Why study economics?

Barry Ritholtz gives us this quote and a good primer on what GDP is:

"The purpose of studying economics is not to acquire a set of ready-made answers to economic questions, but to learn how to avoid being deceived by economists."

-Joan Robinson, Cambridge University

Decatur, Preble, O'Bannon and Jefferson

Christopher Hitchens gives a brief history of our first battles against Muslim terrorists Musselman pirates.

No leadership training at Duke

Victor Davis Hanson highlights what the President of Duke should now say:

“The university advises strongly against students hiring “exotic dancers” at private parties. Besides the moral issues involved, many of such performers are habitual drug and alcohol users, and engage in dangerous promiscuous sexual activity, as well as having criminal records. Hiring such a performer only increases a student’s own exposure to a host of these obvious dangers, criminal, sexual, and drug-related.”

“As for as matters on campus, this sad travesty should be a reminder that the university especially must be a custodian of civil liberties and a protector of the right of individuals to due process. Instead the Duke community devolved to the rule of the mob, condemning the accused in print, rallies, and flyers in a way that was intended to cast pre-trial guilt upon their innocence. This is reprehensible. To the extent that I either participated in such a rush to judgment or, as your president, let it unfold without rebuke, I am deeply sorry. I failed the entire community. In efforts to appear liberal and unbiased I proved illiberal and prejudiced. At the very moment when the community was looking for a voice of reasoned calm I joined the storm of reckless emotion.”

Not in the line of duty - but taking responsibility

Appears that the NJ governor was not wearing his seat belt, against his own laws. We used to beat our sailors over the head with the notion that they could be responsible for their own medical costs. Hope that he recovers and speaks to his personal responsibility.

Update: Corzine is taking responsibility for his failure to wear a seatbelt. Good job.

Google knows all

Type in "answer to life the universe and everything" into google, press enter.

SSN 780 to be named soon?

The seventh submarine of the VIRGINIA class might be named soon (New Mexico was named in December 2004) . Rumor has it that it will be named for a state (big surprise) and probably after a former battleship.

Here are the ones that are off the list:

Alabama - current SSBN
Arizona - historical reasons
Connecticut - current SSN
Florida - current SSGN
Georgia - current SSGN
Iowa - reserve fleet
Kentucky - current SSBN
Louisiana - current SSBN
Maine - current SSBN
Maryland current SSBN
Michigan - current SSBN
Nebraska - current SSBN
Nevada - current SSBN
New Hampshire - new construction SSN
New Mexico - new construction SSN
New York - new construction LPD
North Carolina - new construction SSN
Ohio - current SSGN
Pennsylvania - current SSBN
Rhode Island - current SSBN
Tennessee - current SSBN
Texas - current SSN
Virginia - current SSN
West Virginia - current SSBN
Wyoming - current SSBN

That still leaves a pretty long list of candidates:

Arkansas
California
Delaware
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
New Jersey
New York
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Oregon
South Carolina
South Dakota
Utah
Vermont
Washington
Wisconsin

Of those, I have my money on California, New York or Washington. Two of these are big states and two have large Navy presence. The overlapping choice - California.

Edit: reliable sources inform that New York is off the list.

Inmates in charge of URI

Apparently the Student Senate of the University of Rhode Island is trying to compel the College Republicans to apologize for constitutionally recognized free speech.

For months, the Student Senate has demanded that the group publicly apologize for advertising a satirical $100 “scholarship” for white, heterosexual, American males.

They actually got over 40 people (American men, I assume) to submit essays highlighting how racial, gender based and nationality oriented scholarships are a form of reverse discrimination. Politically incorrect - yes. Protected speech - yes.

In a meeting on February 19, the Student Senate’s Student Organizations Advisory and Review Committee (SOARC) prohibited the College Republicans from disbursing the money. The group agreed that it would not give out the $100, but SOARC decided that even advertising the satirical “scholarship” violated URI’s anti-discrimination bylaws and demanded that the group publish an apology in the campus newspaper. Unwilling to apologize, Bilodeau appealed SOARC’s decision. The Senate denied that appeal.

Deny appeals, really nice bit of student democracy, there. URI's President tried to reason with the idiots in the Student Senate. He should have just disbanded them.

in a letter dated April 6, President Carothers did indeed instruct the Senate in no uncertain terms to drop its unconstitutional demand for an apology. Carothers wrote that the mandatory apology “does not meet constitutional standards as laid forth in the First Amendment and in subsequent court decisions interpreting the standard.”

But at a meeting on Monday night, SOARC nonetheless unanimously voted to ignore both its constitutional obligations and Carothers’ directive and derecognize the College Republicans for refusing to issue an apology. SOARC’s decision will be voted on by the entire Student Senate on Wednesday, April 25.