Environmental Economics

It's Preakness Week

John grew up in the hoity-toity land of Derby Hats and Mint Juleps. Me? Well...here's a walk down memory lane (Some potentially NSFW content).

 

John vs the field

In honor of the Kentucky Derby and one of John's favorite pasttimes (indie bands) here's a quiz to see if you can identify whether each entry in a horse or an indie band.  Post your results in the comment section.  I got 13.

 

My friend has good seats

NIT Challenge final results

Since Baylor won (I chose them since they beat UK):

Combined with the previous results:

• John - 20
• Tim - 19
• Pete - 17

"John" (i.e., me) narrowly edges "Tim" with "Pete" a close third. Yet, how can we not conclude that we're all winners today?

And, no BS, I picked the last 11 games correctly using the same system I use in the NCAA tournament (favorite colors, mascots, friends working the school, friends as alumni, etc). I think I'll take that system to Vegas for the 2014 NIT.

NIT Challenge: semis results and final game

Here are the results from the two semifinals games:

I'm making an impressive run with 10 correct picks in the last 10 games. Here are the updated standings:

It all seems so rigged, I know. 

And here is the form for the finals (could it get any more exciting?):

As a sports fan and an advocate for kids playing sports and the lessons that can be learned through sports, this is good to see...

As a basketball player at Ohio State, I am both proud and honored that our university follows our sport the way they do. It is a privilege to play for Ohio State, to be a part of winning the Big Ten Tournament this year, and to have made it to the Elite Eight.

I know that athletes in other sports that do not get much press coverage are also winning championships. Just two weekends ago, Logan Stieber won his second-consecutive national championship in his weight class in wrestling, and senior Marco Canevari marked the Scarlet and Gray’s single individual champion title in fencing by securing the gold medal in men’s epee on March 22. A day later, gymnasts Sarah Miller and Aly Marohn captured the Big Ten championship on the balance beam.

Last Tuesday, The Lantern featured an article in which athletic director Gene Smith talked about how Ohio State isn’t just a football school. He talked about the success of our basketball team. It would be good to remember that in the other sports, there is a lot of success too.

All athletes at Ohio State work very hard at being the best they can be at their sport. I wish that all athletes could receive the attention that our football and basketball teams get. They all deserve to be celebrated.

Deshaun Thomas
Third-year in sports management
thomas.2366@osu.edu

via www.thelantern.com

Second round NIT Challenge: results and semifinals

This must be the most poorly run NIT Challenge in the country. I've managed to miss the first game of the second round and the entire quarterfinals (I blame autocorrect). Don't you wish those entry fees weren't nonrefundable?

Here are the second round results:

The updated standings are (that's right, I picked every second round game correct ... even Maryland!): 

Here is the form for the semifinals:

All of a sudden I'm pulling for the Gators

Actually, I hate to admit it but I have been since the tourney started (got to support the SEC...don't tell Ropicki), but this seals the deal:

If you’re wondering how Florida Gulf Coast University became the first 15th seed in the history of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament to advance to the Sweet 16, look no further than the ur-text of the school’s economics department: Atlas Shrugged.

Embedded in this long, ponderous novel—required reading for all undergraduate economics and finance majors at FGCU—is the formula for transforming your college from a bunch of trailers on a swamp into the most talked-about school in the country. It’s simple, really. All you need to do is practice what Ayn Rand called “rational self-interest.”

via deadspin.com

Yes, Ayn Rand invented rational self-interest.

Here's more. One thing these simplifications miss is that most all economists teach free market capitalism. But, at some point most economists acknowledge that there are certain situations where markets fail to allocate resources efficiently. 

Here is one more written by an economics faculty member comparing FGCU's coach to Hayek. Weird coincidence, I'm working on a piece comparing John Calipari to Joseph Schumpeter ... creative destruction and all that. 

Florida Gulf Coast is Env-Econ's kind of school

Southwest Florida and the FGCU campus contain beautiful environments where people can be closer to the natural world and the wildlife within it. Our campus is located on 760 acres with over 400 acres of carefully restored and preserved wetlands and uplands that are home to a variety of wildlife - some of which are listed by state and federal agencies as Endangered, Threatened, or Species of Special Concern.

via www.fgcu.edu

That and they have a frickin' beach.

 

NIT Challenge round 1 results