Jamelle Agbuis

Why do people love competition so much in the field and in the pool, but fear and hate it in the business world? The analogies between Olympic fare and life in a free market are very close, closer than people realize. Yet we celebrate competition in one sector and try to ban the other.

This message is one of a series. It began when Mario Draghi, former Goldman man and now head of the European Central Bank, promised to do "whatever it takes" to save euroland.

Here's some great news for all of our pot-smoking Daily Reckoning readers! A recently-concluded study by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham determined that one marijuana joint per week for 49 years does no harm to lungs!

Ernie Els has been named the European Tour Golfer of the Month for July following his win at the Open Championship.

World number two Tiger Woods will return to Malaysia later this year to take part in the CIMB Classic.

Northampton Saints have announced that former Wallabies wing Cameron Shepherd will not be joining the club.

The Australian Advertising Standards Board has ruled that a Facebook page can be considered a 'marketing communication tool' when used by an advertiser.

Although he was left out of the 30-man Springbok squad for the opening leg of the Rugby Championship Ryan Kankowski might still play later in the tournament.

Researchers at Florida State University have found that post-menopausal women can benefit from eating two apples a day. Regular apple consumption can lower cholesterol by around 25 per cent.

Children are more radio-sensitive than adults and children undergoing CT scans have triple the risk of leukemia and brain cancer after two or three CT scans according to a recent article in the Lancet.

With the opening of another Melbourne store set for late 2013, the retailing giant Costco's commitment to using local Australian produce will see a demand for additional new suppliers.

Bethesda, MD - Adalimumab (an anti-tumor necrosis factor [TNF] antibody) is effective in maintaining remission in certain pediatric patients with Crohn's disease, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

The presumption is that the ECB could have whatever it takes if only the Germans would agree to give it to them. But that presumes the Germans have it. In other words, Europe's problem - it is widely believed - is a political problem. If only the Germans would get on board, all would be well.

Australia's Commonwealth Games sprint champion Shane Perkins has won through to the quarter finals of the event after two solid performances during the morning session of Day 8 competition at the Olympic Velodrome.

The Australian Born '93 junior men's team has recovered from a disappointing display against Croatia to go down 7-11 to Greece in their penultimate game at the Acireale Memorial Tournament in Italy.

The Australian men's water polo team, the Aussie Sharks, have again succumbed to the precision of their European rivals going down to Croatia 11-6 in their penultimate group match at the London Olympics.

Australia's women's team pursuit trio of Annette Edmondson, Melissa Hoskins and Josephine Tomic have finished fourth at the Olympic Velodrome tonight after being beaten in the first round by the USA and then by Canada for bronze.

Scotland's Solheim Cup star Catriona Matthew continued her love affair with Killeen Castle as she recorded a one stroke victory in the Ladies Irish Open on Sunday.

Long after one of the hottest and driest North American summers on record has turned to fall, consumers will still be feeling its effects in the form of higher food prices, possibly worldwide.

Avoidable deaths of Māori children in New Zealand are costing the country at least 67 lives and around $200 million per year in economic impact, but greater Government spending on primary care and other key interventions could help to resolve the problem, health researchers say.

While America's economy is suffering staggering losses in jobs and debt, the Obama administration is creating jobs for Chinese workers by selling hemp scarves on its website -- even while industrialized hemp remains illegal for U.S. farmers to grow!

When Facebook announced earlier this year it would hold an initial public offering of stock, some early analyses of the social media giant speculated its value could reach as high as $100 billion.

Study Receives Award at American Psychological Association's Annual Convention

Women outlive men by about five to six years but why? By age 85 there are roughly six women to every four men and by age 100 the ratio is more than two to one. Now scientists think they may have found the answer in the aptly named "Mother's Curse".

In an astonishing last quarter comeback, and thrilling extra-time and penalty shootout performance, the Australian women's water polo team, the Aussie Stingers, have produce one of their greatest ever wins at the Olympic Games, defeating China 20-18 after penalties to progress to the semi-finals.

Have a Coke and a smile. Or, if you're part of the 'new generation,' a Pepsi. One taste of those excito-toxins and you won't worry about aborted fetal cells or cancer-causing chemicals. After all, who wants to think about Type 2 Diabetes when they just want a sweet reward, and a moment to relax?

Is a blowout bust coming for highflying Internet stocks? There was the disappointing Facebook IPO, but many people wrote that off as due to managerial errors at the Nasdaq. But those errors must have persisted, because the stock has been down nearly 40%. Every talking head is muttering about the problem of how Facebook is going to pay its bills.

Stress is something we cannot escape. As soon as one stressful situation disappears, another one seems to pop up.

People often ask me where I find my off-the-beaten-path ideas. One of the best ways I've found is to travel and meet with fellow investors. They can be your bird dogs to emerging opportunities.