Author Archives: F. E. Guerra-Pujol
PSA: Is Trump right about NATO?
File under: “Sorry, not sorry!” For the record, according to this NATO Press Release, only one-third of the countries in the NATO alliance are spending at least 2 percent of their GDP on their defense. The remaining two-thirds NATO members are … Continue reading
Wikipedia Wednesday: Philip K. Howard
I will be reviewing Mr Howard’s new book Everyday Freedom: Designing the Framework for a Flourishing Society in the days ahead; in the meantime, here is his Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Howard
How did Adam Smith celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day?
By some accounts (see, for example, this one), the modern-day origins of Saint Valentine’s Day go back to the 14th Century, and according to this report in The Scotsman, this amorous occasion was celebrated in Scotland as far back as … Continue reading
And the winner is …: *The guests of ants*
Down below, on sidewalks, in fallen leaves, and across the forest floor, a covert invasion is taking place. Ant colonies, revered and studied for their complex collective behaviors, are being infiltrated by tiny organisms called myrmecophiles. Using incredibly sophisticated tactics, … Continue reading
Honorable mention: *Rethinking the great transition*
This weekend, I showcased two new books authored or edited by faculty at my home institution: Ty Matejowsky’s Smothered and Covered: Waffle House and the Southern Imaginary (University of Alabama Press, 2022; see here) and David Head and Timothy Hemmis’s … Continue reading
The hypocrisy of Taylor Swift?
I hate to be that guy, but why do celebrities who fly on private jets like to lecture us little people about climate change? Exhibit A: Taylor Swift, who has called climate change one of the most “horrific situations that … Continue reading
IDC (Super Bowl LVIII edition)
Mark my words, very few people will remember this — not even the ads! — two years from now. I’m with these guys: https://www.npr.org/2018/02/10/584757764/there-is-a-competition-to-avoid-learning-who-won-the-super-bowl-for-some-reason
Economics as fiction
Alternate title: Dierdre McCloskey’s list of 108 fictional market failures Are “market failures” real? Or are they make-believe entities (like the aether in physics) invented by economists to justify their preferred public policies and all manner of nefarious and ultimately … Continue reading
*A Republic of Scoundrels*
What a glorious time to be alive! Another book that caught my attention during the “Faculty Authors’ Celebration” at my home institution last week was A Republic of Scoundrels: The Schemers, Intriguers, and Adventurers Who Created a New American Nation, … Continue reading

