What the fuck is wrong is wrong with Canadians that they mike public service announcements like this? (Seriously, do not watch that third one if you’re eating or just have a weak stomach.) Although, I guess this does explain a lot about Degrassi (yeah, that’s right, I watch Degrassi….what!?). The reason such horrible things keep [...]
Archive for November, 2011
Writing in the American Conservative, Jesse Walker reviews Lonely Planet’s micronation travel guide. For those not well-versed in the strange intellectual fetishes of libertarians, micronations are tiny areas–often even virtual–that assert sovereignty for themselves but are aslo usually claimed by other, much larger sovereign nations. Some examples: There are a few ârealâ? countries as well, [...]
Los Angeles Times staff writer Patrick Goldstein makes a compelling argument that the striking writer’s guild might just cause a seismic shift in the distribution of movies and television shows. In essence, this change would sweep away the last vestiges of the studio system and finally make writers independent agents. A few excerpts: [Writer-director of [...]
When Greg Mankiw says that people shouldn’t be allowed to sell their votes because the sales would carry externalities, Bryan Caplan responds that while that is true “the sale of the vote is not the source of the externality. The externality comes from voting itself!” Caplan then continues: This is precisely Bastiat’s argument for restricting [...]
Stephanine Coontz, a historian of marriage, takes to the New York Times editorial page to argue a traditional–reactionary even–case for gay marriage: WHY do people â gay or straight â need the stateâs permission to marry? For most of Western history, they didnât, because marriage was a private contract between two families. The parentsâ agreement [...]
I spent the vast majority last week’s free time eating, watching football, and hanging out with family and friends, which is the way it should be (beware those who spend all their free time blogging; it’s a pretty good possibility that they’re not the kind of person that should be offering a viewpoint), so I’m [...]
The hippies running the Boulder public school system have banned candy in the schools, and, lo and behold, it has turned out like all the other prohibitions I’m aware of: with a black market. From the Boulder Weekly cover story (two weeks ago): Billy and his parents had been at odds. The junior at Boulderâs [...]
I had a complaint from a reader that last Friday’s links were weak, so I’ve got plenty of good stuff for you this time. The unaired 1994 pilot of 24. Another “Soulja Boy” parody mashup, this time with a Saved by the Bell theme. The mystery of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Bear Grylls has taken it [...]
Over at Marginal Revolution, Alex Tabarrok has a great post arguing in favor of a market in organs against Harvard University economist Alvin Roth, who argues that organ sales should be banned because most people find the idea repugnant. Tabarrok’s response to this line of argument is worth quoting almost in full: ….I think Roth [...]
My post yesterday failed to mention a more serious problem than homelessness for veterans returning from war zones: suicide. I was aware of the elevated suicide rate among veterans, but it slipped my mind until this London Times story (via Lew Rockwell) reminded me of it: At least 6,256 US veterans took their lives in [...]
