Chris Bowlby described the rarely discussed religious undertone to the Eurozone crisis:

• Even though religion appears to be in decline, religious traditions still seem to shape views on money and debt.
• Protestant Germany’s word for debt is the same as “guilt” or “sin”.
• The German Chancellor and President are both from East Germany – an area where Protestantism dominates.
• Historians have pointed out that in the 19^th century there was a Latin Currency Union that Germany refused to join. The union collapsed after countries such as the Papal States minted more money than they should have.
• Perhaps the future of the Eurozone involves a Catholic Latin Union on one side and a Protestant Germany, a Calvinist Netherlands, and a Lutheran Finland on the other.

To read more including how this religious tone played out in the last European summit, Merkel’s religious roots and how she is reminiscent of both Margaret Thatcher and Martin Luther, the 500 year anniversary of Protestant reformation, and the echoes of what Luther was protesting against, click here.

Source: BBC

Tom Shone explained how Hollywood became unhinged from America and why this was the case:

• The American film industry no longer seems…American.
  • The star of the Batman trilogy, Christian Bale, is Welsh.
  • Films used to be about Americans on the big screen such as in Forrest Gump or The Godfather. In 2011 among America’s top 20 movies only The Help and Bridesmaids were American stories. The rest took place in fantasy worlds such as Thor or abroad such as The Hangover.
  • The only stories you’ll see about New York is ones where it is destroyed.
  • The Artist, The King’s Speech, and Slumdog Millionaire have won the Oscars – all films about other countries.
• The reason for this decline is the increasingly lucrative foreign box office.
  • 1993 and Jurassic Park were the first time foreign revenues were greater than American ones.
  • These days 70% of a movie’s revenues come from outside of America.
  • Movies like Battleship which did horribly in the American box office continue to get maid because they do well abroad.

To read the rest of the piece and find many more examples, how Avatar 2 and 3 fit in with this, why this is a Scarlet Pimpernel moment, why Hitchcock used to bill studios for his vacations, how filmmakers used to stake out prospector claims on America, why sets now have to be generic, why the French shouldn’t complain, what industry veterans have to say about it, how South American genres are winning over the north, and what Shone would like to see a movie about, click here.

Source: Slate

Jonathan A. Knee writes that New York’s love affair with Starbucks has turned sour. He juxtaposed the courtship years with the loveless middle age relationship that has now emerged. Highlights include:

• Starbucks in NYC used to work to make you believe that you had left the city:
  • Comfortable chairs distracted from urban life.
  • Cheap refills for discount hungry citizens.
  • Well-stocked bathrooms
• Now however:
  • The chairs are gone, and many Starbucks’ are now standing room only.
  • Since your refill is only eligible if you drank your drink in the store, Starbucks is now moving to eliminate refills since people aren’t likely to finish their drinks in a store without sitting room.
  • Starbucks no longer wants to be New York City’s public bathroom.
• Perhaps the reason for the change is that when it first entered the New York market Starbucks was a young chain looking to grow.
• But today New York’s stores represent just 1% of Starbucks’ total stores.
• Luckily competitors are moving in to fill the gap.

To read more including how Starbucks used to make you forget how rude New Yorkers can be, how competitors are responding to Starbucks’ transformation, the end of free Wi-Fi, and the rise of anti-Starbucks websites click here. It’s a short, entertaining, and well-written article.

Source: Slate

The Economist reported on some fascinating research with real implications for the next time you visit the supermarket:

• If you were offered a 33% discount in price or a 50% increase in quantity which would you take? According to studies people would overwhelmingly prefer having 50% more, but the two offers are completely identical.
• Similarly if you were given 33% extra free or a 33% discount off the price, you should pick the discount. But most think the two are equal.
• Finally people prefer getting 20% off, and then another 25% off rather than 40% off. But the two are the same.
• The problem is that people, in general, are bad at fractions.

To read more including some of the ways that this is, and can be, used, what this might teach the government, details of the study, why you should watch out before you buy your next car, and what would help you as a shopper, click here.

Source: The Economist

San Francisco has an innovative new plan to deal with the problem of pan-handlers lining the streets writes Heather Knight. Highlights include:

• Evidence suggests that beggars in San Francisco have housing, but pan-handle to supplement their income or because they have nothing else to do.
• At the same time the economic recession has caused pet owners to abandon their dogs. A minority of these dogs require special treatment and care from people with a lot of time.
• The city plans to offer to pay beggars $50-$75 a week to take care of these dogs, and promises to pay all associated dog expenses.
• Candidates need to be living in a house, can’t be severely mentally ill, can’t have a history of violence, must seek treatment if they have addictions, and must give up begging if they want to keep the dogs.

To read more including the safeguards put in place for both the pan-handlers and the dogs, what happens to dogs that are not socialized to interact with humans, how many dogs are left in the shelters, what happens when a human-dog pairing isn’t deemed a good match, other ways that the city has tried to deal with the problem of pan-handing, and the therapeutic effect of dogs, click here.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Via: Freakonomics

Tim Harford presented three explanations for why so many prices in stores end in .99. They are:

• A .99 price requires the person at checkout to open the drawer and make change. This prevents them from giving the item away to the consumer and pocketing the money for themselves.
• Some believe that a price that ends with .99 is a mark of quality that makes consumers feel more comfortable.
• The most popular explanation, however, is that by the time customers see the .99 in $7.99, they already think the good is priced closer to $7 than $8.

To read more including why Harford decided to write this article, how changing eras have led to changing explanations, the role of psychology in economics, and what studies have suggested, click here.

Source: Tim Harford

Via: Marginal Revolution

Those who go to the library and those who go to the gym seem to have something in common, writes Fred Pampel. They’re both generally thin. According to his study:

• In theory reading a book is just as low calorie an activity as watching TV or playing cards. Yet those who read books have a lower weight than those who don’t.
• This connection is strongest for those who live in Western Europe. The relationship is less strong in Eastern Europe and other parts of the world.
• This relationship is stronger for women than for men.
• Some explanations for this link include:
  • Educated people are more likely to read books, and are also likely to understand the importance of good health and the steps needed to maintain a healthy body weight.
  • Graduating from college may give one the confidence necessary to pursue life-long goals and ambitions.
  • Those who read books likely exist in a social circle that values low body weight. Social norms might be driving weight loss.

To read more including other explanations for the relationship, how the study was conducted, what the data wasn’t clear on, which countries the findings were clearest in, and how you can lose 10 pounds, click here.

Source: Pacific Standard

Via: Freakonomics