unfortunate association
Fresh Air has produced a wonderful interview with the very smart Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons. That said, his constant vibrato reminds me of David ...
Category: people
the second as farce
What would Italian fascism look like within the context of the EU, the G8 and NATO? Would we recognize it? Silvio Berlusconi controls the media he doesn’t...
why are there newspapers in North Korea?
Michael Bérubé defines one of the most important power blocs in contemporary America as “a low-information conservative constituency.” It’s a ...
self-serve nation
We would do well to print out this brilliant comment on MetaFilter and keep a copy handy at all times given the faddish resurgence of doomsday cults: In Katrina...
the blind leading the blind
This morning I visited the web site of a local television station to read a story about a tragic violent crime. I then read about 40 or so comments (of 200) pos...
drama critics
Frank Rich: Such was the judgment of many Washington drama critics. But there’s a reason that this speech was austere, not pretty. Form followed content. Obama ...
closed case
Last week I posted an email I sent to NPR’s Fresh Air after its contributor David Bianculli went on a bizarre rant about NBC not supporting its program &#...
synecdoche, china
The charming documentary Please Vote for Me documents an unprecedented election for class monitor in a third grade classroom in the city of Wuhan, China. The fi...
“You will have no choice but to protect my killers”
The BBC World Service had actor Bill Nighy read a final article by the murdered Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha Wickramatunga. It’s incredible.
think fast!
what do these two men have in common? the one on the left skillfully crash landed a falling plane with 155 passengers aboard. the one on the right is expected t...
friends don’t let friends read Friedman
A few weeks ago, I read with much pleasure all of Matt Taibbi’s pitch perfect and brilliant critiques of Thomas Friedman’s books and several of his ...
open letter
a letter submitted to NPR’s Fresh Air re: this segment by David Bianculli: Dear Sirs, re: the Jan. 16, 2009 episode of Fresh Air Mr. Bianculli angrily den...
what would josh do?
From the NYT: Some passengers screamed, others tucked their heads between their knees, and several prayed over and over, “Lord, forgive me for my sins.” But a m...
you know we’ve hit bottom
…when hearing the incoming Attorney General refuse to break the law by sanctioning torture sounds like good news.
building things
How, exactly, did this game lead to a more efficient product or marketplace? Along with many seasoned investors, he was snared in a “short squeeze” after bettin...
tragedy is
5 Somali Pirates Drown With Ransom.
wishful thinking
The NYT engages in wishful thinking I can get behind: Now, given that all those slick Miami condos are sitting empty in the sky, designers like the Campana Brot...
the irrational logic of hate
Every few months, I find myself citing this study: Group Loyalty and the Taste for Redistribution by Harvard economist Erzo F.P. Luttmer. It proves with empiric...
the broken cog
The Wall Street Journal summarizes a 2005 warning by Raghuram Rajan: Incentives were horribly skewed in the financial sector, with workers reaping rich rewards ...
why wouldn’t they have?
In an excellent oral history of the Bush administration, a hole that reveals yet more holes: November 1, 2001 A presidential executive order exempts presidents,...