Assorted links

1. A fine British meditation on higher education disguised as a book review in the Financial Times.

2. The science of dinosaur sex. Maybe it is just me, but it sounds like the scientists are mostly making it up as they go along.

3. Ayn Rand on love. Seems to me that on the spectrum from complete self-sacrifice to complete selfishness, neither corner solution is optimal.

4. If you needed a reminder that generic republicans only care about the deficit when they are not in charge, here is another one.

5. Wise thoughts on the U.S. social safety net from Will Wilkinson. I would actually like to see a clearer distinction between insurance programs where the government's role is to eliminate moral hazard by forcing participation and transfer programs, where the government's role is to insure a minimum standard of living for those who cannot or will not provide one for themselves.

Hat tip on #2 and #4 to Charlie Brown. #3 is via Chris Blattman.