Kentucky
The second national college debate tournament of the year. Mary Washington beat Cal in double-octos, Emory in octos, and is now hitting another Emory team in the quarter-finals. Go Eagles!
Author: Will
Prospects for Reclaiming Intellectual Conservatism
I read Steven Hayward’s article on intellectual conservatism with some interest, mainly because I thought Hayward – as a scholar with the American Enterprise Institute and frequent contributor to The Weekly Standard – would...
Selling Out
The Atlantic is a great mag, and I know they’ve got to make money somehow, but the optics of this corporate-underwritten “First Draft of History” event really bug me. Does anyone else feel me...
Mistakes were made
Last night, I linked to this chart from Positive Liberty comparing federal spending to educational achievement. As Freddie points out in comments, this is not an accurate representation of what we spend on education...
Another Conspiracy Theory Debunked
One odd off-shoot of the Obama conspiracy theory genre is the idea that former terrorist and academic celebrity William Ayers secretly wrote Dreams From My Father. I won’t blame you if you have no...
Education Spending
Jason Kuznicki produces a pretty damning chart comparing federal expenditures to educational achievement. Looking at the numbers, I can’t think of a more eloquent case for thorough-going reform.
David Simon, call your office
Via Jeffrey Goldberg, a CQ editor has apparently been fired for daring to speak up in the midst of widespread lay-offs. An email he fired off to management before the firing is pretty badass:
I feel like this should be a bigger deal
From last week’s Tuesday Morning Quarterback: Meanwhile, previous AIG CEO Edward Liddy repeatedly said he was working “for $1 a year.” He asserted this on “60 Minutes” and in sworn congressional testimony, and was...
Dear Washington Post,
Look, I get it. Sales figures are declining. Online ad revenue sucks. This whole fragmented media environment thing hasn’t exactly been gangbusters for business. That Internet video experiment flamed out faster than a Roman...
Blogosphere “divided” over Polanski arrest
In the wake of the Polanski arrest, one developing meme is that this “controversy” has provoked some divide – ideological or otherwise – among the blogosphere. The moral questions surrounding child rape, you see,...
Don’t Mess With Texas?
After Cass Sunstein’s contentious confirmation hearing, I decided to pick up a copy of Nudge to see what all the fuss was about. Did you know “Don’t Mess With Texas” started as an anti-littering...
I don’t know why . . .
. . . but I find the idea of banning clove cigarettes or this absurd incident much more offensive to my libertarian-ish sensibilities than universal health care.
Our “Terminally Awkward” Future
Anyone interested in scoring a cute girl’s number next Saturday modern courtship rituals should check out this excellent post (and comment thread) at The American Scene.
Bachelor Party Post-Game Report
Bourbon tasting, dinner at Martin’s Tavern, craft brews at the Brickskeller, and finally, Roadhouse until we passed out. A good time was had by all – thanks to everyone for their excellent suggestions.
The “Low-Hanging Fruit” Theory of Democracy Promotion
Jamelle and Daniel Larison are, I think, absolutely right about the dangers of democracy promotion. Beyond the garden-variety problems posed by newly democratic governments, another thing to consider is that the so-called “third wave”...
Why do my co-bloggers hate America?
Freddie and Jamelle decided to honor the Boss’s 60th birthday by posting . . . a Joy Division playlist and some Misfits. Well, here’s “Thunder Road”: And here’s “Open All Night”:
Don’t Take Your Guns to Town
Scott’s long and deeply-felt reflection on American gun culture is worth reading in full, and I certainly understand why an outsider would find our collective infatuation with things that go ‘boom’ baffling or even...
Less Troops = More Indiscriminate Air Strikes
The relationship between boots on the ground and civilian casualties in Afghanistan doesn’t get much clearer than in this Washington Post article: On July 2, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO...
The most bizarre thing you’ll see all day
An incredibly weird picture inspired by the conservative activist who filmed the infamous ACORN videos (via):
