Archive for October, 2007
Iran Waves Goodbye to Putin With Empty Hands
While the world reacted with alarm to the friendly visit that Vladimir Putin paid to Iran, PJM analyst Meir Javedanfar argues that Ahmadinejad might have gotten good publicity out of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit - but not much else.
10Questions Launches: Ask the Candidates!
techPresident has launched 10Questions, an experiment in people-powered online democracy. Created by Micah Sifry, Andrew Rasiej and David Colarusso, 10Questions allows everyone to ask a video question to the 2008 presidential candidates, and to rally support for their question. The candidates can post in-depth replies, and the community will be able to grade the answers. Pajamas Media is one of its sponsors: check it out!
Will the Kaczynskis Lose Power in Poland?
Poland goes to the ballot box tomorrow. Many see it as the most crucial election since the fall of communism in 1989. At stake, whether Poland wants to move on into the future or -- if the present Law and Justice government manages to hang on to power -- it is in for another four years of settling scores with the past. PJM Warsaw correspondent Peter Gentle reports.
Podcast: Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award Winners
Glenn and I attended the a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005N7SA?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=B00005N7SA”Popular Mechanics /aimg src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicoml=as2o=1a=B00005N7SA” width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”" style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” / a href=”http://www.popularmechanics.com/breakthrough07″Breakthrough Conference/a in New York this month and were lucky enough to catch up with some of the winners for interviews. We talked with a href=”http://www.oilendgame.com/TheAuthors.html”Amory B. Lovins,/a a visionary of radical energy efficiency who talked with us about what advice he would give the current crop of presidential candidates about energy efficiency. We also talked with a href=”http://www.humdingerwind.com/”Shawn Frayne,/a an inventor whose work has focused on water disinfection, “green” packaging, cleaner cooking fuels and wind energy. Frayne received a 2007 Breakthrough award for inventing the Windbelt, which takes advantage of aerostatic flutter to produce low-cost electricity. br /br /Finally, we talked with Shawn Carlson, a physicist, science writer, educator and recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship for his innovative approaches to science education. He talks about why 40% of the PHDs in the sciences and engineering are now foreign born and how we can help our kids get excited about math and science in the schools. He is the founder of a href=”http://www.labrats.org/”Labrats.org,/a a terrific website for kids who are interested in science. I like their motto: “Data over Dogma.” br /br /You can listen directly — no downloading needed — by a href=”http://politicscentral.com/2007/10/16/the_glenn_and_helen_show_amory.php”going here/a and clicking on the gray Flash player. You can download the entire file and listen at your leisure a href=”http://richmedia.pajamasmedia.com/audio/politicscentral/glenn_helen_show/20071017-PopMech.mp3″by clicking right here,/a and you can get a lo-fi version suitable for dialup by going a href=”http://politicscentral.com/2007/10/16/the_glenn_and_helen_show_amory.php”here/a and selecting lo-fi. Plus, you can always get a a href=”http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=116559643s=143441″free subscription via iTunes/a — and why wouldn’t you, really? br /br /Visit our show archives for past episodes and updates at a href=”http://glennandhelenshow.com”GlennandHelenShow.com./a Music is by Mobius Dick.br /br /This podcast is brought to you by Volvo Automobiles. Buy a Volvo today and tell them it’s all because of the Glenn and Helen Show!
The Inconvenient Truth About Presidential Elections
It's looking as if ideological purists are no longer electable in America, writes the blogger who goes by the name Cassandra. While most of the heat and noise during the campaign comes from the 16% of voters on the right and left-wing extremes, the vast majority of registered voters live in the center. That's good news for Hillary and Rudy.
How Vladimir Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Islamic Bombski
In forging ahead with his state visit to Iran right now, Russia's Vladimir Putin has alienated virtually the entire world. He could provoke a renewed Cold War-style conflict which Russia --either in terms of allies or the economy-- is ill-equipped for. Kim Zigfeld explains why.
Setting the Record Straight on Voice of America
It's Round Three of the Voice of America Persian News Network vs. human rights activists representing minority groups in Iran. Ali Ghaderi and Karim Abdian complain that VOA deliberately marginalizes minorities, refusing to air the views of the non-Persian minorities that are subjected to the Islamic Republic's harsh treatment and the policy of ethnic cleansing.
Hack The Vote
"Life hacks" explains PJM columnist Brad Rourke, is a new trendy term for things that ordinary people can do to affect change in their world with existing tools. He's got some suggestions for action that disgruntled citizens frustrated with the political process can take - and invites more ideas from readers.
Victor Davis Hanson: The Chains of the Past
It’s the end of the raisin harvest and PajamasXpress blogger Victor Davis Hanson can’t help but reminisce about the life lessons he learned growing up on his family farm in central California. “It is a dangerous thing to live in the past-Horace had a term for it in his Ars Poetica: laudator temporis acti-but as one ages, one increasingly can become captive to memory.” Read the full post here.
a href=”http://nyemergencymedicine.blogspot.com/2007/10/grand-rounds-vol-44.html”Grand Rounds is up/a at NY Emergency Medicine.
1968 Revisited
As hard as it may be to believe, the 1968 Democratic National Convention was just twenty-three years after the liberation of Auschwitz. Pajamas Media CEO Roger L. Simon - who, as a twenty-four-year-old, longed to be in Chicago that year - now finds the era's self-indulgence and proximity to the greatest horrors of recorded history "oddly disquieting."
Paris Lights: France Never Surrenders In Rugby
PJM Paris: The French interrupted their canonization of Al Gore just long enough to pay attention to Europe's second most popular sport, reports PJM's Paris editor Nidra Poller. "Rugby France is Sarkozy France."
White House Bloggers’ Call on Wounded Warriors Care
President Bush unveiled this afternoon a new plan to reform the Wounded Warrior program. Karl Zinsmeister, Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, answered bloggers' questions afterwards. PJM editor Fausta Wertz reports:
The Fatal Flaws of Burma’s Opposition
Pro-democracy writer Bo Nyein argues that the opposition against the military government in Burma may be courageous and PR-savvy, but they are unprofessional and disorganized.
Live Like a Caveman to Cure Depression?
Psychologist Stephen Ilardia href=”http://www.psych.ku.edu/TLC/AARPIlardi_small.pdf” was interviewed for an article/a on depression by the AARP magazine on his approach to treating depression:br /br /blockquoteSo maybe we’ve been wrong about depression. Maybe it’s not just some mental-chemical problem requiring a Prozac prescription or soulbaring confessions to a Dr. Melfi-type therapist. Maybe, says Stephen Ilardi, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology at the University of Kansas, what’s darkening our lives is the way we actually live our lives….br /br /Since World War II, as the United States has modernized and grown more urban, depression rates have risen tenfold. Nearly a quarter of to day’s adult population will have experienced the disorder by age 75. So Ilardi wants us to look back, way back, to our Paleolithic past To our cave-dwelling, hunter-gatherer ancestors, who were somehow protected against depression, most likely by their highly social, active, outdoorsy lives, Ilardi theorizes./blockquotebr /br /Well, I have to ask, could part of the reason cavemen had less depression be because they lived only 30 years or less? No midlife crisis because well, you probably didn’t have a midlife, just a short one. Anyway, aside from that comment, go a href=”http://www.psych.ku.edu/TLC/AARPIlardi_small.pdf”read the article /aand see what you think.br /br /Update: Ace a href=”http://ace.mu.nu/archives/243847.php”says these cavemen /adon’t seem happy.
Cadaverous Imus Live on WABC?
PJM ROUNDUP: Drudge reports that Don Imus is scheduled to start a new morning show on WABC in New York this December. The radio host, who was fired by CBS and MSNBC last year, has signed an "eight-figure, multi-year contract." Bloggers are tuning in:
Spanish Newspaper Showcases Saddamist Insurgent Leader
A fawning interview with an Iraqi Baath Party spokesman graced two full pages of John Chappell's morning paper. He had a hard time keeping down his breakfast after reading it.
Musharraf’s Power Hangs In the Balance
PJM Islamabad: Even after his sweeping victory in the parliament's polling on October 6, Pervez Musharraf's re-election as Pakistan's next president still isn't a sure thing, reports Ghalia Aymen.
Monday Morning Quarterback: No More Mr. Nice Guy
The knives are coming out in both the Democratic and Republican presidential races, reports PJM prognosticator William Bradley, who foresees a week marked by increasingly harsh attacks, scrutiny of campaign finances, and the big shadow cast by Al Gore's Nobel prize.
Week 39 in Progress
Over 130,000 votes have been cast in the weekly PAJAMAS MEDIA PRESIDENTIAL STRAW POLL. The thirty-ninth week has officially begun.
NEW DEAL: Pajamas Media editors have noted that the number of weekly votes in our poll has diminished drastically from the tens of thousands cast at the outset. For months now, many readers have been complaining to us about the increasing inutility of the poll because of vote-swarming by second tier candidates. Many voters have lost interest and are not participating. Websites that had run our widget were no longer doing so.
Something needed to change.
Therefore, especially since the campaign itself appears to be narrowing its focus to front-running candidates, henceforth the Pajamas Media Poll will be restricted to those first tier candidates listed on the front poll page of the leading online poll aggregator Real Clear Politics. As of now, that is four candidates on the Democratic side and five on the Republican. We will change our lineup on the Sunday after RCP does, if it does.
DON’T FORGET: You can put the poll on your website or blog with our free voting widget and become a precinct in the Pajamas Media Straw Poll. Learn how the readers of your site are voting and compare it the the total.
What to do with spare change
Do you have a bunch of change all over your house and car that you keep thinking you’ll roll up and take to the bank, give to charity, or cash in at a grocery store coin machine? I did, so finally this morning I threw it all in a jar and took it over to my local Food City to toss in the a href=”http://www.coinstar.com/us/html/a-home”Coinstar machine./a Those machines take about 11 cents out of every dollar which is a bit steep but better than spending time rolling it up (unless you have an eager kid who likes to do it but the excitement wears thin in no time). Anyway, I was happy to see that I could choose the a href=”http://www.coinstar.com/us/WebDocs/A1-0-3-1″option of an eCertificate/a span style=”font-style:italic;”with free coin counting/span to Amazon.com, Starbucks, iTunes or Circuit City. br /br /I chose an eCertificate to a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8location=http%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Ftag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=ur2camp=1789creative=9325″Amazon.com,/a came home and a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00015VKT4?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=B00015VKT4″ ordered a pair of earrings/aimg src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicoml=as2o=1a=B00015VKT4″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”" style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” / (I lost mine on my recent trip to NYC) with some of the money and it was so easy, even those who are computer illiterate could do it. I plugged in the redemption code where it asked for the gift certificate number and voila! my earrings were paid for and it was incredibly simple. So if you have spare change, this is a great way to clean up the mess in your house and also reward yourself with something fun or something you need. The machines also let you donate the money to charity if you are so inclined. And with Christmas shopping coming up around the corner, these eCertificates are a painless way (depending on how big a change jar you have) to pay for gifts and shop online all without the hassle of setting foot in a store.
Doris Lessing, Meet Al Gore
Doris Lessing has been named this year's Nobel Prize winner in literature, and PJM culture critic David Freeman has done the hard work and reread the author's 635-page The Golden Notebook. His conclusion: there have been better, but there have been worse.
Forget it, Jake, it’s Atlantic City.
PJM Princeton, NJ: Is it something in the water cooler at City Hall? Five of the last seven mayors of Atlantic City have pleaded guilty or have been convicted of some crime -- and now Robert W. Levy has resigned under a cloud of deceit, depression, and substance abuse. Fausta Wertz reports that none of his replacements look very promising, either.
The Daring Book for Girls
Well, I received a copy of a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061472573?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=0061472573″emThe Daring Book for Gir/emls,/aimg src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicoml=as2o=1a=0061472573″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”" style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” / a book inspired by a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061243582?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=0061243582″emThe Dangerous Book for Boys/em/aimg src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicoml=as2o=1a=0061243582″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”" style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” / and I must say, I was impressed. I am not sure what I expected, maybe something too girly for my taste, sexist or anti-boy but I found none of my preconceived biases. Instead, I found a book packed with fun adventures and information for girls of all ages. br /br /The book opens with essential gear that girls need: the list includes among other things, a swiss army knife described as a key tool for survival, a bandana to keep your head cool, rope and twine to help learn about knots, a journal, a hair band–great advice for girls with long hair– duct tape, to fix almost everything, and patience–which is described in the book as a “quality and not a thing, but it’s essential so we’ll include it here. Forget perfect on the first try. In the face of frustration, your best tool is a few deep breaths, and remembering that you can do anything once you’ve practiced it two hundred times. Seriously.” Good advice for anyone. br /br /Readers can learn how to tie knots, how to do a cartwheel, learn weather signs, and my favorite–how to change a tire. Honestly, this is one that is really important for anyone to know, male or female. The steps in the book are really clear and to the point and it almost makes me believe that I could go out and change my tire right now. Almost, did I ever mention that plumbing and hands-on mechanical skills were some of my lowest scores on an aptitude test in college? Embarrassing but true. I realize this book is geared towards girls and teens, not women my age, but I might be sneaking a look at it every once in a while to help me with such skills as improving my sense of direction, camping skills, and learning to do Japanese t-shirt folding. br /br /Finally, I would like to commend the authors for their excellent advice for how to deal with boys:br /br /blockquote… One, if a boy doesn’t like you for the way you are, the problem is him, not you. And two, don’t try to make a boy change for you–it’s important to appreciate people for who they are.br /br /Wherever you fall on the spectrum of how you feel about boys, do treat all your friends, boys and girls with kindness. This has gone out of fashion, and that’s a sad mistake.br /br /Overall, the truth is that there’s no big mystery about boys. Boys are people, and like all people, they are complicated. And that’s what makes being friends with other people interesting: You get to learn about how other people think and act, and, in the process, learn a little bit more about yourself./blockquotebr /Good advice.
Happy Eid-al-Fitr, New York
The Empire State Building is lit green this weekend in celebration of Eid-al-Fitr. This is the first time ever for the Muslim holiday. The Empire State has previously been lit green and red for Christmas and blue and white for Hanukkah. Other events like the New York Yankees winning the World Series have been commemorated. Nothing yet on Buddhists or Hindus. Or whether Jewish and Christian holidays will be celebrated by similar illuminations in Dubai.
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