Andrew Sullivan's Blog, page 2728

July 21, 2010

America: #2

A milestone worth marking:

The news that China may now be the world biggest energy customer comes
based on analysis by the International Energy Agency (IEA). According
to the IEA, China overtook the U.S. in energy consumption sometime last
year.

(Hat tip: Compass)





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International Energy Agency - China - Energy - United States - Technology
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Published on July 21, 2010 14:38

Dissents Of The Day

A reader writes:

I am as far from Mel Gibson's theological and political world as one can get.  He is quite obviously a deeply troubled man with extreme views.  But I think calling the Passion of the Christ an "attack on the Gospels" goes a little far.  For one thing, I'm pretty sure you would never refer to "The Last Temptation of Christ" that way, even though that film takes far more liberties with the Gospels than Gibson does.  And let's not forget it is the Gospels themselves that contain...

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Published on July 21, 2010 14:22

What About The Rainforest?


Global_forest_heights

Dan Ariely wants to know why we have paid more attention to the BP spill than other environmental disasters:

Here are a few characteristics that might differentiate the BP oilspill from the destruction of the Amazon. First, it is a singular eventwith a precise beginning. Second, while the tragedy was ongoing (and weare not yet sure if it has ended or not) it seemed to become moredesperate by the day. Third, we have a single organization that we canvillainize. In contrast, in the Amazon...

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Published on July 21, 2010 14:04

The Costs Of Stress

Jonah Lehrer explains them:

Here's one example of how stress destroys the body. Elissa Epel, aformer grad student of Sapolsky's and a professor of psychiatry atUCSF, has demonstratedthat mothers caring for chronically ill report much higher levels ofstress. That's not surprising. What is surprising is that these womenalso have dramatically shortened telomeres, those caps on the end ofchromosomes that keep our DNA from disintegrating. (Women with thehighest levels of stress had telomere...

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Published on July 21, 2010 13:45

Mental Health Break

A new thriller that could rival Inception:







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Mental health - Health - Oceania - Australia - Directories
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Published on July 21, 2010 13:20

Dissent Of The Day, Ctd

A reader writes:

Your dissenting reader could not have actually read the site he linked to. S/he uses it to support a possible bipolar diagnosis for Gibson, saying "his behavior - certainly his rage - is actually rather common in the manic phase of unmedicated (or self-medicated) bipolar disorder." But on the linked site it says: "Anger or rage are not typical symptoms of bipolar disorder. While certainly someone might exhibit rage while in a manic phase of bipolar disorder, it is not a...

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Published on July 21, 2010 13:07

"Jew Baiters"

The Tablet calls several writers who have criticized Israel's assault on Gaza and refusal to freeze the settlements on the West Bank "Jew-baiters." I, Glenn Greenwald, Stephen Walt, and Philip Weiss are operating an "open sewer of hate," for arguing that US interests lie in getting a two-state solution sooner rather than later, and in our outrage at the way in which the Israeli government has shown contempt for the US president in the last couple of years, egged on by many neocons. There are ...

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Published on July 21, 2010 12:47

Red Families, Blue Families, Gay Families


KateToriZadieGettyImages

Jonathan Rauch compares them. The whole thing is worth a read. Here is part of his conclusion:

I believe that, slowly but surely, family values are renormalizingand will continue to renormalize around later family formation and anethic which stresses responsible childbearing over abstinence fromsex—if only because economic and cultural forces are pulling so hard inthat direction. At a time when even many young traditionalists(evangelicals, for example) take contraception for granted, are...

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Published on July 21, 2010 12:28

Handel Pulls A Romney


Mike07192010

A reader writes:

Thank you for posting about how the Palin endorsement has impacted the Georgia race for Governor.  As you know, Karen has shot to the lead in the polls after floundering in second or third in the race to make the runoff in several weeks.

As a side note, Ms. Handel has a somewhat sordid history with the Atlanta LGBT community.  In her first two races for a seat on the Fulton County Commission (Atlanta) she actively sought the LGBT vote, going as far as joining the Log Cabin...

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Published on July 21, 2010 11:59

Her Impenetrable Base

A reader writes:

I know you have aired the "so what" view in the past, but given your rehashing of the issue after returning from Bearville, I think it deserves another go.

So what if Trig is not Palin's biological child? If you published conclusive proof tomorrow, Palin would just go on Oprah and confess. She would tell Oprah all about the big bad liberal media, and claim that her story was fabricated for the sake of the real mother and Trig. The audience claps at her bravery, her followers...

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Published on July 21, 2010 11:24

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