Stadtluft macht frei?

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

A few weeks ago Will Baude observed that the Connecticut legislature was taking steps—however provisional—to limit eminent domain in the wake of the Kelo v. New London ruling. Now the New York Times reports that the anti-Kelo trend seems to be spreading.

¶ Well, it would really be a pro-Kelo trend, no? You get the point. Or perhaps you want me to put 'everything' in 'scare quotes' for 'you'.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - More than a month after the Supreme Court ruled that governments could take one person's property and give it to another in the name of public interest, the decision has set off a storm of legislative action and protest, as states have moved to protect homes and businesses from the expanded reach of eminent domain.

In California and Texas, legislators have proposed constitutional amendments, while at least a dozen other states and some cities are floating similar changes designed to rein in the power to take property.

Still, some cities have taken bolder measures to expropriate property, presumably before the state has time to take preventive action. Will pointed out two-weeks back that,

[E]ven those of us who believe in some judicially enforceable limits of the states against the national government tend not to get worked up about the rights of municipalities. I think some degree of decentralization is wise, but it doesn't bother me at all that under many state constitutions, a municipality exists completely at the sufferance of the state government. Maybe it should, and maybe it will, but it doesn't.

It strikes me that, so long as cities and municipalities are conceived as governments within a constitutional system, there are prerrogatives that they should not be allowed to exercise. Taking property for private gain is arguably one of them. The same dangers of abuse of power and undue coercion are present whenever a state entity assumes the monopoly of legitimate violence, and it probably matters less whether the state police or the city police go enforce an eviction order, than that the [police, of any sort is involved.

That leaves out the possibility, however, that cities and municipalities are corporate groups of a sort. Thay are incorporated, and presume of a chartered, voluntary founding. They can be left at will, even if at considerable cost to some. And there is a long legacy of city-dwellers thinking of the confines of the ville as a distinct and autonomous jurisdiction.

If the rights of municipalities are to be observed, we need a paradigmal shift from the understanding of city-as-state to that of city-as-chartered corporation. This is already happening in the form of private residential communities, but therse are considerably smaller than places the size of Chicago, New York... or even New London, Connecticut, and they have less power, both in fact and in law. They are bound by county and state law and can only wield their authority within the contraints of contract and real estate law.

I'm not clear that we should want to revert to a medieval view of the city, but we should at least consider the unstated historical and philosophical premises behind urban life.
 

Private orders

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

I vaguely remember learning of this coming shift, but now it is confirmed:

As of January 1, 2007, all book and book-related products must carry 13-digit ISBNs.

All 10-digit ISBNs in circulation will have the 3-digit EAN prefix "978" added (which currently represents the book industry). This 13-digit ISBN is already represented, and will be identical, to current EAN bar codes carrying ISBN with the "978" prefix.

(Via Foreword)

Designing reform

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

Architects / Designers / Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR) has launched a competition to design a poster for their Prison Design Boycott Campaign.

Why should architects, designers, and planners refuse to work on prisons? Don?t ask us? design a poster to explain it to design professionals yourself! This design competition calls for a poster than explains the problems with the current U.S. prison system and why the refusal to contribute to it is an important and effective response. This poster will have high visibility within the realms of architecture, design, and planning as ADPSR distributes it to the growing number of supporters of the prison design boycott. This competition is your opportunity to learn about a critically important issue of social justice facing our nation today, and to make your own contribution towards a better solution.

I have no firmview on this matter, except a fairly settled conviction that the American prison system is rotten to the core. But I'm not sure that a boycott on designing prisons will solve the problem. If anything, it might lead to even more overcrowding in existing, poorly designed institutions.

It is, however, an interesting political strategy. (Via Design Observer)

It's official

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

Isn't it? Well, Brian Leiter says so:

Robert Gooding-Williams (African-American philosophy and political thought, Continental philosophy) at Northwestern University has accepted a senior offer from the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago, to start January 1, 2006. His is the fourth senior departure for the Northwestern department in the past several months (the others are: Terry Pinkard back to Georgetown; Thomas Ricketts to Pittsburgh; and Charles Travis to King's College, London).

 

Chicago connection

I was watching The Princess Bride for the umpteenth time last night and noticed something I'd never paid attention to before: the story, of course, occurs in the fictional country of Florin, but the reading of the story takes place in Chicago. Either than or the Grandson (Fred Savage, of Wonder Years fame) has an inordinate obsession with Chicago sports teams. He's wearing Chicago Bears pajamas and has a Chicago Cubs pennant on his wall. It's not Ferris Bueller or The Blues Bothers for local color, but it technically counts as a Chicago movie, no?
 

Type Week

This week is Type Week in New York City.

Mayor Bloomberg has declared July 18-24 to be "Type Week" in Manhattan! This is, in our opinion, quite a coup for the design community?we don't recall ever seeing "Grammar & Spelling Week" for copy editors or "Lede & Nut Graf Week" for reporters or "Optimized Workflow Week" for the IT department.

For type geeks watching from afar, there's always Typeradio, a podcast service presented by Dutch foundry Underware.

Go to the Typeradio site and follow the instructions for subscribing to the free podcast through iTunes.

(Via Typographica)

¶ Incidentally, the first latest Typeradio installment is a conversation between Stephen Coles and Joshua Lurie-Terrell, editors of the Typographica weblog.

UPDATE: Well, the Typographica conversation doesn't hold much typographical interest. It's mainly a story of how the Typographica weblog was founded, including a rather vicious rant against Canadians (who booted the site from it's original "typographi.ca" address because they didn't have enough of a connection to Canada.) Maybe the other podcasts will be better.

ANOTHER UPDATE: The two sessions with Matthew Carter—designer of Verdana—are quite funny (it's really one interview, but it's broken into two files). It seems that Stanley Morrison—of Times New Roman fame—had a glass or two of champagne at eleven o'clock every day. His acolytes, quite fittingly, are often drunk by noon. I knew that there was a link between type and philosophy...
 

Dread Justice Roberts

Andrew is on a mission to slap a "Dread Pirate" meme on Supreme Court nominee John Roberts. I'm a sucker for Princess Bride references, and heartily approve.

Mr. Dilts also faults me for not jumping on this earlier. I've given my reasons elsewhere. But he's covering the blogospheric discussion well. I have nothing to add, so I'll just watch from the sidelines.
 

Gotham by the lake

I went to see Batman Begins yesterday. It was a good film, definitely worth the nine dollars.

¶ They gave me some ridiculous fifty cent student discount; it was hardly worth the trouble of getting the ID out of the wallet.

Much of the film was shot in Chicago, and many of the buildings were instantly recognizable, especially the faux-Gothic Tribune tower and Wrigley buildings, and the one across the River with the pretty rotunda on top.

But the most shocking thing happened as soon as I left the theater. The movie transformed changed the way I looked at downtown Chicago. What had been a beautiful, picturesque, even friendly place had turned into a dark, foreboding dystopia. Too many of the sights were familiar and were now filtered through the gritty lens of the film. I expected a mugger to leap out of the shadows by the Gleacher Center, followed by a flying man in a bat costume.

Quite a strong effect for a summer action flick...
 

Aux armes, etc.

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

Lest the day go by without acknowledgement of the defining event of the modern era, I submit the following to mes chers citoyens et citoyennes.

Allons enfants de la Patrie Le jour de gloire est arrivé ! Contre nous de la tyrannie L'étendard sanglant est levé Entendez-vous dans nos campagnes Mugir ces féroces soldats? Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras. Égorger vos fils, vos compagnes! Aux armes citoyens Formez vos bataillons Marchons, marchons Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons! Que veut cette horde d'esclaves De traîtres, de rois conjurés? Pour qui ces ignobles entraves Ces fers dès longtemps préparés? Français, pour nous, ah! quel outrage Quels transports il doit exciter? C'est nous qu'on ose méditer De rendre à l'antique esclavage! Quoi ces cohortes étrangères! Feraient la loi dans nos foyers! Quoi! ces phalanges mercenaires Terrasseraient nos fils guerriers! Grand Dieu! par des mains enchaînées Nos fronts sous le joug se ploieraient De vils despotes deviendraient Les maîtres des destinées. Tremblez, tyrans et vous perfides L'opprobre de tous les partis Tremblez! vos projets parricides Vont enfin recevoir leurs prix! Tout est soldat pour vous combattre S'ils tombent, nos jeunes héros La France en produit de nouveaux, Contre vous tout prêts à se battre. Français, en guerriers magnanimes Portez ou retenez vos coups! Épargnez ces tristes victimes À regret s'armant contre nous Mais ces despotes sanguinaires Mais ces complices de Bouillé Tous ces tigres qui, sans pitié Déchirent le sein de leur mère! Nous entrerons dans la carrière Quand nos aînés n'y seront plus Nous y trouverons leur poussière Et la trace de leurs vertus Bien moins jaloux de leur survivre Que de partager leur cercueil Nous aurons le sublime orgueil De les venger ou de les suivre! Amour sacré de la Patrie Conduis, soutiens nos bras vengeurs Liberté, Liberté chérie Combats avec tes défenseurs! Sous nos drapeaux, que la victoire Accoure à tes mâles accents Que tes ennemis expirants Voient ton triomphe et notre gloire!

Arise children of the fatherland The day of glory has arrived Against us tyranny's Bloody standard is raised Listen to the sound in the fields The howling of these fearsome soldiers They are coming into our midst To cut the throats of your sons and consorts To arms citizens Form your battalions March, march Let impure blood Water our furrows! What do they want this horde of slaves Of traitors and conspiratorial kings? For whom these vile chains These long-prepared irons? Frenchmen, for us, ah! What outrage What methods must be taken? It is us they dare plan To return to the old slavery! What! These foreign cohorts! They would make laws in our courts! What! These mercenary phalanxes Would cut down our warrior sons Good Lord! By chained hands Our brow would yield under the yoke The vile despots would have themselves be The masters of destiny Tremble, tyrants and traitors The shame of all good men Tremble! Your parricidal schemes Will receive their just reward Against you we are all soldiers If they fall, our young heros France will bear new ones Ready to join the fight against you Frenchmen, as magnanimous warriors Bear or hold back your blows Spare these sad victims That they regret taking up arms against us But not these bloody despots These accomplices of Bouillé All these tigers who pitilessly Ripped out their mothers' wombs We shall enter into the pit When our elders will no longer be there There we shall find their ashes And the mark of their virtues We are much less jealous of surviving them Than of sharing their coffins We shall have the sublime pride Of avenging or joining them Drive on sacred patriotism Support our avenging arms Liberty, cherished liberty Join the struggle with your defenders Under our flags, let victory Hurry to your manly tone So that in death your enemies See your triumph and our glory!

Text and translation by Iain Patterson.
 

The medium is the message

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

A week ago, Alex Tabarrok at Marginal Revolution pointed to two newspaper services. A third can be added to that list: Today's Front Pages (from the Newseum). It shows 435 front pages from 47 countries, and has link to those papers' websites. It's an especially interesting resource if you're interested in graphic design and typography in the printed news media. Oh, and in the news too, I guess.

"Today's Front Pages" is an online version of one of the Newseum's most popular exhibits. Every morning, more than 300 newspapers from around the world submit their front pages to the Newseum via the Internet.

Sixty-eight of the front pages are selected for an outdoor exhibit located at Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street in downtown Washington, D.C., future site of the Newseum. Front pages are chosen to represent each of the 50 states as well as a selection of international newspapers. The electronic files are printed out on large-format printers at the Newseum's offices in Arlington, Va., then are transported to the Pennsylvania Avenue site and mounted inside the 98-foot-long steel and Plexiglas display by 8:30 a.m., seven days a week.

All of the front pages received that morning are then posted on the Newseum's Web site. The full selection of each day's front pages is available on the Web site by 9:30 a.m. daily. For more information, please visit our FAQ Page.

(Via Design Observer.)
 

Letras Libres

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

A new issue of Letras Libres, arguably the premier liberal magazine in Latin America, is online. The main topic is Venezuelan caudillo Hugo Chávez: the origins of his regime, the rhetorical use of Bolivarian imagery, the lack of an organized domestic opposition, and the political use of corruption in Chávez's populist autocracy.

What is one to make of Chávez's "Bolivarian revolution"? It is an example of how the æsthetics of defiance—to world financial markets, local élites, or American hegemony—can easily conceal the emergence of authoritarianism. The Venezuelan people, rich or poor, are no more free under Chávez than they were before, but they feel stronger, more powerful, and in control of their destiny. That Chávez can be standoffish and bombastic and get away with it is seen as evidence of independence; it is, more likely, proof if his irrelevance.

All articles are in Spanish and registration is required.
 

Canonica

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

I can't help but post an inter-textual reference to Andrew's brilliant catechesis on the question of homosexuality and the Roman Catholic priesthood. First...

Priests are required to remain celibate and refrain from sexual intercourse with anybody. The church only understands sexuality as an action, not an orientation, so technically, a celibate homosexual is not a homosexual in the eyes of the catholic church.

and then...

From section 2357 of the Catechism:

Ah, lovely. Makes me want to go back to the Holy Mother Church. If only they's let me be a Canon lawyer without that whole "belief in God" part.
 

Cuisine... NOT!

I thought that the 1970s were an underappreciated decade. And then I found this on the internets. And I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.

more...

This is just a sampling. For the full effect, you have to read all of twentysix of them in sequence.



"Chicken Liver Bake: enjoy it with the ashes of a loved one.

Or maybe what's left of the chickens are in that urn. Maybe the chickens were your loved ones.

But chickens never love back enough. And that's why you have to KILL them. And eat their livers ritualistically. And then they're a part of you forever. Forever."

---

"Um, where do I even begin here? Which bowl is Siegfried's? Which one is Roy's?

What is going on here? What? What is the meaning? Of Jell-O, and peaches, and huge-ass ceramic cheetah, and paper flowers? And... freaky dried pod thingies? What are those? Should we smoke them? Have we been smoking them?"

---

"Sometimes salmon will come to the big city full of dreams. Only to wind up used, and mangled, and reconstituted, and all tarted up in some kind of sick, horrifying salmon drag.

Look, it's still trying to spawn. With lemons. It's confused. Oh, man, so sad.

It's even more heartbreaking when they're young."
 

"Don't buy not knowing"

I'm convinced that Bookfinder has saved me huge amounts of money over the years. But I don't carry a wireless web device into bookstores (as I don't actually own a wireless web device), so I'm often left wondering whether I can get a volume online at enough of a discount to justify delaying my gratification.

Enter Amabuddy:

You are in a bookshop or a record shop. You find something that interests you. You can't decide whether to buy it now or online later. What you need is a price check and a quick review, perhaps some ideas of something similar that others might recommend. Amabuddy can help! Grab a book off your shelf and try it!

The number to call is (617) 712-3574, or the toll-free line (888) WE SIGNAL.

(Via Foreword)
 

You're not alone, Nebraska!

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

The people of Puerto Rico have spoken, and they're not going to take it anymore. Well, they're still going to take it, but differently. Simply. Unicamerally.

In a referendum held yesterday the Puerto Rican electorate rejected half a century of bicameralism and opted for a unicameral legislature. They join Nebraska as the only US jurisdiction with a unicameral legislative body.

The bicameral legislature was not, as many believe, an American import. In a debate reported last Thursday, Juan Dalmau—the Independence Party electoral commisioner—explained that the upper house was originally introduced by the Spanish as a way of keeping a hold on colonial legislation as the lower house fell into creole control. At the turn of the century, the US copied the system and set up a two-tiered legislative structure: an Executive Council appointed by the governor (himself appointed by the US President) and a popularly elected house of delegates. In 1917, the Jones Act allowed the popular election of all legislators, a system that remained in place until yesterday (at least).

One of the most interesting aspect of the referendum may have been the effectiveness of those who campaigned for abstention. The Puerto Rican people like to vote. Over three fourths of registered voters regularly turn up in every election, and voting isn't even mandatory. But this time, only 22.3% of the electorate voted to show up. With such low numbers, the legislative leadership is already equivocating about how binding the referendum will be. But why did the people si this one out? Was it that the issue was relatively obscure? Or that people have stopped caring even about giving the shaft to the politicos they hate?
 

Short-term memory gain

Cross posted on Political Arguments.

Emily points me to a Sunday Times report that Karl Marx has taken the lead in the BBC poll of the gratest philosopher's of all time.

His influence may have waned on the global political stage, but Karl Marx seems certain to be voted the world?s greatest philosopher in a new poll.

He is racing ahead of rivals two weeks before
voting ends in the poll of listeners to the BBC Radio 4 discussion programme In Our Time.

Ludwig Wittgenstein, the British philosopher who was born in Austria, is lying second after almost a fortnight of voting. David Hume, the Scottish radical sceptic, is third, followed by Plato and Immanuel Kant.

I assumed that real philosophical merit (Kant) would not triumph over nostalgic appeal (Plato), but the salience of political influence (Marx) blindsided me. Unless it is nostalgia, on short-term memory.
 

The most updated London coverage...

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

... is in Wikipedia. (Via Reason's Hit and Run).
 

London Underground attacks

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

Several bombs went off at rush hour today in the London Underground and bus system. As of now, forty people are reported dead and 300 injured, but the numbers are expected to rise. The pattern of the attacks resembles last year's Madrid bombings.


The BBC has more news. I'll update this post as I come across other sources.


UPDATE: Here's a list of reports from various news sources:

• The Guardian


• The Times of London


• The Independent


• The New York Times


• The Washington Post


• CNN


• Le Monde (français)


• Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Deutsch)


• El País (español)


• Corriere della Sera (italiano)


• The Globe and Mail

ANOTHER UPDATE: Via Reason's Hit and Run, more coverage of the attacks by Tim Worstall, and two photo galleries on Flickr (one, two).

YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Via Dan Drezner, Andrew Sullivan, a former Londoner, has several posts up about the bombings. Instapundit has many links.
 

Lenin loves the little children

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

For those who enjoyed the plans for the reconstruction of Moscow, McGill University has a sample of children's books of the early Soviet era.

Among the many radical changes in the Soviet Union after the 1917 Revolution, the transformation of children's books offers one of the most vivid reminders of the vast ambitions of the new social order. Building simultaneously upon the progressive legacy of the 19th century Russian literature and upon the dazzling tradition of Russian Futurism, a linguistic, literary and artistic movement that galvanized Russian intellectuals in the early decades of this century, post-Revolutionary publishing for children introduced a vast array of new measures that transmogrified this previously undistinguished genre.

(Via Foreword)
 

Elder statement

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

Gary Becker writes:

If the 87 year old woman who lived in her house since birth did not want to sell at the government?s price, why should the government have the right to force her to accept their offer, and perhaps make her miserable and destroy her happiness? They should have to do what private business must do all the time: either offer her a price that she accepts, or alter their plans to avoid the need to get her property.

Which explains why the AARP sided with Kelo.
 

The Fourth on the fifth

I generally abstain from discussing American patriotism, since my attachment to the US is more juridical than affective. Thus, it's nice to read such a wonderful post by deva on the Fourth of July. Especially for the many who've been unevenly blessed by the American experiment, the Fourth should be remembered as a day of promise as much as one of achievement.
 

UCC milestones, again

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

The United Church of Christ proves once again that they're the coolest church around.

ATLANTA, July 4 - The United Church of Christ became the first mainline Christian denomination to support same-sex marriage officially when its general synod passed a resolution on Monday affirming "equal marriage rights for couples regardless of gender."

[...]

The United Church of Christ prides itself on being in the forefront of human and civil rights issues. On its Web site, the denomination says it and its predecessors were among the first churches to take a stand against slavery, in 1700, the first to ordain a woman, in 1853, and the first to publish an inclusive-language hymnal, in 1995.

Its slogan, "God is still speaking," is meant to suggest that the Bible is not the sole source of divine instruction, and that Scripture must be interpreted in today's context.

The equal marriage rights resolution states, in part, "Ideas about marriage have shifted and changed dramatically throughout human history, and such change continues even today." It continues, "In the Gospel we find ground for a definition of marriage and family relationships based on the affirmation of the full humanity of each partner, lived out in mutual care and respect for one another."

Last year, two major networks refused to broadcast a United Church of Christ commercial that showed two bouncers standing in front of a church, allowing some people to come in and refusing others, including nonwhites and a gay couple. "Jesus didn't turn people away," the text said. "Neither do we."

I'd blogged about the commercial before, and it is still available at the UCC site.
 

To the barricades!

Joshua Marshall, Armando at Daily Kos, Atrios, and Kate Cambor at TPM Cafe are all in agreement: now that O'Connor's retired, for the first time in a long time, Roe v. Wade is in real danger.

Women's access to birth control, whether in the form of effective contraception or legalized abortion, is responsible for more profound and positive social change than any other development in this century. And as the debate over emergency contraception shows, the fight has always been about control over the bodies of daughters and sisters and wives, not about fetal life.

So I'm adding a blog to the blogroll today, and putting it right on top for all to read: Bush v. Choice. The blog is sponsored by NARAL and run by Jessica of Feministing.
 

Libertarian summer camp

UPDATE: José has posted a whole slew of photos that show some other scenes from the IHS Workshop road trip to Monticello. (Hat tip, Naveen)

Thanks to the diligent efforts of Emily and Naveen, pictures from the Institute for Humane Studies' Social Change Workshop for Graduate Students.

¶ To the IHS's credit, they genuinely seek out people of differentt political persuasions, as long as they're interested in the classical liberal tradition. And to be honest, in this day and age, who wouldn't be interested in the classical liberal tradition? The IHS lectures have a definite libertarian slant, but discussions are refreshingly open.

I've divvied up the pictures by location. Click on them to go to the whole set:

more...

Thursday picnic


Colonnade Club


Campbell Hall
 

O'Connor out, but who's in?

Cross posted at Political Arguments.

Sandra Day O'Connor, age 75, annouces her retirement from the Supreme Court. (Via Crescat Sententia) A week ago Slate put up a list of likely candidates for the next Court vacancy. Everyone had the Rehnquist vacancy in mind; does the O'Connor retirement make it likely that a woman will get the nomination? Yet among Slate's eight potential nominees there's only one woman—Judge Edith Brown Clement of the 5th Circuit.
 

Brooke Shields is awesome!

Many people are insulted and upset when movie stars pretend to be experts on all matters political, economic, scientific. And often, people have a point. Cultural icons have every right—nay, duty—to participate in civic discourse, but they should stop short of claiming to be experts just because they read a couple of posts at Powerline or the Daily Kos.

Or, in the case in point, because they browsed through a couple of sci-fi novels.

Exhibit A—Hollywood star with no medical training and who, despite a recent much-noted spiral into madness, has never suffered from post-partum depression (on account of being male, presumably) offers ridiculous advice to new mothers everywhere.

more...

Cruise: But what happens, the antidepressant, all it does is mask the problem. There's ways, [with] vitamins and through exercise and various things... I'm not saying that that isn't real. That's not what I'm saying. That's an alteration of what I'm saying. I'm saying that drugs aren't the answer, these drugs are very dangerous. They're mind-altering, antipsychotic drugs. And there are ways of doing it without that so that we don't end up in a brave new world. The thing that I'm saying about Brooke is that there's misinformation, okay. And she doesn't understand the history of psychiatry. She doesn't understand in the same way that you don't understand it, Matt.

Yes, I suppose that anti depressants are "mind-altering, antipsychotic drugs." But I figure that, if you're feeling psychotic, you might want to alter your mind, you know, to get to a non-psychotic state. Just a thought. But let's carry on...

Exhibit B—Hollywood star who is actually a mother and has actually suffered from post-partum depression takes the star previously marked as "Exhibit A" to task. And she comes up with a witty title to her column, subtly poking fun at Exhibit A's current film.

While Mr. Cruise says that Mr. Lauer and I do not "understand the history of psychiatry," I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Mr. Cruise has never suffered from postpartum depression.
...
And comments like those made by Tom Cruise are a disservice to mothers everywhere. To suggest that I was wrong to take drugs to deal with my depression, and that instead I should have taken vitamins and exercised shows an utter lack of understanding about postpartum depression and childbirth in general.

If any good can come of Mr. Cruise's ridiculous rant, let's hope that it gives much-needed attention to a serious disease.

You rock, Brooke! I mean, uh, "Exhibit B"...!