1/ Is a coup the best option for Côte d'Ivoire? There has been quite a lot of interesting discussion in the economics and development blogosphere. Wronging rights shockingly thinks that they can't really get behind that idea. Easterly also suggests it wouldn't be the best idea in the world. Blattman contemplates it and offers alternatives.
(For those who don't know, 'post-election conflict has turned violent in Côte d'Ivoire' - so much so that The Onion is concerned it may develop into a full-scale news blurb.)
2/ Following the Tucson shooting, Scientific American is coming out with lots of interesting stories about what drives people to shoot and wonders how many more massacres it will take before gutless politicians stand up to gun nuts. They also note that the evidence linking political rhetoric and shooting (which is currently the major debate rather than focusing on the actual problem) is pretty weak. The Economist calls it the Blame Game and it has long advocated tighter gun controls. Here is a nice quote from an article this week:
"Around 30,000 people a year are killed by one of the almost 300m guns in America—almost one for every citizen. Those deaths are not just murders and suicides: some are accidents, often involving children."
3/ Being ugly is better than being cute. Or, who men find attractive versus who they date - evidence from dating websites.
5/ History of global health and happiness. You can make loads of your own graphs and charts and much more on the amazing World Bank data portal.
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