Coaches spend a great deal of time planning each possession in the last two minutes because these plays are closely scrutinized. Control that cannot be wielded throughout the game is certainly exerted as the clock winds down. “Clutch situations” define players and coaches and even though players perform at the levels consistent with their season-long statistics, they especially want to be known as someone who can succeed in these memorable moments. The free hand of basketball means that what a coach emphasizes when preparing for the last possession of a game will trickle down into the rest of the team’s …
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer
So often, documentaries are praised because they bring interesting information to light, not because of the director’s craft or production values. The documentary combines interviews with archival footage, mixing objective facts with subjective opinions. Viewers leave the theatre believing that they have been totally informed about the latest crisis which is about to erupt when in fact they were only shown highlights of one side of the issue. The works can still be a productive use of two hours but one must keep their critical thinking filters on at all times. At first glance, Client 9: The Rise and Fall …
Discourse on Documentaries, Part II: Education and Finance
The good documentary will chronicle the events which comprise an important issue, explaining exactly what is happening and outlining its significance. The excellent documentary will not only accomplish those goals but determine how the events transpired and suggest how the issue might be resolved. Due to the visual medium, it does not hurt to grab the audience’s attention with a hint of humour or a drop of drama. Two films – Waiting for Superman (**½) and The Inside Job (***½) – entertain and inform viewers. While both raise interesting questions, only one provides answers and proposes the next steps to …
Double Bill at the Royal Cinema, Part I: The Future of the Planet Seems to Be at Stake
Patrons of the Royal Cinema were treated this week to two esoteric films featuring two extraordinary gentlemen. Collapse: Michael Ruppert was an L.A.P.D. officer in the 1970s who blew the whistle on possible C.I.A. drug trafficking in the city. Since then, he has written several books about public policy and the dangers of excessive consumption. The film is essentially an eighty-minute interview, juxtaposing Ruppert’s thoughts with campy 1950s documentary footage. The reassuring Cold War era footage contrasts with the strong words expressed during the interview. It is a harsher version of Capitalism: A Love Story, taking the rhetoric to an …
Up in the Air
If Cary Grant had played Greg House, the result may have been Ryan Bingham, the protagonist of Jason Reitman’s new film Up in the Air. Short-changed by theatrical trailers, the film explores personal development and growth in the face adverse circumstances. Despite any uninspired first impressions you may have from the generic two minute trailer, the film merits another hour and forty minutes of your time. It is a witty comedic with a serious message. Hired by other companies who wish to terminate an employee but cannot handle the emotional and legal backlash, Bingham travels across the United States. He …
Capitalism: A Love Story
Michael Moore curses capitalism as “evil” and suggests it be supplanted by democracy. Such rhetoric is incendiary and inelegant. Capitalism is not a political system but an extreme on the economic spectrum. Capitalism and democracy are neither complements nor opposites. One does not preclude the other. To me, the economic spectrum is a medium with capitalism (supply and demand) one on side with socialism (a pure command economy) on the other. Society has become so complicated that only a mix of both concepts will satisfy every individual’s indulgent wants. I think that the political spectrum can range from democracy to …
Information, Uncertainty, Game Theory, and Quality
Tryouts are a case of adverse selection because coaches rarely have the opportunity to see a player’s complete skill set. It’s certainly a matter of imperfection information and coaches must develop signals that reliably reflect the ability of perspective team members. Sometimes teams make a draft pick because of “unlimited potential” or a “high ceiling”. This logic becomes absurd if it causes players who have been seen in greater detail (therefore exposing all of their skills and flaws) to be overlooked. In 2005 and 2006, Chris Paul and Brandon Roy were seen as the collegiate players most ready for the …
Cities
Recently, I read Jane Jacobs’ The Death and Life of Great American Cities and Jonathan Mahler’s Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning. Due to her residence in New York City for many years, Jacobs’ theory is illustrated by the real-life examples of politics, economics, and city planning recorded by Mahler in his study of 1977 Gotham. Both authors display a strong understanding of history and the events that have led to the current state of New York City. Unfortunately, both possess a rambling writing style that creates many excruciating chapters. Editors have jobs because they do good work. Written …
Babar is an Example of Bad Keynesian Economics
Though he remains a hero to children worldwide, Babar the Elephant is a terrible economist. Watching an episode of the Nelvana-animated television show documented his monarchy in the Kingdom of the Elephants, it became clear how his fiscal policy is a disaster waiting to happen. Major capital expenditures are required to bring the jungle up to modern standards of civilization and the ongoing war with King Retaxes and the rhinoceroses must be an enormous money pit. After fleeing to France after watching poachers kill his mother, Babar meets a kindly old lady, who unbeknownst to him is a fervent colonialist. …
Freakonomics
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt interesting book for the guy who likes to generate “controversial” discussions at parties. So sumo wrestlers cheat, drug dealers live with their parents, and real estate agents receive a higher closing price when they sell a house that they own themselves. OK. Steven Levitt delivers his arguments in a light, easy to read, slightly esoteric format. The economics are sound. Basically the pretence is that every individual is interested in maximising their utility. OK. The most contentious chapter concerns Levitt’s belief that the decline of the crime rate in the late 1990s was caused by …