December 2009
71 posts
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2009 Hauser Globalization Colloquium →
The complete set of papers from the NYU School of Law’s Institute for International Law and Justice Hauser Globalization Colloquium is available online and, as it focused on interdisciplinary approaches to international law this Fall, I thought it would be useful to provide a link here so that Running Chicken readers could find their way to read the many excellent papers found there.
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“We find that human rights prosecutions after transition lead to improvements in...”
– If you’re interested at all in transitional justice this new paper by Hunjoon Kim and Kathryn Sikkink will undoubtedly be of great interest, as it brings to bear a new dataset of domestic and international prosecutions on the question of whether those prosecutions are effective in further...
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“Against Jefferson’s wishes, Americans soon became both a commercial and a...”
– As a child, I spent a serious amount of time playing, watching, scoring, and just generally keeping track of baseball. I’ve since given it up in favor of football, basketball, and hockey — which seem faster, more exciting, or both — and no amount of hectoring by my friends who...
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“Incident on Another Amsterdam-to-Detroit Flight”
– As we all now know, on Friday, a guy from Nigeria attempted to ignite chemicals in his lap in order to blow up the plane he was on, inbound to Detroit from Amsterdam.
Now, two days later, another man from Nigeria is “verbally disruptive” and locks himself in a bathroom on the same...
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“The older Mutallab was said to be devastated on hearing the news of Abdul...”
– The developing story about the terror suspect pulled off a plane in Detroit apparently just got weird enough for me to write something about it.
According to an article from Nigeria’s This Day newspaper, the suspect is a member of a fairly prominent family: his father is a former minister and...
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“Given how connected we are, it makes sense for automakers to put the Internet in...”
– Sometimes this really seems like a good idea to me, especially as I enjoy checking my email on my BlackBerry at red lights. And then sometimes I think you should be immediately arrested for using the internet in your car.
From first-hand knowledge, I can say it’s really difficult to practice...
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“The true meaning of Palinism is Sarah Palin—nothing more and nothing less. She...”
– Something about the article from which this quote is taken gives me a unsettled feeling. At least in part it’s probably the sense that I get from all articles like this, namely that Sarah Palin is the inevitable front-runner of the Republican party in 2012 and something like the inevitable...
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WatchAround the 1:00 mark, this gets more brilliant than I could ever imagine.
Hear “The Situation” deliver such gems as, ”I just hear the words coming out of my mouth, but no longer believe in ‘The Situation.’”
And, ”I fear my character, “The Situation,” is like a lone orphan boy lost in a meadow and I know not how to guide him home.”
HT:...
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WatchPeter Singer and Bill Easterly debate, discuss, and generally seem to agree on foreign aid, microcredit, how to find an effective international charity, and why one ought to feel morally obligated to give to the poor. Weighing in at 45 minutes or so, it’s not a brief discussion. And Easterly has something of a tough time with the technology (which can be pretty amusing at times, as when he...
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“A Nov. 26 article in the District edition of Local Living incorrectly said a...”
– Thank you to Brendan Nyhan for causing me to choke on my coffee while laughing.
Apparently, this month-old article — on Public Enemy helping the homeless, which subsequently needed to be corrected — is why I should be checking out the Washington Post more often than I do.
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“‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, Jews were...”
– There’s something a little bit creepy about the whole idea of a Jewish anti-holiday on Christmas Eve. But apparently “Nittel Nacht” used to be just that.
I mean, I “get” the fact that Christmas Eve was once a bad time for Jews, an occasion for violence against them as...
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My Big Ten Expansion Power Play
What follows is the first guest blog post at Running Chicken, written by my old friend Marcus Sanborn. Marcus and I met during our first weekend at Michigan State, when we found ourselves involved in a community service project in downtown Lansing run by a man named Mad Dog. It seemed to mostly involve picking up trash from a park and that trash seemed mostly to be things you ought not to pick up....
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“‘As a pro-life Democratic state senator, how can you thank Sen. Nelson for...”
– As promised, here’s Part Two of my comments on the story about the war of words between Gov. Dave Heineman and Sen. Ben Nelson. Although I’m referencing the same article in the Lincoln Journal Star as in my last blog post, this second part has little to do with these two politicians,...
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“Heineman joined Republican Sen. Mike Johanns in criticizing special advantages...”
– This is terrific!
Days after Sen. Ben Nelson (D) managed to hold the nation hostage on health care reform and hooked up Nebraskans with free Medicaid, Gov. Dave Heineman (R) and Sen. Mike Johanns (R) criticized Nelson for the freebie. Days earlier — before the health care deal was done...
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Survivor Gets Ethical
I’ve been watching Survivor for ten years now; I’ve even used it in some of my introductory political theory classes, when I talk with students about the differences between Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau. The game is, essentially, an artificially created State of Nature where there are no rules and where only one person can win.
Now, in case you haven’t seen the season finale of...
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“In a late night posting on her Twitter feed, Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin...”
– At this point, I would give almost anything to see CNN change the story so that it reads, “Alaskan mother of five thinks it’s arrogant to believe that human beings impact the world around them.”
Is there a statute of limitations on calling Sarah Palin “Former Alaska...
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“The amendment also includes a special extension solely for Nebraska: increased...”
– Way to go, Senator Nelson!
Not only did you force everyone in the entire country to focus on you for more than a full week, you also forced them to pay for health care reform in our state. When it comes time to get yourself re-elected, you can now make it clear that you only supported health care...
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“How did a question which involved only God and the Jews, and which was decided...”
– Is our human rights culture becoming a tyranny?
Charles Moore, in the Telegraph, argues that belief in secular human rights in the UK now trumps any and all religious belief systems, as the Supreme Court has decided that the Jewish religion’s way of determining its own membership is illegal.
...
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Jersey Shore Nicknames
In my first few posts about MTV’s Jersey Shore, I’ve written a lot about the nicknames that the various cast members have given themselves. Over the past couple of days, this Jersey Shore nickname generator has become pretty popular. But this is generally a mess: there are only a few options and the one that you get seems not to be connected to the name you plug in.
Instead one of my...
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What's Wrong With Our Society, Episode 3
If you don’t recall where we left off last time, you’ll want to refresh your memory about last week’s episode of Jersey Shore. According to Bill Simmons — whom I trust implicitly about these sorts of things — ratings skyrocketed between Week 1 and Week 2 so you can expect plenty more of this. With that in mind, here are the ten things to consider from this...
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“Nebraska’s governor, Dave Heineman, a Republican, has written to Mr. Nelson...”
– Here’s a little bit more on the Ben Nelson/Nebraska health care kerfuffle. The quote, above, demonstrates that Senator Nelson isn’t the only Nebraska politician who doesn’t know a whole lot about anything in particular.
So, Governor Heineman hates the idea of possibly reducing...
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WatchIf you’re like me, you’ve become totally fascinated with “The Situation” over the past three weeks. To my mind, this clip goes a long way toward explaining why.
One part of me is convinced that he’s putting us on; the other part of me is certain that this is all deadly serious for him.
If you take no joy in “The Situation,” I think I officially feel sad...
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“[A]fter more than half a century of speculation, astronomers are zeroing in on...”
– Dark matter!
(maybe)
But, if it is, this is a super big deal. For example:
Dr. Kane, who was present, described the mood at the workshop as “a high level of serious hysteria.”
More information forthcoming from physicists, astronomers, and others who know a lot more than I do about a...
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“Mr. Nelson said he had met with President Obama for the third time in eight days...”
– Ah, the U.S. Senate, where making a complete jackass of yourself gets you invited to meet the President of the United States three times in eight days. And where the President can make a “strong case” that also might not be “compelling.”
It’s really not at all clear...
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Intelligence Improperly Collected on U.S. Citizens →
Yeah, I just really liked this headline. I feel like it really captures the spirit of the decade.
Full article here.
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Britain's Abolition of the Death Penalty
December 16 is the 40th anniversary of the abolition of the death penalty in the United Kingdom. Here’s a podcast from The Open University, featuring
Professor Gary Slapper, Director of the Centre for Law at The Open University, Professor Barbara Hudson, Director of the Centre for Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Central Lancashire, and Dr. Nigel Warburton, Senior...
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“I’d say Nebraska would make a nice centerpiece for the ‘Big Ten...”
– A few times a year, everyone starts talking about Big Ten expansion. And, each time, I express my opposition. Of course I recognize that championship games (like the ones in conferences like the Big 12 and the ACC) bring in a ton of money and keep the eyes of a football-hungry nation interested in...
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“To be perfectly clear: these rumors are completely baseless and false. Thanks...”
– The White House takes a minute to debunk rumors about the closing of Offutt Air Force Base as some sort of punishment of Senator Ben Nelson’s position on health reform.
Way to go, anti-Obama bloggers.
Here’s the rumor. Also here. And here. Oh, and it’s also on the discussion...
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“Freedom enforces freedom; a reboot is the only circumvention of the Freedom time...”
– Tired of asking which software Rousseau would use? The answer would almost undoubtedly be OS X Networking Freedom Software, which shuts off your internet connection for a period of time that you specify (since you clearly don’t have the self-control to do your work if it’s possible to do...
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“In one broadcast attributed to her she told her listeners: ‘Do not kill...”
– One of the most prominent voices of Radio Mille Collines, Valerie Bemeriki, sentenced to life imprisonment by a Rwandan court for planning genocide, inciting Hutus, and complicity in murders during the 1994 genocide.
Full article here (HT: Laura Seay).
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“Truly great thinkers require numerous distillers. Can you read just one book on...”
– Tyler Cowen provides us with nine good reasons to read the works of great thinkers (in literature and philosophy and economics but maybe not science and math) rather than just reading what other people write about them.
Full post here.
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Human Rights and (or?) Development
I’m preparing to teach an upper-level undergraduate class on human rights and it occurs to me that I should have more to say about the chicken/egg problem of human rights and development than I do. I don’t really deal with the issue in my book, which is an exploration of the theoretical foundation of human rights, but I’ve begun to touch on it a bit in my papers on transitional...
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Israel/Palestine Juxtaposition
Two articles in Israeli newspapers this morning discuss the warrant issued by a British court for former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, at the behest of a pro-Palestinian group, for her role in Operation Cast Lead. Here and here.
Two articles in Israeli newspapers this morning discuss Hamas’ refusal to ever recognize Israel’s right to exist or to release kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad...
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“‘A majority of Ugandans felt it is a disgusting act, but you have to...”
– CNN might be unsure whether to call it female circumcision or genital mutilation — indeed, they go back and forth between the two in their article — but now the Ugandan government has banned it.
A number of people have quickly pointed out that this makes Uganda’s anti-gay...
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What's Wrong With Our Society, Episode 2
Despite rumors of poor ratings — which are undoubtedly overblown — and sponsors pulling ads because of the suggestion that the show negatively portrays Italian-Americans, Week 2 of MTV’s Jersey Shore nonetheless turns in a strong performance.
If you missed last week’s installment, it’s available here (with a short video to better acquaint you with the cast of...
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More About Football U
My friend Michael Tofias has suggested that I ought to say more about my recent post that questioned the decision of the University of Alabama to cancel three days of classes due to their football team’s invitation to play in the BCS National Championship game.
He believes that, since I enjoy college athletics, I should also support classes being canceled for athletic events. But I...
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University of Alabama Cancels Classes →
What do you do if you’re an administrator at a university that wants to focus on providing a quality education while also paying careful attention to everyone’s interest in football? Maybe this:
The University of Alabama will resume its normal operations on Monday, Jan. 4, 2010 as scheduled. However, given the number of students who have to be in Pasadena, Calif. to represent UA on...
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“Kenneth Biros was a violent, vicious killer who committed unspeakable acts...”
– I don’t want to harp on this point, but I absolutely have to say something about how bizarre an argument it is that a murder is considered not a crime against the victim (and victim’s family) but against the state.
Of course, the author of this op-ed is confident that “The state...
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“Eight days of Hanukkah, Come let’s celebrate. Eight days of Hanukkah, Let’s...”
– It took a full decade, but it was definitely worth the wait: Orrin Hatch finally writes a Hanukkah song as a special thanks to the chosen people: “‘Anything I can do for the Jewish people, I will do,’ Mr. Hatch said in an interview before heading to the Senate floor to debate an...