–Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, in congressional testimony, Feb. 11, 2003 We go through these fads–these fixations with certain economic statistics, which are imbued with immense significance–and productivity remains one of them. Superficially, the news is reassuring. In 2002 labor productivity bounded ahead by an astounding 4.8 percent, which is the best performance since 1950 (8.5 percent). This suggests that the American economy is fundamentally sound and that, once war uncertainties lift, it will roar ahead....

This question originally appeared on Quora, the knowledge-sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. More from Quora: What’s the proper way to punch a punching bag? | What are the most effective punch combinations? Answer by Nate Moore, professional MMA fighter for Strikeforce: Don’t hit your opponent on the top half of the head. It’s way too hard for the long, narrow bones in your hand....

A video posted by the Twitter account @libsoftiktok quickly went viral after it was posted on Tuesday. In the video, Stephen Kershnar stated that it’s “not obvious” that it is wrong if an adult male decides to have sex with a willing participant even if she is 12-years-old. “Imagine that an adult male wants to have sex with a 12-year-old girl. Imagine that she’s a willing participant,” Kershnar said in the viral video....

The million-dollar headline and 10-cent QB struggled in difficult conditions. Not only is the team around him poor, his skills have eroded. In addition, the Bills had been playing well and are home in an atmosphere in Buffalo that can be unpleasant. MORE: Colin Kaepernick doesn’t understand why he’s ‘un-American’ This is a Rust Belt town that has suffered Super Bowl losses and improbable playoff defeats. Heck, when Bills fans celebrate victories, they throw each other through flaming tables....

In Minnesota’s Hennepin County, Mary Moriarty defeated her opponent Martha Holton Dimick with 57. 59 percent of the vote, according to the state’s election results;in Vermont’s Chittenden County, Sarah George ran unopposed and won her race for the county’s attorney;in Texas’ Dallas County, Democrat John Creuzot defeated his Republican challenger Faith Johnson, with 61 percent of votes, according to the county’s results;in Texas’ Bexar County, Joe Gonzalez defeated Republican Marc LaHood with 56 percent of votes;in North Carolina’s Durham County, Satana Deberry ran unopposed and won her race;and, in Iowa’s Polk County, Kimberly Graham won the race for the county’s attorney by defeating Republican Allan Richards....

Omar, who had served as a whip on the caucus for the past two terms, said she is “thrilled” about the new role. She’ll work closely alongside Washington Representative Pramila Jayapal, who chairs the caucus. The Minnesota Democrat noted some of the accomplishments rolled out by the CPC, including their push for student debt cancellation and an eviction moratorium extension. “In the face of Republican threats to our democracy and our humanity, we will need to be clear-eyed and organized in the term ahead,” Omar said in a statement released Thursday....

In a series of social media posts and media spots, members of The Squad group of progressive lawmakers said Biden “must cancel student debt” as they sought to deflect arguments that the policy would largely benefit privileged Americans. They also said the move would help tackle the “racial wealth gap” and provide much-needed assistance amid the pandemic to those who took out student loans but failed to get degrees....

This was a mantra heard on several occasions Tuesday night, in the hours after the U.S. national team saw its World Cup ended by Belgium. It was easy to understand why this notion came to the forefront. After all, the emergence of youngsters DeAndre Yedlin and Julian Green in the loss was one of the few bright spots for the Americans. But just how bright is the future, really? To understand, we have to take a look at the player pipeline and the talent pool building behind the scenes....

Robinson, 36, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was found guilty on Friday of three charges of contempt of court over his social media broadcasting from a case at Leeds Crown Court in May 2018. Reporting restrictions applied to trials linked to the case. Speaking on the conspiracy theory network InfoWars, Robinson, who has multiple convictions for fraud and assault, claimed the judge “effectively sentenced me to death in prison” because people want to kill him, particularly Muslim inmates....

There were reports the Packers wanted Lacy to lose 30 pounds, but McCarthy recently shot those down saying that’s “totally out of the realm” of what they want. Basically, they just want Lacy to become a fit running back, which it looks like he’s doing. MORE: Boom or bust free agents | Elliott, Henry lead return of the running back Facebook user Bobby Stephenson uploaded a photo after a workout which included Lacy, who looked a lot slimmer than we’re used to seeing....

For surgery patients, a thorough hand washing prior to performing a dressing change can mean the difference between a speedy recovery and an infected incision. Hand washing is critical to the prevention of infection and should be done frequently. Your hands should be washed immediately before your touch your healing incision. Hand Washing 101 Using warm or lukewarm running water, wet your hands and apply soap—antibacterial is not required to have clean hands....

In a video that has gone viral, Chechen blogger and MMA fighter Askhab Tamaev has been promoting a fight between Khasbulla “Khasbik” Magomedov and a renowned singer from Tajikistan who goes by the name Abdurozik. Magomedov, said to be about 18, reportedly has a growth disorder and is from the Russian republic of Dagestan, where he is a local celebrity. He has more than 175,000 followers on Instagram Abdurozik, reported to be around the same age, also has a huge social media presence, with more than 670,000 followers on Instagram and many fans on YouTube, where videos of his songs sung in Tajik can be seen....

In these settings, teaching approaches and activities are tailored to meet your child’s specific needs, and classrooms are likely to include autism-friendly physical adaptations, such as dimmer lighting and lowered sound. While there’s a great deal to be said for autism-only schools, these settings do have pluses and minuses. Why Fully Inclusive Settings Can Be Challenging People with autism share a unique set of challenges, most of which relate to social communication and heightened sensory reactions to light, sound, and touch....

The makers of Italian sparkling wine Prosecco are trying to prevent Croatian winemakers from using the term Prosek. However, many Croatians claim that the winemaking tradition Prosekar has much deeper origins than the popular drink. “Prosekar wine is the original, because it was born 300 years before Prosecco,” winemaker told AP, “so it is the father of Prosekar, Prosecco, Prosek and all the rest.” Winemakers such as Skabar are hoping to use their geological ties to Prosecco’s birthplace in order to win the heated battle....

Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu and predecessor Sandro Rosell have also been named in the case, which has been raised by Brazilian investment company DIS. National Court judge Jose de la Mata initially threw out the case in July over a lack of evidence but that decision was overturned in September and the prosecution has now called for the charges to be processed. DIS claims that it is due a 40 percent cut of the fee that Barcelona paid to sign Neymar from Santos in 2013 - something which it says it has not received in full, given the secrecy over the full cost of the transfer....

Cosby was relying on that promise that he would never face charges when he testified in 2006 amid a civil suit brought by one of his accusers, his lawyers have long argued. The damaging information he revealed in that testimony was later used against him in two criminal trials, according to the AP. The promise to forgo prosecuting Cosby is not well-documented. The only evidence in writing of the pledge is a press release from 2005 from then-prosecutor Bruce Castor, who said that he did not have sufficient evidence to arrest Cosby, the AP reported....

Why Prosopagnosia Is Known as Face Blindness Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, may come with difficulties recognizing other things like facial cues and places. In addition to being unable to identify family members and close friends, Some people with prosopagnosia may even find it difficult to recognize their own face. Those with the condition are thereby forced to develop different ways of identifying people. Although previously thought to be relatively rare, recent research suggests that around 2% percent of the general public may have some level of prosopagnosia....

What It Is Protein is vital to the functioning of cells in living organisms. Proteins are required for the structure and regulation of the body’s tissues and organs. They are made up of long chains of amino acids—at least 20 different types of amino acids, in fact. Nine of the amino acids that people need to for making protein—histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine—must come from food....

The incident took place as a group of people who gathered to protest President Donald Trump’s visit surrounded the cruiser at the intersection of Watt Avenue and Airbase Drive. Videos posted on social media showed one person, wearing a red hat, climbing onto the hood of the vehicle before moving onto the roof. They were thrown off the vehicle and fell on the ground when the CHP Dodge Charger sped forward....

The clip, shared on Twitter by a reporter for conservative-leaning outlet the Daily Caller, shows a life-sized Trump doll with its head through a guillotine. Protestors dressed the doll up to wear a prisoner’s jumpsuit, a straightjacket and the sort of mouth-covering mask made famous by the character Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. The Daily Caller reporter said that there was a piece of paper on the presidential effigy that read “Fascist, Rapist, Criminal....