Mom, Skiing, and Federalist Society
My mom came to Stanford last night to visit - first time since I started school. We ended up buying a huge slab of prime rib and cooking it along with two artichokes (which I steamed). She was pleasently surprised with my room - she expected it to be messier and a lot smaller. Anyway, I'm going to take her to Tahoe tonight, and hopefully we'll get some skiing in. On Thursday, both of us leave to go back east, its just that I will be going a little farther - I will be going all the way to Boston to attend the Federalist Society convention.
What does this mean for my blog? The usual - things will be slow over the next few days.
Monday, February 21, 2005
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Easier Way to Find Site
No more clunky address! No more google searching! Just go to elliotfladen.com! Isn't that easier?
No more clunky address! No more google searching! Just go to elliotfladen.com! Isn't that easier?
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Marital Rape
Can a man rape his wife? Should the punishment be less if you assume he can? What does rape constitute within marriage? Is unwanted sex while sleeping rape? If so, can a woman rape her husband? Should these prosecutions occur without the consent of the spouse? If so, why?
Here's a bit of an intro into the debate, although a lexis nexis search (or alternatively a google search) on marital rape laws will give you much more.
Can a man rape his wife? Should the punishment be less if you assume he can? What does rape constitute within marriage? Is unwanted sex while sleeping rape? If so, can a woman rape her husband? Should these prosecutions occur without the consent of the spouse? If so, why?
Here's a bit of an intro into the debate, although a lexis nexis search (or alternatively a google search) on marital rape laws will give you much more.
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Monday, February 14, 2005
Matchmaker, Matchmaker......
The New York Times has a long piece for those whose goal in life is to marry, and are willing to pay $$$$$$$$$$ to achieve it. A long, good read.
The New York Times has a long piece for those whose goal in life is to marry, and are willing to pay $$$$$$$$$$ to achieve it. A long, good read.
Friday, February 11, 2005
Vagina Monologues
Went to see it at the urging of my friend Melanie last night who was in the cast. I sat next to Rybicki who told me that at the end of the show, I would have a conversion to believing the need for prior restraints. Well, that didn't happen - the repeated mentioning of vagina/menstrual cycle did not offend me.
What it did do was bore me. Honestly, there are only so many "if your vagina could talk, what would it say" lines that one can take in a two hour sitting - even if you are vaginaless like David and I. Eventually, even the risqueness of the "v-word" can't save the show from monotany.
Making matters worse, the show tried to equate our collateral bombing damage in Iraq with men who purposely acid burn promisicous female family members. Oh well - what else can you expect from feminist and gender studies students?
Went to see it at the urging of my friend Melanie last night who was in the cast. I sat next to Rybicki who told me that at the end of the show, I would have a conversion to believing the need for prior restraints. Well, that didn't happen - the repeated mentioning of vagina/menstrual cycle did not offend me.
What it did do was bore me. Honestly, there are only so many "if your vagina could talk, what would it say" lines that one can take in a two hour sitting - even if you are vaginaless like David and I. Eventually, even the risqueness of the "v-word" can't save the show from monotany.
Making matters worse, the show tried to equate our collateral bombing damage in Iraq with men who purposely acid burn promisicous female family members. Oh well - what else can you expect from feminist and gender studies students?
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Exactly
Remember that post I had yesterday about NASA in Cleveland losing 700 jobs? And how I thought the Plain Dealer was whining to protect potential pork barrel spending? Well, the Colorado's Rocky Mountain News argues that this whining isn't isolated to only this project - which makes me believe that Bush is on the right track here.
Remember that post I had yesterday about NASA in Cleveland losing 700 jobs? And how I thought the Plain Dealer was whining to protect potential pork barrel spending? Well, the Colorado's Rocky Mountain News argues that this whining isn't isolated to only this project - which makes me believe that Bush is on the right track here.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Rugby Fans are More Extreme Than Fooball Fans
Here is the proof if you want to read it. No, I will not summarize it, as you will understand if you are of strong enough heart to click the link.
Here is the proof if you want to read it. No, I will not summarize it, as you will understand if you are of strong enough heart to click the link.
Is This Going Anywhere?
Canseco also said President Bush, the Rangers' general managing partner at the time, must have known about the steroid use.
White House spokesman Trent Duffy did not specifically address Canseco's assertion, but said Sunday that Bush's position on steroids "has been known for some time," noting that he condemned the drugs in his 2004 State of the Union address.
It's all part of a larger piece on Canseco implicating quite a few prominent baseball players in using 'roids.
I'm not a baseball purist, so I never had a problem with the use of 'roids in baseball. Yes, it makes it difficult to compare different records, but so does weight lifting and other training innovations.
Canseco also said President Bush, the Rangers' general managing partner at the time, must have known about the steroid use.
White House spokesman Trent Duffy did not specifically address Canseco's assertion, but said Sunday that Bush's position on steroids "has been known for some time," noting that he condemned the drugs in his 2004 State of the Union address.
It's all part of a larger piece on Canseco implicating quite a few prominent baseball players in using 'roids.
I'm not a baseball purist, so I never had a problem with the use of 'roids in baseball. Yes, it makes it difficult to compare different records, but so does weight lifting and other training innovations.
Cleveland Plain Dealer Whining
700 jobs NASA jobs in the Cleveland area to be cut. But read this reaction by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Nowhere does it discuss whether this is good or bad policy (I honestly don't know). Rather, it just talks about the harm to the local economy of the jobs cut.
Yes, cutting any individual pork project (which this might be, like I said I don't know) will hurt a local economy. But the money to fund that project must come from somewhere, and the debate is whether the jobs that are cost through federal taxes are worth the expenditures that are proposed to be slash.
700 jobs NASA jobs in the Cleveland area to be cut. But read this reaction by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Nowhere does it discuss whether this is good or bad policy (I honestly don't know). Rather, it just talks about the harm to the local economy of the jobs cut.
Yes, cutting any individual pork project (which this might be, like I said I don't know) will hurt a local economy. But the money to fund that project must come from somewhere, and the debate is whether the jobs that are cost through federal taxes are worth the expenditures that are proposed to be slash.
Monday, February 07, 2005
McProstitute Franchises
Anyway, in describing the leg of my trip in Reno, I had an idea of a commercial chain of prostitution that might work in a more liberal society. It would be modeled on McDonalds. Here is how an order for a "Happy Prostitute Meal" would go:
- Hi, I'd like an order of a prostitute
Would you like your prostitute regular or supersized for half off?
- Supersized please.
A side of coke (pointing to the nose)?
- Yes please.
Here for two hours, or to go for double the price?
- To go please
Thoughts?
Anyway, in describing the leg of my trip in Reno, I had an idea of a commercial chain of prostitution that might work in a more liberal society. It would be modeled on McDonalds. Here is how an order for a "Happy Prostitute Meal" would go:
- Hi, I'd like an order of a prostitute
Would you like your prostitute regular or supersized for half off?
- Supersized please.
A side of coke (pointing to the nose)?
- Yes please.
Here for two hours, or to go for double the price?
- To go please
Thoughts?
Tahoe Report
So Tahoe was really cool. I left at three o'clock in the morning on Thursday, and skied at Alpine Meadows for $39 the first day. Almost nobody was on the slopes - it was completely deserted. One guy who was on the slopes was a forty three year old named Daniel who suffers from MS. His attitude was that he doesn't have much time left walking, so he is trying to live it up by skiing while he still can. Made me once again thankful for what I have.
On a brighter note, I found this four star hotel on hotwire for thirty bucks. They had three pools - one was a regular pool, one was a spa, and one was this ice cold pool with a twenty foot waterfall! Of course I swam in all three. Why risk hypothermia in the waterfall pool? Well, I was in a fraternity at Northwestern, and lake michigan was nearby, so its not like that was the coldest body of water I've ever been in.
I took of the next day and drove to Carnelian Bay on Lake Tahoe where I stayed Friday night with friends. We decided to build the fire of all fires in the fireplace that was in the rented condo. I think we used 60 logs over the course of the weekend - the fire got hot enough at one point that the ash turned a bright yellow. The amount of that ash that was produced was tremendous.
One guy I stayed with from Germany ended up meeting two very attractive women. They gave him their room number, but there were two. So he invited me to come along. The fire was nice, but the idea of meeting attractive women while on a trip was of course appealing (even if they were taller than me as this guy said they were). That was until their dad opened the door when we knocked on it. My friend neglected to find out that this was a "family trip" when the girls gave him the number. This of course made me wonder at my friends ability to gauge the age of women.
Anyway, I skied Saturday again at Alpine Valley, which ended up being crowded this time around, and then left at midnight Saturday night to come back to Stanford. It was fun.
So Tahoe was really cool. I left at three o'clock in the morning on Thursday, and skied at Alpine Meadows for $39 the first day. Almost nobody was on the slopes - it was completely deserted. One guy who was on the slopes was a forty three year old named Daniel who suffers from MS. His attitude was that he doesn't have much time left walking, so he is trying to live it up by skiing while he still can. Made me once again thankful for what I have.
On a brighter note, I found this four star hotel on hotwire for thirty bucks. They had three pools - one was a regular pool, one was a spa, and one was this ice cold pool with a twenty foot waterfall! Of course I swam in all three. Why risk hypothermia in the waterfall pool? Well, I was in a fraternity at Northwestern, and lake michigan was nearby, so its not like that was the coldest body of water I've ever been in.
I took of the next day and drove to Carnelian Bay on Lake Tahoe where I stayed Friday night with friends. We decided to build the fire of all fires in the fireplace that was in the rented condo. I think we used 60 logs over the course of the weekend - the fire got hot enough at one point that the ash turned a bright yellow. The amount of that ash that was produced was tremendous.
One guy I stayed with from Germany ended up meeting two very attractive women. They gave him their room number, but there were two. So he invited me to come along. The fire was nice, but the idea of meeting attractive women while on a trip was of course appealing (even if they were taller than me as this guy said they were). That was until their dad opened the door when we knocked on it. My friend neglected to find out that this was a "family trip" when the girls gave him the number. This of course made me wonder at my friends ability to gauge the age of women.
Anyway, I skied Saturday again at Alpine Valley, which ended up being crowded this time around, and then left at midnight Saturday night to come back to Stanford. It was fun.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Free Food?
Not sure if this is for real, but it is Chipotle after all......
Unfortunatly, I won't be able to grab any myself - the nearest Chipotle to me is a 30 minute drive. But if you are reading this in a city, it might be of use to you. Assuming the deal is real, of course.
Not sure if this is for real, but it is Chipotle after all......
Unfortunatly, I won't be able to grab any myself - the nearest Chipotle to me is a 30 minute drive. But if you are reading this in a city, it might be of use to you. Assuming the deal is real, of course.
Does Spam Legislation Work?
Orin Kerr points to the following New York Times article (subscription required):
A spammer can often expect to receive anywhere from a 25 percent to a 50 percent commission on any sales of a product that result from a spam campaign, according to a calculus developed by Richi Jennings, an Internet security analyst with Ferris Research, a technology industry consulting firm.
Even if only 2,000 of 200 million recipients of a spam campaign - a single day's response rate for some spammers - actually go to a merchant's Web site to purchase a $50 bottle of an herbal supplement, a spammer working at a 25 percent commission will take in $25,000. If a spammer makes use of anonymous virus-enslaved computers to spread the campaign, expenses like bandwidth payments to Internet service providers are low - as is the likelihood of anyone's tracking down who pushed the "send" button.
We can create civil penalties or criminal penalties, but this will only open the way for spammers in countries with lax law enforcement (Russia) to dominate the market. It seems that there are only two ways of stopping this dynamic. One is to create liability on companies that advertise through spammers. The other is one that I remember reading a while back, to create a small tax on email (one tenth a penny an email) to have it delivered, significantly lowering the profit of companies that send out bulk email.
I am not sure what the problems of the first would be, but the second seems workable. Further, we could fine tune it so that it would not be so taxing on consumers. Instead of having the tax for each email, we could have it so that it is a tax for every UNSOLICITED email. You could import a version of your address book to your online carrier, and then every email that is received from one of those addresses would not bear the tax. Just a thought.
Orin Kerr points to the following New York Times article (subscription required):
A spammer can often expect to receive anywhere from a 25 percent to a 50 percent commission on any sales of a product that result from a spam campaign, according to a calculus developed by Richi Jennings, an Internet security analyst with Ferris Research, a technology industry consulting firm.
Even if only 2,000 of 200 million recipients of a spam campaign - a single day's response rate for some spammers - actually go to a merchant's Web site to purchase a $50 bottle of an herbal supplement, a spammer working at a 25 percent commission will take in $25,000. If a spammer makes use of anonymous virus-enslaved computers to spread the campaign, expenses like bandwidth payments to Internet service providers are low - as is the likelihood of anyone's tracking down who pushed the "send" button.
We can create civil penalties or criminal penalties, but this will only open the way for spammers in countries with lax law enforcement (Russia) to dominate the market. It seems that there are only two ways of stopping this dynamic. One is to create liability on companies that advertise through spammers. The other is one that I remember reading a while back, to create a small tax on email (one tenth a penny an email) to have it delivered, significantly lowering the profit of companies that send out bulk email.
I am not sure what the problems of the first would be, but the second seems workable. Further, we could fine tune it so that it would not be so taxing on consumers. Instead of having the tax for each email, we could have it so that it is a tax for every UNSOLICITED email. You could import a version of your address book to your online carrier, and then every email that is received from one of those addresses would not bear the tax. Just a thought.
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