[SLICES]
LIFE
[ T H E U G LY T RU T H ]
EVERYTHING
HAS A PRICE
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hat is the cost of producing CO2? How much does it cost for an illegal immigrant to cross through a desert border? How much is happiness worth? These are just a few of the questions explored in a fascinating new book, Eduardo Porter’s The Price of Everything. It turns out, everything really does have a price—and that price affects our values, even if we don’t realize it.
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WHAT A DRAG Cigarettes doubled in price since 1990. But since 1981, the price of heroin fell 41% and the price of cocaine fell 27%. Between 1988 and 2009, the share of 12th graders who admitted having done drugs in the last month increased from 16% to 23%. The share of teens who had smoked a cigarette fell from 28% to 20%.
BY THE GALLON Printer ink costs $4,731 per gallon. Which clearly means we should be charging more for this magazine.
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BUYING VOTES
Barack Obama spent $730 million to win the presidency, or approximately $10.50 for each voter who supported him in the election. McCain spent only $5.60 for each of his.
4 THE COLLEGE EDGE A man who graduated from college earns, on average, 84% more than a man who only has a high school degree.
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THE POWER OF PRAYER
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ITALIAN INFLATION
Stamping the words “product of Italy” on the label can raise the price of a bottle of wine by more than 50%.
THEN WHY ARE MACS STILL SO EXPENSIVE? The price of computers fell 99% between 1980 and 2009, after accounting for inflation.
MORE PRICES: A regularly updated blog by author Eduardo Porter that tracks various prices.
RELEVANTMAGAZINE.COM
The happiness boost from praying one more time a week is equivalent to making roughly an extra $12,500 a year. Not to mention the heavenly riches you'll be storing.
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