God’s Country

Hartside Summit and the moors in the North Pennines in northern England. Please click on the photos to get the full effect.







It reminded me a great deal of the wind-swept coulees of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, which I have also often thought of as “God’s Country”…. Spectacular vistas and an openness that fills me with awe.



It is all just a few miles from Hadrian’s Wall in northern England.

God’s Country

Hartside Summit and the moors in the North Pennines in northern England. Please click on the photos to get the full effect.







It reminded me a great deal of the wind-swept coulees of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, which I have also often thought of as “God’s Country”…. Spectacular vistas and an openness that fills me with awe.



It is all just a few miles from Hadrian’s Wall in northern England.

God’s Country

Hartside Summit and the moors in the North Pennines in northern England. Please click on the photos to get the full effect.







It reminded me a great deal of the wind-swept coulees of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, which I have also often thought of as “God’s Country”…. Spectacular vistas and an openness that fills me with awe.



It is all just a few miles from Hadrian’s Wall in northern England.

Does File-Sharing Really Hurt CD Sales?

Craig Newmark and Tyler Cowen both had blog entries a couple of years ago suggesting there is little or no effect of file-sharing on CD sales. A recent article by Stan Liebowitz in the Journal of Law and Economics, ”File-Sharing: Creative Destruction or just Plain Destruction?” suggests otherwise:

This paper examines the measurement of file-sharing activity, the theory of file-sharing’s likely impact, and the impact of file-sharing. Analysis of various data sets indicate that they do not yet live up to their hoped for precision. Data limitations not withstanding, the evidence seems compelling that file-sharing is responsible for the recent large decline in CD sales for which it has been blamed.

Clinton, Ontario; a Sleepy Little Town

I live on Albert Street in Clinton, Ontario. Here’s something that happened just down the street last weekend (from the Clinton News-Record):

Firewood, truck, used in attack



News-Record staff

Wednesday July 26, 2006

Clinton News-Record — A 43-year-old Clinton man is charged with attempted murder following a series of incidents that began on Clinton’s main street on Saturday night.



The Huron OPP reports the first incident allegedly saw Donald Leibold strike a 43-year-old man with a piece of firewood around 10:30 p.m., without provocation, during a house party on Albert Street.



It then escalated when the victim was struck by what police believe was a bottle, resulting in the victim’s need to seek medical attention.



Police allege when the victim, along with another man, were attempting to enter the Clinton Public Hospital, Leibold arrived at the scene and allegedly proceeded to attempt to run them down at a high rate of speed. Police say both men were forced to fun for their lives as Leibold allegedly raced across the hospital lawn towards them.



Police add preliminary reports suggest Leibold may have made more than one attempt to strike the victim. Police also note though neither person was hurt, there was extensive damage to the hospital lawn, several signs and a parking barrier. That damage has since been cleaned up by hospital staff.

The OPP notes both men were able to enter the hospital as the suspect fled in his pick up.

Clinton, Ontario; a Sleepy Little Town

I live on Albert Street in Clinton, Ontario. Here’s something that happened just down the street last weekend (from the Clinton News-Record):

Firewood, truck, used in attack



News-Record staff

Wednesday July 26, 2006

Clinton News-Record — A 43-year-old Clinton man is charged with attempted murder following a series of incidents that began on Clinton’s main street on Saturday night.



The Huron OPP reports the first incident allegedly saw Donald Leibold strike a 43-year-old man with a piece of firewood around 10:30 p.m., without provocation, during a house party on Albert Street.



It then escalated when the victim was struck by what police believe was a bottle, resulting in the victim’s need to seek medical attention.



Police allege when the victim, along with another man, were attempting to enter the Clinton Public Hospital, Leibold arrived at the scene and allegedly proceeded to attempt to run them down at a high rate of speed. Police say both men were forced to fun for their lives as Leibold allegedly raced across the hospital lawn towards them.



Police add preliminary reports suggest Leibold may have made more than one attempt to strike the victim. Police also note though neither person was hurt, there was extensive damage to the hospital lawn, several signs and a parking barrier. That damage has since been cleaned up by hospital staff.

The OPP notes both men were able to enter the hospital as the suspect fled in his pick up.

Clinton, Ontario; a Sleepy Little Town

I live on Albert Street in Clinton, Ontario. Here’s something that happened just down the street last weekend (from the Clinton News-Record):

Firewood, truck, used in attack



News-Record staff

Wednesday July 26, 2006

Clinton News-Record — A 43-year-old Clinton man is charged with attempted murder following a series of incidents that began on Clinton’s main street on Saturday night.



The Huron OPP reports the first incident allegedly saw Donald Leibold strike a 43-year-old man with a piece of firewood around 10:30 p.m., without provocation, during a house party on Albert Street.



It then escalated when the victim was struck by what police believe was a bottle, resulting in the victim’s need to seek medical attention.



Police allege when the victim, along with another man, were attempting to enter the Clinton Public Hospital, Leibold arrived at the scene and allegedly proceeded to attempt to run them down at a high rate of speed. Police say both men were forced to fun for their lives as Leibold allegedly raced across the hospital lawn towards them.



Police add preliminary reports suggest Leibold may have made more than one attempt to strike the victim. Police also note though neither person was hurt, there was extensive damage to the hospital lawn, several signs and a parking barrier. That damage has since been cleaned up by hospital staff.

The OPP notes both men were able to enter the hospital as the suspect fled in his pick up.

What is the Marginal Revenue Product of Barry Bonds?

Barry Bonds becomes a free agent at the end of this season. Suppose the following:

• There is a freely competitive bidding market for his services,
• Bonds has no location preferences,
• There is no winner’s curse in the auction for his services.

How much do you think he could raise in the market? What is the best offer a team might make to him?



The Washington Post (reg. req’d) estimates/guesses/speculates/analyzes as follows:

So, how much money have you made off Barry Bonds? If you are the San Francisco Giants’ owners, perhaps the number is in the hundreds of millions of dollars. If you are the Giants’ radio or television rights-holders, perhaps in the tens of millions.



… Bonds, whose home run total sits at 722 — close enough to make a run at Hank Aaron’s career record of 755 next season — is in the final year of a five-year, $90 million contract…



“We have said many times that is a question we are not prepared to deal with until after the season,” Magowan said. “There are too many variables here, including his health and the performance of the team.”



Another variable, no doubt, is how much money Bonds can still bring in, relative to how much he would be taking out in salary. The Giants are paying Bonds $18 million this year. It is not so much a negotiation as a calculation.

Exactly! His marginal revenue product [MRP] depends on his marginal physical product [MPP], which depends, in part, on his health; if he isn’t healthy, he won’t be contributing much to the revenues of the team.



But his MPP also depends on the quantity and quality of other inputs he has to work with. This situation is just like standard micro-theory textbook treatments in which the MPP of labour depends on the quantity of capital labour has to work with.



In the case of Bonds, if his teammates are good, then his contributions have a bigger chance of helping the Giants (or whatever team he plays for) into the post-season gravy train. But if they are not so good, then Bonds’ skills are not worth so much to the team.

Viking Ice

I mentioned yesterday that I’m staying in a motel across the street from the Minnesota Vikings’ summer training camp. I also mentioned that it is hot enough here that players must be careful not to overdo it during their workouts.



I discovered two things during an early morning walk today.

1. Many players work out early in the morning, at times and locations not specified in the team work-out schedule. That seems very sensible.
2. The Vikings’ summer camp uses a lot of ice. Those two guys unloaded that entire truckful of ice at the Vikings’ camp.
   
   
   

Israel vs. Palestine

From John Lott (His posting is titled, “So which side is more heroic?”):

(as usual, please click on the cartoon to see it more clearly)