Archive for May, 2008
Mark Steyn vs. the ‘Sock Puppets’
Warming up for his appearance before a human rights tribunal next month, Mark Steyn recently confronted his phony "accusers" on live TV. He got the better of them, but they will have the upper hand in court.
The Endless Odyssey of Clinton and Obama
The trials of Odysseus were nothing compared to the exhausting journey Democrats have endured.
Barr ‘Underdog’ at Libertarian Convention
Pundits believe that Libertarian Bob Barr could siphon votes away from John McCain in November. But first he must secure his new party's nomination — which will be no easy task.
Should teens who suffer school phobia be given thousands by taxpayers for expenses “related” to being homeschooled? a href=”http://rachellucas.com/index.php/2008/05/19/genius-taxpayer-funded-homeschooling-plus-perks-for-your-kid/”Rachel Lucas doesn’t seem convinced./a
Dave Johnston a href=”http://davejohnston.tv/2008/05/19/exclusive-secret-common-sense-knowledge-revealed/” shares his 25 common sense facts /a about everyday life.
Clinton Easily Wins Kentucky, Obama Cruises in Oregon
Hillary Clinton vowed to fight on after her big win in KY, but Barack Obama claimed the majority of pledged delegates in the race overall. Stay tuned as PJM compiles the latest news and views.
Click "Read" for updated coverage all day...
Black-on-Black War in Johannesburg
The shocking violence against refugees from Zimbabwe has threatened the very fabric of South African society.
What, Me Mullah? Obama and Iran
In an early election skirmish, McCain and Obama faced off over Iran. But does Barack have all the facts?
Penn and Teller’s Libertarian Humor
Penn and Teller's outrageous comedy series Bullshit! may leave the audience in stitches, but there is also a clear political message behind their shenanigans.
Is an Obama Landslide in the Oregon Mail?
A majority of Oregonians are expected to put a rubber stamp on Barack Obama's nomination today, but the Clinton forces have still been in there fighting.
Dueling Steves: Steve Westly, Round 2 [VIDEO]
Beginning the second round of the Dueling Steves series, PJM's Bill Bradley talks with Steve Westly of the Obama campaign about Obama's nomination, Hillary's future, and going head-to-head with McCain. Think he's right? You make the call...
a href=”http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/05/18/the_freedom_to_say_no/?page=full”The Boston Globe:/a “Why aren’t there more women in science and engineering? Controversial new research suggests: They just aren’t interested” (Hat tip: Fred Ray).br /br /I found this point interesting in the article:br /br /blockquoteBenbow and Lubinski also found something else intriguing: Women who are mathematically gifted are more likely than men to have strong verbal abilities as well; men who excel in math, by contrast, don’t do nearly as well in verbal skills. As a result, the career choices for math-precocious women are wider than for their male counterparts. They can become scientists, but can succeed just as well as lawyers or teachers. With this range of choice, their data show, highly qualified women may opt out of certain technical or scientific jobs simply because they can./blockquotebr /br /So men who are skilled at math may have less flexibility to branch out and go into other areas that involve dealing with others. If women must be equal in terms of pursuing hard sciences, wouldn’t it also be fair that men should have to be equal to women in terms of verbal skills so that they too, could have more job flexibility?
Iraq Hunts Al-Qaeda in Its Last Urban Stronghold
Operations are now underway in Mosul to rid the city of al-Qaeda. The streets are calm, indicating that the terrorists realize they are too weak to fight.
Interview with Robert Kagan
a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030726923X?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlink_code=as3camp=211189creative=373489creativeASIN=030726923X”img alt=”kagancov.jpg” src=”http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/archives2/images/kagancov.jpg” align=right border=0 width=”109″ height=”160″ //aRobert Kagan is a top adviser to John McCain and is author of a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030726923X?ie=UTF8tag=wwwviolentkicomlinkCode=as2camp=1789creative=9325creativeASIN=030726923X”emThe Return of History and the End of Dreams./em/aimg src=”http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wwwviolentkicoml=as2o=1a=030726923X” width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”" style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” / We talk with him today about his new book about diplomacy and power in the 21st century. He also discusses Russia, China, Japan, India, and Iran and how life is going to be more complicated than some people thought back in the 1990′s. He gives his analysis of how the candidates are doing in terms of foreign policy and gives some useful advice on what they need to know right now. Kagan is a great interviewee and his book is terrific for those of us who are not experts in this area. It is clear, informative and really lays out some of the issues we will face in the coming years in terms of foreign policy.br /br /You can listen directly — no downloads needed — by a href=”http://politicscentral.com/2008/05/18/the_glenn_helen_show_robert_ka.php”going here/a and clicking on the gray Flash player. You can download a copy and listen at your leisure a href=”http://richmedia.pajamasmedia.com/audio/politicscentral/glenn_helen_show/20080518-Kagan.mp3″by clicking right here./a And you can get a lo-fi version suitable for dialup, etc., by going a href=”http://politicscentral.com/2008/05/18/the_glenn_helen_show_robert_ka.php”here/a and selecting “lo fi.” And you can always get a a href=”http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=116559643s=143441″free subscription from iTunes./a Free!br /br /Music is by a href=”http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=110478926s=143441″Mobius Dick./a Show archives are at a href=”http://glennandhelenshow.com/”GlennandHelenShow.com./a
McCain and the Presidential Albatross
Barack Obama's battle against Hillary Clinton is nearly over: Oregon should seal the deal. Meanwhile, John McCain's biggest obstacle is George Bush and the weakened GOP "brand."
Ilya Somin, a href=”http://www.volokh.com/archives/archive_2008_05_18-2008_05_24.shtml#1211178115″makes a good point/a about my theory that “stupid nerds” might be more likely to act out violently than “intelligent nerds”:br /br /blockquoteI should emphasize that even if Smith’s theory is correct, it in no way justifies the shooters’ acts. Killing people is not a defensible response to social putdowns. Her theory also does not change the reality that the overwhelming majority of “stupid nerds” span style=”font-style:italic;”aren’t dangerous/span [my emphasis]. Even if school shooters are more common in this subgroup than in others, they would still be only a miniscule fraction of the total “stupid nerd” population./blockquotebr /br /As Somin points out–school shooters are rare–most kids, nerds or not, never act out in this violent way. I was simply talking about out of the ones who do. Part of the problem with pinpointing the psychological traits of school shooters is that luckily, there are so very few.
Obama’s Iraq Minefield
It is merely a matter of time before Barack Obama — the self-proclaimed antiwar candidate — will have to face his contradictions, falsehoods, and alarming displays of ignorance on Iraq.
Israeli Army Doctors Heal the Enemy
Medicine trumps politics for the Israeli army doctors serving on a West Bank military base near Ramallah who run an emergency clinic for local Palestinian villagers.
Is Too Much Happiness a Bad Thing?
It often feels as if we are living in an age of almost perfect contentment. But are we missing out on something if we refuse to feel sad?
The NRA: From Gloom to Complacency?
The mood at the National Rifle Association's annual convention this election year was optimistic and cheerful, even before the bourbon kicked in. But are gun-rights advocates getting too comfortable? Possibly.
The Problem Isn’t Conservatism: It’s Conservatives Who Aren’t Conservative
Republicans have forgotten who they were and can’t explain what they might be. If they aren't capable of crafting clear positions, they deserve to lose.
Twinkie defense, Battered Woman’s syndrome, and now a a href=”http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/may/15/benadryl-blamed-for-rampage/”Benadryl defense?/a Is anyone responsible for their behavior anymore?
Are "Stupid Nerds" the Underclass?
Ilya Somin over at the Volokh Conspiracy has an interesting post on a href=”http://www.volokh.com/archives/archive_2008_05_18-2008_05_24.shtml#1211092916″ the tragedy of the stupid nerd:/abr /br /blockquoteBack in high school, I developed the theory that the people at the very bottom of the school social hierarchy are those who act like nerds even though they don’t have much academic or intellectual ability. They, not the intelligent nerds supposedly oppressed by jocks, are the true underclass of the high school world. Whereas smart nerds derive at least some prestige and acceptance from their intellectual achievements, the relatively dumb ones suffer all the costs of being perceived as nerds without any of the benefits. It’s interesting thata href=”http://bamber.blogspot.com/2008/05/50-book-challenge-25-brief-wondrous.html” Amber/a has independently arrived at the same conclusion./blockquotebr /br /I wonder if kids who shoot up schools tend to be “stupid nerds” as opposed to “intelligent nerds?” Does prestige for one’s intelligence or “genius” protect one from acting out violently? Perhaps–certainly some school shooters felt that they were not living up to their potential–but maybe they knew deep down that they had little potential for doing great things and this pushed them over the edge when combined with bullying. The difference in the psychological state of “stupid nerds” vs. “intelligent nerds” would make for an interesting doctoral dissertation for some ambitious graduate student.
A Carbon Diet Needs a Healthy Serving of Nuclear Energy
Eliminating our dependence on oil and coal is only part of the clean energy equation. It's time that the United States gets serious about nuclear power.
Sweetie, How Dare You Criticize Obama?
If John McCain had called a reporter "sweetie" he'd be castigated as a dirty old man hurling sexist remarks, but Obama got a free pass for "Sweetiegate." It's just one example of an ongoing double standard in Campaign 2008.
Previous Posts
