Tuesday's Assorted Links

Landline phones, Sriracha shortage, Harry Markowitz, doped athletes, and the misery index

The misery index is a measure of economic distress felt by everyday people, due to the risk of (or actual) joblessness combined with an increasing cost of living. Learn more in today’s links!

Hi y’all! Here are five stories from this week that contained some neat applications of economic principles or are related to teaching:

1. A quarter of Americans still have landlines [The Washington Post]

2. Sriracha sauce is selling for as much as $120 amid a prolonged shortage [CNN Business]

3. Harry Markowitz, Nobel-winning pioneer of modern portfolio theory, dies at 95 [The New York Times]

4. Enhanced Games pitches Olympics-style competition for doping athletes [Sports Illustrated]

5. The misery index (unemployment rate + inflation rate) is falling fast [Axios]

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Last week the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that race-conscious admissions through affirmative action programs were deemed unconstitutional. The majority of justices believed that statistical discrimination was occurring around a protected class, which violated the equal protection clause of the 15th Amendment.

Get caught up on Monday’s post here: