Megan McArdle on Capitalism:

Why aren't there hordes of economists studying meaningful alternatives to market capitalism? Because we've been experimenting with various other systems--both localism and extreme centralization--for over a century, and the experiment produces the same damn result every single time: human lives that are nasty, brutish, and short.

McCain Now Tied with Obama Among Registered Voters

I noted the other day that McCain now leads among "likely voters", and the latest Gallup Poll of registered voters now has him tied with Obama.

Obama has benefited from one of the most amazingly biased two weeks of press coverage in history, and yet McCain has closed the gap.

Hmmmm.

Chronicles of the Nanny State (cont.)

Wall Street Journal: The government could start paying impartial experts to visit doctors to talk about the safety, effectiveness and cost of prescription drugs and other treatments.

The idea would be to give presentations along the lines of those given by company drug reps. But the federally funded presentations would provide a counterweight to the industry messages on specific drugs.

I did not know there was such a thing as an "impartial expert."

Why is this?

Only about 20% of philosophy professors are female.

And only about 25% of K-12 teachers are male.

Hmmmm.

Exercise in a Bottle (Or Pill) May Finally Be Here

Wall Street Journal: Here's a couch potato's dream: What if a drug could help you gain some of the benefits of exercise without working up a sweat?

Scientists reported Thursday that there is such a drug -- if you happen to be a mouse.

Sedentary mice that took the drug for four weeks burned more calories and had less fat than untreated mice. And when tested on a treadmill, they could run about 44% farther and 23% longer than untreated mice.