SAINT FELONY: This is a good post about the economics of hiring ex-cons; the universality of mismanaged lives, and why the poor pay more for their crimes; and ways to change the incentives. Read more

TYPICAL GIRLS… ARE SO CONFUSING: I recently re-read pretty much the entire archive of Disputed Mutability. This is the blog of a terrifically smart, forthright, wry ex-gay lady. You guys know me, right?–so you know that I am not a fan of the “ex-gay movement” as a whole. But DM is fantastic and touches on all kinds of issues: If you’re interested in Christian discipleship, being specific in describing the interactions of religion and personal life, accepting and interpreting humiliation,... Read more

KITCHEN ADVENTURES: ABSOLUTELY CRABULOUS. So here’s two things that worked! Crab/Peach Ceviche: I purchased four snow crab “clusters” (legs in a bunch, with meat at the end) and a “Southern peach,” both on sale. I chopped the peach and plunked it in a bowl. Then I warily approached the crab. Let’s just say… I don’t own a clawcracker; I barely know a crab from a crayfish; and in general, the insects of the sea are not my bag. So I... Read more

ANY OLD, ANY OLD IRON: Iron Man. So this isn’t really a review. It’s a growl. I wanted something that maybe no Iron Man movie in the foreseeable future can provide. This is the thing: Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, is a defense contractor who becomes a superhero. That’s an inescapable part of his whole deal. If you make a movie about him, you make a movie about weapons contracting. So this movie has lots of jaw-jaw about how hurting... Read more

AND A STAR TO STEER HER BY: I think I used the same blog post headline for last year’s Fathers’ Day… and it’s still true, because it will always be true. I know I’ve steered this bark into strange waters… but my mom and dad were always the constellations by which I oriented myself, even when they couldn’t be my compasses. Read more

MADE-RITE MADNESS!!! Yes, I will post more about that “I am a conservative because” post. I’ve gotten some good questions in email, and welcome more comments from anyone who wants to send ’em. (And yes, I find it hilarious that Ross Douthat’s understanding of conservatism is so completely different from mine! I like Ross a lot, but… “I’m conservative because I feel fluffy about contemporary America” is just not my bag, man. See Helen’s headline for more.) But that’s not... Read more

BATTER-FRY MY HEART, THREE-PERSONED GOD! Read more

DUALISM, ZOMBIES, AND PERSISTENTLY CONSCIOUS HEADS. How can you resist? Read more

SAVAGE LOVE, OR THE OPERA GUIDE TO DATING. Read more

THE SUBTEXT IS RAPIDLY BECOMING TEXT: Here I am taking those Implicit Associations tests. This post ends on a rough note…. [and eta: I’m not sure how much all this “tells you,” but it struck me as interesting and worth posting about, especially given that I’m–say it with me!–self-obsessed.] The first one told me I somewhat preferred, in this order, Clinton-Obama-McCain. My answer to the initial “about whom do you feel most fluffy?” question was (I think) McCain (come on,... Read more