David Brooks, yesterday: In the state capitalist world there are government-run enterprises like Gazprom, Petrobras, Saudi Aramco, Petronas, Petróleos de Venezuela, China National Petroleum Corporation and the National Iranian Oil Company. These companies create...
Centuries have passed since British kings claimed a divine right, but British subjects still seem unable to accept the fact that their nominal rulers are human. Such, at least, seems to be the case...
“Do we live in a democracy?” asked the Cynic. “What do you mean, ‘in’ a democracy?” answered the Stoic. “Democracy is a procedure of rulership. It’s not a place you live in. Saying you...
The death of Socrates brings us, in a strange way, to the life of the Buddha. Socrates came to the conclusion that mental/spiritual enlightenment requires us to renounce bodily craving and our need to...
A kitschy 62-foot statue of Jesus outside of Cincinnati was destroyed by lightning last night.
The weekend beckons, so I thought I’d write something about the World Cup. At his personal blog, Jonathan Last links to a pretty apt take-down of soccer evangelists he wrote in 2002, when Americans...
For those of you who haven’t been paying attention, Megan McArdle and Peter Suderman are off to get hitched. Congratulations to them both! The good news doesn’t end there, however. Guest-blogging at McArdle’s digs...
With blogging, I sometimes wonder if I’ve really accomplished anything by linking to another text and saying, “Hey, look at this bizarre thing some dude wrote!” I might just be jawboning and gossiping here...
Via Jonathan Chait, the other other Jonathan* – Jonathan Bernstein, not Jonathan Cohn – has a handy rebuttal to this Greenwald post. Greenwald, whose admirable passion may have gotten ahead of his political science...
David, I’ve thought much the same thing. At some point we’re going to wish we’d saved the oil that went in to all that packaging and those water bottles and all the other multitudinous...
This bizarre Jeff Jacoby column argues that we shouldn’t hurt oil’s feelings. He quotes: Americans consume oil not because they are “addicted’’ to it, but because it enriches their lives, making possible prosperity, comfort,...
[updated] Nate Silver puts several bullet-holes through this Wall Street Journal op-ed by Daniel Klein, which is a good thing since both Klein’s piece and the poll he conducted and then based the piece...
It’s hard to pinpoint a year more emblematic of second-wave feminism and its emphasis on career than 1979. In popular entertainment, The Mary Tyler Moore show had concluded its seven-year run only two years...
[updated] Oh my: It’s January 2011. The GOP is about to assume control of both houses of Congress—having been voted in by a public deeply suspicious of Democrats after President Barack Obama conducted clandestine...
THERE. I have now made the site just that much prettier. And after much gnashing of teeth, I have also got the bloody “Reply” feature working again. If any of y’all have any thoughts,...
At Feministe, Jill writes about a heartsickening story of a 13 year old’s self-induced abortion after being impregnated by a 30 year old: “… And her community and her culture — the people who are...
As a surprise to no one with some understanding of the Afghan context, instead of relying on universalist abstract COIN theories (“assume a can opener” , “assume a competent national government”), the Afghan Army,...
From ESPN’s Tim Legler: Ron Artest, although regularly displaying a complete disregard for sensible offensive decision-making, can still make a great scorer’s life completely miserable.
I just lost 8 minutes of my life I’ll never get back watching the new Gaga video “Alejandro.” (It’s so abysmally bad I won’t even link to it; it doesn’t help that the song...
Pamela Paul has a rather Slate-ish post up at The Atlantic, asking the controversial question: Are Fathers Necessary? Unsurprisingly, her conclusion is no. Not really. “The bad news for Dad is that despite common...
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on Open Mic for the Week of 4/7/2025We have deadlines for Trump to bring back that guy he illegally sent to a Central American prison in…
on Open Mic for the Week of 4/7/2025From Variety: Texting, Weed and Sing-Alongs: Four Radical Ideas for Bringing New Audiences to Movie…
on Martin Niemöller, and Who First They Came ForIt took you a week to come up with that? There may not be a judge, but there is, more or less, a jur…
on Tariffs Making China Great AgainSome version of the Major Questions Doctrine is obviously correct. Congress can't just delegate unli…
on Open Mic for the week of 3/31/25And they sacked the government lawyer arguing at the district court level for admitting he wasn’t ge… on Tariffs Making China Great AgainGiven that the “Major Questions Doctrine” was made up horse hooey to keep Biden (and Obama retroacti…
on Martin Niemöller, and Who First They Came For"I’m mostly unclear on the requirements that you have for my answers to you and the requirements tha… on Read It For Yourself: How Trump Admin Defines “Gang Members” For DeportationThis is entertaining. on Weekend Plans Post: Batchin’ ItSaw Nosferatu last night (I'm just seeing movies this year!) and I loved the first 99% of the movie.…
on Read It For Yourself: How Trump Admin Defines “Gang Members” For DeportationI am suspecting the lawyer will wake up Monday morning, be at a ‘bring your toothbrush’ to court mom…
Danny Dreamer: It’s a Dog’s Life
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A Would-Be Buyer at an Automobile Show
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on Open Mic for the week of 3/31/25 on Open Mic for the week of 3/31/25 on Saturday Morning Gaming: Metroidvanias
on Saturday Morning Gaming: Metroidvanias on Saturday Morning Gaming: Metroidvanias
on Saturday Morning Gaming: Metroidvanias on Tariffs Making China Great Again on Tariffs Making China Great Again
on Open Mic for the week of 3/31/25 on Tariffs Making China Great Again on Tariffs Making China Great Again on Tariffs Making China Great Again
on Tariffs Making China Great Again on When a Maiden Needs a Friend on Read It For Yourself: How Trump Admin Defines “Gang Members” For Deportation
