Does Posting a Calorie Count Change How People Eat?

Yes, see Freakonomics for full response.

The Textbook Economics of Cap-and-Trade

Nobel winner Paul Krugman does a good job of explaining “Cap-and-Trade.

Against Obviousness

Tyler Cowen points out why certain things we study are obvious:

Things can be obvious if they are simple. If something complicated is obvious, such as anything that anybody seriously studies, then for it to be simple you must be abstracting it a lot. When people find such things obvious, what they often mean is that the abstraction is so clear and simple its implications are unarguable. This is answering the wrong question. Most of the reasons such conclusions might be false are hidden in what you abstracted away. The question is whether you have the right abstraction for reality, not whether the abstraction has the implications it seems to.

Is Murdoch’s Plan to Charge for Online News Doomed?

From The Atlantic:

Rupert Murdoch announced plans to charge for all online content of his newspaper and TV empire, in what is possibly the boldest move of any media mogul to boost revenue from online news. Since Murdoch’s News Corp empire spans the globe, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, Fox News and basically anything ever published in Australia ever, this would send shock waves through a barren online media landscape that is gasping for revenue streams. But will it work?

Watch the Data You Read

From the Big Picture:

Barron’s Alan Abelson discusses the lack of media skepticism when reporting most economic data these days.

Excerpt:

“Take the big play given to the 3.6% rise in sales of existing homes last month, which helped power a nearly 200-point rally in the Dow that lifted that venerable index over 9000 for the first time since January. Adding to the excited stock market response was the refrain in virtually every story, whether recounted in print or on the Internet and the tube, that this was the third month in a row of higher sales, signaling that the long-awaited but frustratingly elusive bottom in housing had been reached. Really?

As Mark Hanson of the eponymous real-estate advisory points out, it’s a seasonal phenomenon that until recent years has happened every year.

Indeed, the wonder of it is that, with prices soft and mortgage rates down, sentiment better and supply restrained by foreclosure moratoriums, sales weren’t higher than a year ago. Some of those benign factors are changing, and not for the better: Rates are creeping up, moratoriums are ending and foreclosures are on the rise.

Prices, moreover, are also rising, Mark points out, “but only at the low end, as investors and first-time home owners slug it out for $150,000 foreclosure sales.”

Prices at the middle and high end are a whole different and not very happy story. And Mark notes ominously, “rising foreclosures as the market enters the slow season is a negative housing leading indicator that wasn’t in place in July 2008, but was in place in July 2007,” when the roof started to fall in.

Although it may sometimes seem as if we do, it isn’t that we believe every hopeful bit of news should be dumped on. But an account tempered by a little perspective might give investors and everyone else a truer picture of the way things are rather than the way we wish they were.”

Carnival of Economics – February

Welcome to the February 10, 2009 edition of carnival of economics.

Adam presents Arbitrage and Social Tools posted at Cloud Culture.

Susan Tatum presents Making Marketing Happen – Are Baby Steps Better? | Technology Marketing by Tatum Marketing posted at Technology Marketing by Tatum Marketing.

drizzit12 presents Funny Auto Bailout Picture posted at Super Tight Stuff.

MoneyNing presents E-Trade Complete Online Savings Account Review posted at Money Ning, saying, “ETrade is a great online bank, especially if you already have an brokerage with them. Give this bank a serious consideration if you are looking for a place to park your money!”

Fiona King presents 100 Terrific Self-Learning Sites to Boost Your Resume During the Recession posted at Best Universities.

David presents 20 Questions with J.D. Roth, author of Get Rich Slowly posted at Pimp Your Finances, saying, “20 questions with J.D. Roth, one of the most popular personal finance bloggers.”

David presents Pimp Your Finances – 20 Questions with J.D. Roth, author of Get Rich Slowly posted at Pimp Your Finances, saying, “20 qyestions with JD Roth, one of the most popular personal finance bloggers”

Investing School presents Bid Ask Spread posted at Investing School, saying, “Learn everything there is to know about bid, ask spreads”

Raymond presents Best CD Rates For High Yield Certificate Of Deposits posted at Money Blue Book.

Travel Advocate presents Airline Travel Scoring Flying Deals posted at The Travel Advocate.

Debt Freedom Fighter presents Why Reading a Credit Card Review is Important posted at Discover Debt Freedom!.

Savings Toolbox presents Stashing Cash at Home posted at Savings Toolbox.

Insurance Toolbox presents What is PMI and Why Do You Have to Pay it? posted at Insurance Toolbox.

Ben presents Tax Forms to Gather For Your Tax Return posted at Money Smart Life.

Debt Free Destiny presents Save Time and Money: Plan Your Meals in Advance posted at Debt Free Destiny.

apply4-credit presents And the Credit Fraud Continues posted at Credit Card Applications Expert | Apply4-Credit.com.

Destroy Debt presents 11 Wierd Ways to Use Coca Cola and Save Money posted at Destroy Debt.

Deposit Accounts presents Understanding the Differences Between a Money Market Deposit Account and a Money Market Mutual Fund posted at Deposit Accounts.

Trisha Wagner presents What I’ve Learned About Working From Home posted at Empowering Mom.

The Smarter Wallet presents Would You Go Into Business For Yourself During This Recession? posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “The question arises whether it’s a good idea to start a business during a down economy.”

Wenchypoo presents Bail YOURSELF Out in 2009 posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.

Finance Tips 101 presents Identity Theft Prevention Tips posted at Finance Tips 101.

MoneyNing presents 50 Ways to Budget Travel and Save Money on Vacations posted at Money Ning, saying, “Being a frugal traveler can save you so much money!”

Carole Gold presents There’s Only One of Us posted at Carole Gold, saying, “Could it be that the solution isn’t in Washington or on Wall Street but in you?”

Tyrone Solee presents What caused the Recession? posted at Millionaire Acts, saying, “A simple explanation on what caused the recession of a lot of economies.”

Wenchypoo presents Timely Rerun: Timeless Moves You Can Make to Maximize Earnings and Minimize Taxes posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.

Tamir Birk presents Save the Economy: Legalize Marijuana posted at Informed Vote | Keeping Canadian Voters Informed.

Adam presents The Stimulus Debate posted at Sophistpundit.

Joshua Seth presents How To Make More Money This Year posted at Joshua Seth Blog, saying, “What is your income goal for this year? Don’t know? Then how will you achieve it? If you don’t target a specific goal then how will you ever be able to hit it? Take a minute right now and figure it out. What do you want to earn this year? And here’s a little secret… that number is almost entirely based on your self-esteem.”

Destroy Debt presents It’s No Secret Keeping Money Secrets From Your Partner is Not the Ideal Way to maintain a Relationship posted at Destroy Debt.

Deposit Accounts presents Money Management During a Recession posted at Deposit Accounts.

Joe Manausa presents Real Estate Sales Success | Tallahassee Real Estate Blog posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, “By tracking movement of inventory in the MLS, one is able to tell if the market is expanding or contracting, and whether property values are rising or falling. With this information in hand each month, you can best understand a great strategy for selling a home (or one for buying a home).”

Christine presents Limited to 20 Euro ATM Withdraws in France from US Bank, Why? posted at Me, My Kid and Life: An American Single Mom Living in France.

Finance Tips 101 presents Credit Card Debt It Is Not Always Your Fault posted at Finance Tips 101.

Ralph Jean-Paul presents How To Make Important Decisions Quickly posted at Potential 2 Success, saying, “Quick decision making is critical in just about every aspect of life. Learn why it is sometimes difficult to make decisions and how to improve your decision making skills.”

Susan Tatum presents Do You Really Need a Marketing Plan? posted at Technology Marketing by Tatum Marketing.

Gavin R. Putland presents How Australia loses $1 trillion a year posted at LVRG Blog.

MoneyNing presents How to Brighten the Path to Prosperity Even in a Dark Tunnel posted at Money Ning, saying, “The way we look at the problem IS the problem. Light up yourself, and you can navigate any dark road.”

Madeleine Begun Kane presents No Quid? No Quo! posted at Mad Kane’s Political Madness.

jim presents American Recovery & Reinvestment Plan Details posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Finance Tips 101 presents Drowning In Debt? Bad Credit Loans May Need To Be Considered! posted at Finance Tips 101.

Matthew Paulson presents 7 Tips For Saving Money as a Renter posted at American Consumer News.

Ken presents Doing our part! posted at thehumblecoach.com.

Debt Wizard presents Long Term Risk Versus Short Term Risk posted at Money Help, saying, “A key point in understanding risk in the stock market is time frame”

SJ presents The Truth About Petrol Prices posted at Save Money On Gas, saying, “Everywhere you look, people are complaining about high petrol prices. And they have good reason too – the high fuel prices seem to have become a worldwide phenomenon.”

Junior presents Thoughts About An Upcoming Big Three Bailout posted at Car Commentary, saying, “The three-headed monster that is the major three US automakers will undoubtadly come back in the next few months asking Congress for more money.”

Joe Manausa presents Tallahassee Foreclosure Report | Tallahassee Real Estate Blog posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, “There is plenty of news in the national media about foreclosures. From everything that I have read, I suspect for every 100 foreclosures that have and will hit the real estate market during our current housing crisis, we have only seen 2 or 3. The bulk of the foreclosures have yet to hit the market.”

audio-fish presents The Soundtrack To Your Economic Crisis posted at audiofish, saying, “Just a bit of fun amongst all the doom and gloom of the economic climate.”

Wenchypoo presents When Nutrition and Need Collide posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.

Wenchypoo presents Rethink the Value of College posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.

Sarah Scrafford presents 100 Free Open Courses to Be Your Own Financial Planner posted at Learn-gasm.

Stephen Smith presents Uncomfortable truths about the progressive legacy posted at Raționalitate, saying, “About the history of transportation and the nation’s move from privately-built mass transit to publicly-funded roads, and the legacy of Progressive Era economic intervention on the transportation sector and environment today.”

One Family presents Our Fannie Mae (FNM) Investment – A Case Of Escaping With Minor Wounds! posted at One Family’s Blog.

Kristjan presents Blame Keynesian Economics posted at Personal Development for Awesome People, saying, “Keynesian economics will lead the world to a depression!”

Raymond presents Second Stimulus Check For Obama 2009 Economic Stimulus Package? posted at Money Blue Book.

Avi presents My contribution to the world: I’m … Still Spending! posted at Nothing wrong in bumming around!, saying, “Not figures and data kind of analysis, but debates the “merits of spending”: which has become an economic fact for even a layman on American soil.”

Finance Tips 101 presents The Pros And Cons Of Personal Loans posted at Finance Tips 101.

DebbieDragon presents Tips for Choosing the Right Tax Preparation Service posted at American Consumer News.

Debt Freedom Fighter presents What is a Personal Loan? posted at Discover Debt Freedom!.

Ben presents 7 Things Your Insurance Company or Agent Won’t Tell You posted at Money Smart Life.

apply4-credit presents Why Your Credit Card Application Was Rejected posted at Credit Card Applications Expert | Apply4-Credit.com.

SJ presents Saving Petrol – Easy And Effective Tips That Work posted at Save Money On Gas, saying, “Thinking about how you can start saving petrol? So is the rest of the world – the truth is that the rising gas prices have hit everyone on a global scale.”

Silicon Valley Blogger presents No 2009 Economic Stimulus Check? How Obama’s Stimulus Plan Affects The Middle Class posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Thank you!”

The Smarter Wallet presents Will The Obama Economic Stimulus Check and 2009 Stimulus Plan Save The Economy? posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “Thanks!”

Leaving The Folks presents Avoiding Resume Mistakes posted at Real World Advice, saying, “Given today’s tough job market, it is important to not have any mistakes on your resume.”

Joe Manausa presents Safe Home Buying Process In Tallahassee | Tallahassee Real Estate Blog posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, “If you have ever purchased a home, then you know how much emotion goes into the selection process. Buying a home is not like buying something off the shelf at a consumables store, rather it is a process in which we determine how we will be living our lives in the near future. A prudent buyer knows this and therefore should create a process that does not allow emotion to initiate the home selection process.”

Housing Affordability at All-Time High

Carpe Diem has found some great news regarding housing:

Hopefully, the increase in housing affordability and new record-high will play an important role in the real estate market’s recovery. Interestingly, the record-high level of housing affordability has not yet been reported, or at least I couldn’t find a single news report on this topic.

Interview with Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize Winner

92Y Video: Paul Krugman, Toward a Great Society

Carnival of Economics – January 13, 2009

Welcome to the January 13, 2009 edition of carnival of economics.

Susan Tatum presents Nine Ways to Know It’s Time to Expand Your Marketing | Technology Marketing by Tatum Marketing posted at Technology Marketing by Tatum Marketing.

Jacob presents The Third Economy posted at The U.S. Parliament.

bookfundas presents The Handbook of International Trade: A Guide to the Principles and Practice of Export – DOWNLOAD eBOOK NOW..! posted at BookFundas.com, saying, “The Handbook of International Trade provides a thorough understanding of the issues involved in developing and managing overseas trade. Aimed at students studying for the Institute of Export professional qualification and practitioners involved in export and international trade, this important new book provides both ‘textbook’ information and accessible guidelines for best practice, including international marketing, the legal environment, the export order process, risk management, and export finance.”

Finance Tips 101 presents What Is The Meaning Of Frugal Living? posted at Finance Tips 101.

Finance Tips 101 presents Essential Money Saving Tips posted at Finance Tips 101.

Adam presents Chronicle of the Death of Newspapers, Foretold posted at Cloud Culture.

David Mahler presents Lindsay Williams Was Right – Now What? posted at TruthMission, saying, “Thank you for considering my article.”

Abhishek Ghorai presents Welcome to Stock Market posted at The Cavastian Way, saying, “Hilarious description of stock market”

Jim presents Winners of the 2008 Recession & Credit Crisis posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Joe Manausa presents Real Estate Supply And Demand | Tallahassee Real Estate Blog posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, “It really isn’t that hard to tell where the real estate market is heading. All we need to do is take a quick re-examination of Economics 101 and realize that Supply and Demand actually do matter in the real estate market.”

One Family presents Frugal Living – Ten Great Gift Ideas for Frugal Families (Christmas Holiday Shopping Tips) posted at One Family’s Blog.

Matthew Paulson presents Laid Off? What Now? posted at American Consumer News.

Matthew Paulson presents Figure Out Your Magic Number: The Amount You Need Savedt o Live Your Ideal Life posted at American Consumer News.

Deposit Accounts presents Will Opening a Deposit Account Affect My Credit Score posted at The Money Blog.

debergerac78 presents When it comes to regulation it’s a matter of quality, not quantity posted at The Business Ethics Blog, saying, “Two watchwords when it comes to regulation–effectiveness and enforcement.”

Robert Sanders presents Why Wall Street’s Brightest Minds Could Not Save The Financial Crisis | The Bailout Economy posted at The Bailout Economy.

Ben presents Year End Policy Review Tips for Lowering Rates and Checking Coverage posted at Money Smart Life.

Banquet Manager presents A Case of Miller Lite posted at So You Want To Be a Banquet Manager….

Finance Tips 101 presents Timeshares, Affordable Part Time Ownership With A Twist posted at Finance Tips 101.

Susan Tatum presents Making Marketing Happen – Are Baby Steps Better? | Technology Marketing by Tatum Marketing posted at Technology Marketing by Tatum Marketing.

Mike presents Brand, Branded and More Branding! posted at Trade Show Convention Displays Blog, saying, “Conventiondisplay.blogsome.com is a blog dedicated to the trade show industry and was created to discuss new product developments, trends, show marketing, and specific trade show venues throughout the trade show industry.”

Investing School presents 9 Terrific Investing Websites That is Sure to Suck Up Your Time posted at Investing School, saying, “If you are into investing at all, you need to take a look at these great websites for your research needs!”

Joshua Dorkin presents Gas Prices Alter Housing Values posted at Real Estate Investing For Real.

Fiona Lohrenz presents Why You Should Start A Day Care In A Recession posted at Child Care Only.

Debbie Dragon presents It’s Not About The Money posted at Share Your Number.

apply4-credit presents Got Bad Credit? Get Secure posted at Apply4-Credit.

Darryl Kimball presents Just Give Me a Home Based Business that Makes Money! posted at Just Give Me a Home Based Business That Makes Money, saying, “This article takes an honest look at the home based business industry and some of the pitfalls waiting for the person starting a new home based business. Many of us have started a new home based business filled with excitement and hope, only to be left with frustration and dismay. After all, we just want a home based business that makes money.”

DebbieDragon presents Finding Your Growth Engine posted at 7 Millionaires… in Training!.

Howard Ditkoff presents Recognizing the Shameful Ostracism of Ecological Economics During America’s Economic Crisis posted at SystemsThinker.com Blog, saying, “This is a commentary regarding the way ecological economics has been left out of the debate during our current economic crisis. While this piece is actually published on the main part of my website, and so is not technically a blog piece, I do have a blog, which I’ve linked to above.”

Barry Wright III presents Individualism as Value posted at 3stylelife.

Sean Reynolds presents Economic Meltdown posted at Creativity, saying, “The perpetrators of the destruction of the world trade centre twin towers and the murder of 3,000 people on the 9th of November 2001 in New York sought by this dastardly act to strike at the heart of capitalism and thereby bring it down like a house of cards.”

Wenchypoo presents Santa, All I Want for Christmas is a Decent-Sized, Decent-Priced House posted at Wisdom From Wenchypoo’s Mental Wastebasket.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Banks To Taxpayers: Drop Dead! posted at Mad Kane’s Political Madness.

Darryl Kimball presents My next great Home Based Business Venture posted at Just Give Me a Home Based Business That Makes Money, saying, “Since the time we are small children we are told that if we fail the first time, we should try and try again until we succeed. It doesn’t matter what we are doing or trying to accomplish, we only fail when we give up on ourselves.”

smilerz presents Big Changes Needed in Detroit posted at Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of ….

Deposit Accounts presents How to Choose a Money Market Account posted at Deposit Accounts.

Ben presents Best Online Savings Accounts posted at Money Smart Life.

Insurance Toolbox presents How to Avoid Disputes on Your Car Insurance posted at Insurance Toolbox.

Joe Manausa presents REAL ESTATE TRENDS WORTH WATCHING | Tallahassee Real Estate Blog posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, “The MLS is the only source of information that directly ties supply to demand, so I find that it is important to keep an eye on this set of information on a daily basis. The most important information is new listings, new sales, new failures, and new pendings (homes put under contract), and track these as an “average” or trend over time.”

Debt Freedom Fighter presents 3 Methods to Discover the Best Company For Credit Card Debt Relief posted at Discover Debt Freedom!.

Savings Toolbox presents Save For College With 529 Plans Through FreshmanFund posted at Savings Toolbox.

Insurance Toolbox presents How to Save Money When Buying a LIfe Insurance Policy posted at Insurance Toolbox.

Darryl Kimball presents The Internet Gold Rush, More Business Lessons Learned posted at Just Give Me a Home Based Business That Makes Money, saying, “By this time in my home based business quest for success, the internet craze had swept the nation and new million dollar dot com companies seemed to be the talk of every newscast.”

Junior presents Casualties of the Oil Bubble posted at Car Commentary, saying, “It did��t take long for the oil bubble to burst. When it did, many victims were left in its wake.”

Vanessa Wolf presents Global Gloom and other encouraging word combinations posted at Wide Awake in Wonderland, saying, “Don’t know if you’re open to something a little bit humorous. Thanks for the consideration! Happy New Year! Vanessa”

Adam presents Burying Bentham posted at Sophistpundit.

Bill Spohnholtz presents Bailout Bazooka posted at Learn The Stock Market And How to Trade.

Praveen presents Three Financial Suicides posted at My Simple Trading System.

Jim presents How Comparative Advantage Affects Your Job on Blueprint for Financial Prosperity posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

old-wizard presents Top 5 Worst Careers of the Millennium posted at old-wizard.com.

Darryl Kimball presents My MLM Experience Part II- Working The Business posted at Just Give Me a Home Based Business That Makes Money, saying, “So I begin to study and work my new Amway business. I am excited about the prospect of building a large successful business, but my new venture is not without some personal doubts.”

Debt Freedom Fighter presents Achieve Debt Elimination in Five Simple Steps posted at Discover Debt Freedom!.

Credit Card Assist presents Is Credit Card Insurance a Scam? posted at Credit Cards Blog | CreditCardAssist.com.

Deposit Accounts presents Top 10 Free Online Money Management Tools posted at The Money Blog.

The Whited Sepulchre presents The Whited Sepulchre: Buying Locally Grown – No matter how far you have to drive posted at The Whited Sepulchre, saying, “Here’s an analysis of spending and guilt, and the bizarre hoops we’ll jump through to rationalize our spending decisions (and our attacks on our neighbors). Enjoy !”

Raymond presents Best CD Rates For High Yield Certificate Of Deposits posted at Money Blue Book.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Family Life In America: Report on Lifestyle, Economic Trends From The Trenches posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Thanks!”

The Smarter Wallet presents Can A Housing Assistance Program Prevent Foreclosure? posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “Do housing assistance programs work?”

Harold Fordham presents The Importance Of Budgeting posted at Keep Your Cash, saying, “If you stick to your budget, you can keep yourself from spiraling into deep debt.”

Chelsy Albertson presents Guest Article: Why College Is So Overrated posted at Earn Money – Earning Money From Home, saying, “The recent credit-driven recession should make us rethink the ROI from attending a high-priced college.”

Lisa Spinelli presents If “Global Recession” Was a Jeopardy Category posted at Greener Pastures: Personal Finance, saying, ““I’ll take ‘Global Recession’ for $200, Alex.””

Joe Manausa presents January 2009 Housing Market Trends | Tallahassee Real Estate Blog posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, “The continuation of the three-year-old bear market in real estate has brought many people forward to comment on the condition of the real estate market. It seems for everybody with an opinion, there are an equal number of theories about where the housing market is going. So, not to be left out of the crowd……. I thought I would chime in with an (updated) opinion of my own.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of economics using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

“Worldly Economic Thoughts” has a new home

I have moved “Worldly Economic Thoughts” and made some changes. The blogs new title is “Economics 101″ and it is hosted at word press. I felt the name change would reflect more of what the blog is really about.