February 2011
“Lately I feel like somebody made a big mess and I’ve got my mop and I’m mopping...”
– President Barack Obama
I do love a good socialist mop (via reallyfoxnews)
Dying.
(via meagsicle)
Socialist Mop is going to be the name of my new Ska band.
(via nicotinecoughdrop)
Socialist mop is the mop of the people. (via cognitivedissonance)
A socialist mop is a haircut for young...
January 2011
Watchsoupsoup:
Watch : Live stream of Al-Jazeera English
Egyptian Bloggers
Hossam el-Hamalawy (@3arabawy / YouTube / Flickr)
Ramy Raoof (@RamyRaoof / YouTube / Flickr)
Egyptian News Websites
Al Masry Alyoum
Liveblogs
Reuters
Al-Jazeera
New York Times : The Lede
CNN
Guardian
BBC
Mother Jones
Human Rights Watch
Huffington Post
Talking Points Memo
Social Network Aggregation...
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Newsweek: Health care law deemed unconstitutional... →
newsweek:
Might as well throw some news into the mix since we are Newsweek. Today’s main event is another dissing of Obama’s health care plan. Things appear partisan, as always. The latest count: two judges appointed by Republican presidents have struck down the law or its main attribute, while two judges…
At this point, it might be productive to briefly discuss something called...
Common sense tells us that ...
When a country cuts programs for the poor in a time of unprecedented wealth disparity, it’s gotten its national priorities wrong.
When that stark wealth disparity closely follows racial lines, that country is, near its core, a racist country.
Anybody living in that country who knows these facts and doesn’t want to change them has grown awfully chummy with racism.
See what I just...
On Voter Identification Laws →
Yesterday, Texas opened up debate on a bill that requires a photo ID at the polls.
[S]everal Senate sources who have looked at [the bill] say it’s a more stringent requirement than the one on the table in 2009. In 2009, they were talking about requiring photo ID or two forms of non-photo ID; the 2011 bill does not have that non-photo ID option. It does, however, have an exemption from the...
kohenari asked: Thanks for your most recent post about Egypt. I've been following the coverage for the past couple of days, like most people, and I've been purposely *not* writing about the elephant in the room, namely what comes next after Mubarak. I think you've done a nice job of setting out some of the prospects without actually staking a claim -- which would be difficult, if not impossible to...
Tomorrow In Egypt, There Will Be Trouble
negevrockcity:
February 1 is payday in Egypt. Banks are still shut down across the country and internet access is still sporadic. Egyptians won’t get their paychecks on time. Most Egyptians are living hand-to-mouth in a country where most are very, very poor. This won’t be good.
In Florida
Pros: It’s quite temperate even in January.
Cons: It’s quite temperate even in January. WTF? Is this Disneyfied land of sun, sand, and palm trees even a real biome? I don’t trust it.
What the U.S. can (and should) do for Egypt
First and foremost, minimize meddling. That tends to backfire. Stick to the sort of assistance that doesn’t have hooks.
Cut the portion of military aid that can be cut. Shift it to funding for the other stuff below.
Deliver food and other emergency assistance as necessary.
Offer to train a new police force. The old one is bad—and the interim militias are going to be a volatile...
Roger Stockham Arrested With Explosives Outside... →
cognitivedissonance:
A 63-year-old Southern California man who was traveling with explosives in his vehicle with the intention of blowing up one of the nation’s largest mosques where mourners had gathered for a funeral was arrested in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, Michigan authorities said Sunday.
Dearborn police said Roger Stockham was arraigned Wednesday on one count of making a false...
When the U.S. State Department is calling for a...
Tossing out a thirty-year ally is a risky proposition at the best of times. Tossing him out if there’s a shred of a chance that he’ll hold on to power is lunacy. The U.S. Is betting against Mubarak.
It looks like the lion’s share of the looting in Egypt is being done by Mubarak’s dudes to discredit the protests. (I know this is old news to most of you—but I was skeptical enough about the claim to want to check a few independent sources before repeating it.)
I don't think I was sufficiently scathing in that...
The cornocopia of stories about Twitter and Egypt are the epitomy of the twenty-four hour media’s refusal to let the facts get in the way of a pre-existing narrative.
Social provided an alternative means of disseminating information … until the Internet went black. Now it’s providing spectators with an alternative means of disseminating information. But it’s not actually...
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One problem with Revolutions...
…is that the end game is never quite clear. Things looked promising in 1789 France. By 1793? Not so good.
Now I Understand...
negevrockcity:
This is not Hungary 1956 we’re seeing in Egypt. It’s 1989 all over again. There is no way Mubarak’s government can recover from this — and Egypt will not be the last country in the Middle East shaken by this. We’re in uncharted waters now.
1989 Germany or 1989 China?
Egyptian police firing on protestors →
At least, they seem to be firing on protestors around a particular government office—more like a last line of defense around the building than an effort to disperse the crowd. It seems a bit like a rat backed into a corner.
Al Jazeera LiveStream
uhuh-she-said:
Is showing civilians on the 6th of October bridge directing the military to take side roads and the military complying. There have also been reports of civilians giving military personal roses and even chatting with them about the fall of Mubarak.
In 30 minutes a curfew will fall. Egyptians won’t comply but where will the military stand? Will there be retribution? Or will this...
Update from Cairo
uhuh-she-said:
Just heard from a friend in Cairo.
He says that he’s not able to get any flights out, not that he could even get to the airport in the first place. Things are crazy with live ammunition, grenades, tear gas and just as many people in uniform setting fires as people in plain clothes. So they aren’t even trying to hide it. He’s Egyptian and he is freaked.
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If Egypt’s government falls, Saudi Arabia’s government is in serious trouble. If Saudi Arabia’s government is in trouble, we’ll have a serious oil crisis. My guess? Gas breaks $5.00 a gallon. Easily.
I’m still for it. Bad for us. Good for the world.
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How do soldiers react when ordered to fire on...
I hope we won’t have to find out tomorrow. Iand if we do, I pray the answer is what I hope it is.
Alternatives in Egypt
You’ve no doubt sensed a hesitation in the U.S. government to make definitive statements on the Egypt protests. It’s a reasonable reluctance. Mubarak doesn’t stand for everything the U.S. stands for—but it is a critical ally in a volatile region. Free and democratic Egypt might or might not be so moderate and reliable. Backing the protests—even quietly is a serious...
Watching the Story as it Unfolds
kohenari:
In a stunning turn of events in Alexandria, one pitched battle ended with protesters and police shaking hands and sharing water bottles on the same street corner where minutes before they were exchanging hails of stones and tear-gas canisters were arcing through the sky. Thousands stood on the six-lane coastal road then sank to their knees and prayed.
Hopefully stunning turns like...
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For those of you in the U.S. Who want to do...
Call your Congress people and urge them to publicly support the Egyptians’ right to self-determination and free expression.
Egypt is an important U.S. ally—and we do a lot to help Mubarak stay in power. Making it costly for the U.S. to back up the Egyptian regime’s crack down could do something to unsettle Mubarak’s grip on power—or at least increase the cost of...
Now that Egypt's internet is "off" American youth...
Or…for those of us less interested in enforcing an out-dated dialectic by reducing American youth to a class stereotype, it could be engagement with a critical and dynamic historical moment. (Also, Egypt is the “Third World”? Seriously? I mean, maybe … if we’re all racists—but otherwise it’s an awfully developed country.) “Turning the Internet...
“The F.B.I. investigation is part of a larger international inquiry into a loose...”
– F.B.I. Warrants Into Service Attacks by WikiLeaks Supporters - NYTimes.com
On a lighter note…
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Quick notes on why the Egypt situation just went...
Unlike Tunisia, criticizing the government has generally been okay in Egypt. Egypt had a reasonable freedom of expression—but only an illusion of political freedom. Mubarak outlawed the largest opposition party, the Muslim Brotherhood and painted them as, essentially, terrorists and extremists.
Previously, the Muslim Brotherhood had been quiet. The Muslim Brotherhood just announced its...
“The White House is prepared to step up its criticism of Egyptian President Hosni...”
– Obama Poised to Intensify U.S. Criticism of Egypt’s Mubarak - Businessweek
So ... it appears the Internet in Egypt really did...
Text message are also out. At least, it is in Cairo.
Shutting off the Internet is not a move made by a government that’s comfortable with its grip on power.
You may want to pay attention to this. This is the sort of thing that could go 1989 Berlin Wall or 1989 Tienanmen Square very quickly. Unfortunately, it’s anybody’s guess which it will be.
URGENT: Egypt has shut off the internet →
I just received a call from a friend in Cairo (I won’t say who it is now because he’s a prominent activist) telling me neither his DSL nor his USB internet service is working. I’ve just checked with two other friends in different parts of Cairo and their internet is not working either.
This just happened 10 minutes ago — and perhaps not uncoincidentally just after AP TV posted a video of a...
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Why Not Declare Class War and be Done With It?
Short answer? Because you’ll lose.
I’ll give a longer answer after this snippet from David Macaray’s piece, as selected by [AZSpot](AZSPOT.Net and NCBTW.
Not only has the so-called “trickle-down” theory of economics been revealed to be a cruel hoax, but most of the good industrial jobs have left the country, the middle-class has been eviscerated, the wealthiest Americans...
Anonymous asked: Fantastic article, but it only goes partway.
Everyone should start with the same amount of Monopoly money, granted; to do otherwise would be an act of "noblesse oblivium" tantamount to golf handicaps. But what about when one player acquires Baltic Avenue and another player acquires Boardwalk? The latter player is netting MORE Monopoly money on his investment than the...
Everyone should start with the same amount of Monopoly money, granted; to do otherwise would be an act of "noblesse oblivium" tantamount to golf handicaps. But what about when one player acquires Baltic Avenue and another player acquires Boardwalk? The latter player is netting MORE Monopoly money on his investment than the...
Egypt Has Crossed The Rubicon
negevrockcity:
The situation in Egypt is amazing. What people don’t understand is that for DECADES, any demonstrations in Egypt - no matter how small - was violently shut down by the riot police and Mubarak’s loyalists. Now, all of a sudden, the riot police have started to stand down. Not only that, but the protesters outnumber the riot police for the first time since the 1960s. Any “Middle East...
Helping Jeff Miller Lose Weight
Jeff Miller’s weight loss ambitions are an issue of serious concern for the future of our country. As such, I want to make sure he gets his plan right. He writes:
Earlier I posted a description of my fool proof weight loss plan. Squashed had some comments on the plan. To be honest, I didn’t understand most of what he said, but this part made sense: ”I’d suggest that you spend that first...
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On Dieting and Politics
Jeff Miller has hit on a fool-proof weight loss plan:
I’ve got a great six-month plan for losing weight. For five months, I’m going to eat more than I’m eating now—more pizza, more pie, more ice cream, more everything. Then, in the sixth month I’m not going to eat any food at all. Based upon these assumptions, I’ve projected that I’ll lose significant weight at the end of the six months.
...
The guy behind Obama and to the left ...
… is not Obama’s favorite uncle. He’s Joe Biden, Vice-President of the United States.
Don’t feel wrong if you got that one wrong. It’s a common mistake.
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The Republican State of the Union Response
Con: The idea that the State of the Union address requires a partisan response is really heart-breaking. It’s sad when the Republicans do it. It’s sad when the Democrats do it.
Pro: Remember that time Bobby Jindal gave a lame response to a State of the Union that functionally spiked his political aspirations? People were floating his name for President. It’s been awfully quiet...
The State of the Union on C-Span →
C-Span is a good place to watch important speeches. It’s highly unlikely to cut away to some guy saying, “So, the President is talking. He says he likes the troops. Is he taking a political risk with that?”
Edit: gamesareart has suggested the White House’s website as an alternative source. It’s a good suggestion. And after the speech, you get a chance to not watch...
Anonymous asked: That's quite a bit of steak for you on the directory
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I think the State of the Union will be a snoozer
The major themes should be predictable:
The Recovery is happening—but not quickly enough
Bipartisanship = Good
The Troops and also The Children = Good
Teachers are also good
The Deficit = Bad
Sacrifice is important
Waste is bad
There will be some largely symbolic spending cuts announced. Broad new calls for investment in anything are going to be politically unfeasible.
The...
dispencer asked: What amount of evidence is required to prove you're wrong?
notemily asked: I'm a big fan of approval voting (as outlined in your third bullet point in response to alternrg). The Condorcet method is awesome, but complicated, especially when there are many elections and many candidates, not to mention many different voting systems in different states/municipalities. But I have yet to see a reason why approval voting is a bad system.
You say "the...
You say "the...
"But we've never *really* tried capitalism!"
hilker:
Capitalism doesn’t exist. hipsterlibertarian:
It’s not capitalism when the system is plagued with incomprehensible rules regarding mergers, acquisitions, and stock sales, along with wage controls, price controls, protectionism, corporate subsidies, international management of trade, complex and punishing corporate taxes, privileged government contracts to the ...
Negev Rock City: Hey Journalists! Let's Talk About... →
negevrockcity:
In terms of gender, race, ethnicity and sexuality, the journalism field as a whole is remarkably diverse. But in economic terms, it’s very much the province of the children of the upper-middle class and (at least in web, glossy mags and the major metro dailies) graduates of private universities
alternrg asked: First I would like to say that your insight and perspective are greatly appreciated as a balance to the more liberal based opinions. Secondly, a question regarding elections. Now this would be a logistical nightmare for probably a good twenty years but how about the option to of half and maybe even quarter votes? Thirdly, if it is an idea that could gain momentum, where to begin?
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Of Libertarians and "Libertarians"
Every time I start to write something uncharitable about Libertarians, I think of Jeff Miller, who is a staunch libertarian—but a decent guy. Needless to say, I think he’s wrong on a lot of things—but he’s at least consistent. He values liberty (or the things he sees as liberty)—above everything else—even if that’s going to lead to an unpopular result....
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The Slanted Playing Field
Monopoly is a good game for libertarians. Everybody starts out in the same spot. The rules are clear and understandable. There’s a lot of luck—but enough skill that you can feel good about winning. And it’s just a game. We don’t need to shed any tears for the losers.
To succinctly demonstrate my problems with the libertarian view, let’s change one rule. The player...