Mysterious Yield Curve Movements

Federal Reserve Puzzled by Yield Curve Steepening
by Alister Bull
http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE54U1NZ20090531

10 Things Gas Stations Won't Tell You

10 Things Gas Stations Won't Tell You
by Jim Rendon
http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/107117/10-Things-Gas-Stations-Won

When Ratios Go Awry: Looking Beyond P/E

Click the link for which other ratios to look at...

"In trying to assess whether a stock is cheap, you have many different tools at your disposal. The most commonly used measure, the price-to-earnings ratio, can give you a useful snapshot of a company. But it -- along with a related measure, the PEG ratio -- has flaws, including the fact that earnings calculations are subject to accounting methods that don't always reflect economic reality, and that earnings can have temporary bumps and dips that don't necessarily play into a stock's future potential."

These Stocks Are Cheap by Every Measure
by Dan Caplinger
http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2009/05/29/these-stocks-are-cheap-by-every-measure.aspx

Etymology of Whore

The etymology is fascinating, since whore has cognate forms in Latin carus , 'dear,' and Old Irish cara , 'a friend.'"

http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/842/Whore-and-Whoreson.html

Phrase of the Day: "Selling Coal to New Castle"

"Selling or carrying coal(s) to Newcastle is an idiom of British origin describing a foolhardy or pointless action. It refers to the fact that historically, the economy of Newcastle upon Tyne in north-eastern England was heavily dependent on the distribution and sale of coal. It has been referenced in coverage of the export to India of Saudi Arabian Saffron and chicken tikka masala from the United Kingdom, the sale of Scottish pizzas to Italy, the flowing of champagne and cheese from Britain to the French, and the production of manga versions of William Shakespeare from Cambridge for Japan."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selling_coal_to_Newcastle

Sun n' Suicide

"Greenland has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, and according to a new study suicides peak in the long, bright days of summer. The authors speculate that sleeplessness caused by constant exposure to sunlight might lead to delirium and suicide."

Patterns: A Long, Bright Summer and Many Suicides
by Nicholas Bakalar
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/health/research/26patt.html?nl=health&emc=a3

The Climate Change Lobby

http://www.publicintegrity.org/investigations/climate_change/

Scary Fact of the Day: US Debt

The US government owes $63.8 trillion (yes, with a 'T').

Leap in US Debt Hits Taxpayers With 12% More Red Ink
by Dennis Cauchon
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-05-28-debt_N.htm

Phrase of the Day: "Narita Rikon"

"In Japanese, the term "Narita divorce" (成田離婚, Narita rikon) is often used to refer to divorces that immediately follow a married couple's honeymoon, since many married couples return to Japan through Narita after honeymoons in foreign countries."

Wikipedia definition (in Japanese)
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%88%90%E7%94%B0%E9%9B%A2%E5%A9%9A

Do We Need Ambassadors?

"If a job is meaningless enough to be entrusted to someone who is unqualified to do it, do we really need to fill that post? This point is made especially forcefully when even the most important such jobs (like Japan) are being filled by political bag men...with the proliferation of special envoys in this administration...diplomats who report directly to the Secretary of State or the President...being a regular ambassador is rendered even more of a bag-carrier or logistical coordinator role."

Do We Really Need Ambassadors?
by David J. Rothkopf
http://rothkopf.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/05/28/do_we_really_need_ambassadors

Does Shutting Down Craiglist Sex Ads Hurt Prostitutes?

"It's terrible news for sex workers, who will lose a measure of safety, and for beat cops, who will now find it harder to crack down on the sex trade...Far from unregulated public sex, each interaction had to begin with a few e-mails and, often, a light background check. These transactions might not always have gone as advertised, but they were rarely harmful or resulted in headlines."

The Craiglist Sex Panic
by Melissa Gira Grant
http://www.slate.com/id/2219167/

Is Pink the New Black?

"No longer relegated to the garish masses, the saturated pink shades known as fuchsia and magenta are suddenly haute. They are cropping up in all sorts of unexpected places, including building exteriors, sofas, shoes and iPhones."

Hot Pink? Call it 'Magenta'
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124346597807560297.html#mod=todays_us_personal_journal

Britain's Spy Ball - Recession Style

"The espionage ball, nonetheless, will almost by definition be one of the most remarkable and exclusive of 2009. Along with a host of spies past and present, a carefully screened guest list includes, according to people familiar with the arrangements, the great and powerful of the U.K., from members of the royal family to leading politicians...Government officials are mum about details. All staff will pay for their tickets, the most senior paying the most. But they won't say more, refusing to acknowledge the existence of a guest list or disclose the party's date or location, citing security concerns."

Britain's Spies Plan to Party Like 007 When MI-6 Turns 1-0-0
by Stephen Fidler
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124346895354660517.html#mod=todays_us_page_one

Do NIMBYs and BANANAs Control Politics?

"The real political parties in America are the NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) and the BANANAs (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything). These two political forces are driving the future of the nation by dictating the policy agendas of the Republicans and Democrats."

http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=3836

Question of the Day: Sushi Deaths

How many people are killed annually by eating sushi or sashimi?

Richest Person: NY vs. DC

NY = Michael Bloomberg ($20 billion estimated net worth)
DC = David Rubenstein (co-founder of Carlyle Group; $1.4 billion estimated net worth)

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/107110/Who-Are-the-Richest-People-in-Town?

Millionaire Spending Philosophy

Frugal millionaires are unique thinkers when it comes to spending money:

1) they can easily delay their need for gratification when purchasing;
2) they are resourceful in getting what they want by carefully timing their consumer purchases;
3) they make living below their means painless;
4) they don't like wasting anything (especially money);
5) their sense of "self-entitlement" is highly minimized: and
6) spending is OK with them...depending on what they are buying (think: appreciating vs. depreciating assets).

How to Spend Like a Frugal Millionaire
by Kimberly Palmer
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/How-to-Spend-Like-a-Frugal-usnews-15357371.html

21 Steps to Make Your PC Better/Faster/Stronger

21 Essential Steps to Make Your PC Better/Faster/Stronger
by Gordon Mah Ung
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/21_steps_make_your_pc_betterfasterstronger

The End of Tasting Menus?

"I don’t think there’s going to be sustainable demand for restaurants that force you to spend hours there. Long tasting menus will continue to be elected by some but cannot be legislated by the restaurant. We’re going to have more bistros and trattorias. People will have luxury items—caviar, foie gras, truffles—less frequently, having done without them for a year and a half, but they will come to appreciate them more because it won’t be at every bar and grill in the city...Restaurants with small courses that give the customer choices, and that don’t obligate them to spend a fortune, are going to do very well."

A Future With Fewer Reservations
by Katy McLaughlin
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052970203771904574175690813508038.html#mod=todays_us_weekend_journal

World's Top 10 Challenges for the Near Future

"Today's number-one challenge-and opportunity-is to develop a long-term solution for our energy needs, business strategist Peter Schwartz told the 2009 graduating class of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. "That means it must be nonpolluting and inexhaustible," he said. A peaceful and prosperous world in 2050 is possible, but getting there will require "monumental innovation, collaboration, and leadership," Schwartz said. The top challenges Schwartz outlined are:"

1. Creating long-term solutions to meet our energy demands sustainably.
2. Launching a bio-industrial revolution with sustainable manufacturing.
3. Understanding and enhancing the human brain to avert age-related impairments.
4. Improving agriculture to reduce costs and increase its energy and water efficiency.
5. Building sustainable cities through better urban planning and "smart architecture."
6. Stimulating job growth and economic development.
7. Fusing the technological with the spiritual and aesthetic dimensions of human culture.
8. Advancing technological instruments to drive scientific discovery forward.
9. Harnessing biological tools to advance human evolution.
10. Discovering new ways to lower the costs and environmental impact of space flight and development.

http://news.rpi.edu/update.do?artcenterkey=2585

Robert Parker Wine Scandal

"For decades, wine critic Robert M. Parker Jr. has championed a rigid system of ethics, paying for all of his travels to wineries and shunning gifts from the trade. But Mr. Parker, it recently has been discovered, hasn't held some fellow writers at his influential newsletter, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, to the same standard. Last September, when critic Jay Miller visited Australia to review various makers' wines, an industry group, Wine Australia, paid about $25,000 for his air travel, hotel accommodations and meals, says James Gosper, the group's director for North America. The trip was one of more than a half-dozen instances of such paid-for travel by writers for the newsletter in recent years. The trips haven't been disclosed in the newsletter.

"Mr. Parker has been controversial, but mostly because of his palate. Critics claim he favors a particular set of winemaking styles, and say many winemakers in disparate regions of the globe are making similar wines designed to appeal to him alone, 'Parkerizing' wine."

Wine Advocate Writers Spark Ethics Debate
by David Kesmodel
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124330183074253149.html#mod=todays_us_personal_journal

Collapse of the "Bling" Culture

"Now the recession has so damped the extravagance that a Web site called sellyourgoldteeth.com is doing brisk business buying grillz for meltdown value. It's a sign of the times, says Mark Porcello of Porcello Estate Buyers, which runs the site."

Culture of Bling Clangs to Earth as the Recession Melts Rappers' Ice
by Miguel Bustillo
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124329128994052323.html#mod=todays_us_page_one

Weed Cuisine

"Led by chefs and gourmets in search of new and interesting flavors, Americans have been eating a greater variety of greens in recent years. Tastes have moved from familiar greens like arugula to progressively wilder, more obscure plants. The interest in weed cuisine also taps into the current movement toward organic and local foods; as lawn owners have long complained, weeds are hardy and require no pesticides and little water to thrive. When picked in the wild, weeds also offer frugal consumers the thrill of foraging."

It's Salad Days for Weeds
by Anne Marie Chaker
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124338226000356493.html#mod=todays_us_personal_journal

That Tubby Lineman is Healthier Than You Think

"Researchers looking at the health of today's NFL players turned up a surprising finding: Despite the players' supersize frames, they appear to be at about the same risk of a heart attack as average, healthy young men. In fact, the athletes -- including linemen who typically weigh more than 300 pounds -- had better fasting blood-sugar levels than their counterparts from the general public."

That Tubby Lineman is Healthier Than You Think
by Ron Winslow
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124339010480757087.html#mod=todays_us_personal_journal

Is My Sunscreen Bad for the Environment?

Staying Green in the Sun
by Nina Shen Rastogi
http://www.slate.com/id/2218948/

Death & Baseball

"Fatal fastballs to the head, meanwhile, aren't nearly as common as you'd expect. In the past 150 years, only one fan at a major league baseball game has been killed by a foul ball—a 14-year-old in Los Angeles named Alan Fish."

You're Out
by Jon Mooallem
http://www.slate.com/id/2218733/

Average P/E Ratio of Stocks

"The S&P 500 is trading at 15.6 times average real earnings for the last 10 years (sometimes labeled the cyclically-adjusted P/E ratio, or CAPE). That is certainly less mouth-watering than the 11.7 times the index reached on March 9; however, data from Yale University's Robert Shiller shows that it is about in line with the 16.3 average multiple for stocks going back to 1881."

Is It Time to Get Back Into Stocks?
by Alex Dumortier
http://www.fool.com/investing/dividends-income/2009/05/21/is-it-time-to-get-back-into-stocks.aspx

Customer Serive & the End of Recession

How can one tell that the recession is ending? See below for one of the more interesting ideas. I, however, would disagree a bit with what was written. I find that customer service is generally very poor throughout the vast majority of sectors/services in the US, even in tough times. True, a savvy company will provide good customer service in down times - but a savvy company should always provide good customer service...I would say that only when you can/can't negotiate with a company is when you can tell that a recession is ending...

"Customer service is falling back (a bit). When times are tough, and no one is that busy, savvy companies will provide outstanding customer service. Whether you're calling a real estate agent, department store, or the phone company, a recession often means that you can get people on the phone, resolve complaints, ask for extra discounts, make odd requests and the company will do its best to accomodate you. When you start feeling like a company's customer service isn't that outstanding anymore, it could be that business has picked up."

Have We Hit Bottom? Watching the Economy for Signs of Recovery.
by Ilyce R. Glink with Samuel J. Tamkin
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/15/AR2009051501507.html

8 Toxic Personalities to Avoid

8 Toxic Personalities to Avoid
by Brett Blumenthal
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/8-toxic-personalities-to-avoid-461078/

Get Your Spouse to Stop Overspending

"Chiding your spouse, or even just stressing the virtues of scrimping and saving, is going to backfire. The more you talk about that stuff, the more your spouse will feel out of control - the same emotion that drives the indulgences in the first place...A more effective strategy is to encourage your spouse to own the problem. Keep track of what your household spends, weekly or monthly, and ask him or her to review those accounts. Don't say anything else. That way the choice to cut back is under your spouse's control, making it more likely to happen."

Get Your Spouse to Stop Overspending
by Tyler Cowen
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/moneymag_archive/2009/06/01/105810595/

Frank Lloyd Wright Lego Sets

"Brick by brick, Lego has been building its way out of the near bankruptcy it suffered around the turn of the century. It has done this by a seemingly simple strategy — making awesome product after awesome product. Now it is releasing the almost ridiculously fitting Architecture series, beginning with the Frank Lloyd Wright Collection..."

Frank Lloyd Wright Lego Sets
by Charlie Sorrel
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/05/frank-lloyd-wright-lego-sets/

Life After Death - Online

"Legacy Locker allows users to set up a kind of online will, with beneficiaries that would receive the customer's account information and passwords after they die...A Legacy Locker account costs $29.99 a year. Users can set up their accounts at Legacy Locker - The safe and secure way to pass your online accounts to your friends and loved ones to specify who gets access to their posthumous online information, along with "legacy letters," or messages, that can be sent to loved ones.If someone contacts Legacy Locker to report a client's death, the service will send the customer four e-mails in 48 hours. If there's no response, Legacy Locker will then contact the people the client listed as verifiers in the event of his or her death. Even then, the service would not release digital assets without examining a copy of the customer's death certificate, Toeman said."

New Services Promise Online Life After Death
by Mallory Simon
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/05/18/death.online/index.html

The 25 Best Pizzas in the US

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30872147/page/3/

Why Libertarians Are Often Closer to Conservatives

http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/05/selfmade-men-are-not-made-in-bedrooms.html

Turing Maps

http://www.macrovu.com/CCTGeneralInfo.html

How Introverts Travel

"For some of us, meeting people is not the sole purpose of travel. I travel for the travel. And I will be forever grateful to my friend for his confession. It’s good to know that I might be a loner, but I’m not alone."

Confessions of an Introverted Traveler
by Sophia Dembling
http://www.worldhum.com/features/speakers-corner/confessions-of-an-introverted-traveler-20090309/

Mapping North Korea

http://www.kottke.org/09/05/mapping-north-korea

National Sales Tax

"With budget deficits soaring and President Obama pushing a trillion-dollar-plus expansion of health coverage, some Washington policymakers are taking a fresh look at a money-making idea long considered politically taboo: a national sales tax. Common around the world, including in Europe, such a tax -- called a value-added tax, or VAT -- has not been seriously considered in the United States. But advocates say few other options can generate the kind of money the nation will need to avert fiscal calamity."

Once Considered Unthinkable, US Sales Tax Gets Fresh Look
by Lori Montgomery
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/26/AR2009052602909_pf.html

Ecuador's Unique Carbon-Credit Plan

"Ecuador is pursuing an unusual plan to reap the oil profits without actually drilling for oil. The idea envisions wealthy countries effectively paying Ecuador to leave its oil - and the carbon dioxide that would result from using it - in the ground. Environmentalists hail the proposal as a potentially precedent-setting approach to conservation in developing countires. Ecuador would sell certificates to governments or companies that would allow them to emit carbon dioxide in amounts corresponding to teh carbon left underground in Yasuni. Proponents say the plan would help reduce overall levels of air pollution."

In Ecuador, an Unusual Carbon-Credit Plan to Leave Oil Untapped
by Joshua Partlow
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/25/AR2009052502402.html?hpid=sec-world

On Kikunoi

"Today, the tradition [of Kaiseki] is a major inspiration for the multicourse degustation menus now popular in the West, at places like El Bulli in Spain, Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas and the French Laundry in California's Napa Valley. Chefs from world-class restaurants make frequent pilgrimages to Kikunoi to experience the work of the 56-year-old chef, Yoshihiro Murata...The cost, at Kikunoi, is $150 a person -- a bargain compared with, say, the $275 tasting menu at Thomas Keller's Per Se in New York."

The Art You Can Eat
by Stan Sesser
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB124242719429025155-lMyQjAxMDI5NDIyNzQyMjc3Wj.html

"Peak Soil"

"We are overlooking soil as the foundation of all life on Earth, says Andres Arnalds, assistant director of the Icelandic Soil Conservation Service. Arnalds is an eloquent spokesperson for the unheralded emergency of soil erosion, a problem that is reducing global food production and water availability, and is responsible for an estimated 30 percent of the greenhouse gases emissions. Land degradation and desertification may be regarded as the silent crisis of the world, a genuine threat to the future of humankind."

http://stephenleahy.net/2008/09/14/peak-soil-the-silent-global-crisis/

Longest Title in Washington?

The Hill reports that Philip Verveer may be the winner. Verveer's title: Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Communications and Information Policy in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs and US Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, Department of State.

Shiroi Posto

"The Land of the Rising Sun has many strange traditions, but few tickle our freaky bone more than Shiroi Posto, trash cans made specifically for boys to throw away dirty magazines and DVDs. The Dumpsters were creted to stop X-rated litter from piling up in forests and parks."

http://www.kirainet.com/english/trash-cans-for-adult-magazines-%E7%99%BD%E3%81%84%E3%83%9D%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88/

Spaving

"Spaving = spending in order to save. I had been shopping online and had to order $150 worth of clothes to avoid the onerous shipping fee. So I bought more than I wanted and simply returned the rest at my leisure."

'Spaving'" The Risks And Rewards of Spending to Save
by Ylan Q. Mui
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/small-change/bargains/do-you-spave----spend-in-order.html

Painting the World White

Finally, some common sense...Those nice simple fixes....

US Wants to Paint the World White to Save Energy
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090526/sc_afp/climatewarmingusbritainchu

On Dividends

"It's not exactly a secret: Dividends accounted for 41% of the S&P 500's return between 1926 and 2006."

7 Stocks to Start You Off
by Selena Maranjian
http://www.fool.com/investing/dividends-income/2009/05/23/7-stocks-to-start-you-off.aspx

Is the VAT Coming to the US?

A European Style Tax?
by Shawn Tully
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/01/news/economy/tully_vat.fortune/index.htm

Zero Pollution Motors

"Most car companies are racing to bring electric vehicles to the market. But one startup is skipping the high-tech electronics, making cars whose energy source is pulled literally out of thin air. Zero Pollution Motors is trying to bring a car to U.S. roads by early 2011 that's powered by a combination of compressed air and a small conventional engine."

Company Looks to Bring Air-Powered Cars to US
by Dan Strumpf
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D98DE2M82&show_article=1

No Such Things as "Deleted" on the Internet

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/142366

Speed Reader Hired to Move Climate Bill Along

"Judging by the size of the amendments, I can read a page about every 34 seconds, said the newly hired staff assistant, who declined to give his name. Based on that estimate, it would take him about nine hours."

Need for Speed (Read) to Pass Climate Bill
by Ian Talley
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124278191732237461.html

The Revenge of Geography

"People and ideas shape world events, but geography still determines them. To understand the coming struggles, all you need is a map of Eurasia and the insights of the Victorian thinkers who understood it best."

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4862

Why Bad Times Lead to Great Ideas

"From robots to biofuels, 13 huge ways the recession will change the world."

The Next Big Thing
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4842

On Dividend Investing

It pays to by stocks that have been increasing their dividends...after that, it pays to buy stocks that retain their dividends...

Frightening News About Dividend Stocks
by Selena Maranjian
http://www.fool.com/investing/dividends-income/2009/05/19/frightening-news-about-dividend-stocks.aspx

How Google Earth Explains the Finacial Crisis

http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/05/07/how_google_earth_explains_the_financial_crisis

5 Disease Outbreaks Worse Than Swine Flu

The List: Five Disease Outbreaks That Are Worse Than Swine Flu
by Joshua Keating
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4910

On Choosing a Commencement Speaker

"Eminence is the one universal precondition to being a commencement speaker, and an implied (often explicit) theme of the speeches is, 'Here lieth the path to success and happiness.' There are two problems with this formula. The first is that any narrative of success is bound to be at least a little bit dull. The second is that successful people are almost never able to pinpoint what it was that made them so."

Wrong Commencement Speakers!
by Timothy Noah
http://www.slate.com/id/2218597/

Why Are Trains Slower Now Than in the 1920s?

"As with most historical declines, there is no single culprit but rather a complex set of conditions. One reason is rail capacity. From the Civil War to World War I, the number of rail miles exploded from 35,000 to 216,000, hitting a zenith of 260,000 in 1930 and falling by 2000 to less than 100,000—the same level as in 1881."

Stop This Train!
by Tom Vanderbilt
http://www.slate.com/id/2218394/

Did Obesity Exist in Prehistoric Times?

"Obesity likely began with the advent of agriculture 12,000 years ago. Food surpluses and the relatively sedentary lifestyle on settlements made overconsumption possible for the first time in human history. Another factor was the rise of processed foods and, with the invention of the steel roller mill in the late 19th century, the possibility of mass-marketing those foods. Grains and other carbohydrates that have been broken down are easier to digest. As a result, you get hungry again faster."

Old and Fat
by Christopher Beam
http://www.slate.com/id/2218400/

What Makes Us Happy

What Makes US Happy
by Joshua Wolf Shenk
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200906/happiness

Yubari Melons

"The latest victim of Japan's recession is round, sweet and famous for being shockingly expensive. The first two Yubari melons of the season were auctioned Friday in northern Japan and fetched 500,000 yen ($5,200). Pricey? Certainly. But it's practically a steal if you consider last year's winning bid _ a record 2.5 million yen, or about $26,000. In 2007 they sold for 2 million yen. It appears the world's swankiest melon is in a major deflationary slump."

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/015200905151221.htm

DC Rated Best Bargain City

Forbes lists DC as one of the top 5 "bargain" cities in the US. Why then do people often complain how expensive DC is? Well, the rating is based on the fact that salaries in DC are higher and the unemployment rate is lower...

http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/107080/Americas-Best-Bargain-Cities?mod=realestate-buy

Food & Behavioral Economics Blog

http://blindtaste.com/

Can You Die From Lack of Sleep

Looks pretty darn hard...

Can You Die From Lack of Sleep
by Brian Palmer
http://www.slate.com/id/2218092/

Rapid Eating = Rapid Economic Growth?

"If you eat rapidly, will your economy grow the same way? Unlikely as it may seem, data released this week seems to indicate that the answer is yes. The relationship is not perfect, but it is persistent."

Eat Quickly, For the Economy's Sake
by Floyd Norris
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/09/business/09charts.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=eat%20quickly&st=cse

Why Don't People Have More Sex?

From Tyler Cowen...

http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2005/05/why_dont_people.html

On Funeral Sex

"Adult children struggling with conscious and unconscious loneliness after the loss of a parent are likely candidates to soothe themselves with sex."

A Fond Farewell: Funeral Sex May Be Death's Best Antidote
by David Wallis
http://www.obit-mag.com/viewmedia.php/prmMID/6013

7 US Industries Thriving

http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/05/11/daily6.html?surround=lfn

On "Effective" Dividend Yields

"While the current yield on a stock might be only 2 or 3%, that's for people buying the stock right now at the current price. For those who bought it long ago at a lower price, and who are getting that same current dividend, their effective yield is higher. And over time, it can grow very high indeed."

http://www.fool.com/investing/dividends-income/2009/05/11/how-im-grabbing-20-dividend-yields.aspx

On the Falkland Islands

"The recent wave of immigration lends the islands the atmosphere of a South Seas Qatar, where foreign workers are imported to do the work that locals can't or won't."

A Small Place
by Ian Mount
http://www.slate.com/id/2217219/

WolframAlpha

"WolframAlpha, a powerful new service that can answer a broad range of queries, has become one of the most anticipated Web products of the year. Mr. Wolfram’s service does not search through Web pages, and it will not help with movie times or camera shopping. Instead it computes the answers to queries using enormous collections of data the company has amassed. It can quickly spit out facts like the average body mass index of a 40-year-old male, whether the Eiffel Tower is taller than Seattle’s Space Needle, and whether it is high tide in Miami right now."

New Search Tool Aims at Answering Tough Queries, but Not at Taking on Google
by Miguel Helft
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/technology/internet/11search.html?th&emc=th

Should Citizens Be Able to Provide Body Armor?

Should citizens be allowed to buy body armor?

"Federal law bans violent felons from owning body armor, and many jurisdictions have laws that criminalize its use in the commission of crimes. But while there are no hard numbers on how often criminals employ body armor, police increasingly find themselves facing down commando-style killers."

-From 5/9/09 Parade Magazine

Video: Story of Stuff

The full version of the controversial video (about 20 minutes):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBE5QAYXp8

Man vs. Food

Q: Does Adam Richman, who gorges himself as host of the Travel Channel's Man v. Food, ever check his cholesteral?

A: Yes. "I'm a neurotic guy from Brooklyn, so I'm a bit obsessed with my health," Richman tells us. While he's seeking out ideal places to indulge in great dishes across the US, he works out twice a day and takes a "mini-pharmacy" of vitamins and supplements.

-From 5/9/09 Parade Magazine

World's Happiest Places 2009

I'd love to see the suicide numbers (per capita) of these supposed "happy" countries...

"According to a new report released by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, a Paris-based group of 30 countries with democratic governments that provides economic and social statistics and data, happiness levels are highest in northern European countries."

The "happiest" countries:

1. Denmark
2. Finland
3. Netherlands
4. Sweden
5. Ireland
6. Canada
7. Switzerland
8. New Zealand
9. Norway
10. Belgium

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-27761674;_ylt=At.IBB1Cch1Ldlhi.9SM2.wazJV4

How to Pick the People You Work With

"Choose women who are happy, but they shouldn't smile too easily.This is hard for men to do. Because men are hard-wired to be drawn to women who laugh at their jokes. Men want to be funny. But women who are slower to smile do better at work, according to communications consultant Neil Lowndes. So you should date women who smile a lot, but work with women who don’t."

http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/05/06/how-to-pick-the-people-you-work-with/

World's Most Reputable Companies

World's Most Reputable Companies: The Rankings
by Klaus Kneale
http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/06/world-reputable-companies-leadership-reputation-table.html

Buying a Second Home?

"If you plan to use part of your nest egg to buy the second home outright, make sure that you still have enough liquid assets leftover to fund your retirement. A good rule of thumb is for your retirement portfolio to be worth 25 times the amount you anticipate living off each year."

Buying the (Second) Home of Your Dreams
by Jennifer Maciejewski
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/real-estate/20080131_second_home_a1.asp

Internet Sales Tax

Do we pay a sales tax on purchases over the Internet? Sometimes yes and sometimes no...

Sales Tax on the Internet
by Richard Stim
http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/objectId/87F6DD43-E6F2-4DFE-BCDB8E2E85DFF80B/111/277/167/ART/

The Mystery of Kryptos

"The 97 characters of K4 remain impenetrable. They have become, as one would-be cracker calls it, the Everest of codes. Both Scheidt and Sanborn confirm that they intended the final segment to be the biggest challenge. There are endless theories about how to solve it. Is access to the sculpture required? Is the Morse code a clue? Every aspect of the project has come under electron-microscopic scrutiny, as thousands of people—hardcore cryptographers and amateur code breakers alike—have taken a whack at it."

Mission Impossible: The Code Even the CIA Can't Crack
by Steven Levy
http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/17-05/ff_kryptos

New Outsourcing Hotspots

"Classic destinations such as Bangalore aren't as cheap as they used to be. Competition there among foreign firms has pushed up local costs, and staff turnover is high as well-trained employees jump to rivals. That's forcing clients to consider other places for outsourcing. From overlooked American cities such as Boise, Idaho and Winnipeg to more exotic locales like Cluj-Napoca, Romania, or the Philippines' Iloilo City, dozens of areas around the world are trying to grab a slice of the outsourcing business."

Where Your Job Could be Outsourced
by Mark Scott
http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/107048/Where-Your-Job-Could-Be-Outsourced;_ylt=AjgoSFuReLsNdm0qzNfEz00azJV4

On Cookbooks

"The cookbook section in the Los Angeles Public Library uses 1,200 feet (366 metres) of space."

http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12795620

Why Are Blacks Leaving San Francisco?

The article raises some interesting questions. Once a racial group leaves a city, how long does it take for them to return (or don't they)? Is a city worse off without racial equality? How many other cities is this happening to?

Why Are Black Folks Leaving San Francisco?
by Michael Ross?
http://www.theroot.com/views/why-are-black-folks-leaving-san-francisco

Kaiten Sushi Thriving in Recession

"The economic downturn and the rising yen have actually enabled revolving sushi restaurants to thrive during these tough times. Those two factors have pushed down wholesale prices of fish, allowing the kaiten-zushi restaurants to offer discounts that would have been impossible several months ago. Market researcher Fuji-Keizai Co. forecasts the domestic conveyor-belt sushi industry to grow by 4.4 percent over the year to reach 428 billion yen in 2009."

Conveyor Sushi Beating Downturn
by Aki Sato
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200905060051.html

What is the Best Ambassadorial Assignment?

"Bermuda is one of the finest postings around - absolutely no heavy lifting, spectacular weather, only a couple of hours by air, English speaking - and, unlike some Caribbean islands, it's not all drug wars all the time."

-From 5/6/09 In the Loop in the WPost

How to Set Your Consulting Fees

How to Set Your Consulting Fees
by Mary Crane
http://www.forbes.com/2006/11/06/bostonconsulting-marsh-mckinsey-ent-fin-cx_mc_1106pricing.html

New Fee Structure for Law Firms

http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/29/billable-hour-retainer-entrepreneurs-law-taxation-wharton.html?partner=popstories

Fast Food, Fat Food

"Catherine Rampell at Economix posts this interesting chart showing the relationship between the time the average person in a given country spends eating and that country’s obesity rate."

http://www.marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2009/05/fast-food-fat-food.html

Choclate-Fueled Race Car

"Scientists unveiled on Tuesday what they hope will be one of the world's fastest biofuel vehicles, powered by waste from chocolate factories and made partly from plant fibers."

Scientists Unveil Chocolate-Fueled Race Car
by Meera Selva
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090505/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_chocolate_racer

The 15 Most Bizarre Sea Animals

Blob fish!

http://blog.rocketboom.com/post/102948092/the-top-15-most-bizarre-sea-animals

Video: How to make Surfside Guacamole

http://www.washingtonian.com/blogarticles/restaurants/bestbites/12257.html

Quote of the Day: Salesmanship

"I could sell shit at an anti-scat party."

-Simon Lovell on how good he is a selling stuff to people

http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/story/how-to-cheat-at-everything

10 Most Photographed Cities

Can you guess the most photographed city?

http://www.life.com/image/84935974/in-gallery/26111/the-ten-most-photographed-cities

Pic: How Much Sugar in Your Cola?

http://www.sugarstacks.com/

Sleeping and Eating: The French Do It Best

"The average French person sleeps almost nine hours every night, more than an hour longer than the average Japanese and Korean, who sleep the least in a survey of 18 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Despite their siesta habit, Spaniards rank only third in the poll after Americans, who sleep more than 8.5 hours. And while more and more French people grab a bite at fast-food chains these days or wolf down a sandwich at their desk, they still spend more than two hours a day eating."

Sleeping and Eating - The French Do It Best
by Sophie Hardach
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090504/lf_nm_life/us_france_sleep

Saving the Planet with a Thesaurus

It is probably a good idea to try and sell climate change legislation to the common man...

Seeking to Save the Planet, With a Thesaurus
by John Broder
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/02/us/politics/02enviro.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Dog Food vs. Pate

"What's surprising is that some of the new organic dog foods taste as good as (or as bad as) similar human foods, like liverwurst and duck liver mousse, according to a working paper circulated on Friday by the American Association of Wine Economists. The paper is titled 'Can People Distinguish Pâté from Dog Food?' and it concluded that, well, they can't."

Study: Dog Food Tastes Just Like Pate
by Declan McCullagh
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/01/tech/main4984433.shtml

Drink of the Day: Michelada

http://www.saveur.com/article/Drink%20Recipes/Michelada-1000064997

Should You Follow Warren Buffett?

The basic conclusion is do your own research and don't listen to anyone too closely...

http://www.fool.com/investing/international/2009/04/30/why-you-shouldnt-follow-warren-buffett.aspx

The Biggest Assett You'll Ever Have

An interesting discussion on job pay and comparing that to investing styles...

http://www.fool.com/retirement/general/2009/04/30/the-biggest-asset-youll-ever-have.aspx

Infographic: US-China Trade Relations

http://www.mint.com/blog/finance-core/visualizing-uschina-trade-relations/

50 Tools Everyone Should Own

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/tools/4314786.html

Quatro Leches

Which is better - tres or quatro leches?

http://www.itsyourtimes.com/?q=node/1193

Quote of the Day: Eating Alone

"I like the atmosphere, I like the wine, and I eat alone so I don't have to like the people."

-Phil Caruso on eating at the Iron Gate Inn in Washington, DC (From a May 2009 Washingtonian article on Duncan Hines' book Adventures in Good Eating)

So Surgical Masks Stop Swine Flu?

"Viruses, including the coronavirus that scientists believe may be the cause of SARS, are so tiny that they can easily pass through such barriers. Several studies even have shown that surgical masks fail to prevent transmission of the much larger mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes TB."

Do Surgical Masks Stop Swine Flu?
by Jon Cohen
http://www.slate.com/id/2217045/

How Does a Pandemic Ever End?

"It runs out of victims. Infectious diseases like the Spanish flu spread exponentially as more and more people are infected and become contagious. As people develop immunities, receive vaccines, or otherwise shield themselves from infection, the pool of possible victims dwindles until the virus can no longer sustain itself."

How Does a Pandemic Ever End?
by Chris Wilson
http://www.slate.com/id/2217011/

Are Pigs Dying of Swine Flu, Too?

"No more than usual. The mutation that permitted swine influenza to jump from pigs to people has nothing to do with the virulence or incidence of the disease among swine. So far, there have been no reports of an uptick in pig mortality."

Are Pigs Dying of Swine Flu, Too?
by Brian Palmer
http://www.slate.com/id/2217008/

The End of High Fructose Corn Syrup?

Dark Sugar
by Daniel Engber
http://www.slate.com/id/2216796/

Can Soap Get Dirty?

"It's dirty, but that doesn't make it a health hazard. Soap can indeed become contaminated with microorganisms, whether it's in liquid or bar form. According to a series of tests conducted in the early 1980s, bars of soap are often covered with bacteria and carry a higher load than you'd find inside a liquid dispenser. But no one knows for sure whether this dirty soap will actually transfer its germs to your hands during a wash."

Hand-Washing in Public Bathrooms
by Daniel Engber
http://www.slate.com/id/2217341/