Freakonomics

One of the current "it" books, Freakonomics prods the reader to question why things are the way they are, what does and does not affect the end result, and so forth.

Here are my gleanings/spoilers...

1. What do Schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common?

They both can cheat: Bad teachers can alter their students test scores to boost grades; the sumo wrestling system has a "scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" dealio that helps keep the highly-ranked wrestlers in the upper part of the pyramid.

2. How is Ku Klux Klan Like a Group of Real-Estate Agents?

Both have suffered from their information being leaked out, the latter because of the Internet. I found the KKK story to be amusing: After information is leaked and written into a Superman radio show, Klan membership drops after seeing their children playing Superman vs. KKK.

3. Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live Their Moms?

Like big American business, it's the top cats that get the big bucks, and the lower peons that have to scrape on by.

4. Where Have All the Criminals Gone?

Not so many are being born since Roe vs. Wade.

5. What Makes a Perfect Parent?

Half of it is genetics. The rest, more so what the parents ARE as opposed to what the parents DO.

6. Perfect Parenting, Part II; or: Would a Roshanda by Any Other Name Smell as Sweet?

Baby names rise and fall in popularity like fashion trends. "Oh, the richer family named their baby this so I'll name my kid that too!"

A fun read.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

started last night, slept, then finished off the new Harry Potter book this morning. If you're reading this entry, chances are you've already read the book too, so no summary for you! Instead, a musing...

That inferi pond water? Maybe it got some revival ju-ju in it. And Dumbledore will return, like Gandalf. He he.

That's all!