Wealth Creation and Regulation

“The paradox of capitalism is this: By tremendously enriching societies—the real standard of living in the US has doubled every 30 to 45 years, depending on who you believe—capitalism enables society to afford a variety of restrictions upon entrepreneurship, all in the name of perfectly salutary goals, which cumulatively throttle the engine of wealth [...]

More Music

As I have reached middle age, my tastes have turned mellower. Music with the complexity and drama of prog rock or metal perhaps, but with smoother and mellower tambres and gentler themes. More pleasant, less jarring.
Arthur Verocai, Joni Mitchell, Astrud Gilberto, and Hiroshima’s early work pretty much would sum up my current musical [...]

Ben’s Band of the Week #1: O’Death

Well, I’m going to ignore the official themes of this blog and start writing about music.  Mr. Trickle-Down’s tastes are just as eclectic as mine, so I’m sure we’ll hear from him as well.
 Thanks to this fantastic writeup in the Village Voice, I’ve been listening to O’Death nonstop for the last week.  It’s dark, dirty, [...]

I will pay $5/gallon

Steven Levitt of the always enlightening Freakonomics blog has a good post on why we should raise the gas tax.   Amen, brother.
When I was last in the US, the price of gas was less than $3…I’m getting ready for the shock!

Picture Yourself in a Boat on a River

A study with very interesting comments on visualization (visualize yourself in the third person, accomplishing things etc) Interesting relations to the placebo effect
“This Is Your Life (and How You Tell It)“

This Study Could Help Upend Years of Economic Thought Re: Altruism

Is altruism “irrational” as many economists think, or is it hardwired in human brains?
This also leads the way to greater citizen participation in deciding where their tax dollars go: I think people should get a menu of choices of gov’t programs among which they can vote to allocate their tax dollars…
“Brain gets a thrill from [...]

How to Manage the Downsides of Globalization

OECD Warns Trade May Be Hurting Jobs, Wages
“That finding may not sound like news to critics of free trade or worried workers in the U.S. and Europe. But it’s notable coming from a bastion of economic orthodoxy, which champions open, competitive markets.”
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2007/06/19/oecd-warns-trade-may-be-hurting-jobs-wages/
Also, slavery and indentured servitude etc is still a huge problem, even [...]

Certainty and the Law, IPOs and Antitrust

Interesting read…policy consideration: a degree of predictability and certainty is very valuable in the law, especially when it comes to complex business decisions: too much uncertainty would be bad for business, hamper innovation in certain areas, etc.
Will the plaintiffs submit a complaint under the securities laws now, and if their complaint was only under [...]

“Lead paint in this day and age?”

The China-made product hysteria now includes toys.  Read this interesting NYTimes article and find out why you don’t want to buy a ‘ghoulish fake eyeball toy’ for your kid.  The East Bay Express gets mad about Thomas the Tank Engine.
I’m curious where this ‘made in China’ fear will lead.  I’m predicting the Midwest US will start [...]

If you own an armoured car, you are the boss!

How did Yang Xuekan extort 100 million dollars from people in Tangshan, China?  It helps to own an armoured car! 
Brief article from EastSouthWestNorth, which is the absolute best way to study China (if you can’t read Chinese).
Pictures of Yang’s other cars (and Chinese article) here.