Short the Delusion:
Douglas French
April 20, 2010
"It's never paid to bet against America," according to Warren Buffett. But a quirky group of investors did just that and made millions, betting against what is more American than apple pie and baseball — the idea that housing prices always go up. And just as he shined a bright light on the shenanigans going on at the bond-trading house Solomon Brothers in his 1989 best seller Liar's Poker, Michael Lewis has come to rescue us from our ignorance with an engaging tale about the brave souls who put their (and their investors') money where their conviction was — and won — with his new book The Big Short: Inside The Doomsday Machine. Douglas French offers this engaging review of Mr. Lewis's book.

Plane Rides and Medicare:
Gary Wolfram
April 23, 2010
On his plane ride back to Hillsdale from a whirlwind speaking tour,  Dr. Gary Wolfram sat beside a medical doctor and another traveler. The doctor was explaining how the people who are making up the tea-party movement are a bunch of “idiots,” in his words. He gave as an example the case of one of his patients who receives Medicare. The doctor related how he challenged the patient to admit that Medicare was socialized medicine and that it works. The doctor’s explanation for the wonderful workings of Medicare was that the patient had received a lot of expensive medical care and that the patient did not have to pay for it. This was proof that socialized medicine works. Dr. Wolfram begs to differ and explores the errors in the medical doctor's argument.