"This was the voice of moderation until 13 Sept, 2025"
by Ugh With a Bush III: Jeby'all! administration apparently something that can't be laughed out of the realm of realistic possibility, a reminder of his older and, uh, older brother's Presidency: Saying that high-ranking Bush administration officials may have taken part in grave constitutional violations after the Sept. 11 attacks, a federal appeals court in … Read more
by Doctor Science Things I Have Learned: when you go to the “hot food pay by the pound” steam trays, even at the *good* supermarket, don’t get the Asian-style Fish with Ginger and Scallions — at least not if it’s mid-afternoon, long after the lunch rush. It may have been the Lemon Chicken, but my … Read more
by liberal japonicus The image in the BBC story about the probe Philae, which landed on Comet 67P, it gives me the impression that the probe used its Twitter account to let people know it had come back on. So, we are screwed, just to let you know.
by wj In his column yesterday (Why Saudi Arabia Can’t get a Nuclear Weapon), Fareed Zakaria makes the case why a nuclear arms race in the Middle East is unlikely. His main arguments: a) Nobody, even Pakistan, would be willing to sell them one. The price of becoming an international pariah is just too steep. … Read more
by Doctor Science
The last time I went by car through NYC I was driving, so I got no idea of what the city actually *looks* like these days. This past weekend the four of us traveled to Long Island together for a family celebration, and with Mister Doctor Science behind the wheel I was able to stare out the windows and absorb the sights.
Cut for image-heavy post.
by liberal japonicus I'm going to take the liberty of pulling up parts of two comments, one by sapient, the other by Nombrilisme Vide Sapient wrote: So speaking of sex, and Caitlyn, nobody commented on the New Yorker article I linked to. But then there was a New York Times editorial, and then a Slate commentator who objected to it (and … Read more
by wj Warning: a big part of this post is going to be about sex. So if you don’t want to even think about that, skip the post and just go with the Open Thread part. One of this week’s big stories, apparently, revolved around Caitlyn Jenner. But a lot of the reason for its … Read more
by Doctor Science
Jerry Useem’s Atlantic article Why It Pays to Be a Jerk is amazingly self-contradictory, probably because it’s written for and about people who really want to be jerks but aren’t willing to admit it.
Start with the title. The headline and the subhead — “New research confirms what they say about nice guys” — say that the article is going to tell you that being a jerk definitely pays off (at least in business), and why. But Useem writes:
To summarize: being a jerk is likely to fail you, at least in the long run, if it brings no spillover benefits to the group; if your professional transactions involve people you’ll have to deal with over and over again; if you stumble even once; and finally, if you lack the powerful charismatic aura of a Steve Jobs. (It’s also marginally more likely to fail you, several studies suggest, if you’re a woman.) Which is to say: being a jerk will fail most people most of the time.
[emphasis mine.] In other words, the headline + subhead — doubtless written by an editor, not the author — directly contradicts the article.
It’s maybe not entirely the headline-editor’s fault, because the text of the article also contradicts *itself* — as do the articles and experts Useem used as sources.
by liberal japonicus I don't follow sports closely anymore, too much work, too little time, and a ferocious time difference to deal with. I admit to having a soft spot for Lebron, as I have a general sympathy for anyone forced to mature in the spotlight, though it does seem a bit silly to have … Read more
by Ugh As I'm sure many of you know, the USA PATRIOT Act (or at least certain provisions of it and perhaps other laws) expired last night. It's hard to tell, however, because I'm still here typing this and we do not have ISIS raising it's flag over the White House, imposing Sharia law, and … Read more