Essays on Optimism

January 2013 What We Really Miss About the 1950s Summary In What We Really Miss About the 1950s, author Stephanie Coontz explores the infatuation that many Americans have with the 1950s and attempts to set the record straight regarding the various positives and negatives that are associated with the decade. She begins by explaining that…

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of the transitive verb “hope” is 1. ) to desire with expectation of obtainment, and 2. ) to expect with confidence. The first definition indicates a sense of fulfillment due to a confident yearning. The second definition of the word points to a trusting anticipation. In Emily Dickinson’s famous poem,…

“My spirit takes journey, my spirit takes flight, could not have risen otherwise & I am not running… I am choosing.” Alike is an intelligent and poetically talented 17 year old girl. On the surface, Dee Rees’s Pariah (2011), is the coming of age story of African-American lesbian, Alike. Growing up in a traditional household…

Jim showed up at work today and found out that Sara called in sick but Jim thought he saw Sara at the gas station on his way to work this morning. It was a car like hers and he’s pretty sure that it was her license plate. Jim and Sara were supposed to give a…

The last few decades have seen an extensive effort devoted to studying the herding behaviors in financial markets. Researchers have documented the economic effects of herding among peer analysts (e. g. Trueman 1994; Welch 2000), institutional investors (e.g. Grinblatt et al. 1995; Wermers 1999), and managers (e.g. Zwiebel 1995). Individuals have a tendency to conform…