Monthly Archives: February 2009

MORAL HAZARD.

Posted on February 10, 2009 by Philip

MORAL HAZARD. In this article, James Surowiecki explains some of the difficulties in attempts to reduce moral hazard. An example he gives is that people who buy fire insurance may not be as careful about preventing fires at their houses. … Continue reading →

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WHEN ECONOMISTS DIFFER—THE CHINESE CURRENCY.

Posted on February 10, 2009 by Philip

WHEN ECONOMISTS DIFFER—THE CHINESE CURRENCY. One of the advantages of the approach of THE WISDOM OF CROWDS (by James Surowiecki) is that in looking for an average or consensus of experts it highlights the fact that the experts disagree. I … Continue reading →

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POOR FARMERS AND MARKETS.

Posted on February 9, 2009 by Philip

POOR FARMERS AND MARKETS. There is much debate among economic historians about whether subsistence farmers in ancient Greece or Rome or in nineteenth century America were influenced by market prices. The Indian farmers in the Wall Street Journal story value … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, History | Leave a comment

CELLPHONES FOR THE POOR IN INDIA.

Posted on February 9, 2009 by Philip

CELLPHONES FOR THE POOR IN INDIA. We are not done with a wave of very bad economic news, but this story in today’s Wall Street Journal cheered me up. Cellphone ownership in India is continuing to grow at a rapid … Continue reading →

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THE FASTEST WAY TO TRAVEL IN THE YEAR 500.

Posted on February 8, 2009 by Philip

THE FASTEST WAY TO TRAVEL IN THE YEAR 500. “Men of the steppes moved across the map at speeds unimaginable for human transport anywhere else in the world.” I am quoting James O’Donnell in a book Annalisa gave me for … Continue reading →

Posted in History | 1 Comment

BAD ROADS AGAIN (COMMENT).

Posted on February 8, 2009 by Philip

BAD ROADS AGAIN (COMMENT). I have learned from this blog that I am interested in roads and their effect on history. It is important that a Roman road was like a straight fifteen–foot high stone wall embedded in the ground. … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, History | Leave a comment

IDENTICAL TWINS—IT’S NOT JUST DNA.

Posted on February 7, 2009 by Philip

IDENTICAL TWINS—IT’S NOT JUST DNA. I am an identical twin so I am aware of the physical differences in identical twins as well as the striking similarities. Some of the differences between my brother and me seem explainable by environmental … Continue reading →

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“CELEBRITY IS A MASK THAT EATS INTO THE FACE.”

Posted on February 6, 2009 by Philip

“CELEBRITY IS A MASK THAT EATS INTO THE FACE.” The obituary for John Updike in the Financial Times quotes Updike as saying that. In the sixties I had friends who found themselves sitting next to Updike at a Harvard football … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature | 1 Comment

DOES LOLCAT HAVE A GRAMMAR?

Posted on February 5, 2009 by Philip

DOES LOLCAT HAVE A GRAMMAR? To a newcomer to Lolcat [a "newbie"?], it seems that anything goes as long as it defies conventional grammar. Jonathan Hope says (in the review I referenced yesterday) that “you can’t have language that is … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

LOLCAT.

Posted on February 4, 2009 by Philip

LOLCAT. Lolcat is the dialect used on the website icanhascheezburger, where pictures of cute cats are posted, accompanied by captions written in, well, lolcat. (Jonathan Hope reviewed ALWAYS ON by by Naomi Baron and THE PRODIGAL TONGUE by Mark Abley … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment