Andrew Sullivan's Blog, page 2567

On Collective And Individual Responsibility

Leon Wieseltier's perceptive, rigorous, and moving piece on the Cordoba controversy is simply the last word on the subject. Exquisitely crafted. And true.
















Cordoba - United States - Spain - Autonomous Communities - Islam

The View From Your Window

Southport, Connecticut, 11.30 am

Southport - England - Merseyside - United States - Recreation and Sports

Craig's Blacklist, Ctd

Jacob Sullum weighs in:

[Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal:] ignores both the law's role in fostering coercion andviolence by driving [prostitution:] underground and the protectionthat services like Craigslist can provide by allowing prostitutesto screen customers and avoid walking the streets. But to fullyappreciate the audacity of his charge that money blinded Craigslistto the suffering of sex slaves, note that the company charging for adult service ads in 2008 at the

Living Chastely Till 106

Scotland's pride. "She did like the odd sherry though, as a treat."
















Scotland - Maps and Views - Travel and Tourism - Recreation and Sports - Travel Guides

Is Obama's Proposal Any Good? Ctd

Howard Gleckman decodes Obama's latest gambit:

Keep in mind that while Obama's initiatives seem expansive, theirreal budget cost is relatively low. Because companies would havededucted this newly-expensed investment over time anyway, they willeffectively pay back any short-term tax savings and Treasury willeventually recover most of its revenue loss. The White House claimsbusiness would get an immediate tax cut of $200 billion but figures the10-year cost of this 15-month proposal would be...

In Defense Of Shark-Jumping, Ctd

A reader writes:

Fred Fox mistakes Jumping the Shark for a point of decline in popularity. Actually, it is about the aesthetic integrity of a character or show. Fonzie's jumping of the shark was the moment when the character Fonzie became not just self-parody, but even worse - an unaware self-parody. The character had destroyed that which made it interesting, or if you like, cool.

The phrase has nothing to do with popularity; it is a marker of when a show goes outside of its boundaries and in...

Distrusting Republicans, But Voting For Them Anyway

Andrew Gelman analyzes voting preferences:

Those 10% or so of voters who plan to vote Republican—even while
thinking that the Democrats will do a better job—are not necessarily
being so unreasonable. The Democrats control the presidency and both
houses of Congress, and so it's a completely reasonable stance to
prefer them to the Republicans yet still think they've gone too far and
need a check on their power.

I find the current GOP about as repellent as anyone. I can also believe, as I...

A Phoenix From The Ashes Of Fame

It's the most absurdly over-valued experience of our time: celebrity. And it seemed to me that David Letterman never quite got what Mr Phoenix was up to, and Mr Phoenix never got it entirely either, which was part of the absurdist point. So this mockumentary - noted by TNC - where Casey Affleck "directs" "Joaquin Phoenix" entering the twilight zone is something I must try and see:

For the record, Affleck never owns up onscreen to the artifice, and the supporting players (Antony, identified as...

How A Nation Fails

Michael Lewis has an eye-opening article on Greece well worth reading in full. What form of journalism can Michael not do better than almost anyone else? From the conclusion:

Thequestion everyone wants an answer to is: Will Greece default? There's aschool of thought that says they have no choice: the very measures thegovernment imposes to cut costs and raise revenues will cause what isleft of the productive economy to flee the country. The taxes are lowerin Bulgaria, the workers more pliable...

Mushroom Medication

Psilocybin is being studied as a treatment for anxiety in terminally ill patients. Think of it as an introduction to God.

Anxiety - Psilocybin - Terminal illness - Health - Cancer