Speaking of Michael Lewis, everyone should check out his great series in Slate about being a new dad again. My youngest is almost 4 so my memories of this time are rapidly fading but it's always fun reading about it (as long as it's happening to someone else).

The Minuteman and Jane Galt also take on Prof. Krugman. I especially like the quote from the Minuteman:

“How many trees must die before Krugman’s space is given to Michael Lewis?”

Boortz has a good piece on the unconstitutional detention of Jose Padilla and the slippery slope.

Didn't they used to sell glasses like this in the back of comic books?

The Myth of the Myth of the New Economy. (from Wired)

Good WSJ Op-Ed on the current state of PC.

The main Krugman watchers haven't posted anything yet, so let me take a crack at it. Krugmans latest bash the rich article is based around a single statistic from a table in Kevin Phillips book "Wealth and Democracy" which says that the average pay for the top 10 CEO's in 2000 was $154mm versus an average of $3.5mm in 1981. The first misleading item is the word *pay*, in 1981 before the widespread use of stock options as compensation the $3.5mm average cited actually did represet *pay", ie. salary and bonus. During the 80's and 90's there was a widespread movement to make corporate directors more attuned to shareholder interests by making more of their compensation in the form of stock and stock options, directly linking their income to the performance of the stocks. This was an attempt to get around the well-known agency problem of having corporations run by "agents" of the actual owners who will tend to increase their own well being though perks and salaries at the expense of the shareholders. With that in mind lets examine the top 10 CEOs in a little more detail. You can see this info for yourself for the last 5 years on Forbes website. According to Forbes the top 10 CEO's in 2000 with their total *compensation* were:

rank	CEO	total comp ($thou)	company
1	Charles B Wang	650,048	Computer Associates
2	Bobby R Johnson Jr	230,544	Foundry Networks
3	Mel Karmazin	201,939	CBS
4	Millard Drexler	172,816	Gap
5	John T Chambers	121,700	Cisco Systems
6	Stephen M Case	117,090	America Online
7	Louis V Gerstner Jr	107,216	IBM
8	John F Welch Jr	106,855	General Electric
9	Reuben Mark	97,150	Colgate-Palmolive
10	Peter Karmanos Jr	87,521	Compuware

I actually get a average compensation of $188mm/CEO. Let's examine the compensation numbers in a little more detail however.

CEO	Salary	Bonus	Other	Stock Gains
Wang	$1MM	3.6MM	$645MM	NA
Johnson	$140K	NA	$230MM	NA
Karmazin	$1MM	$3MM	$2MM	$195MM
Drexler	$2.1MM	$5.6MM	$158MM	$6.5MM
Chambers	$300K	$600K	NA	$120MM
Case	$575K	$1M	$115MM	NA
Gerstner	$2MM	$7.2MM	$10MM	$87MM
Welch	$3.3MM	$10MM	$45MM	$48MM
Reuben	$1.2	$2.9MM	$17MM	$75MM
Carmanos	$600K	$1.6MM	NA	$85MM

Now the stock gains represent gains from sale of company stock which may have been held for any number of years. The "Other" category mostly represents gains from sale of granted stock options. Both of those were very high in 2000 because we were at the end of a 20 year bull market. If we just look at bonus and salaries the average for the 10 CEOs in 2000 was $4.7MM. Which in 1982 dollars using the current CPI of (179.5 1982 base=100) would have been $2.6MM or less than the then average quoted by Phillips as $3.5MM.

Now Krugman may think that CEOs unfairly inflated the stock prices or that there is something fundamentally wrong with compensating corporate managers based on their stock performances (presumably he would prefer it done Soviet-style, having compensation decided by some central government board), and he probably thinks that paying $4.7MM to CEOs is too much in a boom year (no mention of what Mr. Krugman makes through writing, speaking and other engagements but if the $50K he received from Enron is any indication he must make a fair piece of change himself). But to claim there is some vast, anti-egalitarian trend at work or as implied CEOs stealing the company income from poor working stiffs is disingenous at best.

Atom-sized transistor created by scientists

Maybe I was premature telling my daughter there are no monsters.

Eric Raymond posts a great list of what's wrong with liberals and conservatives both. I think these labels are worn-out and useless anyway and we need to note that the real difference is between statists (those who believe that investing states with ever greater powers is for the common good despite, I might add, extraordinary historical evidence to the contrary) and individualists (who believe that individuals should be left to do whatever they please as long as they don't infringe the rights of others).

A very funny skewering of Dr. Laura's postion on homosexuality on Curmudgeonly & Skeptical.

So this is where all my tax money is going.

Amnesty International also demands release of Charles Manson and Hannibal Lechter. Seriously, I still give money to these folks because I think they still do valuable work but like Greenpeace and NOW which I stopped giving money to years ago they do seem to get nuttier every year.

Exactly the reason why sending more aid to Africa before there are serious reforms in African regimes is just like pouring it down a huge sinkhole. Bono take notes.

I have decided to start the day with a Lileks-like personal anecdote:
I have not been getting very much sleep lately. I have been woken up almost every night in the last two weeks by one or both of my daughters (aged almost 4 and almost 5). Last week we had a series of thunderstorms which frightened them causing me to get up and calm them down and during one particularly violent one sit with them for and hour and a half in the middle of the night. I am a very light sleeper and my wife and heavy sleeper so if the girls get up during the night I get up with them (this was very awkward when they were still breast-feeding...just kidding). When the thunderstorms stopped my older daughter started getting up multiple times worried about monsters despite our repeated assurances there were no such things (when she was about three we told her there were no monsters, she replied "You mean they're all far away?", "Yes" we agreed, "You mean in England?" she asked since we had told her during a viewing of Mary Poppins that Mary came from England and it was far away). So now we are trying to convince her that there are none even in England even going so far as telling her that 5 year olds didn't believe in monsters and if she kept waking me up in the middle of the night we might have to postpone her birthday next month (yes parents can be cruel). So last night at about 4:00am she wanders in the wake me up and then goes back to her room. After I got out of bed and followed her to find out what was wrong she informed me that she just said she was getting a drink of water and then went back to bed. I of course remained awake until my alarm rang. (If anyone feels the urge to write me and tell me how cute this is, be sure to include your number so I can call you the next time it happens).

The entire period of technological change from 1995-2000 was just a scam. More Luddite nonsense, yes there was a bubble and yes things were overdone as they always are during periods of massive technological change. Similar events occurred during the railroad booms (multiple periods in the 1800s), car and radio booms (1920s), satellite booms (1960s), PCs (mid 1980s), biotech (early 1990s), biotech (late 1990s), etc... They all however left in their wake, large, dominant industries, as has the Internet. Has anyone noticed the irony of a book reviewed in an online ezine (Salon) which will probably get most of its sales through an online bookseller (Amazon) by people using PC's bought online (Dell) and ranted about in one of thousands of online blogs (me) calling the dot.com buildup a scam?

Guess what? Rich, developed countries are now responsible for African droughts.
"To those who live there, it is as if the rich have stolen the rain." ... because some guy came up with a complex computer model indicating that this may be a possible scenario the Independent reports it as stone fact. Other explanations aren't explored: Natural climate variation, reduced vegetation due to massive overgrazing, sunspot activity, no mention of the long pre-industrial cycle of droughts in Africa. ... no, it must be caused by western pollution, despite the fact that the emissions blamed have been declining for the last 20 years during which the time the droughts have continued. Note also that this is not a Kyoto/Global warming argument, this guys model has us cooling the northern hemisphere causing the southern hemisphere to absorb the excess heat. Well, I guess Bono's right we should just tons of cash to the various African kleptocracies to atone for our evil ways. Mugabe si, US no!
(These little rants are so refreshing)

Festival of Inappropriate Technologies

REMAINING U.S. CEOs MAKE A BREAK FOR IT (from SatireWire)

Very disturbing piece by David Tell in the Weekly Standard (thanks to Little Green Footballs for pointing it out) . It includes this exchange between TV host of "Muslim Women Magazine" and a 3 year old:

"Our report today will be a little different, because our guest is a girl, a Muslim girl, but a true Muslim. Allah willing, may our God give us the strength to educate our children the same way, so that the next generation will turn out to be true Muslims who understand that they are Muslims and know who their enemies are. This girl will introduce herself immediately. She is the daughter of my sister in faith and of the artist, Wagdi Al-Arabi. Her name is Basmallah and we will ask her as well."

The camera then begins a low pan downward and to the right as Ms. 'Amer offers a "peace be unto you" welcome to her guest. Who turns out to be . . . a toddler.


Toddler: Allah's mercy and blessing upon you.

'Amer: What's your name?

Toddler: Basmallah.

'Amer: Basmallah, how old are you?

Toddler: Three and a half.

'Amer: Are you a Muslim?

Toddler: Yes.

'Amer: Basmallah, are you familiar with the Jews?

Toddler: Yes.

'Amer: Do you like them?

Toddler: No.

'Amer: Why don't you like them?

Toddler: Because . . .

'Amer: Because they are what?

Toddler: They're apes and pigs.

'Amer: Because they are apes and pigs. Who said they are so?

Toddler: Our God.

'Amer: Where did he say this?

Toddler: In the Koran.
...
It gets worse, read the whole article. And this is started before these kids are out of diapers. There is something horribly wrong with any culture which would create this mindset in 3 year olds and encourage and rejoice in 10 year olds blowing themselves up for the cause if they manage to take a few Jews with them. Blech!

Very funny guide for women by John Cole. I being old and happily married can only dimly relate to most of the points, but my co-blogger Max may wish to print the list to give to women he meets in bars. Good Luck, Max.

This book caught my eye and has been added to my summer reading list. I didn't know it had any culture.

Finally a Communist action I can support.

Taken to task by Curmudgeonly & Skeptical for having a quote by Keynes at the top of a self-described libertarian site. Actually I think Keynes is much misunderstood because politicians have made him their patron saint because they think he gives them free reign to do whatever they please (he doesn't). But he will always remain in my affections if for no other reason than the impassioned pamphlet he wrote about the idiotic Treaty of Versailles, at which he was a participant. That said, he is not a great libertarian voice, I just liked the quote. But I have added a few more for balance.

An endorsement? from the Minuteman (thanks just the same):

When I see a new blogger with a question, I am always happy to help. And I knew The MinuteMan was needed when Common Sense and Wonder put this question right up there at the top:

"When somebody persuades me that I am wrong, I change my mind. What do you do?"
--John Maynard Keynes

C'mon, man, open your eyes. What does anyone in the blogosphere do? Talk LOUDER, change the subject, cite an irrelevant expert, declare a vacation and come back under a new ID, anything! Never give up, never surrender!

But the rest of the site looks pretty good. Who knows, this writer might be able to ride the "Calm Voice of Reason" pony a long way.

[Actually I intended the quote as a guide to the readers of the site]

Cool piece about software that can convert existing 2D films into 3D by analyzing depth information in the frame. The resulting movie can then be viewed on existing 3D viewers. Unfortunately these currently cost upwards of $25000, but if it catches on the cost will quickly drop to affordable levels.

Buchanan (who I usually disagree with) takes on Hentoff (who I usually do agree with) and I have to say I think Buchanan has a point here. His fawning over Hoover may be a little over the top but comparing current proposals to let agents attend *public* meetings and look at *public* websites to past Hoover abues is a little over the top too.

Good Walter Williams piece on the need to profile.

FBI AGENT ACCUSED OF PASSING SECRETS TO U.S.
and also GREENPEACE WILL NOW OPPOSE EVERYTHING
(from SatireWire)

Very funny commentary by Jane Galt, taking apart the NY Times (and Taliban execution methods.)

Thanks to Gammaholic for our first endorsement.

WSJ piece on the State Department and our "good friends" the Saudis. When I read stories like this I start to think we should really exercise the great US Imperial powers that the Chomskyites constantly accuse us of and march into the Kingdom of Saud, take over the oil fields (which we largely run), use the proceeds to develop the infrastructure and educational systems in the country, kick out the Saud family and hold the country in a old British style protectorate until we can convert them from a third world backwater and arrange free elections. Where's Janet Reno when we need her? Oh wait, she would have taken the girls away to send them to her father so he wouldn't have to go to the trouble of kidnapping them. I forgot she likes sending children to live in despotic regimes. Rant over, better now.

A very good non-technical overview of global warming and the Kyoto treaty.

The finest toilets in the world. Make up your own jokes.

The great Mark Steyn chimes in on the neverending stupidy of officialdom:

"The good news is we're up against idiots. The bad news is we're also up against the suppler idiocies of current Western orthodoxy. Thus, the U.S. government's new plans to photograph and fingerprint visitors from countries "believed to harbour terrorists" have already been attacked by Mary Robinson, the UN Human Rights honcho who's never met an Arab dictator she didn't like. Islamists want to kill us in the name of Islam. Regrettable, but there it is. If we pretend otherwise, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the Canadian Islamic Congress and the Islamic Society of Britain might be nice to us. But, speaking personally, I can't say I care. If Islamic lobby groups throughout the Western world really want to hitch their star to a bunch of psychopathic morons, good luck to them. It's a free country. Hey, we'll even give you a government grant to tell us how racist we are."

Another reason not to hold out great hope that the massive reorganization of the Federal police forces will actually do anything to make us safer.

Excellent Daniel Pipes piece on the militant Islam and the West and the reasons why a continued strong response is required:

"For two decades – from the time Ayatollah Khomeini reached power in Iran in 1979 with "Death to America" as his slogan – U.S. embassies, planes, ships, and barracks were assaulted, leading to hundreds of American deaths. These attacks took place around the world, especially the Middle East and Europe, but also in the United States itself. In the face of this persistent assault, Washington barely responded. The policy through those years was to view the attacks as no more than a sequence of discrete criminal incidents, and not as part of a sustained military assault on the country."
...
As Muslims watched militant Islam hammer away at Americans and American interests, they could not but conclude that the United States, for all its resources, was tired and soft. Not knowing the nature of democracy – slow to be aroused but relentless when angered – they marveled at the audacity of militant Islam and its ability to get away with its attacks. This awe culminating in the aftermath of September 11, when Osama bin Laden and the Taliban leader called openly for nothing less than the "extinction of America." At that time, this did not seem beyond reach.
...
The pattern is clear: So long as Americans submitted passively to murderous attacks by militant Islam, this movement gained support among Muslims. When Americans finally took up arms to fight militant Islam, its forces were overwhelmed and its appeal quickly diminished. Victory on the battlefield, in other words, has not only the obvious advantage of protecting the United States but also the important side-effect of lancing the anti-American boil that spawned those attacks in the first place."

Gee, most Palestinians want to eliminate the state of Israel. Who would've guessed?

I liked the "Girl Poem" posted on the Sweet but Nasty blog site.

There are more holes in the myth of the "successful" Swedish welfare state than a in piece of aged Jarlsberg.

Good piece by Arnold Kling on the war on Terrorism.

Boston Globes Alex Beam takes to task the increasing indifference to plagiarism and lying of late:

"Gates credited Robbins's discovery, and said he had known all along that the book contained ''echoes'' of other writers. His author, Gates explains, hadn't plagiarized, but rather had ''emptied out a rhetorical template and filled it with particulars of her own ... "

Once again Tom Lehrer explains.

The Philosophy of Punctuation. (I always use too many commas.)

Good arguments refuting some of Jeff Jacoby's points in favor of the death penalty on Eugene Volokh's blog. But I think both Jacoby and Volokh fail to see what is probably the main reason for the rise in violent crime between 1965 and 1980: demographics. Most violent crime is commited by males aged 15-30. The official start of the baby boom was 1948 making a huge bulge in the 15-30 year old population from the mid 1960's through the mid 1980's (and also explaining a good part of the drop in crime in the 1990's). As the echo boom population bulge hits the 15-30 year old sweet spot in a few years I would expect a related increase in crime rates again. This is not to say that anti-crime efforts in big cities (NYC particularly) have not had any effect, in fact the drop in crime in NYC during Giuliani's administration has been so spectacular that it is hard to argue that administration policies didn't have something to do with it, but it was certainly helped by the age makeup of the city population.

Some anecdotes of anti-semitism in France from the France Helsinki Commission Testimony. But Woody says they're nice guys. I think Tom Lehrer may have a had better grasp of the subject than Woody. (He was funnier too!)

"As I left synagogue, 3 young North Africans surrounded me screaming 'Dirty Jew, f--- your mother, we'll burn your synagogues'…they then threw stones at me as I ran away. I went to the Police Station, where I was told that they do not take complaints of this type...." -- Yves Sellam

"Two of the schools officials were attacked by Arabs.They screamed, 'Vive Hitler... Death to the Jews... To the (gas) showers'." -- Alliance Jewish High School

"My son, Noam, is a member of a municipal sports club... on arrival at the pool he was refused entry and told by the official that no Jew could enter or practise sport. This was followed by death threats. The child is in shock." -- Fabienne Dahan

"I took my husband home by taxi from the hospital... The driver called me 'Dirty Jew' and drove off fast with me in the car, leaving my husband in the street... She said 'I am taking you to my son who will kill you'... All my family perished in Auschwitz, I survived." -- Josiane Friedman

'Smart Bandage' diagnoses danger before infection takes hold. From University of Rochester.

SciAm on the secrets of the Stradivarius. (We may be boors, but not uncultured ones!) By the way, if you're interested in purchasing your own Cremona made violin, try here. You'll get a much better deal than at then big auction houses. (Isn't the internet amazing?)

Great piece by Andrew Sullivan pointing out that, gee, not only is prosperity a good thing, but it's good for everyone. Now if only the left would get it.

Nice skewering of Chomsky and friends by Matt Welch in the National Post.

A little old, but a very good piece by George Will on growing?(resurfacing?) Anti-Semitism.

Eight Technologies that will change the world.

NY Times reviews "A New Kind of Science."

Saddam's literary talents.