Andrew Sullivan's Blog, page 2583

Formalized Leisure Time

by Conor Friedersdorf

Reihan Salam is blogging up a storm on vacation policy at The Agenda. Especially see that last link where he talks about the Netflix vacation policy. I'll bet its employees now work more than they would under a traditional system.

Reihan Salam - Netflix - United States - Conor Friedersdorf Reihan Salam - Conservatism

Wasilla Soap Opera Update

by Chris Bodenner

Mercede Johnston slams Bristol's appearance on Dancing with the Stars:

Since Bristol became pregnant, and made headlines world wide, teen pregnancy in Wasilla has sky rocketed! Everywhere I look I see somebody who is expecting a new baby. If you go into a public restroom there is writing on the walls saying:

"Is it bad that I'm 15 and want a baby soooo bad?"

"I would give anything to have a baby!"

"I want to be a mommy at 14!"

And many other extremely disturbing and jaw dropping...

What Can We Believe About Palin? Ctd

by Chris Bodenner

Kevin Drum doubts Michael Gross's defense:

Was he really sympathetic to Palin going into this? Because if he was, this is the most unbelievable volte face I've ever read. I mean, he literally describes an entire town — hell, practically an entire state — that is absolutely scared to death to talk about Palin because they're afraid of the vengeance she'll wreak on them for doing it. He describes a woman with a paranoid streak a mile wide, a temper like a hellcat, and a casual...

Why Can't He Just Be Crazy?

by Chris Bodenner

Michelle Cottle is tired of partisans latching onto tragedies like the one at Discovery this week:

I was more surprised, I confess, by a post at the liberal blog Think Progress, detailing how Lee's online manifesto "Echoes Anti-immigrant Groups' Malthusian Screed," then walking readers through the sinister phenomenon of nativism's greenwashing. It's not that I think liberals are necessarily above that sort of opportunistic bashing. But linking Lee's behavior to an ugly...

We're All Victims Now: Above The Law Edition

by Conor Friedersdorf

Over at Above the Law, Elie Mystal responds to my two blog posts on how professional elites are hired, headlining his item, "The World Hates Lawyers: Mainstream Media Manages to Criticize Big Law AND Public Sector Lawyers in The Same Breath." This exaggerates the dislike of attorneys in a tiresome bid to claim victim status on behalf of the ATL audience. It's a side of American discourse that drives me crazy: Qualified criticism of an identifiable group is twisted by its ...

The View From Your Window

Hayden, Colorado, 8 am

United States - Hayden Christensen - Business and Economy - Honda - Casey Stoner

"Winning"

by Patrick Appel

Scott Adams questions the word:

I always imagine the outcome of eight-ball to be predetermined, to about 95% certainty, based on who has practiced that specific skill the most over his lifetime. The remaining 5% is mostly luck, and playing a best of five series eliminates most of the luck too.

I've spent a ridiculous number of hours playing pool, mostly as a kid. I'm not proud of that fact. Almost any other activity would have been more useful. As a result of my wasted youth...

Beating Procrastination

by Patrick Appel

Dan Ariely experiments with deadlines.

Dan Ariely - Psychology - Social Sciences - Tests and Testing - United States

The Economics Of Death

by Patrick Appel

Karl Smith has some insightful thoughts on the subject:

Most people are afraid of death in a way that they are not afraid
non-existence. Thinking about the world just after your death tends
be at minimum unnerving. Thinking about the world billions of
after your death or years before you were born tends not to be so bad.

This indicates that people are concerned about the world in whichthey have died, not simply about the world in which they don't exist.Indeed, most...

Can Church Be Hip? Ctd

by Chris Bodenner

A reader writes:

I read your post about Christian music that mentions Sufjan Stevens and I immediately thought of The Innocence Mission.  They are very Christian, but I enjoy the music as a nonbeliever.

I had difficulty finding interviews with the band members, but they spoke on air with NPR in 2005.

Christianity - Sufjan Stevens - Religion and Spirituality - Music - National Public Radio