Monthly Archives: October 2009

MAKING REFEREE RATINGS PUBLIC—UPDATE.

Posted on October 31, 2009 by Philip

MAKING REFEREE RATINGS PUBLIC—UPDATE. I recommended here that the National Basketball Association should make all its referee ratings for individual games public. One argument I made in support of the recommendation was that Referee Tim Donaghy had been accused of … Continue reading →

Posted in Basketball, Sports | 1 Comment

NOT FINDING THE NOTE—UPDATE.

Posted on October 31, 2009 by Philip

NOT FINDING THE NOTE—UPDATE. I posted here about my speculation that the haste to fashion toxic assets out of slices of mortgages had created backoffice problems, so that it could be hard for a lender to come up with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | 2 Comments

ANGRY ACADEMICS–THE RHETORIC OF “DERANGED KILLERS.”

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Philip

ANGRY ACADEMICS—THE RHETORIC OF “DERANGED KILLERS.” My favorite example of the anger which can arise among academics comes from a dispute among classicists. I found it hard to find a link that explained what happened over ten years ago, but … Continue reading →

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WHY I AM A KEYNESIAN.

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Philip

WHY I AM A KEYNESIAN. John Maynard Keynes himself gave the explanation for why I look at the world through Keynesian spectacles. In THE GENERAL THEORY OF EMPLOYMENT, INTEREST AND MONEY, he wrote: “The ideas of economists and political philosophers, … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | 1 Comment

HOW JUDGE POSNER BECAME A KEYNESIAN.

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Philip

HOW JUDGE POSNER BECAME A KEYNESIAN. Judge Richard Posner is an intellectual giant for many reasons, including his work in a field he helped to create—the economic analysis of law. He has been considered an important figure in the Chicago … Continue reading →

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WRITING DOWN THE JOKES.

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Philip

WRITING DOWN THE JOKES. Kids, you may have noticed that I tried not to pass on my study habits to you. They were not suitable for copying. For one thing, I wrote down everything that was said in a lecture, … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | 1 Comment

ANGRY ECONOMISTS BACK IN THE DAY.

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Philip

ANGRY ECONOMISTS BACK IN THE DAY. The conflict between the Chicago School and economics departments in the East goes back a long way. Over 40 years ago,one of my economics professors at Harvard described his feelings about the economists in … Continue reading →

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ANGRY ECONOMISTS.

Posted on October 26, 2009 by Philip

ANGRY ECONOMISTS. Kids, I usually find that reasoned argument helps me understand issues, so I want to call your attention to the fierce debate that is taking place about Keynesianism. This article by Paul Krugman gives a good introduction to … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics | 1 Comment

MY FAVORITE SPORTS NICKNAME.

Posted on October 25, 2009 by Philip

MY FAVORITE SPORTS NICKNAME. Yahoo!Answers yesterday had this answer to the question “Is there a word without vowels in it?” Many of them have a “y” in them, but the words “cwm” and “psst” are nominated. I was reminded of … Continue reading →

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LOOKING BACK FROM MY SIXTIES.

Posted on October 25, 2009 by Philip

LOOKING BACK FROM MY SIXTIES. Kids, I feel I should tell you about how I would answer the question suggested by yesterday’s post. My experience indicates that you don’t have to agonize over many of the daily decisions you make. … Continue reading →

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