Got the winning ticket? AP Photo/Julio Cortez Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University Someone in Altadena, California, was the lucky winner of the largest Powerball jackpot in history – or perhaps the unlucky winner? Officials revealed that the winning ticket was purchased on Nov. 8, 2022, after the Powerball jackpot swelled to US$2.04 billion. The prize […]
Jay L. Zagorsky, THE CONVERSATION
Jay L. Zagorsky: Have we forgotten the true meaning of Labor Day?
Jay L. Zagorsky, The Ohio State University September 3, 2018 – Labor Day is a U.S. national holiday held the first Monday every September. Unlike most U.S. holidays, it is a strange celebration without rituals, except for shopping and barbecuing. For most people it simply marks the last weekend of summer and the start of […]
Why Puerto Rico ‘doesn’t count’ to the US government
October 27, 2017 – Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated Puerto Rico in September, destroying homes, crops and communications. Many weeks later, power has been restored to fewer than 20 percent of homes. A third of the population still lacks reliable drinking water. I am an economist and have followed the hurricanes’ impact with great interest […]
America’s dangerous love for pyrotechnics: 4 facts about fireworks
July 4, 2017 – In the eyes of many Americans, the Fourth of July is a day for parades, barbecue and, of course, fireworks. The tradition got its start at the beginning of our nation’s history after the Founding Fathers met in Philadelphia to write and sign the Declaration of Independence. A day after the […]