I'm glad that someone is defending bears out there!
Setting aside the merits or effectiveness of the policies in question, it's mostly just amusing that the one thing we can conclude about Obama's gun control policies is that they've led to more gun and gun-related purchases.
What kind of feminist (or anti-feminist) are you? (This is the story that accompanies that quiz. Also, I got "certainly not a feminist.")
Those guys at Uber are so innovative.
Responses:
1. That comment more or less sums up the problem with loneliness. I think it's so scary for people that any solution that isn't the magical discovery of a robust social network seems bleak. These people (especially the old people) are lonely in a way that doesn't seem possible to fix. They have makeshift solutions that will tide them over until the inevitable. That's a hard realization. Also, don't ever leave me! :P
2. What if you don't have those things???
3. If I just do what he says, can we not call him please?
4. I want that kitchen! Give me the kitchen!
5. That's a nice story, and it's nice that he'll have the legacy of his life's writings to pass on.
6. NSFW!
R2R:
2. That may have been a rash judgment. That said, I'd like for there to be a resolution to the refugee issue sooner rather than later. Even so, we can come up with some travel ideas.
3. Agreed. That argument proves too much.
4. That's a possibility, although it might be more expensive and disruptive since Verizon/Comcast/Time Warner would likely charge the a la carte rate for everything if done seasonally. It's certainly worth considering, though, as long as it wasn't disruptive to other viewing.
R2R2R2R:
2. When the U.S. government budget deficit is $500 billion, it's easy to feel as though your net worth is small. Something my mom's pastor told me that I thought was helpful was that, as an individual, you have to find the thing that you can do, your small contribution. Many progressives see big problems and require big solutions that are so expensive that they require other people's money. I think if we foster a belief that people can voluntarily come together to solve problems on a small scale, those small solutions will add up to something far bigger. But it's harder to persuade society than it is a majority of Congress.
3. You add it to yours, and I'll add it to mine. That's easy enough...
R2R2R2R2R2R2R2R:
1. That's a factual question at least in part, but the basic principle is that the media's job should be to inform the public about matters and events that impact their lives both personally and in their capacity as members of a self-governing republic. To the extent that reporting on these events contributes to or takes away from that, fair enough. That said, I don't believe in keeping people in the dark except if there is a risk of immediate incitement. Yelling "fire" in a crowded theater is the classic example of that. But some people want to argue that, for example, reporting on the San Bernardino incident is akin to doing just that, and in my view that's too attenuated.
The San Bernardino incident in some ways is a hard case, and I think it's much harder than, say, some serial killer operating far from the community whose news service is reporting it. In my view, the role of journalism school should be not only to help aspiring journalists to figure out how to report the news, but also to think about questions like the meaning of "newsworthiness" in a manner that can consider the factors that you and I have both raised.
B
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Resolutions
The first comment on this article on loneliness is: "I have to say, that what the writer describes as "Glimmers of hope" sound even more bleak than anything else in the article".
I loved this article as a way of saying - hey, we're all ok
this is pretty cool and random
I've seen a lot of apartment tours and this is my favorite of them all.
Inspiration for journaling
Bunny butt makes another appearance!
Responses
1. That was a nice article. I think weight loss is incredibly hard and should be cheered on, even if people who are always thin don't get congratulated on that. It's achieving a goal and improving oneself, which should always be applauded.
2. I thought the problem with going to Europe for us was terrorism...
3. I did appreciate the line "The Post generally does not identify people who are purported victims of sex crimes." The "purported" speaks volumes.
I also question the paragraph:
4. This person only pays for cable during her preferred sports seasons. Maybe you could do that too? It seems like all you watch is football and Netflix.
Also, I think it's kinda weird for a dad to buy his daughter a diamond bracelet. That seems like a husband kind of gift.
R2R
3. I thought it was interesting that the husband did that and the wife appreciated it so. I could easily see a story like that where the wife is like "I really don't like #8-10, that jerk!" It's nice when people are nice.
5. Just that it's one way to connect. My dad is an accountant after all. My dad and I also connect on sports, news, politics and car maintenance.
7. What made me sad is that the school was probably exultant that some of its students had been murdered. Yay we won't be shut down!
8. Of course I mean cute and adorable!
10. The formation is impressive but it looks painful!
R2R2R
2. What a sad way to live - to be a billionaire and think you didn't have enough money to change the world.
3. But wouldn't that require us to have a joint bullet journal? Should we discuss our bullet journal topics on our calls?
R2R2R2R2R2R2R2R2R
1. I think we agree on copy cat killers and that the media should change its reporting tactics. But one last question - you think reporting on such incidents is important for the citizenry to have an informed opinion when it comes time to voting for someone who proposes how to fix the problem. but what if the actual results of the reporting was fear and not added knowledge to the citizenry? what if the people who vote know enough already and the people who don't just get misinformed and scared? does reporting on these incidents have any intrinsic value then or should we weigh whether we think the media should report on this based on the results?
I loved this article as a way of saying - hey, we're all ok
this is pretty cool and random
I've seen a lot of apartment tours and this is my favorite of them all.
Inspiration for journaling
Bunny butt makes another appearance!
Responses
1. That was a nice article. I think weight loss is incredibly hard and should be cheered on, even if people who are always thin don't get congratulated on that. It's achieving a goal and improving oneself, which should always be applauded.
2. I thought the problem with going to Europe for us was terrorism...
3. I did appreciate the line "The Post generally does not identify people who are purported victims of sex crimes." The "purported" speaks volumes.
I also question the paragraph:
In court filings, Jackie’s lawyers wrote that she should not have to produce any of the requested documents because of certain legal protections for sexual assault victims. Jackie’s lawyers wrote that asking her to provide the information “constitutes exactly the abusive re-victimization that these protections were designed to prevent.”I wonder what legal protections those really are and if they prevent fake rape allegations from being successfully adjudicated.
4. This person only pays for cable during her preferred sports seasons. Maybe you could do that too? It seems like all you watch is football and Netflix.
Also, I think it's kinda weird for a dad to buy his daughter a diamond bracelet. That seems like a husband kind of gift.
R2R
3. I thought it was interesting that the husband did that and the wife appreciated it so. I could easily see a story like that where the wife is like "I really don't like #8-10, that jerk!" It's nice when people are nice.
5. Just that it's one way to connect. My dad is an accountant after all. My dad and I also connect on sports, news, politics and car maintenance.
7. What made me sad is that the school was probably exultant that some of its students had been murdered. Yay we won't be shut down!
8. Of course I mean cute and adorable!
10. The formation is impressive but it looks painful!
R2R2R
2. What a sad way to live - to be a billionaire and think you didn't have enough money to change the world.
3. But wouldn't that require us to have a joint bullet journal? Should we discuss our bullet journal topics on our calls?
R2R2R2R2R2R2R2R2R
1. I think we agree on copy cat killers and that the media should change its reporting tactics. But one last question - you think reporting on such incidents is important for the citizenry to have an informed opinion when it comes time to voting for someone who proposes how to fix the problem. but what if the actual results of the reporting was fear and not added knowledge to the citizenry? what if the people who vote know enough already and the people who don't just get misinformed and scared? does reporting on these incidents have any intrinsic value then or should we weigh whether we think the media should report on this based on the results?
Friday, January 8, 2016
New Developments
Bill Barnwell is one of my favorite sports writers (formerly of Grantland), but he wrote a very nice article about his weight loss over the course of 2015.
If this gets popular among U.S. airlines, perhaps we can make it back to Europe after all.
Here are more developments on the UVA lawsuit against Rolling Stone.
And here are more developments on how millennials have been spending their money.
Responses:
1. It won't make money in the short run, but I suspect they are relying on divorce data and high enough interest rates to cover the loans that won't be paid back. Moreover, they won't give the money to just anyone - I suspect that their rating system will give some loans to some pretty "undeserving" couples.
2. Wheel in the bacon!
3. That is a nice story. I'm glad that she was able to appreciate the kind gesture.
4. Maybe we can check it out after we check out the Chinese place you mentioned last time. :P
5. Is it that the topic of finances is a way for you and your dad to connect, or that it's the only way? I'm glad their relationship has improved with time, though. When there's hurt that you've started to heal from and you just want to be able to restart a relationship, it's nice to be able to find that one thing that serves as a way to get back in.
6. I imagine that the intensity, however short term, explains the preference among many young people. Short-term intense happiness vs. long-term consistency is the difference between social media and books. I think both are important, though. It doesn't make sense to have to choose.
7. The story of the guy who couldn't find a job to pay his loans after attending his crap college and instead attending law school and accumulating more loans makes me very sad. In my view, this provides evidence that the college method of higher education is lacking. This also reaffirms my belief that the problems should be fixed at the primary and secondary school levels before turning to higher education.
8. Do you mean cute and adorable? If so, then yes. :)
9. Mission accomplished!
10. Do you not like the cool formation? That took years of practice... :/
R2R:
2. They would not. One primary reason why many modern progressives prefer government action is that they insist that change is impossible without forcing all of society to participate. For all the money that, say, George Soros has and spends on political activities, he would insist that it's not enough to effect real change. See also the claims of people like Warren Buffett that they would support increasing taxes on millionaires and billionaires, despite the fact that literally no one is stopping them from just writing a check to the U.S. Treasury. Modern progressives respond to the collective action problem and the bias towards short-term thinking with government action, whereas many conservatives and libertarians respond by trying to align incentives with voluntary action. This is why conservatives would totally go for that plan while progressives would probably just scoff.
3. Add it to the Bullet Journal!
R2R2R2R2R2R:
1. The second paragraph was me questioning the role of the media, so I agree with you there. But the San Bernadino massacre is relevant to me inasmuch as it influences policy action on terrorism, gun control, foreign policy, and other issues, since policy action by our elected representatives is relevant to me in my role as a member of a society based on self-government and republicanism. You are right that I was not in immediate danger of being harmed by those gunmen, but if you believe that that incident reflects the potential for domestic radicalization of ordinary citizens (because of ISIS or other organizations), then that justifies the consideration of policy action. To be sure, I would be less inclined to agree if the reporting of the incident itself increased radicalization efforts, but that's a cost-benefit analysis that I hope that the media would consider. Also, I would not agree if the cause of the shooting was less relevant to policy considerations. And I acknowledge that almost any incident could have policy implications, but given the current debates about dealing with Syrian refugees, how and whether to intervene in Syria, the efficacy of domestic surveillance programs, etc., there seems to be a clear policy angle here.
The policy angle would not exist in your hypothetical regarding the Chinese miners. The policy angle may not even exist in the case of a similar hypothetical event regarding American miners (to the extent that, say, the mine accident was really just a freak accident).
I wanted to add an additional word about copycat killers. To the extent that the media is reporting on, say, serial killers, I think the concern for copycat killers outweighs any potential newsworthiness outside of the local area in which the murders are happening, and even then it would be close. To the extent that the news media needed to report in order to warn people to stay on high alert for a suspect - or if the media wanted to warn about his modus operandi in order to protect, say, the class of victims that was the target of the serial killer - I think there's an argument for reporting. But if the concern is how we as a society through our elected officials should respond in the face of a growing threat of radical Islam in America, then it seems irresponsible for the media to ignore these incidents, even if I would agree that the manner in which they report these stories should change (i.e., de-emphasizing the fame- and glory-related details and focusing on the facts and narratives that relate to the policy implications). If this leads to a greater potential for copycat killers or even publicity of the event in a manner that increases recruits, then that is the price we pay for self-government.
B
If this gets popular among U.S. airlines, perhaps we can make it back to Europe after all.
Here are more developments on the UVA lawsuit against Rolling Stone.
And here are more developments on how millennials have been spending their money.
Responses:
1. It won't make money in the short run, but I suspect they are relying on divorce data and high enough interest rates to cover the loans that won't be paid back. Moreover, they won't give the money to just anyone - I suspect that their rating system will give some loans to some pretty "undeserving" couples.
2. Wheel in the bacon!
3. That is a nice story. I'm glad that she was able to appreciate the kind gesture.
4. Maybe we can check it out after we check out the Chinese place you mentioned last time. :P
5. Is it that the topic of finances is a way for you and your dad to connect, or that it's the only way? I'm glad their relationship has improved with time, though. When there's hurt that you've started to heal from and you just want to be able to restart a relationship, it's nice to be able to find that one thing that serves as a way to get back in.
6. I imagine that the intensity, however short term, explains the preference among many young people. Short-term intense happiness vs. long-term consistency is the difference between social media and books. I think both are important, though. It doesn't make sense to have to choose.
7. The story of the guy who couldn't find a job to pay his loans after attending his crap college and instead attending law school and accumulating more loans makes me very sad. In my view, this provides evidence that the college method of higher education is lacking. This also reaffirms my belief that the problems should be fixed at the primary and secondary school levels before turning to higher education.
8. Do you mean cute and adorable? If so, then yes. :)
9. Mission accomplished!
10. Do you not like the cool formation? That took years of practice... :/
R2R:
2. They would not. One primary reason why many modern progressives prefer government action is that they insist that change is impossible without forcing all of society to participate. For all the money that, say, George Soros has and spends on political activities, he would insist that it's not enough to effect real change. See also the claims of people like Warren Buffett that they would support increasing taxes on millionaires and billionaires, despite the fact that literally no one is stopping them from just writing a check to the U.S. Treasury. Modern progressives respond to the collective action problem and the bias towards short-term thinking with government action, whereas many conservatives and libertarians respond by trying to align incentives with voluntary action. This is why conservatives would totally go for that plan while progressives would probably just scoff.
3. Add it to the Bullet Journal!
R2R2R2R2R2R:
1. The second paragraph was me questioning the role of the media, so I agree with you there. But the San Bernadino massacre is relevant to me inasmuch as it influences policy action on terrorism, gun control, foreign policy, and other issues, since policy action by our elected representatives is relevant to me in my role as a member of a society based on self-government and republicanism. You are right that I was not in immediate danger of being harmed by those gunmen, but if you believe that that incident reflects the potential for domestic radicalization of ordinary citizens (because of ISIS or other organizations), then that justifies the consideration of policy action. To be sure, I would be less inclined to agree if the reporting of the incident itself increased radicalization efforts, but that's a cost-benefit analysis that I hope that the media would consider. Also, I would not agree if the cause of the shooting was less relevant to policy considerations. And I acknowledge that almost any incident could have policy implications, but given the current debates about dealing with Syrian refugees, how and whether to intervene in Syria, the efficacy of domestic surveillance programs, etc., there seems to be a clear policy angle here.
The policy angle would not exist in your hypothetical regarding the Chinese miners. The policy angle may not even exist in the case of a similar hypothetical event regarding American miners (to the extent that, say, the mine accident was really just a freak accident).
I wanted to add an additional word about copycat killers. To the extent that the media is reporting on, say, serial killers, I think the concern for copycat killers outweighs any potential newsworthiness outside of the local area in which the murders are happening, and even then it would be close. To the extent that the news media needed to report in order to warn people to stay on high alert for a suspect - or if the media wanted to warn about his modus operandi in order to protect, say, the class of victims that was the target of the serial killer - I think there's an argument for reporting. But if the concern is how we as a society through our elected officials should respond in the face of a growing threat of radical Islam in America, then it seems irresponsible for the media to ignore these incidents, even if I would agree that the manner in which they report these stories should change (i.e., de-emphasizing the fame- and glory-related details and focusing on the facts and narratives that relate to the policy implications). If this leads to a greater potential for copycat killers or even publicity of the event in a manner that increases recruits, then that is the price we pay for self-government.
B
Monday, January 4, 2016
Short Stories Edition
I don't understand how this could make money
I've read many accounts of people who live to be very old and they all seem to eat bacon regularly
this was a nice story
This isn't too far from your place, reasonably affordable and interesting.
this reminded me of my dad. except for the deadbeat part.
buy stuff! the research
this is that sad article about how we are funding bad colleges
is this what our children will look like?
sometimes the heart just needs to be warmed
is it weird that they're all stacked on top of one another?
Responses
1. Ugh, this makes it worse knowing the exact stupidity. For a little while, I started thinking maybe this is actually as good as it can be given how the system was designed.
2. Ricky Ricardo and my piano teacher were the only Cubans I knew growing up. They all seemed very glamorous.
3. Tom Brady is doing a good job deflecting. The whole media frenzy for sports stars seems designed to make them slip up - to say something they shouldn't or make people hate them. He's smart for keeping mum.
4. I've always liked Justin Bieber.
R2R
2. It wouldn't require government money but I wonder if climate change crusaders would go for this idea. Will they realize that they have enough money to effect the change they want without paying for lobbying?
3. Whoops we forgot to check it out. =P
4. Lauren and Aprotim. I'm ok with more Annandale.
6. Oh my!
R2R2R
5. I guess I'm all for anything that creates more community.
R2R2R2R2R
1. I think as a citizen, I should question the role of the media. The San Bernadino massacre is not relevant to you. You live about as far as possible away and the gunmen are dead, with no sign of a bigger plot. It seems that this story, if only reported locally, might be better for the citizenship because it wouldn't spread widespread fear or paranoia and because copycats would be less likely to know about it around the nation. I think we've discussed this before - is the citizens' right to know more important than preventing copycat killers and giving killers the fame they desire?
Of course, 100 people dying in a Chinese mine would also be irrelevant to you and everyone else under this rubric in addition to being a bummer, doesn't have any salacious details.
I've read many accounts of people who live to be very old and they all seem to eat bacon regularly
this was a nice story
This isn't too far from your place, reasonably affordable and interesting.
this reminded me of my dad. except for the deadbeat part.
buy stuff! the research
this is that sad article about how we are funding bad colleges
is this what our children will look like?
sometimes the heart just needs to be warmed
is it weird that they're all stacked on top of one another?
Responses
1. Ugh, this makes it worse knowing the exact stupidity. For a little while, I started thinking maybe this is actually as good as it can be given how the system was designed.
2. Ricky Ricardo and my piano teacher were the only Cubans I knew growing up. They all seemed very glamorous.
3. Tom Brady is doing a good job deflecting. The whole media frenzy for sports stars seems designed to make them slip up - to say something they shouldn't or make people hate them. He's smart for keeping mum.
4. I've always liked Justin Bieber.
R2R
2. It wouldn't require government money but I wonder if climate change crusaders would go for this idea. Will they realize that they have enough money to effect the change they want without paying for lobbying?
3. Whoops we forgot to check it out. =P
4. Lauren and Aprotim. I'm ok with more Annandale.
6. Oh my!
R2R2R
5. I guess I'm all for anything that creates more community.
R2R2R2R2R
1. I think as a citizen, I should question the role of the media. The San Bernadino massacre is not relevant to you. You live about as far as possible away and the gunmen are dead, with no sign of a bigger plot. It seems that this story, if only reported locally, might be better for the citizenship because it wouldn't spread widespread fear or paranoia and because copycats would be less likely to know about it around the nation. I think we've discussed this before - is the citizens' right to know more important than preventing copycat killers and giving killers the fame they desire?
Of course, 100 people dying in a Chinese mine would also be irrelevant to you and everyone else under this rubric in addition to being a bummer, doesn't have any salacious details.
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