Today is the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. In several ways, the Wall and its collapse are fitting symbols of communism. They demonstrate several truths about that system that we would be wise not to lose sight of. First and foremost, Cold War-era Berlin was the most visible demonstration of the […]
Archive | November, 2009
Combined B.A. / J.D. Programs
I was wondering whether some schools have experimented with combined B.A. / J.D. programs, which take 5 or 6 years rather than the usual 7. I’d think these could be useful to students who know they want to be lawyers, and who’d rather be spending the extra year or two earning money as lawyers rather […]
Virginity Among Unmarried Heterosexual 25-to-45-Year-Old Americans
I just saw a fascinating study on the subject, Eisenberg et al., Who is the 40-Year-Old Virgin and Where Did He/She Come From? Data from the National Survey of Family Growth. Unfortunately, the New Scientist blog post about the study erred in an important way: It reported that among men and women “aged 25 to […]
More on California Tax-Services Model – William Voegeli Responds to Comments
By Kenneth Anderson on November 9, 2009 4:14 pm in California, Economy, Housing, Property Rights, Regulation, Voting With Your Feet
Last week I blogged about a very interesting article in the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal by Claremont Review of Books contributing editor William Voegeli titled “The Big-Spending, High-Taxing, Lousy Services Paradigm” (Autumn 2009). It compared the tax-services models of California and Texas. VC commenters were spirited as ever and raised a number of important questions. Although […]
Bloggers: 10% unemployment would be disaster for Dems in 2010. Split on whether Cap/Trade will pass
In last week’s National Journal of political bloggers, one question asked: “If unemployment remains at roughly the current level, what impact will that have on the 2010 midterm elections?” One hundred percent of the Right, and 89 percent of the Left bloggers thought it would hurt Democrats, and most thought it would hurt them a […]
Monday Bear Blogging
Renewing the intermittent tradition of Monday bear blogging, I thought I’d note this story.
CVSG in Staub v. Proctor Hospital
The Court didn’t grant cert in any cases today. It did, however, call for the views of the Solicitor General in Staub v. Proctor Hospital, 09-400, a case presenting the question of the proper standard to employ in determining whether an employer can be held liable based on the unlawful intent of officials who influenced […]
Second OT2009 Opinion–PC in Capital Case
No Supreme Court opinions in argued cases yet, but we got a second per curiam in a non-argued case. The Court summarily reversed the Sixth Circuit (Merritt, Martin, Moore) in the case of David Bobby (I guess that’s Ricky’s brother), Warden v. Robert J. Van Hook, 09-144, a capital case presenting the question of the […]
Federal Rules Interpreted as Barring Twitter Coverage of Trial from Inside Courtroom
From United States v. Shelnutt (M.D. Ga. Nov. 2): A reporter for the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer newspaper has requested that he be allowed to use his handheld electronic device (e.g., a BlackBerry or cellular telephone) during the trial of the above-captioned criminal case to send electronic messages describing the court proceedings directly from the courtroom to […]
Limits on the Necessary & Proper Clause?
On January 12th, the Supreme Court will hear argument on a case that promises to find a limit to the power of Congress “To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the government of the United States, […]
Muhammad: The “Banned” Images
I’m pleased to be the first to report that the newly founded Voltaire Press at Duke University has just published Muhammad: The “Banned” Images. The book includes all the images that were omitted by the Yale University Press from Jytte Klausen’s The Cartoons That Shook the World — including the 12 Mohammed cartoons — plus […]
The Psychology of a Terrorist
There seems to be a strange subtext in some press stories hinting that the suspect in the Fort Hood shootings, Nidal Malik Hasan, had psychological problems or motivations of a kind that would somehow render his acts inconsistent with terrorism or with Islamic terrorism. Does the press realize that the psychological profile of a typical […]
More Evidence for Christina Hoff Sommers’ “War Against Boys” Theory?
The L.A. Parks Department offers an after-school day care program that provides a “neutering fun and safe environment.”
Private Equity Law Textbook? Desperately Seeking …
I’m late ordering books for my spring class on private equity and venture capital, and am desperately trying to figure out if there might finally be a law school text on this topic. The constraints are the following…. below the fold. (ps. The advice folks gave me on my earlier question re law and econ […]
Against Climate McCarthyism
Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus have had enough of efforts to stifle debate over climate change policy, particularly by those who solicit quotes to “trash” those who don’t toe the party line. Roger Pielke, Jr. would add those who selectively edit their comment threads. UPDATE: The primary point of the post is to highlight Shellenberger […]