8 years ago: Unbribery Objection No. 2

Last updated on: July 31, 2013 at 2:09 am By Fred Clark

Consider any abstract, disinterested discussion of tax legislation. Such discussions always include a consideration of what economists refer to as "incentives." What they mean by that is money -- money and the way that money influences the actions and behavior of people who reliably alter said behavior in order to get it or to avoid losing it. It seems strange to consider the powerful influence of such incentives on everyone except the politicians making the decisions that create them. Read more

7 things @ 11 o’clock (8.1)

Last updated on: August 1, 2013 at 7:24 am By Fred Clark

Listen to the new Sam Phillips album for free. Hello Flo. Joel Watts takes on a clobber text. If you're from a red state, it's best not to complain about blue-state "pork." An interview with Lucien Greaves, Satanist and satirist. A good example of an actual apology. Plus: Theremins! Read more

Smart people saying smart things (8.1)

Last updated on: August 1, 2013 at 7:45 am By Fred Clark

A pitch-perfect post from the Belle Jar. A "casual observation" from the BooMan. Dorothy Boorse offers "An Evangelical Scientist's Notes on Climate Change and Faith." President Obama parries the perennial objections to environmental safety. And Libby Anne recounts how she learned that the legends and lies she'd been taught about one famous woman weren't actually true. Read more

1 year ago: It’s the end of the world — chaos, the apocalypse, and well-woman visits

Last updated on: July 21, 2013 at 8:25 pm By Fred Clark

We were told that August 1, 2012, would be cause for calamity, woe, despair for all patriots and Christians who, on that day, bore witness to the death of religious liberty, the death of the Constitution and the End of America. Or maybe it just meant fewer co-pays for 47 million American women. Read more

‘It’s not even past’: Riley Cooper and Arthur Young

Last updated on: July 31, 2013 at 7:58 pm By Fred Clark

While it may be 2013, we're still a long way from being "beyond all this." We've made some progress, no doubt, and one sign of that progress was the unanimity of the sports-talk radio hosts and callers in condemning the stupidity and bigotry of the football player's comment. That's encouraging. We've made progress, but the past is still with us. As Faulkner wrote, "The past is never dead. It isn't even past." Read more

7 things @ 11 o’clock (7.31)

Last updated on: July 30, 2013 at 11:33 pm By Fred Clark

Prisoners take on the prisoner's dilemma. Ostriches, sprained ankles and "intelligent design." Another anti-abortion lie involving Nazis. Racist Pennsylvania police "chief" too right-wing for millitia group, but not too right-wing for Liberty University. The Rev. John Hagee does not care for your rock and/or roll, young people. Read more

Pope Francis said what now?

Last updated on: July 31, 2013 at 1:34 am By Fred Clark

The pope's remarks create a happily awkward situation for the bishops over whom Francis is bishop. "Who am I to judge?" is not a question one expects to hear from them, except maybe in order to quickly answer it themselves: "I'm the bishop, that's who -- so you'd better listen." Now that the pope himself has given this question his blessing, it would be nice to see it redirected toward some of those bishops. "Cardinal Dolan, who are you to judge?" Read more

1 year ago: Boycotting the Once-ler

Last updated on: July 21, 2013 at 8:22 pm By Fred Clark

And then it dawns on you that you are complicit in this. Every penny you’ve spent over the years buying Thneeds has gone to support the Once-ler’s Truffula-destroying death-machine. And you decide you want no part of that. … Read more

A long time ago in a final frontier far, far away …

Last updated on: July 30, 2013 at 12:06 pm By Fred Clark

Time to clear out the bookmarks with another round-up of random geekery. This time we're looking at the stars, which is to say at Star Wars and Star Trek (plus a bunch of Doctor Who stuff too). Read more

7 things @ 11 o’clock (7.30)

Last updated on: July 29, 2013 at 10:59 pm By Fred Clark

Frederick Clarkson on the alliance between Catholic and Protestant culture-warriors. A $3,500 bottle of wine: superfluity is theft. Don't open the box! "Crack babies" was not a real thing. Does the church have a League of the South problem? Fischer and Mugabe, sittin' in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. And here's that Vonnegut video I never managed to transfer from VHS. Read more