Archive for 2014
March 21, 2014
JAMES TARANTO: Donk Fight! Republicans aren’t the only ones with nasty intraparty disputes.
Liberal journalists love writing about divisions in the Republican Party–social conservatives vs. moderates, Tea Party vs. establishment, and so forth. That gives stories about Democratic infighting a man-bites-donk quality. One such story is a feud between Markos “Kos” Moulitsas, the Angry Left’s answer to the Htoo twins, and Matt Bennett and Jim Kessler of Third Way, a Democratic think tank that describes itself as representing “Americans in the ‘vital center.’ ”
It started with a Moulitsas post in which he urged Koz Kidz, as readers of his eponymous website are called, to buck up. Headline: “Ten Years of Political Progress. And Yes, We’ve Made Progress.”
That seems obvious enough. A decade ago, Republicans controlled both houses of Congress and the dreaded George W. Bush was about to be re-elected. But he doesn’t mean Democrats have made progress; he means left-wing Democrats have made progress.
Well, Russia’s resurgent and the United States is in retreat worldwide. Plus, lots more Americans are on welfare. So…
WAR ON WOMEN: Female Share of Federal Workforce Declining Under Obama.
CULTURE OF CORRUPTION: Rep. Gutiérrez facing review from ethics panel.
The House Ethics Committee is looking into whether Rep. Luis Gutiérrez’s (D-Ill.) violated House rules.
The Ethics Committee did not specify the matter on Thursday, but USA Today has reported Gutiérrez continued to employ his former chief of staff Doug Scofield — now an Illinois lobbyist — as a paid contractor since 2003. Scofield had been paid more than $500,000, the newspaper reported, to train staff and write press releases, among other things.
Remember in 2006 when Nancy Pelosi promised to “drain the swamp?” Not so much, as it turns out.
THIS FROM THE MAN WHO PAYS HIS WOMEN WHITE HOUSE STAFFERS LESS THAN MEN: Obama: GOP should ‘join us in this century’ on equal pay for women.
BLUE ON BLUE: Left-Wing Darling Pacifica Radio Is Sliding Into the Abyss. “Pacifica has a long and storied history, and still features such leading liberals as Amy Goodman, the widely known host of Democracy Now! (on which journalists Glenn Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill are frequent guests), but it has fallen on hard times of late. Listenership, according Reese, is ‘extraordinarily low.’ During an average 15-minute period, just 700 people listen to its Los Angeles station, 90.7 FM KPFK, for at least five minutes, according to Nielsen Audio, which monitors radio ratings.”
JOURNALISM: Washington Post Falls For Left-Wing Fraud, Embarrasses Itself. Layers of editors, fact-checkers, and press-release-reprinters. . . . .
WARREN BUFFETT ON TAXES: Do As I Say, Not As I Do.
I DOUBT THIS REMAINS TRUE IF YOU MIX IT INTO A 600-CALORIE FROZEN DRINK: Sugars found in tequila may protect against obesity, diabetes.
JUDITH CURRY: Nate Silver’s 538 — Inconvenient Statistics.
March 20, 2014
AT AMAZON, up to 50% off on Classic Jewelry.
At Amazon, roll into Spring with deals on Lawn & Garden Essentials.
AT AMAZON, fresh deals at the Spring Outlet Event.
HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: UC Santa Barbara professor steals young anti-abortion protester’s sign, apparently assaults protesters, says she ‘set a good example for her students.’ I agree with Eugene Volokh who calls this incident “appalling.” Had it been a pro-life professor who assaulted pro-choice students and destroyed their signs, I suspect discipline would have been faster and more severe.
I COULD TELL YOU, BUT THEN I’D HAVE TO KILL YOU: Why Does the NSA Want to Keep Its Water Usage a Secret?
THE MOON’S NORTH POLE, mapped at 2-meter resolution.
I DUNNO, CAN YOU REALLY TRUST THEM TO BE ACCURATE? For Swiss Data Industry, NSA Leaks Are Good as Gold. What if it’s all just a clever disinformation campaign, disguised as a scandal?
MY USA TODAY COLUMN: Our criminal justice system has become a crime.
HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Students Who Do Sex Work.
GETCHER OBAMA SCANDAL BRACKET HERE!
I’VE MENTIONED LIBERTY ISLAND BEFORE, AND now it’s up and running. Here’s some background, and here’s a new story by Frank J., Who Murdered The Dinosaurs?