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