Guan’s soup

Hot And Fresh Out The Kitchen

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:45:40 GMT

Ever since the dawn of the blogosphere, there's been a great deal of emphasis placed on the Cult of the Cocktail Party -- that is, the supposedly all-consuming and all-corrupting social event in which journalists are absorbed into the Washington hivemind. Yet we at the IFA can report that journalists have far too much integrity to be purchased for a meager glass of white wine. In truth...

Now that I am an eBay seller, I have come to appreciate the bidding war that ...

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:14:23 GMT

Now that I am an eBay seller, I have come to appreciate the bidding war that always takes place in the final minutes of an auction

All ATM fees are now called “freedom charges”

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 01:58:15 GMT

All ATM fees are now called “freedom charges”

danskefilm.dk har lige sendt mig en tv-reminder jeg bestilte i december 2006

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:10:05 GMT

danskefilm.dk har lige sendt mig en tv-reminder jeg bestilte i december 2006

Republicans Dive Deeper into Fantasy

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:03:02 GMT

Grasping Reality with Both Hands: The Semi-Daily Journal of Economist Brad DeLong

If there is a prominent reality-based Republican officeholder, his name is Arnold Schwarenegger. Paul Krugman has evidence that there is no prominent reality-based Republican officeholder:

Fannie Freddie Phony: So I was listening to Arnold Schwarzenegger before doing the "This Weak" round table, and he was mostly making sense — except for one thing. He asserted, as a simple matter of fact...

has tickets for a PHC live broadcast from Town Hall in December :-)

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:34:40 GMT

has tickets for a PHC live broadcast from Town Hall in December :-)

Can I get eBay to email me whenever someone bids on my listings?

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:10:33 GMT

Can I get eBay to email me whenever someone bids on my listings?

Bill Easterly reviews Paul Collier

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:56:49 GMT

Marginal Revolution

Self-recommending, as they say, and if I had my glasses nearby in this dark hotel room I could read it too. I thank Mark Thoma for the pointer.

Where has all the income gone?

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 11:24:00 GMT

Marginal Revolution

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that median income stagnated from 1976 to 2006, growing by only 18 percent contrast, data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis indicate income per person was up 80 percent.
Three data issues adversely impact reported median household income gains: the choice of price index, a change in the mix of household types and the measure of income...

Argh, dandruff

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 20:04:43 GMT

Argh, dandruff

Should I go see Quantum of Solace?

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 19:28:29 GMT

Should I go see Quantum of Solace?

Indian Math Online

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 12:58:39 GMT

Philip Greenspun's Weblog

This New York Times piece talks about a Web site that teaches math to American kids using a curriculum from India. “Math homework in India consists of math problems that students work through, as opposed to the United States, where homework is heavy on reading about math topics in a textbook.”

This echoes some of my recommendations to computer science teachers in Africa.

Et monopol sikre dig som kunde

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:47:55 GMT

Peter Czar Larsen

Det er altid rart lige at få frisket ting op. Jeg husker feks dette helt forkert.

Jeg er rimelig sikker på at jeg i min barndom, dengang vi var socialistiske og 10 år og sang med på greenpeace sange om at redde regnskoven, “verdens lunge” osv, da er jeg ret sikker på at vi også havde en anden opfattelse af betydningen af et monopol. Men okey. Nu er jeg liberalsocialistisk, jeg vil gerne være...

Bored in econometrics class. I can no longer distinguish all the different mo...

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:55:48 GMT

Bored in econometrics class. I can no longer distinguish all the different moment conditions.

Fewer Security Guards for NYU

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:06:25 GMT

NYU Local

The New York Post reported today that our very own university has decided to cut the number of safety officers and security measures in an effort to divert $25 million to academic programs. Academic programs? Maybe– and maybe also to our president’s weekly visits to the new NYU campus in Abu Dhabi? Who knows?

Though this is news to any parents of prospective students looking into NYU, I think...

trying out Tweetville

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 04:44:46 GMT

trying out Tweetville

Just bought a 3-leg *plane ticket for my mom on Expedia. was very painful

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 04:06:49 GMT

Just bought a 3-leg *plane ticket for my mom on Expedia. was very painful

Will the American finance industry recover?

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 19:04:09 GMT

Free exchange

IT SEEMS that every day another bank announces lay-offs or a hedge fund closes its doors. The finance industry is undeniably contracting—the New York Fed anticipates tens of thousands fewer jobs in the finance industry than had been the case in recent years. Will these jobs come back or has the American finance industry had its day?

Thomas Philippon’s recent paper models why the financial...

Central Planning in World War II, by David Henderson

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:01:52 GMT

EconLog

In my Veteans Day tribute to economist Richard Timberlake yesterday, I highlighted his experiences in World War II as a pilot of a B-17 bomber. I didn't mention his economic insights in his book, They Never Saw Me Then, because that was not my focus.

Still, he did present some interesting thoughts about central planning, both in pilot training and in the allocation of gasoline.

On pilot...

Fire alarms are my excuse to get out for some fresh air

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 02:51:09 GMT

Fire alarms are my excuse to get out for some fresh air

Sink, swim, or invest

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:22:08 GMT

Free exchange

THIS story is simply amazing:

The president-elect of the Maldives, a nation of 1,200 low islands in the Indian Ocean, is planning to establish an investment fund with some of its earnings from tourism so it can buy a haven for its citizens should global warming raise sea levels at a dangerous pace, according to several news reports.

Of course, if the Maldives produced enough of the world's...

Does anyone else think that .tel is a bit silly?

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:10:59 GMT

Does anyone else think that .tel is a bit silly?

My new photo lab in LA just called me to discuss the contrast for my print. W...

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:21:02 GMT

My new photo lab in LA just called me to discuss the contrast for my print. Wonderful to work with a pro printer for once.

On Larry Summers...

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:36:42 GMT

Grasping Reality with Both Hands: The Semi-Daily Journal Economist Brad DeLong

I see that Sheryl Sandberg is writing--corectly--that Larry Summers has "[been] a tireless advocate for girls' education... fought for social security benefits for women working in their homes, better enforcement of child support obligations, and an expansion of child care tax credits..." in addition to being "a supportive and deeply caring mentor for [her] and many other women who had the...

thinks John McCain's birth certificate looks suspicious [frankwarner.typepad....

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 02:38:54 GMT

thinks John McCain's birth certificate looks suspicious [frankwarner.typepad.com/...]

very cute staff at 88 Orchard

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:29:24 GMT

very cute staff at 88 Orchard

reopened my Intrade account

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:31:22 GMT

reopened my Intrade account

Mixed messages

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:35:29 GMT

Democracy in America

EVEN Beyonce called John McCain's concession speech "classy". And it was a classy speech, in the same way that his acceptance speech in St Paul was classy. But in between those acts of undeniable class Mr McCain ran a campaign that said Barack Obama couldn't be trusted, that he wasn't forthcoming about his obviously shady past and that he hangs out with terrorists. Whether these things are...

Sharing the Indians' Lunch

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:07:56 GMT

Defense Tech

This is one of the most fascinating lectures I've seen in a long time.

Remember when the aviation press (and we) splashed across their pages the fact that the Indian Air Force had scrubbed the floor with US Air Force F-15s and F-16s in their shiny new export Su-30s back in 2005?

Well, this guy flew in a more recent air training battle with the Indians out at Red Flag and talked about the ins and...

First IM of the day.

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:54:00 GMT

Althouse

blog advertising
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how many times did he say "yes we can"?

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:16:27 GMT

how many times did he say "yes we can"?

"Here are shots of all the black people we can find."

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:03:57 GMT

the ch!cktionary

“Here are shots of all the black people we can find.”

- election party attendee re: CNN coverage of the Obama victory

wait, what was the senate vote in dixville notch?

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:12:37 GMT

wait, what was the senate vote in dixville notch?

Princeton is a trade school!

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 03:04:30 GMT

Princeton is a trade school!

Another Academic Panel on the Crisis, by Arnold Kling

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:35:23 GMT

EconLog

So many teach-ins. The one at Yale School of Management builds up to an interesting argument in the last half hour over mark-to-market accounting. In all of the teach-ins I've seen, this one generates the most actual debate.

The link to the video can be found in a Wall Street Journal article on Gary Gorton (a participant in the Yale panel) and his role at AIG. An interesting question posed...

Deep Thought

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:52:33 GMT

Talking Points Memo

All presidential candidates now sport the Ahmadinejad Look.

NPR's inane misplaced sympathy for a housing speculator.

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 14:16:25 GMT

Althouse

Shared by Guan
I think this is exactly what the American Dream means these days.

The description of the story -- titled "Immigrant Confident Housing Market Will Come Back" -- give no hint of disapproval:

Emmanuel Njoku thought he was living the American dream. During the housing boom, the Nigerian immigrant built a portfolio of 16 properties in Prince Georges County, Md. Now his family has...

wohoo, Trism score of 704 million

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:18:35 GMT

wohoo, Trism score of 704 million

this year's treehouse of horror is actually not disastrously bad

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 03:07:12 GMT

this year's treehouse of horror is actually not disastrously bad

put my RZ67 system up for sale on craigslist

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 17:16:03 GMT

put my RZ67 system up for sale on craigslist