tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69597512019899489042011-09-30T13:41:28.705-04:00"In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet and say to us, 'Make us your slaves, but feed us.'"James Hanleynoreply@blogger.comBlogger2441100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-72485031794752139122011-01-01T19:09:00.000-05:002011-01-01T19:09:51.208-05:00

If you're looking for me, I'm at a new home, http://bawdyhouse.wordpress.com/, where I'm indulging myself in a new solo blog, The Bawdy House Provisions.

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-55348363593789379562010-07-29T15:39:00.000-04:002010-07-29T15:39:00.409-04:00

From Cameron Abadi at Foreign Policy Passport. One of the dubious accomplishments of the Islamic Republic of Iran is how much it's succeeded at making criminality utterly banal. The government has made so many prosaic things illegal - from certain hairstyles, to satellite transmissions -- that consistent enforcement is impossible, and hypocrisy is endemic. Rule-breaking is so ubiquitous that

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-81925771150225903432010-07-28T11:55:00.003-04:002010-07-28T11:55:00.059-04:00

Back in 1994, my undergrad mentor commented to me that Bill Clinton was making a serious error in "nationalizing" the midterm elections. By "nationalizing," he meant making them a referendum on himself. That was just one of many instances where I wasn't convinced at first, but later came to realize my mentor had a considerable amount of political wisdom. I see Barack Obama making the same

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-70660486953999375002010-06-29T15:50:00.000-04:002010-06-29T15:50:00.728-04:00

I like to buy a book at the airport before a flight. The random element of what I might find in the airport bookstore amuses me. My most recent airport purchase was Nassim Taleb's The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable. Usually I provide a link when I mention a book, but this book does not merit a link. Indeed, to aid someone in purchasing the book, even inadvertently, would

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-85598778436280255762010-06-29T07:31:00.008-04:002010-06-29T07:31:00.385-04:00

The promulgation of economic fallacies never ends. From Kai Ryssdal, host of public radio's Marketplace: Productivity is at an all time high. That means workers are working harder. In other words, Sisyphus is the most productive worker of all time. And that farmer in his air-conditioned combine? Obviously less productive than his great-grandfather handling the plow behind a team of horses was,

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-74809922086646192772010-06-20T22:34:00.004-04:002010-06-20T22:37:18.880-04:00

I'm never more than mildly enthusiastic, at best, on father's day. I'm fortunate that my kids are fond enough of me that they give me hugs and kisses nearly every day, even the one who's soon to be a teen. They can't really do that much more on father's day without going to the kind of extravagances I don't generally enjoy (with the exception of Independence Day--I love being extravagant with

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-55521020574897930312010-06-20T21:23:00.001-04:002010-06-20T21:24:08.308-04:00

The principals of Positive Liberty have at last restarted with a new blog, "The One Best Way (No, Really)" at http://theonebestway.wordpress.com/. Despite our eagerness to get our blog restarted, there were the typical coordination problems of busy people, and there are few posts as of yet (although Jon Rowe is moving fast, at least). A lot of enthusiasm, energy, and momentum was lost during

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-77848696221434826252010-06-14T14:21:00.000-04:002010-06-14T14:21:00.492-04:00

No, but I am going to the Marine Corps Officer Educator's Workshop next week. They're flying me to Virginia, and I'll watch potential officers go through their training. Specifically, they're young folks whose summer job is going through Marine Corps training, but without having to make a commitment to the Corps. They can do this for two or three (I think) years, and then they are given the

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-68676929176613402612010-06-09T13:05:00.000-04:002010-06-09T13:05:26.030-04:00

Over at obamacrimes.com, lawyer Philip J. Berg (Esquire!*) continues to beg for the public's attention, this time by announcing that "by and through" he himself, "WE THE PEOPLE"** are sponsoring "OBAMA BIRTH CERTIFICATE / ELIGIBILITY/ OBAMACARE March on Washington." Not just "a" march, but the march. Unfortunately, "We the People," don't seem that interested in actually participating in this

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-74524877231740366052010-05-28T13:10:00.000-04:002010-05-28T13:10:00.110-04:00

Positive Liberty has died again, and this time I believe it's for good.  We've been having some technical difficulties that repeatedly make our site inaccessible, and no one can figure out what the problem is.  However we're sticking together and planning to regroup under a completely new name.  I'll keep you posted.

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-26135648614379205442010-05-24T08:55:00.001-04:002010-05-24T08:55:00.231-04:00

The Prince chapter 11: "Concerning Ecclesiastical Principalities"* This chapter concludes Machiavelli's discussion of different types of states, and from the modern perspective it is a curiously mixed affair, in equal parts thoroughly medieval and wholly modern, while simultaneously being as clear a statement of Machiavelli's adoration of strong leadership. Substantively the chapter is about

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-16490974059915997972010-05-17T08:20:00.001-04:002010-05-21T15:36:24.015-04:00

The Prince chapter 10: "How the Strength of all States Should Be Measured" In this very short chapter, Machiavelli makes a single claim, that the strength of a state should be measured solely by its ability to defend itself.  There is no doubt that were tBill and Ted to go back in time and bring Machiavelli to the present day, that he would be a staunch realist in foreign policy.  And I’m enough

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-13246106669173573002010-04-05T10:01:00.002-04:002010-04-05T10:03:56.571-04:00

The Prince chapter 9:  “Of the Civic Principality" Fortune, Ability, and the Civic Prince If anyone has thought that it was the aristocratic class of men that Machiavelli admired, rather than the strong individual, this chapter sufficiently dispels that error.    Here his disdain for the aristocracy is displayed plainly; that is, without excess, adornment, excuse or vitriol, but in the most

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-58203435545277962042010-03-22T12:14:00.001-04:002010-03-22T12:14:00.519-04:00

The Prince chapter 8: “Of Those Who Have Attained the Position of Prince by Villiany" Ol’ Nick, to refer to our author by his demonic nickname, finds villainy* somewhat problematic, but not terribly so. His appraisal seems to lie more in how one applies villainy, rather than whether one is a villain or not. As he’s shown before, his concern seems to be with outcome rather than method. The

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-51887993057011746102010-03-21T08:48:00.000-04:002010-03-21T08:48:43.687-04:00

The Prince chapter 7: Of New Dominions Acquired by the Power of Others or by Fortune." This chapter, in any normally partitioned work, would not be separate from the prior one. Chapter 6 discussed dominions won both by one’s own ability and via the powers of others, with examples of the former. This chapter discusses the same thing, but with examples of the latter. The structure is somewhat

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-37100058517212916602010-03-21T08:33:00.002-04:002010-03-21T08:45:48.059-04:00

The Prince, Chapter 6, "Of New Dominions Which Have Been Acquired By One's Own Arms and Ability."* Today we come to a change in focus, essentially a new section, in The Prince. The first 5 chapters focused on the different types of principalities and how they can be established and held. The answer to the last question seems to be, "ruthlessly wipe out every possible claimant to princehood.

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-78486325603557009062010-03-02T08:57:00.001-05:002010-03-02T08:57:00.116-05:00

Still reading Fred Clark's "world's longest book review" of the Left Behind series (now on book 2, Tribulation Force), I appreciated this footnote.John Howard Yoder noted that that idea of the priesthood of all believers is often misunderstood as -- or is accused of being -- an attempt to abolish the clergy. Actually, he said, the opposite is true. The priesthood of all believers requires the

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-28347044896221089302010-03-01T08:52:00.001-05:002010-03-01T08:56:38.546-05:00

The Prince chapter 5: "The Way to Govern Cities or Dominions that, Previous to Being Occupied, Lived Under Their Own Laws."Back in chapter 1, Machiavelli divided states into two types, republics and monarchies, then subdivided monarchies into two types, ancient and new, further subdivided those new monarchies into their own two sub-subtypes, entirely new ones or ones grafted onto existing

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-36377313620901652022010-03-01T08:46:00.003-05:002010-03-01T08:52:11.804-05:00

Over the past several months I've been reading Fred Clark's critique of the Left Behind series, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, on Slacktivist (and don't we all wish we'd thought of that pun?). It's slow going because he has literally hundreds of posts devoted to it (and here's a handy index to all of them). I've enjoyed them for many reasons. Clark's an excellent writer (unlike LaHaye and

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-56323931066243506662010-03-01T08:44:00.002-05:002010-03-01T08:46:05.826-05:00

Okay, I probably shouldn't join in with the crowd that attaches President Obama's name to any and every noun/adjective, but his name just lends itself to it so well. Anyway...Obama has plans to pressure companies with government contracts to increase wages. According to the New York Times article about 25% of Americans work for such companies, and Obama sees this as a means of lifting American

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-38293110849476101932010-02-26T09:55:00.004-05:002010-02-26T10:00:54.207-05:00

I have to share this, from my brother's blog. On State Street today [in Ann Arbor], I encountered a couple folks holding up one of those Obama-with-the-Hitler-moustache posters. Our 7-second conversation went something like this:Me: "Aren't you afraid of being arrested?"Him: [utterly confused look] "Arrested? No, I'm not afraid of being arrested."Me: "Guess he's not much of a Hitler, then, is he?

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-79193261553838246172010-02-25T08:20:00.003-05:002010-02-25T08:30:41.088-05:00

My other blog, Positive Liberty, is dead. Jason Kuznicki, the blog's real owner and administrator, has had continuing problems with domain host IPower, which included a major crash that destroyed years worth of posts (most of which has been recovered through the tech savvy of Jason's brother-in-law). The latest, and most severe problem, was IPower failing to automatically charge Jason's credit

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-87064241848067717952010-02-22T12:00:00.000-05:002010-02-22T12:00:03.351-05:00

The Prince chapter 4: "Why the Kingdom of Darius, Occupied by Alexander, Did Not Rebel Against the Successors of the Latter After His DeathThe best thing about approaching The Prince this way is that it forces me to slow down and think about what it means. If I were reading straight through, I might do just that--read straight through. But by focusing on each chapter individually, I slow down

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-12710023875264701252010-02-15T11:59:00.002-05:002010-02-15T11:59:00.058-05:00

Chapter 3: Of Mixed Monarchies By “mixed” monarchies, Machiavelli means those that are composed of possessions accumulated at different times, so that they do not have a long tradition of unity. They are very problematic, he says, because “men change masters willingly, hoping to better themselves.” This may, at first blush, seem to contradict his thoughts on how unwilling people are to upset

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-91906696596108117602010-02-13T10:12:00.000-05:002010-02-13T10:13:28.462-05:00

The Prince, chapters 1 and 2.I'll begin my discussion of The Prince by covering two chapters, because they are so very short. Most weeks I'll likely cover only one, so that these posts don't become egregiously long and rambling.Chapter 1: How Many Kinds Of Principalities There Are, And By What Means They Are AcquiredThe first chapter of The Prince threw me for a loop the first time I read it.

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-2655837601599706552010-02-01T11:59:00.000-05:002010-02-01T11:59:00.689-05:00

For a number of reasons I have been stimulated to re-read Machiavelli’s The Prince, which I have read twice, but only when I was much younger, with less education and less experience than I now have, and, in both cases, read hurriedly. And it is my experience that a worthwhile book requires several readings, separated in time with other relevant reading in between to provide greater context and

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-64003387743234765642010-01-27T10:33:00.000-05:002010-01-27T10:34:10.742-05:00

From Justice Scalia's opinion in the 2009 case of Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts. The facts of the case are irrelevant. This priceless gem of legal reasoning stands on its own. I can only wonder if Scalia has any sense of irony.It is the dissent that seeks to overturn precedent by resurrecting Roberts a mere five years after it was rejected in Crawford.

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-18995070162969725392010-01-25T15:02:00.002-05:002010-01-25T15:03:23.213-05:00

Both Russian sources and US military have confirmed a huge military tunnel beneath the BERING STRAIT, linking SIBERIA with ALASKThis comes from the heretofore unknown Roy Taylor Ministries. (And, no, I didn't cut off the last letter of Alaska--Roy's apparently not in the business of ministering to copy editors.)Anyway, this here tunnel "was not DUG out, but BORED OUT using nuclear power that

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-49638474711159581192010-01-25T15:02:00.001-05:002010-01-25T15:02:22.862-05:00

Today is Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day and a notable milestone event, as the ever-popular children's toy/packaging material celebrates its 50th year. As is so often the case, the invention of bubble wrap resulted from a combination of inventiveness and pure serendipity. ...two engineers, Marc Chavannes and Al Fielding...were trying to make a plastic wallpaper with a paper backing. Surprisingly,

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-4915118528046642082010-01-25T15:00:00.002-05:002010-01-25T15:01:33.358-05:00

Today is the day when pro-lifers nash their teeth in anguish over the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, and when pro-choicers gnash their teeth in anguish over the fact that pro-lifers haven’t yet acquiesced to the Supreme Court’s ruling.But I find the abortion debate particularly unenlightening. It consist of little more than two sides iteratively reciting a very limited set of very familiar arguments.

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-85293140690321098632010-01-25T14:58:00.000-05:002010-01-25T14:59:19.451-05:00

A Republican has won Ted Kennedy's Senate seat! And a breathless media is desperate to enlighten us as to what it means.A commentator on NPR said this means the American public is telling Washington D.C. that they're not focusing on the right issues. Funny, I didn't realize the American public as a whole got to vote in Massachusetts elections.Others are claiming it represents a big shift in

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-18866124837478013812010-01-19T13:19:00.001-05:002010-01-25T14:57:29.854-05:00

Massachusetts holds an election today to fill the late Ted Kennedy's position. The media are breathlessly reminding us how important this election is, as a Republican victory will kill the Democrats' "filibuster-proof" majority in the Senate. The media, as usual, are missing the real story.At this point it may be difficult to remember the Democrats’ glee at gaining supermajorities in both the

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-19992176581048325212010-01-15T10:30:00.000-05:002010-01-15T10:30:00.251-05:00

I received the following email from a student (who will, of course, remain anonymous) recently.hey professor,i wont be in class today because i have a doctors appointment. i kno you said that if we're not in class then you dont care where we are but i just wanted to make sure that you didnt think that i dropped the class or something like that. see you tuesday.thank youAnd here is my response:The

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-35646244135170110612009-09-24T12:01:00.000-04:002009-09-24T12:01:00.931-04:00

[Warning: A long riff on the concept of property from a political economy perspective, including yet another rebuff of natural rights theory, all for the purpose of critiquing some comments made on PL in the past few weeks. In other words, it's all for my own intellectual enjoyment; your mileage may vary. N.B. Heersink, I'm posting this here as well as at PL, so you may comment if you care to

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-37607563679029788422009-07-12T10:18:00.003-04:002009-07-12T10:27:58.579-04:00

Figuratively, that is. I've been a Lance Armstrong fan, enthusiastically cheering him on in le Tour for years. But this is too much. At the beginning of the Tour he talked as though Astana was Alberto Contador's team, and he, Lance, was just a dometique. Now he says, "I'm a 7 time winner, why shouldn't it be my team?"Lance won the Tour 7 times by building a team of riders who all knew that

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-74710790424225108602009-04-30T15:35:00.005-04:002009-05-01T10:15:01.586-04:00

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-91897794049672518512009-01-13T23:31:00.006-05:002009-01-13T23:41:07.735-05:00

That's me in the orange shirt as "Whit," in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, playing euchre and talking about whorehouses. In real life I do play euchre and drink whiskey--the rest is acting.

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-50168025778451528202008-11-18T21:08:00.014-05:002008-11-19T14:17:36.927-05:00

OK, I'm going to try an experiment. I want to see how many wingnuts I can attract by commenting on the claim that Obama is not a natural born citizen, and I'd rather sully my personal blog than the one I share with other (decent) folks. So let me begin by saying, you'd have to be dumber than Paris Hilton's handbag to believe that Barack Obama is not a natural born U.S. citizen.There are two

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-57468454677111745292008-08-21T10:19:00.000-04:002008-08-21T10:19:01.126-04:00

I have stated my tentative belief that the mortgage "crisis" isn't likely to have severe repercussions for the economy. The Independent Institute's Robert Higgs supports that argument with some real data (which my argument noticeably lacked), pointing out that there is plenty of credit still available in the U.S.For example, commercial and industrial loans at all commercial banks were $1,503.6

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-13285078286420235242008-08-21T09:05:00.000-04:002008-08-21T09:05:00.688-04:00

Not that I've been following the news closely, but I don't think this story from the Center for Responsive Politics is getting as much play as it should.Democrat Barack Obama has received nearly six times as much money from troops deployed overseas at the time of their contributions than has Republican John McCain, and the fiercely anti-war Ron Paul, though he suspended his campaign for the

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-38257492666985611482008-08-21T09:00:00.001-04:002008-08-21T09:00:00.709-04:00

A great irony may be unfolding before our eyes. In July, Democratic nominee Barack Obama raised $51 million dollars, while Republican nominee John McCain struggled to raise just over half that ($27 million). Obama’s total of $390 million is more than twice McCain’s $153 million. And yet Obama’s lead over McCain has narrowed.Democrats have long complained about the power of money in campaigns,

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-57355971866051050182008-08-19T16:06:00.005-04:002008-08-19T16:09:50.786-04:00

For those who don't read CNN.com., I'll point out this vicious--but wholly fair-->critique of John McCain by Jack Cafferty. Here's a sample:John McCain graduated 894th in a class of 899 at the Naval Academy at Annapolis. His father and grandfather were four star admirals in the Navy. Some have suggested that might have played a role in McCain being admitted. His academic record was awful. And it

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-30954189381449889562008-08-18T10:05:00.002-04:002008-08-18T10:05:59.317-04:00

I'm at an undisclosed location for a few days, trying to prepare my classes for the fall term. God willing and the creeks don't rise, I'll return soon.

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-39693685326680400722008-08-15T09:51:00.000-04:002010-02-13T10:12:10.933-05:00

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-15319971496439285552008-08-14T09:00:00.000-04:002008-08-14T09:00:00.712-04:00

Standard economic theory predicts goods with positive externalities will be underproduced because the producer cannot capture the full value of what is produced (some people can enjoy it for free, without compensating the producer). From a biography of Al Wight, who, writing as James Herriot, became the world's most famous veterinarian and made the Yorkshire dales world famous, is this lovely

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-31245099279794663222008-08-13T12:35:00.003-04:002008-08-13T13:12:52.082-04:00

Would there really be a problem if these entities just failed? Are they like banks in that they would start contagion This is the question asked by James K in a comment on a previous post.The answer is, I'm not sure. I'm not an expert in the mortgage industry by any means. But what happens is that the mortgages get packed and sold to investment firms. As the high-risk packages, made up of the

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-8709940053942406562008-08-13T12:28:00.003-04:002008-08-13T12:33:27.835-04:00

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has brokered a truce between Russia and Georgia. Granted, the timing was right for Russia to make an agreement, as they'd achieved their goals, and granted the truce is fragile and both sides are claiming the other is violating it.None of that detracts from the fact that Sarkozy did what Bush should have done. Yes, the French have at least temporarily taken away

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-48171379211816486492008-08-12T16:57:00.002-04:002008-08-12T17:04:55.399-04:00

Jason Kuznicki has invited me to join the Positive Liberty blog. As I have liked that blog since I began reading blogs (not more than two years ago--I'm always a bit slow on the tech stuff), I'm honored to join.That doesn't mean I'm discontinuing this blog. I just have to figure out how to split myself between the two without enervating myself. Off the top of my head, I'm guessing it will make

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-85581407916938312952008-08-12T14:15:00.000-04:002008-08-12T14:15:01.020-04:00

Here's a neat little rendering of the nanny-state propensities of major U.S. cities, along 8 issue areas (sex, alcohol, tobacco, guns, etc.). Mouse over the city and each issue is highlighted red, orange, yellow, or green. Most repressive city, Chicago. Least repressive, Las Vegas. Oddly, that reverses my order of preference for those cities. Thanks to theagitator.com for the link.

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-86476577391836364782008-08-12T08:00:00.002-04:002009-11-06T09:06:51.508-05:00

This post is wholly to date-stamp a particular issue, without yet revealing it to the niche market that cares.Adrian College's men's hockey team went 26-3 in its inaugural season last year, closing the year with 20 straight victories (and one of those losses came when the coach sat the starting goalie for skipping class--a big thumbs up to both the coach and the prof who reported the class

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-16197720740845239982008-08-11T13:26:00.003-04:002008-08-11T14:20:06.742-04:00

Following a link from Marginal Revolution, I stumbled across a reference to an appallingly stupid proposal floated in the pages of the Wall Street Journal: the federal government should resolve the housing mortgage crisis by buying, and blowing up, forclosed houses.The essential argument here is that these things don't have enough value as it is, so let's completly destroy their value. Of course

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-66434716668325711992008-08-11T09:23:00.006-04:002008-08-11T09:43:25.570-04:00

Russian troops have now moved through South Ossetia into Georgia proper. That is, they can no longer claim to just be defending a region that has declared independence and that has many Russian citizens; they have moved into territory that is indisputably Georgian, and that has no interest in either independence from Georgia or being a part of Russia. And Russia continues to reject Georgian

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-32062151471669040192008-08-11T09:23:00.000-04:002008-08-11T09:23:01.143-04:00

I used to lean toward voting for McCain because I thought he'd be a better foreign policy president than Obama. I've begun to doubt that, and now there's this:Russia should immediately and unconditionally cease its military operations, withdraw all forces from the sovereign territory of Georgia," McCain told reporters in Iowa.Well, yes, we all wish that would happen. But does McCain not realize

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-58327085814247817252008-08-10T21:42:00.004-04:002008-08-10T21:48:38.539-04:00

Wall Arch, in Arches National Park (Utah), has collapsed, in an apparent act of God. Below are before and after pictures.(Source: http://sillyviolet.blogspot.com/2008/03/arches-national-park.html)(Source: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/08/10/arch.collapse.ap/index.html0

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-36503918203026208562008-08-10T20:48:00.002-04:002008-08-10T20:51:30.388-04:00

Seen at Splash Universe waterpark, in Dundee, Michigan.

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-38620442713031976812008-08-09T14:09:00.003-04:002008-08-10T19:51:06.882-04:00

Vladimir Putin says, "War has started," as he sends troops into a separationist province of U.S. ally Georgia. If Bush really saw into Putin's soul, he should have seen this coming. Granted it doesn't sound like Georgia's just an innocent victim. The fighting is in the province of South Ossetia (which 95% of American adults can find on a map, given Google Maps and about a month) which has been

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-91401002732357071142008-08-07T17:57:00.004-04:002008-08-08T10:18:21.949-04:00

My county's Michigan State University Extension office and our local Rural Land Use Committee sponsored an Agriculture and Land Use tour. Cost me all of $15, and was a good show.First stop was a biodiesel plant. I left as dubious about turning food into fuel as I was when I arrived. There are some subsidies involved, and it was unclear whether it would make a go without government support, and

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-7034678190674184032008-08-07T14:30:00.000-04:002008-08-07T14:30:15.074-04:00

McCain says the U.S. needs "an economic surge." So what's worse, his egregious pandering or his total ignorance of economics?

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-40572874462688624952008-08-07T14:00:00.000-04:002008-08-07T14:00:10.173-04:00

The next one, that is.This is the really bad effect of the long campaign season--candidates have to talk too damn much and they keep having to answer questions. Before a candidate becomes president, the media demand that they have a proposal for dealing with every imaginable political issue. Once the person becomes president, however, they deal with a set of issues that is a combination of

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-25785713713738705592008-08-06T22:33:00.004-04:002008-08-06T22:53:35.027-04:00

It turns out that more knowledgeable voters benefit from the use of heuristics more than less knowledgeable voters do. Science News has a report on recent studies by Richard Lau and David Redlawsk on the use of heuristics by voters. It affirms what political scientists have been saying for a couple of decades, which is that voters are more likely to rely on heuristics when voting than to

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-57114407573724664872008-08-06T22:29:00.002-04:002008-08-06T22:32:20.697-04:00

Alex Tabarrok at Marginal Revolution has a great post on "How an Economist Thinks."Over the weekend a crew came round my neighborhood offering to paint house numbers on the curb. Large bold curb numbers, they pointed out, make it easier for emergency service workers to find houses in the dark. Good argument. The price was good too. Then I noticed my neighbors were having their numbers painted

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-33338361790771041832008-08-06T09:25:00.004-04:002008-08-06T09:56:27.643-04:00

Zimbabwe, where president Robert Mugabe recently resorted (yet again) to violence to thwart a chance at democracy, is now suffering from hyperinflation. The official figure is 2.2 million percent, but others say it is closer to 12.5 million percent.Here's my favorite line, from a Newsday article."The central bank, overwhelmed by stratospheric inflation..." Hmm, the central bank is "overwhelmed"

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-62348386929922317612008-08-04T15:35:00.003-04:002008-08-04T16:26:16.094-04:00

The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy is angry at PZ Myers for desecrating a communion wafer. I don't blame them. Not only would you expect them to be angry, they have a right to be angry. And on a personal level I'm not all that impressed with PZ's action.But having grown up so deeply enmeshed in Christianity that the ideas and beliefs are a permanent part of my identity despite my lack of belief

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-68211061035642858232008-08-02T10:05:00.003-04:002008-08-02T10:49:22.880-04:00

An itty bitty little news story is going mostly unnoticed, but it is a devestating blow to the arguments of the anti-gay marriage yahoos. The Massachusetts legislature has repealed a state law that prohibited out-of-state couples from getting married in Massachusetts if their marriage would be illegal in their home state. And here's the significance--for the first time a legislature, rather

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-32554143138175941352008-07-30T19:19:00.021-04:002008-07-30T22:21:45.588-04:00

I've been meaning to try to keep my posts shorter, but this one isn't going to promote that trend. This post is an outgrowth of a long argument between yours truly and Gingerbaker, another regular at Ed Brayton's Dispatches blog. In a nutshell, Gingerbaker thinks I'm either naive or a "corporofascist" because I think increased demand is the primary cause of the last few year's increase in oil

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-1347170016747156152008-07-29T21:06:00.004-04:002008-07-29T21:16:01.569-04:00

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a non-binding resolution apologizing for slavery and Jim Crow. The poll question is: Is this pointless symbolic politics, or a long overdue statement that has real meaning?

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-71223742395582837922008-07-29T20:33:00.009-04:002008-07-29T21:01:15.853-04:00

Alaska Senator Ted Stevens (R) has been indicted for illegally receiving more than a quarter million dollars in gifts from an Alaska firm run by a "personal friend" of Stevens.I believe in innocent until proven guilty, but that doesn't mean I can't make odds on whether he'll be found guilty. I say 3-1 he's found guilty of those charges, or cops to lesser ones. Arlen Specter says he's always

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-52629551091734531632008-07-29T13:53:00.009-04:002008-07-29T14:22:48.032-04:00

J. M. Keynes argued that economic slumps come about due to a decrease in spending--a deficit of demand. Consequently, In response, Milton Friedman argued that people's spending was fairly constant (that people spend a fairly constant proportion of their income). This has important economic policy implications, of course: if spending isn't the cause of economic problems, government can't fill in

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-12801807462980567902008-07-29T08:32:00.006-04:002008-07-29T09:12:01.479-04:00

My latest policy brief, "Strong and Competitive: The American Economy in the Free Trade Era," written for the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, is now available online. An economist might notice that I defend free trade without ever mentioning comparative advantage, but my handlers worried that it is too complex a read for most of their supporters anyway. I've yet to figure out

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-58529551537539597862008-07-29T07:06:00.002-04:002008-07-29T07:38:48.274-04:00

I've been posting quite a bit on economics lately, and was engaged in yet another heated economics debates on Ed Brayton's blog. I left my email address on one comment there, inviting people to contact me that way if they had more questions. Two did, and one of them asked where I stood on various regulations to keep corporations from abusing people. That's a good question, although I don't

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-37611625057031847402008-07-28T10:33:00.003-04:002008-07-28T11:18:00.944-04:00

A commentor on Ed Brayton's blog claims that the recent high oil prices are "hyperinflation of a commodity." Of course it's not hyperinflation by any reasonable measure. Oil prices have roughly doubled--a 100% increase--in the last two years. In Germany, following WWI, they experienced inflation of around 300-400% per month. In several south American countries in the 1980s, the inflation

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-8861296171205322812008-07-26T10:18:00.003-04:002008-07-26T10:27:51.052-04:00

CNN.com has a story about biofuels, featuring a cross-country trip using biodiesel. There's no comment about the economic impact of biofuels on food prices, but there is this priceless gem, showing that 200 years after Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations, that very few people understand economics.About $333 billion exited the United States in 2007 due to the purchase of oil, according to

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-58856153559810749912008-07-25T22:40:00.003-04:002008-07-25T22:47:07.231-04:00

Today and tomorrow, and I can't go.11th Annual Michigan Brewers Guild Festival.:July 26 & 27. Around 3,000 people are expected at this festival that offers a chance to taste-test over 200 Michigan-brewed beers, in a wide variety of styles. Live entertainment.It's almost like heaven, except as we know, "In heaven there is no beer,that's why we drink it here.And when we are gone from here,all our

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-88444908034251501372008-07-25T09:16:00.002-04:002008-07-25T09:26:25.348-04:00

The announcement for the Tragedy of the Commons Symposium went out Wednesday around noon. I have since received 5 registrations for the 40 available spaces. My ideal is that we fill up quickly and have a good number of people we have to decline, so that my college president is impressed by the demand and agrees to fund another one in the future. Just like certain luxury items, I'm trying to

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-39561004618635359252008-07-24T15:42:00.002-04:002008-07-24T15:49:52.055-04:00

Not being a professional blogger, I often find it difficult to blog regularly. Never more so than now. My home computer--a decrepit Mac--no longer allows me to log into blogger.com. 5 mornings a week I spend 3 hours at swim practice/lessons for my little mermaid daughters, plus the weekly swim meets. My summer on-line class takes an inordinate amount of time because it's a new subject matter

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-69136405602176435352008-07-24T15:40:00.001-04:002008-07-24T15:41:58.068-04:00

As someone who has spent considerable time studying constitutional law, I am just plain sick and tired of right-wing blowhards who think they know the “real” meaning of the Constitution. In this respect, at least, left-wing blowhards are marginally less obnoxious, because they’re more likely to make their claims in terms of what they would “like” the Constitution to mean. It is only the

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-86116829586126822702008-07-16T12:51:00.004-04:002008-07-16T13:07:10.575-04:00

Barack Obama has announced that next month he will go to the Middle East, with stops in Israel, Jordan, and....the West Bank, where he'll meet with Palestinian leaders (he'll also go to Germany, France and the UK). This follows his minor miscue in which he expressed his support for an undivided Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, which he later "clarified," saying he suported

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-62965807292744580292008-07-14T09:31:00.009-04:002008-07-14T18:56:26.875-04:00

That's the question I've been pondering lately. I've been ignoring the polls, which I don't think will mean a lot until after the post-convention bounces, if any, have diminished, and thinking about historical factors, and for the most part they're not in John McCain's favor.1. One historical factor is that we rarely elect sitting senators to the White House, and none since 1968, but since

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-816638784215986652008-07-12T14:13:00.002-04:002008-07-12T14:22:13.780-04:00

Tony Snow, former newsperson and White House press secretary, has succumbed to cancer. He seemed a decent man, although I rarely agreed with him.But it reminds me that when he announced the return of his cancer a year ago, George Bush's response confirmed a suspicion I had had for a while. Bush's response was, "Tony's going to whip this."Snow had cancer in his liver. With contemporary

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-42704881364141311762008-07-11T16:01:00.008-04:002008-07-12T14:12:56.104-04:00

I like to read fiction, including, at times, some really cheap crappy stuff that doesn't require me to think (Hello, Dean Koontz). But, of course, I can't help thinking anyway, especially when the author says something inane. For example, in one novel Tom Clancy has a Governor of some state running for the Senate to improve his chances at the presidency, when anyone who's paid even casual

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-12077536251492362102008-07-11T14:22:00.004-04:002008-07-11T16:00:22.429-04:00

For a number of years, as oil prices went u, Americans complained relentlessly but made few to no changes in their driving habits. Some people interpreted this as meaning that oil was rather special in that demand was inelastic. I have even seen oil called an "inelastic good," which technically speaking is incorrect (demand can be elastic, but goods can't, unless we're discussing rubber bands).

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-47073685971608136822008-07-09T20:08:00.011-04:002008-07-09T22:17:20.319-04:00

[Much of this is a repost of my comment on Ed Brayton's blog.]Ed Brayton recently wrote yet another post on the claim the Bible had a large political influence on the Founders of the United States, in response to a Worldnet Daily article by a Tom Flannery. Jon Rowe at Positive Liberty also posted a rebuttal of Flannery's column.I'd seen this claim about the majority of Founding era citations

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-64546183506546454152008-07-09T16:07:00.004-04:002008-07-09T16:17:05.395-04:00

Football coach Rich Rodgriquez and the University of Michigan have agreed to pay $4 million to Rodriguez's former employer, University of West Virginia, for breach of contract. This was the inevitable outcome, as West Virginia's claim was airtight.Rodriguez's contract with West Virginia had a $4 million dollar compensation clause if he left before the end of the contract. He did, then tried to

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-54065897543918130672008-07-08T20:51:00.003-04:002008-07-08T21:15:18.677-04:00

According to us Public Choice theorists, collective action problems are the primary justification for government, or at least governance. So if you're as as anti-government as I am, it's disconcerting to recognize that the social world is filled with collective action problems. That's why I was pleased today to realize that irrational people are actually a bit of a blessing.The specific

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-8262653774960019412008-07-06T21:48:00.003-04:002008-07-06T22:00:24.217-04:00

Middleeastnews.com reports:Occupied Jerusalem: After N.Y. Times report of Israel's DF drill to attack Iran, The Islamic Republic of Iran on Friday warned Israel that it would retaliate to any Israeli attack with a "strong blow" that will daze Israel's core.Of course Israel's Defense Forces are drilling for an attack; that's what successful armies do. Preparing plans for possible scenarios is the

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-17886174158979436882008-07-02T12:02:00.005-04:002008-07-02T12:05:41.009-04:00

From Foreign Policy Passport:Russia's leaders have created a legal system in which it's essentially impossible for a business to operate legally, making anyone who does business there subject to arbitrary prosecution. It's an arrangement that's well-suited to protecting state power, but not very effective at promoting economic growth. If Medvedev really wants to make Russia the world's fifth

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-51014844962156597032008-07-02T09:10:00.002-04:002008-07-02T09:43:05.341-04:00

Starbucks plans to close up to 600 stores. Starbucks, the coffee shop everyone loves to hate (see here, here, and here, for example), but which seemingly could do nothing wrong from the business end of things.The main reasons for hating Starbucks seem to bethat (a) it is corporate, and we all know corporations are evil, (b) it is homogenizing American culture, and (c) it's a fucking monopoly!

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-72769249264869973412008-06-30T12:43:00.003-04:002008-06-30T12:59:59.020-04:00

Retired general, and former presidential candidate, Wesley Clark needs to publicly apologize to John McCain, and then stuff his fist in his mouth so he doesn't put his foot in it again.Clark, a Democrat, said John McCain is "untested and untried." "But he hasn't held executive responsibility," said Clark, a former NATO commander...He hasn't been there and ordered the bombs to fall. He hasn't

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-2494303033546122152008-06-30T12:28:00.004-04:002008-06-30T12:41:16.721-04:00

A report on the startup of the large hadron collider at CERN (in France/Switzerland) provides a great example of how to spew nonsense with numbers. In response to critics who believe the supercollider may create a black hole that swallows the earth, one physicist puts the odds at 1 in 50 million. The reporter's analysis?long odds, to be sure, but about the same as winning some lotteries.Hey! We

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-26752542538550194262008-06-27T22:25:00.003-04:002008-06-27T22:29:46.924-04:00

From The Onion, America's finest news source.Name Of Gay Bar Should Have Been ClearerCHICAGO—After accidentally walking into a gay bar Monday, Jeff Pierce, 23, said the name of the establishment failed to clearly telegraph its orientation. "I can see how Rods sounds gay," Pierce said, "but it's just not as crystal-clear as it could be." Pierce urged the bar's owner to consider changing the name,

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-37223892750134244902008-06-27T21:21:00.007-04:002008-06-27T21:51:13.648-04:00

Iowa Republican Steve King is incensed that Democrat Bill Delahunt sent a personal letter to Osama bin Laden asking him to kill David Addington. Oh, wait, that's not quite right. Here's how it all went down.In Addington's appearance before the House, Delahunt asked Addington whethe waterboarding was discussed in White House meetings he attended. Addington's asinine reply, he couldn't discuss

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-47748346241891920002008-06-27T13:45:00.003-04:002008-06-27T13:51:42.982-04:00

Commenting on another post, my brother directed me to David Addington's testimony before Congress.Addington's testimony is amazing. From what is reported he was snide, contemptuous, and dissembling. He should be cited for contempt of Congress. Most disturbing is his claim that "There is no reason [Congress's] opinion on [torture] would be relevant." It's clear that he is wholly disdainful of

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-90163934165879069512008-06-26T21:13:00.003-04:002008-06-26T21:28:33.723-04:00

In another controversial decision, the Court ruled 5-4 that Louisiana's law treating child rape as a capital crime is unconstitutional. Opinion author and swing voter Anthony Kennedy wrote that:"the death penalty is not a proportional punishment for the rape of a child," I won't comment on the decision itself until I read the opinions, but I will confess that my gut reaction is that child rape

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-60380528459614540672008-06-26T14:57:00.005-04:002008-06-26T16:22:23.047-04:00

The Supreme Court today handed down a hotly anticipated ruling on the District of Columbia's restrictive gun laws, and it is of great historical significance because of the way they interpreted the 2nd Amendment.The 2nd Amendment reads: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.The curious

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-1122221891979770342008-06-26T14:23:00.004-04:002008-06-26T14:26:42.238-04:00

I found this on Marginal Revolution, one of the best economics blogs. "What can we do," the Syrian Finance minister asked, "to increase Chinese investment?" "Well," the Chinese minister replied, "before we invest in Syria you most open your markets, cut your subsidies, and reduce regulation..." I like Syria, and I hope they follow the advice. From what I saw, I think it's possible they will,

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-13310799941296777652008-06-26T14:06:00.003-04:002008-06-26T14:19:50.358-04:00

The Socialist Planning debate was resolved long ago in favor of decentralized planning in a free market system. The strongest theoretical argument against planning, in my opinion, is the lack of price mechanisms in non-market transactions. But on a personal level, I'm persistently fascinated by the market niches that develop only because market planning is so decentralized that vast numbers of

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-16953153362757595452008-06-25T10:03:00.006-04:002008-06-25T11:02:52.831-04:00

I've been disgusted and angry at the Bush administration for years now, but just recently my anger has boiled over to where I just want to blindly lash out. I hate what they have done to my country in the name of national security, and the passivity of the media and the public in response. All anyone has to do is say the word, "terrorism," and the media pansies grow afraid to critique, while any

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-53961944211136411662008-06-23T09:55:00.005-04:002008-06-23T10:51:51.141-04:00

Recently, the Economist had a cover claiming that the primary process had, for the first time in years, given the U.S. two good candidates for the presidency. I agree. I like both McCain and Obama. I think they're both basically decent people whom I'd probably enjoy knowing (in contrast to Bush, Clinton, Kerry, and Gore, none of whom I'm pining to have dinner with).But, as usual, I'm still

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-23747774834331569012008-06-23T09:37:00.002-04:002008-06-23T09:41:30.602-04:00

Shoot. That is, shit. After all, "shoot is just shit with two "o"s" as George Carlin told us. And he was my favorite comedian of all time. I have used his 7 dirty words sketch in college classes on art and politics, and it's still a crackup, even to today's college students. Few comedians have challenged our social mores so vigorously and humorously.

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6959751201989948904.post-91470791405154399602008-06-12T12:34:00.004-04:002008-06-12T12:44:12.459-04:00

The worst thing about flying isn't the recycled air in the planes, or the cramped conditions; it's the other passengers.I just can't figure out what's so hard about getting on a plane and getting your ass in the seat so other people can get to their seats. But boarding the Emirates plane in Dubai, the two guys in front of me took about 3 minutes to figure out how to get their bags into the

James Hanleynoreply@blogger.com0