Glenn Reynolds says of urban african immigrant polygamists:
Interesting report. This would be dealt with more effectively in a non-multicultural framework, I suspect.
So let’s try that:
*Enter non-multicultural framework….
Wow, people who broke the law by creating polygamist marriages before I entered this non-multicultural framework are still breaking the law!
*And we are done.
Tags: No Comments.
Kevin Drum discusses how “principles” make it easy reach conclusions quickly and wrongly (which is correct) but ends his discussion with a strange tidbit:
On a slight tangent, have you noticed that although “ideology” and “principles” have nearly identical meanings in common usage, we usually use ideology when speaking about people we don’t like and principles when talking about ourselves?
Except “principles” and “ideology” aren’t really identical in common usage. One is a part. The other is the whole. An “ideology” is a group of (presumably) semi-coherent “principles”. A slight metonymy develops by which a principle like “Less Government” stands for the whole “Libertarian” ideology but that is more referential than anything else.
As far as, “principles” for me but not for thee, consider the above example. Libertarians are famously divisive and diverse in their sub-ideologies. Yet, they are all Libertarian no matter whichever principles they claim motivate their belief.
Tags: No Comments.
The number of things aggressively wrong with this email I received from mlb.com is astounding:
Dear 2006 MLB.TV Seasonal Subscriber,
MLB.TV is back and better than ever…
…
Innocent enough. Things take a turn for the worse (emphasis added for empasis).
As a reminder, your subscription to 2007 MLB.TV Yearly Package is being renewed at the same low price as last season - only $79.95 for the entire year (a $10 savings off the new 2007 MLB.TV Yearly Package regular price).
Just sit back and get ready to enjoy all the 2007 action, starting with live streams of approximately 150 Spring Training Games (no blackout restrictions). We plan to begin our billing cycle mid-march - your credit card on file with us will be automatically charged $79.95 on or about 3/15/07. To update or confirm your credit card information, please Click Here »
What? Why? How?
Luckily:
If you do not wish your subscription to renew for the 2007 season, simply Click Here »
And so I did.
Tags: 1 Comment
Robert Reich advances limited praise for Bush’s new health care maneuvers:
The President’s plan to de-couple health insurance from employment merits only one cheer, though, because it’s only the first step. Two cheers for the President or any politician who comes up with a way to get health insurance to lower-income people who can’t afford it on their own even with a tax deduction. It’s called universal health care. Every advanced nation has it except the United States.
Seems like replacing a mediocre system like employer-based care with a bad system like individual insurance merits not even a smile no less a cheer.
Tags: No Comments.
My condolences to Seema for her Grandma:
no words will ever capture the feeling i have in my heart when i think about her.
she will always have a special place in my life. she was one of the most beautiful people in my life.i will always miss you amma ji.
Tags: No Comments.
The economist Kash Mansori ruminates on how a market for ethanol may affect corn prices:
As the Wall Street Journal article cited above outlines, the profitability of ethanol production depends crucially on the price of corn (as well as on the price of oil, of course). That means that whenever the price of corn is low, there will be a substantial incentive to turn it into ethanol, increasing the demand for that cheap corn and boosting its price. Hence, the ability to turn corn into ethanol has effectively guaranteed corn farmers a minimum price for their product, something that farmers of almost all crops wish for (or actively lobby for); a price floor is one of the fondest, happiest dreams of most people in the farm business.
Something seems wrong with that picture though. If the demand for ethanol increases without significant increase in corn supply, won’t ethanol producers find sugar or other ethanol sources attractive no matter what corn subsidies are currently active?
I guess I’m missing something.
Tags: No Comments.
Michael Gerson, Bush’s former speechwriter had strong words to dismiss Jim Webb’s Democratic response:
The Democratic response by Virginia Sen. James Webb was also memorable, in a different way. Whenever a politician puts out to the media that he has thrown away the speechwriters’ draft and written the remarks himself (as Webb did), it is often a sign of approaching mediocrity. This was worse.
At first this seems like mere professional jealousy. If politicians began to write their own speeches, and do it well, folks like Gerson would be out on the street.
But Gerson attempts to justify his criticism:
Senator Webb made liberal use of clichés: the middle class is “the backbone” of the country, which is losing its “place at the table.” I am not even sure there is a literary term for a mixed metaphor that crosses two clichés.
The problem being one of style vs. substance. Gerson judges the craft of the language Webb uses in the speech. He misses the craft of its political rhetoric. For instance, he calls Webb’s argument illogical because he disagrees with the words he uses to describe two clearly different policies:
And Senator Webb’s logic was as incoherent as his language (the two are often related). No “precipitous withdrawal”—but retreat “in short order.” Fight the war on terror vigorously—except where the terrorists have chosen to fight it.
The problem with speechwriters is that they read, write and hear too many speeches. The average voter consumes political rhetoric through ads and 24-hour talk shows. Very few political speeches reach anything like a wide audience. So the speechwriter doesn’t won’t use any old, boring language in the big, important speech, they want to be recognized for their craft.
Webb’s goals are different. His reputation doesn’t hinge on his craft at language. His goals revolve around delivery, clear communication and powerful argument. Webb’s speech succeeded in most of these fronts. His delivery was clear, if wooden and his argument hit directly at the President.
Tags: No Comments.
Apparently someone wrote a bollypunk novel.
The guy, Ian Mcdonald, wrote another novel called Scissors Cut Paper Wrap Stone.
Intriguing names and topics all around.
(HT boing boing)
Tags: No Comments.
Over at the Financial Times alphaville the writers wonder if hedge funds are even, you know, hedging.
Because a large part of hedging requires using standard measures of risk:
Half of all hedge funds don’t measure the amount of leverage they have embedded in assets such as forwards and derivatives, the report said. Further, 54 per cent of all hedge funds either don’t track liquidity or, of those that do, neglect to do stress-testing and correlation-testing.
Be ready for more Amaranths.
Tags: No Comments.
Senator Jimm Webb ended the Democratic response to Bush’s State of the Union thus:
These Presidents took the right kind of action, for the benefit of the American people and for the health of our relations around the world. Tonight we are calling on this President to take similar action, in both areas. If he does, we will join him. If he does not, we will be showing him the way.
Thank you for listening. And God bless America.
Tags: No Comments.