On StubHub, an online ticket broker, tickets Tuesday ranged in price between $110 and $4,000. The average purchase price through Tuesday was $371, a company spokesman said.
I’m sure complaints of price gouging will be forthcoming. How greedy does a ticket broker have to be to sell a $75 ticket for $4000?
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Little Pig, Little Pig Let Me In
New subdivisions in Columbia, Ill., must have houses made mostly of brick after a city council decision to rid expansion of vinyl siding.
I guess that is a relatively innovative way to keep the poor and middle-class out of a neighborhood. Make the housing expensive under the guise of “class.”
Jerry Rombach, executive director of the Home Builders Association of Greater Southwest Illinois, said the ruling means "it's clear that Columbia doesn't want to grow."
If growth means more poor people, he is clearly correct.
I guess that is a relatively innovative way to keep the poor and middle-class out of a neighborhood. Make the housing expensive under the guise of “class.”
Jerry Rombach, executive director of the Home Builders Association of Greater Southwest Illinois, said the ruling means "it's clear that Columbia doesn't want to grow."
If growth means more poor people, he is clearly correct.
Good Grammar
Grammar "rules" try to force behavior on people, language is a form of expression, as long as those that you communicate with understand what you are saying, what difference does it make whether your dangle a participle or not?
There are some contexts (lawyers are a prime example) in which the form and function of words is very important, in most cases grammar is just a set of rules that some people that that they were better than everyone else arbitrarily set to paper.
All that being said, I want to reiterate a point that I am certain that some people will miss - It is important that the people that you are trying to communicate with understand what you are trying to say. The structure of language does make it easier for people to communicate across social and regional barriers, but there is nothing wrong with colloquialisms and regional dialects that "bastardize" the English, or any other language. There is nothing inherently good about proper grammar - grammar has a purpose, but its form is arbitrary.
And ain't IS a word, one that millions of people use on a daily basis, just because some grammar nazi decided that it isn't a proper word means nothing.
There are some contexts (lawyers are a prime example) in which the form and function of words is very important, in most cases grammar is just a set of rules that some people that that they were better than everyone else arbitrarily set to paper.
All that being said, I want to reiterate a point that I am certain that some people will miss - It is important that the people that you are trying to communicate with understand what you are trying to say. The structure of language does make it easier for people to communicate across social and regional barriers, but there is nothing wrong with colloquialisms and regional dialects that "bastardize" the English, or any other language. There is nothing inherently good about proper grammar - grammar has a purpose, but its form is arbitrary.
And ain't IS a word, one that millions of people use on a daily basis, just because some grammar nazi decided that it isn't a proper word means nothing.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Partisanless Politics
Of course, there's nothing wrong with people being more polite to one another. But the belief that a healthy liberal democracy is one in which partisanship has disappeared is not merely ignorant, it's dangerous. Liberal democracy ceases to exist when partisanship vanishes. Democracy is about disagreement before it is about agreement.
The problem with that statement is that simple disagreement is not what today’s partisanship is about. Today, partisan politics is about adopting the opposite position of the opposing party for no purpose beyond being contrarian.
It seems that the only thing that Republicans and Democrats can agree on is spending vast amounts of taxpayer dollars on frivolous, wasteful pork barrel projects.
HatTip: Prometheus
The problem with that statement is that simple disagreement is not what today’s partisanship is about. Today, partisan politics is about adopting the opposite position of the opposing party for no purpose beyond being contrarian.
It seems that the only thing that Republicans and Democrats can agree on is spending vast amounts of taxpayer dollars on frivolous, wasteful pork barrel projects.
HatTip: Prometheus
Not Impressed with Ancient Rome
From the History Channel’s “Rome: Engineering an Empire”
So many of the things that the Romans were able to do in their time we were not able to do again until we were able to develop new technologies.
…
We wouldn’t be able to move a hillside without mechanized equipment. Given their tools we would never be able to accomplish those same things.
The unspoken qualifier is, of course, without slave labor. All of the great marvels of the ancient world were only accomplished through brutal leaders that built their wealth on the backs of the oppressed.
Should we marvel at the opulence of antiquity produced by despotism and slavery or marvel at the luxury created by free peoples through invention and innovation?
I know what my answer is.
So many of the things that the Romans were able to do in their time we were not able to do again until we were able to develop new technologies.
…
We wouldn’t be able to move a hillside without mechanized equipment. Given their tools we would never be able to accomplish those same things.
The unspoken qualifier is, of course, without slave labor. All of the great marvels of the ancient world were only accomplished through brutal leaders that built their wealth on the backs of the oppressed.
Should we marvel at the opulence of antiquity produced by despotism and slavery or marvel at the luxury created by free peoples through invention and innovation?
I know what my answer is.
Gender Roles
The women surveyed were less willing to marry down--marry someone with much lower earnings or less education--than the men were to marry up. And, in line with Jane Austen, the women were also more determined to marry up than the men were.
You may think that women's attitudes are changing as they get more college degrees and financial independence. A woman who's an executive can afford to marry a struggling musician. But that doesn't necessarily mean she wants to. Studies by David Buss of the University of Texas and others have shown that women with higher incomes, far from relaxing their standards, put more emphasis on their mate's financial resources.
I thought men were the ones with archaic ideas about gender roles. I don’t have any issue with educated people placing a premium on successful mates, but using government to fix the problem just isn’t going to be successful.
HatTip: Hit and Run
You may think that women's attitudes are changing as they get more college degrees and financial independence. A woman who's an executive can afford to marry a struggling musician. But that doesn't necessarily mean she wants to. Studies by David Buss of the University of Texas and others have shown that women with higher incomes, far from relaxing their standards, put more emphasis on their mate's financial resources.
I thought men were the ones with archaic ideas about gender roles. I don’t have any issue with educated people placing a premium on successful mates, but using government to fix the problem just isn’t going to be successful.
HatTip: Hit and Run
Monday, January 02, 2006
Favre - One More Year
The question on every Packer fan’s mind is – will Favre retire?
Before addressing the question lets look at some reasons that Favre doesn’t have to consider.
And now some stuff that he probably will consider.
If Favre doesn’t come back he will still go down into the books as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and a guaranteed entry into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. His record of consecutive starts, at the very least, will probably never be broken under a 16 game schedule. He would be sincerely missed though – he finally gave the Packers something to be proud of after years of mediocrity.
Before addressing the question lets look at some reasons that Favre doesn’t have to consider.
- Winning the big one. Favre has been to the big one twice and has a ring to prove it.
- Talent – His numbers don’t really show it, but Favre is still capable of playing at a superior level. His poor performance can be explained by looking at excessive injuries to his supporting staff and a less than stellar receiving corp. After watching most of the Packers games this year the number of dropped passes and tipped balls is disheartening. With a decent coach and a dedicated team Favre can still compete with the rest of them.
- Money – Favre says he has plenty of money in the bank and I don’t have any reason not to believe him.
- Recognition – The leagues only three time MVP has nothing to show.
- Wining One More – Well, the Pack just fired Sherman (finally!), so unless management decides to buy a ring it’s very unlikely that they will even be in contention.
And now some stuff that he probably will consider.
- Records – He says he doesn’t care about them, but Favre could probably break most of Marino and Elway’s records if he stuck around another year or two. It may not be very important, but it certainly is a consideration.
- Health – Getting hurt in the NFL is always a consideration, but they are protecting quarterbacks a lot more than they used to. I think the chances of a career ending injury for the superman of the NFL is unlikely. And all of those supposed pundits need to learn some math. The fact that Favre has played 16 years without an injury doesn’t mean that his chances of an injury are good. The chances that Favre gets hurt next year are exactly the same as the chances that he got hurt the year before, and the same as the year before that. Favre looks healthy, but I’ll admit my stomach leapt to my throat when I saw him grabbing his wrist and shoulder late in the fourth quarter.
- Competition – Favre loves to play football, even when the abysmal season that the Packers had this season he looked like he was having fun. He certainly looked frustrated at times, but what competitor wouldn’t?
- New Coach – With the firing of Sherman it is completely possible that the Pack made the decision for Favre. It is unlikely that Favre will want to learn a new system this late in his career. If the new coach designs the offense around Favre’s skill, then Favre can stay if he wants, if it is a “rebuilding year” Favre is gone – no doubt about it.
- Family – The most important reason of all. Favre wants to be a father to his kids for the rest of their days together. He can’t do it if he gets hurt, so the possibility will weigh heavily on his mind. His daughter asked him to come back this year, it is possible that his family will urge him to play another.
If Favre doesn’t come back he will still go down into the books as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and a guaranteed entry into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. His record of consecutive starts, at the very least, will probably never be broken under a 16 game schedule. He would be sincerely missed though – he finally gave the Packers something to be proud of after years of mediocrity.
Always Low Prices - Even in Healthcare
Policy Guy writes that Wal-Mart (that evil, evil institution that employs millions of Americans) is planning on offering Health Insurance.
I think that it is generally good news, by adding another competitor in the marketplace perhaps more innovative solutions for the consumer (as opposed just for employers) will begin to enter the fray. In fact if enough truly independent suppliers of insurance enter the marketplace it is possible to completely circumvent much of the draconian measures that state governments impose on business.
I’m skeptical that the effects will be very widespread though for several reasons. First, most states force all providers of insurance to provide coverage that consumers don’t want, so consumers are forced to buy coverage for alcoholism even if they don’t drink. They are forced to buy coverage for marriage counseling even if they are single or legally prohibited from getting married. Etc, etc, etc. Of course, not all states impose such limitation so it is possible that there will be some improvement in certain parts of the country.
The next issue, and perhaps the most important, is that current health care model is not insurance, but pre-paid healthcare. As long as Americans want plans that allow them to go to the doctor anytime they want, for any reason that they want for a limited out-of-pocket expenses, the “health insurance” will be very pricey.
Unfortunately, as long as politicians refuse to understand basic economics, I don’t see a solution to the “health care crisis,” and the only ones that will suffer for it are taxpayer that gets stuck paying for increasingly expensive healthcare.
I think that it is generally good news, by adding another competitor in the marketplace perhaps more innovative solutions for the consumer (as opposed just for employers) will begin to enter the fray. In fact if enough truly independent suppliers of insurance enter the marketplace it is possible to completely circumvent much of the draconian measures that state governments impose on business.
I’m skeptical that the effects will be very widespread though for several reasons. First, most states force all providers of insurance to provide coverage that consumers don’t want, so consumers are forced to buy coverage for alcoholism even if they don’t drink. They are forced to buy coverage for marriage counseling even if they are single or legally prohibited from getting married. Etc, etc, etc. Of course, not all states impose such limitation so it is possible that there will be some improvement in certain parts of the country.
The next issue, and perhaps the most important, is that current health care model is not insurance, but pre-paid healthcare. As long as Americans want plans that allow them to go to the doctor anytime they want, for any reason that they want for a limited out-of-pocket expenses, the “health insurance” will be very pricey.
Unfortunately, as long as politicians refuse to understand basic economics, I don’t see a solution to the “health care crisis,” and the only ones that will suffer for it are taxpayer that gets stuck paying for increasingly expensive healthcare.
Responsible Tax Policy
German finance minister Peer Steinbruck has urged new EU member states to raise their taxes and ensure "fair tax competition" among the 25 members of the bloc.Tax cuts in many of the new EU member countries have "nothing to do with fair tax competition and place a burden on German jobs", the minister said in an interview with German daily Die Welt.
So wait a minute! Other EU nations are starting to catch on that high tax rates hamper business, slow the economy and are generally just a bad idea and Germany’s response? You aren’t being fair to us!!!
I didn’t realize that that EU was supposed to be a vehicle for German protectionism, of course the correct response is for Germany to start competing for those jobs fair and square by providing an economy that is capable of competing with their European bretheren.
The problem must be seriously discussed and a solution found, he added. The German minister said the tax cuts in some EU countries were partly financed by Berlin’s contribution to the EU's coffers.
That is a fair concern, I have the same concern about the US’s contributions to the increasingly anti-American UN. But again the proper response is not forcing other nations to match German preferences, it is to make EU funding equitable. Granting new EU members a reprieve on membership dues is probably good politics, but once their economies take off the subsidies should end.
Germany’s new coalition government had planned to raise VAT to 19 percent in 2007 in a bid to narrow the country’s budget deficit which is exceeding the levels set by euro zone criteria.
Why is spending control such a foreign concept to politicians? Even the “fiscally responsible” Republicans here in the US seem to have forgotten that it exists.
Slovakia has imposed a 19 percent flat tax in order to attract business and create more jobs.
Now that’s an idea that I hope catches on, unfortunately with liberal Germans threatening to extort nations into abandoning such measures, I’m not optimistic.
HatTip: EURota
So wait a minute! Other EU nations are starting to catch on that high tax rates hamper business, slow the economy and are generally just a bad idea and Germany’s response? You aren’t being fair to us!!!
I didn’t realize that that EU was supposed to be a vehicle for German protectionism, of course the correct response is for Germany to start competing for those jobs fair and square by providing an economy that is capable of competing with their European bretheren.
The problem must be seriously discussed and a solution found, he added. The German minister said the tax cuts in some EU countries were partly financed by Berlin’s contribution to the EU's coffers.
That is a fair concern, I have the same concern about the US’s contributions to the increasingly anti-American UN. But again the proper response is not forcing other nations to match German preferences, it is to make EU funding equitable. Granting new EU members a reprieve on membership dues is probably good politics, but once their economies take off the subsidies should end.
Germany’s new coalition government had planned to raise VAT to 19 percent in 2007 in a bid to narrow the country’s budget deficit which is exceeding the levels set by euro zone criteria.
Why is spending control such a foreign concept to politicians? Even the “fiscally responsible” Republicans here in the US seem to have forgotten that it exists.
Slovakia has imposed a 19 percent flat tax in order to attract business and create more jobs.
Now that’s an idea that I hope catches on, unfortunately with liberal Germans threatening to extort nations into abandoning such measures, I’m not optimistic.
HatTip: EURota
Online Gaming
The Wall Street Journal Online analyzes the prospects of the Xbox's online-gaming component. Analysts say Microsoft has spent hundreds of millions on Xbox Live, with little guarantees of returns. 'It is not clear that companies like Microsoft and Sony will be able to lure large numbers of players -- each has attracted a small fraction of users to online play with their previous consoles,' WSJ Online writes. 'The companies also must be careful about new business models for distributing games -- such as games-on-demand -- so as not to alienate game publishers, who still rely heavily on in-store sales. And games designed for multiple players have a mixed record of attracting customers.' Says analyst Michael Pachter, 'At the end of the day, we don't play games for social interaction ... We play games to escape.' Microsoft's strategy is 'absolutely flawed,' he added.
There are a couple things going on here, first I think that it is safe to assume that Microsoft knows something that Mr. Pachter doesn’t; such as what the future holds for XBox Live. Microsoft has shown ample evidence that it is very good at understanding customer preferences; I don’t think it is unreasonable to give them at least some benefit of the doubt.
Online gaming is likely to become more and more popular as more and more people get access to broadband data networks. Online gaming just isn’t any fun when you have to wait for the data to catchup with the joystick (or whatever they call it these days)
Mr. Pachter needs to replace We with I. Companies such as Sony with Everquest and Wizards of the Coast with Magic Online have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that there is a market out there for gamers that like playing against real life gamers. There are a number of very good reasons for this as well, in complex games like Role Playing and Magic require a human intellect in order to pose any challenge.
Also, there is a very active subset of gamers that enjoy the companionship of gaming but just don’t have the time to do it in person. Thirty-somethings like myself and others that have careers and families simply can’t afford to spend hours on end socializing with friends while gaming. You have to game when the time allows, whether that is in 15 minute chunks between conference calls taken from home or midnight binging while normal people are sleeping.
Oddly enough, this last group of professionals – while ample disposable incomes – is probably the largest segment of gamers, it is no coincidence that Microsoft is going to develop a complex Live environment in order to capture some of that disposal income as this sophisticated gamer picks up online only incidentals.
So in short, I think that it is fair to say that Mr. Pachter doesn’t understand gaming.
HatTip: Slashdot
There are a couple things going on here, first I think that it is safe to assume that Microsoft knows something that Mr. Pachter doesn’t; such as what the future holds for XBox Live. Microsoft has shown ample evidence that it is very good at understanding customer preferences; I don’t think it is unreasonable to give them at least some benefit of the doubt.
Online gaming is likely to become more and more popular as more and more people get access to broadband data networks. Online gaming just isn’t any fun when you have to wait for the data to catchup with the joystick (or whatever they call it these days)
Mr. Pachter needs to replace We with I. Companies such as Sony with Everquest and Wizards of the Coast with Magic Online have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that there is a market out there for gamers that like playing against real life gamers. There are a number of very good reasons for this as well, in complex games like Role Playing and Magic require a human intellect in order to pose any challenge.
Also, there is a very active subset of gamers that enjoy the companionship of gaming but just don’t have the time to do it in person. Thirty-somethings like myself and others that have careers and families simply can’t afford to spend hours on end socializing with friends while gaming. You have to game when the time allows, whether that is in 15 minute chunks between conference calls taken from home or midnight binging while normal people are sleeping.
Oddly enough, this last group of professionals – while ample disposable incomes – is probably the largest segment of gamers, it is no coincidence that Microsoft is going to develop a complex Live environment in order to capture some of that disposal income as this sophisticated gamer picks up online only incidentals.
So in short, I think that it is fair to say that Mr. Pachter doesn’t understand gaming.
HatTip: Slashdot
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