Why Does Cuba Have so Many Doctors?

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2007/02/whats_with_all_the_cuban_doctors.html

Quote of the Week: Buying Pricey Food

My father always said, "Health is the most important thing you have in life.  No money in teh world can buy it."  When people tell me, "Organic is so expensive," I always say that I prefer to spend money on food than on the doctor.

-Nora Pouillon in the February 2013 Washingtonian magazine

Fact of the Day: Wine in the US

A recent study of out Michigan State University found that more than 50 percent of the wine sold in the United States is produced, licensed or exclusively imported by three companies: E. & J. Gallo, the Wine Group, and Constellation Brands.  An oligopoly?

Peel off Hundres of Labels, and You'll Find Just a Handful of Companies Behind  Them
by Dave McIntyre
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/wine-choices-are-they-an-illusion/2013/01/18/ba7af9ea-6015-11e2-a389-ee565c81c565_story.html

David Brooks' Course on Humility

https://docs.google.com/document/d/14zUrsmH6eO_i-arEN0zf1LwFID7SoyxkgAo36NUiHp0/pub

Where Should Stores Place Condoms?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22697140

Are too many people photographing their food

Restaurants Turn Camera Shy
by Helene Stapinski
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/23/dining/restaurants-turn-camera-shy.html?src=dayp&_r=1&pagewanted=all&

America's 50 Most Powerful Foodies

http://www.thedailymeal.com/50-most-powerful-food-folk-america

On Why Human Are Overly Optimistic

This article also has a cool chart on the age at which happiness is at its lowest in different countries.

The Optimism Bias, or Why We Often Think Things Will Turn Out Better Than They Do
by Tali Sharot
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-12-31/national/36103321_1_divorce-lawyers-divorce-rates-rosy-future

Irrational Behavior & The Fiscal Cliff

I’m a sociobiologist, so whenever I see irrational behavior, I reflexively look to our prehistoric history for an explanation. And when it comes to the fiscal cliff and other cliffs like it, I don’t have to look far.

We are, by virtue of nature’s roll of the dice, an organism at war with itself. The vestiges of ancient genetic imperatives — territoriality, dominance, hoarding, fight and flight — clash with our ability to look ahead and take action to avert calamity. What? You thought our problems were political? Rooted in economics? Caused by inept leadership?

Welcome to the club.

Somewhere along the line, talking heads, politicians and experts decided that every problem we face is caused by politics and economics. So the only solutions we hear about are along these lines. In other words, a kind of narrowing has taken place: We blame our government, we blame the economy, we blame foreign competition, we blame Wall Street and big business.

But consider this: Every country in the world is struggling with a similar list of problems — job creation, wild fluctuations in financial markets, climate change, clean water, terrorism and so on. And yet, they each have their own political and economic systems, as well as vastly different cultures. At some point, a light bulb ought to go off. The reason the cliffs keep looming, one after the other, isn’t just politics or economics. What we have is a species-wide problem.

So, for the sake of science, let’s put what we know on the table.

Long before we developed a frontal cortex — the CEO of our brain, which enables us to generate accurate scenarios, prioritize them in order of likelihood and circumvent dangerous long-term outcomes — we, like other creatures, survived by relying on embedded instincts, such as fight or flight.

As best we can tell, our frontal cortex began expanding 3 to 4 million years ago, around the time we became bipedal. It grew so fast that it now occupies about a third of our gray matter, equipping us with foresight and ingenuity that no other species on Earth comes close to. And it is this remarkable asset — the ability to preempt danger — that has been largely responsible for catapulting humans to the top of the living world.

Yet, time and time again, we surrender to the lowest instruments of our genetic inheritance. Instead of applying rational thinking, which has been millions of years in the making, we surrender to bickering, blaming and boasting as we sail toward the edge of this, or some other, cliff. In the words of famed sociobiologist Edward O. Wilson, “We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions and God-like technology.” He concluded his 2009 Harvard lecture by remarking: “And it is terrifically dangerous.”

Wilson is right.

Based on this simple biological truth, we can predict with some certainty that our leaders will follow the example of the Mayan, Roman and Khmer civilizations, and more recently, Greece and Spain: They will run the clock out. When the cliff is upon us, and our hearts pound and our bodies fill with ancient chemicals, we will spring into action with the same urgency we have when encountering a snake in our path.

A Fiscal Cliffhanger?  Of Course, It's In Our Nature.
by Rebecca Costa
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/of-course-were-at-a-fiscal-cliffhanger-its-in-our-nature/2012/12/14/546bfee2-449a-11e2-8061-253bccfc7532_story.html

Why Is Japan Obsessed With Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas?

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/food/2012/12/why-japan-is-obsessed-with-kentucky-fried-chicken-on-christmas/?utm_source=smithsoniantopic&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20121216-Weekender

Paul Salopek to Walk 7 Years Around the World

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/12/the-seven-year-sitch-telling-a-story-in-21000-miles.html

10 Questions to Ask the Important People in Your Life

1. What are some of the most important lessons you have learned in your life?
2. What kidn of advice would you have about getting or staying married?
3. What kinds of advice do you have about raising children?
4. What advice can you share about finding fulfilling work and how to succeed in a career?
5. Difficult or stressful experiences can yield important lessons.  Is that true for you? Can you give me examples of what you have learned?
6. Do you see any turning points - key events or experiences - that changed the course of your life?
7. What would you say you know now about living a happy and successful life that you didn't know when you were age 20?
8. What would you say are the major values or principles that you live by?
9. Have you learned any lessons regarding staying in good health?
10. What advice would you give to people about growing older?

Source: 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice From the Wisest Americans, by Karl Pillemer

The "Platinum Coin Option" & The Debt Crisis

Thanks to an odd loophole in current law, the U.S. Treasury is technically allowed to mint as many coins made of platinum as it wants and can assign them whatever value it pleases.

Under this scenario, the U.S. Mint would produce (say) a pair of trillion-dollar platinum coins. The president orders the coins to be deposited at the Federal Reserve. The Fed then moves this money into Treasury’s accounts. And just like that, Treasury suddenly has an extra $2 trillion to pay off its obligations for the next two years — without needing to issue new debt. The ceiling is no longer an issue.

Could the 'Platinum Coin Option' Sovle the US Debt Crisis?
by Brad Plumer
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/12/07/could-two-platinum-coins-solve-the-debt-ceiling-crisis/

US's Total Personal Income (TPI) Approaches $13 Trillion

http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/on-numbers/scott-thomas/2012/12/nations-total-personal-income.html?ana=e_du_nat&s=article_du&ed=2012-12-04

The Perfect Income for Happiness: $161,000?

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/perfect-income-happiness-try-161-175833476.html

Sharing is For Chumps

Financial experts argue for a great variety of investment strategies, but these approaches all have one thing in common: Once the word is out about them, their returns shrink.

That's the finding of a couple of finance professors who looked at 82 market strategies—differences in valuations that gave investors a chance to profit and were then described in academic papers. In a working paper, the authors estimate that the average return decays after publication by about 35%.

This seems to happen mostly because investors learn about the strategy from the academic papers and trade on it, thereby diminishing the advantage (in keeping with the way markets are supposed to work). The effect is most pronounced, the professors write, with strategies focusing on stocks with large market capitalization, high-dollar-volume trading and dividends.

"Does Academic Research Destroy Stock Return Predictability?" R. David McLean and Jeffrey Pontiff, Social Science Research Network (October)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324439804578105080245336950.html    

Sailing Around the World in a 10-Foot Boat?

Armed with a stack of books and 880 pounds of mainly sardines and granola, the 73-year-old seasoned boat builder plans to wedge inside what he affectionately calls a "survival capsule," and spend up to a year-and-a-half reading, writing, thinking and soaking up the wonders of nature. Mr. Yrvind is knee deep in the building of his boat.

Thinking Small, Sailor Hopes to Cruise Globe in 10-Foot Boat
by Anna Molin
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444799904578053023649693516.html

On the "Sourtoe Cocktail" in Alaska

A drink with a severed big toe...mmmm

No Way to Tiptoe Around It: This Drink Can Be Hard to Swallow
by Ryan Sager
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204349404578098803097975398.html

There is also another WSJ article on another rather unappealing drink called Malort, which is made from wormood.  People have described it as tasting like earwax, Band-Aids, and burnt hair.

A Spirit Rises in Chicago Despite Bitter Reviews
by Mark Peters
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303296604577454872180605752.html

Could Boehner Really Become President?

The Blaze fact-checks that scenario laid out by some in the media:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/blaze-fact-check-rachel-maddow-laments-election-scenario-where-boehner-becomes-president-but-thats-impossible/

The Atlantic's 2012 Brave Thinkers List

http://www.theatlantic.com/special-report/brave-thinkers-2012/

On Cloaking Home Purchases in LLCs and Trusts

Psst.  Wanna Buy a House?
By Alyssa Abkowitz
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443684104578066880677842280.html

On Buying Houses Near Mt. Fuji in Japan

Selling a Piece of Old Japan, to Save It
by Lucy Alexander
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443982904578046372023157536.html

Five Guys = Seven Minutes?

I saw a show on TV interviewing a manager of Five Guys saying it takes exactly seven minutes from the time your order is placed until you get your food.  I need to confirm that...

Regional Integration Overdose?

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/BRAZILINPOREXTN/Resources/3817166-1185895645304/4044168-1186324101142/12RegionalIntegrationFull.pdf

Video: What's Really in Candy Corn?

http://screen.yahoo.com/episode-5-candy-corn-made-080000657.html

Chart: How the Government Spends Your Tax Dollars

http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-where-your-tax-dollars-go-2012-10

"Tobin's q"

Stocks, too, seem pricey. Over the past 130 years, U.S. stocks on average have traded at about 17 times mean earnings for the previous 10 years—a measure known as the "Shiller Price/Earnings Ratio" after Yale economics professor Robert Shiller, who tracks the data. Today the market is about 22 times those earnings, a level associated with frothy markets such as 1929, the mid-1960s, and most of the period from 1995 to 2008.

Another measure, "Tobin's q," also suggests stocks might be in dangerous territory. Tobin's q, named for the late Nobel economics laureate James Tobin, measures stock valuations against the cost of replacing companies' assets. Right now the reading is 0.92, about 50% above the long-term historical average. Stock returns from these levels have usually been subpar.

It's Time to Time the Market
by Brett Arends
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443624204578060550181314438.html

Before you even consider changing your portfolio based on the expected—or actual—results of the election, it's vital to analyze the conventional wisdom first.

Is gridlock good—that is, should investors root against having the same political party control both Congress and the White House? Who is better for stock and bond returns: Republicans or Democrats?

Most of the answers you are likely to find are propaganda or wishful thinking; many are flat-out wrong. What matters are changes in interest rates, not which party passes through the White House gates.

The Winner for Investors Is...
by Jason Zweig
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444592704578066683295046230.html

Crowdfunding College Costs

Is a college education a good investment? Warren Buffett has often quipped, before audiences of business-school students, that he would pay $100,000 for 10% of a student's future earnings.

One new website, Upstart (www.upstart.com), allows some of us to make a similar move. "Accredited investors"—generally, those who earned $200,000 or more in each of the last two years, or have a net worth of more than $1 million, not including a primary residence—can loan money to a specific recent graduate in exchange for a portion of his or her income for the next 10 years. The money can be used for any purpose, and some of the initial graduates have used it to help with student debt.

The service, which launched in August, is offered at Stanford University, the Rhode Island School of Design and 28 other schools.

'Crowdfunding' College Costs
by Rachel Louise Ensign
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444657804578048461063769132.html

Stress and Inflammation

http://www.thehealthymind.com/2012/04/06/how-stress-causes-illness-its-all-about-inflammation/

What happens in a 269 vs. 269 Tie?

Video of Chuck Todd explaining what happens in a 269 to 269 tie in the electoral college.
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/the-daily-rundown/49462313/#49462313

Salaries in the Washington Area for 2012

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/capitalbusiness/compensation-2012/index.html

Sen. Coburn's "Wastebook 2012"

http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public//index.cfm?a=Files.Serve&File_id=b7b23f66-2d60-4d5a-8bc5-8522c7e1a40e

There is also Coburn's "Department of Everything" in which it outlines suggestions to eliminate waste at the Department of Defense.
http://www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ContentRecord_id=e3ace3df-25a9-47c4-8c43-1403e134ce11

Hispanic, Latino, or Other?

“Hispanic” or “Latino”? Most don’t care—but among those who do, “Hispanic” is preferred. Half (51%) say they have no preference for either term. When a preference is expressed, “Hispanic” is preferred over “Latino” by more than a two-to-one margin—33% versus 14%.

http://www.pewhispanic.org/2012/04/04/when-labels-dont-fit-hispanics-and-their-views-of-identity/

Selling a Home - Phrase it Correctly

Houses that real-estate agents describe as "move-in condition" sell 12% faster than homes listed without those words. "Starter homes" sell 9% faster. But be careful: A house called a "handyman special" sells about 50% faster, but the final price is 30% lower than listings that lack those words.
For the past decade, Paul Anglin, associate professor of real estate at the University of Guelph in Ontario, has been studying the effect of certain words in house descriptions.

A Motivated Seller by Any Other Name...
by Sanette Tanaka
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444180004578018353491734558.html