Woven into the fabric of these light essays about the world of research and academia are observations on economic dilemmas and philosophical conundrums that confront everyone, everyday. In addition, there are chapters devoted explicitly to economics. These articles combine arguments with comments on personalities and places, as well as constitute a jargon-free introduction to some of the more pressing economic policy problems of our times. Like the author's earlier Economic Graffiti, this book of wry, precisely-observed sketches will be a delight to general readers not normally interested in economics.