From TAM: Virginia Postrel has started her own weblog at Dynamist.com. Definitely worth checking out for the more intellectual side of free-market dynamism and libertarianism. W
[December 30, 2000]
My Wildcats got shafted by the Outback Bowl (I would have loved to go home to Tampa and see them play 7-4 South Carolina) who instead took lower-ranked Ohio State. Instead, I'm off tonight to a friendly neighborhood satellite TV provider to watch them take on Nebraska in the Alamo Bowl. Will the Big Ten conference co-champion beat the former top-ranked Huskers? I think they've got a good shot - the Huskers' season is already in the toilet since it lost to Kansas State and Oklahoma. The Wildacts, by contrast, have to prove that they can win in the post-season (the 1949 Rose Bowl just doesn't cut it anymore...) and they'll be motivated to do so. On the other hand, Northwestern ought to have many bowl appearances in the future to look forward to. W
I am writing for me. I am writing for what I get out of the process of thinking about a political issue or a scientific discovery and explaining it to my readers. I am writing for the responses I get from my readers. I am writing for the interplay with the larger community of webloggers.
On those occasions when I agree with Dan, it's all the way, and this is one of them. W
[December 29, 2000]
The Clintons bid on a house in D.C.:
Aides have said the couple intends to keep their New York home, and that Bill Clinton will commute from there to his Manhattan post-presidency office. The couple wanted a Washington home big enough to entertain guests and accommodate Hillary Clinton's mother, the aides said.
A few thoughts:
This could be fun. W
Uh-oh. Now that Zannah has found Pyroto, it's all over. Be warned: Pyroto is much more involved than a simple trivia game, although that's the first thing the new users see.
Now web-based, Pyroto was originally developed as a BBS system in the late 80's and early 90's. This combined the typical BBS discussion format with a fantasy and game-playing element. Each player acts as a wizard, starting off at the base of a mountain. The wizards acquire more powerful spells by climbing up the mountain's levels, answering a question at every stop.
Key to this is the concept of "esteem," without which one cannot climb. Esteem is generated only by intereacting with the other wizards - hence, the discussion board aspect of it. I found the whole concept quite compelling back in college, and think it's even neater today on the web than when participation was limited to those within the local calling area, subject to busy signals.
To Zannah and anyone else who is interested - keep playing, you'll find yourself hooked. W
From TAM: Virginia Postrel has started her own weblog at Dynamist.com. Definitely worth checking out for the more intellectual side of free-market dynamism and libertarianism. W
When I was in law school, a friend of mine (not a law student) was charged with a disciplinary violation. In the course of defending him, I realized that the school's disciplinary system presumed the guilt of the charged student, and had several other built-in feautures which, at a state school, were patently unconstituional. We went to court to challenge the validity of the process. We never got to argue that issue, because we ended up winning an aquittal despite the unfairness of the process.
Public schools across the country continue to violate students' constitutional rights by presuming them guilty, denying them the right to counsel, exposing them to double jeopardy or self-incrimination, and perpetuating arbitrary penalty schemes that bear no relation to the alleged offense. Add to this the fact that university adminsitrators assume that every charged student is guilty and you're got a serious problem.
Virginia has joined the long list of schools that have come under criticism for failing to ensure basic fairness for students put through its often grueling processes. The honor system's honor has been questioned. And unfortunately, things seem likely to get worse, not better.
Virginia is not alone.
Incidentally, Dan, this marks the first of several times in my legal career I have argued for the strengthening and/or expansion of constitutional due process - something I've never opposed, gleefully or otherwise. W
[December 28, 2000]
Bookmark: Vicious Thinks (a weblog). Dave is right about the FlatTop Grill - a must-eat for those in the area. [However, his permalinks don't work - they're escaped.] W
Dreama points out that, as reliably as the Sports Illustrated cover brings loss or injury those who grace it, opponents of Bill Clinton face inevitable IRS persecution. In this case, it's the Gonzalez family of Miami facing the IRS hounds over their legal defense fund. Dreama promises to expose the double standard:
[H]ow much of a tax liability has been slapped on Bill Clinton's legal defense fund, the one that raised millions of dollars to pay for the cretin's defense against sexual harassment suits? I'm doing some digging; I really want to know now.
I can't wait to see what she discovers. W
Once again, we see the two faces of the Clinton administration. The government that so mightily endeavored to send Elain back to Cuba is apparently a little less enthusiastic about retrieiving the children of Americans from captors abroad - enven from countries with whom we have treaties on the matter. For those of you who asked the "what if" question back in May, here's your answer. W
Holy cow... Florida gains not one, but two seats in Congress due to population shifts. Arizona, Georgia, and Texas will also gain two seats. New York and Pennsylvania lose two each. Nationwide, Republican influence at the state level may ensure Congressional candidates a level electoral playing field for the first time in several decades. Here's Roll Call's take of the situation, posted a few months back:
In the 1990 remapping Republicans had total control of states that contained just five House seats, while Democrats controlled states with 172 seats. Another 240 seats were in states where control was split between the two parties, while independent commissions drew the lines for 11 seats. Seven states had single at-large House seats at the time. Following last week's elections, however, the GOP increased its reach to 98 seats, while Democrats' outright control fell to just 144 seats.
Today's shift, even more favorable to the GOP than previously expected, should result in a net gain of 15-30 seats in the House of Representatives. Redistricting has no direct effect on the Senate, of course, but soldifying the party's position down the line frees up more resources for establishing a non-trivial Senate lead.All in all, very good news for Republicans and very bad news for anyone expecting a Democratic uprising in 2002. W
Just bookmarking: The Ultimates - a useful collection of phone-lookup tools in one central location. W
Okay, so you know we don't post these kinds of things unless they are legit. With one click, you can Donate a Mammogram to a woman who might otherwise not be able to afford it. No cost to you; corporate sponsors pick up the tab. Please do it in honor of my Aunt Margo, my Zsu Zsi Nani, and every other woman out there who is battling or has lost the battle against breast cancer. If you're from my hometown -- Brentwood, New York -- check out what my parents and fellow members of their community are doing to encourage research, early detection, and education as the proponents of the Brentwood/Bay Shore Breast Cancer Coalition. W
[December 24, 2000]
If I don't see you before tomorrow - unlikely unless you're my in-laws - have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, joyous Winter Solstice, or otherwise enjoyable December-Related Holiday. Personally, I just dance naked in the snow under the full moon. (Unless there's an eclipse.) W