Interesting blog bits

1. Defective Equilibrium reports on a poll on the 'The 10 "Most Important" Philosophers of the Early Modern Period'. Adam Smith comes in 9th with David Hume at 2 and Immanuel Kant at 1.
2. Market Power on The Peltzman Effect and NASCAR. May be these guys need a Tullock Spike.
3. Offsetting Behaviour on Opposition to redistribution: self-interest, or economic thinking? Is it that folks who are more likely to understand economics are also more likely to understand the costs of redistribution in terms of economic growth foregone?
4. Not PC on Bad banks. Looking at the "aggregates" can mean you miss the details-which can be very important.
5. The Inquiring Mind comes across a letter to the editor from someone from a parallel universe. How we can have had no national wealth creation since 1984 but still have a $130 billion in national income I don't know.
6. Tyler Cowen is Against torture prosecution.
7. Brad Taylor on Technology and Freedom. Whether new technologies will enhance freedom or reduce it is one of the big question we will have to face in the future.
8. rauparaha at TVHE suggests Bicycle helmet laws kill.
9. Mario Rizzo on University of Michigan: Teacher Yes, Father No.The University of Michigan has announced that it will become completely smoke-free in 2011. Why? In part because "2. “A healthier, smoke-free physical environment will only enhance the intellectual vigor of our campuses,” said U-M President Mary Sue Coleman.”" Really?