Keynesianism = trickle down effect?

I was at a birthday party today when some of my friends started talking about the economic crisis and the stimulus. This is, more or less, how the conversation went.
Person A : Well, once the stimulus is passed there should be more grants because the NSF is getting so much money.
Person B : Yes, and [...]

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Why banning communications infrastructure is a terrible response to terrorism

In this excellent piece, security guru Bruce Schneier comments on efforts by the Indian government to ban Google Earth in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks.
Let’s all stop and take a deep breath. By its very nature, communications infrastructure is general. It can be used to plan both legal and illegal activities, and it’s [...]

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Dating a Banker Anonymous

Having a Wall Street boyfriend isn’t as attractive when there is a financial crisis.

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I heart capitalist girls

A few weeks ago, I linked to this story of a 22 year old female college student who took advantage of prostitution-friendly Nevada laws to auction her virginity online for $3.8 million. Her explanation?
Like most little girls, I was raised to believe that virginity is a sacred gift a woman should reserve for just the [...]

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Chetan Kunte and NDTV

(See updates below)
(This post, for legal reasons that will be obvious, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 License.)
Gaurav Sabnis writes about the unfortunate case of blogger Chetan Kunte, whose views about Barkha Dutt’s “unethical reporting” apparently caused NDTV to browbeat him into deleting the post and replacing it with an apology.
It does [...]

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How the bikers won their freedom

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has” – Margaret Mead.
As we all know, governments do one thing really well — telling us how to run our lives. Thus, most places in the world (for instance every US state except New [...]

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Nicole Carroll doing overhead squats

Of late I have enrolled at a gym for Crossfit and Krav Maga. I will write a detailed post a month or two later, but for now, watch this video of the amazing (and beautiful) Nicole Carroll of Crossfit fame attempting 15 overhead squats of her bodyweight (125 lb). 

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Eric Posner profiles Cass Sunstein

Eric Posner’s article on Cass Sunstein is an excellent profile of the man’s views and positions and it also accurately summarises why I am happy about the Sunstein appointment.

Sunstein has strong liberal instincts—his work is animated by his concern for the rights and well-being of poor and vulnerable people and oppressed groups—and he believes that government [...]

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More Krugman nonsense

[Post edited]
From his latest column:
[W]rite off anyone who asserts that it’s always better to cut taxes than to increase government spending because taxpayers, not bureaucrats, are the best judges of how to spend their money.
Here’s how to think about this argument: it implies that we should shut down the air traffic control system. After all, [...]

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Where are the demonstrations for liberty?

The Mumbai terror attacks were remarkable, not just for their audacity and horrifying elements, but also for the spontaneous reaction it elicited from the public. Citizens across India demonstrated in massive numbers and expressed their outrage against terrorists and politicians. There were posters and sloguns and an atmosphere of common purpose. The numbers were massive, [...]

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New Yorker article on healthcare

Ashutosh points me to this fine article by Atul Gawande on healthcare reform in the US. While the overall viewpoint of the author is pragmatic liberal, the emphasis is definitely on the pragmatic — indeed, his insistence on the value of building upon existing institutions rather than attempting a drastic overhaul gives the piece a [...]

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Only in the Times of India

TOI is a haven for extraordinary writing but today they have surpassed themselves. Have a look at this piece, titled “Have a heart.” It begins:
Manmohan Singh’s sternest critics will not deny that the prime minister is, if nothing else, all heart. And, regrettably, that heart is in trouble.
What eloquence, what depth of feeling. I wish [...]

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Raise a toast to Obama

I am a long time reader of Radley Balko’s outstanding blog, The Agitator, and I have seldom seen him this jubilant.
From yesterday’s post:
Credit where it’s due: Well done, Mr. Obama. I’m sure we’ll have our differences, but afer your first 40+ hours on the job, this libertarian couldn’t be happier.
The tally:
Obama rescinded Bush’s 2001 executive [...]

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Geert Wilders may face prison term for ‘insulting Islam’

Freedom has taken a battering in Netherlands lately and this latest news is a sad day for those of us who believe in free speech.
On a related note, it might be interesting to try and figure out what’s the best place for free speech today.
USA? Perhaps has the broadest protections for speech anywhere (thanks to [...]

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An old Obama speech on religion

[Post edited] I discovered this video today. It is a recording of a speech Obama made more than an year ago. The familiar themes of collectivist altruism (this is Obama after all!) have their place but the speech is mainly about religion in a political context. Having heard many good and not so good Obama [...]

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