Prof. Zywick Looks At Elizabeth Warren

Anything the government does is political, don't be misled. Part of the editorial that I clipped out for length reasons explains some of the shoddy "research" in question; quite eye-opening.

Todd Zywicki: In Elizabeth Warren We Trust? - WSJ.com: "The unaccountable head of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has repeatedly used shoddy data to push policies she favors. The Obama administration has promised that the Federal Reserve's new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will be independent from politics, a model of regulatory expertise grounded in sound data and economics. Naming Harvard Law Prof. Elizabeth Warren as de facto agency head undermines both goals. By appointing another White House czar to avoid Senate confirmation, the administration politicized the powerful new bureaucracy from its birth. And by appointing an individual with a track record of using questionable research to advance policy ends, it has jeopardized the second goal as well.
...
The head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is one of the most powerful bureaucratic positions ever created in the American political system. It can regulate or ban almost every consumer credit product in the country, yet it is beyond Congress's power of the purse because its budget is guaranteed as a percentage of the Fed's annual revenues. Under normal circumstances, the Senate would have the opportunity to ask Ms. Warren to explain the way in which she has sometimes interpreted data in her research before entrusting her with control of the agency. By doing an end-run around the confirmation process, the Obama administration has eliminated our opportunity to find out. And by installing the head of the agency as an assistant to the president inside the White House, it has insulated her from meaningful congressional oversight. "

A Third of ‘Extinct’ Mammals May Still Be Alive?!

Well, would this mean we can back off the alarmist hand-wringing, by a third? (pic via Wired)

A Third of ‘Extinct’ Mammals May Still Be Alive - Wired Science: "There may be many more “extinct” mammals waiting to be rediscovered than conservation biologists previously thought. Categorizing a mammal species as extinct has rested upon two criteria: It has not been seen for more than 50 years, or an exhaustive search has come up empty. But “extinct” species occasionally turn up again, and some species have disappeared more than once. Australia’s desert rat kangaroo, for example, was rediscovered in 1931 after having gone missing for almost a century, only to disappear again in 1935 when invasive red foxes moved into the area of the remaining survivors."

Obligations, ObamaCare, and Sparrows ...

A wonderful, concise, and thought-provoking column. A must-read. (pic via Fir0002/Flagstaffotos)

[Thanks to Dr. Boudreaux for the heads-up.]

Helping the poor through the government is like
feeding the sparrows through cows.
-- Walter Williams

Where Do Our Obligations Come From? - Richmond Times-Dispatch: "... there is much more to justice than simple need. It also illustrates that, even accepting we have a duty to help the needy, we might not have a duty to help the needy through one and only one particular mechanism. Why does government get to enforce that duty? What if Joe discharges his duty to the poor by working in a church soup kitchen? And if government can enforce our duty to the poor, why does one government have dominion over that duty, but not another? If Washington can compel our charity, then can London, Paris, and Berlin do so as well? Suppose Ghana delivers services to the poor more effectively than American social-welfare agencies. Wouldn't the moral duty suggest Americans should give their money to Ghana, rather than the IRS?"

Stossel on Hand-Outs For The Rich

Another gem from John Stossel. (pic via Wiki)

John Stossel - Taxing the Rich: "Progressives want to raise taxes on individuals who make more than $200,000 a year because they say it's wrong for the rich to be 'given' more money. Sunday's New York Times carries a cartoon showing Uncle Sam handing money to a fat cat. They just don't get it. As I've said before, a tax cut is not a handout. It simply means government steals less. What progressives want to do is take money from some -- by force -- and spend it on others. It sounds less noble when plainly stated. That's the moral side of the matter. There's a practical side, too."

Economic Updates: Tariffs, Pencils, Electric Cars, & More!

Lots of good stuff today. (pic via Wiki)

Faber-Castell: The future of the pencil - The Economist: "Many people thought that pencils would become obsolete in the computer age, yet sales continue to grow. Perhaps 15 billion-20 billion are made each year, roughly half of them in China. Faber-Castell produces about 2.2 billion."

CARPE DIEM: The U.S. Has More than 12,000 Tariffs: "Most Americans think of the U.S. as a free-trade country with open markets, and countries like China and Japan as protectionist countries with closed markets. And yet the U.S. is quite protectionist, when we consider that there are more than 12,000 tariffs (i.e. taxes) on imported products that are sometimes as high as 350% in the case of tobacco (pictured above); 164% on peanuts; 100% on jam, chocolate and ham; and 48% on sneakers"

Will “Clean Energy” Lead an Economic Recovery? - The Freeman - Ideas On Liberty: "Keynesians and semi-socialists claim that “clean energy” will create jobs and net economic growth. From Al Gore to the New York Times, “green energy” is almost religious in scope, as advocates claim that not only will it give us better air and weather, but it also will be a fundamental building block of economic recovery. To speak out against this is tantamount to treason in some quarters"

A 132-Year Payback on the All-Electric Car - Mises Daily: "The term energy encompasses a plethora of technologies, and each attracts the gimlet eye of Big Brother. In recent years environmental groups have been very successful in insinuating themselves into the halls of government so that today there is a revolving door between government and the environmental movement. And it's just like the revolving door between the government and other key industries, such as banking and the military-industrial complex."

Minimum Wage Hurts The Poor - John Stossel: "A law requiring higher wages hurts the poor? How could that be? The Times’ editorial board must be floored – after all, last year they wrote an editorial demanding an increase in the US minimum wage beyond the one that had just gone into effect. They called the increase from $6.55 to $7.25 an hour ..."

Additional links:
People, Not Nations, Trade
Huge losses put federal flood insurance plan in the red - USATODAY.com
Bans on Texting While Driving Actually Increases Crash Rate
Time as a Price - Predrag Rajsic
Unscrambling the Egg Disaster - NYTimes.com
Newmark's Door: "Brazil - The Global Farm"

Liberty & Govt. At Work: DoJ, Kill Teams,Tests, & More

Stay vigilant.

Misbehaving Federal Prosecutors - Reason Magazine: "A USA Today investigation finds egregious misconduct at the Department of Justice, with few consequences."

Soldier ‘Kill Team’ in Afghanistan Photographed Victims - Wired.com: "Today begins a wrenching legal process: The military trial of five soldiers in the murder of three Afghan civilians in Kandahar earlier this year. Already, there’s a shocking disclosure: There are photographs of the dead Afghans. And if the Army gets its way, that gruesome evidence won’t be public."

US Soldier Describes Thrill Kill of Innocent Civilians in Afghanistan - ABC News: "Corporal, 22, Tells How His 'Crazy' Sergeant Allegedly Murdered For Kicks, Collected Body Parts"

FBI employees reportedly cheated on security test - Reuters: "The report by inspector general Glenn Fine found that some FBI employees improperly consulted with others while taking the exam, and others used or distributed answer sheets or study guides that essentially provided the answers to the test."

Additional links:
Huge losses put federal flood insurance plan in the red
An example of our federal government at work
Assassinating Americans, Secretly
Wiretapped phones, now Internet?
Are You Sure You Want to Say that as a Defense of Your Position?
Professor slapped with £155 railway fine for getting OFF the train one stop early

Wednesday Grab Bag of Links ...

Architecture. (pic via AD)
Hillside House / SB Architects
A House combines art and architecture
Australian House Inspired by a Hollow Burnt Log
Bridges That Babble On: 15 Amazing Roman Aqueducts
House in Las Rozas by A-cero Architects
Korora / Daniel Marshall Architects
House That Mixes the Limits Between Art and Architecture
Sun Cap House by Wallflower Architecture Design
H-House by Widjedal Racki Bergerhoff Architects
Original Beer Glasses for Oktoberfest Celebration

Travel.
The coolest small towns in America - MSNBC
America's top 10 most unusual haunted places

Fountain Pens / Writing.
Ink Nouveau: First look at the Pelikan Edelstein inks in use
Book teaches you how to use Moleskine notebooks
Dave's Mechanical Pencils: Pentel Ain Stein Lead Review
Steampunk Writing Instruments - Watch Time Fly with the Steampunk Gear Pen
Whatever: Inky Monday - Wancher Original Inks
Diamine Raw Sienna Ink - An Inkophile’s Blog
Pocket Blonde: Pelikan Edelstein Mandarin Ink
Conway Stewart Nelson Heritage - Fountain Pen Network
Edelstein Topaz - Fountain Pen Network
Edelstein Sapphire - Fountain Pen Network
Whatever: Inky Monday - Wancher Original Inks

History.
Surviving the Titanic - Photo Gallery - LIFE
Sept. 27, 1822: Deciphering the Rosetta Stone Unlocks Egyptian History

Zombies.
Film's Elderly Zombies Win the Undying Loyalty of Their Fans
Dead Rising 2: Killing Zombies for Laughs

Education.
Morning Roundup, D.C. Schools Not Good Enough for Obama Girls

Photography.
60 Best Examples Of Night Photography
Interestingness
The Frame: California heat
Fall is in the air - The Big Picture - Boston.com
Tilt-Shift Time-Lapse Transforms San Francisco into a Miniature City

Engineering.
China: Proudly Demolishing Buildings Before Completed In Pursuit Of The Glorious Housing Bubble Perpetual Engine

Gadgets / Gear / Kit.
The 10 Best Bluetooth Headsets
Motorola Droid R2-D2 Looks Quite a Bit Like the Lovable Astromech
iRetrofone iPhone Docks - Cool Material
BlackBerry PlayBook
Exploring space on the cheap with an iPhone, Droid, and Flip
Maglite: Shining The Light On Made In The U.S.A. : NPR
Multitool.org

Food.
Best plain bagels? We toast the house brands
The Best Hot Chocolate on Earth? Cafe Angelina
Ho Chiak: La Nonna in Holland Village
12 Unusual Foods and Drinks

Cars.
Officially Licensed 1966 BATMOBILE Replicas
BMW K1600 Inline-Six The New Hayabusa?
Lithe and light, the Lotus Exige Cup 260 skims over Zolder
Cars - Sartenada's photo blog
Road Test: Four EVs You Can Drive This Year
Rough Crafts Iron Guerilla - Cool Material
2011 BMW Alpina B7 - Car and Driver

Economics.
Recession, Fed policy and locusts - ajc.com

Style.
Sartorially Inclined: Milano In The Wintertime
Intrigued: J.L. Powell Autumn 2010 - Jake Davis Blog
[you_have_broken_the_internet]: Baldwin Trousers
Men's Style Tips - Tonal Outfits - How to wear brown
Fall 2010: My Take On Take Ivy - Made To Measure
Winners of the Details 2010 Fashion Blog Awards
Denim Primer - Cool Material

Shoes / Boots.
The Wolverine 721 LTD Boot - Esquire
Wolverine 1000 Mile 721LTD Project: Horween Part II - Gear Patrol
Pointer Benson Factory Visit - Hypebeast
Wolverine 1000 Mile - Making the Boot
Leffot Blog - Alden Atom

Computers.
Stuxnet worm mystery: What's the cyber weapon after?
Already Afraid to Open Your Web Browser? Meet the "Evercookie"

Healthcare.
Healthcare Reform: A Huge Misdiagnosis

Watches.
N E W M o d e l – Bulova Accutron Spaceview 214
N E W M o d e l – Breguet Classique Grande Complication Reveil Musical Alarm
Exploring Iberia with the IWC Yacht Club Chrono
Heard & Scene: Panerai Site Party - WSJ.com
Oyster Perpetuated: A Plethora of Vintage Military Watches
A Special Interview With Meehna Goldsmith – The Luxury Timepiece Expert

Animals.
Tazo Loves Chewing on His Toys - ZooBorns
Luna the Australian Cattle Dog -Daily Puppy

Real Estate.
America's Most Expensive ZIP Codes 2010

Misc.
Logan's Run In Lego - a set on Flickr
The Best Sites, Numbers, and Forms for Banishing Junk Mail
Inside an African Mega Dust Storm with Video
Skydiving from Space-Part I: Joseph W. Kittinger’s Long, Lonely Leap

Post Office and Unions At It Again

Nothing new, really.

Review & Outlook: The Post Office Hustle - WSJ.com: "With the economy still hobbling along, few industries have pricing power. But neither rain, nor sleet nor recession can stop the United States Postal Service, which wants to raise the price to deliver a first class letter to 46 cents from 44 cents. ... Next to the public schools, the postal service may be the most inefficient monopoly in America. The post office lost $3.5 billion last quarter, and losses are expected to be a cumulative $238 billion over the next decade, by its own admission. ... Mail volume has fallen by 20% since 2007 as tens of billions of letters ... The same economic forces have buffeted Federal Express, UPS and thousands of private local couriers, but somehow they still manage to turn a profit. The difference is that private companies know how to control costs. In 2009, postal service costs grew by 6% even as its revenues predictably fell. Labor costs suck up about 80 cents of every postal service dollar ... Congress is no help. Last year it let the postal service skip a $4 billion payment it was legally required to make to its pension and health-care fund, and this year it wants to forgive another $4 billion.
...
Today the average postal worker makes $83,000 a year in wages and benefits, roughly 50% above the average compensation for private workers, according to federal wage data. Those benefits are already so generous the post office could save $560 million a year if the mailman paid the same 28% share of employee health premiums that other federal employees pay, which is still below the norm in the private economy."

Should We Worry About Outsourced Libraries?

I say no. Most of the hand-wringing is over the terms "outsourced" and "private," which are boogeymen for many people. The rest of the tooth-gnashing is from unions afraid they will lose their sweet gigs.

Let's think about this for a moment ... No one bats an eye or gets concerned when:
- a business "outsources" its need for electricity, uniforms, water, pens, Windows 7, etc.
- a household "outsources" its need for PCs, shirts, sneakers, TVs, etc.
- an individual "outsources" his need for iPads, dress shirts, barbers, etc.

A parting thought. A corporation is really outsourcing it's need for labor, even when its staff are direct employees and not contractors. The stockholders, the true owners of the corporation, have hired the management staff of the business to act as their agents, they in turn employ people, labor, to fulfill the equity holders' wishes. The stockholders have thus outsourced their labor needs.

Every business that is not 100% full vertically integrated, outsources its need for almost everything. Kodak makes (okay, made) film. To do this it required silver. It did not buy mines, make (not buy, that would be outsourcing) it's own mining equipment from scratch, and mine silver. No, it bought silver on the open market. There is nothing evil, insidious, or problematic about outsourcing.

As L.S.S.I. Takes Over Libraries, Patrons Can’t Keep Quiet - NYTimes.com: "SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — A private company in Maryland has taken over public libraries in ailing cities in California, Oregon, Tennessee and Texas, growing into the country’s fifth-largest library system. Now the company, Library Systems & Services, has been hired for the first time to run a system in a relatively healthy city, setting off an intense and often acrimonious debate about the role of outsourcing in a ravaged economy."

How Does The State Coerce?

Good column, thanks to Dr. Boudreaux for the heads-up.

Government power is ultimately enforced at the muzzle of a gun, that includes small things, too. If you resist enough, eventually, that's what it comes to.

Exchequer vs. Economist - By Kevin D. Williamson: "Socialist or otherwise, all states finally rest on force: You decline to participate in whatever is the Netherlands’ version of serving the community through the instrument of the state long enough, they send a guy to your house with a gun to seize your stuff or haul you off to jail; resist and there will be violence. That’s what states do, and it is not necessarily illegitimate."

Today's Quotes: Heinlein, Solzhenitsyn, Hayek, & More

There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want
merely because you think it would be good for him.
-- Robert A. Heinlein
(1907-1988) American writer

A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny.
-- Alexander Solzhenitsyn

The history of government management of money has, except
for a few short happy periods, been one of incessant fraud
and deception.
-- Fredrich August von Hayek

The Union was formed by the voluntary agreement of the States; and these, in
uniting together, have not forfeited their Nationality, nor have they been
reduced to the condition of one and the same people. If one of the States
chose to withdraw its name from the contract, it would be difficult to
disprove its right of doing so ...
-- Alex de Tocqueville, Democracy In America

Biggest Understatement I Read Today ...

See Obama's response to a question in the snippet below. (pic via WSJ and AP)

The education of all children, from the moment that they can get along without
a mother's care, shall be in state institutions at state expense.
-- Karl Marx

Obama: D.C. schools don't measure up to his daughters' private school: "Obama, following a path chosen by some of his predecessors in the White House, chose to enroll his daughters Malia and Sasha in the Sidwell Friends School soon after he won the 2008 presidential election. In an appearance Monday morning on NBC's 'Today' show, Obama was asked by a woman in a television audience whether a public school in his home city could measure up to the standards of his children's private school. 'I'll be blunt with you: The answer is no right now,' the president replied. The D.C. public schools, he said 'are struggling.'"

Related links:
Sidwell Friends and School Choice
School Choice is for the Privileged Class Only
Today's Quotes - Education - I
Today's Quotes - Education - II
Today's Quotes - Education Socialism

Rest Easy, The Pumpkin Shortage Is Over!

Thank God it's behind us! (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Now don't get me wrong, autumn is my favorite season, and I'm currently fighting a full-bore addiction to Dunkin' Donuts' pumpkin coffee. Okay, not actually fighting the addiction, more like rolling with it happily.

On the question of "shortage," I always get worried when I see that word. There can be no real discussion of the concepts of "shortage" or "surplus" without also discussing prices. If prices are allowed to move freely to reflect reality, all will be well.

Pass the pie: Canned pumpkin shortage is over - Yahoo! Finance: "PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Pumpkin lovers can relax: A nearly yearlong shortage of the canned stuff is over. That means an end to the hoarding, rationing and even pumpkin profiteering that have been going on since heavy rain ruined last year's harvest and caused a shortfall. But the country's top producer says this year's crop is healthy and cans are arriving in stores. 'I was a little panicked,' Jamie Lothridge of Toledo, Ohio, said about the prospect of a another season low on pumpkin. The avid baker bought more than 25 cans last fall and was down to her final few this month when she called Libby's to make sure it would be back. Nestle, which sells about 85 percent of the canned pumpkin in the U.S. under its Libby's brand, said customer inquiries have grown five-fold since last fall, when it warned it might not have enough to get through the holidays."

Book Review: Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World

This book (Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World) was recommended to me by derekW on Timezone.com. Trafalgar (1805) is considered one of the largest and most significant battles in all of history. The general consensus is that it dramatically changed history. Perhaps if not for the dramatic naval win at Trafalgar, Wellington could not have defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815?

A few details from Amazon:
# Paperback: 416 pages
# Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (October 31, 2006)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0143037951

This massive sea battle was the culmination of lengthy and repeated conflicts between England on one side and Spain and France on the other. It was fought off the Cape of Trafalgar, near the Port of Cadiz in the Southwest of Spain, in the Atlantic.

Lord Nelson's fleet was a bit smaller than the opposing joint Franco-Spanish fleet which was in port in Cadiz. The British were implementing a naval blockade against their foes all over the hemisphere. Nelson's fleet was waiting out the larger Franco-Spanish fleet for weeks before the conflict began.

Roy Adkins makes a 200 year old battle seem like it just happened on CNN. He pulls from all kinds of sources to build the hour-by-hour narrative: official government records, personal letters, etc. It's the manner in which Adkins does this so well that makes the book engaging and tough to put down.

Some items of note:
1. Napoleon was so feared by the English, nursemaids created a horrifying rhyme to pass on. p. 6
2. What the heck is a Martello Tower? p. 9



3. Now I now what "grog" is and where the name came from. p. 32
4. The description of the daily food rations on ships of the era is horrific to say the least. Almost unimaginable by today's standards. pp. 34-38

5. During the 7 Years War (1756-1763), approx 90,000 British seamen died from scurvy while only about 15,000 died in battle. p. 39
6. So that's why the navy calls the bathroom the "head." p. 43
7. British carronades fired a 68-pound cannonball! p. 76

8. "Catch a Tartar." p.121
9. The description of on-board surgery is chilling. pp. 166-171

There are perhaps two significant challenges for naval commanders of the time (circa 1805) that didn't exist 100 years later. First, there were no radios. All communication was done with shouting at close distances, and flags/banners at slightly longer distances. The horizon was visible for maybe 20 miles. And I bet that flags were visible only at much much shorter differences. Once a ship was out of sight it was incommunicado, and likely much sooner. The communication limitations also manifested themselves on a larger scale. When the admiralty in London sent a fleet across the oceans on a mission, they might not hear back from them for months or longer. Orders could not be easily changed or revoked, and the results of a battle might not come back for weeks or months. Think about this in contrast to radio communications today. All of this made an individual captain's skills and competence that much more important.

Second, the ships were all wind-powered. They were completely at the mercy of the wind's speed and direction. This made maneuvering and tactics tricky business. Planning and experience became crucial to success or failure.

Not only was the daily life of a sailor brutal (infections of all kinds, rickets, beriberi, scurvy), the battles and their aftermath were significantly worse. The ships would regularly line up side-to-side and continually barrage each other with broadsides of large cannon. Heads, limbs, and more were lost in massive numbers. Mangled limbs were routinely amputated (filthy hand saws, no anesthesia). Large wooden splinters from cannonball impacts left even worse injuries to those not killed. For those who survived their initial injuries and painful surgery, death by infection soon after was a likely proposition.

If you have any interest in history whatsoever this book is a must-read. As with many famous notable events there is no shortage of books that cover it. You don't want to waste your limited time on lesser substitutes. Roy Adkins's Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World is the one you want.

Don't forget to check out Trafalgar Square and Nelson's Column.

Additional links:
Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World (9780143037958): Roy Adkins: Books
Battle of Trafalgar - Wikipedia
Nelson's Column - Wikipedia

Wristwatch Updates: TAG Heuer, MKII, Franc Vila, & More!

That vintage Vacheron is amazing. (pic courtesy of TZ's 'kibi') And I love the Astron and NOS Omega.

The Omega Big Blue in NOS Condition: A Cult Classic In Untouched Form Found Where Else, But eBay - Hodinkee: "If you're a fan of esoteric dive watches, vintage Omega, or cult classics from the 1970s, you know the Omega Big Blue (if you're not / don't, click here for a history)."

PROJECT X DESIGNS PXD SS1 Limited Edition Customized Original 50th Anniversary Rolex LV Submariner: "Daniel Craig is best know for being the current James Bond, and he is a big Rolex fan. In the photo below he is wearing his PROJECT X DESIGNS Customized Original 50th Anniversary Rolex LV Submariner."

Master Watchmaker Review of Calibre 1887 - Calibre 11: "And there have been two questions that have dominated discussion about the movement: Is it any good and is it really a TAG Heuer movement? Both of these questions are answered in this great article from QP Magazine where Master Watchmaker Peter Roberts (Technical Director of Bremont) reviewed the new movements from TAG Heuer and Breitling."

A Virtual Preview: Highlights from Antiquorum Hong Kong's 9 October Sale: "This past Friday, I was able to make it into New York to photograph a selection of watches from Antiquorum Hong Kong's 9 October Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces sale. Approximately 150 lots out of a total of 458 were at Antiquorum NY's headquarters briefly this week."

Live from Le Brassus and Sunning in the Med with Elizabeth Doerr: "Audemars Piguet is one of the most venerable manufactures in the Swiss watchmaking landscape. Last week, I had the extreme pleasure of being able to visit its many facilities, topped off by spending a day in St. Tropez with AP’s latest greatest sponsorship association: the world’s fastest sailing boat, the Hydroptère."

Breguet Réveil Musical Watch - Perpetuelle: "The watch will play a 20-25 second musical tune either at its owner’s pleasure — via a push piece positioned at 10 o’clock, or at any given time via a pre-set alarm function. The dial performs a complete turn during the 20 to 25 seconds while the tune is being played."

The New Rolex Explorer Available: "This new model has – aside the size – a few differences compared to the original and to be discontinued Rolex Explorer 114270. Its movement is of a newer type, caliber 3132. It features a Parachrom hairspring with Breguet overcoil Paraflex shock absorbers. However, I don’t think most Rolex owners will (or do) care about the mechanics inside."

Hands On With A $5000 Quartz Watch: Seiko's New Astron Has A Lot To Love - Hodinkee: "In 1959, Seiko launched a secret initiative called Project 59A high in the mountains of central Japan. A decade late, on Christmas day of 1969, the Seiko Astron was announced. The very first quartz wristwatch was a marvel of modern engineering, and it cost about as much as your average Toyota."

Seiko Ananta Automatic Chronograph Titanium Watch: "Inside the watch is the Seiko Caliber 8R28 automatic mechanical movement with a column wheel and a vertical clutch."

Franc Vila a8 Big Date Chronograph Review - Perpetuelle: "I am excited to have finally gotten my hands on a Franc Vila watch. While this particular model was not my favorite color scheme, I really enjoyed reviewing it. The construction is rock solid."

The Blue Wave - A Skeletonized Chronograph Based On A Historic Movement By Grieb & Benzinger: "In the Blue Wave watch ticks a vintage movement by Minerva which dates back to approximately 1920-1925. Grieb & Benzinger completely disassembled this movement and restored it bit by bit."

Additional links:
Vacheron Constantin 1890 - some photos
The Hillary Tenzing Explorer
OceanicTime: HELSON Sharkmaster (production models)
What Makes a Fine Watch Fine? (video)
RGM Pennsylvania Tourbillon MM 2 Watch
Casio G-Shock GA110B-1A3 Digital & Analog Initial
Wow Watch Wednesday: The Telos Watch Experience
Brochure Added: 1982 Diving Watches
Dunhill Wheel Watch Chronograph
A Special Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Memovox International for Colette Paris

Monday Grab Bag of Links ...

Architecture. (pic via Freshome)
Original and Intriguing 5 in 1 Home in Tokyo
House on the Roof / De Amicis Architetti
House in Menorca / Dom Arquitectura
Large Home Tree / Ignatov Architects
Extreme Staircase Designs
McDonald’s Redesign: a New Era for Fast-Food Restaurants
Exotic Residence and Glamorous Living in Brazil
Lockyer Residence by Shaun Lockyer Architects with Arkhefield
Courtyard House on a Steep Site by Hutchison & Maul

Cars.
Interview: David Edwards
Retro Thing: This Vintage Electric Car Could Be Yours
Done Right: 1957 Porsche Carrera GS 4-Cam
Curbside Classic: 1965 Ford Econoline SuperVan Camper
75 Years of Cool Cats - Wired.com
Indian boardtrack
Dean Jeffries' 1956 Porsche - Kustomrama

Travel.
21 Most Remarkable Natural Phenomena

Animals.
Tennessee Welcomes Tiny Spiny Turtle Hatchling - ZooBorns
Hybrid Panthers Helping Rare Cat Rebound in Florida

Coffee.
Brewing Just-Right Espresso - WSJ.com

Food.
Making the Perfect Paella - WSJ.com

Photography.
The Frame: Oktoberfest marks 200 years
The Frame: James Lee in Afghanistan

Watches.
Friday scan day: Post your Non-Big 3-conglomerates!
Devon Tread 1 - AHCI
MKII Watches Hands-On
Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve 2010...photos of some of the pre-selected watches in the metal
Revolution - The Cartier SANTOS DUMONT watch
Vintage Minerva mono-poussoir chronograph used in piece unique from Grieb & Benzinger

Style.
Garb: Back To Class
The Brooklyn Circus - Some of the Best That Ever Did It
Brand-new Victorian man - How to be a Retronaut
The Jeans Care Secret: Rarely Wash Them - WSJ.com
Is L.L. Bean Driving the Runway? - WSJ.com

Shoes / Boots.
Thom Browne Brogues
Sartorially Inclined: Fingers Crossed (more)
Leffot Blog - Alfred Sargent Milton

Sports.
‘Best Game Ever’ Broadcast Found in Bing Crosby’s Wine Cellar - NYTimes.com

Liberty / Govt.
It Is Official: The US Is a Police State by Paul Craig Roberts
Some Americans Distrust Authority by Thomas E. Woods, Jr.
Pentagon destroyed 10,000 copies of army officer's book - Telegraph

History.
After 62 years, Holocaust survivor reunites with lost friend whose passport led her to America

Misc.
Weekend miscellany — The Endeavour
50 Most Extraordinary Churches of the World
Romania's Spooky Castle Bran - Dracula’s Castle?
Four mechanical devices better than their newer counterparts
Google’s Vision of the Future? Bicycle Meets Monorail
The Ten Filthiest Cities - This Blog Rules
A day in the life of New York City, in miniature

From Keynes To Hayek, Not The Other Way Around

This post is just a small dump of some thoughts I've had for a while and been meaning to get out.

I've had a couple people tell me that while the Austrian free-market ideas sound good in theory, they're not good in practice and don't match reality. I struggle to respond to this as my experience is 180° off.

It's not as though I was force fed the free-market/Austrian views when young and never considered or understood other (i.e. Keynesian) viewpoints.

My understanding of how the economic world worked was completely through Keynesian eyes for years. I was taught the full Keynesian mantra in high school and college. In fact, I don't recall ever learning about Menger, Hayek, von Mises, et al. And Milton Friedman was mentioned only in passing, the implication was that he was some kind of radical crank.

When people try to convince me of the Keynesian arguments I get the distinct impression that they believe I haven't yet considered them, and perhaps don't realize or understand how the free-market views aren't realistic or sophisticated enough. The truth is that I'm not at all new to the Keynesian view, and I only came to the Austrian viewpoint after a decade+ of cognitive dissonance.

Fountain Pens & Writing Updates: Pelikan Edelstein, Pac-Man, Visconti, & More

I have my order in for the new Pelikan Edelstein ink, in Sapphire. Looking forward to it. (Delta pic courtesy of LadyDandelion more here)

Pocket Blonde: Pelikan Edelstein Ink -- Jade: "ade is a very well-behaved ink, so polite and gentle you almost forget it's there. No ink creep on the nib, no skipping, flows very well, and while it almost made my Lamy Al-Star EF into a very wet writer the ink flow never quite reached that point. Just a bit wet, but not too much that it became annoying and messy. Drying time was average, neither incredibly short or long."

ink review: pelikan blue black - seize the dave: "Pelikan Blue Black is a member of Pelikan’s 4001 ink line – their standard, bottled fountain pen inks. It is a pleasant blue-grey that reminds me of denim, and is moderately saturated while exhibiting a modicum of shading."

Pocket Blonde: Erin C. Reviews Iroshizuku Syo-Ro Ink: "Having followed pen, ink & paper blogs for the past 2 or 3 years, it was quite a thrill to be the lucky winner of Pocket Blonde's one-year blogiversary giveaway. I promised Diane a review several weeks ago and today, having just read Notebooker Esq.'s review of Private Reserve Burgundy Mist, I am inspired to finally review Diane's giveaway prize: a bottle of Iroshizuku's Syo-Ro ink."

Whatever: Featured Pen - Visconti Rembrandt - followup: "So there you have it. The Visconti Rembrandt Eco Rollerball pen, uses fountain pen ink and fills and flushes just like a fountain pen."

pencil talk - Staedtler Mars Lumograph 2886 pencil: "The predecessor of Staedtler’s iconic Mars Lumograph 100 is the Mars Lumograph 2886. According to leadholder.com, this particular box may date from the late 1950s."

Drawing with a Squirrel: Akashiya Bamboo Brush Pen: "The bamboo makes it very lightweight, and it has a good length and girth making it comfortable to draw with. The brush hair is quite springy, though the tip doesn't come to an extremely fine point making it harder to do very fine hairlines. However, it is great for inking and larger line work."

For love and idleness: If I can blame Julie for yarn ...: "However, the main drawback for me is the triangular grip shown here. This forces your grip into a particular position relative to the nib, which is not problematic at all for a round nib. But I do find that it creates a constraint for me with an italic nib."

Review: Kuretake No. 8 13 Fountain Hair Brush Pens - The Pen Addict: "The Kuretake is slightly more responsive than the Pentel Pocket Brush. That’s not always good – a responsive brush translates every little tremor of your hand onto the page, so it's more challenging to master."

Additional links:
Ink Links - The Pen Addict
Pac-Man x Moleskine 30th Anniversary Volant Set
MI6 'used bodily fluids as invisible ink' - Telegraph
Fountain Pen Ink Tracker - Miscellaneous Ramblings ...
Seamus Heaney's poetry: The squat pen rest
The nightmare of trying to write in a hotel room
Goldspot Pens: Moleskine Ink Samples
Conway Stewart No 28 Review - Fountain Pen Network
Pocket Blonde: Diamine Twilight Ink
AGO - Moleskine - English
Field Notes Review, Part II: The Notebook - Pencil Revolution
three letter word for art: Moleskine update
That Jerk? C'est Moi - Malcolm Gladwell on Writing in Coffee Shops
Ink Nouveau: So I got an interesting phone call this afternoon ...
rOtring CORE - The Fountain Pen Network

Daily Show, Wal-Mart, & Unions

Priceless, a must-see till the end.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Working Stiffed
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Saturday Grab Bag of Links ...

Architecture. (pic via Freshome)
Majorca House of Glamour and Glitter
Modern Residence with Surprising and Daring Interiors in Belgium
31 Blair Road - CoolBoom
The Queen Astrid House by Aamer Architects
PPG Pittsburgh Paint Fallingwater Color Series
Glass Pavilion in California by Steve Hermann Design
Playground Building in Utrecht
Swiss Cheese House: Hole-Filled Box Home in Switzerland

Animals.
Rare Photos: Giant Squid Eaten by Sperm Whale
Animals in the news - The Big Picture - Boston.com
YouTube - Sleepy Puppies

Photography.
The 10 Best Digital Cameras - PCMag.com
The Frame: Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival
Pentax 645D - Gear Patrol

Economics.
A Wasted Decade? - Reason Magazine

Cars.
75 Years of Cool Cats - Wired.com
Hyundai Equus may have rough ride into luxury market
Porsche Unveils 4th-Gen Speedster
BMW MINI Scooter E Concept
2011 Corvette Z06 Carbon Edition – Harriman State Park
Feature Car: Newman's Own Recipe

Food.
Iñigo: To Make a Paella - Easy and Elegant Life
Cocktail Trend: Booze on the Rocks (Literally)
Ho Chiak: Treasure in JB: Restoran Peking
Got Leftover Bagels? Turn Them Into French Toast

Education.
Why Corvettes cost less than college

Advertising.
Ads we love: The Rolex Submariner

Gadgets / Gear.
Do (Almost) Everything With a Kindle 3
Vibram FiveFingers Bikila Review
How T9 Predictive Text Input Changed Mobile Phones
Every Day Carry Blog

Computers.
McAf.ee Shortens Links with Built-In Security Scanning
Back Up Your Flash Drive with USBFlashCopy
The Deeplight Expedition is a fun, retro platformer
What Are Flash Cookies and How Can You Stop Them? - Popular Mechanics
Statecraft as entertainment: Ars reviews Civilization V

Watches.
A New Pilot Watch from an Old Name: The Huguenin Professional Gets Put Through Its Paces

Science.
Fossil treasure trove discovered in California
5 Cool Science Experiments You Should Check Out On YouTube

Travel.
The World's Most Remote Hotels - Forbes.com
Las Vegas: An American Paradox - Smithsonian Magazine
100 Richest Countries Of The World
Going overseas? Follow these credit card tips

History.
Titanic sunk by steering blunder, new book claims - Telegraph
Sept. 22, 1791: Faraday Enters a World He Will Change

Style.
Back to prep cool: Lisa Birnbach updates her preppy guide
Franco-American: How Blogs Turned a Frenchman Trad
The 50 Most Stylish Villains of All Time
A 60-Second Guide to Moleskin
welldressed - Ripense
From the Desk of… Esquire’s Nick Sullivan
A New 'Wall Street' Power Look - WSJ.com

Shoes / Boots.
RED WING'S Irish Setter since 1905
The Boot - Alden for Context Roy Boot
1 Month in: LL Bean Maine Lodge Boots
Improved sales, new jobs proving to be a good fit (Allen-Edmonds)

Art.
Missing $1.4 Million Painting Found Hanging in Some Dude’s Bathroom

Markets.
10 Chinese Brands Set To Take Over US Households by 2020

Liberty / Govt.
NPR Confirms 3,000 Man CIA Army Conducts Operations In Pakistan
Our 'war on drugs' has been an abysmal failure. Just look at Mexico

Healthcare.
Health Care’s Muddled Incentives - The Freeman
How Seniors Will Pay for ObamaCare - WSJ.com

Misc.
Fort Lauderdale man's home sold in foreclosure mistake
Lost libraries - The Boston Globe
The Eccentric Englishman : The New Yorker
Weekend miscellany — The Endeavour

Good Thing Zuckerberg Isn't A Venture Capitalist

This may be one of the worst "investments" ever. ;-)

A Thought:
I hope I'm wrong.

Another thought:
I believe that Mr. Zuckerberg certainly means well and this was done out of legitimate altruism. (seriously)

A Question:
Will the $100 million be split-up and doled back out to NJ taxpayers to reimburse them for the fraudulent educations they have been forced to pay for for decades? (pic via Reuters)

An update (thanks, Joe S.!):
It could be worse, he could have given the money to Bono.

Zuckerberg pledges $100m to Newark, N.J., schools - The Social - CNET News: "In his first major act of public philanthropy, The New York Times reported late today that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg plans to donate $100 million to the public school system in Newark, N.J., a troubled and crime-ridden city across the Hudson River from New York. The formal announcement will reportedly come Friday on Oprah Winfrey's talk show, where Zuckerberg will be joined by Newark Mayor Cory Booker and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who will formally cede some control of the Newark school system to Booker's municipal administration."

Related links:
Bono's ONE Foundation Slammed For Giving Just 1% Of Funds To Charity

Don't Get Bogged Down With The Facts

This very short column is a must-read. And note that it's perhaps at least as much an indictment of George W. Bush as it is Obama.

The Lie Obama Can't Stop Telling: Bush Cut Regulation and Education Spending! - Reason Magazine: "Between 2001 and 2009 [...] a very specific philosophy reigned in Washington: You cut taxes, especially for millionaires and billionaires; you cut regulations for special interests; you cut back on investments in education and clean energy, in research and technology. The idea was if we put blind faith in the market, if we let corporations play by their own rules, if we left everybody to fend for themselves, America would grow and America would prosper. That was the philosophy that was put forward. For eight years, we tried that. And that experiment failed miserably."

Oh Sweet, Sweet, Irony

The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really
know about what they imagine they can design.
-– F.A. Hayek

Do you know how many political and economic decisions are made in this world by people who don't know what in the living daylights they are talking about?
-- Bill Clinton, Tue Sep 21, 2010

Q: When Is Recycling Bad For The Environment?

Q: When Is Recycling Bad For The Environment?
A: Almost every time the govt. forces you to do it.

Here's a fairly reliable litmus test. If someone will pay you to take something off your hands (e.g. copper, aluminum, large amounts of newspaper, etc.) it's recyclable. If not, it's likely just plain old garbage. I know, that doesn't sound nearly as romantic as "sustainable" more "renewable." ;-)

Do not miss these two recent columns from Jeff Jacoby. His economic logic is sound. Also see the additional links below, including this classic podcast from EconTalk on the subject.

Get excited about recycling? Not me - The Boston Globe: "‘GET EXCITED about Single Stream!’’ trills the flyer that comes from Brookline Town Hall. A letter from the commissioner of public works hails the “exciting change’’ beginning next month, when town residents will no longer be required to sort their recyclable trash into separate blue bins — one for paper, the other for cans, bottles, and plastic containers."

The waste of recycling - The Boston Globe: "I GENERALLY see her after dark: an old woman in a conical Vietnamese hat, making the rounds in my neighborhood the night before our weekly trash pickup. She is out in all kinds of weather, checking the bins that residents have set out on the curb, helping herself to the aluminum cans. I’ve smiled and nodded hello once or twice, but she looks right past me and moves on. I figure she’s too busy working to lose any time on pleasantries."

Additional links:
What's The Difference Between Recyclables & Garbage?
College Students Dig Through Trash For Earth Day
Grab Bag: Munger and Roberts on Recycling, Peak Oil and Steroids
Recycling Is A Religion For Some
CBC News - No cents in recycling as economy kills demand for material

Best Headline I Saw Today: Salmonella Edition

"House Hearing On Salmonella-Tainted Eggs Turns Testy"

House Hearing On Salmonella-Tainted Eggs Turns Testy : Shots - Health News Blog : NPR: "It's Salmonella Day on Capitol Hill. The House Energy and Commerce Committee has summoned top executives from two giant Iowa egg producers — Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms of Iowa. The FDA has fingered both as the sources of a salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 1,600 people in recent months."

Timing Means Everything ... AWKWARD

In his defense, he said "our brothers' keepers," not "our aunts' keepers."

"When Michelle and I decided that I would run for President,
it was because of a shared belief in the power of community and connection,
a commitment to the idea that we are our brothers' keepers."
-- Barack Hussein Obama
(1961-) 44th President of the United States
Source: Campaign email sent by democraticparty@democrats.org, Sep. 13, 2010

President Obama's Aunt Zeituni Onyango: The System Took Advantage Of Me - wbztv.com: "BOSTON (WBZ) ― 'If I come as an immigrant, you have the obligation to make me a citizen.' Those are the words from 58-year-old Zeituni Onyango of Kenya in a recent exclusive interview with WBZ-TV. Onyango is the aunt of President Barack Obama. She lived in the United States illegally for years, receiving public assistance in Boston. ... She is still living in South Boston public housing, unemployed, and collecting about $700 a month in disability, she says."

I'll Enjoy My FrankenFish Grilled, With Lemon

I don't follow the hand-wringing and tears over GM crops and so-called FrankenFish. It not as though we have arrived at, or always been at, some perfect state of genetics with respect to flora and fauna. Remember that pesky thing we call evolution. Animals and plants have been naturally changing, advancing, and mutating for a loooooong time. There's nothing magic about the current state of them. (pic: AFP/USFWS/Ho/File)

Consider what we call purebred dogs. Some of the current breeds were amalgamations that were considered officially standardized as recently as 50 or 100 years ago.

Arise, Frankenfish! - John Stossel: "This week, the FDA decides whether to allow genetically-modified (GM) salmon in our food supply. A biotech company engineered salmon genes to create a version of the fish that grows twice as fast. This will help the world fight overfishing and starvation. Sounds great to me!"

Genetically Modified Salmon - Frankenfish Health Effects - Esquire: "Concerns about risks to human health are less well-founded. The remote chance of new allergens — a fear thoroughly investigated by the FDA — is offset by the known health benefits of eating more salmon."

Fear the Dreaded Frankenfish - The Unbroken Window: "And in this week’s scare, genetically modified fish (as if animal breeding isn’t genetically modifying things … have you ever seen a “normal” chicken with a 9 pound breast!)"

Fountain Pens & Writing Updates: Rhodia Webbie, John Lennon, Surefire, & More

Love the Rhodia products, especially the Webbie! (pic via GP)

Rhodia Webbie Notebook - Gear Patrol: "Founded in 1934, Rhodia is a historic French brand and makes a viable Moleskine competitor in their Webbie notebook. For a bit more money than the Moleskine, you get a great notebook with high quality paper that stands up to even your broadest fountain pen, and will be ready for whatever you do with it thanks to its hard cover and an expanding pocket inside."

Montblanc unveils John Lennon pen - Los Angeles Times: "The version handed to us by Montblanc's CEO Lutz Bethge had a grooved black resin barrel that looked and felt like a slightly more pronounced version of the grooves on a vinyl record album. A closer look revealed the clip was shaped like a guitar neck, and the pen bore a tiny plaque engraved with Lennon's self-caricature ..."

Dave's Mechanical Pencils: Pentel Jolt AS305 Mechanical Pencil Review: "First off then the Jolt is a pretty interesting looking mechanical pencil, and I mean ‘interesting’ in a good way. I’ve got to admit that personally I much prefer the pink and orange colour options as they look so bright, cheery and fun."

How to find pens with flexible nibs, flexy nibs, flex nibs, wet noodle.: "If you’ve yet to try a flexible nib, and don’t want to spend unnecessarily, experiment with steel nibs in a holder. Jetpens carries Zebra G steel nibs ..."

Ink Nouveau: I made an ink decision (for my m800): "I've been waiting for the Edelsteins right along with all of you, and now I'm putting my own skin in it. I'm going to hold off from inking up my grail pen until the Edelstein comes in. It simply can't come soon enough!"

Tale of a Vandal Pen User: Fountain Pen as Muse - Peaceable Writer: "Each of the pens in my collection is enjoyable to write with. What would be the point of having them around otherwise? Three pens, however, stand out as pens that I love holding as much as I enjoy writing with them."

Pocket Blonde: De Atramentis Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Ink: "Like the Sherlock Holmes, the ink isn't particularly quick drying. It flows well from my Platinum Affection fine point fountain pen, and there was no bleed through on the paper (copy paper in a very pretty notebook)."

Ink Nouveau: Rebekah Goldman Guest Post- Wax Seal Struggles: "any of you know I'm seriously afflicted with the wax seal addiction, having done some 1,300 seals by now (since I started in April). Rebekah brings to light some of the 'struggles' a wax seal newbie can face! All of the mistakes she made here are fixable, so I think a 'wax seal salvage' video may be in my future!"

The Pocket Notebooks of 20 Famous Men - The Art of Manliness: "The result is this look at how 20 famous men used their pocket notebooks. The list is hardly comprehensive; the practice was so widespread among eminent men that it would likely be easier to compile a list of famous men who did not use them, than did. And the choices are a bit eccentric ..."

Nakaya Portable Writer, Kuro-Tamenuri Medium nib - The Fountain Pen Network: "The lacquer work quality is amazing, impeccably executed. The color undertones are more subtle than I'd hoped, with only the edges showing obvious red in normal light; the pen looks fully black in all but the brightest light. T"

Additional links:
Surefire Pen Review
moleskinerie: Sighting: "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
Scriblets: Montblanc Brothers
The Blue Ink Bottle :: Rhodia Drive
J. Herbin Scented Ink Sampler - An Inkophile’s Blog
ink review: noodler's widowmaker - seize the dave
Moleskine by Marc Jacobs
pencil talk - Seven Argentinian red and blue pencils
Crónicas Estilográficas: Inadequate
Notebook Stories: Moleskine Monday: Memo’s Secure System
Review: Uni-Ball Jetstream 4 1 0.7mm Ballpoint Multi Pen
pencil talk - Berol Handwriting pencil
Staedtler Maxum 1.6 mm Ballpoint :: OfficeSupplyGeek
Herbin - Eclat De Saphir - The Fountain Pen Network