Author: James K

Orbology!

Small Gods from “Fear is strange soil” to “Most gods find it hard to walk and think at the same time”

The Poetry of the Beatles

I’m neither much of a poetry fan, or a Beatles fan. Even so, I found this video by Kyle Kallgren of Chez Apocalypse look at meter in poetry, using Beatles lyrics as an example,...

You Have a Duty to be Healthy?

I recommend this post by Kiwi Econoblogger Eric Crampton, discussing the issue of personal autonomy and social obligation as it applies to bans on smoking. This article does touch on Nazism, but I believe...

The Once and Future Prez

This post is a pre-emptive comment rescue, of sorts. As you may (or may not) be aware, Jaybird runs a weekly bookclub over at Mindless Diversions of the seminal graphic novel series Sandman. We’ve...

It’s done, woo hoo!

The Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Act (2013) passed it’s third reading last night 77-44, legalising gay marriage in New Zealand. The Act won’t go into effect until later this year, as it still needs to receive the Royal...

Yes, But Which Arts?

Note: This post is part of our League Symposium on Higher Education in the 21st Century. You can read the introductory post for the Symposium here. To see a list of all posts in the...

Safety, at what price?

A few days ago I was sent an interesting article by Mad Rocket Scientist, Regressive Effects of Regulation, authored by Diana Thomas at George Mason University’s Mercatus Centre. The paper’s central focus is on a trade-off that...