Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Let's Make a Deal

http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/07/understanding-obama

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2011/07/dumbfounded.php

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/mitch-mcconnells-surprising-proposal-to-empower-barack-obama/2011/07/11/gIQA4RDBBI_blog.html

More on National Default

Next time you hear an American politician suggest we're going to turn out like Greece, keep this in mind.

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2011/07/11/110711ta_talk_surowiecki

Should China be 'contained'? - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

Should China be 'contained'? - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

Getting Serious about Taxes

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/05/us/05wilmington.html

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/07/05/us/wilmington-budget.html?WT.mc_id=GN-D-I-NYT-MOD-MOD-M209-ROS-0711-L2&WT.mc_ev=click

The Media Problem

http://www.slate.com/id/2298871/

A Mental Health Check List

http://www.slate.com/id/2298453/

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Reading about Food

http://thebrowser.com/interviews/steven-kaplan-on-history-food?page=1

On Fidelity

http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/can-handsome-men-stay-faithful/

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/beautiful-minds/201105/why-do-people-resist-the-temptation-cheat

Paul Ryan’s $350 Plan for Economic Expansion (you still don't get a job)

Paul Ryan’s $350 Bottle of Wine

How to Become an American (without ever being here)

http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/05/indian-call-center-americanization

New Democracies: Avoiding American Mistakes

http://www.juancole.com/2011/07/10-ways-arab-democracies-can-avoid-american-mistakes.html

Insight & Intuition

http://edge.org/conversation/insight

Barack Obama: Wall Street's Errand Boy?

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/frank-rich-blasts-obama-20110706

Friday, July 8, 2011

The New Atlantis » Why the Arabic World Turned Away from Science

The New Atlantis » Why the Arabic World Turned Away from Science

Syria: U.S. Ambassador Visits Hama

Syria: U.S. Ambassador Visits Hama

Some Combat Reports from the Class War

http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-chait/91605/man-jailed-cashing-check

http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-things-nobody-tells-you-about-being-poor/

Life under Slavery Was Better than Life Under Obama

Bachmann signs anti-porn, anti-sharia pledge

The Final Shuttle

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/2011/04/12/nasa_spaceflight_future_government_robots

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/7150e5de-5b37-11e0-b2a1-00144feab49a.html#axzz1RWCTy3bG

http://www.esquire.com/features/human-space-flight-0209

Debt Negotiations Get Serious - The Atlantic

Debt Negotiations Get Serious - The Atlantic

The Free Market at Work (I think)

http://economix3.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/bristol-palin-and-how-society-establishes-value/?src=twrhp

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Pork-Hustling House Republicans Make The Case For Infrastructure Spending

Pork-Hustling House Republicans Make The Case For Infrastructure Spending

Michele Bachmann’s ‘Constitutional Conservatism': The Hidden Meaning | The New Republic

Michele Bachmann’s ‘Constitutional Conservatism': The Hidden Meaning | The New Republic

Behind the Scenes, Christian Right Leaders Rally Behind Rick Perry

Behind the Scenes, Christian Right Leaders Rally Behind Rick Perry

The Republican Plan for Destroying the American Economy

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/07/why-cant-the-gop-get-to-yes/241437/

http://www.frumforum.com/default-will-extract-a-political-price-from-the-gop

http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2011/07/americas-debt-ceiling-0

GOP Politicians and Policy Basics

GOP Politicians and Policy Basics

I Want to Be President So I Can Shut Down the Government!

http://hotair.com/archives/2011/07/05/another-t-paw-ad-in-iowa/

You Are a Host

Discovering my microbiome: “You, my friend, are a wonderland”

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Barbecue & the Rise of Civilization

 http://www.common-place.org/vol-11/no-03/reviews/albala.shtml

http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/lifestyle/lysandra-ohrstrom/barbecue-competition

http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/conversations/porphyry-ted-nugent.php

What Does It Mean to Be the Other Woman?

http://www.thesmartset.com/article/article06281102.aspx

What Does It Mean to Be a Woman?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jun/24/feminism-21st-century-zoe-williams

David Foster Wallace & the Search for Transcendence

http://www.thesmartset.com/article/article06241101.aspx

The Final Space Shuttle

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-shuttle-astronauts-20110703,0,1779953,full.story

An Economic Story

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hiltzik-20110703,0,1163343.column

Religion and Globalization

http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67909/karen-barkey/secularism-and-its-discontents?page=show

Friday, July 1, 2011

What Does the Word "Worse" Mean?

Romney Repeatedly Said Obama ‘Made The Recession Worse,’ Now Claims ‘I Didn’t Say That Things Are Worse’:


http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2011_06/those_desperate_to_turn_back_t030264.php

Constitutional Myth #6: The Second Amendment Allows Citizens to Threaten Government - The Atlantic

Constitutional Myth #6: The Second Amendment Allows Citizens to Threaten Government - The Atlantic

In South Korea or in the U.S., Educational Excellence Isn't Enough - The Atlantic

In South Korea or in the U.S., Educational Excellence Isn't Enough - The Atlantic

America's Imprudent Obsession With the Muslim World - The Atlantic

America's Imprudent Obsession With the Muslim World - The Atlantic

Republicans Reject Republican Budget Proposals (& I cannot make this stuff up)

http://rortybomb.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/republicans-reject-the-republican-offer-on-deficit-cutting-mix-or-democrats-propose-the-aei-plan-on-tax-increases-vs-spending-cuts/

Sonic, Burger King, other fast-food chains selling alcohol - USATODAY.com

Sonic, Burger King, other fast-food chains selling alcohol - USATODAY.com

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

More Bad Economic Predictions

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/29/i-m-f-offers-a-different-take-on-u-s-growth/?ref=business

The High Costs of Wrongful Convictions

The High Costs of Wrongful Convictions

The Deficit War

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/how-you-know-the-negotiations-have-truly-failed/2011/05/19/AG13r5qH_blog.html?wprss=ezra-klein


http://www.frumforum.com/obama-is-capitulating-on-the-debt-crisis

What Bin Laden Won: $4.4 Trillion in War Costs

What Bin Laden Won: $4.4 Trillion in War Costs

A Very Interesting Map

Younger Americans On The Decline:

A Wise Investment Strategy?

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/06/29/a-new-investment-strategy-preparing-for-end-times/?hp

Give Coburn And Lieberman A Chance | The New Republic

Give Coburn And Lieberman A Chance | The New Republic

We Don't Need any Advice from any Smart-pants Economists!

 235 Economists, Including Six Nobel Prize Winners, Call For Clean, Immediate Debt Ceiling Increase:

The Republican Jobs Program

CHART: States That Cut The Most Spending Have Lost The Most Jobs:

The Debt Ceiling: A Constitutional Perspective

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/28/14th-amendment-debt-ceiling-unconstitutional-democrats_n_886442.html

Things Really Are Different?

http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2011/06/growth

How the Dead Vote

http://www.slate.com/id/2297897/

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

This Is the Socialist Nightmare Barack Obama Wants to Impose on America!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/science/earth/27traffic.html?pagewanted=all

Obama Has Finally Become Dick Cheney - The Atlantic

Obama Has Finally Become Dick Cheney - The Atlantic

A Couple of Police Officers Facing Some Trouble

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/06/28/ar-15-left-sitting-on-trunk-of-seattle-police-car

Becoming an American Citizen

My Turn: Simon Winchester on Becoming an American Citizen - Newsweek

More on the Risk of Conflict with China

The American Conservative

Hegemony with Chinese Characteristics | The National Interest

Hegemony with Chinese Characteristics | The National Interest

Speaking Truth to Power?

http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2011/06/24/the-failure-of-al-gore-part-one/


http://www.thedaily.com/page/2011/06/24/062411-opinions-column-gore-salam-1-3/

No More Religion?

http://www.statesman.com/life/faith/author-offers-evolutionary-explanation-for-religion-1546961.html?viewAsSinglePage=true

This Explains Everything

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3cJ6xVkLuk&feature=player_embedded#at=40

Who Pays Taxes, and Who Doesn't

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/julyaugust_2011/features/20000_leagues_under_the_state030498.php


http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/who-doesnt-pay-federal-income-taxes-legally/#more-116417

Miss America Teaches Science

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/06/24/miss-usa-contestants-on-teaching-evolution/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CosmicVarianceBlog+%28Cosmic+Variance%29

Are You Tired?

http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/06/speedup-americans-working-harder-charts

http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/06/stories-overworked-americans?page=1

Monday, June 27, 2011

Five Reasons Why Romneycare Is Working

Five Reasons Why Romneycare Is Working:

2012: How Obama Can Mobilize His Liberal Base - Newsweek

2012: How Obama Can Mobilize His Liberal Base - Newsweek

Obama's Sweet Spot | Democratic Strategist

Obama's Sweet Spot | Democratic Strategist

Tax Planning You Can Use (If You're Rich Enough)

The Tax Law that Can Make Your Kids Super Rich

Sex & Highway Repair -- It Makes More Sense than You Think

http://jezebel.com/5815619/women-withhold-sex-until-road-is-fixed

Herman Cain in Iowa: Politics With a Side of Fast-Food Know-How - The Atlantic

Herman Cain in Iowa: Politics With a Side of Fast-Food Know-How - The Atlantic

Gay Marriage: Two Views

http://spectator.org/blog/2011/06/25/why-gay-marriage-equality-is-b#


http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/06/red-alert-your-marriage-is-in-danger-from-the-gays/241068/

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Forgetting How to Read

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/johann-hari/johann-hari-how-to-survive-the-age-of-distraction-2301851.html

Churchill, the Welfare State, and the Forgotten Lessons of History

The Forgotten Churchill

Everything is Interesting

Everything is Interesting

Plagiarism: A Dialogue

http://thenewinquiry.com/post/6797940267/the-history-of-dialogue-other-peoples-papers

What to Live For

 http://www.inspirationandchai.com/Regrets-of-the-Dying.html


http://rationallyspeaking.blogspot.com/2011/06/five-top-regrets-of-dying-people.html

Al Gore Speaks (or does he?)

http://www.slate.com/id/2297683/pagenum/all/#p2

An Energy Hop You Don't Know About

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/us/26cable.html?_r=1&hp=&pagewanted=all

Saturday, June 25, 2011

The Costs of War

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/25/137414737/among-the-costs-of-war-20b-in-air-conditioning

Help Me Lord

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/arts/music/new-online-services-offer-hope-to-music-fans.html?hpwz

What Is Real?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2011/jun/24/alien-abduction-evolution-creationism

Get Connected

http://www.fastcompany.com/1760834/the-wi-rich-get-wi-richer-south-koreas-seoul-to-add-free-municipal-wi-fi


http://www.focus.com/briefs/mobile-wireless/most-connected-cities/

The Post-Book World

http://craigmod.com/journal/post_artifact/

http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2011/06/post-artifact_b.php

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/06/what-big-media-can-learn-from-the-new-york-public-library/240565/

A Pessimistic Prediction

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/no-matters-who-wins-the-debt-showdown-we-lose/2011/05/19/AG0RWOjH_blog.html?wprss=ezra-klein

A Rare Situation Where Republicans Are Right!

Whew! We're So Glad the World's Governments Released an Extra 18 Hours of Global Oil Consumption - The Atlantic

Will Digital Reading Entirely Replace Print? - The Atlantic

Will Digital Reading Entirely Replace Print? - The Atlantic

Gary Shteyngart's Super Sad Blueprint for a Post-Literate Future - The Atlantic

Gary Shteyngart's Super Sad Blueprint for a Post-Literate Future - The Atlantic

More on Problems in the Criminal Justice System

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/24/myths-of-criminal-justice-part-three_n_883935.html

Thursday, June 23, 2011

n+1: Against Reviews

n+1: Against Reviews

Indonesian ban on workers to Saudi Arabia - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English

Indonesian ban on workers to Saudi Arabia - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English

Campaign 2012: Mitt Romney's Electability | The New Republic

Campaign 2012: Mitt Romney's Electability | The New Republic

How To (Temporarily) Survive a Debtpocalypse

How To (Temporarily) Survive a Debtpocalypse:

Accounting for War

http://blogs.reuters.com/gregg-easterbrook/2011/06/22/unemployment-is-the-real-price-of-war/

Bad Animals

http://animalsbeingdicks.com/

Obama's Governing Philosophy

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/06/obama-and-gay-marriage.html


http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/change-we-can-facilitate-in/2011/05/19/AGwy12fH_blog.html?wprss=ezra-klein

Size Matters?

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/susanorlean/2011/06/the-too-big-house.html

Inmates at San Quentin State Prison learn integrity through tennis - Tennis - SI.com

Inmates at San Quentin State Prison learn integrity through tennis - Tennis - SI.com

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

When People Get Cause-and-Effect Wrong

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/20/137302172/op-ed-bias-death-prompted-shoddy-legislation

Nearly Everything Will Destroy Your Marriage - National - The Atlantic Wire

Nearly Everything Will Destroy Your Marriage - National - The Atlantic Wire

Marriage is hopeless; divorce is inevitable.

Nearly Everything Will Destroy Your Marriage - National - The Atlantic Wire

Nearly Everything Will Destroy Your Marriage - National - The Atlantic Wire

New York's H&H Bagels Is Closing: A Pop Culture History - National - The Atlantic Wire

New York's H&H Bagels Is Closing: A Pop Culture History - National - The Atlantic Wire

The Mystery of the Falling Crime Rate

http://reason.com/archives/2011/06/20/the-crime-rate-puzzle

Life Guidance

http://www.bookforum.com/inprint/018_02/7816

TNR Summer Reading List | The New Republic

TNR Summer Reading List | The New Republic

Debt Ceiling Hostage Update | The New Republic

Debt Ceiling Hostage Update | The New Republic

A Scary Chart

http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/06/20/charts-of-the-day-the-rise-in-structural-unemployment/

Tax Cuts in the Real World

http://capitalgainsandgames.com/blog/bruce-bartlett/2276/no-gov-pawlenty-tax-cuts-dont-pay-themselves?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CapitalGainsAndGames+%28Capital+Gains+and+Games+-+Wall+Street%2C+Washington%2C+and+Everything+in+Between%29

Sunday, June 19, 2011

A Plea for Justice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9nG5D3iFb8&feature=player_embedded#at=58

The Facebook Mirror - Inside Higher Ed

The Facebook Mirror - Inside Higher Ed

Sarah Palin and the ‘Forbidden Boyfriend’ - Interview - National Review Online

Sarah Palin and the ‘Forbidden Boyfriend’ - Interview - National Review Online

Hitchens on Getting Ready to Leave the Party

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9da_1307985183

Clarence Clemons (1942-2011)

 http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/06/bloodbrother-clarence-clemons-1942-2011.html


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/20/arts/music/clarence-clemons-much-more-than-springsteens-sideman.html?hp

The Search for the Historical Adam | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

The Search for the Historical Adam | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Which Company Will Be Around in 100 Years -- Apple or Microsoft?

http://www.economist.com/node/18805483

Saudi Arabia: A Funny Place?

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/world/middleeast/12saudi.html?ref=television&pagewanted=all

A Photo Essay on Vinyl

http://www.dangerousminds.net/comments/famous_people_hanging_out_with_their_vinyl/

A Two-Minute Economics Lecture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTzMqm2TwgE&feature=player_embedded

Barack Obama Finally Gets Tough (on his daughter's prospective boyfriends)

Barack Obama Will Unleash The Secret Service On His Daughters’ Boyfriends:

One Book List Leads to Another

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jun/14/100-greatest-non-fiction-books

http://6thfloor.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/17/as-if-you-dont-have-enough-to-read/

Conversing with Dolphins

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/translation-technology-may-let-humans-speak-with-dolphins/

Thinking About the Next Economic Bubble

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/06/can-we-prevent-the-next-bubble/

Health Care and Fairness

http://themonkeycage.org/blog/2011/06/10/fairness-equality-and-public-opinion-about-health-care/

The Wedding Dress Project

http://www.leticiavalverdes.com/projects/the-wedding-dress/

Some Summer Reading Stories

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jun/17/best-holiday-reads

Does heritability of political orientation matter?

Does heritability of political orientation matter?

Repairing the Economy: A Short History Lesson

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/18/opinion/18nocera.html?_r=1&hp

Friday, June 17, 2011

Unemployment’s Toll On The Employed

Unemployment’s Toll On The Employed:

Really Doing Something to Promote Freedom

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kNEsw0Aj2U&feature=player_embedded#at=46

Rick Perry: Why He’s Not The Man To Save The GOP | The New Republic

Rick Perry: Why He’s Not The Man To Save The GOP | The New Republic

Earth Needs Women! (or at least Asia does)

http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2011/06/12/unnatural_selection_interview/index.html

U.S. Congress Finally Challenges George W. Bush (about 2 & 1/2 years too late)

House GOP Flip-Flops On Signing Statements:

Expanded Weather Report

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/17/opinion/17baker.html?src=rechp

Towards Sustainable Economics

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/17/making-choices-as-if-the-future-matters/?hp

More Research Needs to Be Done (& in this case, it could be beneficial)

http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/06/magic-mushrooms-safe-still-illegal

Building Better Rat Brains

Building Better Rat Brains:

Tomatoes: It's Worse than You Think

http://www.gilttaste.com/stories/572-Barry+Estabrook+Tomatoland

Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Power Structure in Al Qaeda

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/06/zawahiri-at-the-helm.html

On Not Learning from History (even your own history)

http://www.slate.com/id/2296998/pagenum/all

Conservatives' Campaign To Take Down Mitt Romney | The New Republic

Conservatives' Campaign To Take Down Mitt Romney | The New Republic

Mitt Romney's Ongoing Attempt to Join the Human Race.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-day-of-awkwardness-with-mitt-romney/2011/06/14/AGApq6UH_story.html

Movie Studio Unfamiliar With Definition Of "Glacial" | The New Republic

Movie Studio Unfamiliar With Definition Of "Glacial" | The New Republic

This appears NOT to be from The Onion.

Grover Norquist Vs. Tom Coburn | The New Republic

Grover Norquist Vs. Tom Coburn | The New Republic

More proof what happens in high school determines the remainder of your life.

Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck -- Literally.

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/a-look-at-how-many-calories-1-will-buy/

People Who Really Hate America!

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/more-americans-are-renouncing-citizenship/#more-115379

Hot Chicks Go Cruising!

http://vimeo.com/24195442

More News for Those Interesting in Turning Up the Heat!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/good-news-for-girls-who-have-no-sex-appeal

National Survey Results In: Where You Can Go for Some Hot Action!

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/06/northeasterners-have-most-sex/38898/

Outsiders vs. Insiders: The Struggle for the GOP's Soul

Outsiders vs. Insiders: The Struggle for the GOP's Soul

This is a pretty grim assessment of the upcoming election season.

John Edwards -- Happy to Be Arrested?

http://jezebel.com/5812424/weirdly-happy-john-edwards-poses-for-mug-shot

This probably says something important about his character, but who knows what that would be.

How Can We Get Willpower Back Once It Has Been Depleted?

How Can We Get Willpower Back Once It Has Been Depleted?

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

A Few Educational Moments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4aqkpbZcq4&feature=player_embedded

Low Productivity At The Movies

Low Productivity At The Movies:

Michele Bachmann's Unrivaled Extremism

Michele Bachmann's Unrivaled Extremism

A Preview of President Romney

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2011/06/2012

Off the Charts Blog | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | Blog Archive | Pawlenty’s High-End Tax Cuts Dwarf Even Those of President Bush

Off the Charts Blog | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | Blog Archive | Pawlenty’s High-End Tax Cuts Dwarf Even Those of President Bush

These are some really BIG tax cuts!   If you're wealthy enough to get them.

More Proof of America's Great Health Care System

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/life-expectancy-in-the-us-varies-widely-by-region-and-in-some-places-is-decreasing/2011/06/13/AGdHuZVH_story.html

Tea party group offers summer camp - St. Petersburg Times

Tea party group offers summer camp - St. Petersburg Times

Google Knows All

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=t99BfDnBZcI#at=27

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Investing in Philosophy

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I Know It's Already Tanked at the Box Office, But Can You Ever Give Enough Warnings about Ayn Rand?

Article | First Things

Senate Republicans Abandon Norquist | The New Republic

Senate Republicans Abandon Norquist | The New Republic

This could be the signal of a future change in the Republican nightmare -- you've got to get rid of Norquist before the Republicans start to be able to approach reality again.

The New Hampshire Debate: Who Can Catch Mitt Romney? | The New Republic

The New Hampshire Debate: Who Can Catch Mitt Romney? | The New Republic

Rare Photos Inside a Ukrainian Interrogation Room - Newsweek

Rare Photos Inside a Ukrainian Interrogation Room - Newsweek

The Sound of Tim Pawlenty Sinking

Pawlenty’s Poor Debate Showing Risks Donor Flight

Who Are We Fighting?

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/can-we-afford-the-military-budget/

The Conan O'Brien Graduation Speech (at Dartmouth)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmDYXaaT9sA&feature=player_embedded

This Is a Pretty Depressing Conclusion

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/arts/people-argue-just-to-win-scholars-assert.html?hp=&pagewanted=all

I Hadn't Realized America's Superheroes Were Trapped in a Nihilistic, Meaningless Hell!

http://resnikoff.wordpress.com/2011/06/13/superhell/

I Think This Does the Best Possible Job of Sizing Up the Republican Debate

http://radiofreebabylon.blogspot.com/2011/06/let-shallow-analyzation-begin.html

Tort Reform

http://theincidentaleconomist.com/wordpress/meme-busting-tort-reform-cost-control-2/

Make sure you look at the pie chart.

Is Rep. Wiener Sick or Stupid? (And we know stupidity can't be cured)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303714704576383510579931944.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_MIDDLETopOpinion

What Really Matters for Growth (It’s Not Tax Rates)

What Really Matters for Growth (It’s Not Tax Rates)

Monday, June 13, 2011

A (Global) Weather Report

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/13/extreme-weather-flooding-droughts-fires

A Good Story about a Young Dirk Nowitzki (& other young basketball players)

http://www.slate.com/?id=2296869

Dirk Nowitzki And The Virtues Of Immigration

Dirk Nowitzki And The Virtues Of Immigration:

After Libraries: Netflix Queue, ITunes Library, And The Digital Future Of Record Keeping By Elizabeth D. Samet | The New Republic

After Libraries: Netflix Queue, ITunes Library, And The Digital Future Of Record Keeping By Elizabeth D. Samet | The New Republic

Strange Bedfellows

http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2011/06/the-fountainhead-of-satanism

Tim Pawlenty Attempts To Rebut Allegations Of Dullness With Lame Joke, Bad Timing

Tim Pawlenty Attempts To Rebut Allegations Of Dullness With Lame Joke, Bad Timing:

Michele Bachmann's dangerous beach reading

Michele Bachmann's dangerous beach reading

Keeping Sex Private

http://www.tabletmag.com/news-and-politics/69709/private-parts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=private-parts

Neocon flack: Weiner may have converted to Islam

Neocon flack: Weiner may have converted to Islam

They Don't Mean Anything, But the Man Puts Out some Tough Ads

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EP2GsRzROF8&feature=player_embedded#at=87

Sunday, June 12, 2011

NBA vs. NFL: Two Lockouts

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6649101/dizzying-highs-terrifying-lows

Those Crazy Icelanders Are at It Again!

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1gVVSY/www.good.is/post/iceland-is-crowdsourcing-its-new-constitution/?utm_source=supr

Sports & the DVR: Where the Time/Space Paradox Meet

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6626431/space-time-dvr-mechanics

The Future of Health Care -- Some Predictions

http://adjacentpossiblemed.blogspot.com/2011/04/healthcare-in-20-years-in-500-words.html

Religion and Torture

http://epiphenom.fieldofscience.com/2011/06/religion-and-support-for-torture.html

I Have a Feeling this Will Bypass Charlotte (but look for it on Netflix)

http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/andrew_ohehir/2011/03/18/nostalgia/index.html

Turning Philosophy into Fiction

http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2011/0610/Rebecca-Newberger-Goldstein-secular-humanist-with-a-soul

Goldstein's first novel -- The Mind-Body Problem -- is one of my old favorites.

Gangsta Alert!

Open, and Revolting, Anti-Obama Racism at Fox - The Atlantic

http://mediamatters.org/blog/201106110002

Spirituality in Film

http://www.americamagazine.org/blog/entry.cfm?entry_id=4282

Another Conversion Experience

http://thehiberniatimes.com/2011/06/03/atheism-is-the-true-embrace-of-reality/

A Conversion Experience

http://www.livestream.com/pdf2011/video?clipId=pla_8a026681-a944-4459-a735-6ff526f72b5a


http://theamericanscene.com/2011/06/09/the-internet-is-my-religion

Recruiting Other Species to Take Part in Class Warfare (you have to protect what you have)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/us/12dogs.html?hp

Saturday, June 11, 2011

You Probably Don't Spend Enough Time Worrying about What Kind of Memory Card to Use.

http://framework.latimes.com/2010/08/23/which-memory-card-should-i-buy/

To survive, state GOP must reinvent itself

To survive, state GOP must reinvent itself

If this takes hold, this could be the forerunner of important political changes.

More Fashion News: The Anthropology of Women's Shoes

http://www.anthropologyinpractice.com/2011/04/power-confidence-and-high-heels.html

The Importance of Grandmothers

http://carinbondar.com/2010/08/sacrifice-on-the-serengeti-a-guest-post-by-eric-m-johnson/

What a Thing of Glory is Man

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=one-reason-why-humans-are-special-a-2010-06-22

Arbitron: Conservative Talk Radio loses a third of audience

Arbitron: Conservative Talk Radio loses a third of audience

Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch of guys.

Taking Michelle Bachmann Seriously | The New Republic

Taking Michelle Bachmann Seriously | The New Republic

Shopping for a Dress

http://www.etsy.com/storque/read/the-history-of-a-cheap-dress-12751/

E-Books: A Few Kinks that Remain to Be Worked Out

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/06/ebooks-not-there-yet/

Delaying Medicare eligibility is bad for health

Delaying Medicare eligibility is bad for health

Using Darwin to Improve the World

http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110608/full/474146a.html

Who Are You?

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2011/06/ideology-and-self

Finding Your Place on Earth

http://www.artsjournal.com/aboutlastnight/2011/06/tt_fortunate_sons.html

We Have Our Arts So We Won’t Die of Truth: In Support of Political Fiction

We Have Our Arts So We Won’t Die of Truth: In Support of Political Fiction:

The Beast in Me

http://lareviewofbooks.org/post/6243684487/man-is-not-cat-food

Science News You Can Use (but use carefully)

http://scienceblogs.com/observations/2011/01/why_do_women_cry_obviously_its.php

Barack Obama: Scientist

http://www.communicatescience.eu/2011/05/is-feidir-linn-obama-was-right.html

Public Overestimates Cost Of Wars, Underestimates The Impact Of Bush Tax Cuts

Public Overestimates Cost Of Wars, Underestimates The Impact Of Bush Tax Cuts: "pAnother point from the Pew survey of the public opinion and the deficit shows that people are a bit confused about where the deficit comes from: Of course these things do all contribute to the deficit. But the wars aren’t as big a deal as people think, and the tax cuts are a much bigger [...]/p"

Friday, June 10, 2011

An Offer Eric Holder Thought He Couldn't Refuse

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2011/06/wire-creator-david-simon-has-counter-offer-eric-holder/38706/

The Doomed Elizabeth Warren-Scott Brown Deal | The New Republic

The Doomed Elizabeth Warren-Scott Brown Deal | The New Republic

This Is A Very Odd Definition of Freedom

Mercatus Institute Study Refutes Libertarian Conception of Freedom: "

Top 10 Things Texas Gov. Rick Perry Doesn’t Want You To Know About Him

Top 10 Things Texas Gov. Rick Perry Doesn’t Want You To Know About Him: "pWith widespread discontent on the right over their current presidential field, all eyes are trained on a likely new entrant: Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R). Perry, who has been elected governor three times and served for more than 10 years, enjoys bona fides from social conservatives and Tea Party-types alike. Glenn Beck even described Perry [...]/p"

The Future of the Telephone

http://thisismynext.com/2011/06/09/google-voice-skype-imessage-and-the-death-of-the-phone-number/

The Wages of Weinermania

The Wages of Weinermania

God Caught Backing Multiple GOP Candidates for President

God Caught Backing Multiple GOP Candidates for President

After Exxon Finds A Month’s Worth Of Oil In Gulf, GOP Rep. Claims It Proves We Have ‘Abundant’ Oil Reserves

After Exxon Finds A Month’s Worth Of Oil In Gulf, GOP Rep. Claims It Proves We Have ‘Abundant’ Oil Reserves: "

http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/06/yes-were-still-running-out-oil

Looking At Government Spending Critically

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2011/06/rightsizing-government

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Is Monogamy Obsolete? New Books Challenge Our Ideas of Fidelity

Is Monogamy Obsolete? New Books Challenge Our Ideas of Fidelity

The Renaissance man: how to become a scientist over and over again

The Renaissance man: how to become a scientist over and over again

Why Can't More Poor People Escape Poverty? Psychologists Have A Radical New Explanation. | The New Republic

Why Can't More Poor People Escape Poverty? Psychologists Have A Radical New Explanation. | The New Republic

Please Tell Newt Isn't Getting Ready to Give Up Just When the American People Are Beginning to Respond to his Message!

http://plainblogaboutpolitics.blogspot.com/2011/06/newt-implosion.html

http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/weigel/archive/2011/06/09/newt-gingrich-s-campaign-staffers-embrace-radical-change.aspx

Tim Pawlenty Moves to the Top of the Crazy Class

http://capitalgainsandgames.com/blog/bruce-bartlett/2266/pawlentys-wishful-thinking?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CapitalGainsAndGames+%28Capital+Gains+and+Games+-+Wall+Street%2C+Washington%2C+and+Everything+in+Between%29

Herman Cain Would Require Muslim Appointees To Take A Special Loyalty Oath

Herman Cain Would Require Muslim Appointees To Take A Special Loyalty Oath: "pIn March, formers Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain burst onto the presidential scene when he told ThinkProgress that he “will not” appoint Muslims in his administration. Under intense pressure, Cain’s campaign walked back the candidate’s words, saying that he would appoint “any person for a position based on merit.” However, the next week, Cain hedged [...]/p"

This Isn't the First Time I've Heard Them Called the Root of Many of our Most Serious Problems

http://www.slate.com/id/2296578/pagenum/all/

Another Compelling Argument for Universal Health Care

http://www.miller-mccune.com/health/death-by-pink-slip-4308/

Play With the Career Analysis Tool at the End of the Article

http://www.slate.com/id/2296070/pagenum/all/

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

A Few Kind Words about Very Loud Music

http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2011/05/23/136579205/our-band-could-be-your-life-still

Man vs. Nature

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/09/garden/battling-moths-and-mice-in-your-home-the-pragmatist.html?hp=&pagewanted=all

Witness releases new video of fatal police-involved shooting during Urban Beach Week - Miami Beach - MiamiHerald.com

Witness releases new video of fatal police-involved shooting during Urban Beach Week - Miami Beach - MiamiHerald.com

I suppose cell phones are now seen as a deadly weapon.

Is Time Us, Space Them?

Is Time Us, Space Them?

A History of Sarah Palin Complaining About ‘Gotcha Questions’

A History of Sarah Palin Complaining About ‘Gotcha Questions’

The Customer Is Always Right -- an Ad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JVz-fO7kxcQ

Is Extramarital Flirting a Crime (or even a matter of public interest)?

http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/06/07/weiner?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+salon%2Fgreenwald+%28Glenn+Greenwald%29

Against Gay Pride

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=why-im-not-proud-of-being-gay-2011-06-06

By the Way, If You Hadn't Noticed, the Sun Exploded Yesterday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_3u_0NN7OM&feature=player_embedded#at=23

A cry to ring through Scottsdale

A cry to ring through Scottsdale

Can Tim Pawlenty Get the Economy Moving Again? - The Atlantic

Can Tim Pawlenty Get the Economy Moving Again? - The Atlantic

Part of the fun of being a Republican (and certainly a Republican presidential candidate) is you get to say crazy things and people think it's normal.

Comparing Military Spending (hint, we're #1)

http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/06/military-spending?fsrc=rss

Tim Pawlenty -- George W. Bush on Steroids?

http://www.tnr.com/blog/jonathan-chait/89628/pawlenty-and-the-return-bushism

Steve Jobs -- Alien Invader?

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/06/08/apple_planning_massive_12000_capacity_spaceship_campus_in_cupertino.html

The Prospects of Digital Textbooks

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/business/media/06iht-EDUCSIDE06.html?_r=1&src=rechp

Finally, a happy story...

http://campusnews.uncc.edu/campus-employees-‘adopt’-goose

Fourth time's a charm? Why Apple has trouble with cloud computing

Fourth time's a charm? Why Apple has trouble with cloud computing

The cost of smoking

The cost of smoking

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

More Cheerful News: The Dead and the Dying

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/03/28/top-10-dying-industries/

Which Male Scumbag Would You Least Like to Be Married to? I Don't Think You Need to Be Female to Vote.

http://www.slate.com/id/2296450/

Poverty and the Lump of Willpower

Poverty and the Lump of Willpower: "pJamie Holmes has a very interesting piece in TNR about psychological and economic research into the interplay of poverty and self-control. Basically there’s a fair amount of research indicating that that mental self-control is a kind of finite resource. Resisting temptation is mentally exhausting. And it even appears that making any kind of tough decisions [...]/p"

Ode to a Four-Letter Word

Ode to a Four-Letter Word

The Latest Jobs Numbers And The Very Real Chance Of Another Great Depression | The New Republic

The Latest Jobs Numbers And The Very Real Chance Of Another Great Depression | The New Republic

GOP 2012: Why The Economy Won't Help Romney | The New Republic

GOP 2012: Why The Economy Won't Help Romney | The New Republic

Michelle Bachmann: Be Afraid

http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/03/bachmann-palin-2012-candidate

The Economics of U.S. Health Care: The Worst of All Possible Worlds

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/the-hard-truth-about-health-care/2011/06/06/AG34XbKH_story.html

Save American Banks: Appoint Elizabeth Warren

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2011/06/13/110613ta_talk_surowiecki

Where Is the Slipperly Slope Conservatives Are Convinced Is Out There?

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/06/07/slippery-dopes

Does One Person Write Every Script in Hollywood?

http://vimeo.com/24669583

Sex, Jewish Women, and Twitter (Isn't that an odd combination.)

http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/69443/understanding-weinergate/

What Is Twitter?

http://www.niemanlab.org/2011/06/is-twitter-writing-or-is-it-speech-why-we-need-a-new-paradigm-for-our-social-media-platforms/

The War on Americans

http://reason.com/archives/2011/06/06/the-ends-didnt-justify-the-mea

Monday, June 6, 2011

Watch This! Or Else! I Mean It It!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbIlLmCID5g&feature=player_embedded#at=38

It's Hard to Believe These Are All Americans: A Photo-Essay

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/02/23/mark-laita-created-equal/

In Defense of Boring Movies

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/movies/films-in-defense-of-slow-and-boring.html?hpw

Grover Norquist Is The Most Powerful Force Blocking Spending Cuts And Tax Reform

Grover Norquist Is The Most Powerful Force Blocking Spending Cuts And Tax Reform: "pLori Montgomery’s reporting in the Washington Post makes clear, though it doesn’t explicitly come out and say, that if you oppose reductions in federal spending in the United States then today you have no more influential friend than Grover Norquist. Right now you have a debate on Capitol Hill in which the pivotal players, moderate [...]/p"

The French View of Freedom

http://www.fastcompany.com/1757567/fances-odd-internet-laws-explained-rights-vs-innovation

Climate Change & Daily Weather: A Forum

http://e360.yale.edu/feature/forum_is_extreme_weather_linked_to_global_warming/2411/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YaleEnvironment360+%28Yale+Environment+360%29

More Apologies to Longfellow

http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2011/06/heightening-the-republican-contradictions-ctd.html

Paul Revere's Ride, With Apologies to Longfellow - The Atlantic

Paul Revere's Ride, With Apologies to Longfellow - The Atlantic

Mormons Rock!

Mormons Rock!

Looks Like a Fair Political Ad to Me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0TxCWbTqz9s

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Palin Fans Trying to Edit Wikipedia Paul Revere Page

Palin Fans Trying to Edit Wikipedia Paul Revere Page

Thomas Jefferson On The Limits Of Property Rights

Thomas Jefferson On The Limits Of Property Rights: "pThomas Jefferson is not my favorite among the founding fathers, but this 1785 letter to James Madison quoted by Daniel Kuehn is another good example of the non-libertarianism of classical liberalism: Another means of silently lessening the inequality of property is to exempt all from taxation below a certain point, and to tax the higher [...]/p"

Love in Japan (It's a legal category.)

http://www.economist.com/node/18771436?story_id=18771436&fsrc=rss

Not Only Are They Liars, But They Are Good at It

http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/ideas/ian-leslie/are-artists-liars

Pete Townshend Gets Old

http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/arts/simon-garfield/wont-get-fooled-again?page=full

Murder Most Academic by Theodore Dalrymple - City Journal

Murder Most Academic by Theodore Dalrymple - City Journal

A pretty gruesome way to go through graduate school.

Flacking for Big Pharma

Flacking for Big Pharma

No More Clock-Punching

No More Clock-Punching

How Do You Expect Them to React?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/somegameguy/priceless-reactions-to-boobs-on-chatroulette-33sc

Why Do I Have to Read That Book?

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2011/06/06/110606crat_atlarge_menand

Boost Your Brain!

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-brain_1.html#share

The Coke Side of Life

The Coke Side of Life

Jack Kevorkian: A Memorial

http://www.slate.com/id/2296197/pagenum/all/

History Foretold

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4BK_2VULCU

Friday, June 3, 2011

What The Conservative Recovery Looks Like

What The Conservative Recovery Looks Like: "pHere from Matt Cameron are a couple of charts to illustrate the nature of the conservative recovery. First off, is socialism holding back the private sector? Nope: Ask yourself if you genuinely believe that additional public sector layoffs would be replaced at a greater than 1:1 ratio by private sector hiring. If yes, you’re well-positioned [...]/p"

I'd Buy a Ticket to See This

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BMgegut3UM&feature=player_embedded

The First African-American President (since we can't count that guy from Kenya)

GOP Candidates: Herman Cain's Improbable Rise | The New Republic

Finally, Newt Gingrich Does Something to Help his Campaign!

We Won't Have Newt Gingrich To Kick Around Any More Until Mid-June | The New Republic

A Little Boy Channels Gilbert Gottfried

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaIvk1cSyG8

More Government Is the Answer?

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/06/02/double-dip-not-in-washington-dc

Congress to America: Drop Dead

http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2011/06/03/jobs-fail/

Professor Palin's History Lesson

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/watch-cnn-anchors-deadpan-reaction-to-sarah-palins-version-of-paul-reveres-midnight-ride/

It's Literary Quiz Time! From Dr. Naipaul's Class!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/quiz/2011/jun/02/naipaul-test-author-s-sex-quiz

An Advance in Computer Technology?

http://geeks.thedailywh.at/2011/06/01/keyboard-graph-irl-of-the-day/

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

My guess on events in Iraq: We are about to see the Great Gamble of 2012 - By Tom Ricks | The Best Defense

My guess on events in Iraq: We are about to see the Great Gamble of 2012 - By Tom Ricks | The Best Defense

I always listen to what Tom Ricks has to say.

The Fab Five Colleges For Low-Income Students

The Fab Five Colleges For Low-Income Students: "pEducation Trust set out to offer low-income students some guidance about which colleges might be the best bet. They were looking for schools that met the following criteria: — They enroll a proportion of low-income students that is at least as high as the national average. — They ask these students to pay a portion [...]/p"

Robert Lucas Argues That Barack Obama Is The Most Important Leader In American History

Robert Lucas Argues That Barack Obama Is The Most Important Leader In American History: "pI’d been dimly aware of Robert Lucas’ argument (PDF) that the Great Recession can be explained without reference to such petty concepts as aggregate demand, but until I read Gavyn Davies’ summary and critique I didn’t understand that thinking of it as an essay about the economy is a mistake. This is an essay about [...]/p"

Jobs Crisis Appears To Deepen

Jobs Crisis Appears To Deepen: "pAs of two weeks ago, the DC political debate seemed to be out to lunch on the jobs front. Today, as the conversation continues to drift elsewhere the jobs crisis seems to be deepening. ADP’s estimate of private sector employment shows an anemic increase of just 38,000, way below estimates. The ISM index of manufacturing [...]/p"

Apple Pie/de Rugy Intelligence Gap Apparently Growing | The New Republic

Apple Pie/de Rugy Intelligence Gap Apparently Growing | The New Republic

According to Chait, she would be something of a mercenary in the class war.  

GOP Primary Roundup | The New Republic

Does fat, drunk & stupid summarize the Republican field?  

GOP Primary Roundup | The New Republic

Medicare Vouchers Won’t Reduce Health Spending

Medicare Vouchers Won’t Reduce Health Spending

More on Crime Rates -- Taking the Very Long View

http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2011/06/long-term-trend-in-homicide-rates.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+marginalrevolution%2Ffeed+%28Marginal+Revolution%29

Sarah Palin's Base -- What Motivates Them

http://www.frumforum.com/how-palin-taps-the-gops-economic-fears

This Is the Way I usually Feel by the End of the Week

http://vimeo.com/10144923

"It's a great day for a ball game; let's play two!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1TcD95kmGQ&feature=player_embedded#at=40

Mitt Romney Is a Teenage Girl

Mitt Romney Is a Teenage Girl

Making Better Economic Decisions

http://www.slate.com/id/2295603/pagenum/all/

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Hands Off the Wheel - By Cameron Abadi | Foreign Policy

Hands Off the Wheel - By Cameron Abadi | Foreign Policy

Real Health Cost Reform Means Tackling Providers

Real Health Cost Reform Means Tackling Providers: "pThe part of health care reform that progressives have traditionally been most comfortable talking about involves tackling the vested interests of insurance companies. And lately conservatives have cottoned to the strange idea of improving health care by tackling the vested interests of patients. But the core of the issue is and always has been the [...]/p"

The Demographic Group That Should Terrify Republicans | The New Republic

The Demographic Group That Should Terrify Republicans | The New Republic

Making Genocide a Crime (& Living with Hitler's Ghost)

http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/buruma51/Englishhttp://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/buruma51/English

At Least Republicans only Drink Their own Koolaid

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-05-30/jonathan-chait-the-gops-suicide-pact-on-the-ryan-budget/full/

Global Warming: Get Ready -- It's Coming Sooner Than You Think

 http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-05-29/global-climate-change-freak-storms-are-the-new-normal/full/

Monday, May 30, 2011

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Two Gender-Based Reading Lists

75 Books for Men (almost all by men)
http://www.esquire.com/the-side/feature/75-books

250 Books for Men (by women)
http://www.joylandmagazine.com/brian/blog/250_books_women_all_men_should_read

There are a lot of good books on both lists.

A Modest Suggestion for Improving Health Care & Reducing Costs

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/opinion/29bach.html?src=rechp

World War II: Some Moral Questions (without too many answers)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/books/review/adam-kirsch-on-new-books-about-world-war-ii.html?pagewanted=all

Putting some Goldman-Sachs people in jail

Matt Taibbi discusses the sins of Goldman-Sach with Megan McArdle (who seems to have a very tolerant view of white collar crime).  

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/taibblog/video-taibbi-vs-mcardle-on-goldmans-responsibility-to-its-clients-20110516

NASCAR and Medical Care

I wouldn't have believed this was possible, but here is Atul Gawande speaking on the relationship between winning a NASCAR race and providing top-level medical care (at reasonable cost).

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/05/atul-gawande-harvard-medical-school-commencement-address.html

Sex and Music

Sex and music -- an ideal combination?   (However, before your dirty little mind gets too excited, this is about the neurology of the two activities.)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703730804576319102118263890.html

Saturday, May 28, 2011

The Religion Problem

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/05/23/physics-and-the-immortality-of-the-soul/#more-6819http://www.lrb.co.uk/v33/n11/galen-strawson/religion-is-a-sin

Can people have a spiritual life without religion?

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/05/23/physics-and-the-immortality-of-the-soul/#more-6819

Some additional speculation on the science of immortality.

While You're Waiting to See the new Terrence Malick film

http://www.thepointmag.com/archive/the-perspective-of-terrence-malick/

A discussion about Malick's first four films -- virtually a whole lifetime's work.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Decision Making: When Things Go Wrong

http://allbleedingstops.blogspot.com/2011/05/human-factors-and-patient-safety.html

While this is a story about a medical emergency gone bad, it's also about how people in any situation can mangle the decision-making process.    The author of the post is a pilot who specializes in the decision-making process of flight crews, and the logic could be applied to anyone who has to make decisions, particularly time-critical decisions.  

Another Casualty in the Drug War

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/25/jose-guerena-arizona-_n_867020.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl2%7Csec1_lnk3%7C66223