Sunday Reads...

An irregular round-up of interesting reads.  Most of these made me go "hmmmmm," none of them imply concurrence:

Quote of the Day:

"From the fact that people are very different it follows that, if we treat them equally, the result must be inequality in their actual position, and that the only way to place them in an equal position would be to treat them differently. Equality before the law and material equality are therefore not only different but are in conflict with each other; and we can achieve either one or the other, but not both at the same time." - F.A. Hayek.

• Need a memento mori reminder? This calculator has you covered.

• What is the perfect length for a song?

• A stunning 97% of young adults who follow the Success Sequence escape poverty by their late 20s and early 30s, according to research by Wendy Wang and Brad Wilcox. Furthermore, 86% of young adults who follow all three steps reach the middle or upper class. The study also indicates that the Success Sequence applies to young adults across racial and economic lines.  What is the “Success Sequence?”  It is:

  1. Get at least a high school education 

  2. Work full-time 

  3. Marry before having children

• America's religions in one chart:

Charting Religion in the United States

• Without a warrant, the U.S. Treasury is increasing its financial surveillance of U.S. citizens.

• The data on institutional residential homeowners is complicated, but it provides some counter-narrative indications that it benefits the community.

• The history of the “March Madness Bracket” is disputed.

• The drug overdose spike correlated to the government’s COVID-19 response has abated -which is promising – but has still not fallen to pre-Covid levels.  This is another way of saying that the government’s response to COVID-19 is still leading to excess deaths.

• The Democrat “Inflation Reduction Act” is on track to cost U.S. taxpayers $4.7 trillion – without reducing inflation – notes new research.

• Good news! The population of mature trees in America is growing.

• Research shows that "debate training" for young people can increase their leadership talents.

• Confirming the obvious - firms that source internally have higher retention rates than those that source externally.

• Having an international roommate can be a beneficial long-term experience.

• Creating an Apparatchik Class - new research finds that college drives up students' voting participation.

• Makes sense: A study suggests that Mature brands that use "slang" are seen as insincere, whereas emergent brands can use slag effectively.