A rational choice theory of midlife crises

This paper models the midlife crisis as a decision on whether and when to realize a life dream, incorporating the key components of three psychology theories of midlife crises. It explains why a crisis (dream realization) tends to occur in the midlife if it occurs at all. Other results include that one either realizes his dream fully or not at all, that a shorter life expectancy makes a midlife crisis more likely, and that “crazier†dreams tend to be postponed to a later time in life.midlife crisis, dream, aging, death

Second homes: households' life dream or (wrong) investment?

While the purchase of a primary home is mainly motivated by essential consumption needs, buying a second house has been generally considered a good investment decision. However, second homes may results in many different final uses, ranging from holidays and profitable uses to definitely unprofitable ones. We contribute to the scant literature on second houses by exploring the case of second homes that remain unrented and represent the most notable unprofitable use. The empirical investigation relies on the 2002-2012 Bank of Italy Survey on Household Income and Wealth which, among other things, provides plenty of information on real estates, including the actual use. Our results on the unprofitable use of second homes highlight: a gender gap, whereby this case tends to be more clearly associated with male decision makers; no association with household’s economic characteristics; and, strong association with the specific real estate features, with inherited dwellings more likely to end up being unprofitably used. Thus our results, besides casting some doubts on the goodness of second homes as an investment decision, may have important policy implications on the housing and rental market and call for policy or regulatory interventions

Partial Trajectory: The Story of the Altered Nuclear Transfer-Oocyte Assisted Reprogramming (ANT-OAR) Proposal

This essay aims to tell the story of the “altered nuclear transfer-oocyte assisted reprogramming,” or ANT-OAR, proposal—from its conception by Professor William Hurlbut of the President’s Council on Bioethics—to its adoption and promotion by a group of conservative, mostly Catholic philosophers, theologians and scientists—to its eventual demise in Congress. It also will give some reflections on how ANT-OAR promotes a genetically deterministic view of the human organism and can lead down a slippery slope into a future in which human cloning and human genetic engineering are more acceptable. For these reasons, it will be argued, ANT-OAR should be opposed by all who are against human genetic modification regardless of their political orientation

Hidden in Plain Sight: Remembering the Upbeat

“He would tell us we were like a fat lady on a stool hanging over!” According to Barbara Tuceling, Gettysburg College Class of 1970, that was what Professor Parker B. Wagnild would say to the Gettysburg College Choir when they did not stop singing on his cue. It was one of many sayings that Professor Wagnild, affectionately known as “Wags,” used with the Choir. He founded the College’s premiere vocal ensemble in 1935 and directed it for forty-one years. During his long tenure, he also founded the Music Department and earned the respect of scores of students. His impact on campus was so significant that he was memorialized in October of 2010 with a bronze statue outside of Schmucker Hall. Though many people dislike or are indifferent to the statue, Wagnild earned the right to be memorialized because of his founding of the Choir and the Music Department, the reputation and prestige of the Choir under his direction, and the impact he had on the lives of his students. [excerpt

The Approach of the Edgar Cayce Readings to Dreams and Dreaming

A preparatory presentation of the origin of the Edgar Cayce psychic material and its approach to the nature of the mind and sleep is made. Then, the psychic material of the late Edgar Cayce is examined in relation to dreams and dream interpretation. Dreams, according to the Edgar Cayce Readings and the author, are meaningful, purposefully directed experiences that have as their goal the full development of personal potential. Suggestions are given for the recording and interpretation of dreams

First Fifth

" First Fifth, a fifteen-channel video installation, tells the story of human life by using home videos, found footage and abstract films. Collective experiences of life, dream and imagination are some of the themes that emerge from the images. The series, with its intimate and nostalgic narrative, places various events from the artist’s early years of life in a dialogue with moments of History. " -- Publisher's website

Vitaly Ginzburg and High Temperature Superconductivity: Personal Reminiscences

I offer some personal reminiscences from the period of 1976-1983, when I was a M. Sc. and then a Ph.D. student in Vitaly L. Ginzburg's High Temperature Superconductivity group at the P.N. Lebedev Institute in MoscowComment: To be published in proceedings of the Notre Dame Workshop on the Possibility of Room Temperature Superconductivity, June 2005 v.2: an apposite epigraph adde

MGTF BUKA PELUANG KEPADA SENIMAN

USM, PULAU PINANG, 11 Mac 2016 – Buat julung kalinya pameran lukisan yang bertemakan ‘Life Dream and Art’ oleh Dr. Katsuhiro Sato diadakan di Muzium dan Galeri Tuanku Fauziah (MGTF), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) hari ini. Lebih daripada 50 lukisan menggunakan pen, pensel dan warna berasaskan cat air dan cat minyak dipamerkan untuk orang ramai. Pameran dibahagikan kepada empat peringkat iaitu History, Architectural Design, Japanese Map, How to Think and Challenges