Monthly Archives: July 2011

An Exciting Puzzle (Updated Sun 7/31)

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Jonathan

Update Sept 3: Solution (to original version) is here Update 7/31: The solution to this puzzle requires not much math at all, if you think about it the right way. I’m tempted to only award beer if someone gets the … Continue reading →

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Illegality of Blackmail (a test)

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Jonathan

I’ve finished Leo Katz’s book. The basic question of the book is “Why is blackmail illegal?” It seems odd that it is illegal — so odd that lawyers have coined the term “The Paradox of Blackmail.” Consider the standard case: … Continue reading →

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Tea Partiers and Debt Ceiling: the Silver Lining

Posted on July 23, 2011 by Jonathan

Some Republicans, including presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, say we should not raise the debt ceiling. Most others (including me) disagree: they believe that Timmy Geithner is telling the truth when he says we’d face a disaster if we failed to … Continue reading →

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Independent of what?

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Jonathan

Glenn Greenwald attacks the “establishment” media outlet MSNBC for creating a corporate culture that forces its reporters to engage in “self-censorship” aimed at at avoiding any reporting that runs counter to the interest of the corporation. (What is “self-censorship?” The … Continue reading →

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Bill Clinton Wrong on 14th Amendment

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Jonathan

Bill Clinton says he’d solve the debt ceiling problem by invoking the 14th amendment (which establishes that the “validity of the public debt… cannot be questioned”) the U.S. from defaulting if an agreement couldn’t be reached: “‘I think the Constitution … Continue reading →

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Typing Puzzle (Updated Thurs July 21)

Posted on July 18, 2011 by Jonathan

Note: This is reposted due to my update with a hint and solution, and due to the (relatively) low quality of my post about politicians and animals. John Derbyshire has posted is a puzzle that I’ve never come across before, … Continue reading →

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Is what a politician does with his animals his own business?

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Jonathan

Some people (for convenience, I’ll use the word “liberals” to refer to those people) argued in the wake of the Weiner scandal that politicians’ personal lives should not be our concern. They can’t really believe that, though. Suppose a politician … Continue reading →

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Matthew Yglesias on Paul Ryan’s Taste for Wine

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Jonathan

Matthew Yglesias has an interesting post about why Paul Ryan’s recent sipping of expensive wine actually can be related to a substantive policy issue. Yglesias’ argument is as follows (I critique the argument below the summary): ———————— 1. Paul Ryan … Continue reading →

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