When to Rob a Bank: ...And 131 More Warped Suggestions and Well-Intended Rants (34 page)

housing prices, 67–69

Hurricane Katrina, 42–43, 325–28

Hussein, Saddam, 58

identity, concept of, 162–63

Immaculate Reception, 216

impure altruism, 328

incentives, 17, 32–36, 65, 95–96, 110, 113, 122, 136, 166, 337–40

inefficiencies, transportation, 170–72

INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service), Form N-400, 237–38

In Search of Excellence
(Peters and Waterman), 284

Internet poker, 127–30, 157

iPad, 124–25

Irfan, Atif, 130–32

irrational decisions, 120–21

IRS, 11–14, 159–60, 257

Jackson, Vincent, 215

Jacob, Brian, 160

Jagger, Mick, 74

Jarden Zinc, 63

J.F.K. airport, 21–22

Jines, Linda Levitt:

      
brother’s eulogy for, 297–301

      
father’s interventions, 289–97

      
and
Freakonomics,
277, 297–98

Jingjing Zhang, 31

Johnson, Larry, 207

Johnston, David Cay, 11–12

Kaczynski, Ted (Unabomber), 287

Kahneman, Daniel, 3, 119–24, 206

Katrina (popular name), 42–43

Kennedy, Bobby, 279

Kentucky Derby, 220–22

Keyes, Alan, 279

KFC, 272–73

Killefer, Nancy, 158

kiwifruits, 77–80

Kormendy, Amy, 169

Kranton, Rachel, 162

Kulkarni, Ganesh, 140–41

Laffer curve, 72

LaGuardia Airport, 21–23

LaHood, Ray, 21, 103–6

Lake George, boat accident on, 118–19

Lancaster, Barbara, 219

Landsburg, Steven, 259

Lane, Mary MacPherson, 173

Las Vegas:

      
blackjack, 189–91

      
poker, 127–30, 153–58, 187–89, 192–95

      
risk aversion in, 126–27

Lee, Jennifer 8., 41

Lee Hsien Loong, 32

Leeson, Peter, 314–19

Levitt, Michael, “When a Daughter Dies,” 289–97

libraries, public, 14–16

lies of reputation, 137–40

Limberhand (masturbator), 45–46

List, John, 125, 165, 228, 327–28, 338

lobbyists, 62–63

locavores, 168–72

loss aversion, 206–9

Loveman, Gary, 127

ludicity (ludic fallacy), 335

Ludwig, Jens, 246–48

Maass, Peter, 109, 114

Madoff, Bernie, 133

Malthus, Rev. Thomas R., 109

Mandic, Pinar, 88

Manjoo, Farhad, 136

Maréchal, Michel André, 228–29

Margolis, Michael, 165

Martinelli, César, 138–40

Masters, Will, 77–88

Matthews, H. Scott, 171–72

McCain, John, 35–36

McDonald’s, workers in, 273

McKibben, Bill, 179–84

McLaughlin, Dan, 202–4

McWilliams, James, 175–78, 179–84

meat, eating, 179–84

media:

      
and charitable giving, 324–28

      
fears caused by, 113

medical care, limitations of, 297

medical system, interactions with, 289

medicine, and statistics, 280–82

memoirs, fake, 146–48

mental accounts, 68–69

Merton, Robert C., 336

Mickelson, Phil, 73–74

Miles, Tom, 130

military draft, 23–25

Minty, Jessica H., 326

Moonen, Scott, 47

morality vs. economics, 288

Morgan, Yourhighness, 40

morphine, value of, 297

Moscowitz, Toby, 209–12

motorcycle accidents, 102–3

Mullainathan, Sendhil, 347

Mumbai train system, 140–41

Murphy, Kevin, 59

Myanmar, cyclone in, 324–28

Myers, Mike, 306

Nadal, Rafael, 74

names, 37

      
aptonyms, 43–47

      
first, 40, 41

      
heavenly, 41

      
middle, 38–40

      
unpredictability of, 42–43

National Health Service (U.K.), 26–29

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 249–50

National Violent Death Reporting System, 250

natural field experiment, 322

Neckermann, Susanne, 338

negative externality, 87

Newark-Liberty airport, 21–22

New York state senate, 233–36

New York Times, The,
3, 8, 11, 41, 96, 109–16, 167, 276

Nielsen ratings, TV viewing, 322–24

“No Gas Day,” 311–14

Noll, Chuck, 218

Noll, Thomas, 228–29

Nostradamus, 109

Obama, Barack, 33, 214, 278–80

obesity, 116–19

oil, “peak,” 109–16

Oliver, Eric, 118

online dating, 268–69

OPEC, 111–12

Oportunidades, 138–39

opportunity cost, 349–50

orange juice, 174–75

Osgood, Daniel, 165

packaging, 175–78

Pacquiao, Manny, 72–3

Pakistan earthquake, 325–27

panhandlers, 328–37

Pape, Robert, 10

paper vs. plastic bags, 167

Pardo, Bruce, 130–32

Pareto efficiency, 30

Pariah
(TV show), 253–55

Parker, Susan W., 138–40

Pataki, George, 119

Paulos, John Allen, 286

Paulson, Henry, 236

Peltzman, Sam, 166

penny, 61–65

penny floor, 65

Pepsico, 59–60

perfect substitutes, 60

petroleum extraction, 109–16

Pettitte, Andy, 149–50

Pham, David “the Dragon,” 193

pilots, 83–86

pirates, 314–19

Pittsburgh Steelers, 212–19

Plack, Les, 47

Planned Parenthood, 65–67

Pledge-a-Picket, 66

poker:

      
cheating, 154–58

      
how not to cheat, 153–55

      
Internet, 127–30, 157

      
one card away from final table, 192–95

      
record that can never be broken, 192

      
shootout tournament, 193

      
World Series of Poker, 187–88, 192–95

Polamalu, Troy, 216

Poland Spring bottled water, 3–4

Pollan, Michael, 169

postage, exemption from, 141–43

practice, ten thousand hours, 199, 201–2

praise, 351

Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), 280–82

prices:

      
anchoring, 309

      
of autographed baseballs, 80–81

      
bounty on bin Laden, 57–59

      
of cars, 54–57

      
of chicken wings, 75–77

      
and corporate sponsorships, 81

      
discrimination in, 173

      
of food, 116

      
of gas, 86–90

      
for hate mail, 49–51

      
housing, 67–69

      
of kiwifruits, 77–80

      
peak oil, 109–16

      
of a penny, 61–65

      
of prescription drugs, 52–54

      
rising, 110, 111

      
of shrimp, 344

      
of songs, 69–71

      
and substitutes, 113

      
supply and demand, 78–80, 110, 112, 115, 128, 341–44

      
of voices in animated films, 306

priming, 228–29

principal-agent problem, 209

Prius Effect, 185

procrastination, 121

profits, going green for, 172–74

pro-life movement, 65

prostitution:

      
Berlin brothel, 173

      
escort service, 261–67

      
legalization of, 255–56, 265–67

race:

      
in the marketplace, 315–22

      
TV viewing habits, 322–24

rain forest, saving, 174–75

randomization, 322

rational addictions, 92–94

Reeve, Christopher, 102

Reilly, Barry, 225–26

Rickman, Neil, 225–26

RICO (federal racketeering statutes), 232

Rios, Brandon, 72

risk-aversion, 125–27

risk-taking, 121

Rochambeau (Rock, Paper, Scissors), 188–89

Rodriguez, Alex, 149

Roethlisberger, Ben, 103

Roe v. Wade,
288

Romer, David, 208

Rooney family, 214

Rose, Charlie, 274

Rose, Pete, 80–81

Rossi, Martin, 33–34

Rossotti, Charles O., 12

Rubinstein, Yona, 9–10

rugby, blood injuries in, 148–49

Sadoff, Sally, 338

Saffer, Henry, 116

Sandusky, Jerry, 121

satisfaction, 122–23

scientific ideas, legitimacy of, 123

security overkill, 106–7

security screening, 108–9

self-consciousness, 123–24

self-reporting, 137–40

      
INS Form N-400, 237–38

Seltzer, Margaret, 146

Sen, Amartya, 336–37

September 11 attacks, 212–13, 252

sex:

      
casual, 261

      
high-end call girl, 261–67

      
more, 259–61

      
prostitution, 255–56, 265–67

      
tax on, 256–59

Sexton, Alison and Steve, 184–85

shark attacks, 113

Shin-Yi Chou, 116

shrimp, 341–44

Siberry, Jane, 69–71

Silvertooth, Eugene “Chip,” 47

Simmons, Matthew, 114–16

Simon, Julian, 114

60 Minutes,
61–62

skin color, in the marketplace, 319–22

Smith, Adam, 315

Smith, Noah, 26–27

soccer, 209, 211, 212, 256

Somali pirates, 314–19

songs, prices of, 69–71

specialization, efficiency of, 172

sports:

      
autographed baseballs, 80–81

      
betting on teams, 125–26

      
bowling, 204–6

      
cheating in, 148–50

      
doping, 151–52, 153

      
football, 206–9, 212–19, 239–41

      
golf, 198–204

      
home field advantage, 209–12

      
horseback riding, 101–3

      
horse racing, 191, 220–22

      
loss aversion, 206–9

      
players carrying concealed weapons, 240–41

      
soccer, 209, 211, 212, 256

      
steroids, 152–53

      
taxes on athletes’ incomes, 72–74

statistics:

      
and medicine, 280–82

      
misinterpretation of, 345

Stein, Luke, 320–22

Steinem, Gloria, 51

Stenger, Victor, 286

steroids, 152–53

Stevenson, Betsey, 344–47

Stewart, Jon, 273–74

Stewart, M. R., 38–39

stock markets, capitalization of, 67

strangers, fear of, 130–33

street gangs, 229–36, 246–47, 248–49

street handouts, 328–37

Stubbs, Bob, 46

subjectivity, 170

Sullenberger, Chesley “Sully,” 82–83

SuperFreakonomics
(Levitt & Dubner), 54, 101, 105, 119, 121, 261

supply and demand, 78–80, 110, 112, 115, 128, 341–44

Swift, Jonathan, 258–59

Taleb, Nassim Nicholas, 329, 334–37

tax code, 159–60

taxes:

      
on athletes’ incomes, 72–74

      
cheating on, 158–60

      
on sex, 256–59

      
war on, 11–14

Taylor, Brian, 253

Taylor, Sean, 241

teachers, cheating by, 103–4, 160–61

Tejada, Miguel, 149

tenure, 16–19

Terrible Towel, 215

terrorism, 5–11, 108–9, 252

Thaler, Richard, 68, 308–9

Think Like a Freak
(Levitt & Dubner), 26, 27

350.org, 178–84

ticketless travel, 141

Tierney, John, 114–16

Tinker, David, 40

tipping, and flight attendants, 19–20

Tomlin, Mike, 218

tooth decay, 275–76

Tour de France, 151–52

Travolta, John, 306

Tropicana, 174–75

TSA, 5–6, 11, 108–9, 251–53

Tversky, Amos, 206

TV viewing habits, 322–24

Twitter contest, 94–96

umbrellas, dangers of, 108–9

United States, six-word motto for, 96–99

Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), 129–30

US Airways flight 1549, 82–83

Veblen, Thorstein, 184

veganism, 179–84

Velde, François, 62

Venkatesh, Sudhir, 229–36, 246–47

Vermeil, Dick, 207–8

Virgin Mobile, 63–64

voting mechanisms, 29–31

wages:

      
and markets, 24, 25

      
of politicians, 32–36

      
and quality of applicants, 34

walking drunk, 101

Wayne (middle name), 38–40

Weber, Christopher L., 171, 172

Weller, Mark, 62–63

Werner, James, 40

Wertheim, Jon, 209–12

Weyl, Glen, 30–31

White, Byron “Whizzer,” 214

Williams, Tom, 148–49

Wilson, A.N., 282

Winfrey, Oprah, 51

Wire, The,
229–33

Witt, Robert, 225–26

Wolf, Cyril, 51–53

Wolfers, Justin, 344–47

women:

      
feminist movement, 346–47

      
and happiness, 344–47

work:

      
incentives in, 339–40

      
leisure vs., 168