One Way to Thin Down an Overcrowded Population

Tokyo is crowded. Really, really crowded. But with a declining reproduction rate, that shouldn’t be a long-term problem. That’s how I see it. The Japanese government, though – which is comprised of dozens of economists and sociologists and so on who are way smarter than I am – sees things differently.

Their plan is to give one million yen ($7,500) per child to each family that moves out of greater Tokyo. The incentive – a dramatic rise from the previous relocation fee of 300,000 yen – will be introduced in April as part of an official push to breathe life into declining towns and villages. Click here for more on this.

Okay, Go Ahead and Have a Drink 

Dubai has a problem. As a purportedly orthodox Muslim country, it doesn’t approve of alcohol at all. But since it has become an international center for business, and even tourism to a lesser extent, it has succumbed to pressure to serve alcohol to its wealthy foreign clientele.

As long as I’ve been going to Dubai, I’ve never had trouble getting a tequila and soda. But that’s because I’ve always stayed at the fancy hotels that cater to Westerners. Yes, the booze is expensive. But everything a foreign visitor staying in a five-star hotel in Dubai wants is expensive. So, what’s the problem?

The problem is that the cost of alcohol has risen to the point where tourists are complaining. And so, the government has decided to scrap its 30% tax on alcohol sales – at least for the rest of 2023. Click here for CNBC’s report.

Good news for all you Boomer freaks out there. On Jan. 1, Oregon became the first state to allow the use of psilocybin “magic” mushrooms. Click here for details.