I’m Anthony W. Orlando, and I’m the administrator, editor, and head writer of this blog. (The “W” stopped being cool when George W. Bush’s approval rating dropped below 40%, but I’m sticking with it. It’ll come back.)

You’re wondering what qualifies me to stand on this soapbox, right? From September 2006 to May 2009, I wrote a weekly op-ed column for the Hazleton Standard-Speaker, a daily newspaper in Northeast PA with a circulation of 20,000 or so. Since September 2009, I have been an op-ed columnist and blogger for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, a Tribune Company daily newspaper in Fort Lauderdale with a circulation of 250,000 or so. This blog is adapted from those writings, which means it’s mostly economics and foreign policy, with a smattering of (evolutionary) psychology and generational observations.

Whether I’m worth listening to is another story entirely, but here’s a bit of background to aid your decision:

• I am currently a graduate student in Economic History at the London School of Economics.
• In May, I graduated magna cum laude from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Economics with a Concentration in Finance. At Wharton, I was Co-President and Co-Founder of the Wharton Politics & Business Association, Co-President of the Wharton Undergraduate Finance Club, President of theWharton Undergraduate Consulting Club, Executive Vice President of the Wharton Accounting Society, and Vice President of Student Affairs for the Penn Delta Chapter of the Pi Gamma Mu International Honor Society in Social Sciences. Whew, that’s a mouthful.
• High school was in a little place called MMI Preparatory School in Freeland, PA. And because it’s the most adorable name in the world, I have to mention that I grew up in a town named “Sugarloaf.”
• Before the column, I wrote a book, Life Is Not a Dress Rehearsal: The Spiritual Journey of a Teenage Traveler. It’s not the great American novel, but it was a fun introduction to the world of writing. And I inspired a couple people, so it was all worthwhile.
• I’m working on a second book tentatively titled Sins of the Fathers: A Young American’s Take on the Great Financial Crisis. It’s looking like the publication date will be in Spring 2010, but it seems to be an ever-moving deadline.
• I have worked, at various times in my 21 years, as a financial consultant in retail banking, research assistant in business history, teaching assistant in macroeconomics, short-order cook, swimming instructor, and assistant to the purchasing manager of a defense contractor.

But how can you really know a guy just from his resumé? I wouldn’t want you to waste your time reading someone only to find out you can’t stand the bum. Here’s the personal stuff:

• I like to read about business, economics, history, foreign policy, politics, psychology, evolutionary science, cosmology, and theology. Fiction is a luxury. I bury myself in a novel a few times a year, but it has to be superlative writing to steal my attention from the piles of nonfiction on my desk.
• I play basketball, golf, tennis, and the occassional backyard football. I watch all sports with a competitiveness that borders on unhealthy.
• Extraordinary performances–be they in art, music, writing, sports, or acting–turn me on, as does a good sense of humor. Apathy and intolerance turn me off.
• I travel. I play the guitar. I treasure good meals. And if you have read this far, I thank you.