Sobering Thoughts |
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Comments on politics, the culture, economics, and sports by Paul Tuns.
I am editor-in-chief of "The Interim," Canada's life and family newspaper, and author of "Jean Chretien: A Legacy of Scandal" (2004) and "The Dauphin: The Truth about Justin Trudeau" (2015).
I am some combination of conservative/libertarian, standing athwart history yelling "bullshit!"
You can follow me on Twitter (@ptuns).
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Sunday, August 29, 2010
Best tweet of ever Rick McGinnis from a few days back: "I can't help it - even after all these years, I still think Dick Armey has the most awesome name evar!" Friday, August 27, 2010
Tweet of the day Dan Graziano: "Jets scoresheet so far: One f---ing defensive holding, one roughing the f---ing passer and one illegal f---ing wedge. F--k!" Tony Dungy wouldn't be pleased. Why we will lose the war on Islamic terror From CBC in the aftermath of arrests of four suspected Muslim terrorists in Canada: In the wake of the arrests, police in Ottawa have reached out to Muslim groups in the city to reduce concerns about profiling. BRICA? The guy who came up with the acronym for Brazil, Russia, India and China says Africa could be the next BRIC. Does free trade help women in the developing world? Probably most of the time. Writing at Vox EU, Ernesto Aguayo-Téllez, Jim Airola, and Chinhui Juhn point out that in Mexico, freer trade helped women earn more and that household spending becomes more geared toward women's preferences, education and the needs of their children (and less geared toward men's clothing and alcohol). They conclude, "trade liberalisation could be an important tool for achieving gender equality," but warn context is important. Free trade that reinforces agrarian economies disproportionately benefit men, while free trade that "encouraged exports in light assembly manufacturing" helps increase female earnings. Sowell on moral hazard Government policy, like insurance, Thomas Sowell says, changes people's behaviour in a way that is a hazard to others and not very moral. Another brilliant Robson column John Robson has another gem in the Ottawa Citizen. This one links the West's view of the Middle East peace process ("it is hardly surprising that, "the Palestinian leadership and their Arab allies, "should now demand that in return for talking to the stinking Jews they should be permitted to sneak up behind them with murder in their hearts") and the West's view that the world is like itself despite the fact it is Westerners who are not like the rest of the world. Maclean's: cell phone bans don't make roads safer Maclean's reports that most Canadian provinces have banned hand-held cell phones, but that the evidence does not suggest such bans make the roads any safer. Hands-free phones are as distracting as hand-held -- a fact politicians seem eager to ignore. The magazine reports: Then there’s evidence from the real world. Earlier this year, the Highway Loss Data Institute, an organization funded by U.S. insurance firms, compared the collision rates of states with and without cellphone bans. There was no difference. This suggests one of two things. Either cellphone use does not lead to collisions despite all the evidence of its distracting qualities or, as the institute surmises, “drivers in jurisdictions with such bans may be switching to hands-free phones . . . In this case, crashes wouldn’t go down because the risk is about the same, regardless of whether the phones are hand-held or hands-free.”It appears that "conversation with a disembodied voice" is the distraction so hand-held or hands-free doesn't matter. Kicking an under-privileged coloured kid is no way to run for mayor Hilarious anti-Sam Katz YouTube ad below: Here's a story about how Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz feel-good publicity stunt didn't quite work out. Jim Flaherty A very, very, very, very long article on Jim Flaherty in the Report on Business: "One day, we'll look back and thank Jim Flaherty: How the Finance Minister from Hell learned on the job." It's part biography, part recent Canadian political and global economic history. It definitely has the makings of the beginning of a book on Flaherty. As generally favourable as the article it, Kevin Carmichael gets into the early seemingly political calculations and carrying out Stephen Harper's orders in implementing the GST cut, and Flaherty doesn't come off very well. The Finance Minister also got the financial crisis wrong: "Then, more spectacularly than many of his peers, Flaherty failed to see the recession coming." But Carmichael highlights Flaherty the Good: Flaherty, who wrote a textbook on insurance law, got to that point through determined research. “He’s a quick study,” says Dan Miles, a former director of communications for Flaherty. “He reads everything.” Brian Lee Crowley, who preceded Ragan in the visiting economist post at Finance, recalls a minister who sought out the opinions of the country’s brightest business leaders and academics. Flaherty would listen to his advisers, ask questions and take lots of notes. “He’s intellectually vigorous,” says Crowley. “He’s not a lazy man.”When I talk to knowledgeable political insiders I often ask the question, "who are the three or four best cabinet ministers?" Flaherty is always among the top two. Part of that preparation is the work of his staff, perhaps the best in Ottawa outside the PMO. (For which he deserves credit.) But everyone I talk to about this says he is knowledgeable and prepared. He has to be, but considering the breadth of the files for which he is responsible, that's saying a lot. Thursday, August 26, 2010
Tweet of the day Andrew Coyne: "Anyone care to tell us what the hell 'the pompatus of love' is? And who's Maurice?" I hate the Steve Miller Band and I especially hate that song. On the Patterson scandal The New York Times reports: "Gov. David A. Paterson misled state investigators about his acceptance of free tickets to the World Series last year, according to the independent counsel." Jim Norton comments: "Gov Patterson in trouble for taking free World Series tickets. Hey, YOU'RE BLIND YOU ASSHOLE, LISTEN TO IT ON THE RADIO!" Suspected Islamist terrorists get arrested and Muslims feel victimized The Ottawa Citizen reported today: Prominent members of Ottawa's Muslim community will meet with a team that specializes in defusing police-community tensions to allay fears and explain why the RCMP arrested two men suspected of planning a terrorist attack on Canada.You need an explanation? I got your explanation right here: "An alleged al-Qaeda bomb plot hatched in Ottawa over the past two years has been dismantled by counter-terrorism police." Don't you wish prominent members of all communities would just go to hell? Four and down 4. ESPN is reporting that the league will have an 18-game season by 2012. Of course, the NFL Players Association will have to agree to it, but ESPN's pre-game panel is saying that it is a foregone conclusion and the player's union will be bought off for the two extra games. It's all about money and this is a matter for negotiation. Former Chicago Bears coach and ESPN Monday Night Football pre-game panelist Mike Dikta is against adding games: "Don't fix it if it's not broken." One of the former players on that panel says that the NFL needs to do more to take care of its players because of the increased exposure to long-term injuries; former player Cris Carter says the only people who say "it's only two more games" have never put on a uniform. I'm against the idea, although I like the idea of more games I don't think its good for football or its players. It exposes players to more injury risk and with a reduced pre-season it could stunt player development. On the ESPN online poll, with more than 113,000 people responding the split was 50-50 in favour/against. Commissioner and world's biggest douche bag Roger Goodell really, really wants 18 games so the owners will get in line and make it happen. 3. If the NFL had an 18-game schedule, today would be the opening day. 2. Four quarterbacks have thrown for 4,000 yards in each of the past two seasons. Two of them, play in tonight's pre-season game between the Indianapolis Colts (Peyton Manning) and Green Bay Packers (Aaron Rodgers). They will both play half the game; should be the best pre-season game this August. And to add more "meaning" to this contest, Kevin Seifert suggests the possibility of tonight's contest being a preview to this year's Super Bowl. 1. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Dennis Dixon will get time with the starting players in this weekend's pre-season game. I want to see this extremely athletic guy get a real chance to win the starting job over Byron Leftwich. It was a little unfair that Tomlin wasn't giving Dixon time with the starters if there was a real competition for the temporary starting QB job as the coach indicated there was. In other Steelers news (as PG story), rookie Maurkice Pouncey has earned the starting center job. It will be interesting to watch Pittsburgh's starting offense with a new starting quarterback under a rookie center. Strong possibility that this will go horribly, but hope spring eternal among Steeler Nation. Looking forward to it. Three and out 3. Three series to watch this weekend. The Tampa Bay Rays (78-49) host the Boston Red Sox (73-55). The Rays are tied for first with the New York Yankees in all of baseball and whoever between the two of them doesn't finish first in the division will be the American League wild card. The BoSox are 5.5 games behind them and would like to interject themselves in this race, which will be difficult with the news that Dustin Pedroia is probably out for the season. Rays are playing at home so probably the worst they'll do is lose the series 2-1, which means the best the Sox can do is gain a game. Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann return to the Rays rotation. The New York Yankees (78-49) visit the Chicago White Sox (65-58). The ChiSox are 3.5 games behind the AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins who are visiting the hapless Seattle Mariners. To stay in the race, the Sox need to beat the best team in baseball. They might have Manny Ramirez if a deal can be worked out with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That's an impact bat to add to September race. Finally, San Diego Padres (75-49) host the Philadelphia Phillies (70-56). The Padres have the best record in the National League and have a six game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the NL West. The Phillies are tied with the Giants for the wild card spot, and just 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. The Phillies are a hit or miss team, scoring a bunch of runs or having extreme difficulty getting on the board. Playing in the pitcher's paradise that is Petco Park won't help things. 2. George Steinbrenner, quite deservedly, is gets a statue in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park on Sept. 20. 1. At SI.com Tim Marchman notes that Hall of Fame players don't usually work out as managers. That doesn't mean that the rumour/wishful thinking of some in Chicago that Ryne Sandberg could become the next skipper of the Chicago Cubs is necessarily a bad idea, just that it might be the natural fit that many think/hope it will be. Most interesting fact I read today Elizabeth Dickinson reports that the budget for Somalia is equal to that of High School Musical 3. She also notes that the country's $11 million budget is about half of Derek Jeter's salary or equal to what the Scottsdale, Arizona school board cut out of its budget. Midweek stuff 1. Bloomberg and Wired.com's Epicenter have stories on how Apple will be offering $1 TV rentals. As one analyst said, "This is a smart move by everyone." 2. Do you have what it takes to be Jennifer Lopez's personal assistant? 3. In Slate, Brian Phillips offers "An appreciation of soccer's ludicrous, misleading, and fabulously entertaining transfer rumor mill." 4. TNR's Ruth Franklin wonders: "Is it important to date someone with a similar bookshelf to yours?" 5. The Daily Telegraph reports "Potatoes can be made healthier, simply by zapping them with ultrasound or electricity, say scientists." Apparently electronic shocks make "them more nutritious by generating more antioxidants, which have been shown to combat heart disease and cancer." 6. From Cracked.com: "5 Annoying Trends That Make Every Movie Look the Same." 7. Beyond comment: "Tropicana Offers Thirsty Japanese Cheese-Flavored Orange Juice." 8: Holy Grail meets Star Wars: 007 Isaac Chotiner reviews Sinclair's McKay's The Man With The Golden Touch: How The Bond Films Conquered The World in TNR's The Book. Chotiner focuses on why the Bond series was so successful and why it should come to an end. His concluded sentence captures my sentiment completely. Three cheers for political gridlock Channeling George Will, David Harsanyi praises divided government: beautiful, unproductive, gridlock. I will resist puerile headline jokes John P. Palmer considers the quality of toilet paper at higher-end hotels. Hyperbole alert The Vancouver Sun reports: Canada could slip into Third World status if its education system is not reformed to produce innovative and creative graduates who can compete globally, say experts responding to the latest report from the Canadian Council on Learning.C'mon. Perhaps the CCL should learn what its actually like in the developing world. Is universal daycare really the difference between Canada being economically competitive and becoming another Tanzania or Bolivia? Lego bias From the Freakonomics blog: "[T]he company produces a full line of Star Wars sets, but not a single set for Star Trek fans." Why the 'peace process' should be opposed George Will makes the case against the peace process, which is a mockery of diplomacy: The biggest threat to peace might be the peace process -- or, more precisely, the illusion that there is one. The mirage becomes the reason for maintaining its imaginary "momentum" by extorting concessions from Israel, the only party susceptible to U.S. pressure... Sober-minded piece on stem cell and gene therapy Emily Yoffe writes a piece for Slate that leans towards favouring potentially revolutionary breakthroughs in medicine resulting from stem cell research and gene therapy, but concludes that we need to be careful about the hype surrounding such efforts. Many pro-lifers assume that researchers involved in this type of work are ghoulish mad scientists in it for the money, but Yoffe's warning paints a more sympathetic and, I assume, more accurate picture: "The infomercial-level hype for both gene therapy and stem cells is not just because scientists are trying to convince funders, but because they want to believe." 'Not just' is an important qualifier, but many who oppose embryonic stem cell research fail to appreciate that researchers really do want to find cures to various diseases and ailments and that in doing so they are not playing God, but seeking the help their fellow man. Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tweet of the day Jim Norton: "David Hasselhoff and Kirstie Alley will compete on next Dancing with the Stars. He'll vomit hamburger on the floor and she'll lap it up." Three and out 3. I hate revenue sharing because it creates perverse incentives, encouraging teams to eschew expensive (read: mostly good) players and collect money generated by the winners to pad their bottom line. See Joe Sheehan's SI.com column for an in-depth treatment of this issue. I don't blame organizations for doing that, they are just gaming the system to their advantage. My problem is with Major League Baseball for creating such a system by not having a payroll floor. Most people don't understand this, so while MLB is understandably upset with the leak about five teams' finances -- see the stories by ESPN and the New York Times -- I'm happy that this information is becoming public. Perhaps the embarrassment will get Organized Baseball to act. 2. For Yankee-haters, try this on: HOPE -- Helping Others Persevere and Excel -- Week. It might be an exercise in public relations, but that doesn't mean it isn't a worthy thing in and of itself. Lisa Olson writes about it for FanHouse. 1. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Tim Marchman suggests that Derek Jeter's days at shortstop might be numbered. Since 1952, only six people have played 400 games at the position after the age of 36; those six were kept around more because of their glove than their bat. Jeter's defense is a liability. Marchman doesn't say whether the Yankees will move him to another position, but he says they shouldn't use him at SS. Four and down 4. The Detroit Lions website features a video about Joe Paquette, a 65-year-old northern Michigan resident with arthritis, who walked 425 miles to deliver Sisu. What is Sisu? Watch the vid and determine if you think is is the missing ingredient in a winning Lions season. Hint: unless Sisu can play five positions on defense, the answer is no. (The last 40 seconds of the video is either inspiring or ridiculous, depending on your point of view.) 3. Jamie Walker at ESPN provides "A team-by-team look at the most indispensable players (non-quarterbacks) in the division" (AFC North). But even if you include QBs, I think he has it exactly right. Last year proved the Pittsburgh Steelers defense is good but vulnerable without Troy Polamalu. Josh Cribbs does things on special teams for the Cleveland Browns that helped them win games -- it is hard to think of another impact player on the team. Ray Lewis is not the best player on the Baltimore Ravens, but he is its most important, quarterbacking the defense. Cedric Benson is the best player on the Cincinnati Bengals and their offense was reliant on his running game last season and despite the combination of Batman and Robin, probably will be again. 2. By the way, there is no other division in which you could list the most indispensible player by team and not have a quarterback. Here's my list of teams whose MIP -- most indispensible player -- is a QB. NFC East: Eli Manning (New York Giants), perhaps Donovan McNabb (Washington Redskins); NFC North: Brett Favre (Minnesota Vikings), Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers); NFC South: Drew Brews (New Orleans Saints), maybe Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons); NFC West: Matt Hasselbeck (if there is such a thing as a MIP on the Seattle Seahawks); AFC East: Tom Brady (New England Patriots); AFC South: Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts); AFC West: Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers). 1. Football pundits are choosing their sleeper picks. Peter Schrager at Fox Sports provides his rules: missed playoffs in 2009, not a pre-season media darling, haven't appeared in the Super Bowl in the past three years, a few others that seem a little random. An important fact: "Since 1996, 83 teams have made the playoffs after not qualifying the previous season. 2009 marked the 14th consecutive season with at least five new playoff teams in the field of 12." That's a lot of churn. But just because there are a lot of non-repeaters (nearly half the field each year -- five of 12), doesn't mean there are always sleepers. The New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys didn't make the playoffs in 2009, but were among the pre-season favourites last year and they both won their division. The New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers were viewed as highly competitive teams going into last season, and both made the post-season. The Cincinatti Bengals were legitimately a sleeper, shocking everyone by winning their division. (Ditto for the Miami Dolphins in 2009). So who is Schrager's sleeper pick for 2010? The Oakland Raiders. I just don't see it, but then I didn't see the Fins or Cincy playing 500 football, let alone make the playoffs. But then according to Schrager's definition of a sleeper, you don't see these closers coming. I don't have a "sleeper" but the teams that appear on the cusp and aren't quite there right now, but I won't be surprised to see play in January are the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants and Carolina Panthers, all of whom I see as 8-8 or 7-9 teams as is. On Philadelphia's plan to tax bloggers The city of Philadelphia wants to charge bloggers a $300 for a licensing fee and then pay taxes on any profits they make. Under Philly law, anything that can make money must be licensed. William L. Anderson at the Freeman explains the two-fold rational for this move: In this day of governments grasping for revenues, it is not surprising to see Philadelphia trying to milk the bloggers. I suspect other cities will follow suit. However, I believe that the larger issue is that governments once again are looking for any means to silence their detractors. Entities with the power to tax their critics also have the weapons to destroy them. Cowen on diplomacy Tyler Cowen provides his thoughts on diplomacy. Two points stood out. First, "Diplomats are in some ways like university presidents: little hope for job advancement, serving many constituencies, and having little ability to control events. Plus they are underpaid relative to human capital. They must speak carefully. They must learn how to wield power in the subtlest ways possible." Furthermore, "... I would not wish to be a diplomat. I also might prefer to be a diplomat to a country I did not like, rather than to a country I did like." He provides a few good quotes about diplomacy. Optimum tax rates Tim Kane at Growthology: "Maximizing government revenue is a hideous goal, fit for the likes of Kim Il Sung. The goal, one would hope, is to maximize human welfare. This starts with considerations of private wealth generation, should include deference to liberty and personal property, and end with careful appreciation of long-term growth."Part of a wider discussion of where the Laffer Curve bends/peaks. Like it matters Scientific American Observation's blog reports that "Meteorite nugget pushes back age of the solar system by nearly 2 million years" so "the estimated age of the solar system" is now 4.568 billion years instead of 4.549 billion years. On getting excited about primaries and upsets Larry Sabato: "It's like air travel. We focus on a handful of crashes, not 1000s of planes that land safely. Planes ultra-safe. Incumbency ultra-safe." Three on the Toronto mayor's race The National Post says that according to an Ipsos Reid poll, departing mayor David Miller would likely earn a "whopping win" if he ran again." That's a scary thought, but read the actual numbers and that is far from true. 39% would support Miller, while 58% would never consider putting a check beside his name. According to other polls, Rob Ford, the front-runner, has support in the low 30s, which means the race would be close. Toronto Star columnist Heather Mallick doesn't understand why many Toronto voters are supporting Ford, at once comparing them to babies before predictably pulling back and suggesting that's an insult to babies. Toronto, according to Mallick's tortured introduction, is the new Kansas. She concludes that voters support someone who resembles them, but thinks that is scary and urges Torontonians to seek better. The Toronto Sun's Lorrie Goldstein gets the appeal of Rob Ford, the right-wing politician who cuts spending to protect taxpayer dollars is seems destined to win the mayoralty of a supposedly liberal city. The appeal is that Ford wants to cut spending and protect taxpayers' wallets. People are pissed off and they aren't going to take it anymore. As Goldstein says: Ford "delivers two clear, simple messages resonating with voters. First, he’ll eliminate unpopular taxes and fees imposed by the outgoing political regime of left-wing Mayor David Miller. Second, he’ll cut waste and kick ass at City Hall." The pundits are looking for more complicated answers, but it is all very simple: about one-third of Toronto agrees with Rob Ford. The problem is with pundits who believe that Canada's largest city is uniformly liberal (and Liberal); it's not. It's the spending, stupid The Cato Institute's Michael Tanner says that to slay the deficit and tackle debt, government must cut spending, not just raise taxes: "Spending is going to have to be cut — really cut: The old 'fraud, waste, and abuse' line is not going to do it." Shocking numbers, unsurprising explanation The Daily Telegraph reported a few days back that "700 children born with genetic disabilities due to cousin marriages every year." Most of them are of Pakistani descent although there is also a problem within the "British Bangladeshi community in which nearly a quarter of people marry their first cousins." Yum, clonal meat From The Guardian reported last week: "Artificial meat grown in vats may be needed if the 9 billion people expected to be alive in 2050 are to be adequately fed without destroying the earth, some of the world's leading scientists report today." Some people will be repulsed by the notion, but it is a scientific advance that once again could prove the Malthusians wrong. In more good news, other scientists say "Plant breeders will probably be able to increase yields considerably in the CO2 enriched environments of the future … There is a large gap between achievable yields and those delivered ... but if this is closed then there is good prospect that crop production will increase by about 50% or more by 2050 without extra land." Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Tweet of the day Larry Sabato: "At 1st blush, yes. But 3-ways are complicated. Not referring to menage a trois @mike_gus24 Rubio is clear favorite. No clear path 4 other 2." Cato parts ways with liberaltarians Brink Lindsey is heading to the Kauffman Foundation while Will Wilkinson will blog politics for The Economist. The speculation is that Cato dumped a pair of thinkers who have advocated that libertarians make common cause with liberals in a political alliance so the speculation and commentary is that their departures are related to their support of so-called liberaltarianism. See Arnold Kling at EconLog, Ilya Somin at The Volokh Conspiracy, and David Weigel at Slate, Matt Welch at Hit&Run, and Daniel Foster in The Corner. Jonah Goldberg's explanation might be the best: perhaps "someone at Cato read Brink and Will’s forthcoming book and thought it might not be a good fit." That book is entitled The Free Market Progressive: How We Can Use Capitalist Acts Between Consenting Adults to Create Peace, Prosperity, and Justice. Sounds great but perhaps it creates too much space between Cato and some of its conservative supporters. Fans of either will still get to read their work, albeit at Kauffman and The Economist. I liked Wilkinson's work as editor of Cato Unbound, but didn't like the snarky, left-leaning libertarianism on display on his personal blog (The Fly Bottle). His work on happiness and inequality was interesting, although less scholarly than some other Cato offerings. Lindsey, on the other hand, was a more serious scholar and while he disagreed with conservatives and ultimately came to dismiss them as dangerous demagogues, I always had the sense that he felt driven away by the Right's excesses whereas Wilkinson began with leftish views. Interesting numbers from that Pew poll on Obama being a Muslim The Washington Examiner's David Freddoso has a number of interesting tidbits taken from the Pew poll that aren't getting much attention. Just 45% of Democrats believe Barack Obama is a Christian, down from 55% at the start of his presidency, while 41% of Democrats are "not sure" about his religion. Nearly half (46%) of blacks are uncertain of Obama's faith.* Back to the Pew poll. Not related to Obama's faith, white Catholics are more Republican than ever (50% support the GOP) and Jewish support for the party is increasing -- 33% today compared to 20% in 2008. Evangelicals are becoming more entrenched within the Republican Party, but they are having trouble gaining traction among Hispanic Catholics (20% in 2008, 22% today). * I have no idea if Obama is a Christian, Muslim or agnostic opportunist who attends church services when convenient. Well said Brian Lee Crowley at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute blog: If we do not respond robustly to the Sun Sea end run around our legitimate rules governing immigration, we lose the ability as a society to set those rules, and immigrants become self-selecting based solely on their ability to pay enough that human smugglers will take the risk of transporting them… or someone else’s willingness to pay on their behalf for reasons unlikely to contribute to our well-being. We make a mockery of the normal process by which immigrants are selected by Canada and create an incentive for more people to jump the queue. This is unfair to those potential immigrants who play by the rules, unfair to legitimate refugees (and I readily admit that some of the Sun Sea passengers will turn out to be legitimate, but by the same token many will not), damaging to our ability to protect ourselves from undesirables who would not pass our screening tests, and so forth. Four and down 4. Don Banks of Sports Illustrated said there is nothing to get too excited about amongst the backup quarterbacks so far this pre-season. You know why? They are backup quarterbacks for a reason: they aren't good enough to start for most teams or don't have the experience to be able to lead a team. Yet Banks points out that at least six backup QBs have their coaches feeling good. That's actually not bad: one in five guys not good enough to start at the most important position in the sport are good enough to fill in if the starter gets hurt. And Banks isn't even counting the battle in Pittsburgh to between Dennis Dixon and Byron Leftwich to earn the temporary starters job: both are doing just fine. 3. One of those good backups is Seneca Wallace in Cleveland. He should start ahead of Jake Delhomme and I predict that sometime before the end of the season he'll displace the former Carolina Panthers. 2. A pair of stories about the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Associated Press reports that the team is getting a little impatient with inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons, a first-round pick in 2007 that has been good but hasn't stepped up to replace James Farrior as the captain of the defense. The AP says, "Timmons' teammates are convinced the former Florida State star has more speed, power and drive to the football than any player on the Steelers' defense other than safety Troy Polamalu." That's saying a lot considering the defense, and I'm not sure it is fair to make that comparison or expect him to run the defense at his age. He's good and will develop and asking him to displace a veteran like Farrior is asking too much from a player who is entering just his second year as a full-time starter. In other Steelers new, the AP also reports that former Steelers coach Bill Cowher says that Ben Roethlisberger is maturing. He also says that his former team should be fine without Big Ben for four games. As for a return to the sidelines, Cowher says he is open to listening to what might be offered, but right now "my thoughts aren't on coaching. My thoughts are on trying to give great coverage." As they should be, until a better offer comes. 1. Speaking of the Steelers, Head and Shoulders is obviously trying to Old Spice-ize Troy Polamalu's promotion of their product. Are you ready to get Polamalalized at Troyshair.com? Onion TV: 'Time announces new version of magazine aimed at adults' I probably found this funnier that it really is: "Time is and always will be a magazine for children." TIME Announces New Version Of Magazine Aimed At Adults Three and out 3. As Ben Lindbergh points out, the Los Angeles Dodgers weren't even the LA Dodgers when Vin Scully started broadcaster their games. In other words, not only have the Dodgers had more 1B (34) and 3B (64) than broadcasters over his tenure, but the team has had more home cities (2), home ballparks (3), owners (5), general managers and field managers (10 each), and pitchers (281). Of course, all those but the cities make sense, but put another way, Vin Scully is more a Dodger institution than the Dodgers are a LA institution. 2. Rich Lederer at Baseball Analysts has an article on traditional and slash stat Triple Crown possibilities, with a pair of National League players (Albert Pujols and Joey Votto) battling for both Triple Crowns and Miguel Cabrera having a chance at the slash stat crown in the American League. It is worth a read but I found this fact stunning: despite breaking the 120 RBI mark in six of the past nine seasons and never having less than 100 ribbies, Pujols has never led the league in that category. As of yesterday, he was three ahead of Votto (89-86). 1. In the Wall Street Journal, Tim Marchman examines some dubious records players might hit before the end of the season (the anti-Triple Crown, most strikeouts for a hitter, most double-plays batted into). Good luck to them all. Why Amanpour sucks At NRO, Matthew Shaffer explains why Christiane Amanpour is a poor host of This Week: she doesn't know much about American politics. But as I noted yesterday, she doesn't know much about the views of people who disagree with her on the Middle East, either. Anyway, Shaffer's two paragraph intro is worth taking the time to click on the link. Overrated Canadian authors Alex Good and Steven W. Beattie have an article in the National Post: "Don’t Believe the Hype: 10 Overrated Canadian Authors." Isn't every Canadian author overrated by Canadians? I liked the idea of the list but lost interest when I saw Margaret Atwood wasn't on it. Monday, August 23, 2010
Mad Men & the mosque? Mike Potemra in The Corner: [H]ow long the lead time is for the writers of Mad Men? Because tonight’s depiction of Roger Sterling’s outburst against the Japanese sounded like a pointed comment about the current mosque controversy.Roger's comments about the Japanese were hilarious -- and cheap and wrong. Pete Campbell was right: the war was 20 years earlier and it was time to do business with Japan. Funny thing is, while Pete's ideas won the policy battle, Roger's sentiments had a very large following the United States well into the late 1980s. That is the interesting bit of political commentary in that exchange. I won't read the blogs and entertainment pieces on Mad Men until later today, but I bet Potemra is right: commentators will find parallels to the GZ mosque controversy and America's xenophobia. Whatever the TTC does, it won't be enough The Toronto Star reports that "An outside panel of customer service advisers will recommend a sweeping overhaul of the TTC’s corporate culture when it releases its long-awaited report Monday" and that the "findings amount to an overhaul in the way the TTC views and treats passengers." That would be great, but it won't happen unless the Toronto Transit Commission is privatized or the provision of its services are outsourced. The unions, bureaucrats and politicians have primary interests that are not always in line with better customer service; only the free market can adequately attend the needs of customers. Re-thinking homeownership Robert J. Samuelson says that we need to rethink the widespread belief that everyone should become a homeowner. A "sensible goal," he says, has "become a foolish fetish." Many people cannot afford buying and maintaining homes, but think they can because of direct/indirect government subsidies. Unfortunately, the economy is reeling now partly because of a weak housing market, so this is about the worst time to begin questioning the goal of widespread home ownership -- a fact Samuelson acknowledges. How bad is Obama doing? The Democratic president is losing the Jewish vote. Charles Blow explains in the New York Times: [T]he number of Jews who identify as Republican or as independents who lean Republican has increased by more than half since the year he was elected. At 33 percent it now stands at the highest level since the data have been kept. In 2008, the ratio of Democratic Jews to Republican Jews was far more than three to one. Now it’s less than two to one. Will on GZ mosque George Will on This Week: the mosque is "an August issue." Also comes out against insensitivity. Not sure on the first point, bravo for making the second one. Robert Reich says the issue is tolerance, not sensitivity -- but there is a difference. Also, Christiane Amanpour, the new host of the show, sucks. Obviously biased (even compared to her predecessor). Worse, she's boring. And a little dim. How can someone cover global politics and not understand that there are arguments against a phony peace process (which Will makes in the second segment). Sunday, August 22, 2010
Tweet of the day Andrew Lawton: "The avg person spends 1/3 of their life sleeping. The avg liberal isn't much more productive for the other 2/3." I don't know how I watched TV without the web I watch baseball, football or college on basketball on TV, but also simultaneously follow live-blogging or other updates online during the game(s). Likewise, I watch Mad Men and follow Rick McGinnis on Twitter. Weekend stuff 1. New Scientists asks: "Does intensive care kill or cure?" 2. One of the most bizarre stories I have ever read: "The Most Isolated Man on the Planet," at Slate. It's about a man in Brazil who appears to be the lone survivor of an uncontacted tribe; while "peaceful contact proved elusive," the government prohibited development of an area of 31 square miles around the man who often hides in a five-foot deep hole in the ground to avoid any contact without outsiders. The Brazilian government believes he has lived a solitary existence for at least 15 years. 3. "Jaw-Dropping Photos Of Singapore's Skyscraper Infinity Pool." See in particular pictures 2, 4, 7 (video) and 11. (HT: Marginal Revolution) 4. ScienceDaily reports on how Norwegian researchers are monitoring cows with an eye to reducing cattle's greenhouse emissions. 5. Tom Henderson is raising money to write a book about punk mathematics. It appears that he's trying to do for math what Steven Levitt did for economics. Henderson says that punk raises questions and mathematics provides answers. Warning: Henderson uses the f-word in the video. 6. The Boston Globe has a longish article on how researchers can mine data from online dating sites to gain insights on what men and women are looking for in a mate. 7. Listverse has "10 Formidable Predatory Insects." Here is video from Animal Planet on the praying mantis -- perhaps nature's perfect killer. Here is video of a praying mantis capturing and eating a mouse. Three and out 3. Vin Scully will return to Los Angeles Dodgers broadcast booth again in 2011. Lou Piniella is stepping down as Chicago Cubs skipper after tonight's game. Both things are great: Scully's voice is as beautiful an instrument as there is in sports, Piniella is as much as a hothead as there is in baseball. 2. The New York Yankees are among the oldest teams in 'ball and it's beginning to show with 3B Alex Rodriguez (35) and DH Lance Berkman (34) have just been put on the disabled list and C Jorge Posada (39) has been limited to only 55 starts behind the plate. Of course, injuries aren't limited to older players. In a scary moment last night, young gun Stephen Strasburg (22), ace starting pitcher for the Washington Nationals, suffered a strained flexor tendon pitching against the Philadelphia Phillies. Fears of a season-ending injury have given way to the likelihood of merely missing a scheduled start. 1. Aaron Gleeman points out how unspectacular being a triple short of hitting for the cycle actually is. Gleeman concludes: "This season a hitter has finished "a triple short of the cycle" 172 times and there have been a grand total of 644 triples hit by all 30 teams. Given that, maybe we'll start to see some game stories about how someone was 'a single, double, and homer' short of the cycle when they hit a triple." Jacoby to Obama: lighten up Or, why Obama is not a happy camper Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby wants President Barack Obama to show the public that he's enjoying himself a little, because "Americans like their presidents to relish the job they’ve been entrusted with." I especially liked this paragraph: Let’s face it, Mr. President, you’re not exactly a standout in the joie de vivre department. P.G. Wodehouse says of one of his characters, "He had the look of one who had drunk the cup of life, and found a dead beetle at the bottom." With all due respect, that character sounds like you.I'll explain why Obama isn't having fun: he is a small actor on a very big stage and he's probably figuring this out. He wants to change the world, but is beginnig to realize that there are limits. Conservatives understand that reality is not optional and that there is only so much change that is possible. This is ultimately an adult understanding of the world. At the age of 49, Obama is just beginning to understand that the world is not putty even in the hands of someone as powerful as the president of the United States. Warren on the lack of prudential consideration in moral decisions Ottawa Citizen columnist David Warren says "the most dangerous idea, in wide circulation today, is: 'That in making a moral decision, we ought to rule out all merely prudential considerations'." He explains: In other words, the sane, genuinely reasonable moral operator will cost his good deeds, before proceeding with them. And I do not mean this strictly in dollars and cents, for I am neither a libertarian nor an economist. Example: grant- ing some benefit that means freedom to "A," may well entail imposing real slavery upon the overlooked "B." And that is the kind of cost that needs factoring. Most indebted countries Investopedia analyzes the cumulative debt as a percentage of GDP among the 25 largest economies and the top six are Ireland, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Portugal and Austria. Netherlands and Switzerland moved up the list due to bailouts of their sizable banking industries. All the top six countries have cumulative debt percentages above 200 and Ireland has a whopping 997%. The United States and Canada are far behind at 93% and 62% respectively. China (7%) and India (20%) are far behind. Jennifer Aniston is wrong Danielle Bean, editorial director of Faith & Family magazine, responds in the Washington Post's On Faith blog to actress Jennifer Aniston's comments that "Women are realizing it more and more knowing that they don't have to settle with a man just to have that child." Dean says: Dads are more than sperm donors, more than paychecks, and more than goofy fodder for popular sitcoms. They are fully one half of what every child needs for a healthy home life and an integral part of God's plan for future generations. Classy guy Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was at the Chicago Comic Con and charged $80 to have a photo taken with him and $50 for autographs. Although he compared himself to comic book superheroes, but he has more in common with the loser has-beens that were also at the comic convention, William Shatner and Adam West. Saturday, August 21, 2010
Tweet of the day Iconicsans: "Just got my Web Is Dead issue of Wired. It came several days after I read all about it plus pro and con arguments and analyses. On the web." Scott Adams on the difficulty of going green Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Dilbert creator Scott Adams humorously explains how difficult (read: impractical) it is to build a green house. Green Party to consider legalizing polygamy Tomorrow the Green Party convention will consider a motion to back the call for legalizing polygamy. Considering that polygamy usually correlates with larger families (more children), shouldn't the environmentalists in the Green Party, according to their anti-population ideology, oppose plural marriage? Three facts about drug use among Wall Streeters The Wall Street Journal's Deal Journal blog reports on drug screening among investment professionals and there are three key stats (as determined by positive tests at Wall Street firms by Sterling, which screens a little under 6000 employees annually): 1. Cocaine use is down from 16% of positive tests in 2007 to 7% of positive tests in 2009, while marijuana is detected in 80% of positive tests in 2009, up from 64% in 2007.Why the move to softer drugs? Cost? I found this comment interesting -- and I wouldn't necessarily think it to be a problem: "Many counselors says that finance workers feel entitled to illicit drugs, given their paychecks and stress of their jobs. They are also allegedly very good at masking their addictions, the counselors say." If the employees are good at masking their use -- I wouldn't call all users addicts -- then there obviously isn't that much of a problem, is there? Thursday, August 19, 2010
Speak up for Sakineh Ashtiani Sakineh Ashtiani is the Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning for (supposedly) committing adultery -- any confession is suspect under the mullah's "justice" system. The Islamic Republic has reacted to an insufficient world reaction by commuting Ashtiani's sentence to death by hanging. Whether or not she committed adultery is irrelevant; any sane person realizes that death for adultery is disproportionate, and thus an unjust, punishment. Canada, and every other country, must condemn the sentence. Fortunately one Canadian has been all over this case. See Theo Caldwell here and here. In today's Toronto Sun he revisits the case again and he offers the mullahs a deal: To sweeten the deal, I’ll even take her place. No doubt, Ashtiani is a far finer person than I am, and I have shattered any number of God’s laws in my time.I thought that is a great idea and encourage others to do likewise (as I did today). Canadians should contact the Iranian embassy in Ottawa to offer to take Ashtiani's place. You can write them at: 245 Metcalfe St., Ottawa, Ont., K2P 2K2, email executive@salamiran.org, call 613.235.4726 Ext 225 or fax 613.232.5712. Americans can write the Iranian embassy Washington at: 2209 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20007 or call 202.965.4990 or fax 202.965.1073. There is also a Facebook page, Save Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani from being Stoned to Death in Iran. $1.3 trillion WashingtonPost.com headline on an Associated Press story today: "Budget analysts see 2010 deficit at $1.3 trillion." AP reports that the "Congressional Budget Office said this year's budget gap would be $71 billion less than last year's red ink, thanks to a reversal of recent trends that have seen years of steadily rising government spending and falling federal revenues." Remember when a deficit of $71 billion was something to be concerned about; now, that's the difference in the deficit one year to another? Interim talks with John Carpay My interview with John Carpay is online, in advance of the September issue of The Interim: "Discussing campus free speech with John Carpay." Carpay has political ambitions. He explains in today's Calgary Herald, "Why I plan to run for the Wildrose." The county fair is a conservative affair Christopher Orlet in The American Spectator: [T]he county fair remains a very conservative affair. You seldom see liberals or feminists on the grounds, because the fair is really about competition, which liberals hate. Liberals would shut down the combine demolition derby and replace it with earth-friendly games in which children are praised for turning off the most lights and air conditioning units in the exhibition hall. This would result in the tragic spectacle of heat-exhausted elderly women falling into giant gourd exhibits and getting entangled in blue-ribbon quilts.I'll resist any jokes about merry-go-rounds or ferris wheels going in circles. Mixed-gender hospital rooms are a bad idea If proof is needed, QMI reports: "Sault Ste. Marie woman is outraged after she witnessed a man masturbating in the bed across from her..." Nurses laughed off her complaint. Last year a woman was touched by a room-mate and officials failed to act. Game theory Russ Roberts on the fallout of playing Monopoly with Dan Hamermesh and riffing on economics. Midweek stuff 1. The Atlantic interviews Rosanne Cash about "Writing, Country Music, and Her Father." I was surprised by this comment: "Modern-day country music? I don't know. I'm not really that familiar with modern-day country music, to tell you the truth." 2. Wired's Autotopia has a photo gallery of plane crashes in which people survived. It is not gruesome. The story of Aloha Airlines (1988) is amazing. 3. Matt Pitt at SherDog Training examines the question, "Can Women Fight?" Pitt is talking about ultimate fighting. 4. Business Insider reports on the sale of the world's most expensive home. It is in London and it sold for $220 million. 5. From Cracked.com: "7 Scientific Reasons a Zombie Outbreak Would Fail (Quickly)." 6. The Boston Globe's Big Picture blog has two incredible photo galleries of the flood in Pakistan: here (15 makes sense when you read the cutline) and here (4, 10, 17, 22, and 29 are particularly compelling pictures). 7. Investopedia has seven myths about millionaires. This slightly overstates the case but is true enough: "[M]ost are just regular Joes who successfully managed their money." Essentially the list cribs from Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko's 2006 bestseller, The Millionaire Next Door. To read a good review of the book, see The Simple Dollar. 8. If you liked Freakonomics the book, you might like the documentary film. Here's the trailer: Ignore polls -- people have better things to do than think about politics Jaime Watt is interviewed by The Mark and his point is a good: polls outside election campaigns are suspect and doubly so in the Summer. Most people have lives to live and at best most people have an impression of political leaders and their policies that is ... well, merely that: an impression. And Watt on whether the census flap matters? Maybe. The McGuinty shuffle There was a cabinet shuffle in Ontario on Wednesday and there`s good reason why most people would have missed it. The cabinet was more than tweaked, but none of the major portfolios were touched. New posts were created to accommodate all the nobodies promoted to pretend cabinet somebodies. David Caplan remains a nobody. Former mayors Bob Chiarelli and Glen Murray are somebodies again, but just barely. The Globe and Mail headline highlights that there are fresh faces, but really it is the same-old, same-old. Also, I agree with Adam Radwanski that if so many portfolios were split up why on Earth is Attorney General Chris Bentley still responsible for aboriginal affairs. Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Selective worries about gutting Canadian institutions Liberal MP Michelle Simson complains that "The head of gun registry has bn ousted... sure hope Canadians decide enough is enough w/ ths attack on R institutions by Harper govt." How come when Conservatives propose change to a decade-old policy it is an attack on "R institutions" but the whole Trudeauvian reinvention of Canada and his abandonment of a century of British heritage is something to celebrate? Why wasn't vandalizing, er, repatriating our constitution an attack on a Canadian institution? Why wasn't the half-century, slow-motion demolition of the Canadian Armed Forces an attack on a Canadian institution? Condemning with faint praise Liberal MP Hedy Fry on the passing of her father: "I am all that I because of his faith wisdom & love." She's repulsive. And strange. Palin refudiates Emily's List News Real Blog has the story. I don't find her response to the ridiculous Mama Grizzlies video to be snarky. It's not a Churchillian put down, but it's not bad. An endorsement of sorts Greg Mankiw on Sebastian Mallaby's More Money Than God: Hedge Funds and the Making of a New Elite: "For econonerds, this is a good beach read." Three and out 3. I guess the big news today is that the Atlanta Braves acquired 1B Derrek Lee from the Chicago Cubs. See stories from the Associated Press or ESPNChicago. Lee's line in 2010 is 251/335/416 (with 16 HRs in 418 ABs) -- all low marks going back to 1999 before he became an everyday player. However, those slash stats are buttressed by an amazing three games Lee is coming off of: 4 HRs in 11 ABs. I buy into the notion that flags fly forever, but I'd hate for the Braves to give up much in the way of the future for a player who is pretty marginal. The prospects look solid enough but aren't in the top 15 in the Braves farm system (see MLB Trade Rumours, which is one of the few places to report the prospects included in the deal). It appears that Lee would be replacing Troy Glaus at 1B. Glaus is "hitting" 239/343/406, which is a little better than Lee was doing at the plate before his recent power spurt. If the reports are correct and the Braves move Glaus over to the hot corner to make room for Lee at first, Atlanta will be carrying a pair of average hitters at the corner infield positions. Not sure that's a formula for winning a World Series. 2. Second opinion with a more charitable view of the Braves deal. Atlanta needs a bat and if Lee gets hot, which he did this past week, he can do a lot of damage to opponents. Still, I don't understand why they don't use Omar Infante (342/372/425) at third. 1. Wally Backman as future New York Mets skipper? Really? Really? The idea was originally brought up a few months ago. Jerry Manuel is certainly going to be dismissed after the season is over, but Backman is not the answer. He has never coached above Double A and even that was over a half-decade ago. He's now managing the Mets A-ball team, the Brooklyn Cyclones. James Kannengieser at Amazin' Avenue rips apart this indescribably bad idea. And when I read it I couldn't help but have this thought: considering it is the Mets, it makes some sort of sense that they would pick a singularly unqualified manager to lead their team in 2011. I can't think of a worst combination of owner (the Wilpon family) and general manager (Omar Minaya) outside of the perpetually woeful Kansas City Royals. Somehow adding Backman to the mix fits. Four and down 4. The nonsense about the Pittsburgh Steelers possibly replacing Ben Roethlisberger with Dennis Dixon has subsided -- at least until Dixon has another great game -- but now there is this about the battle between Dixon and Byron Leftwich: "Only in Pittsburgh could you have a backup quarterback controversy. In the preseason. After one game." This is kind of silly, just from a point of pure logic. If Dixon was really good enough to force the Steelers to bid adieu to Big Ben, shouldn't it be an easy decision who is the starter until Roethlisberger returns from his suspension? If Dixon is good enough to bump a QB with a pair of recent Super Bowl rings from the starting job, he's good enough to thwart Leftwich's dream to become a starter again. 3. A team regains their number one QB and there is controversy. Of course, I'm talking Brett Favre who says he is not returning for himself but rather for the team. The Minnesota Vikings apparently can't win the Super Bowl without him and he feels he owes it to his formerly former team-mates. Some are skeptical of Favre's altruism, but not ESPN's Kevin Seifert. I'm with Seifert, but I understand #4 testing people's patience and faith. You'll see what Seifert is talking about -- that "bravado and insecurity" -- if you watch highlights from the Favre press conference. The Fifth Down has links and excerpts to various reactions. 2. This kind of reporting bothers me. ESPN's James Walker notes that when former Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn, who is now the quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens, joins his new team against his old team in this weekend's pre-season match-up, it "will mark the first time Zorn coaches against his former organization since he was fired in January..." Considering that this is only the second game that either team has played since that point, the "first time" returning is a silly point to make. 1. I hate pre-season injuries even to players I actively hate, so I am disappointed to read this in the New York Times about Eli Manning: "the timeline for his return to the field remained unclear, in part because the cut could affect his ability to wear a helmet." That's really too bad. If it happened during the regular season, then I wouldn't care -- it's part of the game. But it's a shame to see someone get injured in such an ugly fashion in August. Here's the injury: Not really a prize From The Mark News: If you could have a one-on-one conversation with Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, what would you say to her? Benefits do not outweigh costs of GZ mosque Aaron David Miller, a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, has a sober-minded piece in the Washington Post that has gotten me off the fence on the issue of the GZ mosque. The key excerpts: There is great danger in misappropriating memory and attempting to link it to another agenda or to a tragic historical experience seared in the minds of millions. However the controversy over the proposed mosque and Islamic center in Lower Manhattan plays out, the outcome is bound, for many in this country and elsewhere, to keep raw and open the wounds of Sept. 11, 2001. And the benefits do not appear to be worth the risk...My previous position was based on my near absolutist private property rights views, but Miller's column makes a passionate but reasoned appeal to Sharif El-Gamal (and his backers) to reconsider exercising their right to carry on with their project in the location they have planned. But here is the case for letting them go through with it: the mosque will be a constant reminder of the connection between 9/11 and Islam. So I'm getting off the fence, but both feet are not planted firmly on the ground. Toronto bans kite flying in one park The Globe and Mail reports that Toronto city council has banned all kite-flying in Milliken Park because to stop the practice of kite-fighting. The debris from the casualties is often left to litter the park and apparently the sharp nylon line is a danger to animals and children. Instead of banning kite-fighting, how about posting a bylaw officer to enforce anti-littering rules. But things are never that simple in Toronto. As the Globe reports: A lush park in an immigrant-rich corner of Toronto is about to become a testing ground for how far big Canadian cities are willing to bend to accommodate the traditional practices of immigrant communities.Again, the city could have been less heavy-handed, but the implied complaint of ethnic discrimination is silly. I also don't understand why dedicated kite-fighters don't just go to another park -- and pick up after themselves. Getting tired with political news reports that don't report anything CBC "reports" that there could be a cabinet shuffle in Ontario and that a pair of former mayors are "contenders" for posts. Also, there will be a provincial election in October 2011. I could have written this bit of reasoned guesswork from my home office. WSJ on on BHP bid for Canadian potash company This Wall Street Journal article is interesting throughout: "A $39 Billion Food Fight: Canada's Potash Corp. Rejects Bid by Miner BHP to Tap Agriculture Market." I hope this won't be true: "Looming over any merger negotiations is a national debate in Canada about open markets and foreign takeovers." 'The browser-based web is not a goner' Chris Anderson and Michael Wolf have written the midly interesting but severely wrong "The Web Is Dead. Long Live the Internet" in Wired. Rob Beschizza at Boing Boing and Alexis Madrigal in TheAtlantic.com respond. The headline of this post is taken from Madrigal. Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Tweet of the day J.C. Bradbury: "If you are wondering why Turner Field is empty tonight, it's hot as a crotch in Atlanta." Day by day my desire to punch Tony Clement grows The latest incitement. Hey, Tony, Rolling Stone hasn't been cool in decades. I won't even bring up the fact you are tweeting a two month old profile. Go to FFF for a pair of important posts I'm sure most of you regularly read Five Feet of Fury, but two important issues are covered today that you won't want to miss. 1. "Government punishes hosts of, er, libertarian BBQ." That would be the Liberty Summer Seminar hosted by Peter Jaworksi, whose parents own the farm. I think I know next year's topic. 2. "Unflattering edits to Rob Ford's Wikipedia page traced to Toronto Star computer." The update on Toronto Life's take is hilarious. That someone at one of the other newspapers owned by the Toronto Star and not necessarily a Star employee might be the culprit makes everything okay. Three and out 3. No one covers sports head injuries like New York Times sports writer Alan Schwarz. Read today's incredibly accessible and consistently interesting article, "Study Says Brain Trauma Can Mimic Lou Gehrig’s Disease." 2. New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada turns 39 today. He is one of the "core four" that won five World Series with the Yanks since 1996, including three in four years. Amazingly, he, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera all joined the Major League club in 1995. He has never been a great defensive catcher and some pitchers don't like the way he calls games (notably A.J. Burnett), but in 16 seasons he's done it with his bat. Going into tonight's game, he has a career line of 276/378/479, five All Star appearances, five Silver Slugger awards and twice has finished in the top six in MVP voting. Eight times he's hit at least 20 HRs, and missed that mark by one once and two another time. While most catchers decline with age, he might actually be getting better; he had his best season at the age of 35: 338/426/543 with 20 HRs. Over his career he has 256 HRs and 1004 RBIs despite the fact that he wasn't a regular until his fourth season, blocked behind the plate by Joe Girardi, the man who is now his manager. Posada probably will be enshrined one day at Cooperstown, but before that he has his eyes another World Series or two. 1. Bobby Thomson, author of the most famous homerun ever, has passed away. New York Times obit is here. Four and down (ignoring Brett Favre's return edition) 4. Reading Peter King's MMQB column, I was struck that a pundit would actually admit doing this. He stated, "I saw nothing but the highlights of Tim Tebow’s eight-for-13 opener Sunday night at Paul Brown Stadium," and then he went on to analyze Tebow based (effectively) on what some producer decided were a couple of noteworthy plays. 3. More King, this time about the New York Giant's defensive front: "This year, new defensive coordinator Perry Fewell has lots of toys to play with, and the Giants could play some of the most interesting line combinations the league has ever seen." The most interesting combos ever. That might deserve triple exclamation power!!! I really hate predictions of "best ever" three weeks before the season starts. This MMQB column might be the dumbest ever, but alas it's not: way too much competition for that. 3. Much ado about Ben. Dennis Dixon, Byron Leftwich and Charlie Batch all got time under center on the weekend, and Ben Roethlisberger didn't. This could mean anything. The league could have asked the Pittsburgh Steelers to not play Big Ben, the team might have chosen to further punish him by benching Roethlisberger for the pre-season opener, or they might be most interested in figuring out who will be the starting and backup quarterback for the first quarter of the season during Roethlisberger's suspension. That ain't going to be Ben, but they have no clue who it will be so they'll use August to figure that out. Talk about dumping Roethlisberger and ordaining Dixon as the QB of the future in Pittsburgh is a little premature. Anyway, the Associated Press reports that Big Ben will play this weekend against the New York Giants. As Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says (regarding the battle for the starting job between Dixon and Leftwich), "Yet this is only for the first four games of the season. After that, it's Roethlisberger's team." Indeed. 1. Brian Westbrook signed with the San Francisco 49ers and not the hometown Washington Redskins or St. Louis Rams. He wouldn't have been a starting RB in any of those places, but the Skins could really have used a guy like Westbrook on third downs behind the declining Clinton Portis; neither backup RB (Larry Johnson and Willie Parker) can provide much protection. Westbrook could have joined Steven Jackson in St. Louis (and provide run support for rookie Sam Bradford so he wouldn't have to depend on passing to non-existent receivers), but will instead back up Frank Gore in SF and probably play the majority of third downs for coach Mike Singletary. Nice little pickup that didn't cost the youngish Niners too much. All that said, I won't be surprised if he's unemployed again by American Thanksgiving. Mama Grizzlies Hot Air ridicules the Emily's List ad against Sarah Palin, not that the video needs it. You just have to watch the 1:25 minute-ad in which women dress up as grizzly bears and complain about Palin and supposed conservative ideas such as eliminating health care and then growl about it to understand the insanity behind the advertisement. The gist of the ad is that Palin doesn't speak for ... what exactly? People who dress up in bear costumes and make fools of themselves? Of course, Palin doesn't speak for all mothers; the same could be said of various feminist outfits, that they don't speak for all women. That is self-evident and should not need saying. And just as special interest groups or politicians pretending to speak for various groups of people that aren't members or constituents does the polity no good, neither do ridiculously stupid ads. From, Nathan Hale's "I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country" to "Arghhhhh!" is not progress. Life is good Amazon delivery a minute ago: Dismantling America and other controversial essays by Thomas Sowell and Reggie Jackson: The Life and Thunderous Career of Baseball's Mr. October by Dayn Perry. I'll add that to the reading list for the next few days, joining a collection of Walter Williams columns and two volumes of collected essays of F.A. Hayek that I bought in the U.S. on the weekend. Electronica leads to inability to be bored Seems like some pundits are just looking for problems. The only reason to read Newsweek is George Will but this week he swings and misses. Will writes about how boys are losing the ability to become bored because they are over-stimulated by electronic devices that entertain us. The decline of civilization: first blue jeans, now PSPs and iPhones. Bumper sticker politics WaPo columnist Robert Samuelson had a good piece yesterday on bumper stickers, which are both an expression of individuality and belonging to a community. They add "more to our humor than to our rancor." Of course, not all bumper stickers are political. Samuelson notes the popular "My Son Is an Honor Student at (whatever) School"; this past weekend I saw one that read, "My ferret can beat up your honor student." 'Why Girly Jobs Don't Pay Well' Nancy Folbre, an economics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, explores the issue of "Why Girly Jobs Don’t Pay Well" in the New York Times Economix blog. Instapundit responds: This is no big mystery. Men care more about making money because making money is important to attracting and keeping women, and determining their status in general. Women don’t value money as much, because it’s not so important to attracting and keeping men or determining their status.I want to focus only on what Glenn Reynolds says and ask why is this so? The importance of men making money is connected to women seeking money in mates, but why can't women just make the money themselves and eliminate the middle man? And in other news, the Sun will rise in the East CBC reports that Liberal MP Wayne Easter says Prime Minister Stephen Harper wants him defeated. Well, duh. Of course, because Harper wants the Conservatives to win more seats, period. I'd guess that Harper wants to beat 125 Grits and NDPers. That's the game they play -- and in other news, Easter wants to keep his seat -- so thus far there is nothing newsworthy. Yet, Easter is making Harper sound nefarious for wanting a member of the opposition defeated: "He's certainly targeting me, because I've stood up against this prime minister over some of the things he tried to do in agriculture, and I've stood up for my constituents," Easter said.Well, that's what MPs are supposed to do. Not that Harper thinks standing up for constituents is bad; he just wants one of his own team be representing the riding of Malpeque. The fact that the margin of victory in 2008 was less than 1000 votes, makes this particular PEI riding all that more attractive. Monday, August 16, 2010
Tweet of the day Tammy Bruce: "Amazing how El-Gamal, developer who put down $4.8m to buy GZ mosque property in 2006, was a *waiter* in NY in 2002." Is this because it is easy to find things to criticize? Or is it because most things government does (left and right) are wrong? Those are questions that arise from reading this by Arnold Kling: I get the sense that eight years of George Bush moved [Brink] Lindsey to the left. Two years of Democratic Party rule is having the opposite effect. This may be a fairly widespread reaction. I thought that the Democrats would use their 2008 win to solidify and expand their support. Instead, they seem to be solidifying and expanding the opposition.Another reason, particular to Lindsey and other libertarians is that libertarian criticism is easy because they won't ever win an election so they don't have to make the compromises necessary in 1) getting elected and 2) governing once elected. All that said it is stunning that Barack Obama has not been able to do more politically to the advantage of his party in the past 20 months. Didn't need a 'news' story to tell me fall election unlikely Mark Kennedy, a 'reporter' for Post Media, does not provide an ounce of original reporting in this story and, in fact, most of it is speculation on the possibility of an improbability of a fall federal election. There are "landmines" like the Auditor General's report on stimulus spending and MPs access sensitive information about the Afghan detainees. On top of that, the "honeymoon is over" between voter and the government (no evidence of said honeymoon or its disappearance is provided), the polls are close, and there is little public enthusiasm for a fourth federal election since 2004 (again no evidence is proffered). I would prefer to see a serious examination of campaign readiness including finances and the availability or lack thereof due to municipal elections of key political strategists. There is nothing new in this article and a lot of it is mundane; it isn't very penetrating and thus makes lousy political reporting and weak analysis. There are a lot of factors to analyze that the standard-length news story doesn't have the space to get into and that few reporters are inquisitive enough to explore. And what might make sense in the middle of August will seem dated once the leaves begin to change. Here is my quick prediction: there will be no fall election -- unless there is. My guess is that no party sees itself as having a great chance to improve its seat count and thus there is no reason to risk losing seats facing a tetchy electorate. But that these things change quickly so it is foolish to make bold predictions just two years into the life of a minority government. |