Jonathan Miller's Blog, page 38

Jeff Smith Offers His Hometown Recovering Pol Perspective on Ferguson

Tomorrow, our very own contributing RP Jeff Smith will be appearing on MSNBC’s “The Cycle”to discuss the tragic situation in Ferguson, Missouri, from his unique perspective as a social scientist who represented the St. Louis region in the Missouri legislature.

Jeff has already emerged as the go-to guy for many national news sources on the continuing crisis.

This morning, the New York Times published his op-ed, “In Ferguson, Black Town, White Power” which answers the perplexing question as to wh...

John Y’s Musings from the Middle: My Favorite Things

Remember Julie Andrews memorable song, “These are a few of my favorite things” where she taught us….

“When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things

And then I don’t feel so bad”

But what if the “Favorite things” in the song, don’t really do it for you?

I mean, remember? The favorite things are things like

“Cream colored ponies” and “whiskers on kittens,”

“Bright copper kettles” and “Brown paper packages tied up with strings”

I never told anyone but non...

JeffSmithMO Tweets on Ferguson

White power structure helped create #Ferguson. But as @AntonioFrench notes, black leadership is critical to peace. Too few trusted whites.

— Jeff Smith (@JeffSmithMO) August 18, 2014

Thank you very much. MT @jonathanchait: Must-read overview of the St. Louis/Ferguson power structure, by @JeffSmithMO http://t.co/XSXALoBhQ4

— Jeff Smith (@JeffSmithMO) August 18, 2014

Just hate to contemplate impact on #StL region residential/business location decisions going fwd. Likely to exacerbate extant inequal...

Saul Kaplan: Ego and Bad Design

I would like to go to the new $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium in Texas to watch the movie The Matrix. I have no interest in watching a football game there. Full disclosure, I have never liked the Dallas Cowboys. I think it has something to do with a mean cousin who loved them and harassed me about it in grade school.

In a classic egomaniacal move Cowboy’s owner Jerry Jones ordered a ginormous jumbotron that hangs 90 ft above the playing field spanning from one twenty yard line to the other, right...

John Y’s Musings from the Middle: The Matrix

I watched the Matrix for the first time last night.

I told my son I had trouble following what….what was happening….and uh…um….what it was about …and meant. But otherwise liked the movie.

He said, although it was complicated,… he understood most of it. But suggested I “Google it” for an explanation instead of him explaining it to me.

I didn’t tell him but I already had “Googled it” and still didn’t understand it.

My main take away is that Keanu Reeves must really know Kung -Fu to have played the...

Julie Rath: Stain Removal Hacks

As I assume your plans this summer may involve some combination of burger-eating, alcohol-imbibing, and grass-sitting, I’ve decided to share some stain removal tips to help keep your holiday fresh and clean.Below are 5 main offenders and what to do if you have a run-in with them:

1)Red wine: dab with white wine.

2)Grease: add a can of Coke to washing machine.

3)Sweat: apply a paste of 3 aspirin tablets mixed with two tablespoons of warm water and let sit for 1 hour.

4)Ketchup:(this one’s a little...

Matt Ranen: How “Win-Lose” Could Actually Be a “Win-Win”

Public debates about policy often focus on trying to explain why a particular approach will make the ‘whole system’ work better. Consider Obamacare: it’s supposed to insure the uninsured, improve the quality of care, and ‘bend the cost curve’ to reduce the costs. Or Education reform: the online MOOC is supposed to radically reduce the costs of education while scaling the very best teachers by orders of magnitude. It’s become almost a necessity of public debate—at least in the US—to assert tha...

John Y’s Musings from the Middle: A Final Worthy Act

There is nothing noble about how Phillip Seymour Hoffman died. Nothing courageous; nothing thoughtful; nothing exemplifying caring for those who relied on him. And there was plenty to suggest deep pain, deceit, secrecy, …and recklessness—all flowing effortlessly from a piercing drug addiction.

Professionally, Hoffman left an extraordinary legacy of achievement. But in his personal life, his legacy to his children was cut brutally and inexplicably short. Yet his will, leaving direction but limi...

Josh Bowen: Work + Rest = Success

As I sit here on my 2 day vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina I have to remind myself of the importance of rest. As most know, I will push myself to limit everyday, sometimes working 7 days a week and working out 6-7 days. Rest has not been my best friend, but thankfully I have great people around me who encourage that I take a break. And that break was must needed. For the last 2 days, I haven’t done much of anything besides walk the beach, work on my tan and disconnect from everything....

Will Meyerhofer: Encountering Vishnu

Spectating upon the atom bomb ignition at the Trinity test site in New Mexico, Robert Oppenheimer was reminded of a scene from the Bhagavad-Gita – an encounter between the prince and Vishnu, the latter apparently in a cranky frame of mind. The scene culminates in Vishnu, who is attempting to persuade the prince to do his duty, assuming a multi-armed form and intoning:

I have become death, destroyer of worlds.

There are lawyers out there who remind me of Vishnu in his multi-armed form. No, they...