Excellent Video on Yemen
Not much to add to this one, except to say that it gives us an amazing window into the paradoxes of a country facing the pressures of globalization and traditional culture (what used to...
Monthly Archive: February 2010
High speed rail U.S.A.
Opponents of high speed rail make several points about its viability: rail is a “19th century” mode of transportation; rail would be under-used and therefore would need massive subsidies to function; infrastructure in the...
Should Democrats pass the healthcare reform bill?
Via Andrew, Jonathan Bernstein thinks the Democrats should pass the bill regardless of the public’s distaste for the process: Reconciliation is thirty years old, and there’s nothing at all wrong with using it to...
Why did Avatar’s script suck?
James Cameron’s op-ed on space exploration in today’s Washington Post offers a clue. Favorite line: “So it could be said that rockets really run on dreams.” (All snark aside, I like Cameron’s enthusiasm for...
Prince Charles, Crunchy Conservative
I’ve mentioned this elsewhere, but Prince Charles’ nascent crunchy conservatism strikes me as emblematic of that movement’s worst features, from the vague noises about “harmony” and “natural order” to a near-total cluelessness about the...
Foodie Self-Sufficiency
Here’s a provocative post from Felix Salmon on why local self-sufficiency is preferable to free trade in the context of agricultural production.
An unsettled dogma
Jonah Goldberg has a very smart response to Jim Manzi’s reflections on “liberty-as-means” libertarians vs. “liberty-as-goal” libertarians. I want to focus on Jonah’s post here, but you should read Manzi as well. Jonah writes:...
Homer “The Iliad” (1 of 2)
Western literature begins with The Iliad and, until recently, it was assumed that no educated person in the west could have skipped it. Set during a few days in the tenth year of the...
Paul Ryan Week Continues
Ross Douthat’s piece on Paul Ryan’s position within the Republican Party is almost as worthwhile as the Ezra Klein interview I linked earlier. I know that we’re rapidly reaching overkill on Paul Ryan this...
This post is brought to you by….
Matt Yglesias likens transparency in Congressional negotiations with transparency in family negotiations: Think about a family negotiation over whose house you spend the holidays at, or who goes to watch Billy’s soccer game on...
Klein vs. Ryan
This discussion/interview between Ezra Klein and Rep. Paul Ryan is the best thing I’ve seen in the health care debate in months. Given Ryan’s position as a GOP point man on health care reform,...
Oscar Goodman for President
The ridiculous spat over Obama’s gambling remarks gives me an excuse to discuss Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who is quite possibly the most entertaining civic official in America:
The National Popular Vote and the Electoral College Anachronism
A hot topic the last few months here at the League has been the issue of government accountability reform, and how best to loosen the grip of narrow interest groups over the federal government. ...
Spat of the Day
Obama: “When times are tough, you tighten your belts…You don’t blow a bunch of cash in Vegas when you’re trying to save for college.” Harry Reid: ” . . . the President needs to...
Quote of the Day
Von at Obsidian Wings: Today’s outrage is the fact that Rahm Emanuel called some of President Obama’s supporters “f-cking retarded.” Sarah Palin wants him to step down. That’s not unexpected, coming from her. Sarah Palin is...
Paul Ryan’s Budget
“If Obama’s efforts to create a viable regulatory framework in which individuals can buy private health insurance (a) pass congress, and (b) turn out to work well and be popular, then you can imagine...
Culinary Mash-ups
DC’s newest foodie innovation: serving Mexican and Vietnamese fast food out of the same restaurant. My ideal mash-up would involve some combination of brew pubs and hookah bars.
What an ordeal!
From The Boston Globe: Medieval trial ordeals were surprisingly effective. (Hat tip: First Thoughts)
The GOP and Corporatism
Those easily sickened should avoid reading this Slate article, which recounts KBR’s infuriating attempt to shuffle an employee who was allegedly gang-raped into private arbitration instead of allowing her a day in court. The...
