Why Don't Scarce Goods Cost More?

"David Friedman—son of the late Milton Friedman and a superb communicator of economics—has argued that our ancestors would have evolved in an environment where most transactions were one-on-one bargains. A hard-wired refusal to accept something other than the customary price would, in such a setting, be an advantage. Anyone who reacts to a price rise with irrational rage turns out to be a strong negotiator."

The Price Is Right
by Tim Harford
http://www.slate.com/id/2187511/

Fancy Food Show

"Hosted by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, it is to foodies what the Consumer Electronics Show is to gadget freaks."

Washington Woos Fancy Food Show From New York
by Anita Huslin
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/30/AR2008033001715.html

Map: Ludacris's Hoes

This is one of the more unique maps. It shows the area codes in which rapper Ludacris claims to have "hoes." While he appears to get around, most of his hoes are in the Deep South. He was born in Illinois and reportedly lives in Georgia, but he doesn't appear to have many hoes in those two states...

http://strangemaps.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/finalareacodesbig.gif

Super Glue Quandary

Q: Why doesn't glue seal the lid of the glue container shut? Specialty glues like Krazy Glue and Gorilla Glue are supposed to adhere to anything. Are the lids made out of some crazy non-adhesive space plastic?

A: Krazy Glue reacts chemically with moisture to bond and the plastic caps do a good job of keeping out moisture, which prevents the curing of the glue. And although Krazy Glue sticks to most anything, the bottle caps are made out of a plastic that prevents the bond from hardening intractably.

-Three Wise Men, WPost, 3/30/08

Question of the Day

Can fat people die from starvation?

Cost of a 5'2" Lover

"Researchers at the University of Chicago asked 10,434 women - all of whom had set their ideal man's height at 6 feet - what it'd take to fall in love with a 5'2" suitor. Their collective answer: He'd have to earn at least $270,000 more per year than their ideal 6-footer."

-Men's Health (Study from Journal of Personality and Social Psychology)

Can You be Too Happy?

"There is a paradox involving happiness. Americans report being generally happier than people from, say, Japan or Korea, but it turns out that, partly as a result, they are less likely to fell good when positive things happen and more likely to fell bad when negative things befall them. Put another way, a hidden price of being happier on average is that you put your short-term contentment at risk, because being happy raises your expectations about being happy. When good things happen, they don't count much because they are what you expect. When bad things happen, you temporarily fell terrible, because you've gotten used to being happy."

Is Great Happiness Too Much of a Good Thing?
by Shankar Vedantam
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/30/AR2007093000632.html

On Game Theory

"Schelling stressed the 'rationality of irrationality.' Translation: You can vastly strengthen your position in an interdependent situation by persuading the other side that you're slightly nuts."

Is Game Theory Real? Ask Bill Belichick's Patriots
by Geoffrey Colving
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/10/31/8359159/index.htm

*******

"One of the most important principles in game theory -- indeed, in life -- is that to handle any interactive situation well, you must put yourself in the shoes of the person you're interacting with."

The Great Game
by David Henderson
(WSJ, October 11, 2005)

Nomophobia

Nomophobia: Fear of being without a cell phone.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23468919-details/Nomophobia+is+the+fear+of+being+out+of+mobile+phone+contact+-+and+it's+the+plague+of+our+247+age/article.do

Starting Your Own Country

"With Kosovo unilaterally declaring independence and a host of wannabe states looking to follow its lead, you might be thinking it’s about time to set up your own country. You’ve picked out a flag, written a national anthem, even printed up money with your face on it. But what’s the next step? Creating a new country isn’t as easy as you think."

How to Start Your Own Country in Four Easy Steps
by Joshua Keating
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4217

The Economic Value of Teeth

"We find that women who resided in communities with fluoridated water during childhood earn approximately 4% more than women who did not, but we find no effect of fluoridation for men."

http://papers.nber.org/papers/w13879

Mass-Produced Individuality

"Mass production has been cast not so much as the best thing that ever happened to consumers but as an annoyance, even a problem. It stands in the way of our individuality."

Mass-Produced Individuality
by Rob Walker
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/11/magazine/11wwln_consumed.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Darwinian Investing

"The results undercut a dominant theory known as the efficient market hypothesis (EMH), which holds that markets aggregate information efficiently and investors form their financial expectations rationally. The reality may be much messier..."

Darwinian Investing
by Christopher Farrell
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_08/b3972033.htm

WalkScore

See how "walkable" your house is using http://www.walkscore.com/. The score is based on your home's proximity to things such as grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops, bars, schools, movie theaters, parks, libraries, bookstores, drugstores, hardware stores, etc...Anything further than a mile is considered not very walkable. Scores 90 or higher signify a "walkers paradise." To be sure, the scoring system is not yet perfect. For instance, it doesn't measure things like how wide the streets are, safety, etc...

"Conlang" - Create a New Language

"It's all part of a weirdly Babelesque boom of new languages. Once the private practice of J.R.R. Tokien, Esperanto speakers and grunting Klingon fanatics, invented languages have flourished on the Internet and begun creeping into the public domain."

Invented Languages Take on a New Life of Their Own
by Amber Dance
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/02/MNR2RQRA0.DTL

http://www.langmaker.com

Human Footprint Project

"Analysis of the human footprint map indicates that 83% of the land's surface is influenced by one or more of the following factors: human population density greater than 1 person per square kilometer, within 15 km of a road or major river, occupied by urban or agricultural land uses, within 2 km of a settlement or a railway, and/or producing enough light to be visible regularly to a satellite at night."

http://www.wcs.org/humanfootprint

Redheads Have More Sex

"Women who dyed their hair red from another color were signalling they were looking for a partner, and added 'Even women in a fixed relationship are letting their partners know they are unhappy if they dye their hair red.'"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=400779&in_page_id=1770

Video: Fitna

Here is a link to the extremely controversial 15-minute film about the Quran called Fitna... It appears quite biased, but it shows the harmfulness of what the abuse of religion in general - any religion - can do to a society.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7d9_1206624103

Competitive Eating

Which food would be the easiest and which would be the hardest to eat competitively? Hot dogs have the dog and bun element, making is seem like one of the hardest to compete in. Birthday cake or ice cream seem nice and soft (and tasty compared to something like butter).

http://www.ifoce.com/ (International Federation of Competitive Eating)

http://www.ifoce.com/records.php (IFOCE records)

Side-Effects of Sushi Boom

"As Japanese sushi conquers restaurants and homes around the world, industry experts are fighting the side-effects of the raw fish boom: fake sushi bars, over-confident amateurs, poisoned consumers."

Chefs Warn on Side-Effects of Sushi Boom
by Sophie Hardach
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080328/lf_nm_life/japan_sushi_dc;_ylt=ApEjU9sOI5HBy.4N.gCuO4tg.3QA

Automotive Family Tree

See who owns who...

http://jalopnik.com/372339/who-owns-who

Video: Slow Motion Slap

Ouch.

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1808604

Increases in National Debt: Rep. vs. Dem.

http://i27.tinypic.com/120m447.jpg

Does Coasting Save Fuel?

Yes, coasting is effective and so is driving slower. But it is said that coasting while in neutral is not a good idea because it "compromises vehicle control."

Does Coasting Save Fuel?
by Jonathan Welsh
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120638974358660277.html?mod=todays_us_personal_journal

"Lost Decade" of Stocks

"Over the past 200 years, the stock market's steady upward march occasionally has been disrupted for long stretches, most recently during the Great Depression and the inflation-plagued 1970s. The current market turmoil suggests that we may be in another lost decade."

Stocks Tarnished by 'Lost Decade'
by E.S. Browning
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120649226977964203.html?mod=todays_us_page_one

Death of Molecular Gastronomy?

"So, is it over? At the very least, [El Bulli's] Adrià and his cohorts are no longer quite so avant-garde as they once were. In fashion, you know your haute couture is no longer haute when you see it in the Gap. In food, there are different indignities, all of which the Spaniards have suffered as of late."

Fish Foam and Spherified Mango Juice
by Lisa Abend
http://www.slate.com/id/2187483/

Hottest Student Body

It appears that the "hottest" students (women) are in the deep South...Are students from the south really hotter than those up north? Could it be related to the climate and the fact that people in the South probably wear less clothing and have better tans? Is it related to the assumption that looks are valued over education in some parts of the country and/or at certain institutions of higher learning?

1. Arizona State U.
2. University of Southern California
3. Florida State University
4. University of Florida
5. Ole Miss
6. South Carolina
7. UCLA
8. Auburn U.
9. University of Georgia
10. LSU

http://www.popcrunch.com/hottest-student-bodies-top-50-universities-ranked-by-looks/

What's in a Passport File

It appears that passport files have important information but not a lot of juicy gossip...

What's in a Passport File?
by Juliet Lapidos
http://www.slate.com/id/2187302/

A Car-Bomb Primer

On vehicular-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) - aka car bombs.

A Car-Bomb Primer
by Bonnie Goldstein
http://www.slate.com/id/2187320/

Video: Building Stonehenge

http://youtube.com/watch?v=lRRDzFROMx0

Chile's "Pokemones"

"Chile's disaffected 'Pokemones' don't care much about politics. They're too busy having sex."

Rebels Without Cause
by Ashley Steinberg
http://www.newsweek.com/id/124098/page/1

Manufacturing Decline = Global Peace?

Many people argue that the US needs a manufacturing base for national security purposes. I argue, however, that a complete dependence of foreign manufacturing will make the world a more peaceful place. If we are dependent on foreign autos, tanks, aircraft, etc... it will be in our best interest to be friends with everyone who produces those goods (and who supplies commodities to produce them), to knock down tariff barriers, and to keep sea lanes open and safe.

Top 30 News Sites

This Nielson Online Rating is based on February 2008 traffic...

* * *

Top 30 Online Current Events & Global News Destinations, ranked by Sessions per Person

Brand or channel; sessions per person; unique audience (000)

1. Drudgereport.com; 19.9; 3,445
2. Daily Kos; 8.9; 1,204
3. Fox News Digital Network; 8.3; 10,177
4. CNN Digital Network; 7.9; 37,181
5. AOL News; 7.7; 21,119
6. Yahoo! News; 7.4; 35,274
7. MSNBC Digital Network; 6.4; 34,013
8. Ksl.com; 6.0; 796
9. Breitbart.com; 5.3; 2,674
10. Google News; 5.3; 12,050
11. Gannett Newspapers and Newspaper Division; 5.1; 13,998
12. NYTimes.com; 4.9; 18,975
13. Netscape; 4.8; 2,709
14. Townhall.com; 4.7; 1,152
15. Media General Newspapers; 4.6; 1,761
16. GTGI Network 4.5; 1,345
17. Star Tribune; 4.3; 2,108
18. TWC News Websites; 4.1; 840
19. NewsMax.com; 4.0; 4,054
20. Zwire; 3.9; 1,089
21. Cox Newspapers; 3.9; 5,197
22. Washingtonpost.com; 3.8; 10,441
23. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; 3.8; 1,259
24. The Buffalo News^; 3.7; 502
25. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; 3.6; 1,472
26. MediaNews Group Newspapers; 3.5; 5,850
27. USATODAY.com; 3.5; 10,571
28. WorldNow 3.5; 10,588
29. IB Websites; 3.4; 7,565
30. St. Louis Post Dispatch; 3.4; 1,022

http://www.naa.org/blog/digitaledge/1/2008/03/Nielsen-Online-Names-Top-30-News-Sites.cfm

The Internet Effect on News

"This trend towards story-by-story competition, and away from package-by-package competition, is a blessing and a curse. It is forcing better writing, quicker responsiveness, and it is increasing the value of actual news-making and clear-eyed thinking. But it is also increasing pressure on reporters to push the boundaries of provocation."

The Internet Effect on News
by Michael Scherer
http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/03/the_internet_effect_on_news.html

Most Stable Countries

This is from a one-year investigation and analysis of 235 countries by Jane's Information Services...

1. Vatican - 99
2. Sweden - 99
3. Luxembourg - 99
4. Monaco - 98
5. Gibraltar - 98
6. San Marino - 98
7. Liechtenstein - 97
8. United Kingdom - 97
9. The Netherlands - 97
10. Irish Republic - 97
.
.
.
22. US - 93

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3613926.ece

Books on Military Strategy

Eliot Cohen's list:

http://www.sais-jhu.edu/programs/ir/strategic/cohen/docs/core_readings_current.pdf

Three Rules to Live By

If you could choose three rules to live by, what would they be?

Mine:

1. [Good] information is power (but ignorance is bliss)
2. The only thing to fear is fear itself
3. KISS (Keep it simple, stupid)

Addendum: 4. Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so

Addendum: 5. The brain loathes uncertainty (more of a statement that can be used to predict things...)

Addendum: 6. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction

Addendum 7. The things you own end of owning you

Addendum: 8. There is no more sincerer love than the love of food

Addendum: 9. Good health is true wealth

Addendum: 10. Relax

The Cuban Art Revolution

"With art from Asia and Russia in demand, some in the art world are betting on Cuba to be the next hot corner of the market...The collectors are taking advantage of a little-known exception to the U.S. trade embargo with Cuba: It is legal for Americans to buy Cuban art. Unlike cigars or rum, which are considered commercial products, the U.S. government classifies Cuban artworks as cultural assets, and Americans can bring them into the U.S."

The Cuban Art Revolution
by Kelly Crow
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120613745916555929.html?mod=todays_us_weekend_journal

Religion = Archaic Adaptive Benefit?

"Religion may have evolved as an adaptive benefit for human beings. But once you know that, you’ll derive no such benefits from religion..."

http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10875666

Why are Oriental Rug Stores Always Going Out of Business?

Q: Why are Oriental rug stores always going out of business?

A: A couple of resaons. First, there's peer pressure. Think about it: Would you buy an Oriental rug from a store that wasn't going out of business? And pay full price? I don't think so. But there's also the existential answer, which is that a store, is - eventually - going to go out of business. How fast that happens will vary, but nothing, not even a successful company is permanent..."

Three Wise Guys, WPost (3/23/08)

A Guide to the French

"French women spend close to 20 percent of their clothing budgets on lingerie. "

A Guide to the French. Handle with Care.
by Elaine Sciolino
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/weekinreview/23sciolino.html?em&ex=1206504000&en=15f0d5d23335c166&ei=5087%0A

No Price Set in Stone

Something to remember on your next shopping trip...

"Shoppers are discovering an upside to the down economy. They are getting price breaks by reviving an age-old retail strategy: haggling."

Even at Megastores, Hagglers Find no Price is Set in Stone
by Matt Richtel
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/business/23haggle.html?em&ex=1206504000&en=76da58cfab89661a&ei=5087%0A

Intelligence Weakness = Reward Problem?

While part of the problem is foreign language-related (lack of Arabic speakers) and too much reliance of technology (i.e., not enough HUMINT), I wonder if the economic incentive needs to be tweeked a bit. The article says that huge cash rewards for information have been largely ineffective in Pakistan and Afghanistan because no reward has been announced under the program in either country since Khalid Sheik Mohammed's capture. A large part of religion is about money. True, not every religious person can be bought, but there are always some who can...

"Relying on Cold War tactics such as cash rewards for tips failed to take into account the religious motivations of Islamist radicals and produced few results..."

After a Decade at War With West, Al-Qaeda Still Impervious to Spies
by Craig Whitlock

Fact of the Day

The Library of Congress has 650 miles of bookshelves.
[That's enough to make any bibliophile envious...]

More Sex for Depressed Women

I wonder if the same is true for men...

"A survey of Melbourne women presented at an international mental health conference has concluded that females who suffer from mild to moderate depression have a third more sexual activity than those who are not. They also had more sexually liberated attitudes, a bigger variety of sexual experiences and, if single, were more likely to partake in casual sex, Dr Sabura Allen, a clinical psychologist at Monash University, said. "

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23407853-662,00.html

Inflation Explained

Here is a nice simple explanation of how the Fed can trigger inflation:

"By reducing the interest rate financial institutions charge each other for short-term loans, the Fed makes money more readily and cheaply available. If it miscalculates, it can pump too much money into the economy, fueling excessie demand for goods, housing and capital spending - and driving up prices."

Behind Cheaper Credit, Inflation Fears Loom
by Steven Mufson
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/03/18/ST2008031803758.html

Clandestine Saudi-Israeli Ties

Despite a boycott, more trade goes on that one might expect...

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1205420736576&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Is Free Trade Good for Your Health?

Does better health lead to higher income, or does higher income lead to better health?

http://www.aei.org/events/eventID.1699/event_detail.asp

Money Buys Happiness

"Money can buy happiness, but only if you spend it on someone else...An experiment on more than 630 Americans showed they were measurably happier when they spent money on others -- even if they thought spending the money on themselves would make them happier."

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2042446720080320?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews&rpc=22&sp=true

Video: The Sad Truth About Relationships

Warning - NSFE (Not Safe for Emotions)

http://www.fliggo.com/video/NTtenBNg

Video: Top 10 Jackie Chan Stunts

What amazes me is that Jackie Chan does his own stunts. Because of that, he has pretty much broken every bone in his body...

Check out this six-minute video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI1AwZN4ZYg

New Wine & Food Economics Blog

http://www.wine-econ.org/

Lower Wages in China = Fewer US Burglaries?

"In other words, we have fewer burglaries because of low wages in China. You'll note that the standard Baumol-Bowen model of the cost-disease predicts an ongoing decline in burglaries. Goods become cheaper over time, and thus not worth stealing, while services grow more expensive over time. It is usually harder to steal services so burglary rates should fall."

http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2008/03/why-have-burgla.html

World's Most Expensive Foods

I don't think all of these are correct, but still interesting...

http://www.wackyarchives.com/featured/worlds-most-expensive-foods.html

Map of Humanity

Wow...

http://www.joeydevilla.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/map_of_humanity.jpg

The Worst Foods in America

Some pretty grotesque choices...

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/the-worst-foods-in-america/?em&ex=1206072000&en=6e5f64d754b8c117&ei=5087%0A

In Most Species, Faithfulness is Fantasy

"As biologists have discovered through the application of DNA paternity tests to the offspring of these bonded pairs, social monogamy is very rarely accompanied by sexual, or genetic, monogamy. Assay the kids in a given brood, whether of birds, voles, lesser apes, foxes or any other pair-bonding species, and anywhere from 10 to 70 percent will prove to have been sired by somebody other than the resident male... Even the 'oldest profession' that figured so prominently in Eliot Spitzer’s demise is old news. Nonhuman beings have been shown to pay for sex, too. Reporting in the journal Animal Behaviour, researchers from Adam Mickiewicz University and the University of South Bohemia described transactions among great grey shrikes, elegant raptorlike birds with silver capes, white bellies and black tails that, like 90 percent of bird species, form pair bonds to breed. "

In Most Species, Faithfulness is a Fantasy
by Natalie Angier
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/18/science/18angi.html?em&ex=1206072000&en=1d4af0557a03df49&ei=5087%0A

Why are Mortgage Rates Still High?

Why are mortgate rates remaining high when the Federal Reserve is cutting interest rates?

Answer:

"Blame the investors who buy packages of mortgages on Wall Street. Burned by the subprime-lending scandal and a rising level of defaults, these investors, who include pension funds, insurance companies and bond mutual funds, are demanding a greater premium for mortgages over risk-free investments such as US Treasurys."

Fact:

"Mortgage rates typically follow the 10-year Treasury and have historically traded at about 1.8 percentage points above the 10-year Treasury yield."

Why Only Some See Benefit From Fed's Cuts
by Jeff Opdyke and Jane Kim
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120588380906246907.html?mod=todays_us_personal_journal

Hummer Better for Environment Than Prius?

Is it possible that the Hummer is better for the environment than a Prius is? Not quite so fast...

Tank vs. Hybrid
by Brendan Koerner
http://www.slate.com/id/2186786/

How Will the Iraq War End?

Any other predictions?

How Will the Iraq War End?
by Peter Grier
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20080318/ts_csm/airaqone

Iraq by the Numbers

A look at Iraq five years out...

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4228

16 Extreme & Modern Beds

http://freshome.com/2008/03/18/16-of-the-most-extreme-modern-beds-youll-ever-see/

25 Most Disturbing Sex Toys

Hey, I'm not the one who wrote this...

http://www.cracked.com/article_16032_25-most-disturbing-sex-toys.html

Magical Thinking

Are we really wired to find meaning in the world? I think we are wired mainly (only?) for survival and looking for patterns is merely one way of survival...

"You are wired to find meaning in the world, a predisposition that leaves you with less control over your beliefs than you may think. Even if you're a hard-core atheist who walks under ladders and pronounces 'new age' like 'sewage,' you believe in magic...We look for patterns because we hate surprises and because we love being in control."

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=pto-20080225-000003&print=1

Downfalls of GPS

"By blindly following the gadgets' not-always-reliable directions, they're getting lost, hitting dead ends, and even swerving into oncoming traffic...The GPS hiccups are the latest twist on a human idiosyncrasy dating to the Industrial Revolution: a surprising willingness to rely on machines over experience."

Steered Wrong: Drivers Trust GPS Even to a Fault
by Jennifer Saranow
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120578983252543135.html?mod=todays_us_page_one

Map: North America's Place-based Food Traditions

http://strangemaps.files.wordpress.com/2006/11/raftmap.gif

Why Italian Restaurants Failed in Dubai

A quick search on the web shows that Italian restaurants have not "failed" in Dubai. Clearly, this video is meant to be a joke, but it is interesting to ponder what foods sell the best/worst for women who wear a burqa.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=g5bBz3KUV34

America's Drunkest Cities

Click to find which cities are most/least drunk and which cities have the lowest number of DUIs , binge drinking incidents, and fatal crashes.

http://www.menshealth.com/drunk/

World's Most Expensive Cities

This is from a survey by economists at Swiss Bank UBS...The dollars' decline has clearly changed the dynamics of the list.

1. Oslo
2. London
3. Copengagen
4. Dublin
.
.
.
18. New York

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080318111031.zpluz7i6&show_article=1

Fact of the Day

"It took 85 years to build Bear Stearns and four days for it to dissolve."

-3/17/08, WPost

Price-Placebo Effect: Wine & Sex

More on the price-placebo effect...The question at the end is most interesting. My belief is that to the point where you are not financially worried about your purchase, it may be better to pay more for some goods/services...

"The price people pay for something can subtly and unconsciously change how much pleasure they derive from it...medial orbitofrontal cortex research suggests that people who buy something at a discount may unconsciously derive less satisfaction than people who pay full price...If you paid a premium for something, and as a result derived more pleasure and value from it, does this mean you were ripped off or that you actually got a better deal than the person who got a discount?"

Elito Spitzer and the Price-Placebo Effect
by Shankar Vedantam
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/16/AR2008031602168.html

Opportunity Cost of High-End Prostitutes

I was ready to ignore the Eliot Spitzer scandal until I read that the FBI had been monitoring Spitzer for weeks. This led me to wonder what the cost was of busting Spitzer. It probably cost the FBI thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars and dozens of hours of wasted time that could have been better used for things like fighting fraud and terrorism. High-end prostitution benefits the economy. Spitzer spent money on transportation to get to DC, he spent money at the Mayflower Hotel, he spent money on fine foods. He did not hurt anyone and he benefited emotionally and she benefited financially. It just seems that there are more important "crimes" out there. Now "low-end" prostitution is a different story...

Why We View Websites Often

I've always wondered what drives people to some websites so often. Is it a true thirst for knowledge/information or is it more biological/chemical in nature...

"A likely possibility involves increased production of the brain's pleasure-enhancing neurotransmitters called opioids...and richly interpretable information triggers a chemical reaction that makes us feel good, which in turn causes us to seek out even more of it. The reverse is true as well: We want to avoid not getting those hits because, for one, we are so averse to boredom."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120527756506928579.html?mod=todays_us_marketplace

The Joy of Boredom

"We are most human when we feel dull. Lolling around in a state of restlessness is one of life's greatest luxuries -- one not available to creatures that spend all their time pursuing mere survival. To be bored is to stop reacting to the external world, and to explore the internal one. It is in these times of reflection that people often discover something new, whether it is an epiphany about a relationship or a new theory about the way the universe works."

The Joy of Boredom
by Carolyn Johnson
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/03/09/the_joy_of_boredom/?page=full

Luxury for the Masses

Quite an interesting article on how most people are able to buy "luxury" goods these days. The reality, however, is that many of these goods are not necessarily luxurious nor well-built - they merely have a powerful brand name.

"The story of the last 30 years in fashion is one of democratization and proliferation, of a middle class and an elite becoming increasingly indistinguishable... Just as middle-class consumers reached up toward aspirational brands in the ’80s, the same brands were reaching down to meet them."

Vuitton Values
by Kerry Howley
http://www.reason.com/news/show/124394.html

20 Stress Fixes for Better Sleep

From Reader's Digest...

http://www.rd.com/health/mind-and-body/sleep/20-stress-fixes-for-better-sleep/article.html

Petroleum Feeds Patriarchy?

Certainly not the only answer, but an interesting economic point is raised...

"Oil wealth, of Islam, is the primary reason that these nations have regressive gender politics...as oil prices soar, the tsunami of cash strengthens their currencies and makes it cheaper for them to buy everything from textiles to cars from other nations, instead of manufacturing such goods at home...the realignment punishes women because low-wage manufacturing jobs - especially in the textile industry - have long been the entry point into the workforce for millions of poorer women across the world."

Petroleum Feeds Patriarchy
by Shankar Vedantam
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/09/AR2008030901762.html

What's Your Poo Telling You?

A dirty topic but a much-neglected health issue...

"'You want to hear what the stool, the poop, sounds like when it hits the water,' Oz instructs. 'If it sounds like a bombardier, you know, 'plop, plop, plop,' that's not right because it means you're constipated. It means the food is too hard by the time it comes out. It should hit the water like a diver from Acapulco hits the water.' Oz makes a 'swoosh' sound -- the sound of an Olympian excrement champion."

The Bowel Movement
by Leslie Crawford
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/03/12/poo/#share

Cross-Gender Names

Are all those people with cross-gender names like Chris and Pat traumatized for life? It appears not...

“Researchers have studied men with cross-gender names like Leslie,” Dr. Evans explained. They haven’t found anything negative — no psychological or social problems — or any correlations with either masculinity or effeminacy. But they have found one major positive factor: a better sense of self-control. It’s not that you fight more, but that you learn how to let stuff roll off your back.”

http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2008/03/a-boy-named-sue.html

Electronic Connoissuers: The End of the Sommelier?

"The successful test of the electronic tongue and nose was one of several in recent years hinting that automated food and beverage senors may someday match, or even outperform, their human counterparts."

But I tend to agree with Anthony Dias Blue, editor of The Tasting Panel Magazine:

"No machine can muster the level of creative smoke-blowing that wine writers can come up with to describe what they are tasting. It takes that special human ability to come up with the hyperbole to really describe a wine."

Food Industry Tests Techno-Tasters to Judge Flavor
by Rick Weiss
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/09/AR2008030901424.html?wpisrc=newsletter

Economics of Recession Dining

This article made me wonder if one should avoid eating at mid-level/fancy restaurants during a recession. With the kitchen cutting costs (and food), it might be wise to wait until commodity prices recede a bit before venturing out for the "best" the kitchen can offer. It appears to be similar to dining during "Restaurant Week." During that time, most restaurants do not serve their best quality... So the theory may be avoid restaurants during the times when people most want to go (during a bargain like restaurant week) and least want to go (during a recession).

Cutback Cuisine
by Juliet Chung
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120493352022320755.html?mod=todays_us_weekend_journal

On Meetings

"If everybody hates meetings so much, why do we have so many of them? We are, by nature, needy huddlers and cuddlers."

Another Meeting? Good. Another Chance to Hear Myself Talk
by Jared Sandberg
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120519462810425677.html?mod=todays_us_marketplace

Washington's Sex Scandals

T.W. Farnam of WSJ has put this list of Washington sex scandals together...

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/03/10/washingtons-sex-scandals/

When is a Massage More Than a Massage?

"Specific laws vary from state to state, but in general, the distinction between paid-for physical contact and 'prostitution' comes down to the purpose of the touching."

Eliot's Erotic Games
by Michelle Tsai
http://www.slate.com/id/2186241/

How Do You Go Off The Record?

There is no exact definition, but here is the general consensus:

"Ask to go off the record, discuss what that means, and don't reveal any secrets until the journalist has agreed to the understanding."

How Do You Go Off The Record?
by Michelle Tsai
http://www.slate.com/id/2186210/

Why is Prostitution Illegal?

"Martha Nussbaum, a law and philosophy professor at the University of Chicago, argues that lots of work involves the sale of bodily services and that lots of the work that poor women do involves bad working conditions. For her, it's all about context—there's a big difference between a street worker controlled by a pimp and a high-end call girl who picks her own clients, and the real question is how to increase poor women's access to decent and safe work in general. Legalizing prostitution 'is likely to make things a little better for women who have too few options to begin with,' Nussbaum writes."

Why Is Prostitution Illegal
by Emily Bazelon
http://www.slate.com/id/2186243/

Derivatives Bubble

A thought-provoking peice but I'm not sure if the numbers add up...

Facts:

*U.S. annual gross domestic product is about $15 trillion

*U.S. money supply is also about $15 trillion

*Current proposed U.S. federal budget is $3 trillion

*U.S. government's maximum legal debt is $9 trillion

*U.S. mutual fund companies manage about $12 trillion

*World's GDPs for all nations is approximately $50 trillion

*Unfunded Social Security and Medicare benefits $50 trillion to $65 trillion

*Total value of the world's real estate is estimated at about $75 trillion

*Total value of world's stock and bond markets is more than $100 trillion

*BIS valuation of world's derivatives back in 2002 was about $100 trillion

*BIS 2007 valuation of the world's derivatives is now a whopping $516 trillion

Derivatives the New "Ticking Timebomb"
by Paul Ferrell
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/derivatives-new-ticking-time-bomb/story.aspx?guid=%7BB9E54A5D%2D4796%2D4D0D%2DAC9E%2DD9124B59D436%7D

Cost of War

"In 2008, the war's sixth year, the [Iraq] war will cost approximately $12 billion a month, triple the 'burn' rate of its earliest years, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and co-author Linda J. Bilmes report in a new book. "

Studies: Iraq Costs US $12 billion Per Month
by Charles Hanley
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080310/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_war_costs;_ylt=ArlXHItzldeOFzAXDQXOaw6s0NUE

Video: How Traffic Jams Occur

A 40 second video on how traffic jams occur...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Suugn-p5C1M

Top 50 Restaurants

Restaurant magazine produces an annual list of the 50 best restaurants in the world based on a poll of international chefs and critics. One cannot deny that the list is very "western-centric"...

2007 List:

1. El Bulli
2. The Fat Duck
3. Pierre Gagnaire
4. The French Laundry
5. Tetsuya's
6. Bras
7. Mugaritz
8. Le Louis XV
9. Per Se
10. Arzak

http://www.theworlds50best.com/default.aspx

Why Female Voices?

Q: Of the disembodied voices I hear during the day, most are female (on Metro; on automated answering systems at utilities, banks, etc...). Can you explain this?

A: I feel as though all those soulless prerecorded woman's voices are looking out for me. A man's voice would sound less nurturing, too orderly...I want a relationship with the faceless bureaucracy that is imposing order on my daily routine.

Source: Three Wise Guys, WPost (3/9/08)

Fashionomics

Another reason to go buy stuff...

"Fashion fulfills a similar role in the consumer economy, by providing a mechanism to periodically liquidate certain elements of a consumer lifestyle, triggering the incentive to learn about new things and to demand new goods."

Fashionomics
by Jason Potts
http://www.cis.org.au/Policy/summer%2007-08/potts_summer07.html

Altruism & The Selfish Gene

Is altruism merely a survival technique?

Evolutionary psychologists have come up with four plausible Darwinian reasons for altruism:

1. There is “kinship selection,” which is supposed to lurk behind the sacrifices you make for your biological family. It’s based on the percentage of genetic overlap.

2. There is “reciprocal altruism,” which doesn’t depend on shared genes. Here, the basic idea is: You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.

3. The Darwinian advantage of having a reputation for generosity.

4. The aim of bankrupting one’s rivals? This is sometimes called the Potlatch Effect, after the competitive feasts (“potlatch” in Chinook) of a Pacific Northwest tribe whose rival chieftains try to humiliate one another by unmatchable displays of generosity.

Good Instincts

by Jim Holt

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/magazine/09wwln-lede-t.html

Best & Worst Countries for Women

Measures of well-being include life expectancy, education, purchasing power and standard of living. Source: UNDP Gender-related Development Index.

Best:

1. Iceland
2. Norway
3. Australia
4. Canada
5. Ireland
6. Sweden
7. Switzerland
8. Japan
9. Netherlands
10. France

Worst:

*Afghanistan
*Congo
*Iraq
*Nepal
*Sudan
*Guatemala
*Mali
*Pakistan
*Saudi Arabia
*Somalia

http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/326354

Video: 99 Words for Boobs

I always wondered what word has the most nicknames...For some reason, genitals and breasts seem to have lots of nicknames. Perhaps it is because they are fairly unique body parts, and/or maybe it is because people are embarrased to say the actual word.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/3b1e3750e2 (Warning: Slightly NSFW)

Nyotaimori with Men?

Not only is nyotaimori moving to Minnesota (it was previously found only in big/progressive areas like LA/NY), but it is using men. Not a bad idea to attract a larger customer base...

"Only a handful of U.S. restaurants -- in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago -- have adopted the custom on a regular basis. Minneapolis' health and licensing officials signed off on Pham's venture after witnessing a mock trial, he said. A Seattle restaurant tried it in 2003 but was met with a minor uproar from feminist groups."

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/dining/16432456.html

Chart: Most Powerful Senators

Do you agree?

http://www.themonkeycage.org/2008/03/who_is_the_most_powerful_membe.html

America's Most & Least Favored Nations

Following is the percentage of US adults with a very or mostly favorable view of each country. Note that only 22 countries were on the survey.

Favorites
1. Canada: 92%
2. Great Britain: 89%
3. Germany: 82%
4. Japan: 80%

Least Favorites
1. Iran: 8%
2. North Korea: 12%
3. The Palestinian Authority: 14%
4. Iraq: 20%

http://www.gallup.com/poll/104734/Americans-Most-Least-Favored-Nations.aspx (Feb. 11-14, 2008)

MSG: Still Going Strong

"Cooks around the world have remained dedicated to MSG, even though they may not know it by that name. As hydrolyzed soy protein or autolyzed yeast, it adds flavor to the canned chicken broth and to the packs of onion soup mix used by American home cooks, and to the cheese Goldfish crackers and the low-fat yogurts in many lunchboxes."

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/dining/05glute.html?em&ex=1205038800&en=b5452745be2b6c86&ei=5087%0A

Japan's Haircut Indicator

This is a bit of a stretch, but good try...

"In a report last month, the Nikkei paper conjured up stats to show that Japanese women start wearing their hair short when the economy is worsening and let it grow longer when times are getting better... One theory is that women adopted shorter hairstyles because in harder times they have less money to spend on hair care products, such as hairsprays and gels, which women tend to use more heavily for longer hair."

Japan's Haircut Indicator
by Ian Rowley
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/mar2008/gb2008036_605726.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily

World's Richest People

This comes to show that a slow, boring investment strategy truly pays off.

"US financier Warren Buffett has overtaken Bill Gates as the world's richest man, according to Forbes annual billionaire's list, which this year saw Russia, China and India making increasing inroads."

Facts from 2008:

*1,125 people from around the world made the list (946 in 2007).

*Their total net worth stands at $4.4 trillion (up from $3.5 trillion in 2007) .

*The US easily led the rankings with 469 billionaires or 42% (up from 415 in 2007).

*Russia replaced Germany for 2nd place with 87 billionaires.

*Japan, the 2nd largest economy in the world, has "only" 24 billionaires.

*Moscow (74 billionaires) overtook New York City (71 billionaires) as home of the most billionaires.

http://www.forbes.com/home/billionaires/2008/03/05/richest-billionaires-people-billionaires08-cx_lk_0305intro.html

Quote of the Day

The best way to be boring is to leave nothing out.

-Voltaire

US's Fastest Growing Faiths: Islam & Buddhism

"As the Census Bureau is barred from asking Americans about their religious affiliations, the best data comes from the Pew Center's recent Religious Landscape of the United States survey. Pew finds that 78.4 percent of Americans are Christian, among which 52 percent are Protestants, 24 percent Catholic, 1.7 percent Mormon, and 0.6 percent Orthodox). Two percent are atheist and another 2 percent agnostic; 1.7 percent are Jewish; 0.7 percent are Buddhist, 0.7 percent Muslim, and 0.6 percent Hindu. By comparison, the world is more Muslim, less Protestant, and more Buddhist and Hindu."

http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=108&subsecID=900003&contentID=254590

Now Endangered: Snow Eating

"To the list of simple childhood pleasures whose safety has been questioned, add this: eating snow. A recent study found that snow — even in relatively pristine spots like Montana and the Yukon — contains large amounts of bacteria."

Snow Eating Now Endangered Kid Pleasure
by Melissa Rayworth
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080304/ap_on_re_us/eating_snow

Why American Sommeliers are Better than French

"Condescension and humorlessness have long been defining features of French wine service, which can probably be attributed to two factors: Many French sommeliers came to the job not by choice but by conscription, and the position has usually been a life sentence. In France, the sommelier was often someone who entered the restaurant trade as a barely pubescent teen with dreams of becoming a chef (and no prospect of attending university). Then, deemed unworthy of a place at the stove, our man (and it was always a man) got shunted off to the wine cellar, where he was condemned to spend the rest of his working days in the shadow of the egomaniacal prick who beat him out in the kitchen. This was not a recipe for service with a smile."

A Turn of the Corkscrew
by Mike Steinberger
http://www.slate.com/id/2180456/

The Return of Mead?

"...The recent interest in fermented honey has morphed it from an esoteric item that only a few bearded Dungeons & Dragons players indulged in to a small yet legitimate commercial enterprise. There are now more than 100 meaderies in the United States..."

A Taste of Honey
by Nicholas Day
http://www.slate.com/id/2184361/

Emergency! Who Wakes Up the President?

"It varies from president to president, but the task usually falls to the national security adviser or the chief of staff. In the White House, a small team of "watch officers"—drawn from the CIA, the military, and the State Department—keeps an eye on incoming news and intelligence reports 24 hours a day...This procedure has been in place only since 1961, when John F. Kennedy ordered the construction of a permanent monitoring station on the site of what was once the West Wing bowling alley."


Calling the President at 3 A.M.
by Daniel Engber
http://www.slate.com/id/2185612/

Election Year & Natural Disasters

Why are there so many disasters during Presidential election years? It all comes down to economics...

Landslide!
by Daniel Gross
http://www.slate.com/id/2185371/

The Claim: Caffeince Causus Dehydration

"Most studies have found that in moderate amounts, caffeine has only mild diuretic effects — much like water."

The Claim: Caffeine Causes Dehydration
by Ahahad O'Conner
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html?em&ex=1204779600&en=5d335c36f8c08f70&ei=5087%0A

Wikipedia Success = Due to Vandalism?

"Wikipedians see vandalism as a problem, and it certainly can be, but a Diogenes-minded observer would submit that Wikipedia would never have been the prodigious success it has been without its demons...Not only does Wikipedia need its vandals—up to a point—the vandals need an orderly Wikipedia, too. Without order, their culture-jamming lacks a context."

The Charms of Wikipedia
by Nicholson Baker
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/21131

Chinese Food: US National Cuisine?

"There are about 40,000 Chinese restaurants in the US, more than the number of McDonald's, Burger Kings, and KFCs combined. Chinese food might be our national cuisine."

West Eats East
by Bich Minh Nguyen
http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/newspaper/printedition/saturday/books/chi-fortunebw01mar01,0,5693720.story

Most Stolen Book List

"There's an underground economy of boosted books. These values are commonly understood and roundly agreed upon through word of mouth, and the values always seem to be true."

Flying Off the Shelves
by Paul Constant
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=520472

Morning Person vs. Night Person

"Night owls are more creative, more flexible and more caffeinated, studies have found. Morning people are healthier, more conscientious and more emotionally stable. They're not as much fun at parties, but morning people run the world. "

Learning to Live Like an Early Bird
by Melinda Beck
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120457323625608259.html?mod=todays_us_personal_journal

Thought of the Day

If you were hit and killed by a car while crossing the street today, what are the things that you wished wouldn't have bothered you while you were alive? Perhaps something you always think will happen but never does? And, what would be your regrets?

World's 25 Dirtiest Cities

Forbes Magazine used Mercer Human Resource Consulting for the "2007 Health and Sanitation Rankings"...

1. Baku, Azerbaijan
2. Dhaka, Bangladesh
3. Antananarivo, Madagascar
4. Port au Prince, Haiti
5. Mexico City

http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/26/pollution-baku-oil-biz-logistics-cx_tl_0226dirtycities.html

The Last Lecture

This professor is about to die (seriously) and this is a video of the last lecture he gave his students. He is performing this last lecture (as he delivered it to his students) on Oprah. It is supposed to be inspirational and it may make you cry...How would you give your last lecture?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8577255250907450469&hl=en

America's Sex Life

The 2007/2008 Durex Sexual Wellbeing Global Survey results are in and the US has nothing to be smiling about...

"Americans spend nearly three hours every week grooming themselves, but less than one hour on foreplay and sexual intercourse. It’s no wonder that only 46% of us describe our love lives as exciting, or existent for that matter. On average, Americans spend 35 minutes on foreplay and sexual intercourse each session. And since we have sex once every 4.3 days, that averages out to about 57 minutes per week – 14 minutes below the global average."

http://www.coedmagazine.com/sex/6217