liberal japonicus

Who’s next open thread

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by liberal japonicus Regular commenter hairshirthedonist asks: Also, too, isn’t it kind of weird that Chuck Berry and Chuck Barris would die within such a short time of each other? Why yes, yes it is. I may watch Confessions of a Dangerous Mind tonite and 2016 was a banner year for famous people going off … Read more

From the ObWi hivemind

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by liberal japonicus Just to let you know, we’ve asked a few people to join the front page, with the key being they provide some new points of view. I’m closing the comments to this post as it is just an announcement, but if you have ideas or recommendations for others, drop a line to … Read more

Now is the time to start studying Chinese

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by liberal japonicus Or, according to google translate 现在是开始学习中文的时候了。 (Xiànzài shì kāishǐ xuéxí zhōngwén de shíhoule.) I have made several concerted efforts to study Chinese, and thought that I had given up, but this article makes me realize that I better bite the bullet and take another run at the damn language. http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/01/30/donald-trump-is-handing-china-the-world.html I can … Read more

Nine years

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by liberal japonicus Hilzoy’s facebook feed reminds me that it is 9 years since Andy Olmsted was killed by a sniper in Iraq. Someone once complained that leaving all the information about Andy up on the left was like making a shrine rather than fostering discussion. Living in a country full of shrines, I tend … Read more

Scott Eric Kaufmann

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by liberal japonicus Today’s a holiday here in Japan (Kinroukansha no hi or Labor day) and have just gotten around to visiting a bunch of blogs that work and writing have kept me from, and saw this post at LGM saying that Scott Eric Kaufmann had died. I often assume that I’m reading what everyone … Read more

Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

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by liberal japonicus If I’ve done this correctly, Ugh’s post (long may it wave!) should be above this one. Just thought that you might like to read some non-US political stuff and this is fascinating, at least to me. It also makes complaints about money for speeches or putting people on boards seem like pretty … Read more

Dylan

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by liberal japonicus I'm really busy, so with little ado, a thread for your thoughts on and favorite lyrics by the newest Nobel laureate (note to self: when exactly does someone become a Nobel Laureate? Is Sartre a Laureate even though he turned down the prize?). A link or two, and you're on your own…

Five Days That Shaped a Presidency

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by liberal japonicus OK, thought that I would crack open a fresh thread with Jonathan Chait's interview with Obama http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/10/barack-obama-on-5-days-that-shaped-his-presidency.html I'm not going to pull anything out because I'm having some vision problems at the moment, and the straight thru read was about all my eyes could take this evening, but there's a lot of … Read more

The ingredient in the special sauce?

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by liberal japonicus

I started this because the other thread wascreaking under the weight of all the comments,, but two other posts have gone out since them. Oh well… However, I thought I go ahead and post this.

I found this vox piece to be very insightful, especially when juxtaposed with this one. Both are a bit of a long read, but I'll wait till you finish. join me below the fold when you do.

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Fair Play Fair Pay Act

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by liberal japonicus I put this Jeffrey Toobin piece about the new Fair Play Fair Pay Act because this is something Russell has often written about http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/congresss-chance-to-be-fair-to-musicians There have been several good articles about streaming etc at the newyorker, including http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/who-is-really-paying-for-adele and http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/will-streaming-music-kill-songwriting have at it.

From Kumamoto

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by liberal japonicus

This post is basically a text document that I've had open on my desk since yesterday, so apologies for the stream of consciousness. It's been 3 days since I got back (I was in the UK during the two main earthquakes), and 5 days since the main earthquake. The epicenter was about 2 km from my home, and you've all probably read that there was a foreshock 2 days before that centered in Mashiki, which is about 5 km from my home. Rest below the fold

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A short post-quake post

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by liberal japonicus While I haven't mentioned where I live in Japan, perhaps you've now heard of it as we now have an earthquake named after us! I was in the UK when the quake struck, but the wonders of modern technology, I was able to contact my wife immediately after the first one and, … Read more

Trump, New Hampshire, Tigerblood and Winning!

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by liberal japonicus

I can't be the only one who thought of this, but seeing the various manifestations of the internet stream by me screaming that Trump has won New Hampshire, I think of Charlie Sheen. I strongly suspect that whoever is creating the reality I inhabit is running out of ideas, and is just phoning it in. If you are not on the road to solipsism like me, this article and this article may be of interest, for what I hope is a tiny tiny minority who are thinking like me, video below the fold.

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Saudi Arabia

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by liberal japonicus Since the post which went off about Saudi Arabia disappeared over the blog event horizon, I’m making this a new post about this interesting article http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/prince-mohammed-bin-salman-naive-arrogant-saudi-prince-is-playing-with-fire-a6804481.html At the end of last year the BND, the German intelligence agency, published a remarkable one-and-a-half-page memo saying that Saudi Arabia had adopted “an impulsive policy … Read more

Embarrassing times in the Supreme Court

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by liberal japonicus Everyone is jumping on Scalia's racist uncle act, (perhaps the take by Andy Borowitz is best) but to me, Roberts is the embarrassment. This increased diversity, Garre argued, satisfied the university's educational goal of bringing unique perspectives to its classrooms. This assertion drew a caustic response from Roberts: "What unique perspective does a … Read more

On the University of Missouri

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by liberal japonicus From ObWi alumni Thomas Nephew's FB, this article is really great. A few quotes About the recently resigned  University of Missouri President Tim Wolfe:  In 2015, you cannot run a school while being blasé in the face of acts of racist harassment.  About the power student athletes have: Yet [student athletes] also have … Read more

A weekend open thread

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by Hartmut via lj Really pleased to pass on this as a weekend open thread topic October 24th (this Saturday) brings the 40th anniversary of Iceland's 'Women's Day Off'(1975), a general strike that an estimated 90% of women in Iceland partook in to raise awareness of inequality. Today Iceland occupies the top spot for equality of women in … Read more

The forgotten white man

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by liberal japonicus I hope I'm not stepping on the open thread (and thanks for keeping stuff going, and apologies for lack of posting), but this article, about Peter Norman, the third person on the Mexico City Olympic medal stand when Tommie Smith and John Carlos gave their black power salute, was a really powerful … Read more

Yogi was an anchor baby

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There was a threatened conversation about this, so to kick it off, I give you Yogi, from Daily Kos by way of the count Yogi was born in 1925 and 1930 U.S. Census records show that Yogi’s father, Pietro, who arrived in the U.S. from northern Italy in 1909, still declared as an alien five … Read more

OK, that’s a surprise…

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by liberal japonicus which is probably a sign of how cynical I've become. For background, this article, entitled Germany: Moral leader or misguided? seems balanced, I'm wondering what the view is from those in Germany and the rest of the commentariat. A couple of observations. I wonder if reunification and/or the integration of the Turkish gastarbeiter was, … Read more

It’s getting better all the time?

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by liberal japonicus

A strange title, considering all the crap that is coming down, but this, from an interview with Nancy Lieberman, who is being hired as the second female NBA assistant coach, had me thinking about that:

You’ve been an instructor at Grgurich’s camp in the past. You had the Texas Legends job. You visited with Mike Tomlin. What are some of the other things you have done to prepare yourself for this job?

I can give you the list of coaches I’ve called. Alvin Gentry let me come in with thePhoenix Suns before I started to coach (the Legends). Vinny Del Negro let me come in with the Clippers. I asked every question I could. I wanted to know what his playbook looked like. How did he delegate responsibilities? (New Orleans Pelicans assistant) Bryan Gates, who won D-League championship, I ended up calling him and his wife and saying if your wife will allow you to come to my house, I will cook dinner, but I need you to go through Xs and Os with me. Bob Hill, Del Harris, (Raptors coach) Dwane Casey, (Blazers coach) Terry Stotts, (Mavericks coach) Rick Carlise, Larry Brown. Anybody who would take my call. I know it sounds crazy. I picked up the phone and I asked and I asked and I asked and not one guy said no. Not one guy said no. I would just go and go over Xs and Os and ask why do you call it this, why do you call it that. They were generous with their time. My D-League brothers – Nick Nurse, with the Raptors, is a dear friend, like a brother. Chris Finch, he’s with Kevin McHale in Houston. Darvin Ham in Atlanta, Eric Musselman at Nevada – I can do down the list. (Jazz assistant) Brad Jones. (Blazers assistant) Nate Tibbetts – all these guys who are in the NBA, they were so good to me. I couldn’t have done it without them caring enough to want to help me. They have choices too. They can say scram. Or they can open their hearts, minds and wisdom and say, ‘Here’s what we’re doing.’

That happened when I was coaching the WNBA team in Detroit. I can’t tell you how many Doug Collins called me and said, ‘We have Chinese food and we’re breaking down film.’ All these coaches would include me. I can’t do this without them. Becky cannot do this without Gregg Popovich respecting her basketball acumen.

a few more points and a video below the fold

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BRICS and SCO and AIIB! Oh my!

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by liberal japonicus Another article that flirts with the tl:dr boundary, but it was pretty interesting to me. Sadly, I'm not getting to Bishkek this year, but the SCO mentioned took place when I was there 2 years ago, and it certainly seems plausible. I give you the first graf: Let’s start with the geopolitical … Read more

A southern confluence

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by liberal japonicus Perhaps it is just me, but there is a strange synchronicity in the air with the debates about the Confederate battle flag and the publication of Harper Lee’s Go Set A Watchman (link goes to the first chapter at the Guardian, read by Reese Witherspoon). The reviews have not been kind, and … Read more

I wish I was…

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by liberal japonicus

I found it interesting that at 8 this morning, I read this
http://time.com/3932807/mississippi-state-flag/?xid=gonewsedit&google_editors_picks=true

“The great argument we made from a business perspective was that if you were trying to introduce a product, would you make something that made 38% of your market uncomfortable?” says Blake Wilson, CEO of the Mississippi Economic Council, referring to the black population in the state. “It was a no-brainer from our perspective, but we probably misjudged the ability for business to influence the general public. The people in Mississippi were not ready to take that step.”

Two-thirds of Mississippians backed the old flag over one that had been redesigned without any Confederate symbolism. Ole Miss’s Bruce says that the alternative flag was not particularly well liked and that many Mississippians saw no threat from businesses that may not want to set up shop because of the flag. “I think the mood was, We’re a poor, agrarian state anyway,” Bruce says. “You can’t hurt us.”

and at 4:30, I read this

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150624_National_moves_against_Confederate_symbols_widen.html

In Mississippi, top state Republicans were split over the state’s flag, the last of the 50 state banners to include a specific image of the battle flag. House Speaker Philip Gunn said Monday that the image, which appears in a corner of the Mississippi flag, is offensive and should be removed.

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves responded Tuesday that the decision should be up to Mississippians, who voted 2-1 in 2001 to keep the flag. Gov. Phil Bryant, also a Republican, said he supported that referendum result.

this
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2015/06/ole-miss-admiral-ackbar-confederate-flag-mississippi

On to Mississippi. Just hours after South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley asked the state legislature to pass a law removing the Confederate flag from the grounds of the state Capitol on Monday, Mississippi’s Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn issued a call for his state to follow suit. The Confederate battle flag is embedded in the upper left corner of the official state flag, but “as a Christian,” Gunn wrote on Facebook, “I believe our state’s flag has become a point of offense that needs to be removed.” Henry Barbour, the nephew of former Republican Gov. Haley Barbour and a well-connected politico himself, echoed Gunn’s call.

And for a bit of lagniappe, this
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-06-22/how-stephen-colbert-has-stood-against-the-confederate-flag-for-years

Now, I’m sure the commentariat has some interesting observations about this, but talking about the Stars and Bars brings back some interesting memories that I will put below the fold.

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Adventure is Somewhere Else**

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by wj Adventure has been defined as a story about someone else having a really rough time of it at least 50 years or 500 miles away. Generally both — think of westerns generally or Indiana Jones, or Star Wars or Firefly. If it’s not a rough time, it’s not an adventure. If it isn’t … Read more