Month: February 2019

Reparations

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by wj I’d been thinking about a post on the topic. Both the more usual (relatively speaking) position on concerning blacks for slavery, and Senator Warren’s recent comment regarding Native Americans. Then 538 came along and gave me a hook to hang it on: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-americans-think-about-reparations-and-other-race-related-questions/ The first, obvious, and generally ignored question is: who qualifies? … Read more

Some thoughts on anthem protesting

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by liberal japonicus
Of course, right after Russell posts, I get an article that pushes me to post. Never fails.

Eight players from the Ole Miss men’s basketball team knelt during the national anthem before Saturday’s home game against Georgia in response to a Confederacy rally near the arena.

We’ve never had a discussion about the whole kneeling during the anthem thing, partly because sports isn’t really a big thing here, in part because (I hope) the commentariat recognizes that it is a symbolic discussion that resists attempts at rational discussion. But the article above has me think of some of the functional reasons why this would start within football, and why it would happen at a basketball game at Ole Miss, as well as analyze some of my misconceptions. More after the break.

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land, spreading out so far and wide…

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by russell This popped up on my FB feed, courtesy of a friend who is an architectural engineer.  It's a breakdown of how land is used in the lower 48.  I have no point to make about it, I just found it fascinating.  Some interesting (to me, anyway) points: urban areas – 3.6% of land … Read more

(In)Security – Weekend Open Thread

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by wj These musings about the American approach to security are not actually motivated by this week’s activities around Trump’s fantasy wall and its supporters. Although there are some obvious implications. Rather, they stem from the trip I took last week to Brussels. Specifically, about my observations concerning airport security in Europe, as opposed to … Read more

Invisible

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by JanieM The summer after my sophomore year in high school I bought the junior math textbook, taught myself Algebra II and Trig, and asked if I could take senior math that year. The principal – let’s call him Father S – was reluctant to allow it, but my math teacher, Mrs. W, was supportive. … Read more

A book I won’t be reading

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by liberal japonicus Via this Vox article, an interesting New Yorker article about Dan Mallory. Wondering about the takeaway of the Vox article: does the personal deception done by Mallory stand as evidence of the rot in the publishing industry? Be interested to hear what everything thinks.

Snippets

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by JanieM Unlike Doctor Science, I’m not back from outer space. But here’s something to snack on. 1. Foreign Affairs has a series of essays responding to a Francis Fukuyama piece about identity politics. The Stacey Abrams essay includes this sentence: The marginalized did not create identity politics: their identities have been forced on them … Read more