Newmark's Door

Ten-year-old Chronicle of Higher Education article that touts three of my favorite books on writing: Style: Toward Clarity and Grace, Economical Writing, and On Writing.

As published in Economics Journal Watch.  (Link via Marginal Revolution.)

The workings of the federal government are sometimes--usually?--hard to believe.

The Chicken Tax is a 25 percent tariff on light trucks (and originally on potato starch, dextrin, and brandy) imposed in 1964 by the United States under President Lyndon B. Johnson in response to tariffs placed by France and West Germany on importation of U.S. chicken.^[1] The period from 1961–1964^[2] of tensions and negotiations surrounding the issue was known as the "Chicken War," taking place at the height of Cold War politics.^[3]

Eventually, the tariffs on potato starch, dextrin, and brandy were lifted,^[4] but since 1964 this form of protectionism has remained in place to give U.S. domestic automakers an advantage over competition (e.g., from Japan, Turkey, China, and Thailand).^[5]

See also "The Chicken Tax and Its Influence on the U.S. Auto Industry".

Unsurprising but important for investors to realize.

Just based on polling, but I would never have guessed that the U.S. ranks a bit above Sweden.

UPDATE: link added.

Newmark's Door providing you with the answers to life's important questions.

One of those MRI studies which in my opinion are questionable, so "further research is needed".

Analysis of three of the main ancestry DNA tests.

The redoubtable Melanie Phillips makes short work of an especially dopey idea.

Site that seeks to answer "Who are the most influential people in world?"

You can narrow the search by, among other things, academic discipline. Their listing for economics--Krugman, #1; Piketty, #3; and Sachs, #7--does not give me confidence in their methodology. But your mileage may vary.