Remarkable stories from the web in a new, easier format.
The US authorities have studied online sexual activity and suggested exposing porn site visits as a way to discredit people who spread radical views, the Huffington Post news site has reported.
BBC News – NSA ‘planned to discredit radicals over web-porn use’
Stories abound of humans brought up by wild animals, but often they are pure fiction. It’s rare to find someone who re-entered society after living in the company of animals and is able to talk cogently about his experiences – including, apparently, sharing food with a family of wolves.
BBC News – Marcos Rodriguez Pantoja: Did this man live with wolves?
Funny cat photos and videos have become an online fascination in the last few years and have even created “superstars” like Grumpy Cat and Nyan Cat. One is a real-life miserable-looking moggy who has more than 2.5 million Facebook fans; the other is an animated kitten whose rather unimaginative journey across a screen has been viewed more than 100 million times.
BBC News – Cute cats could be key to learning new languages
our attitudes to the economy – as measured by how we invest our money – are shaped by experiences in our impressionable years. People who experience recessions in their formative years tend to be more risk-averse than those who enjoyed better times.
Stumbling and Mumbling: Stagnation: in the mind?
In the liquor industry, one of the only things hotter than Kentucky bourbon is super-expensive Kentucky bourbon. The market for the high-end brown stuff has exploded in recent years, with sales at the upper reaches of the market surpassing even those of the questionably flavored bourbons.
Bourbon Sells, and Pricey Bourbon Sells Even Better – Businessweek
new research finds that minimum-wage increases at the state level have caused little, if any, harm to employment.
What a Higher Minimum Wage Does for Workers and the Economy – Businessweek
Only 6% of Chinese employees said they are “engaged” in their jobs, according to a global Gallup survey released this month. China’s numbers equal the numbers out of war-weary Iraq.
BBC News – Why do most Chinese dislike their jobs?
I had no idea that Sweden has gone all-in on raising interest rates to fight “financial instability.” (Alas poor Lars Svensson!) Simon Wren-Lewis has details, Krugman has more, and Peter Orszag had a great column about how New Zealand is instead using regulations to fight worries about the financial system.
Two Simple Reasons to Not Fight Bubbles With Higher Interest Rates | Next New Deal
The absurdity of linking mainstream economics to all our current problems is also obvious if you think about austerity. As I never tire of saying, the proposition that austerity was a crazy thing to try in this recession is prominent in the pages of undergraduate and graduate textbooks. It is what mainstream economics, as practiced in central banks, tells us.
mainly macro: Attacks on mainstream economics and reforming economics teaching
The global crisis changed the face of monetary policy. This column, written by the IMF’s chief economist, reviews the main changes. It draws on contributions to a recent IMF conference on the topic.
Monetary policy will never be the same | vox
TO BECOME rich, poor countries must enlarge their productive powers, mobilising workers, absorbing new technology and accumulating capital. They must expand what economists call the “supply side” of the economy, which determines how much a country can produce, and therefore how much it can earn and spend.
Free exchange: A reasonable supply | The Economist
Clinical trials of other antioxidants have been performed, and failed to demonstrate the positive effects that earlier trials predicted. As Stephen Barrett over at Quackwatch notes, some, like beta-carotene, have even produced adverse effects.
Can Red Wine Really Heal Cancer And Prolong Your Life? | Popular Science
Yet one company, Health Sherpa, has managed to create a working healthcare site in days– and it can help people navigate HealthCare.gov. In fact, the federal government was so impressed with Health Sherpa it contacted the company and is now preparing to make it a broker that can sign people up for insurance under the Affordable Care Act, according to George Kalogeropoulos, one of Health Sherpa’s three founders.
How Three 20-Somethings Can Help Obama Fix Healthcare.gov | Daily Ticker – Yahoo Finance
They might need the cash for a big personal purchase such as a new house or yacht, or they might need the cash to fund a charity. Sometimes they sell as part of a planned selling program that they have put in place for diversification purposes, which allows them to sell stock in stages instead of selling all at one price.
Other times they sell because they think their stock is overvalued and the risk/reward is no longer attractive. Some even dump their own stock because they have inside knowledge that a competitor is eating their lunch and stealing market share. But insiders usually buy their own shares for one reason: They think the stock is a bargain and has tremendous upside.
5 Stocks With Big Insider Buying – Stockpickr! Your Source for Stock Ideas
A surge in Chinese demand underlies bitcoin’s astronomical rise over the past few months—the alternative digital currency topped $1,200 early Friday
Buyer beware: Bitcoin’s fate could rest with China
Yields on China’s 10-year government soared to 4.7% on November 20, the highest level in nine years. Yields have come down somewhat, but markets are now worried the bond yields jumped because China’s central bank PBoC tightened liquidity, which is a negative for economic growth and equity market performances.
Why Did China’s 10-Year Bond Yield Jump In November? – Emerging Markets Daily – Barrons.com
The urge to keep up with the Joneses doesn’t just spur useful work. It might also encourage people to get into debt to spend as much as the rich, and this can (perhaps) lead to over-gearing and a financial crisis. The experience of the 00s might not be the only data-point here. Rising inequality in the 1920s also ended in depression.
Stumbling and Mumbling: Inequality & growth
With much of Europe still struggling to recover from the impact of the 2008 financial crisis, Poland stands out as an unlikely island of economic success, a place where companies and individuals plan for growth rather than decline.
How Poland Became Europe’s Most Dynamic Economy – Businessweek
Many football fans will be scratching their heads to see Switzerland among the top seeds at next year’s World Cup finals, while thoroughbreds like the Netherlands and Italy are not.
BBC News – World Cup seeding: How to play the game
