Clearly insurance is an enabling technology; without insurance many if not most large-scale commercial activities would grind to a halt. In a Business Week article entitled “The Unexpected Threat to Super Bowl XLIX“, Wharton professors Howard Kunreuther and Erwann Michel-Kerjan point out that that if Congress decides not to renew the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) (set to expire on Dec. 31), there is a chance that the Super Bowl might not be played. Will Warren Buffet step in as an insurer of last resort if TRIA is not reauthorized? Also, Gordon Woo raises some excellent points about possible private sector alternatives to TRIA in his blog posting entitled “RMS and the FIFA World Cup: Insuring Against Terrorism“.
Category Archives: Terrorism
Celebration and Remembrance at Ground Zero
“Soon after the president announced the death of Osama bin Laden, crowds gathered at Ground Zero in New York City to sing, celebrate and remember those who died there (source: http://ti.me/iFexwL).
TSA Breast Milk Screening Harrassment Incident
Hat tip to Megan McArdle for posting the link to this YouTube video. Like Ms. McArdle, I would also love to hear the TSA’s side of the story and be able to to view the full surveillance video, including the 30 minutes which were apparently edited out by TSA prior to complying with the aggrieved passenger’s request for a copy of the surveillance video of the incident shown here.
Assorted Links (10/13/2010)
Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately:
Christien Meindertsma: How pig parts make the world turn | Video on TED.com
ted.com
“TED Talks Christien Meindertsma, author of “Pig 05049” looks at the astonishing afterlife of the ordinary pig, parts of which make their way into at least 185 non-pork products, from bullets to artificial hearts.”
Google to map inflation using web data
ft.com
“Data could provide an alternative to official statistics.”
Higher Taxes Mean I’ll Work Less
nytimes.com
“A personal case study looks at some of the ways higher taxes may affect the earnings of high-income taxpayers.”
Review & Outlook: The 2010 Spending Record
online.wsj.com
“The Wall Street Journal on the 21.4% federal spending increase in two years.”
Boehner’s ‘Plan B’ for ObamaCare
online.wsj.com
“In the Wall Street Journal, Main Street columnist William McGurn writes that congressional hearings can be used to sell market-friendly fixes.”
Europe the Intolerant
online.wsj.com
“In the Wall Street Journal, James Kirchick writes that the continent’s progressive image is a fabrication of the American liberal mind.”
NFL vs. ‘TV Everywhere’
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, Business World columnist Holman Jenkins, Jr. says that TV’s fight to preserve its power in the face of digital ubiquity may be a lost cause.”
Book Review: Roosevelt’s Purge
online.wsj.com
“Jonathan Karl reviews Susan Dunn’s Roosevelt’s Purge: How FDR Fought to Change the Democratic Party.”
Irwin on France’s role in the Great Depression
cafehayek.com
“In the latest EconTalk, Doug Irwin argues that France played a much larger role than previously thought in causing the Great Depression. We talk about how the gold standard worked and how French monetary policy forced deflation on the rest of the world.”
The Decline of Cursing
online.wsj.com
“Bad words, once glorious, have been emptied of meaning by common use, argues Jan Morris in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.”
The Weekend Interview with Scott Rasmussen: America’s Insurgent Pollster
online.wsj.com
“In the Wall Street Journal, OpinionJournal columnist John Fund interviews Scott Rasmussen, who says that understanding the tea party is essential to predicting what the country’s political scene will look like.”
Paul Johnson – The Quest For God – The ReAL Book Review
torenewamerica.com
I really like Gerard Reed’s book reviews; here’s one about British historian Paul Johnson’s new book entitled “The Quest for God”. I first became aware of Paul Johnson more than 20 years ago, when I became deeply influenced by Paul Johnson’s essay entitled “The Heartless Lovers of Humankind” (see http://www.fortfreedom.org/h11.htm).
The Fed Compounds Its Mistakes
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, Carnegie-Mellon University economist Allan H. Meltzer says the Federal Reserve shouldn’t deliberately use inflation to reduce unemployment.”
Diamond, Mortensen, Pissarides Share 2010 Nobel Economic Prize
bloomberg.com
“Peter Diamond, Dale Mortensen and Christopher Pissarides shared the 2010 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for their work on the efficiency of recruitment and wage formation as well as labor-market regulation.”
Four Lions: The Absurdity of Terror
www.thepublicdiscourse.com
“In the British film Four Lions, five Muslim men from Sheffield, England—four from immigrant families along with an English convert—seek to break out of their ho-hum average-ness by doing something which they think will launch them into hero status in their community.They plot a terrorist attack in the name of “jihad” in the U.K. In this farcical film, black satire meets terror-jihad and it is a match made almost in heaven. The would-be jihadists, however, end their lives only in tragedy, not in paradise.”
The MBA Oath
www.tutor2u.net
“At a time when capitalism, free markets, corporate greed, (WallStreet 2), bankers’ bonuses, is making headlines, here is the MBA Oath. The oath is a voluntary pledge for graduating MBAs and current MBAs to “create value responsibly and ethically’.”
Joe Queenan on Jimmy Carter’s Addiction to Writing Books
online.wsj.com
“The American people wanted Jimmy Carter out of office in the worst way, and to this day they are paying the price. If we had to do it all over again, I think a lot of people would vote to amend the Constitution and allow presidents to run for five, six—as many terms as they wanted. That wouldn’t leave them much spare time to write books.”
Assorted Links (7/2/2010)
Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately:
Scientists Discover Keys to Long Life – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“By analyzing the DNA of the world’s oldest people, Boston University scientists said Thursday they have discovered a genetic signature of longevity. They expect soon to offer a test that could let people learn whether they have the constitution to live to a very old age.”
Charles Krauthammer – Terror — and candor in describing the Islamist ideology behind it
www.washingtonpost.com
“The administration’s refusal to identify terrorists reflects a dangerous cowardice.”
Brad Greenberg: How Missionaries Lost Their Chariots of Fire and Why They Should Add the Gospel Back
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal’s Houses of Worship column, Brad Greenberg says that over the past century, Protestant mission workers have moved from spreading the Gospel to do doing good works, and says that they should be doing both.”
Paul H. Rubin: Why Is the Gulf Cleanup So Slow? – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“In the Wall Street Journal, Paul Rubin writes that there are obvious actions to speed up the Gulf oil spill, but the government oddly resists taking them.”
Kim Strassel: The Obama Trade Games – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“In the Wall Street Journal, Potomac Watch columnist Kimberley Strassel writes that free trade is making a convenient comeback in the Obama administration.”
E.J. McMahon: The Empire State’s Stimulus Addiction – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, E.J. McMahon writes that New York will never get its budget under control as long as Washington feeds its spending habit.”
Daily Kos Founder Says Polling Data Was Faked – The Numbers Guy – WSJ
blogs.wsj.com
“In an unusually public rift, a prominent left-wing political Web site is renouncing polling it had commissioned and published and is suing its former pollster.”
Short-term insurance buyers in Massachusetts
theincidentaleconomist.com
“Further evidence on how consumers in the real world “game” insurance mandates – this is a cautionary tale for Obamacare, given that ObamaCare is in essence a nationwide implementation of RomneyCare…”
Keynes vs. Alesina. Alesina Who? – BusinessWeek
www.businessweek.com
“Economist Alberto Alesina argues that austerity triggers growth.”
The Problem With Food Aid – Freakonomics Blog – NYTimes.com
nytimes.com
“Planet Money and Frontline report on the distorting effects of foreign food aid on local food economies, particularly in Haiti. People don’t buy rice when they can get it for free.”
It Depends on What the Definition of ‘Austerity’ Is
www.american.com
“Paul Krugman says we are in a ‘new era of austerity.’ When will government spending be enough? … In the last ten years, the private sector has, on average, grown 1.2 percent annually, while the government has, on average, grown 3.5 percent annually.”
John B. Taylor: The Dodd-Frank Financial Fiasco – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, Stanford University economist John B. Taylor says the Congressional financial reform bill all but guarantees bailouts as far as the eye can see, while failing to address real problems like Fan and Fred and our outdated bankruptcy code.”
No Way to Help Small Business
www.american.com
“The need of many small businesses to raise money has led to several proposals to give small businesses more access to credit. Will they work?”
Menace to Mobility
www.american.com
“Comparing the administration’s new transportation plan to a Soviet ‘five-year plan’ would be unfair to the Soviets.”
Assorted Links (5/29/2010)
Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately:
Charles Krauthammer – A disaster with many fathers
“Obama is as responsible for the Gulf as Bush was for New Orleans.”
Academics on What Caused the Financial Crisis – Real Time Economics – WSJ
“The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission on Friday and Saturday heard several academic economists’ take on what led to a near-meltdown of the global economy.”
Static In Search for Cellphone-Tumor Link – The Numbers Guy – WSJ
“Why a long-term study couldn’t reach conclusive results.”
Mark Helprin: On Memorial Day – WSJ.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, Mark Helprin writes about what we owe to the fallen, and to those now serving.”
Calling a State Sponsor a State Sponsor
“A growing body of evidence points to Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez’s singular role in supporting terrorism and related criminality.”
“Waves & Beyond and The Gift by Jan Florence Garven: Jan Florence Garven is an artist who specializes in mixed media. She combines paper, metal, wax, textiles and found objects to convey conceptual images.”
Lighter than air – The Big Picture – Boston.com
“Fill a lightweight material with hot air, helium or hydrogen, and you have a vessel that floats in the air. People around the world use balloons, blimps and airships for transportation, to conduct research, to deliver messages, to protest, and – mostly – for having fun.”
Peggy Noonan: He Was Supposed to Be Competent – WSJ.com
“The spill is a disaster for the president and his political philosophy, Peggy Noonan argues in The Wall Street Journal.”
Obama’s Blowout Preventer – WSJ.com
“The Wall Street Journal that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar had a reform plan to prevent blowouts like the one at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.”
“Governments were the solution to the economic crisis. Now they are the problem.”
“After a yearlong effort to get it right, the U.S. Senate passed a financial overhaul bill last week that actually weakens the government’s ability to manage the next financial crisis. The House version passed last December is better, but not much.”
Assorted Links (5/29/2010)
Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately:
Charles Krauthammer – A disaster with many fathers
“Obama is as responsible for the Gulf as Bush was for New Orleans.”
Academics on What Caused the Financial Crisis – Real Time Economics – WSJ
“The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission on Friday and Saturday heard several academic economists’ take on what led to a near-meltdown of the global economy.”
Static In Search for Cellphone-Tumor Link – The Numbers Guy – WSJ
“Why a long-term study couldn’t reach conclusive results.”
Mark Helprin: On Memorial Day – WSJ.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, Mark Helprin writes about what we owe to the fallen, and to those now serving.”
Calling a State Sponsor a State Sponsor
“A growing body of evidence points to Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez’s singular role in supporting terrorism and related criminality.”
“Waves & Beyond and The Gift by Jan Florence Garven: Jan Florence Garven is an artist who specializes in mixed media. She combines paper, metal, wax, textiles and found objects to convey conceptual images.”
Lighter than air – The Big Picture – Boston.com
“Fill a lightweight material with hot air, helium or hydrogen, and you have a vessel that floats in the air. People around the world use balloons, blimps and airships for transportation, to conduct research, to deliver messages, to protest, and – mostly – for having fun.”
Peggy Noonan: He Was Supposed to Be Competent – WSJ.com
“The spill is a disaster for the president and his political philosophy, Peggy Noonan argues in The Wall Street Journal.”
Obama’s Blowout Preventer – WSJ.com
“The Wall Street Journal that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar had a reform plan to prevent blowouts like the one at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.”
“Governments were the solution to the economic crisis. Now they are the problem.”
“After a yearlong effort to get it right, the U.S. Senate passed a financial overhaul bill last week that actually weakens the government’s ability to manage the next financial crisis. The House version passed last December is better, but not much.”
Assorted Links (5/10/2010
Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading lately:
David McCourt: FCC Regulation of the Internet May Chill Investment in Broadband – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, David McCourt says the FCC’s determination to impose net neutrality regulations on ISP companies will make investments in broadband more uncertain.”
Fouad Ajami: Islam’s Nowhere Men – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, Fouad Ajami notes that millions of young Muslim men like Faisal Shahzad are unsettled by a modern world they can neither master nor reject.”
ObamaCare’s Phony Medicaid ‘Deal’ – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, constitutional law professor Richard Epstein says that the new health law unconstitutionally coerces the states.”
Is It Too Big to Save? — The American, A Magazine of Ideas
www.american.com
“If you’re only going to read one book on the financial crisis, this should be the one. ”
Shahzad’s Lesson: Foreclosed Is Forearmed – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, satirist Joe Queenan writes that history is littered with tales of men who turned to violence because of bad real-estate investments.”
Julius Caesar of the Internet – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“The Wall Street Journal writes that the Obama Administration’s attempt to regulate the Internet is unlawful and unnecessary.”
Global markets: So, about that crash | The Economist
www.economist.com
“ON THURSDAY afternoon, between 2:30 and 3:00, the Dow Jones Industrial Average suffered one of the largest and most dramatic swings in its long history. In the space of just a few minutes, the Dow went from being down around 300 points to being down nearly 1,000 points.”
Jeffrey Miron » Blog Archive » Regulating the Internet
jeffreymiron.com
“In a move that will stoke a battle over the future of the Internet, the federal government plans to propose regulating broadband lines under decades-old rules designed for traditional phone networks.”
Kim Strassel: Financial Reform Goldman Can Love – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, Potomac Watch columnist Kimberley Strassel notes that the Democrats’ anti-Wall Street rhetoric conceals a major fund-raising campaign. The actual financial reforms will not seriously damage the major players.”
What the Hell Just Happened in the Market? – Business – The Atlantic
www.theatlantic.com
“For those who don’t have Bloomberg News on 24/7, the Dow just dropped almost 1,000 points…”
Michael Boskin: Time to Junk the Corporate Tax – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, MIchael Boskin writes that the U.S.has the second-highest corporate income tax rate of any advanced economy, and that reforming it would boost the economy and future business investment.”
Dan Henninger: Blame Obama. Why Not? – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, Dan Henninger writes that as the oil-spill cleanup shows, some things are beyond even Barack Obama’s belief in the powers of government.”
Another Fine Mess – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“John Fund writes in The Wall Street Journal that the Obama administration was caught unprepared for the oil spill.”
Why Our Current Budget Situation Is a Crisis — The American, A Magazine of Ideas
www.american.com
“There is no precedent for reducing the ratio of debt to GDP by simply growing our way out of it.”
Robert G. Wilmers: What About Reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, Robert G. Wilmers, the chairman and CEO of M&T Bank Corporation, says that Fannie and Freddie need to be reformed, lest we have another financial crisis down the road.”
Drilling in Deep Water – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“The Wall Street Journal writes that a ban on offshore production won’t mean fewer oil spills.”
Fred Barnes: Democrats at Ramming Speed – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“In The Wall Street Journal, Fred Barnes writes that the White House wants to pass as much legislation as possible before losing its big majorities, no matter how unpopular its proposals are.”
Brian M. Carney: A Tale of Three Cities – WSJ.com
online.wsj.com
“Editorial Page Editor Brian M. Carney writes in The Wall Street Journal that Athens, London and Washington each respond to looming insolvency in telling ways.”
Esther Duflo: Social experiments to fight poverty | Video on TED.com
www.ted.com
“Alleviating poverty is more guesswork than science, and lack of data on aid’s impact raises questions about how to provide it. But Clark Medal-winner Esther Duflo says it’s possible to know which development efforts help and which hurt — by testing solutions with randomized trials.”