References

References: Appendix C · The Price of a Guess, Worked

  1. Arithmetic on stated inputs. Ice fraction per row 4-10-7.
  2. Healthy Babies Bright Futures. What's in Your Family's Rice?, May 2025.
  3. CNN. Dangerously high levels of arsenic and cadmium found in store-bought rice, May 15 2025.
  4. Tax Foundation, 'State and Local Sales Tax Rates, Midyear 2026', rates as of July 1, 2026. Page read 2026-09-07 (supplied by owner). Supersedes the January 1, 2026 edition for these figures.
  5. CONFLICTING. (a) UnfilteredWithKiran, 'Louisiana Tops Nation in Sales Tax as Local Rates Climb Above 12%', read 2026-09-07 - 13.5% Monroe/Sterlington; LOW AUTHORITY. (b) SalesTaxHandbook https://www.salestaxhandbook.com/louisiana/rates read 2026-09-07 - 12.99% Monroe. (c) TaxCloud https://taxcloud.com/sales-tax/louisiana/ read 2026-09-07 - 10.99% Monroe, and 'can exceed 13% in some areas'. (d) Tax Foundation 2026 - 5% state + 7% max local. PRIMARY REVENUE-DEPARTMENT SCHEDULE NOT OPENED.
  6. Toast restaurant platform data, reported secondhand via GratuitySolutions (, read 2026-09-07) and search aggregation. TOAST PRIMARY NOT OPENED - 403 on pos.toasttab.com via WebFetch and curl. QUARTER ATTRIBUTION UNRESOLVED.
  7. NRDC, 'Flint Water Crisis: Everything You Need to Know.'
  8. Hanna-Attisha M et al., 'Elevated Blood Lead Levels in Children Associated With the Flint Drinking Water Crisis,' Am J Public Health 106(2):283-290, 2016.
  9. USDA Economic Research Service, "Organic eggs displayed largest swings in retail price premiums of 17 organic foods", chart-of-note 81893, from Amber Waves, May 2016; ERS retail scanner data 2004-2010. Read 2026-09-07.
  10. Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District, 'Statistics & Data' (total bridge weight ~887,000 short tons).
  11. Marshall JS & Hill RE, 'House fly,' University of Florida Featured Creatures.
  12. Svalbardi-hosted survey of the most expensive bottled waters, read 2026-09-07; Iluliaq $50/bottle via TrendHunter (price is circa 2012, NOT current). Per-gallon figures are my arithmetic on those listed prices at approximate exchange rates. NOTE THE SOURCE IS THE SELLER OF ONE OF THE LISTED WATERS - an interested party. No independent price survey was opened.
  13. Arithmetic on stated premises. Municipal water cost per thousand gallons is an order-of-magnitude figure, NOT sourced to a primary document - keep the claim loose accordingly.
  14. Retail listings read 2026-09-07: Walmart Great Value Distilled Water 1 gal $1.37 and Parent's Choice Distilled 1 gal from $1.26; Voss Artesian still glass 800 ml at $9.76/btl and 375 ml at $3.95/btl; Evian 750 ml glass $2.99; Fiji 700 ml $2.08. Per-gallon figures are arithmetic on those listed prices. RETAILER LISTINGS, NOT A PRICE SURVEY - prices vary by store, region and promotion.