What's an African Life Worth?

On the value of a statistical life (VSL):

African travelers' VSL: $577,000
Non-Africans' VSL: $924,000
EPA: $7.4 million
California DOT: $2.7 million

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/12/02/what_s_an_african_life_worth#sthash.di41ebFb.dpbs

On Dying After Your Time

Adding years to your life doesn't necessarily make it any fuller.

On Dying After Your Time
by Daniel Callahan
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/opinion/sunday/on-dying-after-your-time.html?_r=0

5 Simple Rules for Optimal Health

http://www.businessinsider.com/5-simple-rules-for-optimal-health-2013-11

Map: America Divided Into 11 Nations

http://www.businessinsider.com/actually-there-are-11-americas-map-2013-11

Infographic: How an IPO Works

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-people-look-more-attractive-in-groups-2013-11

Study: People Look More Attractive in Groups

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-people-look-more-attractive-in-groups-2013-11

Map: Best Sandwiches From Every US State

http://www.businessinsider.com/national-sandwich-day-best-sandwich-by-state-2013-11

Freestyle Finger Snapping

http://www.buzzfeed.com/maycie/freestyle-finger-snapping-video

Mood Map: Which State Matches Your Personality?

http://science.time.com/2013/10/22/the-united-states-of-attitude-an-interactive-guide-to-americas-moods/

The Backfire Effect

The Backfire Effect: Why Facts Won't Win Arguments
http://bigthink.com/think-tank/the-backfire-effect-why-facts-dont-win-arguments

Scandanavia and the Law of Jante

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

Pew Studies Online Dating & Relationships

http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Online-Dating.aspx

The 2 Most Powerful People in Washington

Politico's Mike Allen and Matt Drudge of Drudge Report.
http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/20/who-is-the-most-powerful-man-in-this-town

Dan Ariely on Marriage

Someone once said to me that marriage is like betting someone half of everything you own that you’d love him or her forever. Do you agree?

Dan Ariely: From the perspective of an outside observer, there are some things in life that can be described as a bet or a gamble—while for the people directly involved, looking at it that way will be a very bad idea. Marriage is one of these cases. It might be fun and interesting to think about other peoples’ marriages in such terms, but don’t be tempted to think about your own relationship this way. And certainly don’t mention these odds to your significant other.

On Knowing if There is a God

From a Time magazine interview with Richard Dawkins:

Question from reader John Blaxland to Richard Dawkins: Given how little we know about the universe, how can we possibly be sure there is no God?

Richard Dawkins: There are all sorts of things we can’t be sure of—we can’t be sure there are no leprechauns and fairies. Science in the future is going to be revealing all sorts of things which we have no idea of at present, but it’s extremely unlikely that it would happen to home in on an idea from a Bronze Age tribe in the desert.

Why so Much Academic Writing on International Relations is Irrelevant

http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/09/18/grading_academia

Top 10 Land Owners in America

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/top-10-landowners-america-200048180.html

Solving Cancer Adds Only 3 Years to Average Life Expectancy

http://allthingsd.com/20130918/curing-cancer-meh/?reflink=ATD_yahoo_ticker

Where Does Fake Crabmeat Come From?

This is from Forbes...

New Jersey.  LM Foods is the only imitation-crab (a.k.a. surimi) manufacturer on the East Coast.  Each year seven US plants produce about 75 million pounds of surimi - minced processed fish - rivaling the real Alaskan shellfish harvest.  The US represents 7% of the global market, and Oregon State University surimi expert Jae Park puts worldwide sales at $6.5 billion.  LM, a spinoff of LG Corp, the Korean conglomerate known for cellphones, is owned and managed by two LG veterans.  Recipes are tightly guarded.

On Why Not to Deviate From Simple Investing Strategy

Rarely do the myriad patterns that get Wall Street's attention justify deviating from a simple strategy of buying and holding index funds.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323893004579056912712227466.html

The Lewis Model Explains Every Culture in the World

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-lewis-model-2013-9

Top 100 Inspirational Quotes From Forbes

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/05/28/inspirational-quotes/

On Acxiom - The Most Powerful Company You've Never Heard Of

A Data Broker Offers a Peek Behind the Curtain
by Natasha Singer
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/business/a-data-broker-offers-a-peek-behind-the-curtain.html

From Sept. 4, 2013:
www.abouttheData.com

International Trade Reading Read

From Tyler Cowen:
http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2013/08/my-international-trade-reading-list.html#more-58569

Also, an interesting article from the Cato Institute on trade: http://www.cato.org/publications/congressional-testimony/made-america-increasing-jobs-through-exports-trade

15 Really Strange Beaches

http://www.theworldgeography.com/2013/08/strange-beaches.html

Switzerland's New Drive-In Brothels

http://www.businessinsider.com/switzerlands-new-drive-in-brothel-goes-live-2013-8

and, are Nevada brothels going under?
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-28/brothels-in-nevada-shrivel-as-web-disrupts-oldest-trade.html

On Korea

I heard this on TV this morning, I think CNBC: "Korea has an inferiority complex because it is in between Japan and China.  It wants its products to have quality of Japan and the prices of China." 

A nice, succinct explanation.  It would be interesting to put something short and sweet like that together for all countries of the world.

On Goya (Yes, the one you seen in the grocery store)

How Goya Bought Ethic Food to White America
by Lydia DePillis
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/08/23/how-goya-brought-ethnic-food-to-white-america/

Housing & Happiness

Is homeownership the key to happiness?

Can a House Confer Bliss
by Michelle Higgins
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/14/realestate/homeownership-the-key-to-happiness.html?ref=michellehiggins&_r=0

40 Maps That Explain the World

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/08/12/40-maps-that-explain-the-world/

Happiest & Saddest Day of the Year

August 11 is the happiest day of the year.
February 27 is the saddest day of the year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/11/opinion/sunday/dr-google-will-see-you-now.html?_r=0

Maillard Reaction: A Craving for Meat

Why does food taste better when it is browned?  Do animals prefer cooked food?
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/07/25/why_does_food_taste_better_when_it_s_browned_the_maillard_reaction_and_caramelization.html

P/E Ratios Aren't Always What They Seem

Price-to-Earings Ratios Aren't Always What They Seem
by Mark Hulbert
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323455104579014782497257644.html

The Home-Sellers' Dilemma: Price a House High or Low

Should Home Sellers Overprice or Underprice Real-Estate Listings?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324136204578643942655355194.html

Evolution Wants Us To Be Unhappy?

Does Evolution Want Us to Be Unhappy?
by Alison Gopnik
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323829104578622293883165294.html

Foreign Policy's Twitterati 100

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/08/13/the_fp_twitterati_100_2013

Who Owns Which Car Brands

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/01/who-owns-which-car-brands/index.htm

Cool Map: Density Map of the World's McDonald's

http://www.businessinsider.com/mcdonalds-around-the-world-density-map-2013-7

Countries that Love the US

Countries that love and hate the US:

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/the-exchange/10-countries-love-hate-america-most-163930019.html

Cool Map of the Month: World Beer Map

http://www.businessinsider.com/beers-of-the-world-maps-2013-7

On Workations

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/learnvest/how-i-make-my-living-on-workations_b_3187545.html

12 Things That Americans Love That the Rest of the World Finds Bizarre

http://www.businessinsider.com/things-americans-love-that-the-rest-of-the-world-finds-bizarre-2013-7

Quote of the Day: Debating

Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.

-Mark Twain

CNN: World's 100 Best Beaches

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/28/travel/100-best-beaches

US Ban on Mimolette

Gut-Wrenching Punch to Lovers of French Cheese
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/au-revoir-mimolette-fans-unhappy-as-fda-blocks-french-cheese-shipments-over-mites/2013/06/28/08ed8c56-dda6-11e2-948c-d644453cf169_story.html

Gallup: Most Workers Hate Their Jobs or Have "Checked Out"

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-employee-engagement-gallup-poll-20130617,0,5878658.story

76% of Americans Living Paycheck to Paycheck

http://money.cnn.com/2013/06/24/pf/emergency-savings/

Quote of the Month: Happiness

Happiness is the absence of striving for happiness.

Five Ways to Prevent NSA From Spying On You

5 Ways to Prevent NSA From Spying
by Timothy Lee
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/10/five-ways-to-stop-the-nsa-from-spying-on-you/

And, "How To Hide From the NSA"
http://news.yahoo.com/want-hide-nsa-guide-nearly-impossible-150644605.html

Religious Companies

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/big-u-s--companies-you-might-not-know-are-religious-175228053.html

Spend More Time In Nature

"Studies show that people spend 87 percent of their time inside buildings and six percent in enclosed vehicles.  In other words, they are roaming around outside enjoying the wind and sky and weather for only seven percent of their time."

http://www.citypages.com/advice/free-will-415/

Graphs: Dating and Age

http://www.businessinsider.com/one-cool-chart-will-tell-you-everything-you-need-to-know-about-dating-younger-people-2013-6

Asking for a Raise? Avoid Round Numbers

Asking for a Raise? Avoid Round Numbers
by Lauren Weber
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324310104578511583633691660.html

Who Says New York is Not Affordable?

That may not be surprising, but once you account for these different preferences, it turns out that living in New York is actually a relative bargain for the wealthy.

While compiling her research, Handbury looked at Nielsen shopping data for 40,000 American households, across more than 500 food categories, with details on everything from organic labeling to salt content. Remarkably, she found that for households earning above $100,000, grocery costs are 20 percent lower in cities with a high per-capita income (like New York) than in cities with a low per-capita income (like New Orleans). There’s evidence that the same forces hold true for other products that cater to upper-income people, from high-end retail to beauty services. The average manicure, for example, is about $3 cheaper in New York City than in each of the rest of the top 10 biggest cities in the United States, according to Centzy, a company that collects data on the prices of services.

Part of the reason high-income residents get good deals, Handbury explains, results from a particular economic system. Highly educated, high-income New Yorkers are surrounded by equally well-educated and well-paid people with similar tastes. More vendors compete for their business, which effectively lowers prices and provides variety. There’s also a high fixed cost to distributing a niche product to an area; if there’s more demand for that product, then the fixed cost can be spread across more customers, which will justify bringing the product to the market in the first place. That’s why companies go through the expensive hassle of distributing, say, St. Dalfour French fruit spreads in rich cities but not in poor ones and why New York can support institutions like the Metropolitan Opera.

Who Says New York is Not Affordable?
by Catherine Rampell
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/28/magazine/who-says-new-york-is-not-affordable.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Isn't Extinction Part of Evolution?

From a WSJ opinion piece:

Does it ever occur to folks like William Brown that extinction is one of the natural outcomes of Darwinian evolution as it goes through the process of selecting the strongest species for survival (“Wanted: A Noah’s Ark for Species’ DNA,” op-ed, April 23)? Does it ever occur to them that maybe extinction is nature’s method of improving the viability of the biosphere as a whole? Does it ever occur to them that mankind’s activities that result in species extinction are in fact simply part of the process of Darwinian selection? Does it ever occur to them that mankind’s attempts to prevent extinction possibly, just possibly, might in fact be an unnatural act that ultimately harms the health of the biosphere?

http://stream.wsj.com/story/latest-headlines/SS-2-63399/SS-2-222677/

100 Jobs That Bring the Highest Salary

http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/on-numbers/scott-thomas/2013/04/these-are-the-100-jobs-that-bring-the.html?ana=e_du_nat&s=article_du&ed=2013-04-30&u=12128882374ce6b6c9c9db3f8c5900

and the 100 highest paid jobs in Washington:
http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/the-100-highest-paying-jobs-in.html?ana=e_du_pap&s=article_du&ed=2013-05-03&u=12128882374ce6b6c9c9db3f8c5900

People Regularly Wear Just 20% of Their Wardrobe

The Clothes Seemed Great in the Store; Why People Regularly Wear Just 20% of Their Wardrobe
by Ray Smith
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324240804578415002232186418.html

Selling in May: One Market-Timing Strategy That Works

Selling in May: One Market-Timing Strategy That Works
by Mark Hulbert
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323916304578402671772990066.html

Our 20s = Time of Your Life

The brain favors memories from late adolescence and early adulthood...

Your 20s Really Are The Time of Your Life
by Katy Waldman
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/01/reminiscence_bump_explanations_why_we_remember_young_adulthood_better_than.html

#sequesterthis

#sequesterthis - check it out on Twitter.

7 Up-and-Coming Food Cities in the US

1. Charleston, SC
2. Salt Lake City, UT
3. Boulder, CO
4. Athens, GA
5. Louisville, KY
6. Nashville, TN
7. Burmingham, AL

http://blog.zagat.com/2013/03/7-up-and-coming-food-cities-in-us.html?zagatbuzzid=mar12week1&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=blog20130306

Noma & Norovirus & Restaurant Rankings

World's 50 Best Restaurants List vs. TripAdvisor...
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324532004578360590540641534.html

Rankings That May Give You Little to Chew On
by Carl Bialik

What is the Best Way to Get Money?

*Make it?
*Win it?
*Inherit it?
*Marry it?
*Find it?
*Steal it?

A Smart Investor Would Skip the MBA

A Smart Investor Would Skip the M.B.A.
by Dale Stephnes
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323884304578328243334068564.html

Are Some People Luckier Than Others?

Dear Dan,

Are there people who are just lucky? I think so—only I’m not one of them.

—Amy

I think some people are luckier, but it’s not the kind of luck that gets you more money at the roulette wheel. Luckier people tend to try more frequently, and by trying more often they also succeed more. Think about a basketball player who attempts to shoot three times in a game, compared with one who tries 30 times. Even if the first one has a better shooting percentage, in absolute numbers, you can’t compare the two.

On top of that, if you notice the successes of other people and don’t pay much attention to their failures, you will basically see the absolute number of successes and not notice the percentage of successes.

So, what’s the advice? First, life is a numbers game—so try more frequently. Second, it’s good to look at the number of things that other people attempt—not just their successes.

http://danariely.com/tag/dear-dan/

Some More Cool TED Talks

Andy Puddicombe: All it takes is 10 mindful minutes
http://www.ted.com/talks/andy_puddicombe_all_it_takes_is_10_mindful_minutes.html

Cesar Kuriyama: One second every day
http://www.ted.com/talks/cesar_kuriyama_one_second_every_day.html?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=on.ted.com-static&utm_content=awesm-publisher&utm_campaign=&awesm=on.ted.com_Kuriyama

Joe Smith: How to use a paper towel
http://www.ted.com/talks/joe_smith_how_to_use_a_paper_towel.html

Best Chinese Restaurants in the US

http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/best-chinese-restaurants-in-the-u-s--233318924.html

Why Does Cuba Have so Many Doctors?

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

Quote of the Week: Buying Pricey Food

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

-Nora Pouillon in the February 2013 Washingtonian magazine

Fact of the Day: Wine in the US

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

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

David Brooks' Course on Humility

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

Where Should Stores Place Condoms?

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

Are too many people photographing their food

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

America's 50 Most Powerful Foodies

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

On Why Human Are Overly Optimistic

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

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