The Economist: Infrastructure projects: The great train robbery : “High-speed rail lines rarely pay their way. Britain’s government should ditch its plan to build one”

Research America: Research and the AP Top 25 gives research highlights of the NCAA Top 25 football schools. “20. Mississippi State. Higher gas prices mean fewer accidents – one of the few positive byproducts of paying more at the pump. Researchers, led by Guangqing Chi, PhD, analyzed factors leading to auto accidents between April 2004 and December 2008, tracking those numbers with gas prices. Chi and the other researchers noted an overall decline in drunk driving accidents, as well as lower short-term accident rates for younger drives and lower intermediate-term accident rates for older drivers and men.”

CNN: Insomnia costs U.S. $63 billion annually in lost productivity “Researchers surveyed 7,428 employed people across the U.S. and found that 23% experienced some form of insomnia — such as difficulty falling asleep or nighttime waking — at least three times a week during the previous month, for at least 30 minutes at a stretch. Not surprisingly, these sleep problems carried over into the workplace. Insomniacs were no more likely than their well-rested peers to miss work, but they were so consistently tired on the job that they cost their employers the equivalent of 7.8 days of work in lost productivity each year — an amount equal to an average of about $2,280 in salary per person.”