“Hedonic” is a term that always catches my eye. It’s a spicy-sounding word that livens up the gray world of economics. Economics, my professors said, is a study of “hedonic” factors. This observation inspired smiles and chuckles among students. After all, we fancied ourselves...

The outside world is often dismissive of Saipan’s pipsqueak status, but it actually serves as a tight focal point for some factors in international commerce. For example, you can easily hear six or seven languages spoken through the course of an average day. As a backdrop...

If you’d like something interesting to ponder this weekend, here’s a quote about problem solving that comes from the philosopher Alan Watts: “The question ‘What shall we do about it?’ is only asked by those who do not understand the problem. If a problem can be solved at all, to...

Now that summertime has arrived, so too has the annual rite of vacation-plan braggadocio. It’s pretty tame this time around, though. That’s because many of my pals, after decades of overexposure to the sun, are trying not to tan their hides. Well, make that what’s left of their...