[PEN-L:11604] Re: Funeral Industry

Yes, she's the one!! Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Mon, 4 Aug 1997, Michael Perelman wrote: Do you mean the wonderful Jessica Mitford. The American Way of Death?

[PEN-L:11602] Funeral Industry

There was once a writer and consumer advocate, now deceased, who wrote extensively on the subject of funeral home directors pushing unneeded and extravagant burial packages on the families of departed loved ones. I wish I could remember her name, because her writing prominently displayed her

[PEN-L:11568] Thanks!

I would like to thank all the PEN-Lers who responded to my question about the home mortgage deduction. I will try to put your suggestions to good use! Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:11478] Home Mortgage Deduction

In a recent posting, Jim Devine asked whether the home mortgage deduction will soon be subject to attacks similar to those directed against affirmative action. I have sometimes wondered about the extent to which the deduction fuels the conversion of rural lands to large tracts of new housing.

[PEN-L:11087] Re: Nike hullaballoo in Vietnam

On Mon, 30 Jun 1997, jf noonan wrote: I heard a brief interview with [Young] on NPR's _Morning Edition_ last week and he used the excuse (and I nearly quote) "I'm not an economist; so I couldn't evaluate that". What a crock! Perhaps Young could publish his results in "Duh" magazine.

[PEN-L:10758] Harris Poll on the Length of the Work Week

I imagine that the Harris Co. relied on a telephone poll to collect people's recollections on how many hours a week they work. A better methodology would require eople to record their work and non-work hours in a log over the course of one or more weeks. Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:10713] The Forum

The Forum is also active in the Denver area. A number of faculty members at the University of Colorado regularly attend sessions and occasionally recruit some of their graduate students. My girlfriend was one such unfortunate recruit and spent a weekend being told essentially that her

[PEN-L:10624] Bad writing competition

I think that we should all be on the lookout for something from economics to submit to this competition (hopefully something not written by me). Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:10475] Funny Business in Moscow

Dear PEN-Lers: I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on Jeffrey Sachs's recent firing of two consultants working on behalf of market reforms in Russia. What I read in the local papers indicated that two individuals working for Sachs' Harvard-affiliated outfit were canned for

[PEN-L:10238] Re: that says it all

It is so nice to see that Chet Crocker is still "constructively engaged." Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Mon, 19 May 1997, Mark Weisbrot wrote: "The point is that we and our friends control the keys to the clubs and the treasuries that Kabila will need to tap if he is going to

[PEN-L:10161] Is there any silver lining in NAFTA?

Regarding the ongoing EU-versus-NAFTA discussion: What has been the experience of the trinational labor and environmental bodies established by NAFTA? As I recall, the Clinton administration appointed a number of left-of-center individuals to the environmental organization, including persons

[PEN-L:10158] The sociology of pen-l

On Thu, 15 May 1997, Michael Perelman wrote: snip I often hear people express disappointment that their postings seem to fall flat. Nobody responds. The reason is not necessarily disinterest. It can also be that the post makes a point so well that nothing more need be said. This is

[PEN-L:10156] Re: Tavis, you're *still* wrong

On Thu, 15 May 1997, Elaine Bernard wrote: snip Did anyone notice that one of the few exceptions in NAFTA is the special status given to breweries and beer. Mexican tequila and Tennessee whiskey also get special treatment. Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:9645] Brief Comment on Civil Society

With respect to Mexico, newspaper columnist Luis Javier Garrido frequently poses the efforts to bring democracy to Mexico as a struggle between civil society and the PRI-government. Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:9647] AOL4FREE incident

The DENVER POST actually carried a warning about the AOL4FREE virus in its business section, citing someone in the U.S. Department of Energy as its source. I myself cannot evaluate whether this is part of a hoax or a myth, but I found it interesting that the POST is trying to be cyber-hip by

[PEN-L:9634] Re: Peru

Given Fujimori's zeal in his efforts to destroy Peru's guerrilla movements, it would have seemed suspicious had they not all been killed. Steven Zahniser On Wed, 23 Apr 1997, James Devine wrote: does anyone on pen-l have any special information about the government raid on the Japanese

[PEN-L:9460] S L Convicts

Dear Michael P. and Other PEN-Lers: I was living in Texas during the beginning of the S L crisis and can recall someone who was a minor candidate for governor just before he went to jail for an S L related crime. I am certain that Charles Keating was not the only one. I, too, am in a TRUE

[PEN-L:9345] Some silliness

Fed Head Wed! Fed Head Wed! Sorry, just wanted to get that out of my system! Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:9147] Re: customers

On Tue, 25 Mar 1997, James Michael Craven wrote: It seems every educational institution has the same basic reality: 1) Boards of Regents/Trustees who are basically political hacks/sycophants appointed on the basis of their political contributions (in dollars) and/or demonstrated

[PEN-L:9062] Four More Screen-fuls on Cuba

Dear PEN-Lers: Before any more time passes, I would like to respond to Bill Burgess's thoughtful rebuttal of my earlier comments and those of Paul Phillips about Cuba. Bill places the Helms-Burton Law in "the context of growing trade tensions between the US and its competitors." Bill, would

[PEN-L:8977] Re: albania and the stock market

Dear PEN-Lers: This may or may not be the same attack to which Gene Coyle refers, but I think Greenspan recently came under fire from a Republican House member as well. I recall two comments in particular (perhaps by Jim Bunting of Kentucky?). In one, the congressman asked Greenspan why he

[PEN-L:8947] Re: Cuba

My apologies: I was referring to the discussion between Paul Phillips and BILL Burgess. Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:8946] Re: Cuba

I wholeheartedly concur with Paul Phillips' response to Paul Burgess. The amazing thing about U.S. policy towards Cuba is precisely that it is so idiotic and illogical. It makes absolutely no sense from the capitalist viewpoint of U.S. firms that would like to operate (openly) in Cuba and from

[PEN-L:8760] QUERY: Service Sector Wages

Dear PEN-Lers: I am trying to collect data on service sector wages in California for the 1970-1990 period. Can anyone refer me to a useful source? I have already accessed the available data for California from the BLS web site. It contains very useful information about manufacturing but

[PEN-L:8683] greenspan-speak

A friend of mine forwarded me this funny little tidbit. Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED] A demonstration of the effective use of Fed-Speak *If someone asks you, "Would you care for a glass of water?" Do NOT answer with the plain English "No, thank you." Try a response in Fed-Speak: "On

[PEN-L:8356] Re: The Pack Is Back

The idea of community ownership of sports franchises has captured the imagination of some Denver Broncos fans. An upcoming ballot issue in the Denver metro area deals with whether to construct at partial expense to the taxpayers a new stadium for Denver's beloved football team. Some backers of

[PEN-L:7920] Cuba-Algeria Firestorm

Dear PEN-Lers: I am saddened that Louis Proyect left PEN-L, because his comments regarding Cuba and Algeria were rather illuminating. I am not familiar with the Algerian case, but Proyect's contrasting of the Cuban and Algerian experiences made me think of various leftist movements in Latin

[PEN-L:5962] New project for pen-l some good news

Dear Michael and pen-lers, I like the idea of setting up a parallel list to receive information requests. For me, PEN-L is often at its best when participants focus on taking political action. Hopefully the parallel list will be a means to continue this tradition. Steven Zahniser [EMAIL

[PEN-L:5632] Unusual Child Support Anecdote

I am forwarding this unusual child support story that I received from ACTIV-L. Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Forwarded message -- Date: Fri, 9 Aug 1996 00:06:34 GMT From: Bob Witanek [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Philadelphia: Dirty 39th Settlements / Child Support From:

[PEN-L:5514] On Sucking

During the drive to work this morning, I realized that I had been making a mistake in my analysis of Clinton's decision to sign the welfare bill. My initial take was that this was another instance of pandering by Clinton. But then I thought that Clinton has been saying for some time that he was

[PEN-L:5520] Re: On Sucking

On Fri, 2 Aug 1996 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Or better yet, let's stop talking about "sucking" altogether. Jerry I apologize to those who were offended by my choice of words. Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:5524] Clinton's history

On Fri, 2 Aug 1996, Nathan Newman wrote: Clinton of course has history as President, as well as a history as an anti-war protester, organizer for the McGovern campaign, and relatively tough (especially for a Southerner) anti-corporate licymaker in his first term as Governor in Arkansas.

[PEN-L:3333] The Torrent from Mr. Torrent

Youch! The coffee machine at the Public Utilities Commission must be broken. Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Wed, 13 Mar 1996 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Chris Jackson a.k.a Rauf is a hypocritical asshole. of course by standing he is not condoning anything. he can sertainly say he is

[PEN-L:3327] Anti-Religious Play by NBA

I would like to draw everyone's attention to the plight of Denver Nuggets basketball player Mahmood Abdul-Rauf. Abdul-Rauf is a Muslim who recently decided not to stand for the national anthem prior to the game because of his religious beliefs. The NBA has suspended him without pay until

[PEN-L:3289] More TRUE Grading Stories

I thought PEN-Lers might enjoy two more TRUE grading stories, these from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Those of you not interested in such fluff should be reaching for the delete key. Method #1 (based on a TRUE story) Give your students the final exam using computerized grading

[PEN-L:3238] Re: Classics

A follow-up to my earlier comment: I recently went to a conference where I met with several of my predecessor graduate students at Colorado from 10 years ago. Their course work differed radically (I think "radically" here is the right word) from my own course work. Their work included a

[PEN-L:3020] Silly Comment Re: Barnes, Noble consumer choice

On Thu, 15 Feb 1996, Rhon Baiman wrote: It was the NY Times a while back maybe a few months I think. Isn't Literature/knowledge a business too? In academics, Knowledge is our business. Still giggly after running, Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:2854] Normalization in BRD

With respect to Sid's posting on the unemployment rate in Germany, my mom tells me that the rate in the former DDR (East Germany) is 16.8 percent. Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED] P.S. Which source is better? The Associated Press or Mom?

[PEN-L:2827] Re: Critique of CGE and Gen. Equilibrium

Dear PEN-Lers, I would also enjoy reading about critiques of CGE modelling, so please share any reading suggestions with the whole group. Thanks! Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:2793] Re: Immigration Data

To Doug Orr and other interested PEN-Lers: One good place to start for U.S. immigration data in the Immigration and Naturalization Service's Statistical Yearbook, which at the very least would have the number of legal immigrants to the U.S. Persons with more hard-core immigration interests

[PEN-L:2751] QUERY: Mex. GDP series

Hello, Pen-lers! I am trying to obtain two series of statistics for Mexico for the years 1910-1965. The first measure is real GDP growth per capita and the second is real GDP per capita. Can anyone suggest a possible source for these figures? Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:2612] Strategy Change by Credit Card Companies

Greetings, PEN-Lers! I recently noticed a change in the behavior by one of my (former) credit card companies. In previous years, if I asked for the firm to waive the annual fee, they would agree to do so. This year, however, the representative of the company told me firmly that the company

[PEN-L:1951] Duration Model Advice

I would like to thank everyone who responded to my query about programming a two-state proportional hazards model. I have decided to try doing the programming myself in gauss. Thanks again, and to everyone, a very happy holiday season! Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED]

[PEN-L:1594] Duration Models

Hello, PEN-Lers! Does anyone in PEN-Land have a program to run a two-state proportional hazard model? I am including one in my dissertation and am just a little past the starting point of learning Gauss. Also, are other parts of the country (U.S.A.) getting blitzed on TV with Clinton ads?

[PEN-L:5118] CARIBBEAN/NAFTA (S-ONLY) By DAVID GOLLUST/U-S CONGRESS (fwd)

I came across this posting from Voice of America on another list. I hope it is of interest to some of you. Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Forwarded message -- Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 10:59:56 -0700 From: Walter Morales [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: CARIBBEAN/NAFTA (S-ONLY)

[PEN-L:4279] Re: Next Up: A Mexican Currency Board

On Fri, 24 Feb 1995, Jim Devine wrote: "a currency board," [Hanke] writes, "would produce stability in Mexico". financial stability, maybe. But social stability? economic stability? Not bloody likely. How about a Ouija board? :) Steven Zahniser zahniser@ucsu

Re: help with GATT panel

Oh, boo hoo! It would have been a crying shame if Robert Naiman had roughed up the free-trader on Decatur TV. Sarcastically yours, Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED]

Dumb Things in Colorado

Earlier I promised that I would try to share some of the dumb things that the Republican Party's nominee for governor did. So if you're not at all interested in reading a long message about Colorado politics, hit the delete button now. OK, here goes. "Dumb things! Dumb thi-i-n-g-s! Dumb

Re: Left wing Democrats ?

It may be that the margin of error of the exit polls used to generate the demographic profiles of who voted on Tuesday is too big to make any precise conclusions about Tuesday's debacle. We Democrats were somewhat lucky in Colorado, as the Republican gubernatorial candidate repeatedly

Re: Stubborn Military bases

On Mon, 10 Oct 1994, Arvind Jaggi wrote: Dear Pen-l folks, Could anyone please direct me to where I can obtain names and locations of military bases that were supposed to be closed but continue to remain in existence. Much thanks. Did you happen to see yesterday's edition

Re: Movie--Quiz Show

I haven't yet seen "Quiz Show" and I am looking forward to it. The movie has gotten superb reviews in the Denver area press! I would like to raise a somewhat related issue. Some of the most powerful movies in the past year or two have been fact-based but have featured dramatic liberties

Re: media watch--dissing Cuba

My mom told me that last night that the Omaha World-Herald, which was the last major U.S. newspaper to call for Richard Nixon's resignation, recently printed an editorial in which it supported lifting the trade embargo against Cuba. U.S. Representative Doug Bereuter (Republican--Nebraska) now

Re: media watch--dissing Cuba

Regardless of whether the Economist's story about the recent riot in Cuba originated in Langley, Virginia, race is an important dimension to Cuban political economy. According to friends who visited Cuba this past January, Afro-Cubans are less likely than Cubans of Spanish descent to have

Joke About Last Canadian Election

One of my classmates just told me what must be an old joke in Canada about the most recent national election in Canada: Q. What do a Ferrari and the Tories have in common? A. Both have two seats. Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED]

Re: PAN candidate in Mexico

I think I met Diego Fernandez once in a Mexico City restaurant. I was carrying a copy of that day's La Jornada, which happened to have his picture on it. He offered to autograph it, without my having asked! I still have the newspaper somewhere at home. Steven Zahniser [EMAIL PROTECTED]