Month: September 2012
The Friday File: In the year immediately following cataract surgery, motor-vehicle accidents involving men fell 16%, while the number of accidents involving women fell just 6.7%. Why? Women seem to restrict their driving as their vision deteriorates. Prior to surgery,…
Read MoreA Maryland Public Service Commission law designed to promote energy conservation is being redesigned. The law originally allowed public utilities to charge rate-payers a surcharge whenever electricity use fell short. The unintended consequence, utilities had less incentive to quickly restore…
Read MoreIn the 15 presidential elections starting in ’52, the Republicans always lose if the name Bush or Nixon fails to appear on the ticket (’64 (Goldwater/Miller), ’76 (Ford/Dole), ’96 (Dole/Kemp) ’08 (McCain/Palin)). However, the Republicans win nine out of 11…
Read MoreWhile bank profits rose 21% in Q2 ’12 compared to a year earlier, looks can be deceiving. Much of the increase is due to one-time releases from loan-loss reserves. Worse, net interest margins fell to 3.46% in Q2 from 3.52%…
Read MoreThe Friday File: 10 million pounds of Quebec maple syrup, street value $40 million, and about 10% of Quebec’s ’12 harvest, has been stolen! Luckily, the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, suppliers of 77% of the world’s maple syrup,…
Read MoreGreece has been in recession since Q3 ‘08. During that time, new car registrations have fallen 82%, back to where they were in the late ‘80s, and GDP has fallen 18%. Here, at their worst, car sales were down 56%…
Read More104.5 boys are born for every 100 girls to offset boys’ greater probability of dying in infancy. Due to falling fertility, cheap ultrasounds, and son preference, baby girls are, in many parts of the world, rare. In India, the rate…
Read MoreLast Saturday, NHL owners locked out players (who knew?) following expiration of their contract. The last strike, in 2004, wiped out an entire season and players ultimately agreed to a 24% rollback, reducing their take to 57% of revenues. Owners…
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