Author Archive | David Kopel

Stuart Buck investigates continued allegations of voter suppression in Florida during the 2000 election.

Earlier this week I heard a provocative talk on migration by Philip Martin of the University of California at Davis. In short, Martin argued that pressure for international migration will increase in coming decades for both demographic and economic reasons. Incomes are substantially higher, and population density is lower, in industrialized nations, making them more […]

I’ve noted the benefits of (moderate) alcohol consumption. Now Dan Drezner reports on some evidence that watching porn is good for you. Just wait, soon they’ll find listening to loud rock music makes you live longer too. Then everyone will need an amp that goes to 11.

Last week I wrote about a proposed Bush policy to allow increased levels of coal dust at some mine sites and require that employees wear respirators. At first blush, such a policy might make sense — if workers are not exposed to higher dust levels because of the respirators, there’s no problem. The respirator manufacturer […]

I would add two additional observations on the USA Olympic basketball team. First, I read this morning that Allen Iverson (29) is the oldest member of the team. While they are all great athletes, there is not much maturity or leadership. Second, everyone on the team is so used to being a star and “go-to” […]

It’s no surprise that Pearl Jam has joined the anti-Bush bandwagon, as their politics have been clear for some time. But they also recorded the 1996 song, “Olympic Platinum,” written by Nick Didia, which seems an appropriate choice for this week’s lyric. olympic dream, olympic dream… if i could reach to the sky and touch […]

I know it’s fashionable to be anti-French these days, but I think they might be onto something. According to this report, the French government wants to classify wine as nourishment. In one sense, they’re right. After all, moderate wine consumption is good for you. On that note, I think I’m off to my local wine […]

The New York Times reports on how the Bush Administration has sought to make various policies more “coal-friendly.” In my mind, some of these policy changes are desirable (e.g. making it easier to modernize coal-fired power plants), while others are not (e.g. more subsidies to coal producers). The discussion of one particular policy change caught […]

Dahlia Lithwick has her first guest column in the New York Times today. It’s a very thoughtful piece on the unintended consequences of rape shield laws. It is further proof that most of the Times’ guest columnists are better than the real thing.

The cards just weren’t hitting last night. Sometimes when my luck (or, let’s face it, my gambling acumen) isn’t quite where I’d like it to be, I wish I could gamble like Big Jule from Guys & Dolls – who threw craps with his own special dice. The spots were all worn off, but Jule […]

Florida potato farmers are growing low-carb potatoes. Developed to be disease-resistant, the HZPC potato has 30 percent fewer carbs than regular spuds. Another interesting tidbit, the Florida farmers wanted to sell the potatoes as “SpudLite,” but were afraid Anheuser Busch might sue. So instead the potatoes will be marketed under the name “Florida SunLite.” Update:Speaking […]

Radley Balko nails American Cancer Society board member David Seaman for an erroneous ad hominem attack against the Cato Institue’s Robert Levy for opposing FDA regulation of tobacco. It’s hard to charge the Cato Institute with being bought and paid for by Philip Morris (aka Altria) when the company takes the other side. (NRO’s Andrew […]

Grist magazine’s Amanda Griscom called Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s book attacking the Bush Administration’s environmental record “the green community’s Fahrenheit 9/11.” Griscom meant this as a complement — but Moore’s critics might beg to differ. Based on some recent posts, it seems the contributors to The Commons Blog — a relatively new group blog focusing […]

The New York Times ran this interesting story about efforts to genetically engineer trees to address various environmental problems. In laboratories around the country, researchers are using detailed knowledge of tree genes and recombinant DNA technology to alter the genetic workings of forest trees, hoping to tweak their reproductive cycles, growth rate and chemical makeup, […]

In 1988, George Bush was running for President as a virtual incumbent against a liberal Massachusetts politician. At the time, I was listening to a lot of ska, particularly various bands that, at one time or another, recorded on the 2Tone label, including The Specials, the Untouchables, and the Beat (aka English Beat). One of […]