Category Archives: ‘Culture’

'Culture', Cool Stuff, Humor, Politics, Science and Edumacation

Weekend Linkorama

  • Sullivan runs down the accomplishments of the Obama Administration so far. I disagree with a lot of what’s been done. But the meme circulating in the Right Wing Echosphere that this is a “failed Administration” is bullshit. And, what’s more, the meme peddlers know it’s bullshit. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be turning around claiming that Obama is destroying America.
  • More pictures that combine past and present. I love it.
  • This cracked me up.
  • Piano tuning is more complicated than you’d think.
  • An interesting article on the pending phosphorous shortage. I’m not as pessimistic as they are; we usually find clever ways to solve these problems … if we have a free market. Phosphorous shortage create high prices create increased demand create entrepreneurs creating ways to obtain more phosphorous. The only real danger is that the government will try to fix phosphorous prices too low. A big business of the 21st century is going to be recovering materials from waste and landfills.
  • The War on Salt ramps up. Salt in our food is now a “crisis” — a word that has become so used and abused as to be meaningless.
  • Watch a stadium get blowed up. I think its Texas Stadium. If only they could have blown it up while the Cowboys were still in it.
  • The dollar redesign project. Some of these are quite good. However, Americans tends to be very conservative about our money and I’m glad the treasury has taken the more gradual approach to modernizing the currency.
  • I have got to see this documentary. As for this movie … why, God, why?
  • It begins. An American citizen is forced to “show his papers” in response to Arizona’s new immigration law.
    • 'Culture', Law and Order, Politics, Sports

    Midweek Linkorama

    All politics this week I’m afraid.

  • I’m starting to warm to Marco Rubio. Anyone who takes the Social Security issue seriously has a good mark in my book. And Crist is worthless.
  • Ta-Nehisi Coates destroys the idea that the Civil War wasn’t about slavery while commenting on the worship of Robert E. Lee. In response to his question of whether you can admire someone who fought for a bad cause, I’d say yes. Many of our WW 2 veterans had great admiration for the German and Japanese soldiers.
  • How on Earth is Marc Thiessen taken seriously? His entire existence is based around dishonestly vindicating the shitty record of the Bush Administration.
  • Reason dig in to figure out why Texas was immune from the worst of the housing bubble. My theory? In Texas, houses are for livin’, not money makin’.
  • Is another McMartin case going on in Georgia? As a parent, I want children protected. But sometimes, it seems to go ridiculous extremes. Meanwhile, the Pope is vigorously defended by religion conservatives despite his complicity in serious repeated abuse.
  • Conservatives, once defenders of liberty, are apparently thrilled that Arizona cops can now approach anyone and demand their papers.
  • I’m just so happy that baseball is back.
    • 'Culture', Culture War, Healthcare, Politics

    Thursday Linkorama

  • Wow. That’s a long way to go for a cup of tea.
  • Well. At least the Boomer are coming clean on how badly they’ve screwed us.
  • Rush Limbaugh: not an elitist. No sir.
  • When Tom Coburn is the voice of reason, we’re in trouble.
  • A preview of what lies ahead for the nation? Massachusetts healthcare plan is producing early fights over insurance rates and people gaming the system.

  • This is just plain mean. Shame on them.
  • Philly takes some smart steps in ramping down the war on drugs.
  • Ten years later, Fidel Casto is still milking Elian Gonzalez for propaganda.
    • 'Culture'

    Bad Stamps

    You know, every time I see a list of bad tattoos, I have to wonder about the thinking going into them. Do people really think these tattoos more attractive? Is there really a dramatic, artistic or personal statement involved when you tattoo a bible passage on your ass?

    Ink is just one of those things that people get into for it’s own sake. They probably don’t understand what I get out of blogging.

    Come to think of it, I’m not terribly sure what I get out of blogging…

    'Culture', Law and Order, Politics

    Tuesday Linkorama

  • Yep. Erin Brockovich was full of it.
  • The wheels of justice turn slowly in Maricopa County; but they may finally be turning.
  • Moody’s may remove the AAA rating from US bonds if we don’t clean up our act.
  • A lovely little 18 minute film about a plastic bag. Yes, a plastic bag. I disagree with the underlying politics (dust to dust calculations are, at best, ambiguous on whether alternatives to plastic bags are better for the environment).
  • Holy crap!
  • Megan McArdle spanks those who are backing off from their sweetness and light predictions now that healthcare has passed.
  • The latest drug war outrage.
    • 'Culture'

    Books

    I put this at the other site, but thought I’d cross-post it here

    I’m not going to blog about healthcare today. OK, not much. I’m exhausted on the subject, having rabble-roused on it non-stop, here and elsewhere, for the last couple of weeks. The arguments still apply. I’m just taking a break from all that.

    For relief, I thought I’d spin off a post Tyler Cowen put up. He listed the ten books that have most influenced him and encouraged other bloggers to do so. My list, and some explanation is after the break. Ignore if you wish or put up your list of influential books.

    I’m doing this gonzo style. I’m not thinking too hard or doing any research. I’m just listing the ten that immediately spring to mind. I’m also looking for influence, not “favorite”. So a few of my favorite books (LOTR, The Mote in God’s Eye, etc.) get left out.

    In no particular order:

    Free To Choose by Milton and Rose Friedman. I was a always a free market guy. But this book solidified my trust in the free market and explained how and why it works and how it can be applied to modern political problems. Das Kapital has a similar influence, but for opposite reasons. After reading it, I couldn’t believe anyone took it seriously.

    Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein. Sad to say, I was a very repressed kid growing up. I didn’t have a strict upbringing or anything. I was just shy and unpopular. This book started the long process of breaking me out of that shell (a process that reached its apotheosis with a particularly wild and crazy girlfriend). And no, my libertarian beliefs were formed after I became a more well-adjusted person. When I grow up, I want to be Jubal Harshaw.

    The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Nothing can prepare you for the true evil of the Soviet Union that is unveiled in this book. After reading this, I no longer found communists in any way “cute” or “idealistic”. This also formed a lot of my opinion of the Bush “enhanced interrogation” regime since it is very similar to the way the gulag extracted confessions from the zeks. Solzhenitsyn goes into this in great detail. (Tip of the hat to Anne Applebaum’s Gulag, which is also outstanding).

    Moby Dick by Herman Melville. I can’t really explain this one. I’ve now read it three times and it speaks to me like almost no other book does.

    Watership Down by Richard Adams. A wonderful political allegory completely masked as an amazing piece of fiction. One of the few books to bring tears to my eyes.

    The Inferno by Dante Aligheri. This started a long fascination with religion and Christian eschatology in particular. Paradise Lost should get an honorable mention here as should the commentaries is Etz Chayim.

    Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. This rekindled my interest in science fiction.

    Parliament of Whores by P.J. O’Rourke. This book showed me that stupid politicians and idiot liberals can also be funny. And it was a big part of my turn toward libertarianism. It is also a big part of my realization that while people oppose big government in principle, they love it in the particulars.

    The Histories by Herodotus. This kindled a growing interest in ancient history. Combined with Gibbon’s The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, I’ve developed a deeper appreciation of how precious civilization is, how easily it can fall and how important it is to defend it.

    The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki. Much of my insight into economics and sociology comes from this book. The Prisoner’s Dilemma is also good, but in a different way.

    Hmm. Somehow I managed to get through that list without a singly Ayn Rand title. How’d that happen?

    'Culture', Politics, Science and Edumacation

    Weekend Linkorama

  • Amazing. The Chilean earthquake moved Concepcion by ten feet.
  • I’m not sure if this is aggregate cheating or cheating rates. One thing is clear. Them real estate agents is frisky.
  • You have to wonder when our politicians will get called out for this green jobs nonsense. Especially as you can call anything — including making environmentally damaging corn ethanol — a green job.

    • When Obama won the Nobel Prize, he promised to give the $1.4 million cash prize to charity. Looks like he fulfilled that promise. I can’t think there’s a single name on there that will cause controversy, although I’m some idiot will find something they don’t like.

  • Is the “War on Fat” going to be Michelle Obama’s equivalent to Nancy Reagan’s “War on Drugs”? Possibly.
  • I knew there was some use for shopper cards.
  • Megan McArdle tries to discern the signal from the noise in the Toyota recall.
  • Canada has the warmest winter on record. But global warming is a hoax!
    • 'Culture', Culture War, Humor, Law and Order, Politics

    Midweek Linkorama

  • How fat are the Swiss? So fat, that prostitute are getting defibrillator training in case their clients have heart attacks.
  • This is awesome. Those supposedly exploited Chinese sweatshop workers are using their earnings to start business of their own.
  • Judge Jim Gray on the War on Drugs. Incredible.
  • Finger faces? Finger faces.
  • A sad story of game addiction. I sometimes worry about internet addiction myself. I’d be a lot more productive without the blogosphere. Quitting is something that weighs heavily in my mind at times.
  • I’m sorry. Does this mean Lindsay Lohan is admitting to being a lush?
  • Is the “missing women” problem starting to fade? God, I hope so.
    • 'Culture', Cool Stuff, Healthcare, Politics, Science and Edumacation

    Tuesday Linkorama

  • Sting. Hypocrite. Note also the story of the Aral Sea. The article blames its destruction on the current Uzbek dictator, but this was mostly the work of the Soviet Union — that wonderful, charming nation whose evil many on the Left (like Sting) were hesitant to acknowledge.
  • The fuck of it is that most bureaucrats won’t see this as unreasonable.
  • A blind painter.
  • Ben Bernanke fires a warning shot across Congress’ bow on the deficit. I am really beginning to wonder if a default and inflation lie in our future. Is anyone in Washington prepared to make hard choices?
  • The latest on wheat rust. This scares me.
  • The war against resistant bacteria continues. This is one of the biggest health crises looming over our heads. My biggest fear of healthcare reform is that it will hamstring the innovation we need to prevent the next plague.
  • I think this take on why liberals and atheists have higher IQs is right. High IQ makes you intellectually wander from the default culture.
  • I love this link on the sound of antique pianos.
  • It’s so true.
    • 'Culture', Politics, War on Terror

    Monday Linkorama

  • Here’s a good reason for me to not regret moving from Texas.
  • A scary story about the US government poisoning the alcohol supply during prohibition. Ironically, however, this makes me more skeptical of conspiracy theories. If they can’t keep killing 10,000 citizens quiet, how are they supposed to keep aliens quiet?
  • The best journalism of 2009. The first story, about parents leaving their kids in cars, is one of the most wrenching stories I’ve ever read.
  • Nice. Congress is using the Toyota acceleration problems to bypass confidentiality for their buddy lawyers who are suing Toyota on other issues.
  • Liz Cheney. pwned.
  • Also, there’s been another big Taliban capture for our weak President who is losing the War on Terror. I mean, just in case your opinion of the WOT was influenced by reality.
  • I’m all in favor of laws that prevent airlines from keeping passengers trapped on runways for hours on end. But the current rules have encourages airlines to simply cancel delayed flights. What Law of Unintended Consequences?
  • It’s possible that Texas will soon execute another innocent man. Or not. Without testing, there’s no way to tell. At some point, does Governor Perry have any shame?
    • 'Culture', Cool Stuff, Law and Order, Politics, War on Terror

    Thursday Linkorama

  • This is cool. Using Facebook for research. I knew could justify my membership somehow…
  • I have to hand it to Dick Cheney. At least he is honest about his support for illegal torture. And he’s critical of Bush for not going far enough.
  • A must-read about how irrational some of Israel’s supporters have gotten. I’m a big pro-Israel guy, obviously. But what has gotten into people that they can not tolerate any criticism of their issues?
  • Radley Balko on flash bang grenades. Those things scare me.
  • A brief history of techno-panic.
  • I know it seems like I’m posting about global warming every linkorama, but that’s because the last few weeks have seen a nonstop assault of Bad Skepticism. Not a day goes by when I don’t read some smug blogger adding to the pile. They are really like conspiracy theorists. The target keeps moving. And no matter how much each bullshit meme is disproven, it never goes away. Instead, we get long long lists of every disproven anti-AGW claim as a “tidal wave” of disproof. It’s depressing.
  • A great article on not knowing what you don’t know. Thanks to Amanda.
  • You know, I can’t really disagree with the Godwinizing of Limbaugh.
    • 'Culture'

    In Defense of Women

    I find Ask Men’s 99 Most Desirable Women to be interesting, beyond my general XY-generated interest in the opposite gender. I’m not surprised by how often “desirable” means “being under 25 with a fashionable figure”. What I am surprised by is how ugly a lot of these women are. Thanks to airbrushing, surgery or makeup, many of them have facial features that are almost alien. It’s kind of creepy, actually. Megan Fox is, in many ways, the paradigm of the type. Great figure but an unattractive face (and tiny brain and bad personality to boot).

    The older women in the sample far outshine their younger counterparts. Heidi Klum, with 36 years and four kids, looks better than almost all of them (and she seems to actually have something behind her eyes). Monica Bellucci, at 45, puts the 20-year-olds to shame (and can also act and speak four languages).

    Smart is sexy too. Natalie Portman is better looking than just about all the “models”. She’s also a talented actress and a Harvard grad. The same, to a lesser degree, could be said of Anne Hathaway, Erin Andrews, Erin Burnett and a dozen other women on the list. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if you broke them into groups by intelligence, the smarter women would be more attractive than the dumber ones — or at least less alien-looking. If you broke them up by profession, the models would be the most fake-looking (and to my eyes, the least attractive). Think of Portman on one end and Kim Kardashian on the other. No question which is smarter and which is more attractive.

    (Interestingly, there is a porn star on the list — Sasha Grey. But Grey is an atypical porn star — slender but not anorexic, unaltered surgically and rumored to be intelligent. She certainly held her own acting in Steven Soderbergh’s latest mainstream film. More from Beradinelli here.)