Interesting blog bits

1. Tom Odula on Pirate cash suspected cause of Kenya property boom. Property prices in Nairobi are soaring, and Somali pirates are getting the blame. The hike in real estate prices in the Kenyan capital has prompted a public outcry and a government investigation this month into property owned by foreigners. The investigation follows allegations that millions of dollars in ransom money paid to Somali pirates are being invested in Kenya, Somalia's southern neighbor and East Africa's largest economy.
2. Peter Goodman on U.S. Loan Effort Is Seen as Adding to Housing Woes. The Obama administration’s $75 billion program to protect homeowners from foreclosure has been widely pronounced a disappointment, and some economists and real estate experts now contend it has done more harm than good.
3. Justin Lahart on Secrets of the Economist's Trade: First, Purchase a Piggy Bank. Economists are often cheapskates.
4. Eric Crampton on Wishful thinking. Ayn Rand may not be as "in" as some people think.
5. Bryan Caplan on Baby-Selling: When Is Wrong to Sell? When Is It Right to Ban? An example of a repugnant market.
6. Glen Whitman on New Paternalism on the Slippery Slopes, Part 7: The Inevitable Misinterpretation of New Paternalist Arguments.
7. Noam Scheiber on Upper Mismanagement. Why can't Americans make things? Two words: business school. And I would guess its not just a problem in the US.
8. Tyler Cowen on Fruitful Decade for Many in the World. It may not feel that way right now, but the last 10 years may go down in world history as a big success.