<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1" ?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>washingtonpost.com - Unconventional Wisdom</title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><description>Unconventional Wisdom</description><language>en-us</language><ttl>15</ttl><image><title>washingtonpost.com</title><width>140</width><height>20</height><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com</link><url>http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/hp/image/wp_web.gif</url></image><item><title><![CDATA[The Name Game Is No Game]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2524-2005Mar26.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2524-2005Mar26.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[  Here's a reason to think twice before naming your newborn Ashlee, Da'Quan or LaQuisha: Economist David Figlio says his research shows that children with such names fare worse in school than siblings with more typical first names.]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Aid From the Gray Lady?]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28922-2005Mar12.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28922-2005Mar12.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[  When it comes to Uncle Sam doling out disaster relief dollars to foreign countries, it apparently helps to be a friend of the United States and to catch the eye of the New York Times.]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dollars and Scents]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55190-2005Feb26.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55190-2005Feb26.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[  What do profits smell like? <br> Like oranges with a hint of lemon, say three business professors who studied how various scents affected buying patterns.]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Up in Smoke]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18475-2005Feb12.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18475-2005Feb12.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[  Warning: Cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your wealth.]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Crack in the Broken-Windows Theory]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46381-2005Jan29.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46381-2005Jan29.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[  What causes some neighborhoods to thrive, while others decay? It's a question that has fascinated social scientists for decades and led directly to the Broken Windows theory, which holds that ignoring the little problems -- graffiti, litter, shattered glass -- creates a sense of irreversible decline that leads people to abandon the community or to stay away.]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[When Mother Nature Attacks]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11298-2005Jan15.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11298-2005Jan15.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[  Tsunamis in South Asia, mudslides in Southern California and blizzards in the upper Midwest -- suddenly, even a glance at the headlines or the evening news might be enough to convince us that Mother Nature has gone on a rampage.]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Salmon Effect]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9472-2004Dec17.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9472-2004Dec17.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[  For years, demographers have asked themselves this question: Why do adult Hispanics living in the United States live so long and never seem to get sick? Demographers call it the "Hispanic Paradox": Hispanics, who tend to be poorer and have fewer advantages than non-Latino whites, nonetheless seem to live longer and have healthier lives, on average, than their Anglo counterparts.]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Stay in School (And Out of the Maternity Ward)]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34110-2004Dec3.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34110-2004Dec3.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[  Want to reduce births by teenage girls? Increase the legal age when students can drop out of school, say three economists who have studied the impact of compulsory education laws in the United States and Norway.]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dramatic Influences]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55915-2004Oct22.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55915-2004Oct22.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Some advice for political journalists and pundits trying to determine who will win the presidential election: After you've digested the latest polls, queried the strategists and perhaps even talked to a few actual voters, check out what likely voters will be watching on television the night before the election.]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Voters: Take a Chill Pill]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19307-2004Oct9.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19307-2004Oct9.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[<em>I hope the extra $20 bucks in your paycheck is worth the craptacular job you're doing. Kiss your reputation goodbye, though it's my guess you never had one. I for one am glad to see the demise of print media, you've all become such cheap whores for the Republican party. </em>]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Politics of Terrorism Warnings (Or, Who's Afraid of Orange Alerts?)]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60684-2004Sep3.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60684-2004Sep3.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[<br>Ever since Sept. 11, 2001, it has been an article of faith that the terrorism issue works to the huge political benefit of President Bush and to the disadvantage of the Democrats. As a consequence, some Democratic stalwarts privately wonder whether administration officials might spring a late October surprise in the form of an orange alert  in order to help President Bush win reelection.]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Living on the Edge]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20383-2004Aug20.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20383-2004Aug20.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[  Fully half of all Americans and five out of six African Americans have received food stamps at some point in their adult lives, say two researchers who have found that temporary bouts of poverty are surprisingly common occurrences for many, if not most, Americans.]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Politics of Fun]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10780-2004Jul24.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10780-2004Jul24.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[  Nearly everybody in the greater Washington area agrees this is a fun place to live. But in a town where politics is a participatory sport, who has more fun, Democrats or Republicans?]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Biggest Bang for Your Bribe]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40421-2004Jul10.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40421-2004Jul10.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[   It's tough being corrupt. You know you probably need to bribe lots of people to achieve your ignoble goals. But where, exactly, do you put your money? Do you invest more heavily in payoffs to politicians, to the police or to judges? Or would it be more effective to bribe the news media to ignore scandals and produce monotonously favorable coverage?]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[License to Steal?]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7319-2004Jun26.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7319-2004Jun26.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[  "There's no minimizing the impact <br> of illegal file-sharing. It robs songwriters and recording artists]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[What's Marriage Worth?]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35981-2004Jun11.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35981-2004Jun11.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[  As if commitment-phobic guys needed another reason not to tie the knot, here's one more: Despite years of research suggesting that men profit from marriage, it now appears that husbands may not be better off financially than bachelors or men who live with their girlfriends, claims Ohio State University economist Audrey Light.]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Beauty and the Brainy]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64857-2004May28.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64857-2004May28.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[ Your Unconventional Wiz has always believed that Mother Nature was fair, distributing her blessings more or less randomly among her charges. For example, some of us are attractive while others are intelligent, but very few of us win the genetic lottery and end up both brainy and good-looking.]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Heart Strings and Purse Strings]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28341-2004May14.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28341-2004May14.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[  Feeling down or disgusted? Wait, don't buy or sell anything. And whatever you do, stay away from eBay or other online shopping sites until you cheer up.]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bush and Kerry: How We Like Them]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58505-2004May1.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58505-2004May1.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[  For most Americans, John Kerry is not a boring dweeb with all the charisma of a dead flounder on ice. And neither is President Bush, who is running even with or slightly ahead of Kerry in the race for the title of "Mr. Congeniality" in this year's presidential election.]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Church Givers vs. Church Goers]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46853-2004Apr2.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46853-2004Apr2.html?nav=rss_opinion/columns/unconventionalwisdom</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:26:04 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[  Here's one way that God-fearing politicians in Congress can increase church attendance: eliminate or sharply reduce tax breaks for charitable contributions.]]></description><author> Richard Morin</author></item></channel></rss>