Since this blog is now your source for Brazilian immigrant fingerprinting news, we bring you this other tidbit, again from our correspondent David M. Rosenberg: A flight crew from American Airlines (originating in Miami) refused to submit to the fingerprinting process in São Paulo this morning. The captain allegedly made an obscene gesture to the […]
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Over at TNR:
The New Republic website is hopping in the pre-Iowa-caucus countdown. TNR’s [entirely correct] endorsement of LiebermanThe multi-day brawl among TNR writers about that endorsementSuccinct cases for several of the other candidates: Robert Greene for Wesley Clark, J. Peter Scobolic for Clark, Michael Crwoley for Dick Gephardt, Michelle Cottle for John Edwards, Jonathan Cohn for Howard […]
Is this what conservatism has come to?
President Bush is planning a new pro-marriage initiative, read The New York Times account. The centerpiece calls for the government to provide $1.5 billion in training “to help couples develop interpersonal skills that sustain “healthy marriages.”” In other words, subsidized marriage education and counseling. One bureaucrat from HHS assures us that “All services will be […]
Information Requests:
Sometimes, when I ask readers for information about a given topic, I get reader emails beginning with “I’m sure many people have mentioned X …” Sometimes that’s true, in which case I will update my post to note that I now now about “X”. Often, however, the reader who sends this is the only reader […]
Suicide Murder in Israel:
Two interesting things about today’s suicide murder in Israel. First, the bombing occurred at a checkpoint for Palestinian workers. While Israel is blamed for “immiserating” the Palestinians by cutting off their jobs, whenever Israel tries to let more Palestinians work, Hamas, Jihad, et al. intentionally target the checkpoints, to force Israel to crack down and […]
Prescient Warnings about Civil Rights Legislation:
It is well-known that opponents of the 1964 Civil Rights Act warned that it would lead to racial preferences, and that these concerns were pooh-poohed by proponents. I am looking for other examples of warnings by opponents of the Act labled “extremist” or “hysterical” at the time that have been vindicated, whether in the ’64 […]
The Other Middle Eastern Refugees:
Interesting piece in Ha’aretz. My girlfriend’s parents and their families were among the thousands o Jews forced to flee Iraq, leaving their (substantial) property behind, 50+ years ago. Her late mother left to her children the deed to the land her father bought for her in Baghdad when she was born.
Silence in school:
I’m not sure that “completely bann[ing] all talking [in an elementary school] before and between classes and at lunch time” is a First Amendment violation, as Tim Sandefur suggests. But it seems to me to be a mighty silly and unworkable rule, likely only to teach students to have contempt for rules, and for school.
Almost fair:
Dahlia Lithwhick’s opinion piece in Slate on today’s Supreme Court oral arguments in a disability accommodation case has a pretty striking item: You’d have to look long and hard to find a civil rights plaintiff more deserving of empathy than George Lane. But then you’d also have to look long and hard to find five […]
Sitegeist:
Check out the 2003 Year-End Google Zeitgeist. Thanks to Jim Herd for the pointer.
Hold My Buns!
Drudge links to a report noting that bowing to the low-carb craze, Burger King will now offer bunless Whoppers, for the same price as Whoppers with buns. How is this different then in the past (1) ordering the Whopper, but stating, “no bread please”; or (2) ordering the Whopper, and throwing the bread away, feeding […]
Reading recommendation:
Curiously enough, Josh Chafetz and I both finished Iain Pears’ The Dream of Scipio yesterday. It’s quite strikingly different from Pears’ earlier An Instance of the Fingerpost — more philosophical, more emotionally intense and absorbing and ultimately draining, and more romantic. Instance is fun; I’d have a hard time saying that about Scipio. As someone […]
The Cubs’ intellectual property claims:
ESPN reports: The Chicago Cubs and owners of the famous building-top seats have come to a 20-year agreement that would require the owners to pay the team millions of dollars each year, the Chicago Tribune reported in Monday’s editions. The owners of 11 buildings will pay the Cubs 17 percent of their gross revenue, which, […]
Deception scandal at USA Today, involving foreign correspondent and Pulitzer Prize finalist Jack Kelley. Howard Kurtz reports in the Washington Post; here’s the USA Today story about this; and The Zionist Conspiracy argues that a Kelley story that painted a highly unflattering picture of Israeli settlers was fabricated (USA Today says that “confirming the Jewish […]
Reply and rejoinder:
In the spirit of blogging, I note that Michael Knox Beran has responded to my critique of his article about slavery and the founders. Today’s a teaching day so no rejoinder from me; and a fourth round of comments probably exceeds most readers’ interest anyways, so I’ll let my earlier comments stand and give Beran […]