Categories
Economics

[927] Of pornography reduces rape?

I woke this morning with a totally unexpected result from an econometric model. Todd Kendall of Clemson University found out that (*.pdf; via via via!):

The arrival of the internet caused a large decline in both the pecuniary and non-pecuniary costs of accessing pornography. Using state-level panel data from 1998-2003, I find that the arrival of the internet was associated with a reduction in rape incidence. However, growth in internet usage had no apparent effect on other crimes. Moreover, when I disaggregate the rape data by offender age, I find that the effect of the internet on rape is concentrated among those for whom the internet-induced fall in the non-pecuniary price of pornography was the largest — men ages 15-19, who typically live with their parents. These results, which suggest that pornography and rape are substitutes, are in contrast with most previous literature. However, earlier population-level studies do not control adequately for many omitted variables, including the age distribution of the population, and most laboratory studies simply do not allow for potential substitutability between pornography and rape.

Hey you. Yeah, you the reader. I know what you’re thinking…

Anyway, blogging professors are way too cool!

Categories
Gaming Liberty

[926] Of he dreams himself your master

Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master.

— Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri, Commissioner Pravin Lal, “U.N. Declaration of Rights”

Eid Mubarak.

Categories
Sports

[925] Of Ajax 4-0 Feyenoord

Though I sympathize with Liverpool and would’ve rather seen Liverpool beat the crap out of Fergie’s boys, I’m jumping with absolute joy right now. The reason is, Ajax Amsterdam has just pulled a punch to the face, another punch to the stomach, a kick in the groin and another kick in the ass of Feyenoord Rotterdam.

By the 90th minute, the score stands as Ajax 4, Feyenoord 0:

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands Kenneth Perez scored two goals and set up two more for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar on Sunday to lift Ajax over nine-man Feyenoord 4-0 in the Dutch league.

Huntelaar first headed in Perez’s 12th-minute corner, then scored again in the 38th off another assist from Perez.

Perez converted from the penalty spot in the 50th after Dwight Tiendalli brought down Huntelaar in the area. The Denmark winger then put back a rebound in the 62nd.

Four minutes after the fourth goal, Feyenoord substitute Pierre van Hooijdonk was red-carded for a harsh foul on Urby Emanuelson. Sebastian Pardo was also ejected for a second booking as referee Rene Temmink issued eight yellow cards in a stormy second-half.

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I didn’t forsee any problem for Ajax. Despite crashing out of the Champions League this year, Ajax is in a very good shape. From Feyenoord’s point of it, it can’t be too good; it’s way down in the ninth place.

Unlike the Rotterdammers, PSV Eindhoven is looking strong. They’ve just beaten AZ Alkmaar — the new giant of the Eredivisie — 3-1. From the look of it, this season will be between Ajax and PSV. Whatever it might be, Ajax is at the top of the league. PSV is second; too close for comfort.

Still, what a good way to start the whole week. Life is so sweet and so, I’m gonna wish again to my readers, Happy Deeparaya folks. Don’t be afraid of wishing it. Don’t let some narrow-minded individuals prevent you from wishing it to people that you care for.

Categories
Liberty Politics & government

[924] Of disband the moral police!

Disgraceful thugs embarrassing the country:

Barnhart and his wife were asleep at 2am when there was pounding on the door and male voices shouting in Bahasa Malaysia.

Fearing an attack or robbery, Barnhart told the men to go away or he would call the police.

One of the voices, speaking in English, identified the group of men as Islamic Affairs Department officers and ordered him to open the door immediately.

“I positioned myself ready to fight and partly blocking the door so I could defend myself and my wife if anything were to happen.

“Then I opened the door to find six men in my face,” said Barnhart.

Barnhart said the men wore blue jackets with the department’s crest on the breast pockets, with one of them producing an authority card.

He claimed there were no police officers with the six men.

Barnhart said one of the men yelled at him, asking how many people were in the apartment and said: “You are Muslim, we are coming in.”

“I told them we were Christians and they were not to come in. They then demanded to inspect the apartment.

“They were threatening and aggressive. Again I said no,” he said.

He said the men then demanded to see his “woman”.

I say we need to fight these thugs and take them down before they infringe our rights further.

Talking about defending liberty, I wonder, if a person tried to violate my property in the name of moral policing, and I killed the person while trying to defend my property, who would win in a court? The intruding moral police or a common person defending his rights?

p/s – The Cato Institute reports that there’s a growing libertarian influence in the United States. At the Economist (via):

AMERICA may be the land of the free, but Americans who favour both economic and social freedom have no political home. The Republican Party espouses economic freedom—ie, low taxes and minimal regulation—but is less keen on sexual liberation. The Democratic Party champions the right of homosexuals to do their thing without government interference, but not businesspeople. Libertarian voters have an unhappy choice. Assuming they opt for one of the two main parties, they can vote to kick the state out of the bedroom, or the boardroom, but not both.

In a new study from the Cato Institute, a libertarian think-tank, David Boaz and David Kirby argue that libertarians form perhaps the largest block of swing voters. Counting them is hard, since few Americans are familiar with the term “libertarian”. Mr Boaz and Mr Kirby count those who agree that “government is trying to do too many things that should be left to individuals and businesses”, that government, rather than promoting traditional values, “should not favour any particular set of values”, and that “the federal government has too much power”. Using data from Gallup polls, they found that, in 2005, 13% of the voting-age population shared all three views, up from 9% in 2002.

Check this paragraph:

When Republicans win elections, it is because they manage to pull together an alliance between social conservatives and libertarians. But, as Ryan Sager put it in “The Elephant in the Room: Evangelicals, Libertarians and the Battle to Control the Republican Party”: “[L]ibertarians have always tended to see social conservatives as rubes ready to thump nonbelievers on the head with the Bible first chance they get, and social conservatives have always tended to see libertarians as dope-smoking devil-worshippers.”

In local context, this probably applicable to the UMNO-PAS tug-of-war.

Categories
Photography Sports

[923] Of Michigan is 8-0

I slept through the ball game and so, damn me. Nevertheless, the first time I did after I realize wasn’t dead yet was to log on the internet, go to Yahoo! and shouted from the top of my lung, Yahoooooooo-ooo!

Michigan steamrolled over Iowa:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Mike Hart kept his legs churning and his knees chugging, plowing into an Iowa defense stacked to stop him.

It took a while, but Michigan’s little engine finally broke through — and the Wolverines’ defense did the rest.

Hart and Michigan brushed off the burden of being No. 2 by bullying the Hawkeyes around the Big House in a 20-6 victory on Saturday.

The 5-foot-9, 196-pound tailback ran for 126 yards and two second-half touchdowns on 31 carries, and linebacker Shawn Crable and crew put together another punishing defensive performance.

With Iowa (5-3, 2-3) out of the way, only three losing teams stand between Michigan (8-0, 5-0) and top-ranked Ohio State on Nov. 18.

Let’s see how it looked like on the field!

Fair Use. By AP Photo/Al Goldis, from Yahoo! http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/photo?slug=54568a82a9c0423ca1f8b40ed874cbfe.iowa_michigan_football_aas106&prov=ap
Iowan Mattison to Henne: “Please, please, gimme the ball! I’ll do anything for you!”
Fair use. AP Photo/Al Goldis. From Yahoo! http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/photo?slug=3c16f400efd24127b94435d2ed29ef11.iowa_michigan_football_aas107&prov=ap
Hawkeyes: Get him!
Hart: So long suckers!
Fair use. AP Photo/Al Goldis. From Yahoo! http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/photo?slug=05624a409c6e46299160011f9495992e.iowa_michigan_football_aas103&prov=ap
Touchdown Michigan!

I look forward to November 18 2006.

In the meantime, Ajax is up against Feyenoord. Ajax should not have too much problem, seeing how deep in shit Feyenoord currently is right now. LOL!