Moneyball for Lawyers

http://www.wsj.com/articles/data-tools-offer-hints-at-how-judges-might-rule-1481641205

Pay of Federal Workers Lags 34 Percent?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewbiggs/2016/11/01/are-federal-employees-really-underpaid-by-34-percent/#7646be4639f9

Can Houseplants be Unhealthy for Humans?

http://www.wsj.com/articles/can-houseplants-be-unhealthy-for-humans-1475515248

Quote of the Day: Revenge

"Carlson likes her revenge like other Swedes like their aquavit: icy cold."

Despite the Bloody Headlines, the World is Safer

"The homicide rate in hunter-gatherer societies was about 500 times what it is in Europe today."  (Economist)

The Many Problems of Stock Forecasters

Profits forecasts made more than a few months ahead have a dismal record of inaccuracy...Are forecasts useless?

"Stocks analysts' forecasts tend to be wrong in reassuringly predictable ways...simply taking the market's earnings figures from the previous year and multiplying by 1.07 (corresponding with a stockmarket's long-run growth rate) can be expected to yield a more accurate forecast of profits more than a year in the future."

http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21711082-reassuringly-predictable-ways-sell-side-share-analysis-wrong

The Fragility of Digital Federal Records

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/01/nyregion/harvesting-government-history-one-web-page-at-a-time.html?_r=0

Why Polls Fail

"Two decades ago, more than one-third of US households contacted for a survey agreed to answer questions, according to the Pew Research Center.  Now, that number is around 9%."

http://www.wsj.com/articles/pollsters-face-hurdles-in-changing-landscape-1478823046

Most Common Job in Your State

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/no-truck-driver-isnt-the-most-common-job-in-your-state-2015-02-12

The Continued Failure of Political Predictions

http://www.mrctv.org/blog/fail-prweek-s-survey-22-pr-pros-found-zero-predictions-trump

Mediaite's 2016 Most Influential in News Media

http://www.mediaite.com/online/__trashed-13/

Meet the Lox Masters

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/09/nyregion/a-high-holy-call-for-lox-and-old-hands-to-slice-it-at-zabars.html

When US Entanglements Overseas Fail

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/11/world/asia/tajikistan-islamic-state-isis.html

Unique World Customs - Denmark/Canada Edition

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/08/world/what-in-the-world/canada-denmark-hans-island-whisky-schnapps.html

The "Overton Window" is Shifting

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/17/technology/social-medias-globe-shaking-power.html

Policy Has Always Moved Slowly

"In December 1873, London was blanketed for a week in a yellow fog so think that people could not see their feet.  "Ladies & gentlemen," Mark Twain said in a public lecture at the time, "I hear you, & so know that you were here - & I am here, too, notwithstanding I am not visible."  Some 780 people dies and 50 prize cattle on display at the Smithfield Club panted, wheezed and eventually died of asphyxia.  Still, it took 83 more years of noxious air before the country passed the Clean Air Act of 1956.

Das Butt - Why do Germany Love Nudity?

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/24/t-magazine/travel/german-nudist-culture-fkk-freikorperkultur.html

The Coolest Class at Harvard? It's Bob Dylan

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/15/arts/music/bob-dylan-101-a-harvard-professor-has-the-coolest-class-on-campus.html

A Chinese Dish with Urine?

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/23/world/what-in-the-world/china-dongyang-eggs-urine.html?_r=0

Remote Year

http://www.wsj.com/articles/going-far-afield-yet-staying-on-the-job-1480428003

Bureaucracies Trying to Survive and Thrive

Pentagon hid study revealing $125 billion in waste:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/pentagon-buries-evidence-of-125-billion-in-bureaucratic-waste/2016/12/05/e0668c76-9af6-11e6-a0ed-ab0774c1eaa5_story.html

Allianz Global Wealth Report 2016

https://www.allianz.com/v_1474281539000/media/economic_research/publications/specials/en/AGWR2016e.pdf

US Engaged in Five Hot Conflicts

http://www.wsj.com/articles/obamas-tide-of-war-1476832244

US Interference in Other Countries' Democratic Elections

From 1946-2000 the US and Russia intervened in 117 elections around the world.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/10/13/the-long-history-of-the-u-s-interfering-with-elections-elsewhere/

Can You Name the Six Official Languages of the UN?

http://www.un.org/en/sections/about-un/official-languages/

Want to be a 'foreign agent'? Serve in Congress First.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/congress-foreign-lobbying-228982

The Power of Dentsu

https://www.ft.com/content/c0c3eed8-86fe-11e6-a75a-0c4dce033ade

Cool Job of the Week: Data Hunter

Data hunting at industry conferences:
http://www.wsj.com/articles/wall-streets-insatiable-lust-data-data-data-1473719535

Top Secret America

The Washigton Post series on the secret government buildings around the DMV:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/

Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_sharpshooter_fallacy

Art Forgeries

50% of the art market is forged?
https://issuu.com/jerrybrinn/docs/time_usa_-_7_march_2016

Or is it 70%!?
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/10/17/are-over-half-the-works-on-the-art-market-fakes.html

Disposition

Fifty years of empirical research in personality psychology have resulted in a scientific consensus regarding the most basic dimensions of human variability.  There are countless ways to differentiate one person from the next, but psychological scientists have settled on a relatively simple taxonomy, known widely as the Big Five:

• Extroversion: gregariousness, social dominance, enthusiasm, reward-seeking behavior
• Neuroticism: anxiety, emotional instability, depressive tendencies, negative emotions
• Conscientiousness: industriousness, discipline, rule abiding, organization
• Agreeableness: warmth, care for others, altruism, compassion, modesty
• Openness: curiosity, unconventionality, imagination, receptivity to new ideas

What Do You Call a Professor? How about an Adjunct?

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/education/2014/03/what_should_students_call_their_college_professors.html

Quote of the Day

"The world would be a better place is verbosity and banality were fatal conditions."

-David Rothkopf

Full List of Clinton's Planned Taxes

http://www.atr.org/full-list-hillary-s-planned-tax-hikes

Geopolitical Predictions Not That Good

"A study of about 28,000 expert geopolitical predictions over 20 years found that most were only slightly better than chance, especially when predicting events more than a year off would or wouldn't happen, according to Philip Tetlock."

http://www.wsj.com/articles/in-uncertain-times-ceos-lose-faith-in-forecasts-1468315801

Guns: America vs. Japan

In 2015:

US: 33,599 gun deaths
Japan: 6

Number of guns in Japan per 100 civilians: 0.6
Number of guns in US per 100 civilians: 101

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/06/13/national/crime-legal/what-are-the-chances-of-a-mass-shooting-in-japan/#.V5kLxtejsxU

and

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/for-some-expats-us-gun-violence-makes-japan-feel-like-a-haven/2016/07/18/0edca7d4-4840-11e6-8dac-0c6e4accc5b1_story.html

Should We Give Lighter Penalites to Those with "Violent" Genes

http://www.wsj.com/articles/lighter-penalties-for-those-with-violent-genes-1469196488

Map: The World of Coups Since 1950

The world has had 475 coups since the 1950s and 236 (i.e., half) were successful.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/07/22/map-the-world-of-coups-since-1950

Scary Fact of the Day

Percent of millennials who can correctly identify Pokémon character Pikachu: 98%
Percent who can identify Vice President Joe Biden: 61%

Charts of Mass Incarceration in the US

http://www.vox.com/2015/7/13/8913297/mass-incarceration-maps-charts

Where do the World's 42 Million Prostitutes Live?

http://www.businessinsider.com/there-are-42-million-prostitutes-in-the-world-and-heres-where-they-live-2012-1?IR=T

Is US Election Season Too Long?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/17/1514524/-Are-our-election-seasons-too-long

Why do they last so long?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jj-colagrande/why-do-presidential-elect_b_7952490.html

How they presidential campaigns became 2-year marathons
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/17/upshot/how-presidential-campaigns-became-two-year-marathons.html?_r=0

10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation

https://www.ted.com/talks/celeste_headlee_10_ways_to_have_a_better_conversation?language=en

Is Land and Real Estate a Good Investment?

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/17/upshot/why-land-may-not-be-the-smartest-place-to-put-your-nest-egg.html

Presidential Party Platforms

Despite the slog, what Payne found might stun some cynics: In 25 years, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Congress voted in accordance with their platforms 82 percent of the time.

http://www.vox.com/2016/7/12/12060358/political-science-of-platforms

Quote of the Day: Brevity

Brevity is the soul of wit.

or

I would have written a shorter letter but I did not have time.

If Countries Trade Territories

Would there be more peace and stability?
http://worldif.economist.com/article/12138/country-market

Tax Haven at the End of the World

On Tiera del Fuego:
http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21702216-giant-economic-experiment-argentinas-southern-tip-starting-flag-tax-haven

50 Most Powerful People in PR

http://www.prweek.com/article/1399015/prweek-power-list-2016

How to Invest During Marco Events & Turmoil

From Barry Ritholtz:

I keep a short list handy to remind myself of all the things investors must remember when these sorts of macro events cause turmoil:

●Markets surge and sell off. This is the ordinary course of events.

●The future is inherently unknown and unknowable. Those who claim otherwise are trying to sell you something.

●What sounds sexy and looks good in a brochure is not what usually makes you money over the long run.

●The gurus and talking heads have failed you. Once again, their forecasts were wrong. They were selling you a product, not providing any insight.

●Emotional reactions are bad for your portfolios.

●“Nobody knows anything.” The William Goldman quote, written about Hollywood, applies to just about everything in life. Get used to it.

●You need a plan. EOM.

●Your brain has evolved to adapt to keep you alive in changing conditions, not to make risk/reward decisions.

●The world is filled with random outcomes. Even more so when people are involved.

●Boring, steady portfolios can withstand about anything you throw at them.

●“Uncertainty” is a misnomer. The future is always unknown and always uncertain. When you hear people using the word “uncertainty,” it is because they are scared enough to briefly acknowledge their own ignorance.

●Adrenaline, it turns out, is not the basis of sound portfolio management.

●That plan mentioned above? You must have discipline to stay with it.

●Bull and bear markets have their own timelines. They do not care about your retirement, your saving for your kid’s college or the new house you want to buy.

●Investing is hard.

●Sometimes, Brexit happens.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/get-there/brexit-this-is-not-a-drill/2016/06/24/d3c1f72a-3a21-11e6-8f7c-d4c723a2becb_story.html

The Battle of the Billionaire Lists

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/26/business/billionaire-lists-are-battling-to-feed-a-hunger-for-rankings.html?_r=0

Why is the US Dollar So Strong?

"Because foreign governments and foreign private investors prefer to use the greenback to pay off debt, invest in financial markets or purchase commodities, economists say, the demand for the dollar intrinsically keeps it 10% to 15% above the value of other currencies."

http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-revitalize-u-s-manufacturing-1465351501

Thucydides Trap

Which ones exist now?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_T._Allison#Thucydides_Trap

1,000,000,000 Club

The apps/platforms with over 1 billion users:

http://www.businessinsider.com/apps-platforms-with-1-billion-plus-users-whatsapp-gmail-google-facebook-club-2016-2

The eight systems with more than one billion users:
http://6toplists.com/top-8-virtual-communities-with-more-than-1-billion-users/

95% Rule

From Cato's Steve Hanke:

"95% of what you read in the financial press is either wrong or irrelevant."

http://www.cato.org/blog/zimbabwes-hyperinflation-correct-number-89-sextillion-percent

How Dependent Are US Consumers on Imports from China?

https://piie.com/blogs/trade-investment-policy-watch/how-dependent-are-us-consumers-imports-china

Medical Errors = Third Leading Cause of Deaths in US

Avoid the doc:
http://www.hospitalsafetyscore.org/newsroom/display/hospitalerrors-thirdleading-causeofdeathinus-improvementstooslow

Medical erros claim more lives every year than respiratory dieasea, accidents, stroke, and Alzheimer's.

Top 25 Cities for Fostering Entrepreneurial Growth

http://www.1776.vc/reports/innovation-that-matters-2016/

A New Map for America

Should America's map be redrawn?  Is the concept of the 50 states outdated?  Should the map be redrawn to instead include similar regions/clusters?

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/17/opinion/sunday/a-new-map-for-america.html

Does Listening to an Audiobook Have the Same Value as Reading the Printed Word?

Marilyn vos Savant answers this, and the answer is no:
http://parade.com/362428/marilynvossavant/what-yolk-color-says-about-nutrition-in-eggs/

3 Most Important Laws of Political Physics - And 17 More

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/compost/wp/2015/08/03/the-3-most-important-laws-of-political-physics-and-17-more/

Repealing Regulations is Not Easy

"Repealing Obama-era rules would require writing - and legally justifying - new regulations, a process that could take nearly two years and might not withstand legal scrutiny, experts say."

http://www.wsj.com/articles/roll-back-of-federal-regulations-isnt-easy-1457482577

Pictures of Outdoors Reduces Stress?

Photos of trees make us happier:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/17/the-picture-of-health/

Internet-Connected Devices

In 2013 OECD estimated that the average household with two teenagers had 10 Internet-connected devices.  By 2017, the OECD projected the number would be 17; by 2022, it would climb to 50.

Getting Paid to Show up at a Club

The lucrative world of club appearances.  How rappers, Real Housewives, and lesser Kardashians get paid just for showing up at the club:

http://www.gq.com/story/how-celebs-get-paid-for-club-appearances

Pay of Adjunct Faculty

Adjunct faculty who teach four courses per semester at the nation average of $2,700 per class earn about $22,000 a year.  that compares with an average salary of $116,000 for full professors at public institutions and $148,000 for full professors at private schools, according to the American Association of University Professors.

Why Do Species Die?

Scientists call it HIPPO: habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, population growth, and overhunting.

And new study: Half of wildlife lost in 40 years.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/report-wildlife-numbers-drop-by-half-since-1970-1412085197

Antitrust Investigations: Frequency

Of the 15,000 deals between 2005-2014, about 3% of M&A deals have been subject to close scrutiny.

Rule 34 Meme: Is it Real?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/04/06/is-rule-34-actually-true-an-investigation-into-the-internets-most-risque-law/

New Sport: Fowling

Hot new sport fowling combines football and bowling:
http://www.wsj.com/video/fowling-game-combines-football-and-bowling/3ACB6B2D-79CD-4A50-AFF3-72C00F7352A5.html

Most Influential Publications

Most influential publications by frequency publications' names appears in Google News and Google Blogs followed by the word "reported." (Done by Nate Silver; may be a newer version)

http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/a-note-to-our-readers-on-the-times-pay-model-and-the-economics-of-reporting/?_r=0

Carbon Emissions Highest They've Been in 66 Million Years

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/carbon-emissions-highest-they-have-been-in-66-million-years/

Glassdoor's list of Oddest Job Interview Questions (2016)

The link has a list going all the way back to 2013 (including answers)
https://www.glassdoor.com/Oddball-Interview-Questions-LST_KQ0,27.htm

35 Most Powerful People in New York Media

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/powerful-people-new-york-media-880895/item/roger-ailes-new-york-power-880898

The Future Will be Quieter

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/04/the-future-will-be-quiet/471489

Secrets of Wave Pilots

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/20/magazine/the-secrets-of-the-wave-pilots.html?_r=0

Which of the 11 American Nations Do You Live In?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2013/11/08/which-of-the-11-american-nations-do-you-live-in/?tid=hybrid_experimentrandom_1_na

Boohshelf of the Week

http://robaroundbooks.com/2013/02/bookshelf-of-the-week-personal-library-of-richard-a-macksey/