Andrew Sullivan's Blog, page 2618
August 24, 2010
Housing Tanks
Felix Salmon gasps at the National Association of Realtors report:
The news ... means that there's a big gap between buyers andsellers: the market isn't clearing. Sellers are convinced that theirhomes are worth lots of money, or will rise in price if they just holdout a bit longer; buyers are happily renting, waiting for prices tocome down. And entrepreneurial types, whom one would expect toarbitrage the two by buying houses with super-cheap mortgages andrenting them out at a...
Can Church Be Hip? Ctd
by Chris Bodenner
A reader writes:
As far as contemporary music that can be thought of as Christian yet still pass the "sniff test", recent Colbert guests The Hold Steady fit the bill. Their latest album, "Heaven is Whenever", is a more rough-edged tour of spiritual feelings than Sufjan Stevens' maddeningly lovely, folksy records. Here's a bonus track titled...
The Mosque Debate Continues
by Conor Friedersdorf
James Joyner frames the back-and-forth between Michael Kinsley and Charles Krauthammer. Ron Paul and Christopher Hitchens are worth reading too.
Christopher Hitchens - Atheism - Religion and Spirituality - People - Christian
Mormons On The Mosque, Ctd
by Chris Bodenner
A reader writes:
As a former Mormon of 40 years, I would like to think adherents of thatfaith would support the Mosque building in lower Manhattan. This may get you started on the "more varied opinions on this [topic:] among Mormons at large" suggestion from one of your readers: For starters, their 11th Article of Faith, something every Mormon child is expected to commit to and repeat from memory, states, "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the...
"It Costs Less Than Skittles!"
by Chris Bodenner
A brilliant and NSFW spoof of those smug NYT Weekender ads:
(See also: "An Ode To The Daily Mail")
Web Design and Development - Hosting - Free - Not safe for work - The New York Times
Dropout Factories, Ctd
by Patrick Appel
A reader writes:
I can't comment on the accuracy of the rankings found in the Washington Monthly, but I would like to point out a major error in logic with respect to comparing college dropout rates with high school rates. As a former university administrator, I was one of those professionals entrusted with the task of compiling such data, and I'd like to offer a few points.
1- Within the university community, a transfer is considered a "dropout." If 10 of our students...
Sullivan Bait
by Chris Bodenner
A defense of beards based on natural law:
Published in the New Hampshire Sentinel on June 20, 1855, via David Malki (who interviews "the world's foremost beard expert" here).
New Hampshire - United States - Wondermark - Arts - Recreation
Separation of Powers
by Conor Friedersdorf
Via James Fallows, an important reminder from Gary Hart about Iran and the possibility of American air strikes to stop it from getting nuclear weapons:
Bombing a sovereign nation is a de facto declaration of war. Our
Constitution requires the Congress, not the President, to declare war.
Simply because we have launched a number of wars without a Congressional
declaration does not mean the Constitutional requirement has been
suspended
How terrifying that we've gotten to t...
Why Statism Is the Wrong Frame, Cont'd
by Conor Friedersdorf
In an item yesterday, I argued that if you're trying to understand someone like Matt Yglesias, whether to effectively argue against his views or to engage him persuasively, the frames of "statism" and "liberty versus tyranny" are almost completely useless. Let's revisit why this is so. Mr. Yglesias favors deregulating various professional cartels, ending the legally proscribed monopoly on buses that some urban public transit agencies enjoy, reforming America's absurd...
Three, Four ... Twenty Blocks? Ctd
by Chris Bodenner
A reader writes:
I just returned from visiting my 82 year old father who lives in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn. Within minutes of arriving, my father asked me what my thoughts were on the proposal to build a mosque "ground zero". This started a big argument, with my voicing support for the construction ("We're the good guys ... what better symbol to show the world of our acceptance and tolerance of all people?") and my father expressing the standard Fox News...
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