Traffic here declined slightly from December (4402 visits, 19910 hits) to January (4175 visits, 17380 hits). I’d like to think that’s because I added robots.txt to keep the search-engines out of non-content pages like the stats; but hits on the current blog declined from 1649 to 1264. “Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, I’m gonna go eat worms.” Too bad I can’t ask my ex-readers why. But I write this blog for myself, and not because I starve for attention, right?

Ah! Backwoods Home Magazine carries Vin Suprynowicz‘s columns. (His free mailing-list stopped some time ago, and the archives on my links page are no longer updated.) Unfortunately BHM’s archive only goes back to December 12.

Later: Whups, a bit of searching reveals that the LVRJ (Vin’s home base) has a similarly short archive. And Lew Rockwell has other writings by Vin.

I’m sorry I didn’t record where I got this link to The Economic Organization of a P.O.W. Camp, an article published in 1945 by a British officer who had been a guest of the Reich.

It is thus to be seen that a market came into existence without labor or production. The B.R.C.S. [British Red Cross Society?] may be considered as “Nature” of the text-book, and the articles of trade – food, clothing and cigarettes – as free gifts – land or manna. Despite this, and despite a roughly equal distribution of resources, a market came into spontaneous operation, and prices were fixed by the operation of supply and demand. It is difficult to reconcile this fact with the labor theory of value.

Later: Joshua Burton finds another copy.

Glenn Reynolds writes:

NO ANTI-SEMITISM HERE. Publish that cartoon with an obviously Arab figure and you’d be charged with “hate speech.”

I don’t see what the fuss is about. Is it Antisemitism to compare a Jew to a Greek god or to Spanish royalty? Do politicians – or at least foreign ones – deserve the same hypersensitivity as members of the Recognized Victim Classes?

Later: The free link to the cartoon has expired, so I’ll tell you that it pictured Ariel Sharon in a parody of Goya’s painting Saturno devorando a un hijo (Saturn devouring one of his Sons).

At The Five Dumbest Things on Wall Street This Week: Chrysler honors the memory of Bill Mauldin by kicking him in the teeth. (Link from the ubiquitous GHR.)

At Tech Central Station, Arnold Kling on Economic Idiotarianism, citing Steven Pinker citing A.P.Fiske:

In a Communal Sharing transaction, such as a family dinner, every member of the relationship is entitled to share in what is available.

In an Authority Ranking transaction, such as a decision made in a traditional corporation, there is a linear hierarchy, with people lower in the hierarchy deferring to those who are higher up.

In an Equality Matching transaction, such as taking turns going through a four-way stop, people operate according to an intuitive sense of balance and fairness.

In a Market Pricing transaction, such as buying a used car, people make decisions on the basis of calculating costs and benefits.

Of course, it is the Market Pricing mode of interacting that is studied in economics. However, Market Pricing requires techniques and thought processes that have not always been available to mankind. . . .

The idiotarian approach to debating economic policy is to frame an issue as a conflict between Authority Ranking (bad) and Communal Sharing (good).

Like most great insights, it’s obvious in hindsight. And it makes me that teeny bit more likely to buy Pinker’s new book (having enjoyed The Language Instinct, after Russell prodded me to read it).

2004 Oct 05: On re-reading, I think some of Kling’s examples overreach.

Golly, yet another hot babe flirting with me from out of the blue (or, in this case, interbusiness.it):

Hi there, how’s it going? Well for starters I must confess that this is indeed pretty awkward. I noticed your profile online and figured I’d drop ya a line….I bet that doesn’t happen to you everyday! I never really even thought about it until someone saw mine and got in touch a little while back. ANYWAY! My name is Kara, I’m 26, and I’m a sale rep for a mid-sized pharmaceutical company. Goodness I can’t get over how strange this is! I’m sure you’re probably thinking the same thing! hehe. Oh well, I really don’t want to go on too far. Especially since I’m not sure whether or not you have any intrest. But if you would like to get to know more about me, please drop me a line. I’ll be more than happy to include some pics as well. Any pics you might have would be greatly apreciated as well 🙂 Well I hope to hear from you soon! Take care. xoxo, Kara P.S. Do you use any messenger services, maybe we can chat on there sometime? My email address is . . . @hotmail.com

I wish I knew what she’s selling. Maybe she’s just testing addresses.