Archive
May 31, 2009 - June 6, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 200906 Jun 2009 09:34 pm Faces Of The Day
Via Kottke, Charlie White contrasts pictures of teenage girls with portraits of pre-op transwomen. Andrew Womack reflects:
06 Jun 2009 07:53 pm How Do You Fix Pakistan?Ahmed Rashid's Pakistan dispatch from last month is harrowing: In Pakistan there is no such broad national identity or unity. Many young Balochs today are fiercely determined to create an independent Balochistan. The ethnic identities of people in the other provinces have become a driving force for disunity. The gap between the rich and poor has never been greater, and members of the Pakistani elite have rarely acted responsibly toward the less fortunate masses.
Continue reading "How Do You Fix Pakistan?" » 06 Jun 2009 06:27 pm The View From Your Window
Omaha, Nebraska, 8.47 pm 06 Jun 2009 05:25 pm Women’s Intuition - And RiskPivoting off an article by extreme mountain biker Shauna Stephenson, Lane Wallace thinks about gender and risk taking: Stephenson quotes Jody Radtke, program director for the Women’s Wilderness Institute in Boulder, CO, as saying that women aren’t necessarily more risk-adverse than men. However, she says, when faced with challenging situations, men tend to produce adrenaline, which makes them pump up and, as Stephenson puts it, “run around hollering like frat boys at a kegger.” But women, when faced with a similar situation, produce something called acetycholine. Which basically … makes them want to throw up. Consequently, because women don’t have the same chemical reward for confronting risky situations, they tend to rely on more calculated, cross-cranial decision-making before leaping into a risky endeavor.
06 Jun 2009 04:44 pm The Limits Of InnovationRyan Avent targets N&S: For some reason, the New Republic loves publishing (Ted) Nordhaus and Shellenberger. N&S have an extremely annoying, and in my view very mistaken, shtick — that environmentalists and lefties generally are foolish for trying to use regulations to help limit greenhouse gas emissions, and instead they should support massive investments in technology, the better to achieve epic breakthroughs that make reducing emissions painless. There are many things wrong with this line of thought, and so it’s very refreshing to see TNR’s excellent climate writer Brad Plumer taking a long hard look at the potential for breakthroughs to save our hides. In a nutshell, he concludes that deployment of existing but only marginally economically viable technologies, and small scale innovations are likely to be much more important than game-changing breakthroughs. It’s simply very difficult to get a totally new technology into usable, marketable products in less than two or three decades.
06 Jun 2009 04:20 pm Mental Health BreakWilliamsburg millennials mash up the music of Phoenix and the moves of The Breakfast Club:
06 Jun 2009 03:57 pm This Used To Be The FutureHugo Lindgren frets over the future economy. He talks with economist Gary Shilling: Shilling concedes that it’s quite possible that GDP growth will briefly tick positive, driven by the mere refilling of inventories and modest relief from epic declines in consumer spending. Optimists might hail this moment as the great recovery come at last, but Shilling warns us not to be fooled. The recovery will hardly feel like one, because the American consumer is changing. “Consumers are going on a savings spree for the first time in 25 years,” he says. “They’ve run out of borrowing power. They relied on their stocks in the eighties and nineties to put their kids through college, early retirement, a few trips around the world. That’s over.” Continue reading "This Used To Be The Future" » 06 Jun 2009 03:37 pm Fun With Tilt ShiftingA reader points us to this cool website, which you can use to mimic the tilt-shift effect. She did so with a recent window view:
Compare with the original after the jump: Continue reading "Fun With Tilt Shifting" » 06 Jun 2009 02:48 pm Paging Ms. StassinopoulosTNR has a fairly mean-spirited profile of Arianna Huffington. But buried under the needless Wieseltierian jabs are some decent insights: Huffington is one of those writers who mistakes press criticism for the entirety of social and political criticism. Her condescension toward the press is endless: "Someone please alert the media: not every issue fits into your cherished right/left paradigm. Indeed, that way of looking at the world is becoming less and less relevant--and more and more obsolete. And more and more dangerous." After reading these sentences, I checked the book's cover to make sure that I was reading a book called Right Is Wrong. That looks pretty binary to me. To understand Huffington's current place in the media universe, it is necessary to recall that a visceral dislike of the traditional press has always been the animating feature of so much of her work. Count me as an Arianna fan - since I first heard her on the radio in my high school days in England. She has the balls to change her own mind and ignore various establishments, even as she furiously attempts to construct her own. 06 Jun 2009 02:11 pm The Cannabis Closet: Chickening OutA reader writes:
06 Jun 2009 01:50 pm Is Oprah Bad For You?Earlier this week, the Dish pointed to Newsweek's battle against the daytime TV demigod. Here's the money quote: [T]the truth is, some of what Oprah promotes isn't good, and a lot of the advice her guests dispense on the show is just bad....Some of the many experts who cross her stage offer interesting and useful information (props to you, Dr. Oz). Others gush nonsense. Oprah, who holds up her guests as prophets, can't seem to tell the difference. Dr. John Grohol wonders if Oprah will respond: Continue reading "Is Oprah Bad For You?" » 06 Jun 2009 01:09 pm It's So Personal: What Do You Mean, Viable?A reader writes:
Continue reading "It's So Personal: What Do You Mean, Viable?" » 06 Jun 2009 12:15 pm The Case For Frustrating JournalismJulian Sanchez, as usual, is worth reading: What might be more helpful, at least in some instances, is an article that spends the same amount of space setting up the problem, and getting across exactly why it’s so difficult for brilliant and highly educated people to agree on an answer—especially when many people outside the field tend to have an opinion one way or another, and believe that they’re justified in holding it with some confidence. Continue reading "The Case For Frustrating Journalism" » 06 Jun 2009 11:17 am Open-Minded NeuroticsRich Florida added to Rauch's discussion of introverts and blogging by pointing to a University of Alabama study. It stated:
06 Jun 2009 10:30 am Cool Ad WatchStrolling through time:
06 Jun 2009 09:28 am Peak Car?Felix Salmon thinks we've reached it: If we’ve learned anything over the past decade, it’s that things can
stay at unsustainable levels for much longer than anybody might
imagine. And over the medium term, it’s far from obvious that auto
sales in the 9-10 million range are really as unsustainable as all
that. Not only don’t we need to get back to “a typical replacement
rate”; it’s actually very unlikely we will ever again see the rates of
car ownership that prevailed before the crash. That was a world of
3-car garages in exurban McMansions; we’re moving into a more
sustainable way of living, which involves fewer cars and higher urban
density. Ryan Avent has much more. 06 Jun 2009 08:37 am You're Doing Better Than You RealizeEzra Klein makes an interesting point: [M]ost workers think stagnant wages mean their employer is paying them less. They don't know that the main reason for stagnant wages is that their wage increases are going to pay for their health insurance premiums. If they did -- if they realized that compensation is pretty much a zero-sum endeavor and their employers don't so much buy them health insurance as garnish their wages to pay for their health insurance -- you'd probably see a lot more general anger at rising health care costs.
06 Jun 2009 07:35 am Ectopic "Miscarriage", CtdA reader writes:
Continue reading "Ectopic "Miscarriage", Ctd" » Friday, June 5, 200905 Jun 2009 07:59 pm Dissent Of The DayA reader writes: The blowing it out of proportion comment mirrors my own reaction to it -- I think that you've been rhapsodizing about the speech a little more than you should. Obama is going to have to deliver something substantial in order to show the islamic world he's serious. It seems pretty clear that the administration has picked settlement reform as the thing he's going to give to the Palestinians. And I think they're going to do it -- I've read that the administration has done a good job of getting democrats in congress on board, including many prominent Jewish members. A lot of hawks have been saying that diplomacy won't work. And I understand why they say that -- if your position is that the Muslims have no legitimate grievances, and the fact that they're upset just means they're crazy, there's not much to talk about. The point, though, is that it's not just about talking vs. fighting. You have to change your position in some fundamental sense in order to make talking possible. Obama is talking, and he's trying to change his position. A lot of Muslims are suspicious, and they're waiting to see what happens. People in the PA are definitely engaged and very pleased, though. The test will be what happens with the settlements. Continue reading "Dissent Of The Day" » 05 Jun 2009 07:55 pm What If Hezbollah Wins?Christian Brose mostly gave Obama's speech high marks. However: I can't help but feel frustrated that I've been watching Obama closely for more than two years now, and after an hour-long speech in Cairo today, I still don't have a clear read of which way he'll come down on the looming hard decisions for which there is no middle ground, try as he may to carve some out. He talked about violent extremist groups and democratic elections. Well, Hezbollah is about to win one (partly) in a few days. Then what? For more on Sunday's election in Lebanon, check out this article in the National about Hezbollah's political allies, in particular, the Free Patriotic Movement, a group that leads Lebanon's Christian population: Continue reading "What If Hezbollah Wins?" » 05 Jun 2009 07:00 pm That Ticking ClockA reader writes:
That clip on the hardships of the gay couple to stay together despite
the obstacles posed by the unfair immigration rules made me
choke. My ex-partner and I had been in their shoes. He is a US
citizen and I am not. You can literally hear the visa-expiration
clock tick in your head everyday, no matter how hard you try not to
listen to it. It is never normal for you how hard you try, as the
life you have built could be snatched away from you when your visa
expires. Mine ends for good (no more waivers possible) in March 2011. Tick, tock. 05 Jun 2009 06:57 pm Call Me When You Are SeriousDerek Thompson checks out the GOP's spending cut proposal: At nearly $2 trillion, the deficit is a monster. So the GOP has proposed
$375 billion of budget cuts to pare it down. That's the good news. The
bad news is that when you peak under the hood of the engine, you see
two big wrenches. 1) $317 billion of the estimated cuts is just a cap
on discretionary
spending, which is a make-believe item that will never pass Congress.
2) The new, actionable ideas amount to only $5 billion a year, which is
a hardy 0.3% of the estimated deficit. As the Cato Institute blog points out, if you're aiming to amputate billions of dollars off the budget, why keep defense spending off the operating table Derek also writes about some of the non-crazy ideas in the proposal. 05 Jun 2009 06:38 pm U2 vs PSBsA reader writes:
I know you're not a big fan of rock music, but your hints at getting Chris Lowe to bite on a feud with Bono is interesting.
From what I know from all of the history of the two groups, there is some mutual admiration going on.
U2 was in the middle of exploring electronic music in a big way when PSB's released their cover. In fact, U2 loved it so much that they re-worked "Streets" to have more of a club-vibe when they performed it on their 1997-1998 PopMart tour (which, by the way, was designed by the band's longtime--and openly gay--set designer who has designed all of their cutting edge sets from ZOOTV onward). U2 has never been afraid to embrace their non-masculine arty side. Continue reading "U2 vs PSBs" » 05 Jun 2009 06:20 pm Pummeling StrawmenPivoting off Paul Krugman and Niall Ferguson, Daniel Gross whacks my brand of fiscal conservatism: In evaluating the relative claims of the pessimists and the optimists,
you also have to evaluate the messengers. And in this instance, the
Fergusonians lack credibility. H.L. Mencken tagged the Puritans as
people possessed of the "haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be
happy." Ferguson represents a strain of intellectual Toryism bedeviled
by the haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be getting social
insurance. (Fellow sufferers include Clive Crook,
Andrew Sullivan, and George Will.) Their solution to the problem of
large deficits always seems to be to cut entitlements and never to
raise taxes. Actually, my main fear is that someone somewhere is getting social insurance who does not need it and the provision of which adds to the debt, increases taxation, hurts legitimate government functions, and depresses economic growth. And my larger fear is that Medicare has been legislated but not funded. It's easy to put these entitlements on a credit card, as Bush did, and pretend they don't exist. But they do - and at some point we need to have a frank discussion about how to pay for them. I'd live with some tax increases if, and only if, they are accompanied by a real dent on entitlement spending. 05 Jun 2009 05:51 pm The Employment Dive
Yglesias notes the intensity of the job losses. Madland explores them. 05 Jun 2009 05:45 pm Life vs. LivingA reader writes:
Continue reading "Life vs. Living" » 05 Jun 2009 05:39 pm "No One Can Change The Past But We Can Change The Future"Know hope: 05 Jun 2009 05:34 pm Hillary vs BibiThe stand-off continues: "There is no memorialization of any informal and oral agreements. If they did occur, which of course people say they did, they did not become part of the official position of the United States government," Clinton said at a news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. "And there are contrary documents that suggest that they were not to be viewed as in any way contradicting the obligations that Israel undertook pursuant to the road map." she added. "And those obligations are very clear." 05 Jun 2009 05:12 pm A Tory Landslide, But ...In the British local elections, 32 of 34 results are now in. The Tories won 28 of them; Labour won none. Brown is vowing to hang on, despite another nasty resignation letter from another minister, this time accusing him of sexism. But the Tories, despite their win, are weaker when you look deeper: The BBC projected the share of the national vote as Tory 38, Lib Dem 28 and Labour 23, which is less than the Tories need if Labour recovers ahead of an election expected next summer. It is also lower proportion than they have been achieving in opinion polls, which is surprising given that they should fare best of all in the shires where Thursday's contests took place. 05 Jun 2009 05:11 pm Jim Leach Follows McHugh... and Gates and Huntsman and LaHood and Specter. The center-right inclusion in Obama's team deepens all the time - while people watch Sean Hannity shock-off with Rush Limbaugh on Fox. 05 Jun 2009 05:06 pm Thinking About The Public PlanMankiw has a few questions about the public plan aspect of healthcare reform:
Continue reading "Thinking About The Public Plan" » 05 Jun 2009 04:51 pm When She's Right ... II"[S]crew political correctness," - Sarah Palin. 05 Jun 2009 04:42 pm The View From Your Recession, CtdA reader writes:
Continue reading "The View From Your Recession, Ctd" » 05 Jun 2009 04:33 pm Christianism WatchA Kentucky pastor is organizing a bring-your-guns-to-church service. I'm not sure what this has to do with the message of the Gospels, but as we know, Christianists also favor torture. 05 Jun 2009 04:24 pm Conor Friedersdork?Mark Levin is in fine form. 05 Jun 2009 04:20 pm Mental Health Break
Taxi Taxi : Fifty Three from Ian Hutchinson on Vimeo. 05 Jun 2009 04:08 pm Conservatives For Ending The Gay BanThe new Gallup poll shows even more progress on persuading the American public to allow qualified and honest gay servicemembers to be in the military. The biggest shift in the last few years has been an upswing in support from conservatives and weekly church-goers: While liberals and Democrats remain the most supportive, the biggest
increase in support has been among conservatives and weekly churchgoers
-- up 12 and 11 percentage points, respectively.
05 Jun 2009 03:51 pm Subsidizing National SuicideGershom Gorenberg dispatches the Israeli settlement "natural growth" canard: Settlement homes aren't quite the giveaways they were a few years ago. But they are still cheap, subsidized housing that continues to draw Israelis to move to the West Bank. In 2007, the last year for which there are official figures, the settlement population (not including annexed East Jerusalem) grew by 14,500 people. Of that growth, 37 percent was due to veteran Israelis or new immigrants moving to occupied territory. The "natural growth" argument is intended to cover up the continued, state-backed effort to encourage this migration.
05 Jun 2009 03:26 pm Chart Of The Day
In response to Sarah Palin's new found fiscal conservatism, Conor Clarke made a graph: Whatever else might be said about Sarah Palin, I hope we can all agree that there's absolutely no reason to take her seriously as a fiscal conservative. In particular, that line about "industrious Americans" succeeded and failing of their own accord made me want to take a look at the federal dollars Alaska receives per resident relative to its federal tax burden.
05 Jun 2009 03:13 pm Blowing It Out Of Proportion?Andrew Exum, yesterday: Does anyone else get the sense that Obama’s big speech in Cairo today is a bigger deal in the Western world than it is in the Arabic-speaking and Islamic worlds? The speech is only the #2 story on al-Jazeera right now, behind the clash between Palestinian security forces and Hamas in Qalqilya.
05 Jun 2009 02:57 pm 30 Percent Of Republicans Don't Like LimbaughA nugget from the new Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll. Independents favor Sotomayor by 57 to 25 percent. 05 Jun 2009 02:53 pm For Hard-Core Petheads: The Lowe Interview In FullThe second installment, this time with the often under-appreciated Chris Lowe:
Continue reading "For Hard-Core Petheads: The Lowe Interview In Full" » 05 Jun 2009 02:52 pm Maybe Max Blumenthal Wasn't ExaggeratingNews from the settler movement in Judea and Samaria: One of the activists said of Obama, "He's an Arab Muslim and a gentile, he is fighting against the Jewish people and has declared that he will continue to do so. We already stated our intention to continue to build, no matter who is fighting us - Egypt, Germany or the US." Among the 200 activists that gathered at the Maoz Esther site was Hebron-Kiryat Arba Chief Rabbi Dov Lior, who explained why peace was impossible in the Middle East. "It's all illusions. With these savages, there was never peace, there is no peace and there will not be peace," he said. "It's not because we don't want it, but because they are enemies of peace. We just have to hope that our entire country is cleared of terrorists, their supporters, their backers and their camels. They should all be sent to Saudi Arabia." 05 Jun 2009 02:48 pm Netanyahu-Barak-Livni?You watch. It's coming.
05 Jun 2009 02:39 pm The Pledge“I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no bases, and no claim on their territory or resources. Iraq's sovereignty is its own. And that's why I ordered the removal of our combat brigades by next August. That is why we will honor our agreement with Iraq's democratically elected government to remove combat troops from Iraqi cities by July, and to remove all of our troops from Iraq by 2012,” - president Obama, today. 05 Jun 2009 02:33 pm What Guilt?, CtdA reader writes:
Another argues along similar lines: Continue reading "What Guilt?, Ctd" » 05 Jun 2009 02:30 pm For Hard-Core Petheads: The Tennant Interview In FullThat Out interview I did with the Pet Shop Boys has been quite a hit with the die-hard fans. So I might a well provide the entire thing. The full interview was in two parts - with Neil and Chris separately (to avoid the classic Neil chit-chat followed by Chris one-liners). It's probably not for anyone not addicted to their music and life and style, but it's crack for a few. Yes, I cannot interview them except as a fan, but if you can get past the cloying schoolgirl fawning, there's some good stuff in here. The video above, by the way, is by Derek Jarman, one of the first PSB classics. So here goes. Neil first:
Continue reading "For Hard-Core Petheads: The Tennant Interview In Full" » 05 Jun 2009 02:18 pm The Other Side Of The Abortion ExperienceA reader writes:
Continue reading "The Other Side Of The Abortion Experience" » 05 Jun 2009 01:49 pm When She's Right ...Malkin is pretty much on point here, I'd say:
I plead guilty, but not out of deliberate bias. The Tiller story gripped this blog and its readers and the Cairo speech dominated the rest of the week. But I should have done better. I agree that both crimes are terrorism, and that they deserve equal concern and scrutiny. 05 Jun 2009 01:46 pm "Where Is Home For Me?"It is hard to convey the stress and heart-ache of committed couples from different countries, denied the right to marry or to sponsor their spouses for citizenship. But this couple does. Most other Western countries allow for homosexual citizens not to have to choose between the love of their life and their country. Not America. Not yet.
May 31, 2009 - June 6, 2009
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