Author: Will
Science Fiction Friday
io9 lists the best science fiction novels for fantasy fans. I’m not familiar with any of these selections, but I’ll go ahead and recommend Jack Vance’s Tales of the Dying Earth, Gene Wolfe’s Book...
And Francis Scott Key Wept
This one goes out to noted Creed apologist Joe Carter: Scott Stapp brings his inimitable musical stylings to our national anthem.
A few data points for Jonah Goldberg
Media criticism is often the last refuge of lazy bloggers, so I’ve tried manfully to avoid chiming in on the debate over “epistemic closure” and the conservative movement. But I can resist no longer;...
Is China’s leadership competent?
Here’s an interesting counterpoint to Thomas Friedman’s enthusiasm for one-party rule:
The Advance of Hungary’s Far-Right
Somewhere, Lajos Kossuth is turning over in his grave. The rise of extreme Hungarian ethno-nationalism is frighteningly documented in this Spiked article.
The last word on porn
For those interested, co-blogger Matthew Schmitz posted a link to the Witherspoon Institute pornography study discussed at length here.
Porn, again
A quick follow-up to the surprisingly popular mini-post on porn. Granted, apocalyptic predictions of pornographically-inspired sexual violence aren’t very accurate (hat tip to commenter Plinko for the second link), and I also think that...
“Of all the people in human history who ever reached the age of 65, half are alive now.”
Read more here, via Marginal Revolution.
Why porn is bad for you
Two recent articles on the downsides of pornography – including one from a wronged spouse – are worth reading.
For Paternalistic Libertarianism
Jason has already mentioned the excellent Cato Unbound discussion on libertarian paternalism, but here’s another provocative question on the subject: Why not use “nudges” to reduce government intervention?
Which one is it?
I’m afraid I’m intruding on Daniel Larison’s beat here, but the latest from National Review really highlights the disconnect between two competing critiques of Obama’s foreign policy. First, here’s Rudy Giuliani’s unhinged take on...
The Surge – it worked!
A pretty fair-minded assessment from Abu Muqawama: If you want to argue that getting involved in Iraq in the first place was a stupid decision, fine. I agree with you. But trying to argue...
The Other Tournament
Unsatisfied by First Things’ Tournament of Novels? The Morning News put on a similar tournament of books published last year. The only entrant I’ve read happens to be the winner, but Wolf Hall was...
Butler 57, Duke 53
Butler basketball can be soporific, but every red-blooded American should be rooting for the mid-major underdog tonight. For the Duke-haters (personally, I’m agnostic): An impressively comprehensive take-down from SB Nation. For those who can’t...
