11/30 Brilliance! Eccentricity! Fudging the data! The saga of the discovery of Neptune. (Via Arts and Letters Daily.)
11/29 Economist Dwight Lee explains why we don’t say Take this job and shove it more often. (Via SCSUScholars.com.)
11/27 At the Institute for the Secularisation of Islam, Anwar Shaikh’s Autobiography of an Apostate. (Thanks to Karen for the link.)
11/25 The morality of Thanksgiving: Editor Roger Donway on whom we should thank. And history professor David Mayer on why we celebrate Thanksgiving.
11/24 Philosopher Tibor Machan on how and why libertarians are community-friendly.
11/23 Sculptor Sandra Shaw’s list and commentary on books on art and art history.
11/22 How to improve educational performance? Alex Tabarrok suggests that we pay students to learn. And where can we find more inspiring teachers like Sanderson of Oundle? Contrast these academic antics.
11/20 Worthy of The Onion. My alternative proposal: Extend I-69 to French Lick. (Thanks to Anja and Jules.)
11/19 Finally: Malcolm Gladwell gives us straight talk about the cost of prescription drugs. And Tyler Cowen’s thoughts on health insurance and costs.
11/18 In a dramatic break with the “Steve” theme, we shift to Vikramaditya Khanna on corporate fraud and legislation. (Via The Volokh Conspiracy.)
11/17 Our theme this week seems to be All Things Steve. (Via Dynamist.com.)
11/16 Stephen Budiansky on why we are saps when it comes to dogs.
11/15 Stephen Schwartz on John Calvin, Michael Servetus, and whether Islam needs a Reformation.
11/13 Smart thinking from Christopher Hitchens: The left apologizes for religious fanatics. The president fights them.
11/12 At the Chronicle, Literature professor Mark Bauerlein on why everybody loses from the lack of intellectual diversity on campuses. Update: Ann Althouse on The Democratic-Republican imbalance.
11/11 Daniel Ben-Ami takes on the anti-production environmentalists and argues that economic productivity and environmental health are win-win.
11/10 Fascinating: Brain scientist Norman M. Weinberger summarizes what we know about how music affects and alters the brain. (Via Arts & Letters Daily.)
11/9 Columnist Virginia Postrel reports on pharmaceutical companies’ outsourcing drug testing to India. This will (a) lower the price of drugs and (b) get them to market sooner. But somehow I suspect that the Usual Wise Commentators will denounce pharmaceutical corporations for it. And while we’re on the subject of health – let’s take on the Nanny Statists: Radley Balko takes conservative David Frum to task for proposing a fat tax. But what about those evil McCorporations that manipulate us into eating fatty foods? (Thanks to Anja for the link.)
11/8 On effective rhetoric: Eugene Volokh, whom I too nominate to fill the next vacancy on the Supreme Court, says: Be in their face, but with a breath mint. And Tom Palmer’s thorough list of pointers for effective public speaking.
11/6 Tyler Cowen’s excellent recommendations for President Bush’s second term. Professor David Mayer on the Republicans’ mandate for progressive political reform.
11/5 Economist Alex Tabarrok on solving the donor organ problem.
11/4 Roll out the pork barrel: John Stossel on his success as a welfare queen. And here is Bill Kaufmann’s classic article on how welfare for artists cultivates mediocrity. (Thanks to Virginia for the link.)
11/3 Sadik J. Al-Azm asks: Is the War on Terror almost over? (Thanks to Irfan for the link.) And the Strategy Page wonders, Does Al Qaeda still exist? Meanwhile, a filmmaker is murdered for expressing views that are critical of Islam. Update: The Dutch police have arrested a number of Islamic radicals. Update: The film that Theo van Gogh’s murderers did not like. Update: Screenwriter Bridget Johnson reports on what Hollywood stars have said about their fellow filmmaker’s murder.
11/2 Philosopher Jamie Whyte is going after Bad Thoughts.
11/1 The new issue of The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies is out. And in honor of the 100th anniversary of Ayn Rand’s birth, the International Society for Individual Liberty announces the perfect location for its 2005 conference: St. Petersburg, Russia.