Showing archive for: “News & Social Media”
Live from Pyongyang!
In today’s NYT, columnist John Tierney sends CNN’s Lou Dobbs to North Korea to experience first-hand the sort of self-sufficient (isolationist?) utopia Dobbs and his jingoist fans long for. Perhaps a little unfair, but pretty funny. Read it here (Times Select subscription required).
MSM, Blogs, and George Mason's "Other" Big News
It has been a fine month for George Mason University. The Final Four appearance has attracted a good deal of media attention and general buzz. This week, I received a record number of phone calls from friends about Mason (“No, I dont have any extra Final Four tickets.”). As great as this news is for ... MSM, Blogs, and George Mason's "Other" Big News
More on universities
My post on universities/Zittrain/Harvard generated an excellent comment from Mike Madison. Here is my comment to Mike’s post: I suppose at the end of the day and over a few glasses of scotch I would largely agree with your characterization of my position. I do believe that norms exist and can be beneficial, and that ... More on universities
Universities redux: The anti-market folks begin to crow
Last week I made a few observations and asked a few questions about higher education in the wake of the Summers fiasco (which I dubbed l’Affair Étés, but apparently no one thought that was nearly as clever as I did). Over at Prawfsblawg, guest blogger Jonathan Zittrain takes NYT columnist John Tierney (for my money, ... Universities redux: The anti-market folks begin to crow
The NYT Gets It Right on Outsourcing
On several occasions, I have posted entries criticizing editorials from the New York Times. To be fair, I suppose I should praise the Times when it gets things right — as it does with today’s editorial on the outsourcing of computing work. My only quibble is that the editorial fails to mention the fact that ... The NYT Gets It Right on Outsourcing
The Ethicist strikes again
One of my students brought to my attention this pearl of wisdom from (what appears to be this week’s forthcoming) The Ethicist column in the NYT: I am a 13-year-old boy. My school has a monthly pizza sale. Parents buy pies from a pizzeria and sell them to us for $1 a slice. I bought ... The Ethicist strikes again
On disclosure: Hands-tying
Dale Oesterle has called Gretchen Morgenson a “national treasure.” Today Larry Ribstein exposes the treasure for fool’s gold. I’m with Larry on this one. Morgenson’s article on executive compensation is yellow journalism at its worst (well, at least a far as business journalism goes. And really — what else is there?). As Larry suggests, hatchet ... On disclosure: Hands-tying
What’s "Courageous" When It Comes to Taxing Investment Income?
Today’s New York Times accuses President Bush of getting things “exactly backwards” by exhorting Congress to demonstrate political courage by resisting the urge to raise taxes. The politically courageous move, the Times says, would be to raise taxes (i.e., to refuse to extend the 2003 cuts beyond their expiration date). In particular, the Times calls ... What’s "Courageous" When It Comes to Taxing Investment Income?
A Better Way to Save Magnificent Trees
Yesterday’s New York Times reported on “a growing movement, from suburban Washington to Los Angeles, to protect mature urban trees — and in some communities, make it a crime to chop them down.” Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, for example, was recently fined $37,000 for removing 130 view-obstructing trees on his riverfront estate, and the ... A Better Way to Save Magnificent Trees
The Perils(?) of Educating Judges on Economics
Yesterday’s New York Times editorialized on my favorite recent non-story — the one about Justice Scalia’s failure to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Chief Justice Roberts. C’mon guys. As lesser newspapers have already reported, Justice Scalia was in Colorado to teach a previously scheduled ten-hour seminar over two days. He received no honorarium for his ... The Perils(?) of Educating Judges on Economics
Correcting "The Ethicist" on Insider Trading
In yesterday’s New York Times Magazine, an anonymous reader posed the following question to The Ethicist: I am a subspecialty physician without primary responsibility for patients. I consulted on the care of the C.E.O. of a major company, the seriousness of whose illness was not being fully disclosed to shareholders. I own stock in this ... Correcting "The Ethicist" on Insider Trading
Coase and Smoking: Who’s the Victim Here?
Today’s New York Times reports on a new cigarette bar in Chicago, where the city council has just imposed a sweeping smoking ban. (I recently criticized the ban at Ideoblog.) The proprietors of the Marshall McGearty Tobacco Lounge insist that the lounge is permitted because of a loophole allowing smoking in retail tobacco shops. Not ... Coase and Smoking: Who’s the Victim Here?
