There’s never been a safer time to fly

• Despite high-profile tragedies, 2014 was the safest year on record for flying
• The Fleeting Obsessions Of The White House Press Corps – “From the VA and Secret Service scandals to Ebola, each week brought another hot issue into the White House briefing room. Here’s a look at just how short the press corps’ attention span was in 2014.”
• Access to higher education and the value of a university degree – “Governments sometimes promote reforms that increase access to education for a large share of the population. These reforms may lower the returns to education by altering returns to skills, education quality, and peer effects. This column examines a 1961 Italian reform that increased enrolment in university STEM majors among students who had previously been denied access. The reform ultimately failed to raise their incomes.”
• ‘A Ground Invasion of the Capital Is Imminent’ – “All-out war is coming to Libya, as rebel militias and a government-in-hiding begin a battle for control of the country.
• The Government Problem - “Some believe the central political issue of our era is the size of the government. They’re wrong. The central issue is whom the government is for.”
• You’re more likely to die on your birthday
• A Great Newspaper’s Shame – Why is the political coverage in The New York Times so lame?