Reading

A blog post covering a TED Talk by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman suggests that happiness plateaus at an income of $60,000 per year. via My Money Blog

Al Jazeera provides live news updates on the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, including rocket attacks and bombings.

Tyler Cowen shares a study analyzing the relationship between media figures' political leanings and their news consumption habits. via The source of this content is Marginal Revolution.

Arnold Kling wonders if intellectuals tend towards pessimism, citing Matt Ridley's suggestion they do so to garner attention and funding. via Econlib

Bryan Caplan of EconLog provides a brief overview of the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which was later deemed unconstitutional.

FlowingData's 2010 article showcases maps of major cities based on geotagged photos, color-coded by mode of transportation.

David Henderson's blog post discusses the evolution of the Civil Rights Act and how its application has changed since the 1960s. via Econlib

Tyler Cowen responds to Arnold Kling's assertion that the economy is not in as bad of shape as people think, arguing that dashed expectations for future growth have impacted living standards. via Marginal REVOLUTION.

Steve Landsburg discusses the argument that refusing service based on race could increase taxpayer costs for police enforcement. via The Big Questions: Tackling the Problems of Philosophy with Ideas from Mathematics, Economics, and Physics

A truck carrying 17 million bees crashed, releasing a "big black cloud" of insects in Minnesota. via kottke.org

Bryan Caplan discusses Nicholas Kristof's examples of how low conscientiousness, such as prioritizing alcohol over mosquito nets, contributes to poverty in Africa.

via Econlib.

An article explores the debunked myth of the "crack baby," highlighting that while prenatal cocaine exposure has some negative effects, they are relatively small and often overstated. via Mind Hacks