The oldest chocolate shop in Paris

Via my favorite expat blog View from the Back. The shop is À la Mère de Famille (pictured below), and it was founded in 1760. I wonder if Adam Smith or his pupil the 3rd Duke of Buccleugh visited this place in 1766 during their sojourn in the City of Lights. Merry Christmas!

I’ve recently returned from a(nother) trip to Paris  – more of which in the New Year – where, aside from visiting the latest exhibitions, window …

The oldest sweetie shop in Paris
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Some Christmas break readings

Christmas is just 11 days away! In addition to a number of research articles, essays, etc., I will be reading the following books — and blogging about them — during the holidays:

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Law, Liberty, and Liberalism

That is the new title of my revised work-in-progress. Here is the abstract: “What is liberalism, and what is the relation between law and liberty? This paper presents a Coasian critique of liberalism, whether seen from the progressive perspective of Cass Sunstein or from the libertarian perspective of Dan Klein.” Added bonus links: Sunstein’s recent op-ed “Why I am a liberal” (20 Nov. 2023) and Klein’s 2015 “plea” reading the term “liberal”. (In the alternative, a video of Klein’s plea is posted below.)

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*Plegaria Guadalupana*

Today (12 December) is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a national holiday in Mexico and one of my favorite feast days of the year! (More details here and here, in Spanish.)

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This day in NASA history

On this day (11 December) in 1972, the sixth and final manned mission (Apollo 17) lands on the Moon.

File:Apollo program.svg
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PSA: end gun manufacturer and distributor immunity

I am reblogging below my 2022 plea for the Congress to step up and repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act or PLCAA, which was signed into law by war criminal George W. Bush in 2005. In summary, this invidious law provides general immunity from lawsuits to federally-licensed firearms manufacturers, federally-licensed firearm dealers, and entities engaged in the business of selling ammunition at the wholesale or retail level. (Many States have also enacted similar laws that shield firearm and ammunition manufacturers, dealers from many kinds of traditional tort lawsuits.)

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Requiem for Patricia

My colleague and dear friend Patricia Navarro Velez was taken from us on 6 December, one of more than 40,000 people killed in gun violence in the U.S. so far this year. Here is the link to the verified GoFundMe campaign for her family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/62d9t-navarro-family

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In memoriam: Patricia Navarro Velez

Portrait of Patricia Navarro

I learned earlier today that Patricia Navarro Velez was one of the victims of the 6 December UNLV shooting. As it happens, I knew Dr Navarro Velez personally. She not only completed her PhD studies at my home institution, UCF; she was the first doctoral candidate to approach me and ask for my help on a research project she was working on. Our offices were just a few doors apart, and we met many times to discuss her work. She was just 39 years old.

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Advanced level Friday funnies: d65536

Here is a link to the original webcomic, via XKCD, and here is an explanation, via Anders Sandberg’s blog Andart 2.

d65536
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History of Economics Society Call for Papers

The History of Economics Society (HES) will hold its 51st meeting (and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Society) from July 14 to 18, 2024 in Santiago de Chile. (See here.) The deadline for submissions is 1 March 2024. (Alas, I may not be able to attend next year’s meeting as my family is planning to visit East Africa in June or July of 2024.)

The History of Economics Society
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