Wednesday Links

Record low interest rates: "Amid the latest panic over Europe we’re seeing the lowest level of U.S. interest rates since the aftermath of World War II, as investors bid up the prices of U.S. government debt." If you are a corporate treasurer at a good credit you need to be issuing bonds right now.

Natural gas demand way up: "Gas used in electricity generation rose to 703.5 billion cubic feet in March from 503.9 billion a year earlier[...] the increase represents 6.4 bcf a day of additional gas demand during the month, versus an average daily gain of 5.8 billion in February and 3.6 billion in January."

Book Places in the Digital Age: "So if I were to open a new store today, that’s the model I’d try to sell to publishers. Treat me like a community library/showroom, whose mission is both dissemination and access, and book ownership, maybe even a non-profit..."

Bearish: "Chagas disease, caused by parasites transmitted to humans by blood-sucking insects, has been named 'the new AIDS of the Americas'..."

More dotcom bubble 2.0: "With the social media frenzy in full swing, promising students are now wrestling with decisions about whether to stay in school or turn pro."

Energy relations: "Though not an energy unit, I frequently want to know the energy content of a gallon of gasoline, and the number that sticks is 36.6 kWh."

JAKK tender offer gives small investors a chance to make $200

Fascinating: "Have modern sterile environments and antibiotics boosted the rate of cancer? Do we need to work ourselves into a fevered pitch once or twice a year? There is an inverse relationship between febrile infection and the risk of malignancies. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) plays an important role in fever induction and its expression increases with incubation at fever-range temperatures. Therefore, the genetic polymorphism of IFN-γ may modify the association of febrile infection with breast cancer risk."