Category Archives: Economics

‘WHAT IS A PLACEBO FOR DENTAL FLOSS?”

Posted on August 13, 2016 by Philip

“WHAT IS A PLACEBO FOR DENTAL FLOSS?” This article by Michael Fumento reports on news articles that claim, as the headline on this New York Times article said: “Feeling Guilty About Not Flossing? Maybe There’s No Need”. The news articles … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Science | 2 Comments

OVER 2000 ROMAN DOCUMENTS FOUND IN BRITAIN IN 40 YEARS (INCLUDING CURSE TABLETS).

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Philip

OVER 2000 ROMAN DOCUMENTS FOUND IN BRITAIN IN 40 YEARS (INCLUDING CURSE TABLETS). I often post on new archaeological finds (for example, here). I am especially pleased by documents with commercial implications. A lot of my reaction is surprise. As … Continue reading →

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ROMAN FORM FILES.

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Philip

ROMAN FORM FILES. Mary Beard had a review in the New York Review (August 18) of three new books on Roman archaeology, each of which books discusses a notable find made in 1994—a contract from around 90 AD. The contract … Continue reading →

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THE MUSIC MAN AND THE ECONOMICS OF ADVERTISING.

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Philip

THE MUSIC MAN AND THE ECONOMICS OF ADVERTISING. Professor Harold Hill, the Music Man, is, of course, a con man, and an extremely good one (the opening song says: “when the man dances, certinely [sic] boys, what else’The piper pays … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Theater | 1 Comment

“THE WORLD IS IN GENERAL EQUILIBRIUM….”

Posted on July 7, 2016 by Philip

“THE WORLD IS IN GENERAL EQUILIBRIUM….” I had the pleasure of knowing Subramanian Swamy some 50 years ago when I was a graduate student. He was a brilliant and witty economist. So I was delighted to see this article in … Continue reading →

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BREXIT—THE UNITED KINGDOM TREASURY WAS WRONG ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO INTEREST RATES.

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Philip

BREXIT—THE UNITED KINGDOM TREASURY WAS WRONG ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO INTEREST RATES. In spite of the pessimistic outlook about the effects of Brexit by Tyler Durden which I posted on here on June 24, the equity markets, after a … Continue reading →

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“MISBEHAVING”—FAILING TO ACT WITH ECONOMIC RATIONALITY.

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Philip

“MISBEHAVING”—FAILING TO ACT WITH ECONOMIC RATIONALITY. The concept of the test with a maximum score of 137 was not the only idea that Thaler got from his experience with that first test. Thaler explains the title of his book by … Continue reading →

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A MAXIMUM SCORE OF 137

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Philip

A MAXIMUM SCORE OF 137. For Father’s Day, Annalisa gave me MISBEHAVING, a book about behavioral economics by Richard Thaler, one of the pioneers in the field of behavioral economics. The first sentence in the book is: “Early in my … Continue reading →

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BREXIT AND EUROPEAN DISUNITY—A CYNICAL VIEW.

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Philip

BREXIT AND EUROPEAN DISUNITY—A CYNICAL VIEW. This post on Zero Hedge by Michael Shedlock (and not by Tyler Durden) poses the question in the headline: “Why Did The UK Enter The EU In The First Place?” In the course of … Continue reading →

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DID THE BETTING AT BOOKIES PREDICT BREXIT?

Posted on June 25, 2016 by Philip

DID THE BETTING AT BOOKIES PREDICT BREXIT? The vote in favor of Brexit created a crisis because it was a surprise. The financial markets had priced in the opposite result. This Bloomberg article by Robert Dutton from June 21—before the … Continue reading →

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