» Top Ten Most Obnoxious Hidden Airline Fees. Agreed. Which airline fees really steam your jets? [ 10.01.07 ]
rebecca's pocket
.: October 2007 --> October 2007
October 2007
» How can I fly in a more environmentally responsible way? Choose airlines with newer fleets, fly airlines that are usually on time, and fly non-stop whenever possible. [ 10.02.07 ]
» Want to avoid Alzheimer's? Become more conscientious. For me, the most fascinating thing is that conscientious people who (on autopsy) showed significant levels of Alzheimer's pathology died without any evidence of cognitive impairment. CNN is framing it as self-disciplined, organized achievers. / (1) Comments / [ 10.03.07 ]
» Remember, never provide anyone who phones you (no matter how much else they know about you) with any number from your credit card—especially the security number on the back. If someone contacts you by phone about your credit card, get their name, department, and extension, and then call them back using the number provided on your statement. [ 10.03.07 ]
» Librarygirl posts her Halloween-Themed Reading List #1: Witches. For several years, I tried to read a scary(ish) book during October, but I was disappointed every time. Perhaps Librarygirl can point me in a good direction. [ 10.05.07 ]
» Picky Eaters? They Get It From You. I was a super-picky eater—we all were. But none of us were this bad. (via se) [ 10.10.07 ]
» Here's a superficial but interesting article about urban beekeeping in San Francisco. More common than I would have thought. I'd love to do this someday. / (1) Comments / [ 10.11.07 ]
» Wow, wow, wow. These are amazing cakes. (via Maki) [ 10.19.07 ]
» Want to save the world from global warming? Become vegan—or eat chicken. [ 10.22.07 ]
» New Yorker: James Surowiecki why the orthodoxy of supply-side economics remains so popular in the Republican party, despite clear evidence that tax cuts—surprise—shrink government revenue.
Saying today that tax cuts will increase tax revenues is not like saying that bombing Iran constitutes a sensible foreign policy, or that education vouchers will wreck the public schools. It's more like saying that the best way to treat sick people is to bleed them to let out the evil spirits.
[But] the absurd idea that tax cuts pay for themselves is based on an idea that is not at all absurd, which is that tax rates can have an impact on people's behavior.
I've never bought the idea that wealthy people will just refuse to make more money if they are taxed too heavily. When's the last time you saw a movie star—or a hedge fund manager—refuse cash so that they can be taxed at a lower rate? That's senseless.
And let's be clear that the very rich are making much of their money from investments, not from work. People may change their investment strategies to maximize profits, but that's not the same as choosing not to create wealth (ie - "value for society") because they won't be able to keep enough of it. [ 10.23.07 ]
» How to say no to your vet. On the proliferation of unnecessary shots and testing in the veterinary profession. [ 10.26.07 ]
» It's not a myth: During an electrical storm, lightning can travel through your home's electrical system and fry your plasma television, computer—or you. Most surge protectors are no help. "When thunder roars, stay indoors—and read a book." Mark Earley, chief electrical engineer at the National Fire Protection Association. [ 10.29.07 ]
» This is just nutty, in the best possible way. Gary S. Becker, the University of Chicago professor known for applying economic theory to social issues, 1992 Nobel Prize winner and one of this year's Presidential Medal of Freedom has a blog. It's the Becker-Posner Blog, which he maintains with Richard A. Posner, the federal circuit judge and University of Chicago Law School lecturer. [ 10.30.07 ]
» Librarygirl's Halloween-Themed Reading List #3: Werewolves. [ 10.31.07 ]
» Bloomburg: The Economic Nightmare of Halloween
The first law of economics would be that lump-sum transfers are more economically efficient than in-kind transfers. If you are going to give a gift to somebody, you should just give them the money. They will be a better judge of the best way to spend it. If instead, you give them a specific good, then you make them worse off, unless you somehow miraculously anticipate what the recipient would purchase if he received the money instead... Halloween is no time for thoughtful, targeted gift-giving. At Halloween, each house on a typical American block picks out one type of candy, and they give that exact same candy willy-nilly to everyone who shows up at the door. It's an economic nightmare.
(via WSJ Economics Blog) [ 10.31.07 ]
