Tsvangirai Speaks
In a new interview with Foreign Policy‘s Elizabeth Dickinson, Tsvangirai discusses his old rival, the frustratingly slow progress of the Zimbabwean unity government, his beef with the international community, and his plans for Zimbabwe’s battered economy. Read More »
When Airline Tickets Start Looking Like Cigarettes
Cigarettes are some of the most heavily taxed goods around. According to this source, the average state tax per pack of cigarettes is $1.23, plus an additional $1.01 of federal taxes, as well as any local taxes. With an average price per pack in the United States of $4.82, the combined state and federal taxes make up 46 percent of the price. In Chicago, total taxes per pack are a whopping $4.67 per pack! I don’t know the exact price of cigarettes in Chicago, but taxes must be around two thirds of the total cost. Read More »
FREAK Shots: A Different Use for Your Picket Fence
This photo, sent to us by blog reader Mike Martin, shows how some residents of Newtown, Australia, deal with their junk mail. The sign says it’s a science experiment, but we’d imagine that impaling your junk mail on a fence can also be highly therapeutic. Read More »
What Do 3,000 Years Do to Wages?
One of the better-known biblical passages, Leviticus 27:1-7, lists the value of pledges of silver to the temple based on the value of a person: 50 shekels for a man between the ages of 20 and 60, 30 shekels for a woman of the same age, 15 shekels for a man over 60, and 10 shekels for a woman over 60. Once we ignore differences in labor-force participation, the earnings ratios today are not that far from what was expected 3,000 years ago. Read More »
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