The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design. – F.A. Hayek
Posted in Fun Facts, Market Failures on Apr 24th, 2012
According to one survey, over half of college students surveyed believed they can detect someone with an STD … just by looking at them. In other news: calls for RE-regulating the airline industry are rearing their ugly head. Might I offer the possibility that further de-regulation may be helpful? Or perhaps that maybe there should [...]
Posted in Environment, Fun Facts on Apr 14th, 2012
Do not get me wrong, mercury is some really awful stuff and we don’t really want to be ingesting it. But consider the data embedded in the following few sources: the amount of mercury concentration and disposition across the US bears almost no resemblance to where coal fired power plants are burning. In fact, people [...]
Posted in Flotsam and Jetsam, Fun Facts on Mar 1st, 2012
This is in regard to climate funding, the same could be done for funding for “freedom-friendly” ideas … this almost is too whiny for my cup of tea, but since students here are asking me all kinds of questions about where my money comes from and what I do with it, this seemed to be [...]
Posted in Fun Facts on Feb 11th, 2012
Heard from a little birdie – that Harvard nearly found itself operationally insolvent within the past two years. Yes, THAT Harvard. Yes, with the $30 billion endowment. As Arnold Kling likes to say, “have a nice day.”
Posted in Fun Facts on Jan 28th, 2012
I was perusing my National Parks magazine and they made reference to the fact that policemen used to monitor the height of women’s bathing suits at the DC Tidal Basin Beach. It turns out to be true. Here is a photo from 1922 showing a man enforce the government’s rule that bathing suits could be [...]
Posted in Fun Facts on Jan 22nd, 2012
In 2010 the sporting event(s) that had the most regular attendees at them? Surprisingly not Major League Baseball Surprisingly not College Football Not NASCAR Not golf Not Professional football Answer: high school sporting events. The sport with the most occasional fans? College football. Also: More people regularly attend equestrian events than professional soccer events. Can’t [...]
Posted in Fun Facts on Jan 7th, 2012
Aggregate doctor pay in the US costs about the same as the total costs of environmental regulation ~ each about 3% of GDP. (Note, my doctor pay data is from an old source)
Posted in Fun Facts on Dec 31st, 2011
Nearly 60% of the residents of Bloomington, Indiana are single – making it (by this admittedly misleading measure) the loneliest place to be on New Year’s Eve.
Posted in Economic Illiteracy, Fun Facts, Health Care on Dec 15th, 2011
In today’s news we learn that American doctors deliver a 24-week old baby that is the size of a soda can. Look up the data on what other countries do at this level. Second, once you adjust for the things that doctors have no control over (the risky behavior and accidents Americans endure), the US [...]
Posted in Fun Facts on Nov 4th, 2011
Professor Wintercow is a lackey of the Iranian government edition:
![[Most Recent Quotes from www.kitco.com]](http://www.kitconet.com/charts/metals/gold/t24_au_en_usoz_2.gif)
![[Most Recent Quotes from www.kitco.com]](http://www.kitconet.com/charts/metals/silver/t24_ag_en_usoz_2.gif)