■"Penny-Wise, Not Pound-Foolish: City Cashes In as Mecca for the Hefty (With Wallets to Match)," by Stephanie Saul, New York Times, 19 May 2005, p. B1.

Interesting story about how former tobacco-is-king Durham is becoming the "Lourdes for the obese," or the self-professed "Diet Capital of the World." Why go there? It's the combination of self-selection and determination (deciding to commit yourself to living there for a stretch of time) and the concentration of specialized docs, businesses that cater to their needs, andóof courseófellow dieters.

Durham apparently has been known for its dieting prowess going back to the 1930s, as the famous Rice Diet had its origins here.

What intrigued me about the piece is that there is always "life after . . . " whatever. People move on. Businesses adapt. Entrepreneurs spot a regional advantage or simply invent one.

It's a science called . . . the free market.