Tuesday's Assorted Links

Cost of Thanksgiving dinner, tipping, e-cigarette, holiday travel, and a Canadian mayor

The average cost of Thanksgiving dinner will be a little cheaper this year, but it will still be more expensive than many of us remember. Learn more below 👇

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

1. The cost of this year’s Thanksgiving dinner will be a little less than last year's [American Farm Bureau]

2. A new study finds that 72% of people said the long-standing practice of tipping is now expected in more places than five years ago [Pew Research Center]

3. E-cigarette usage among high-schoolers is at its lowest point in almost a decade [Associated Press]

4. The TSA estimates that 30 million people will fly around Thanksgiving, 49.1 million are expected to drive to their celebrations, and 750,000 will hop on Amtrak [The New York Times]

5. Ottawa is hiring a "night mayor" to energize the city between 6 pm and 6 am with a $160k budget [CTV News]

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Get ready for a Thanksgiving twist you'll spot at the dinner table later this week: the last slice of pie dilemma! People are often slow to grab that last slice of pie, but why? It’s a combination of social norms, behavioral economics, and altruism.

Learn the solution to this holiday puzzle: