solution to gun violence in America is to put designated sitting ducks ― er, “armed police officers” ― in every American school.

The fiscal conditions of public health insurance programs for corporate employees have worsened, resulting in an increase in insurance premiums. This is attributable to the huge expense in providing medical services for elderly people. The working generation should not have to bear an even heavier burden.Medical expenses for people aged 65 or older are covered by premiums and medical fees paid by elderly people themselves, as well as contributions from public coffers, health insurance societies

The recent public outrage after a gang rape in India has prompted media-shy Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to make a television address, in which he vowed to punish the rapists for their “monstrous” crime.Protests in the wake of this horrific assault are currently out of control, prompting the authorities to use tear gas and water cannon against demonstrators. However, it is only because of the public outrage that the government is paying any attention to this issue, which would otherwise be igno