Subscribe to A Cry for HelpI finally reached the top of the library queue for a copy of Freakonomics this week (I reserved it in April!), and since you only get 10 days with high-demand new books I sat down to start reading it tonight.
And I just finished it. This is partly because of the late Sox game (and partly because of the all-around suckiness of that game), but mostly because this book just rocks. Subtitled "a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything," the collection of statistically true yet counterintuitive explanations of our world was right up my alley (I enjoy my share of contrarianism, oh yes.)
The most striking element of the book, as you may have heard, was the contention that the driving force behind the huge drop in crime during the 90′s was not a booming economy, nor was it policing innovations, but actually the logical result of less unwanted children being born once abortion was legalized in the early 70′s. That may be unsettling to think about ("ooh, you're saying abortions are a good thing!"), but it certainly makes sense. I can't do the argument justice, so I recommend getting the book. It's very readable and accessible, and you'll find some interesting new ways to see your world.
How about just “wanted children are a good thing.”
There are people who just want the world to be a certain way, and want to ignore the consequences of pretending that it is a certain way.
Bil – Good to see you posting regularly again. The book looks intriguing. I was looking for a new read. The argument makes sense whether or not you like RvW. Can’t wait to read it.
James: much better.
BriWei: thanks for the encouragement. I’m really shooting for at least one a day. So far pretty good…
Everyone else: here’s another line from the book, in a chapter about black kids’ names vs white kids’ names, that might pique your interest
“[a researcher] took a call from a black woman who was upset with the name just given to her baby niece. It was pronounce shuh-TEED but was in fact spelled “Shithead.” Or consider the twin boys OrangeJello and LemonJello, also black, whose parents further dignified their choice by instituting the pronunciations a-RON-zhello and le-MON-zhello.”
Billy Herron! I found your website
And I just ordered Freaknomics for a little pre-school reading, since I am taking economics this fall. Maybe I can test out after reading it? You tell me.
Cheers!
Yeah. Keeping up is difficult. I was on a bit of a roll for a while. Then I hit a crunch at work and went on vacation. Hard to get back on the horse.
Program on the emergence of civilization.
“14 species of large animals capable of domesitcation in the history of mankind.
None from the sub-Saharan African continent.
13 from Europe, Asia and northern Africa.”
Favor.
And disfavor.
They point out Africans’ attempts to domesticate the elephant and zebra, the latter being an animal they illustrate that had utmost importance for it’s applicability in transformation from a hunting/gathering to agrarian-based civilization.
The roots of racism are not of this earth.
Austrailia, aboriginals:::No domesticable animals.
The North American continent had none. Now 99% of that population is gone.
Organizational Heirarchy
Heirarchical order, from top to bottom:
1. MUCK – perhaps have experienced multiple universal contractions (have seen multiple big bangs), creator of the artificial intelligence humans ignorantly refer to as “god”
2. Perhaps some mid-level alien management –
3. Mafia (evil) aliens – runs day-to-day operations here and perhaps elsewhere (“On planets where they approved evil.”)
Then we come to terrestrial management:
4. Chinese/egyptians – this may be separated into the eastern and western worlds
5. Romans – they answer to the egyptians
6. Mafia – the real-world interface that constantly turns over generationally so as to reinforce the widely-held notion of mortality
7. Jews, corporation, women, politician – Evidence exisits to suggest mafia management over all these groups.
Survival of the favored.
Movies foreshadowing catastrophy
1986 James Bond View to a Kill – 1989 San Fransisco Loma Prieta earthquake.
Journal: 10 composition books + 39 megs of text files