MICHAEL MOYNIHAN: Is Frank Rich the Only Non-Racist Left In America? “Instead of a post-racial America, are we now stuck with the racial politics of the university, where we presume that everyone is motivated by hate until they conclusively prove otherwise?”
Archive for 2010
April 6, 2010
SHY AND INTROVERTED PEOPLE may process the world differently.
MICKEY KAUS LAUNCHES HIS new campaign website. I’m wishing him luck against Barbara Boxer.
BEYOND PARODY: Women march topless, complain about male attention.
UPDATE: Heh.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Was it Raelians?
WELL, THAT’S A RELIEF: Obama Is Not the Antichrist—And Nobody Really Thinks He Is.
TROUBLE FOR GOODWIN LIU?
THE IMPORTANCE OF the proper beer glass.
REASON TV: Fixing government? There’s an App for that! No, really. “Harrison and Hartfield are the creators of the Do-it-Yourself Democracy iPhone application, which allows users to expose government waste, organize protests, or simply hector officials into finally fixing a long-neglected pothole.”
OKAY, THIS IS NEW: So I was in my office grading student papers when a congressional candidate dropped by. No, really: It was Van Irion, who’s running in the Republican primary in Tennessee’s 3d district (for the seat being vacated by Zach Wamp, who’s running for Governor). He seemed quite Tea Party-friendly in his views. I’ve never had a candidate drop by my office before, so — following my own advice to have a digital camera handy at all times — I took a picture.
CHARLIE MARTIN: Apple’s plan to conquer the world.
STEVEN LEVY: Bots That Botch Your Workout. “On the plus side, the software is much less costly, has an infinitely flexible schedule, and can’t recount your flabby, pathetic exploits to its friends between gales of laughter. On the other hand, a human trainer is more likely to acknowledge when the client is crumpled on the floor writhing in pain after doing a leg stretch. A virtual trainer’s response in such cases is to impatiently urge that another rep be completed. Trust me on this.”
UNEMPLOYMENT: “However, the real unemployment rate, even by the standards of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, is much higher. The U-6 unemployment number, as the real data is called, is at 17.5%, within 0.5% of its all-time high. This figure includes discouraged workers who’ve stopped looking, marginally attached workers, and workers that are forced to work part-time because full-time jobs are not available.”
SEEING WHAT THE HUBBLE SEES, in Imax and 3D.
WHAT CARS TODAY meet the new CAFE regs? My Toyota Highlander Hybrid makes the grade, natch. Because I care about the planet.
FRED BARTLIT on how law practice should be. It’s interesting how much his discussion about law practice economics tracks what I say in a forthcoming article based on my Hofstra speech from last year.
CHELSEA HANDLER: PETA Zombie?
A BLOW TO “NET NEUTRALITY:” Court: FCC has no power to regulate Net neutrality. “Tuesday’s decision could doom one of the signature initiatives of FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, a Democrat. Last October, Genachowski announced plans to begin drafting a formal set of Net neutrality rules–even though Congress has not given the agency permission to begin.”
ILYA SOMIN: Against The NCAA Cartel.
ANIMAL SOCIETY: Leaders, Followers and Schmoozers.
IN THE MAIL: From Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, Saltation.
CRITICISM: 13 glaring iPad shortcomings.
ANOTHER ANTI-TEA-PARTY TALKING POINT DIES: IRS: Threats of violence are overblown:
The country’s chief tax collector pushed back Monday against assertions that working for the Internal Revenue Service has become more dangerous as a result of growing anti-government sentiment and the recent passage of President Obama’s health care plan.
“No, the risk has not increased,” IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman said. “There has been a lot of stuff in the press about increased threats, which is actually inaccurate.”
Accuracy hasn’t been their strong suit on this subject.