11 | October | 2011

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Oil production in N. Dakota set more monthly records in August: 1. A new record for monthly production: 13,768,395 barrels, a 34.6% increase from last August. In just a little more than two years (since June 2009), oil production has … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, Middle East and North Africa

Winners and Losers in the Shalit Deal

Lazar Berman | October 11, 2011, 6:32 pm

Though it comes as a surprise to many, Hamas and Israel are both announcing that they have finally reached a deal to free Gilad Shalit in exchange for the release of 1,000 Palestinian and Israeli Arab prisoners from Israeli jails. If the … read more >

Carpe Diem

Chart of the Day: Yuan Rises, Deficit Widens

Mark J. Perry | October 11, 2011, 4:40 pm

The chart above is from The Economist, with the following commentary: “As the chart above suggests, the recent relationship between China’s currency and America’s trade deficit with China is not what China hawks in the Senate think it is. Rather … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy

Hitting Home: Iran’s Deadly Plotting in the U.S. and Latin America

Roger Noriega | October 11, 2011, 4:02 pm

Startling revelations by Attorney General Eric Holder on Tuesday that Iran’s Quds Force plotted murderous attacks in the heart of Washington, D.C., should shred the conventional wisdom that Tehran and its terrorist proxies would never risk a strike on American … read more >

Economics, Financial Services

Volcker Rule Plants Seeds of Next Bank Crisis

Peter J. Wallison | October 11, 2011, 4:00 pm

The regulation that would implement the so-called “Volcker Rule” contained no surprises. It has all the deficiencies of the original Dodd-Frank language, which would prohibit “banking entities” from engaging in proprietary trading. A “banking entity” is any company under the … read more >

Economics

Value Free? A Nobel Debate

Daniel Hanson | October 11, 2011, 2:55 pm

On Monday, Thomas Sargent of NYU and Christopher Sims of Princeton were jointly awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2011 for their contributions to understanding causal relationships in macroeconomics. Unfortunately, the Nobel Committee’s selection will do nothing to … read more >

Politics and Public Opinion

The Impact of Christie’s Endorsement of Romney

James Pethokoukis | October 11, 2011, 1:56 pm

Via ABC News: Chris Christie will endorse former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for president at an event in Hanover, New Hampshire this afternoon, ABC News has learned. Christie just last week announced that he would not seek the office himself. Not … read more >

Carpe Diem

Private Health Insurance Increases 400% in Sweden To Avoid Long Waiting Lines and Inconsistent Care

Mark J. Perry | October 11, 2011, 1:36 pm

From The Local: Sweden’s News in English: “While Sweden has long taken pride in its public healthcare system, lengthening queues and at times inconsistent care have prompted many Swedes to opt for private healthcare with many gaining the benefit through … read more >

Economics, Taxes and Spending

Nitpicking Herman Cain’s ‘9-9-9’ Plan

James Pethokoukis | October 11, 2011, 1:26 pm

Tonight’s Republican presidential debate will focus on economics. And among other topics—including, hopefully, a) our banks and the EU debt crisis, and b) the continued U.S. housing depression—Herman Cain’s “9-9-9” tax plan will surely get plenty of attention. My preference … read more >

Society and Culture

Mothers, You Weren’t Imagining It

Charles Murray | October 11, 2011, 11:22 am

Do women temporarily get stupider when they have a baby? My wife thought so about her two births; so did my two daughters who have had children, and they tell me that all the other mothers they know think so, … read more >

Lean In… to Government?
Sheryl Sandberg's runaway best-selling book Lean In has managed to offend both the Left and the Right. Sandberg touts female hard-headedness, yet also calls for an elaborate government- and employer-supplied support system for women. […]
Are American Voters Racist?
Racial prejudice plays a very small role in American politics, but a highly disciplined sense of self-interest on the part of one group may play a very large role in the way the federal government functions. […]
The Perpetual Passion for Paper
Paper is becoming less important in some respects, but its strengths — prestige, utility, permanence, and security — are more essential than ever. […]
Could California Make a Comeback?
An unexpected glimmer of hope might cast a new light on the Golden State. […]