When gas was $1.21, mid-grade cost $1.31, and premium $1.41. Now gas is $3.21, mid-grade is $3.31, and premium $3.41. The 20-cent upgrade from regular to high-octane premium has remained in place, despite the overall increase in cost. Percentage-wise, it’s a much better deal today than it was 10 years ago.
Regular gas has gone up [...]
I was reading some article about the growing gap between rich and poor, and was thinking that it’s not sustainable. Not necessarily a recipe for revolution just yet, but certainly an important trend that will shape global policy over the next 50-100 years.
1. Finance
One percent of the population owns 83% of the stock in U.S. [...]
Frank Luntz, the “Nostradamus of pollsters,” is keynoting next month’s Affiliate Summit in New York, so I thought I’d grab his books to see what he’s all about. The first one, Words That Work, just came in from the library so that will be up next. His most recent work, What Americans Really Want…Really offers [...]
I should start off by saying I don’t know much about the Tea Party other than what I see on the news, but I understand “Tea” is an acronym for Taxed Enough Already. One way to lower taxes (or at least help prevent them from being raised) is to allow gay marriages.
For Prop. 8, the [...]
Here’s a head-scratcher that seems to defy rational behavior.
Obesity is a primary cause of costly and potentially deadly medical issues including heart disease, stroke, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and more.
A lack of health insurance can cause people to postpone treatment and routine examinations, leading to further problems, and possibly premature death.
It stands [...]
Yes, I’m that guy who charges his order off the dollar menu. Why? Because with tax it always ends up being $1.09 or some other terrible amount, and what am I going to do with $0.91 in change? All of a sudden the $1 double cheeseburger pretty much cost $2. Although it is nice, three [...]
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine is bestselling author Michael Lewis’ (Liar’s Poker, Moneyball, The Blind Side) look at the 2008 financial crisis and the events and adventures that created it. I didn’t get it. Or, more accurately, it wasn’t a very satisfying read.
The Big Short leaves you — at various points in the [...]
20,000,000: That’s how many barrels of oil we consume in the U.S. every day.
In light of the massive BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, there will be a lot of political pressure in the coming months to take a hard look at the future of offshore drilling. Is it viable, efficient, and safe [...]
I recently finished Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions, by MIT behavioral economist Dan Ariely. The main premise is that while economists like to think that people behave rationally, we don’t, and Ariely’s book is full of examples and studies to prove it.
I thought it was a pretty interesting read, especially as [...]
I finally finished Baseball Between the Numbers: Why Everything You Know About the Game is Wrong. It’s a very cool read, but it’s very academic and only appropriate for hard-core baseball fans and statheads.
The Baseball Prospectus “Team of Experts” is given authorship credit. Apparently this is a group of guys that sit around and analyze [...]
