The Consumer Price Index Is Not Economic Reality The nation’s leading indicator of inflation has always existed as a creature of politics and power, revised and updated in ways that betray its image. (Bloomberg)
How People Get Rich Now In 1982 the most common source of wealth was inheritance. Of the 100 richest people, 60 inherited from an ancestor. By 2020 the number of heirs had been cut in half, accounting for only 27 of the biggest 100 fortunes. How are people making these new fortunes? Roughly 3/4 by starting companies and 1/4 by investing (Paul Graham)
6 boomtowns: What’s driving LI’s rising home prices Long Island’s real estate market has gone wild during the pandemic, with luxury homes that once languished on the market suddenly sparking bidding wars, and some first-time homebuyers scrambling to make offers of $30,000 or more over asking prices. (Newsday)
Over 3 Million People Took This Course on Happiness. Here’s What Some Learned. It may seem simple, but it bears repeating: sleep, gratitude and helping other people. (New York Times)
Alan Cross: Sorry Gen X, but the music of your youth is now the new classic rock Back when The Simpsons still offered biting social commentary, season seven saw Homer try to impress Bart and Lisa by scoring tickets to the Lollapalooza-like Hullabalooza, which featured Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, and a very baked Cypress Hill. Homer was crushed when he realized that his music, which he had always believed achieved perfection in 1974, wasn’t cool anymore. He’d become just like this father. (Global)
How Ramadan helped a Halifax brewery make peace with the mosque next door Ramadan is a time of forgiveness, which Good Robot received when it became a good neighbour (CBC)
The Redemption of Justin Bieber He made every mistake a child star can make, including the ones that nearly destroyed him. Now—fortified by God, marriage, and a new album, Justice—Justin Bieber is putting his life back together, one positive, deliberate step at a time. (GQ)
Absolute Decoupling of Economic Growth and Emissions in 32 Countries The past 30 years have seen immense progress in improving the quality of life for much of humanity. Extreme poverty — the number of people living on less than $1.90 per day — has fallen by nearly two-thirds, from 1.9 billion to around 650 million. Life expectancy has risen in most of the world, along with literacy and access to education, while infant mortality has fallen. (Breakthrough)
