Sunday Reads...
- Greg McNeilly
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
An irregular roundup of thought-provoking reads. Most made me go “hmm…” — none should be mistaken for endorsement
Quote of the Day:
"You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was Dostoevsky and Dickens who taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive." - James Baldwin
Reflections from Pope Francis’ life from one of his colleagues.
Good news! Working people’s pay is up 250% and heavily correlated with productivity, meaning it’s just or merit-based.
The most popular language to learn in each country…in most places, it’s English. Here, it’s Spanish.
More bad news for “smartphones” – research suggests our overuse of them is weakening our brains.
A fish that walks on land? Well, yes, of course, and as Murphy’s Law would dictate, it’s now an invasive species.
Classic “insults” that remain effective from the great Bard.
Sad, a government prosecutor chooses to let vandals go unprosecuted with little doubt of guilt in question.
U.S. consumers are under incredible pressure at present. They have over-extended their budgets, like their government.
What makes us cry? The research suggests the most significant difference between the two genders is an approach to stress and emotions.
The history of the “credit score.”
The paper titled “Pharmaceutical Drug Regulation and Mortality: Evidence from E-cigarettes” by Michael Pesko and Christian Saenz investigates the impact of regulatory decisions on public health outcomes, focusing on the case of e-cigarettes in the United States. Fascinating stuff. Check this out:
The inability of the FDA to regulate e-cigs due to a court ruling saved lives
Analyzing data from 2011 to 2019, the study estimates that e-cigarettes saved approximately 677,000 life-years.
The increased adoption of e-cigarettes resulted in an annual social surplus of $8 billion.
The authors conclude that the exemption of e-cigarettes from drug regulation significantly positively affected public health and economic welfare. The findings suggest that regulatory decisions can have profound implications for innovation and health outcomes.
Debunking the "Blue Zones."
The most taxed states charted.
Check out your city's tree coverage.
Charting the impact of modern American misandry - here.
Unpacking the strategy of DoorDash.
Can you, as an individual, fight the drift into techo hell? One author says yes.
The anti-jobs impact of higher government-mandated minimum wage laws continues to produce evidence that demands a verdict. Either you believe in the data or simply folly.
Visualizing the global debt - America has a problem - we simply cannot afford our government. Period. And state and local governments continue to get hooked on federal debt. It is nearly impossible to cut deep enough or fast enough.
An interesting study on "time use" and happiness. Some of the findings:
2x time exercising versus eating, i.e. 2 hrs of workouts per 1 hr of eating
Short commute (positive upto 15 min and negative from that point on)
Less than 1 hour of screentime (any more, even watching movies spoils the day)
The government needs your help transcribing UFO and JFK files.
Good news! Americans are having more babies!