For some refreshing radio, tune in to Radio Rookies, a wonderful program at WNYC that teaches young people how to tell their stories through the microphone. The station is broadcasting these amazing pieces throughout the week.
(To be completely objective: WNYC is my old employer and Sophie Rand was my awesome mentee.)
Friday, October 31, 2003
I Told You So
Mike Davis is one controversial meatcutter. The former blue collar worker now Californian urban theorist has recently caught attention for his 1998 book, Ecology of Fear, in which Davis argued most development in southern California never should have happened. You can read excerpts through Amazon's new "search inside the book" option or read "Let Malibu Burn", a precursor to the book.
The Ultimate Business Decision
A provocative though disturbing piece on Slate about how suicide could ever be a rational economic choice.
Once Upon a Time, a Little Aryan Man...
The next time you want to cozy up with a nice bedtime story (and pump some fire into you), try Grandmother Elizabeth's Reading Hour for White Children weekdays at 7pm-8pm.
Host Elizabeth Wheeler is wife of Lovell Wheeler, a Baltimore man who was arrested earlier this week for charges including reckless endangerment. In a "no-knock" search of the Wheeler home, the police found 16,000 rounds of ammunition, 62 pounds of gunpowder and 22 guns. Mr. Wheeler is also a member of the National Alliance, a white supremacist group founded by the author of the Turner Diaries, a book that describes a white insurrection against the US government.
Some civil liberatarians say the man is a political prisoner. But if "court documents" are correct, Wheeler told white police officers to join him in some sort of upcoming war that would start in Baltimore and encouraged the officers to read, Who Rules America? Here is an excerpt: "We must shrink from nothing in combating this evil power [Jewish power] that has fastened its deadly grip on our people and is injecting its lethal poison into their minds and souls. If we fail to destroy it, it certainly will destroy our race."
While no one should be arrested or fined for the possession or promotion of literature like this, if the man demonstrated any plan to act on this message, he should be locked up.
But what I want to know is: Why did this man move from Arkansas to 64% black Baltimore?
Host Elizabeth Wheeler is wife of Lovell Wheeler, a Baltimore man who was arrested earlier this week for charges including reckless endangerment. In a "no-knock" search of the Wheeler home, the police found 16,000 rounds of ammunition, 62 pounds of gunpowder and 22 guns. Mr. Wheeler is also a member of the National Alliance, a white supremacist group founded by the author of the Turner Diaries, a book that describes a white insurrection against the US government.
Some civil liberatarians say the man is a political prisoner. But if "court documents" are correct, Wheeler told white police officers to join him in some sort of upcoming war that would start in Baltimore and encouraged the officers to read, Who Rules America? Here is an excerpt: "We must shrink from nothing in combating this evil power [Jewish power] that has fastened its deadly grip on our people and is injecting its lethal poison into their minds and souls. If we fail to destroy it, it certainly will destroy our race."
While no one should be arrested or fined for the possession or promotion of literature like this, if the man demonstrated any plan to act on this message, he should be locked up.
But what I want to know is: Why did this man move from Arkansas to 64% black Baltimore?
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Feeling off-balance
An April 2003 Wall Street Journal op-ed noted that in the past six years, Georgetown law professors gave approximately $ 180,000 to Democrats, $ 2,000 to Republicans and $ 1,500 to the Greens.
This political preference of the faculty comes across most clearly in my Constitutional law class. In discussing Lochner v. New York, the professor said that "we now know that" the government must equalize the bargaining power of disparate income groups through work-hour limits.
I just hope we don't get tested on this.
This political preference of the faculty comes across most clearly in my Constitutional law class. In discussing Lochner v. New York, the professor said that "we now know that" the government must equalize the bargaining power of disparate income groups through work-hour limits.
I just hope we don't get tested on this.
Monday, October 27, 2003
Give or Take a Few
USA Today carefully notes that 104 American troops have been "killed by enemy fire" in Iraq since the President declared the end of major combat on May 1. During the war between March to May, 110 troops were "killed in action."
"Action" sounds more vague than "enemy fire." According to the Dept. of Defense dictionary, "killed in action" is a "casualty category applicable to a hostile casualty" excluding terrorism. So the postwar numbers may be quite higher. If the Defense department itself is using these categories, I hope reporters are noticing the switch.
"Action" sounds more vague than "enemy fire." According to the Dept. of Defense dictionary, "killed in action" is a "casualty category applicable to a hostile casualty" excluding terrorism. So the postwar numbers may be quite higher. If the Defense department itself is using these categories, I hope reporters are noticing the switch.
Saturday, October 25, 2003
Legalese
Those books that encourage lawyers to use plain language seem to be helping but there are still words remote from common knowledge that judges and lawyer insist on using. Here are some examples with my initial impression of them followed by what they really mean.
Dispositive: not positive
Legalese meaning: adj. when an object or fact is enough in itself to prove the whole argument
Res ipsa: closest laymen pronounciation "Ray's a hipsta!"
Legalese meaning: usually res ipsa loquitur, "the thing speaks for itself" in Latin, a type of negligence claim
Intestate: some really unhappy intestines
Legalese meaning: "adj. referring to a situation where a person dies without leaving a valid will. This usually is voiced as 'he died intestate,' 'intestate estate,' or 'intestate succession.'" from Law.com's Dictionary
Dispositive: not positive
Legalese meaning: adj. when an object or fact is enough in itself to prove the whole argument
Res ipsa: closest laymen pronounciation "Ray's a hipsta!"
Legalese meaning: usually res ipsa loquitur, "the thing speaks for itself" in Latin, a type of negligence claim
Intestate: some really unhappy intestines
Legalese meaning: "adj. referring to a situation where a person dies without leaving a valid will. This usually is voiced as 'he died intestate,' 'intestate estate,' or 'intestate succession.'" from Law.com's Dictionary
Friday, October 24, 2003
The Real COLA
The Senate voted yesterday to keep its COLA (Cost of Living Act) 2.2% pay increase for next year despite the efforts of Senator Russ Feingold. As the House had also voted to keep the raise, lawmakers' current salary of $154,703 will go up to $158,103 on January 1.
With the $480 billion deficit and increasing costs in the reconstruction of Iraq, the pay raise seems a bit gratuitous . On the other hand, inflation is usually around 2% so the salary increase really isn't much. Federal civilian workers who are getting a 4.1% increase, however, are living it up.
With the $480 billion deficit and increasing costs in the reconstruction of Iraq, the pay raise seems a bit gratuitous . On the other hand, inflation is usually around 2% so the salary increase really isn't much. Federal civilian workers who are getting a 4.1% increase, however, are living it up.
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
What Ever Happened to That Other Country We Attacked?
Most papers report that $87 billion in aid will be going to the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan with much attention on how that money will be spent in Iraq. But did you notice how much of that money is going to Afghanistan?
The answer: $1.2 billion.
Both countries have comparable populations (about 29 million in Afghanistan and 24 million in Iraq). Although the war technically ended in December 2001, Afghanistan is no where near getting back on its feet. An article from Roll Call (requires a subscription) included comments from Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) on his trip to Afghanistan about two weeks ago. He described the situation as "chaotic."
"Our embassy there is ringed with barbed wire and barriers," he said. "That pretty much says it all."
And that's in Kabul, the city with the most peacekeeping troops in the country. Taliban attacks continue especially in southern Afghanistan. Only last week the UN Security Council vote to expand NATO troops beyond Kabul. The Washington Post has a series of videos that give you an idea of what the country looks like now.
What's distressing is that this same neglect led to the rise of the Taliban about five years ago. Though Afghanistan is extremely poor and undeveloped (about 80% of its labor force is in agriculture), the country posed just as great a threat to US security as Iraq.
The answer: $1.2 billion.
Both countries have comparable populations (about 29 million in Afghanistan and 24 million in Iraq). Although the war technically ended in December 2001, Afghanistan is no where near getting back on its feet. An article from Roll Call (requires a subscription) included comments from Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) on his trip to Afghanistan about two weeks ago. He described the situation as "chaotic."
"Our embassy there is ringed with barbed wire and barriers," he said. "That pretty much says it all."
And that's in Kabul, the city with the most peacekeeping troops in the country. Taliban attacks continue especially in southern Afghanistan. Only last week the UN Security Council vote to expand NATO troops beyond Kabul. The Washington Post has a series of videos that give you an idea of what the country looks like now.
What's distressing is that this same neglect led to the rise of the Taliban about five years ago. Though Afghanistan is extremely poor and undeveloped (about 80% of its labor force is in agriculture), the country posed just as great a threat to US security as Iraq.
Sunday, October 19, 2003
I'm Sorry, So Sorry. Please Accept My Apologies.
As a law student I read many cases about people suing because their feelings were hurt, suing because someone broke a promise or suing because someone made an honest mistake. I sometimes wonder whether all the legal nastiness couldn't have been prevented by a simple heart-felt apology --maybe accompanied by some roses too.
My friend, Matthew, passed this link along grouphug.us. It's a site for confessions, a sort of apology line. Here are some examples:
"I am utterly selfish. some part of me wants my friends to fail and get fat and be useless so I am better than them. I also take stuff that isnt mine and dont work at my job. I see everything as a competition."
"A few years ago, I fell pregnant and had an abortion. I lied to myself and everyone around me by saying it was because of medical reasons rather than through choice."
At first reading these confessions seems a bit of schadenfreude, an expression I just learned this week, "a delight in the misery of others." But the confessions make you more apt to apologize yourself or at the very least to recognize the harm you've done to others.
The radio show, This American Life, did a piece about an apology line in New York. The line was set up in 1980 by a man named Alan Bridge and lasted until his death in 1995. It's the first piece of radio that made me cry. This segment starts about 46 minutes into a provocative program about justice which includes a report on the Yugoslav war tribunal and an interview about truth commissions.
My friend, Matthew, passed this link along grouphug.us. It's a site for confessions, a sort of apology line. Here are some examples:
"I am utterly selfish. some part of me wants my friends to fail and get fat and be useless so I am better than them. I also take stuff that isnt mine and dont work at my job. I see everything as a competition."
"A few years ago, I fell pregnant and had an abortion. I lied to myself and everyone around me by saying it was because of medical reasons rather than through choice."
At first reading these confessions seems a bit of schadenfreude, an expression I just learned this week, "a delight in the misery of others." But the confessions make you more apt to apologize yourself or at the very least to recognize the harm you've done to others.
The radio show, This American Life, did a piece about an apology line in New York. The line was set up in 1980 by a man named Alan Bridge and lasted until his death in 1995. It's the first piece of radio that made me cry. This segment starts about 46 minutes into a provocative program about justice which includes a report on the Yugoslav war tribunal and an interview about truth commissions.
Thursday, October 16, 2003
A Castronian Theory of Language
Fidel Castro has a book review for the autobiography of his good friend, "Gabo" Garcia Marquez.
Tyler Cowen, a professor of economics at George Mason University, points out that Castro's theory of language may not be so different from his approach to politics. Castro writes: "He [GM] and I share a scandalous theory on the relativity of words in language. Also, as a public man obliged to write speeches and narrate events, I agree with the illustrious writer on the delight of finding the exact word - a kind of shared and inexhaustible obsession - until the phrase fits our criteria. Above all, I admire the fact that when an exact word doesn't exist, he calmly invents one. How I admire that licence of his!"
(Via The Volokh Conspiracy)
Tyler Cowen, a professor of economics at George Mason University, points out that Castro's theory of language may not be so different from his approach to politics. Castro writes: "He [GM] and I share a scandalous theory on the relativity of words in language. Also, as a public man obliged to write speeches and narrate events, I agree with the illustrious writer on the delight of finding the exact word - a kind of shared and inexhaustible obsession - until the phrase fits our criteria. Above all, I admire the fact that when an exact word doesn't exist, he calmly invents one. How I admire that licence of his!"
(Via The Volokh Conspiracy)
Did I Say That?
Steven Landsburg has written a followup to his piece on how the gender of children affects divorce rates. This one is called, "Maybe Parents Don't Like Boys Better." Landsburg settles on a less controversial explanation for the difference in divorce rates of parents who have sons versus daughters: the importance of inherited wealth. Perhaps wealth is more important for a boy than a girl because a man's mating potential is strongly determined by wealth and because a man is more likely to be entreprenurial. Consequently, parents will be less likely to have other kids (which dilutes the wealth) and won't get divorced.
This answer seems less intuitive. I should have read the study itself because the difference in divorce rates is only about 4%. Moreover, the trend has been changing: developing countries tend to have a larger disparity than developed. I will leave the discussion at that.
This answer seems less intuitive. I should have read the study itself because the difference in divorce rates is only about 4%. Moreover, the trend has been changing: developing countries tend to have a larger disparity than developed. I will leave the discussion at that.
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
Ghettofabulous
A cross between Monopoly and gangsta culture, Ghettopoly was created by a Taiwanese-American who lives in Pennsylvania and loves rap videos. The game sold briskly when it was released a month ago but has been censured by the NAACP and Urban Outfitters, which removed the game from its stores because of picketing.
If the creator of the game were black or Latino, the protests might not have been as vociferous. I admit that the game is more palatable to me because the idea originated from a non-white person. But for most Americans, there's no difference between an Asian or a white.
If the creator of the game were black or Latino, the protests might not have been as vociferous. I admit that the game is more palatable to me because the idea originated from a non-white person. But for most Americans, there's no difference between an Asian or a white.
Tuesday, October 14, 2003
The New South?
Last weekend was my first trip to Mississippi. As we drove past Jefferson Davis' last home of Beauvoir, I happened upon what I thought was a huge traffic jam in Gulfport, Mississippi. The even stranger part was that tons of people were sitting in lawn chairs facing the street and watching the traffic, occasionally roused by noise and exhaust. Eventually I pulled down the window and asked what was going on. "It's Cruisin' the Coast! I'll tell you when to reve your engine!" was the reply. I kid you not. Read a meticulous account of the events at the Biloxi Sun Herald.
Before I left for the trip, I was told to count the number of times someone mentioned the Civil War. It was good advice. In addition to being called "the unfortunate disagreeent between the North and the South," I also heard "the Great War," "the War between the States," or just "The War."
Most of these references were during my visit to Natchez, a small town that's known for its antebellum homes, several of which are kept in pristine order. The town used to be one of the wealthiest before the Civil War. It fell into a depression afterwards from which it's never fully recovered although tourism seems to be a new outlet. Mix tourism with a painful past and you hear references to "servants" as opposed to slaves and other euphemisms. My visit was during the Fall Pilgrimage when the homes are open to the public. Pilgrimage is a strange term which I never got around to figuring out. In the Spring Pilgrimage, there's a pageant, a local tradition since the 1930s, in which the King and Queen of the Pilgrimage dress in Civil War attire, the man in a Confederate uniform and a woman in a hoop-skirt dress.
To be fair, however, most of Jackson looked like any small town suburb...which is almost kind of sad in a way.
Before I left for the trip, I was told to count the number of times someone mentioned the Civil War. It was good advice. In addition to being called "the unfortunate disagreeent between the North and the South," I also heard "the Great War," "the War between the States," or just "The War."
Most of these references were during my visit to Natchez, a small town that's known for its antebellum homes, several of which are kept in pristine order. The town used to be one of the wealthiest before the Civil War. It fell into a depression afterwards from which it's never fully recovered although tourism seems to be a new outlet. Mix tourism with a painful past and you hear references to "servants" as opposed to slaves and other euphemisms. My visit was during the Fall Pilgrimage when the homes are open to the public. Pilgrimage is a strange term which I never got around to figuring out. In the Spring Pilgrimage, there's a pageant, a local tradition since the 1930s, in which the King and Queen of the Pilgrimage dress in Civil War attire, the man in a Confederate uniform and a woman in a hoop-skirt dress.
To be fair, however, most of Jackson looked like any small town suburb...which is almost kind of sad in a way.
Taiwan on for a Change
Taiwan's presidential elections are next March which means we can expect some Chinese missile testing to arrive also. What's surprising this time round, however, is that the ex-president, 80 year-old Lee Teng-Hui has been actively campaigning for Taiwanese independence. Lee was chairman of the Nationalist Party, the intractable former ruling party that insisted for more than 50 years that it was the rightful government of all of China. The Washington Post had a nice profile of him this weekend.
For those not in the know, Taiwan is a country floating in diplomatic limbo since mainland China won't allow any state to recognize the sovereignty of this island. Up until Nixon's visit to China in 1972, the United States recognized Taiwan as the official government of China. Now none of the world's major powers have official relations with Taiwan, a country with a population of about 23 million people.
For those not in the know, Taiwan is a country floating in diplomatic limbo since mainland China won't allow any state to recognize the sovereignty of this island. Up until Nixon's visit to China in 1972, the United States recognized Taiwan as the official government of China. Now none of the world's major powers have official relations with Taiwan, a country with a population of about 23 million people.
Wednesday, October 08, 2003
Iraq Up the Dough
NPR's Morning Edition had an excellent report this morning by Guy Raz about fraud and corruption in Iraq's reconstruction bids. Raz interviewed an Iraqi who said he was hired by Kuwaiti contractors for a bid they won from Americans. This all sounds fine except that the Kuwaitis made him write down a bill for over $10K more than it really cost. According to an article in the Houston Chronicle, many foreign contractors don't even hire Iraqis. It does make you wonder when you hear about million-dollar contracts being awarded to large foreign companies and yet protests and rioting by unemployed Iraqis.
For all of Bush's talk about being honest and earnest, Iraq's reconstruction seems like anything but with some of the largest contracts having been awarded in non-competitive bidding to well-connected companies. Even the Senate's concerned and added an amendment to their spending bill that would require the administration to notify Congress when it arranges sole-source contracts.
For all of Bush's talk about being honest and earnest, Iraq's reconstruction seems like anything but with some of the largest contracts having been awarded in non-competitive bidding to well-connected companies. Even the Senate's concerned and added an amendment to their spending bill that would require the administration to notify Congress when it arranges sole-source contracts.
Monday, October 06, 2003
Girls Are Dandy
An economics study published by Gordon Dahl and Enrico Moretti found that couples with only daughters were more likely to divorce than those with sons. A response to this study was posted on Slate magazine by Everyday Economics columnist, Steven Landsburg, who asks,""Do daughters cause divorce?"
The title is catchy but I think inaccurate. Beyond the expected grumbling about yet another article about why boys are better, let me probe a bit deeper. First off, framing the question as whether daughters cause divorce is misleading. It's not that daughters are evil and break up marriages. A more likely story is that society's higher value on men leads couples to feel less obligated in providing a two-parent home for a daughter than a son.
Also, Landsburg says that because single mothers are less likely to remarry if they have daughters this "suggest[s] that daughters are a liability in the market for a husband." Is something a liability if there is just less demand? A similar study conducted by Shelly Lundberg and Elaina Rose found that a single mother's confidence in parenting was a significant factor in her decision to remarry. Generally, mothers felt capable in raising daughters and even thought a male presence was intrusive. However, mothers prefered to raise a son with a male parent.
The title is catchy but I think inaccurate. Beyond the expected grumbling about yet another article about why boys are better, let me probe a bit deeper. First off, framing the question as whether daughters cause divorce is misleading. It's not that daughters are evil and break up marriages. A more likely story is that society's higher value on men leads couples to feel less obligated in providing a two-parent home for a daughter than a son.
Also, Landsburg says that because single mothers are less likely to remarry if they have daughters this "suggest[s] that daughters are a liability in the market for a husband." Is something a liability if there is just less demand? A similar study conducted by Shelly Lundberg and Elaina Rose found that a single mother's confidence in parenting was a significant factor in her decision to remarry. Generally, mothers felt capable in raising daughters and even thought a male presence was intrusive. However, mothers prefered to raise a son with a male parent.
Friday, October 03, 2003
The Puritanical FCC
The Federal Communications Commission is fining Infinity Broadcasting Corp. for an offensive segment that appeared on a radio show last August. The segment broadcast a couple having sex in New York's St Patrick's Cathedral.
Not that I would normally defend crap radio from big media but why is the government regulating speech? Especially when it's not promoting violence? Unfortunately, the Communications Act of 1934 which established the FCC includes a vague clause about regulating media for "the public interest" which the agency interprets how it wishes.
The most infamous example is FCC v Pacifica, a case that went before the Supreme Court in 1978. Pacifica radio got a slap on the hand from the agency for broadcasting comedian George Carlin's monologue, "Filthy Words" (a transcript of the monologue is included in the court opinion).
I have no clue how Howard Stern gets away with what he does.
Not that I would normally defend crap radio from big media but why is the government regulating speech? Especially when it's not promoting violence? Unfortunately, the Communications Act of 1934 which established the FCC includes a vague clause about regulating media for "the public interest" which the agency interprets how it wishes.
The most infamous example is FCC v Pacifica, a case that went before the Supreme Court in 1978. Pacifica radio got a slap on the hand from the agency for broadcasting comedian George Carlin's monologue, "Filthy Words" (a transcript of the monologue is included in the court opinion).
I have no clue how Howard Stern gets away with what he does.
Wednesday, October 01, 2003
Black, White and Red All Over
This morning, a federal judge ruled that the Washington Redskins can keep their name. While the judge didn't deny the fact that "redskins" might be offensive, she said Native American activists significantly weakened their case by waiting until 1992 to sue.
Will someone please start a team named the Tighty Whities? Oh, someone actually has. Or at least, it's close enough. To point out the ridiculous stereotyping used in sports logos, a group of Native Americans and sympathetic non-Indians at the University of Northern Colorado started an intramural basketball team named the Fighting Whites.
Read an example of the amazing insight demonstrated by the NFL attorneys who admit that Anglo and Native Americans don't have the best relations but hey, the name of their team was promoting mutual understanding because "in the 21st century, the beloved hometown team has changed the connotation of the word 'Redskins' to one that is 'powerfully positive' -- associated more with touchdowns than tomahawks."
Will someone please start a team named the Tighty Whities? Oh, someone actually has. Or at least, it's close enough. To point out the ridiculous stereotyping used in sports logos, a group of Native Americans and sympathetic non-Indians at the University of Northern Colorado started an intramural basketball team named the Fighting Whites.
Read an example of the amazing insight demonstrated by the NFL attorneys who admit that Anglo and Native Americans don't have the best relations but hey, the name of their team was promoting mutual understanding because "in the 21st century, the beloved hometown team has changed the connotation of the word 'Redskins' to one that is 'powerfully positive' -- associated more with touchdowns than tomahawks."
Bleeding-Heart Libertarianism
The term seems almost like an oxymoron. But Ram Ahluwalia sent me an interesting article about why the welfare state doesn't help the poor.
What I find most palpable in the article is the idea that a consumption tax is better than an income tax. Consumption is a more accurate marker of well-being. If wealthy people are not spending their money to buy things but instead are investing it (which means it's getting used as capital or loans), that is a good thing. I'd also rather reward thrifty living instead of having a low income. When I was working, I thought it was wacky that I would sometimes make more money when I worked less because of our "progressive" tax structure.
Of course, if you're really wedded to an income tax, you could get rid of the distortionary effect by having a flat tax. But that's another matter.....
What I find most palpable in the article is the idea that a consumption tax is better than an income tax. Consumption is a more accurate marker of well-being. If wealthy people are not spending their money to buy things but instead are investing it (which means it's getting used as capital or loans), that is a good thing. I'd also rather reward thrifty living instead of having a low income. When I was working, I thought it was wacky that I would sometimes make more money when I worked less because of our "progressive" tax structure.
Of course, if you're really wedded to an income tax, you could get rid of the distortionary effect by having a flat tax. But that's another matter.....
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