Month: June 2015
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Comparative Military Bases
This series of maps is worth a look: What we can learn by looking at where world powers have military bases. Here are two of them, the US and China: While such maps do not tell all one might need to know they do undercut two arguments often made in the popular press. First, it…
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Scott Walker Panders To The Shrinking Minority Opposed To Same-Sex Marriage
He hasn’t declared yet, but Scott Walker is running for President, and he’s pandering to the most extreme wing of the Republican Party.
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Why Aren’t Racehorses Getting Faster?
Humans have been getting progressively bigger, faster, and stronger. Not so horses.
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Saudi Supreme Court Upholds Conviction Of Blogger For “Insulting Islam”
Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of a blogger sentenced to a decade in prison and 1,000 lashes for “insulting Islam”: DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court upheld an internationally condemned verdict against a liberal blogger who was publicly flogged after being found guilty of insulting Islam, state-linked news websites…
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Why is Harvard Subsidized by the Taxpayer?
A wealthy alumnus has given Harvard $400 million, sparking a heated debate.
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New York Teachers’ Exam Ruled Racially Biased
Being required to demonstrate competency in liberal arts to teach is racially discriminatory, a federal judge has ruled.
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American Pharoah Wins First Triple Crown In 37 Years
A thirty-seven year long drought is over.
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And the Hyperbole Prize Goes to…
…Rod Dreher: A number of you have sent me the Edward Schlosser essay on Vox, headlined, “I’m a Liberal Professor, And My Liberal Students Terrify Me”. It cannot fail to bring to mind the horrors of China’s Cultural Revolution, in which Mao turned the fervor and idealism of students on their professors, creating generational warfare…
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No, College Professors are Not Afraid to Teach Millennials
One more on this topic.
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Coburn Hearts Rubio…
..the other GOP contenders, not so much: Tom Coburn On 2016: Cruz And Walker Not Ready For Primetime, America Won’t Elect Another Bush. The piece has the candidate-by-candidate run-down.
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What is Wrong with People? (GOA Edition)
Larry Pratt of the Gun Owners of America: “The Second Amendment was designed for people just like the President and his administration,” Pratt told radio host Roger Fredinburg. “And yes, if the New York Times and the Rolling Stone, and whoever else wants to have a hissy fit, yes, our guns are in our hands…
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The Rich Get Richer (High Ed Edition)
Via Inside Higher Ed: Does Harvard Need Your Money? It didn’t take long for the criticisms to begin rolling in after Harvard University announced a $400 million donation to its engineering college. The gift was proudly touted by the university as its largest-ever gift, and a significant step toward reaching the towering $6.5 billion fund-raising goal…
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Minnesota Archdiocese Faces Criminal Charges For Covering Up Child Sex Abuse
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has been charged criminally for its role in covering up sexual abuse of children by Priests.
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Most Americans, Including Republicans, Support A Path To Citizenship For Illegal Immigrants
Yet another poll shows that most Americans support a path to citizenship, and that a majority of Republican agree with them.
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Air Force Says ISIS Has Poor OPSEC, Demonstrating Poor OPSEC
An Air Force general is bragging about a targeting technique being used against ISIS.
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Least Shocking Line of the Day
“[H]is campaign has been marked by signs of dysfunction and amateurism.” (From a WaPo piece on Ben Carson’s campaign woes).
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Petitioner Wants Olympics To Revoke Medal Caitlyn Jenner Won As Bruce Jenner
This is perhaps the silliest idea ever.
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Tariq Aziz, Former Iraqi Foreign Minister Under Saddam Hussein, Dead At 79
Tariq Aziz, who was perhaps the most well-known face of the Iraqi government in the Western world during Saddam Hussein’s reign, has died at the age of 79: Tariq Aziz, a top minister for Saddam Hussein who served as Iraq’s international spokesman for more than 20 years and was perhaps the government’s most recognizable figure…
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The Politics Of Income Inequality
Most Americans think that income inequality is a problem, but they don’t all agree on what to do about it.
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More Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Dennis Hastert
Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who was indicted last week on charges involving currency transaction that were later revealed to be related to charges of sexual abuse when he was a high school teacher and coach, is now being accused of abusing another minor in a case apparently unrelated to last weeks’ charges: A woman…
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The New York Times Wants You To Know About Marco Rubio’s Traffic Tickets For Some Reason
The New York Times is on top of the breaking news about Marco Rubio’s driving record for some reason.
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How Many College Students are There in the US?
Answer: a lot. For reasons unrelated to my post yesterday I had cause to look up global enrollment figured for US colleges and universities nationwide. Here are the numbers from National Student Clearinghouse Research Center: There are reasons that I find it problematic, therefore, to take basically one incident (Kipnis) or even a handful…
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A Strong May Jobs Report
The May Jobs Report seems to suggest that the first quarter dip in the economy was merely temporary: Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 280,000 in May, and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 5.5 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains occurred in professional and business services, leisure and hospitality, and health care.…
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Headline Of The Day: Rick Perry Edition
The Huffington Post‘s headline shortly after Rick Perry officially announced his candidacy wins the day, if not the week:
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Summing up the Proper Reaction to the Scare over the PC Wave in Academia
Stanford Professor Keith Humphreys writing at The Reality-Based Community: What we really know from the P.C. anecdotes that are being published is that at least some academics are feeling threatened and silenced. But we don’t know that this is happening any more now than at any other time in history, nor that it’s truly a…
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Rick Perry Begins His Improbable Attempt At An Unlikely Comeback
Rick Perry is hoping to do something that hasn’t happened before in American politics, come back from a campaign that imploded.
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You Can’t Yell “You Did it Baby” at a Crowded Commencement (?)
It is an occupational hazard that I have been to far more commencement ceremonies than most people could ever dream of (or have nightmares about) attending. At every one I have attended it has been asked of the audience that they hold their applause. At every one I have attended, this request is ignored by…
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2016 And The Politics Of Same-Sex Marriage
Republicans running for President need to tread carefully in their responses if the Supreme Court legalizes same-sex marriage nationwide.
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Bobby Jindal To Enter Presidential Race June 24th
Once seen as a rising Republican star, Bobby Jindal’s impending Presidential bid now looks like it’s over before it begins.
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Jeb Bush To Enter Presidential Race June 15th
After months of “not running,” Jeb Bush will formally enter the Presidential race on June 15th.
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Showtime Becomes Latest Content Provider To Offer A Streaming Service
It’s getting easier and easier to cut the cord.
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Lincoln Chafee Thinks America Needs The Metric System, And Lincoln Chafee
Lincoln Chafee began his bizarre run for the Presidency in the strangest way possible.
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Fear and Paranoia in Academia
I have been reading, mostly in passing, a number of pieces about an alleged new climate on college campuses in which students are raising significant complaints due to difficult or emotionally sensitive material. The latest example did not impress me.
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Americans Are Becoming More Liberal On Social Issues
A new poll shows that Americans have moved to the left on a wide variety of social issues.
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Mike Huckabee Has Some Very Disturbed Thoughts On Transgender People
Mike Huckabee is, well, a very hateful person: Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee joked earlier in the year he wished he could have pretended to be transgender in high school “when it came time to take showers in PE.” Huckabee made the comments at the 2015 National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, earlier this…
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Why Are So Many Losers Running For President?
Obviously, most of these people are smart enough to realize they can’t possibly win, right?
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Transgender Historical Revisionism
Does an individual’s changed gender identity alter history?
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Senate Renews, Modifies, Patriot Act
The Senate passed a bill that renews, and modifies, the Patriot Act
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FIFA President Sepp Blatter Resigns As The Vultures Circle
FIFA’s President surprised everyone today by resigning, but he’s likely to stay in power for as long as another ten months.
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Hillary Clinton’s Favorability Hits Its Lowest Level In Years
Hillary Clinton is taking a hit in the polls, but it’s unclear if that’s going to matter when 2016 rolls around.
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Rand Paul’s Money Problem
Rand Paul Is at a distinct disadvantage compared to his fellow Republican candidates for President.
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D.C. Metro Bans All Political Ads Rather Than Run Mohammed Cartoon Poster
The agency that runs Washington D.C.’s mass transit has banned all political ads after Pamela Gellar attempted to run an advertisement featuring a drawing of Mohammed.
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Lindsey Graham Begins His Long Shot Bid For The Presidency
Lindsey Graham is the latest entrant into the Presidential race, but it’s hard to see how he gets out of the bottom of the polls.
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Group Trying To Draft Elizabeth Warren To Run For President To Close Doors
The “Draft Warren” movement is basically dead.
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Americans Spend More Than Eight Hours A Day Consuming Media
Americans spend a lot of time consuming media: On average, people spend more than 490 minutes of their day with some sort of media, according to a new report by ZenithOptimedia. Television remains dominant, accounting for three hours of daily consumption—an hour more than the internet, in second place. (The report measures media consumed in its…
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Elon Musk Beneficiary of $4.9 Billion in Government Subsidies
Billionaire wunderkind Elon Musk has had a lot of help from taxpayers.
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Supreme Court Sides With Muslim Woman In Religious Discrimination Case
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Muslim woman who was refused a job because of her hijab.