tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62447292012-01-18T09:28:45.091-05:00Hard-Core Political, Social, and Economic Analysis by Mr. Alec and T-Bone.Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.comBlogger2031100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1147066328858330302006-05-08T01:30:00.000-04:002006-11-09T14:04:24.163-05:00

For Mr. Alec's blogging go to:THE EDITORS BLOGIntroducing... THE EDITORS BLOG (http://the-editors.blogspot.com)The thoughts of three generations of Chicago Maroon Viewpoints Editors:George L. Anesi ('03-'05), Andrew Hammond ('05-'06), and Alec Brandon ('06-present) represent three generations of Chicago Maroon Viewpoints Editors. The Chicago Maroon has been the independent student newspaper of

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1147066217913205802006-05-08T00:55:00.000-04:002006-05-08T01:30:17.953-04:00

So this should have been obvious for awhile but Mr. Alec is going be signing off of the blogosphere. That doesn’t mean that I will no longer be blogging, just not at Mr. Alec, and no longer as Mr. Alec. So the new blog is going to be a group blog of three Viewpoints editors of the Chicago Maroon. My co-bloggers are some of the smartest people I have met and best of all; all told we offer a really

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1144439357051487362006-04-07T15:48:00.000-04:002006-04-07T15:49:17.076-04:00

Apparently it might just happen.-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1144218564233137462006-04-05T02:24:00.000-04:002006-04-05T02:56:09.946-04:00

USA Today reports:The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, responding to allegations that an anti-Israel bias is rampant on college campuses, approved recommendations Monday aimed at ensuring that Jewish college students are protected from anti-Semitic harassment.The recommendations grew out of a November hearing at which speakers cited examples of anti-Semitic incidents. One frequently cited

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1144216319455708782006-04-05T01:42:00.000-04:002006-04-05T01:51:59.466-04:00

While Federal healthcare reform is unlikely to be attainable in the near future, it is great to see actual steps forward on the issue today, in Massachusetts (as opposed to Maryland's fantastic Wal-Mart law earlier this year, which I commented on here).I am, of course, talking about a bill just hammered out that will come to as close to universal coverage as it gets. The plan is complex, but

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1143703510684384072006-03-30T02:23:00.000-05:002006-03-30T02:25:10.696-05:00

It doesn't look like our Bluths are going to be saved this time around.Heartbreaking.-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1143616066613277072006-03-29T02:06:00.000-05:002006-03-29T02:07:46.613-05:00

What a Rock and Roll lifestyle he leads.My favorite part? The TV must be tuned to FOXNews (but to his credit he also asks for a NY Times), but still.-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1143615333093196842006-03-29T01:48:00.000-05:002006-03-29T01:55:33.096-05:00

At Marginal Revolution, Tyler Cowen has some awesome population-weighted maps. They are really cool.Also, I am taking a class from this guy John List this quarter on Experimental Economics. It looks like it is going to be awesome (he started the class off by doing an experiment), in honor of how giddy I have been since that class, here is what Tyler Cowen had to say about List earlier this month:

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1143614698098464212006-03-29T01:37:00.000-05:002006-03-29T01:47:20.216-05:00

Many complain about the devastating shortage of organs in this country (like me). It is not like there is a shortage of easy policy solutions to this problem (like an opt-out system instead of an opt-in system). But while nothing ever seems to come of that easy solution, an even more interesting approach to doing something about the shortage has been done. It is a voluntary non-profit which, if

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1143323000664088192006-03-25T16:38:00.000-05:002006-03-25T17:43:27.466-05:00

Why is the New York Times reporting on this like it is bad? Here is the scoop:Thousands of schools across the nation are responding to the reading and math testing requirements laid out in No Child Left Behind, President Bush's signature education law, by reducing class time spent on other subjects and, for some low-proficiency students, eliminating it.Schools from Vermont to California are

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1143181808846332522006-03-23T18:47:00.000-05:002006-03-24T01:53:06.176-05:00

A couple of points to add about my extremely lengthy bit on American treatment of Israel:1. The argument I was trying to make:I was trying to argue that the authors of the paper, Mearsheimer and Walt, were not so much trying to be perfectly rigorous social scientists as trying to advance an important issue of debate on a very peculiar issue. I think if you look at their paper from that

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1143095354274855752006-03-23T01:02:00.000-05:002006-03-23T16:33:06.273-05:00

After a long spell of deep interest in Middle Eastern politics in High School, I have lately grown weary of even thinking about the region, let alone discussing it with the ardent Zionists that I use to love arguing about Israel with. Perhaps best exemplifying the futility of this debate is the heat being generated over an academic paper written by two of the most stellar political scientists

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1143093694886032782006-03-22T21:22:00.000-05:002006-03-23T01:13:24.246-05:00

It is a welcome development that Georgia has passed a law that would allow its schools to teach elective classes on the Old and New Testament from a literary and historical perspective (via Volokh). While it is obviously worrisome how the Bible would be taught in Georgia, it is a text unrivaled cultural and intellectual significance. Any intellectual history of the Western world ought to give

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1142926084818342492006-03-22T04:50:00.000-05:002006-03-22T02:20:15.280-05:00

South Park has come along way over the past couple of years. At its start it was nothing more than raunchy bathroom humor (the pinnacle of that being Mr. Hankey, a magical piece of poop that emerges from the toilet during Christmas to give presents to boys and girls with diets rich in fiber). But since then South Park has grown, and it seems to have supplanted the Simpson’s as the best cultural

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1142929029084346372006-03-21T02:53:00.000-05:002006-03-21T03:17:09.133-05:00

While Christopher Hitchens is using the evil of al Qaeda terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as a reason to reinvigorate the fight in Iraq and the Weekly Standard is trying for the 80th time to draw a link between Saddam and al Qaeda, it turns out Saddam was just as interested in getting rid of Zarqawi as the United States is now.Juan Cole points that recently released documents show that Saddam felt

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1142925722521943062006-03-21T02:50:00.000-05:002006-03-21T02:29:26.770-05:00

While the most famous bias of the media is its sway towards liberal policies, there is a much more prominent and dangerous bias that has been extremely prominent lately. More and more the news (and by the news I mean the New York Times) is being catered to an extremely small percentage of Americans. Just this week the New York Times has run articles on the plight of female lawyers unable to make

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1142926056580682702006-03-21T02:22:00.000-05:002006-03-21T02:27:36.580-05:00

I have written a much longer analysis on the South Park controversy, but I want to edit it tomorrow so that it is cogent, so in the meantime, the much discussed episode is now online, available for free.Check it out before it is taken down, and take solace in the fact that with each passing minute you are sticking it to Tom Cruise and Scientology.Click here for the full episode.-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1142923808183403192006-03-21T01:12:00.000-05:002006-03-21T01:50:08.273-05:00

David Brooks had an excellent column yesterday that discussed the power of this unknown power of the soul in society. There is little dispute that two of the parts of soul are the parts that desires the most base of pleasures and the part that desires wisdom. In his column Brooks discusses the significance of a potential third part of the soul that drives men to:wear the sports jerseys of

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1142628694269149782006-03-17T15:42:00.000-05:002006-03-17T15:52:15.560-05:00

It seems that the Mayor of Newark, New Jersey has never been opposed to theatrics. When delivering his signatures for reelection, four years ago, he used a cart covered in his campaign slogan, "The Real Deal." But this year he has outdone himself. The 70 year old, five-time Mayor of Newark, road a bike wearing a tank-top and gym shorts to deliver 10,000 signatures (you only need 1,159 to qualify)

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1142383386943219922006-03-14T19:30:00.000-05:002006-03-14T19:43:06.956-05:00

Steven Levitt has never had a problem studying issues that make people squirm and I am not just referring to his abortion study, his study on the impact of names is equally, if not more discomforting. It was there that he concluded:The data show that, on average, a person with a distinctively black name—whether it is a woman named Imani or a man named DeShawn—does have a worse life outcome than a

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1142365434121335562006-03-14T14:40:00.000-05:002006-03-14T14:43:54.143-05:00

Watch what you search for...-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1142301853076301662006-03-13T20:55:00.000-05:002006-03-13T21:06:18.176-05:00

That seems to be becoming the theme of the decade for South America (except for Chile, thanks to Milty and the Chicago Boys). Anyways, Argentina just imposed one of the dumbest economic policies I've read about in awhile. The jist of it is, Argentina is going to ban exportation of its most profitable good: beef. Essentially what will happen is supply will spike in the short-run because of

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1142301287996277622006-03-13T20:51:00.000-05:002006-03-13T20:54:47.996-05:00

Turns out Saddam was not just good at hiding his WMDs from us, but also from his own generals! The Iraqi dictator was so secretive and kept information so compartmentalized that his top military leaders were stunned when he told them three months before the war that he had no weapons of mass destruction, and they were demoralized because they had counted on hidden stocks of poison gas or germ

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1142301047914924882006-03-13T20:39:00.000-05:002006-03-13T20:50:47.926-05:00

So it seems like the pop singer Usher has decided that he is finally going to give back to the community. Unfortunately I doubt anyone will notice the change. Apparently he is going to give a seminar at a black and Hispanic teen leadership conference on how to succeed in sports and entertainment. But why is this getting him good press? He is going to do nothing but provide these teenagers, most

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1142299492972995062006-03-13T20:18:00.000-05:002006-03-13T21:05:08.043-05:00

I feel a little silly posting this here because, first of all, it is from the University of Chicago perspective, but also because two days after this was published the U of C announced who its new president was (it was not Larry Summers). Oh well. I still think my column makes a strong point about the role of University presidents today, and I do think Larry Summers would make a fantastic

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1142197589569049332006-03-12T16:04:00.000-05:002006-03-12T16:06:29.586-05:00

Sorry things have been so quiet. It has been a combination of last week being kinda slow newswise and this week me being extremely busy.Unforunately things will probably remain quiet until next week, but some awesome stuff is brewing but I don't want to announce anything until it is going to happen. -Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1141008672827673132006-02-26T21:49:00.000-05:002006-02-26T21:51:12.840-05:00

On further thought, it isn't just ridiculous that Democrats were willing to do this. It is outrageous that people actually buy this tripe. That may fully explain my outrage at this port fiasco.Hopefully time will pass and people and politicians will forget, but that is a sad thing to look forward to.-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1140913854132491562006-02-25T19:28:00.000-05:002006-02-25T19:30:54.163-05:00

If you didn't believe me that Democrats were shamelessly taking advantage of this port situation, then you should see the latest polling numbers, which seem to indicate that it might have worked.While it is nice to see the Democrats do something right, it is still upsetting for them to compromise their objectivity in doing so.I miss Clinton, back when Democrats liked markets. Whatever happened?-

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1140898663864979972006-02-25T15:11:00.000-05:002006-02-25T15:17:50.910-05:00

This has been floating around the blogosphere, classic (via Balkanization):Many on the right seem to be getting pretty desperate about the condition in Iraq; especially after Francis Fukayama's essay (which might be the straw the breaks neo-conservatism’s back) in last week's New York Times Magazine. It's never a good sign when founders of neo-conservatism are writing about its downfall.It also

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1140847512352243282006-02-25T01:04:00.000-05:002006-02-25T01:05:12.366-05:00

During this year’s State of the Union address, President George Bush made a gratuitous number of references to “isolationists and protectionists.” At the time it seemed like he was merely building a straw man with which he could easily repeat the same points on the war on terror that he has made since 9/11. In the context of recent events, America’s historically isolationist and protectionist

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1140720098238432542006-02-23T13:40:00.000-05:002006-02-23T13:41:38.250-05:00

You have to be fucking kidding me.This just screams of political opportunism. I hate politicians. Expect more on this tonight. I am writing a column for the newspaper on this.Gar.-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1140467254799781342006-02-20T15:20:00.000-05:002006-02-20T15:27:34.813-05:00

This is disturbing on many levels. Apparently a Holocaust Denier has been sentenced to three years in jail (it seems in Austria, though the article does make that clear). On one level, this guy is a disgusting provocateur (Europe seems to have lots of those). On another though: what right does the government have to patrol the content of people's statements. It doesn't seem that denying the

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1140335316963618362006-02-19T02:43:00.000-05:002006-02-19T02:48:36.993-05:00

Sorry things have been so slow lately. Debate season is in full swing. Also, the internship hunt is heating up (I got to a final round interview yesterday!). On top of this, it is also really really long problem set season, but hopefully things should be clearing up mid-next week. No promises though.Anyways, I found this funny, in a twisted sort of way. Apparently an Iranian group is threatening

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1139350363701749632006-02-07T16:17:00.000-05:002006-02-08T10:18:04.606-05:00

After reading most John Tierney op-ed's I first feel insulted that we share a last name, and then say to myself "There's no way he can get worse than this one.. there's just no way!" Well, I think this one is truly the least logical op-ed written by anyone, and that's even including Maureen Dowd.Burn Baby Burn (Sorry if you aren't a subscriber of the NY Times. I'm sure you'll be able to find the

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12912267226034327058noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1139279266160969752006-02-06T21:24:00.000-05:002006-02-07T01:03:02.700-05:00

Kudos to Orin Kerr at Volokh for noticing this from Alberto Gonzales' testimony today. The implications are pretty creepy:SCHUMER: It's also been reported that the head of the Office of Legal Counsel, Jack Goldsmith, respected lawyer and professor at Harvard Law School, expressed reservations about the program. Is that true?GONZALES: Senator, rather than going individual by individual, let me

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1139261771617291002006-02-06T16:28:00.000-05:002006-02-07T01:03:11.506-05:00

One of my favorites, Fareed Zakaria has a fantastic essay in Newsweek. It is on Islam, Europe, the Middle East, Iran; basically everything of interest in the post-9/11 International Relations.On the topic of Iran he is perhaps his most insightful:Or consider Iran. Many Americans had become convinced that the vast majority of Iranians hated their regime and were trying desperately to overthrow it;

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1139199587406130662006-02-05T23:19:00.000-05:002006-02-05T23:19:47.423-05:00

I am unsure what to think about this.-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1139087820269459492006-02-04T16:12:00.000-05:002006-02-04T16:17:00.286-05:00

It is crap like this that drives me wild:C ommand Sergeant Major Tim Walz is a twenty-four-year veteran of the Army National Guard, now retired but still on active duty when a visit from President George W. Bush shortly before the 2004 election coincided with Walz's homecoming to Mankato, Minnesota. A high school teacher and football coach, he had left to serve overseas in Operation Enduring

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1139024701628698602006-02-03T22:15:00.000-05:002006-02-03T22:50:57.546-05:00

Earlier this week a Dutch newspaper ran a set of newspaper cartoons that were extremely offensive to Muslims that can be seen to the right (I know its small, but the basic jist of them is that Mohammed is seen in one with a bomb under his turban and it goes from there).I think one of the reasons for the outrage that is lost on many is that Islam is strongly against any representation of Mohammed,

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1138859059537164032006-02-02T00:42:00.000-05:002006-02-03T22:46:33.286-05:00

More than anything, Bush’s State of the Union is the best glimpse of how his presidency may have looked had 9/11 never occurred. With no wars to lead or evil axis to call out, he is nothing but a mediocre speaker who can’t appeal to anyone outside of his circle. His attempt at building a straw man out of supposed isolationists made him seem desperate and defensive, not the bold leader we remember

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1138691199994483952006-01-31T01:59:00.000-05:002006-01-31T02:06:40.010-05:00

So this is my roughest week of the quarter, what with exams and papers due, so I don't have a ton new to report tonight. But there are three things on the agenda.1. I adapted an earlier post about Wal-Mart for a column in the Maroon last week and in Tuesday's newspaper there is a response column written by one of UChicago's latest Rhodes Scholars. Expect a response from me (hint: I am going to

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1138602031500857112006-01-30T01:15:00.000-05:002006-01-31T02:08:02.720-05:00

It was shocking to hear a Democrat not doing one of the only two things Democrats have been good for lately, that is silently hoping Republicans mess up their own prospects or screaming about lies and hanging out with Cindy Sheehan. It was even more shocking to hear it from one of the brightest stars in the party.Kudos to Barack Obama for this brutally true statement on ABC's "This Week" which

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1138601083649888242006-01-30T00:59:00.000-05:002006-01-30T01:15:00.013-05:00

Garrison Keillor rips Bernard-Henri Lévy a new one, and deservedly so, in the New York Times Book Review today. His set of pointlessly long articles in The Atlantic were "shallow and pedantic."Keillor strikes to the heart of the matter when he calls out Lévy for being, "short on the facts, long on conclusions."Read the whole thing for the full effect.-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1138584106400517882006-01-29T20:09:00.000-05:002006-01-29T20:31:18.496-05:00

Why must so many people equate everything to the rise of Hitler?It gives Hamas far too much credit. For one, Hamas is not taking control of a country with one of the strongest economies in the world. The Palestinian Authority is a shell of a country, Israel could fuck it up at the drop of a hat (#3 on that list), and there is no chance, whatsoever that the Palestinian Authority will be

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1138583249518757942006-01-29T20:06:00.000-05:002006-01-29T20:07:29.530-05:00

This is ridiculous.-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1138476950428074792006-01-28T14:25:00.000-05:002006-01-28T14:35:50.443-05:00

The Washington Post reports on my worst nightmare:Democrats are getting an early glimpse of an intraparty rift that could complicate efforts to win back the White House: fiery liberals raising their voices on Web sites and in interest groups vs. elected officials trying to appeal to a much broader audience.These activists -- spearheaded by battle-ready bloggers and making their influence felt

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1138416179246771312006-01-27T21:40:00.000-05:002006-01-27T21:42:59.246-05:00

Ann Coulter ought to taste some of her own medicine:Universal Press Syndicate columnist Ann Coulter "joked" during a Thursday speech that liberal Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens should be poisoned. "We need somebody to put rat poisoning in Justice Stevens' creme brulee," Coulter said at Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark. "That's just a joke, for you in the media."She made other

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1138415816100794972006-01-27T21:07:00.000-05:002006-01-27T21:38:44.250-05:00

Turns out Cindy Sheehan has threatened to run against Senator Diane Feinstein if Feinstein does not filibuster the nomination of Samuel Alito. I guess that Sheehan, on top of enjoying "absolute moral authority" on the issue of Iraq, also has moral authority on Constitutional Law. Turns out that she is against Alito because:Sheehan is the grieving military mother whose vigil outside President Bush

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1138324125810812142006-01-26T19:59:00.000-05:002006-01-26T20:08:45.823-05:00

I found this who's who of Hamas via OxBlog. I highly recommend checking it out, especially given that Hamas has undergone a massive change in leadership due to Israel's assassinations of Hamas leadership in 2004 (which gave rise to this awesome Onion point-counter-point).The most striking thing was to see that nearly every leader is well educated. A couple are teachers. One is even a surgeon!

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1138306474092333022006-01-26T14:46:00.000-05:002006-01-26T15:14:34.156-05:00

Hamas has out performed nearly everyone's predictions. Here are a couple of notes:1. Israel has to be wondering whether it was their pullout from Gaza that caused this. A New Republic article last week alluded to how, "Palestinians credit Hamas for its militancy and for getting the Israelis out of Gaza." It will be interesting to see how the Hamas victory will effect Ehud Olmert's upcoming

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1138158653744864922006-01-24T22:07:00.000-05:002006-01-24T22:10:53.756-05:00

Now that the Christian Fundamentalist Swimwear (via Andrew Sullivan) market has been cornered it is only bound to grow.Scary...-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1138147055921096942006-01-24T18:48:00.000-05:002006-01-24T18:57:35.923-05:00

Foreign policy superstar Fareed Zakaria has a sobering column on Iran this week. I say sobering not because he actually tries to scare people into worrying about Iran (that has already been done), but because he tries to make a best-case scenario about Iran getting nuclear weapons. This is preceded by him dismissing the effectiveness of any other strategy.He logic is sound is dismissing any

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1138146343106457452006-01-24T18:37:00.000-05:002006-01-24T18:45:43.123-05:00

Often it seems that protests suffer from a debilitating set of constraints. Many times they are fueled by nothing but a reactionary gut feeling and an urge to rebel. As a result they seem juvenile and unconvincing. But with that said, credit is due where it is deserved, and today at the Georgetown Law School a group of protesters effective conveyed a nuanced yet blunt position on the NSA wiretaps

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1137875816895346322006-01-21T15:23:00.000-05:002006-01-21T15:36:56.916-05:00

So I was given an offer I couldn't refuse last week. Over the next couple of months I will be taking over as the Editor of the Chicago Maroon's Viewpoints section (the editorial section). I am unsure what this is going to mean for this blog. But I have been thinking about it and decided two things.First, I am not going to give this blog up. Although I have neglected this, I still enjoy writing my

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1137171899429321602006-01-13T11:43:00.000-05:002006-01-13T12:13:22.256-05:00

Over at "The Plank" the question is asked: Where is Barack Obama? I think it is a pretty worthy one. How the Democrat's failed to get this guy on the Senate Judiciary Committee speaks of an enormous failure on the part of Harry Reid and the Democratic senior leadership in the Senate. Let's look at Obama's credentials: He graduated from Harvard Law School, as the President of the Law Review. He

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1137170586058354282006-01-13T11:36:00.000-05:002006-01-13T12:06:10.286-05:00

Yesterday Maryland's legislature overrode a veto by the state's governor to pass a bill that would require, "employers with 10,000 or more workers in the state must spend at least 8 percent of their payrolls on health insurance, or else pay the difference into a state Medicaid fund."While the public's interest in this was surely fueled by the ever-present animosity against Wal-Mart, it seems that

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1136750330300973132006-01-08T14:55:00.000-05:002006-01-08T14:58:50.310-05:00

While this may not be nearly as important as the brewing Abramoff scandal or the situation in Iraq, it is pretty entertaining. Bill O'Reilly was on the Letterman show last week and the results were surprisingly political.While Letterman clearly does not know his stuff, he very effectively shows everyone's opinion to O'Reilly. Check it out here.-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1136522489992817202006-01-05T23:40:00.000-05:002006-01-05T23:41:30.006-05:00

Luckily for the United States and the people of Cuba, Fidel Castro is mortal and soon to enter his eighth century of life. When he dies you can expect a rush of Cuban exiles presently in Miami to storm Havana to liberate their homeland. You can also expect Fidel’s brother and deputy, Raúl, to attempt to carry on his brother’s revolution. But however the struggle resolves itself, it is

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1136078171745738352005-12-31T20:13:00.000-05:002005-12-31T20:16:11.756-05:00

Bush did not succomb to special interest demands and rejected a cap on importation of Chinese steel.Kudos to Bush on this one and kudos for his simple justification:I find that the import relief would have an adverse impact on the United States economy clearly greater than the benefits of such action...-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1135805617440740742005-12-28T16:13:00.000-05:002005-12-28T21:52:17.663-05:00

There is a dangerous belief amongst many environmentalists and biologists that economics and free markets stand to harm the environment, not help it. This is a result of a long history of a robust economy coming at the cost of acid rain and destroyed rain forests. I largely think that this is a result of two things; first, smug economists love getting their kicks off of proving dooms day

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1135804411781546452005-12-28T16:10:00.000-05:002005-12-28T17:05:01.333-05:00

Watch this skit, it is hilarious, and hopefully an indication of good things to come from SNL.Interestingly enough it is also getting tons of attention in the media: here and here.-Mr. AlecPS Expect a post on the enviornment and economics tonight. I had one up a couple minutes ago but realized it was lacking in a couple of areas (namely links and a little more detail).

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1135658666647364382005-12-26T22:44:00.000-05:002005-12-26T23:44:26.726-05:00

A great synopsis (and opinion) of the NSA eavesdropping issue was in the Washington Post yesterday. Suzanne Spaulding, who was a legal counsel with the CIA and the House and Senate Intelligence committee, makes a couple of arguments.1. The Congressional "meetings" were a farce:The administration says Congress was briefed "at least a dozen times" in the four years since the wiretap program started

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1135500467782155942005-12-25T03:19:00.000-05:002005-12-25T03:47:48.320-05:00

It is frequently purported that first world farm subsidies not only hurt those countries, but also third world countries. The idea is simple; subsidies increase the production of the goods and in turn lower the market price for those goods. This cuts into revenues for farmers of third world countries that are not getting subsidies.This is the rationale that Nicholas Kristof used today in his call

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1135498727756454512005-12-25T02:56:00.000-05:002005-12-25T03:18:47.773-05:00

A couple of Arrested Development notes, before I get back into a blogging grove: First, it is not neccesarily canceled. There is news that both ABC and Showtime are interested in bringing in the show if Fox actually formally cancels it--something it has not done, it has merely reduced its order from a full season to 13 episodesSo I just talked about it, but I feel it is worth a little more

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1135497387327331252005-12-25T02:45:00.000-05:002005-12-25T02:56:27.336-05:00

I have to apologize to everyone for neglecting this blog and for having absolutely no excuse to do so, as I have been done with classes for more than two weeks now. Lets just say that an unexpectedly lackluster performance on a final could only be fixed by dozens of hours of Arrested Development.Consider this blog back in business.-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1133922759280309342005-12-06T21:24:00.000-05:002005-12-06T21:32:39.290-05:00

I stumbled upon the New Republic's blog, "The Plank" a couple of weeks ago and have found it delightful (although it is clearly left-leaning as opposed to TNR's typical neo-liberal hawkish approach). Regardless, expect a link of it to appear in a couple days on this site (when I am done with finals!!!).Anyways the purpose of this post is that the Plank highlighted a hilarious section in an

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1133857783773002242005-12-06T03:24:00.000-05:002005-12-06T03:29:43.790-05:00

Surprisingly enough conservative news outlets handled today's Tom DeLay ruling completely differently. Dan Solove was kind enough to compile the different headlines.The (truly) surprising thing though, is that the New York Times is by far the most objective of the headlines. While all the other outlets focus on either a charge being dropped or charges being held, the New York Times says it like

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1133732164163932312005-12-04T16:19:00.000-05:002005-12-04T16:36:04.196-05:00

One of Bill O'Reilly's annual events is his decrying of the supposed "War on Christmas" where he calls out everyone and anyone who uses the word holiday instead of Christmas. This has always struck me as stupid, Adam Cohen provides the best arguement yet:This campaign - which is being hyped on Fox and conservative talk radio - is an odd one. Christmas remains ubiquitous, and with its celebrators

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1133658997271609372005-12-03T20:03:00.000-05:002005-12-03T20:16:37.283-05:00

In light of Iraq's less than stellar situation I thought this quote is rather indicative of everything that as gone on thus far. In July of 2003 the first signs of an insurgency were starting in Iraq. At the White House Bush told reporters this:There are some who feel like that if they attack us that we may decide to leave prematurely. They don't understand what they're talking about, if that's

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1133514441282712122005-12-02T03:52:00.000-05:002005-12-02T04:07:21.356-05:00

James Fallows has a very in-depth story in this month's Atlantic detailing exactly what has gone so wrong in the creation of Iraq's own defense force. While wrestling with finals and developing super-secret Straussian interpretations of Machiavelli I have been making my way through the article. Expect a discussion of it soon (like in a week when I am done with finals), but in the meantime I feel

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1133337415780698422005-11-30T02:53:00.000-05:002005-11-30T02:56:55.793-05:00

Turns out Jean Schmidt, the Ohio Congresswoman that won a special election this year against a Iraqi war veteran, and who is no infamous for saying this:A few minutes ago I received a call from Colonel Danny Bop, Ohio Representative from the 88th district in the House of Representatives. He asked me to send Congress a message: Stay the course. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1132715681920645232005-11-22T22:11:00.000-05:002005-11-22T22:14:41.930-05:00

I am curently reading some of Machiavelli in one of my classes. It is especially exciting because the professor is the translator of the texts and is unquestionably knowledgable on the subject matter.Anyways, I re-read one of my favorite Machiavelli quotes that I thought I should share. It has nothing to do with his political philosophy. It is from a letter to a friend where he is describing his

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1132643205503123922005-11-22T02:03:00.000-05:002005-11-22T02:09:45.470-05:00

Eric Oliver is contending that the purported obsesity epidemic in the United States is all a farce. He makes this claim in a book, aptly titled Fat Politics. His claim seems logical:The idea that Americans’ increasing girth is a catastrophic disease is largely a myth promoted by the weight loss industry and diet doctors, writes Oliver in a new book, Fat Politics; the Real Story behind America’s

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1132140940103354892005-11-16T06:28:00.000-05:002005-11-16T06:35:40.103-05:00

A non-European post from the European correspondant? You'll live.Dan Savage has an incredible op-ed in today's New York Times. Titled, "Can I Get a Little Privacy?" it describes one of the best ideas yet for a Democratic victory in 2006. Before getting into why this can really help the Democrats in the next Congressional cycle, I will summarize Savage's idea.Savage suggests that Democrats go on

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12912267226034327058noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1131439267646575242005-11-16T03:31:00.000-05:002005-11-16T06:28:11.383-05:00

This one comes from your trusty European correspondant, Herr Kevin:For those who haven't followed the riots in France too closely, here is a quick summary of the events so far: Most of the rioters, however, are children of immigrants who were born in France. On Sunday, a band of 200 youths threw rocks and gasoline bombs and fired shotguns at the police in a housing project in Grigny, a gritty

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12912267226034327058noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1132042866177347622005-11-15T03:09:00.000-05:002005-11-15T03:21:06.190-05:00

Something tells me this will not generate nearly as much outrage amongst conservatives as the UN Food-for-Oil scandal did which essentially shows you that their outrage had little to do with the prevalence of scandals in bureacratic organizations and everything to do with it having to do with the UN and Kofi Annan.Damn hypocrites.-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1131930074488171612005-11-13T19:52:00.000-05:002005-11-13T20:01:14.490-05:00

I noticed that Kevin is cooking up a great post on the economics involved in the French riots (for a little more discussion on this Gary Becker and Richard Posner both had great articles here and here about how the tradeoffs of France's socialist model are real and unacceptable).But I want to just throw out there that it would be a terrible result of this rioting if the French government accepted

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1131929186268666112005-11-13T19:43:00.000-05:002005-11-13T19:51:42.270-05:00

The New York Times had a very interesting article that summarized the three bible passages that allude to the issues involved in the abortion debate. The conclusion is that essentially the bible is very inconclusive. There is even one passage that seems to indicate that the woman's life takes precedence over the fetus.But that just begs the question of why the bible is an authority on this issue

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1130908597514403082005-11-02T00:10:00.000-05:002005-11-02T00:16:37.526-05:00

This just in! There is division in the White House over how to set detainee policy. Turns out there are some crazy people in the State and Defense department that want language, "from the Geneva Conventions prohibiting 'cruel,' 'humiliating' and 'degrading' treatment" inserted into the policy. The hilarious thing is the justification for inserting such wording into the policy:Advocates of that

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1130896483358851802005-11-01T20:40:00.000-05:002005-11-01T20:54:43.376-05:00

Remember how when Roberts was nominated over the summer, many Democrats (not the elected officials, the ordinary people who just happen to vote for that party) point out that they had little reason to object to the Roberts nomination because Bush had won the Presidency and he was now just nominating a conservative like he had promised. That was before Hurrican Katrina, Fitzmas, and the debacle

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1130895485473776972005-11-01T20:31:00.000-05:002005-11-01T20:38:05.473-05:00

I know that I definately dropped the ball in the Miers process. I probably will have to do the same with Alito given how much busier I am during the academic year (as opposed to the blog-filled non-academic periods). All I really want to point out is two things. First, don't listen to me, just go to Volokh Conspiracy, they had something like 35 posts Monday. They were really on top of pointing

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1130895092844658552005-11-01T20:23:00.000-05:002005-11-01T20:31:32.856-05:00

Over at the fantastic Crescat Sententia, Will Baude takes a look at Roe that differs from many that only look at the political implications of a Supreme Court reversal. His conclusion seems to be that two interconnected ideas. First, that overturning Roe would not free legislatures to finally act in a perfectly democratic way. Second, the Supreme Court would not rid itself of any burden by

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1130536209759641122005-10-28T17:49:00.000-04:002005-10-28T17:50:09.770-04:00

The Weekly Standard had this parody today. I enjoyed you, you may too.-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1130520803396539772005-10-28T13:31:00.000-04:002005-10-28T13:33:23.400-04:00

You know this guy is qualified when Paul "I Fucking Hate Everything Bush Touches" Krugman gushes about the guy.Here is what he had to say (I am going to post most of the column because I know most people can't read the New York Times op-eds anymore):By Bush administration standards, the choice of Ben Bernanke to succeed Alan Greenspan as chairman of the Federal Reserve was just weird.For one

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1130520428018532922005-10-28T13:23:00.000-04:002005-10-28T13:27:08.020-04:00

The funny thing about Miers withdrawing her nomination is that she did precisely what columnist Charles Krauthammer had said she should do a week before. The Washington Post summarizes what Krauthammer said and what his response to the withdrawl was:It was Krauthammer who offered the White House last Friday what he called "the perfectly honorable way to solve the conundrum" by using a refusal to

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1130520170348456802005-10-28T13:13:00.000-04:002005-10-28T13:31:21.770-04:00

Judge Michael McConnell, although an originalist is widely considered to be a prolific scholar. To me he seems like the best of what Bush could stand to offer at this point (especially because he clearly has a ravenous right-wing group to appease this time around). David Brooks even prominently featured him in his now famous Pre-Roberts "Pick a Genius" column him. He had this to say about

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1130519602479603562005-10-28T13:10:00.000-04:002005-10-28T13:13:22.493-04:00

Today Fitzmas did not quite live up to what we could all of hoped (Rove did not get indicted, but did not not get indicted). Regardless the heat is on the White House. We'll see what ends up happening.-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1130401263336665412005-10-27T04:19:00.000-04:002005-10-27T04:21:03.350-04:00

If this seems more formal that usual that is because it should be. I am starting to write columns for the University of Chicago Maroon. We'll see how it goes. In the meanwhile, enjoy: By far the busiest day of my summer internship with my district’s congresswoman was when I had to man the phones directly after Hurricane Katrina. But surprisingly, many of the calls had little to do with the

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1130233595093849042005-10-25T05:27:00.000-04:002005-10-25T05:46:35.126-04:00

Kind words have been said about John Tierney here, but not by me. I was never a real fan of the guy (Alec was). Now, I find it hard to like the guy at all. His latest Op-Ed "And Your Point Is?" is so amazingly wrong it completely proves my post about cognitive framing and how facts don't matter once a frame is stuck in one's head.And sorry to those who don't have a Times Select subscription. I

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12912267226034327058noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1130174349260416122005-10-24T13:18:00.000-04:002005-10-24T13:19:09.266-04:00

We'll be seeing a lot of him over the next couple of years. Oh and by the way he has the most powerful position in government.-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1129932743954630272005-10-21T18:04:00.000-04:002005-10-21T18:12:23.956-04:00

Something tells me conservatives will lay off on the UN this week after a UN commission had this to say:It is the Commission’s view that the assassination on 14 February 2005 was carried out by a group with an extensive organization and considerable resources and capabilities. The crime had been prepared over the course of several months. For this purpose, the timing and location of Mr. Rafik

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1129931787284811542005-10-21T17:25:00.000-04:002005-10-21T17:56:27.336-04:00

I don't want to jump the gun on this one and start celebrating before I should, so I will be very stealth. If an indictment is actually handed out, expect much much more.First the New York Times said this today:As he weighs whether to bring criminal charges in the C.I.A. leak case, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, the special counsel, is focusing on whether Karl Rove, the senior White House adviser, and I.

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1129867792956276832005-10-21T00:07:00.000-04:002005-10-21T00:09:52.963-04:00

Something tells me I will see this picture many times over the next year.-Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1129853460670205712005-10-20T20:04:00.000-04:002005-10-20T20:12:04.403-04:00

It is our Chief European Coorespondent, Kevin Tierney's birthday today (notice that this blog's Tierney has a head that is actually connected to his neck, as opposed to this Tierney). He is finally 13, congratulations Tierney. By the way, here is an excellent bio of Mr. Tierney.Happy Birthday,Mr. Alec

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1129852463703658252005-10-20T19:44:00.000-04:002005-10-20T19:55:53.593-04:00

One of my favorite quotes comes from the economist Robert Lucas. I have heard it in a couple of different ways, but the jist of it is, "Once you begin studying the problem as to why some are rich and others poor it is difficult to think seriously about any other issue in economics." Lucas eventually ended up founding a new (and intuitively dubious) school of macroeconomics, namely "rational

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1129850006681775972005-10-20T19:06:00.000-04:002005-10-20T19:13:26.683-04:00

Lior Strahilevitz, a University of Chicago Law Professor, had some really unique things to say about how we could approach privacy more constructively in this country. I am so sick and tired of the perpetual debate about people complaining about wanting to have more privacy and others bitching about security, efficiency, and a host of other factors that may or may not trump a "right to privacy."

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1129849600992257962005-10-20T18:57:00.000-04:002005-10-20T19:06:41.000-04:00

Sorry, I have been very busy lately. My schedule went to hell and now I am playing catch-up in new classes, but that is no excuse! I should be able to get back in the blogging groove, so do not despair.With that said, my ridiculous thing of the day is this:A man got a prison term longer than prosecutors and defense attorneys had agreed to -- all because of Larry Bird.The lawyers reached a plea

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1129462311182095172005-10-16T07:24:00.000-04:002005-10-16T07:31:51.190-04:00

The New York Times got it wrong in its recent article "As Young Adults Drink to Win, Marketers Join In." The article suggests there is a growing crisis on America's college campuses in which drinking games get people incredibly and dangerously drunk. It suggests that drinking games facilitate binge drinking and even shows that beer companies are encouraging them at bars and in league settings to

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12912267226034327058noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1128715550471138082005-10-07T15:55:00.000-04:002005-10-07T16:05:50.476-04:00

So today I was making my regular runs through the blogosphere and stumbled upon Steven Levitt's latest. His post was just a brief reference to a Malcolm Gladwell article (the popular journalist/sociologist who brought us The Tipping Point and Blink) in the latest New Yorker. The article is about Ivy League admissions policies, it is very interesting (turns out the reason colleges started asking

Alec Brandonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13716550014100541600noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6244729.post-1128715293494802842005-10-07T15:03:00.000-04:002005-10-07T16:01:33.503-04:00

Hallo aus Deutschland! I had a fair amount of time to read books on the flight over here, so another post regarding the fair tax will come in a day or so. Today's topic, however, is inspired by George Lakoff's book, Don't Think of an Elephant!At first, I figured this book would be fairly stupid. It started off with Howard Dean exclaiming how amazing the book is. I'm really not a huge Howard Dean

Kevinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12912267226034327058noreply@blogger.com3