Andrew Sullivan's Blog, page 2748

Mental Health Break

by Patrick Appel

Intergalactic disputes on the G line:

Web Design and Development - Sports Related - Mauritius - Hosting - Free

Paper grizzly

by Dave Weigel

That's Ari Melber's why-didn't-I-think-of-it phrase to describe the ratio of media attention Sarah Palin receives to the supporters inspired by what she does. His test case: the "Mama Grizzlies" video, which spliced audio of her speech to the Susan B. Anthony List with video of her meeting with activists, and inspired coverage unheard of for a YouTube video not starring Osama bin Laden or Chris Crocker.

In the week since it was first posted on Palin's Facebook page, which boasts ...

Freakspotting and Alvin Greene

by Dave Weigel

Today's Alvin Greene news -- every day, there's Alvin Greene news -- concerns a local baseball team taking up the Democratic Senate candidate on his idea of selling miniature figurines of himself to boost South Carolina's economy.

With all the talk earlier this year of a "Mr. Liberty" statue atnearby Patriots Point, the RiverDogs already planned to give awayminiature "Mr. Liberty" statues to the first 1,000 fans in attendanceSaturday for their minor league baseball game against t...

No Homo

by Chris Bodenner

If you're not familiar with the phrase yet, a primer.

Business - Chris Bodenner - Health - United States - United States Senate

Is Hayek spinning around in his grave?

by Dave Weigel

Andrew Farrant and Edward McPhail pose the question in "Does F.A. Hayek's Road to Serfdom Deserve to Make a Comeback?"

You can pay for the article, which argues that Hayek was making a doomsday argument about social insurance that, later in life, he backed away from. Or you can read Barkley Rossner's summary of the current thinking here, grappling with the book's newfound Amazon.com domination in the wake of its endorsement from Glenn Beck.

Many observers, perhaps most...

The View From Your Window

Koprivshtitsa, Bulgaria, 1.15 pm

Bulgaria - Government - Embassies and Consulates - Foreign - Abroad

Economics In Everything

by Patrick Appel

Elizabeth Weingarten reports on polygamy's decline in Saudi Arabia. Apparently "a group of young Saudi men are launching a campaign
to trumpet [polygamy's:] benefits, and to encourage other men to take a few more
wives":

"Polygamy's time is over," said Thomas Lippman, an adjunct seniorfellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. "People can't affordpolygamy in Saudi Arabia anymore." While Saudi Arabia is known for itsoil riches, many middle class families are living below the...

On Blurbs

by Patrick Appel

This is largely true:

The most prominent authors are inundated with such manuscripts
more than they can ever read, especially if they hope to get on
their real job -- which is, of course, writing their own books
have adopted a blanket no-blurb policy, and most of these will at
occasionally wind up departing from that policy, usually for
reasons. They might do it for a good friend or a former student, or
a favor to their editor or agent.

So...

Old Spice conquers the Internets, LOL

by Dave Weigel

Marshall Kirkpatrick's write-up of the strategy behind Old Spice's guerrilla YouTube campaign -- one
that comes after they hired video comedy dada-ists Tim and Eric to
record even crazier videos -- leaves you with a less grimy feeling than
the usual advertorial. Yes, even after you read this disclaimer:

Disclosure: Wieden + Kennedy is an occasional consulting client of
the author's. But this story was too cool to abstain from telling just
because of that.

Well, I'm not a consultin...

Why the RNC blank check to the Tea Party?

by David Frum

On the FrumForum site, Dr Jean Howard-Hill of the National African American Republican Caucus points out the dysfunctional asymmetry of the Republican Party's relationship to the Tea Party. Yesterday the RNC issued a statement absolving the Tea Party of racism and praising them as wishing nothing more than a return to the principles of the Constitution.

Recent statements claiming the Tea Party movement is racist are not only destructive, they are not true. Tea Party activists are...