The Economics of Everyday Things

You can be a top model and still not get recognized on the street — as long as you keep your cuticles healthy and your moons white. Zachary Crockett points a finger.   * SOURCES: * Dani Korwin [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dani-korwin-b4a83816b/], managing director of Parts Models. * Ellen Sirot [https://ellensirot.com/hand-model/], hand model.   * RESOURCES: * SAG-AFTRA Network TV Code 2024 - 2025 Extension Agreement Rates [https://www.sagaftra.org/sites/default/files/Rate%20Sheet%20-%20SAG-AFTRA%20Network%20TV%20Code%202024-2025.pdf]. * "How to Become a Hand Model [https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/become-hand-model-6394/]," by Jack Smart (Backstage, 2024). * "Meet New York’s Top Hand and Foot Model Agent (It’s a Real Thing!) [https://www.vogue.com/article/hand-foot-model-agent-dani-korwin-fashion]," by Christian Allaire (Vogue, 2021).   * EXTRAS: * "The Puffy Shirt [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoKErz_HtGA]" S5.E2 of Seinfeld (1993).

A watercolor of a harbor? A black-and-white photo of a pile of rocks? Some hotels are trying to do better. Zachary Crockett unpacks.   * SOURCES: * Melanie Kettring [https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-kettring-ncidq-leed-ap-id-c-6b706469/], director of studio design at Best Western Hotels. * Jessica Poundstone [https://www.jessicapoundstone.com/], visual artist.  * Gavi Wolf [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavi-wolf-121a4916/], founder and C.E.O. of Indiewalls.   * RESOURCES: * Indiewalls [https://www.indiewalls.com/]. * Best Western [https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US.html].   * EXTRAS: * "Used Hotel Soaps [https://freakonomics.com/podcast/used-hotel-soaps/]," by The Economics of Everyday Things (2023). * "The Hidden Side of the Art Market [https://freakonomics.com/podcast-tag/the-hidden-side-of-the-art-market/]," series by Freakonomics Radio (2021).

Before beef ends up at your favorite steakhouse, it passes through the hands of a trained specialist with an encyclopedic knowledge of bovine anatomy. Zachary Crockett chews the fat.   * SOURCES: * Bryan Flannery [https://www.flannerybeef.com/about-us/?srsltid=AfmBOoo5lll_fnvnMvn3r7R55JkWetuMM_AvrA1DTdX1YLo1UeQfDqS3], co-owner of Flannery Beef. * Katie Flannery [https://www.flannerybeef.com/about-us/?srsltid=AfmBOoo5lll_fnvnMvn3r7R55JkWetuMM_AvrA1DTdX1YLo1UeQfDqS3], co-owner of Flannery Beef.   * RESOURCES: * "National Weekly Boxed Beef Cutout And Boxed Beef Cuts — Negotiated Sales [https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/ams_2461.pdf]," U.S.D.A. Agricultural Marketing Service (U.S.D.A. Livestock, Poultry and Grain Market News, 2025). * "Understanding Beef Carcass Yields and Losses During Processing [https://extension.psu.edu/understanding-beef-carcass-yields-and-losses-during-processing]," (Penn State Extension Articles, 2022). * "Beef Cow-Calf Production [https://extension.psu.edu/beef-cow-calf-production]," by Cheryl A. Fairbairn, Lynn F. Kime, Jayson K. Harper, and John W. Comerford (Penn State Extension Articles, 2020). * "Major Supermarket Chains Changed How They Label Meat, Surprising Customers and USDA [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/10/13/giant-changed-its-meat-labeling-practices-the-usda-didnt-appreciate-it/]," by Roberto A. Ferdman (The Washington Post, 2014). * "What’s Your Beef — Prime, Choice or Select? [https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/blog/2013/01/28/whats-your-beef-prime-choice-or-select]" by Larry Meadows (U.S.D.A Blog, 2013). * "From Calf to Kitchen: The Journey of a Beef Cow [https://media.kansascity.com/static/projects/beef/downloads/FactoryMeat.pdf]," by Dave Eames and Mike McGraw (The Kansas City Star, 2012).   * EXTRAS: * "The Future of Meat [https://freakonomics.com/podcast/the-future-of-meat/]," by Freakonomics Radio (2019).

How did a little green nut become a billion-dollar product, lauded by celebrities in Super Bowl ads? Zachary Crockett cracks open the story.   * SOURCES: * Sawyer Clark [https://www.linkedin.com/in/sawyer-l-clark/], director of asset management at Gold Leaf Farming. * Diana Salsa [https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana321/], vice president of marketing for Wonderful Pistachios.   * RESOURCES: * "Almond Acreage Decline Prompts Industry Introspection [https://www.wcngg.com/2023/07/01/almond-acreage-decline-prompts-industry-introspection/]," by Mitch Lies (West Coast Nut, 2023). * American Pistachio Industry 2021 Annual Report [https://apgpower.americanpistachios.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/APG-2021-Annual-Report-PDF.pdf], by American Pistachio Growers (2023). * "California’s Agricultural Water Policies Are Nuts [https://www.gainesville.com/story/opinion/2021/08/24/douglas-r-noble-californias-agricultural-water-policies-nuts/8217589002/]," by Douglas R. Noble (The Gainesville Sun, 2021). * "Amid Drought, Billionaires Control a Critical California Water Bank [https://www.forbes.com/sites/chloesorvino/2021/09/20/amid-drought-billionaires-control-a-critical-california-water-bank/?sh=7ffe84e12e7a]," by Chloe Sorvino (Forbes, 2021). * "Wonderful Pistachios Achieves Billion-Dollar Brand Milestone [https://www.wonderful.com/press/wonderful-pistachios-billion-dollar-brand/]," press release by The Wonderful Company (2020). * "Pistachios: The Quirks of Agricultural Trade in a Nutshell [https://www.globaltrademag.com/pistachios-the-quirks-of-agricultural-trade-in-a-nutshell/]," by Andrea Durkin (Global Trade, 2020). * "California Pistachios With Perfect Timing [https://www.nytimes.com/1979/10/03/archives/california-pistachios-with-perfect-timing.html]," by Mark Blackburn (The New York Times, 1979).

Once a luxury good, the soft fiber is now everywhere — which has led to a goat boom in Mongolia. Zachary Crockett tugs at the thread.   * SOURCES: * Myagmarjav Serjkhuu [http://sustainablecashmereplatform.com/myagmarjav-serjkhuu/], manager of the Mongolian Sustainable Cashmere Platform for the United Nations Development Programme. * Carolyn Yim [https://ply-knits.com/pages/about], designer and owner of Ply-Knits.   * RESOURCES: * "Sandstorms and Desertification in Mongolia, an Example of Future Climate Events: A Review [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10311-021-01285-w]," by Jie Han, Han Dai, and Zhaolin Gu (Environmental Chemistry Letters, 2021). * "How Sustainable Cashmere Is Reversing Land Degradation in Mongolia [https://www.undp.org/blog/how-sustainable-cashmere-reversing-land-degradation-mongolia]," by Mariana Simões (United Nations Development Programme, 2021). * "Exploding Demand for Cashmere Wool Is Ruining Mongolia's Grasslands [https://www.science.org/content/article/exploding-demand-cashmere-wool-ruining-mongolia-s-grasslands]," by Kathleen McLaughlin (Science, 2019). * "From H&M to Gucci, Fashion Rethinks Cashmere, Citing Environmental Harm [https://www.wsj.com/articles/fashion-companies-rethink-cashmere-11557749119]," by Matthew Dalton (The Wall Street Journal, 2019). * "2018 Annual Cashmere Market Report [https://www.gschneider.com/annual-cashmere-market-report/]," by Marco Spina (The Schneider Group, 2019). * "How This Brand Made a Cashmere Sweater for $75 Ethically [https://www.forbes.com/sites/eshachhabra/2018/11/28/how-this-brand-made-a-cashmere-sweater-for-75-ethically/?sh=13d07cb4548b]," by Esha Chhabra (Forbes, 2018). * "Pastoral Nomadism in the Forest-Steppe of the Mongolian Altai Under a Changing Economy and a Warming Climate [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140196312002224]," by D. Lkhagvadorj, M. Hauck, Ch. Dulamsuren, and J. Tsogtbaatar (Journal of Arid Environments, 2013).