1. Eagle Ford Oil Production Growing Faster Than Expected: What was predicted in 2011 as production for 2016 was already surpassed in 2012.

2.  Greg Mankiw: If I could pick just one stock for someone to buy, I would now suggest the Vanguard Total World Stock exchange-traded fund. In one package, you can get low cost and maximal diversification.

3. China is reluctant to use stimulus to counter slowdown, instead prefers market mechanisms to aid growth, like cutting red tape.

4. Ward’s Auto: North American Light-Vehicle Production Was Up 13.7% in April vs. Year-Ago.

5. VIDEO: Eric Holder Has No Idea – I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know…..

6. Jay Leno explains the current situation in Washington….

7. Sheldon Richman: Abolish the IRS (and the Income Tax With It).

8. We’ve become a Nation of Slobs, e.g. shorts and flip-flops are now fine for any occasion, people wear pajamas and slippers to the grocery store, even women like Oprah don’t bother to cover their cleavage any more, etc.

9. Solar initiatives and mandates in MA provide only a tiny addition to electricity supply at a high cost to citizens.

1. The U.S.-Colombia Trade Agreement on Its First Anniversary:  Between May 2012 and March 2013, U.S. merchandise exports to Colombia grew to $15.9 billion — a 20% increase from the same period a year earlier. More here.

2. TED TALK: Hans Rosling and the magic washing machine (2010) – the greatest invention of the Industrial Revolution.

3. Unfortunately, the magic washing machine hasn’t yet reached Cuba in large numbers. Blogger Yoani Sanchez reports that “Cuba’s Supposedly ‘Emancipated’ Women Are Still Boiling Their Babies’ Diapers Over Fires,” and that washing machines, when available in Cuba, cost an entire year’s salary (versus about 2.5 days’ earnings for the average American).

4. In a victory today for free trade and common sense, the Energy Department Authorized a Second Facility to Export Liquefied Natural Gas. Let’s hope there’s a lot more.

5. The Reuters/Univ. of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index rose to 83.7 in May – the highest level in almost six years – as rising real estate values and record stock prices boosted household wealth.

6. The Conference Board reported today that its Leading Economic Index increased 0.6% in April to the highest level since June 2008, reflecting underlying strength in the US economy moving forward.

7. From today’s BLS report on state employment and unemployment: Oil-rich North Dakota led the US with the highest year-over-year job growth in April at 3.74%, and oil-rich Texas wasn’t far behind at 3.01%. Once again, North Dakota had the lowest state jobless rate in the country at 3.3% in April.

8. Video from Reason.TV: Parents, Pot, and Prohibition: Daisy Bram’s Story. Grow some weeds not approved of by the government, and they might just come and take your children away.

9. 2013 Drug War Killings Update: California man becomes the 13th person to die in US domestic drug law enforcement operations so far this year. 

10. From NPR: In the Cape Cod community of Falmouth, voters will decide if two, town-owned wind turbines will be taken down. Dozens have complained of headaches, insomnia and other issues since the first turbine started spinning in 2010.