Michael Bates: February 2008 Archives
WIRED: All Google's Roads Lead to Kansas
Coffeyville: Not only a nice town, but the center of the world according to Google Maps.
Psychology and Christianity: The Psychology of Judgmentalism - 2
The seven distinctions of healthy judgment, as opposed to judgmentalism: Concern, benefit of the doubt, tolerance, denouncing behavior or ideas instead of people, openness, formation over time, careful decision making. (Via Bowden McElroy.)
TIME: Can Sugar Substitutes Make You Fat?
"The sugar-fed rats, for example, showed the expected uptick in core body temperature at mealtime, corresponding to their anticipation of a bolus of calories that they would need to start burning off -- a sort of metabolic revving of the energy engines. The saccharin-fed animals, on the other hand, showed no such rise in temperature." (Via Jonathan Rogers, via Ron Coleman.)
Clayton Cramer: Idaho: Global Warming Nonsense
An astrophysical perspective on a global-warming resolution coming before the Idaho legislature: "Pretty obviously, if, as some astrophysicists claim, the warming we experienced from the late 1970s to a couple of years back, is primarily the result of solar output changes, we're going to burn an enormous amount of money, impoverish a lot of people--and accomplish nothing."
Physorg.com: Electronic tattoo display runs on blood
A thin display can be unfurled beneath the skin of the forearm can connect to Bluetooth wireless devices, such as cell phones. Its fuel cell is connected to the blood stream and converts glucose and oxygen to electricity. On the one hand, you'd never drop it in a puddle. On the other hand, changing phone plans would be a pain, because it means assimilating to a different collective. Via The Corner's Odd Link Gal.)
TheAtlantic.com: The Next Slum?
Will future slums be in the suburbs as the affluent move back to walkable urban centers? "The experience of cities during the 1950s through the '80s suggests that the fate of many single-family homes on the metropolitan fringes will be resale, at rock-bottom prices, to lower-income families--and in all likelihood, eventual conversion to apartments. This future is not likely to wear well on suburban housing. Many of the inner-city neighborhoods that began their decline in the 1960s consisted of sturdily built, turn-of-the-century row houses, tough enough to withstand being broken up into apartments, and requiring relatively little upkeep. By comparison, modern suburban houses, even high-end McMansions, are cheaply built." This has already been happening in Tulsa.
"I can remember when / You were a friend of mine / A better time." A 1990 video of the Dave Rave Conspiracy, performing "Weight of the World."
The Route 66 Pulse - The Patel Invasion
The story of immigrants from Gujarat in India (among whom Patel is a common surname) and the hospitality industry. (Via Route 66 News.)
Homes and Lifestyles: In Bob's House: A joyful life of music, friends, and faith
The most heartwarming thing you'll read today. Bob Kaplowitz from Bloomington, Indiana, is afflicted with cerebral palsy. "Bob provides all of the food and shelter-and even a small hourly wage-for his assistants. In exchange, the men take turns caring for Bob's daily physical needs, as well as household chores such as laundry, cooking and cleaning." In the process, they get to share in Bob's love of cooking and opera. Tim Bayly, Bob's pastor, calls Bob's house, "our finishing school for young men: "Imagine marrying a man who spent the period of your engagement feeding, clothing, bathing, and translating for a Christian brother. What kind of character would this build in your future husband? What kind of father would he make?" In a couple of months, Tim's daughter will be marrying one of Bob's current helpers.
New York Times: Tara Parker-Pope - Coping With the Caveman in the Crib
Pediatrics professor Harvey Karp, the "Baby Whisperer," is now advising parents on how to have the "Happiest Toddler on the Block": "Dr. Karp notes that in terms of brain development, a toddler is primitive, an emotion-driven, instinctive creature that has yet to develop the thinking skills that define modern humans. Logic and persuasion, common tools of modern parenting, 'are meaningless to a Neanderthal,' Dr. Karp says.... But Dr. Karp's method of toddler communication is not for the self-conscious. It involves bringing yourself, both mentally and physically, down to a child's level when he or she is upset. The goal is not to give in to a child's demands, but to communicate in a child's own language of 'toddler-ese.' This means using short phrases with lots of repetition, and reflecting the child's emotions in your tone and facial expressions. And, most awkward, it means repeating the very words the child is using, over and over again."
1975: And The Changes To Come - a photoset on Flickr
Photos and captions from a 1962 book by Arnold B. Barach, showing ultrasonic dishwashers, a push-button "wife saver" that combines electronic oven and food freezer to heat up previously stored meals, spherical portable ovens and hi-fi sets, and cans of irradiated food. (Via Ephemeral Isle.)
"As long as the race stays friendly, few Republicans see much harm in Huckabee's sticking it out a bit longer. 'I think he's gained enormously over the course of this, and strengthened his position for whatever he chooses to do next, and at the same time, he may play a pretty powerful role in reunifying the Republican Party,' said Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, who runs the GOP's House campaign committee. 'The personal vitriol that can sometimes occur in these things just seems to be absent between these two, so that's sort of a nice way to end up a pretty spirited process.'"
TIME: Rush Limbaugh Talks to TIME
What makes Rush Limbaugh tick, and what he gets about talk radio and his role that lesser lights overlook: "And most of my audience is there not because I have Pied Pipered them to where they believe. They already believed what they believe -- I just came along and validated it. When I started in '88, there was CNN, the three networks, your magazine and Newsweek and US News and the newspapers. That was it. I started in '88 and I was the first so-called national voice espousing conservatism and people glommed onto it because finally, 'Somebody who agrees with me!'"
RealClearPolitics - HorseRaceBlog - Some Reflections on Polling in the Primaries
Primary polling is so volatile because the most reliable predictor of uninformed voter behavior -- party affiliation -- is out of play: "If you think about all of the attention political junkies have paid to this race since last January - it is almost unbelievable to think that voters would not have decided months ago. But, if we put ourselves in the shoes of the average voters, and try to recreate their thought processes - it makes a lot of sense. Their partisanship cannot serve as a quick, easy guide. Thus, they have to take a good, long look at the candidates as people. Given their typical inattention to politics, the time when this happens is the last week or so."
LiveScience: Why Perfect Dates Make Lousy Partners
So says Northwestern University professor of communication studies Michael E. Roloff. "High self-monitors seem to avoid face-threatening interactions and honest self-disclosure. Thus partners of these people may be completely in the dark about the extent of their significant other's degree of commitment and regard. 'It's not that high self-monitors are intentionally deceptive or evil,' Roloff said. 'They appear to have an outlook and way of achieving their goals that makes them attractive to us socially but that prevents them from being particularly happy or loyal in their romantic relationships.'"
Let the Finder Beware: The Republic of New Netherland
Another "what if": A well-sketched-out alternative history of what might exist today had the Dutch retained control of their North American colony, later to become an independent republic, including the present day states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Vermont, western Connecticut, and the Philadelphia area. (Via Strange Maps.)
Handbook of Texas Online - DIVISION OF TEXAS
From the "what if" file: Proposals for dividing Texas into multiple states from 1845 to the present day.
Byron York on Mitt Romney on National Review Online
"Romney's run from his past left a lot of voters asking: Who is this guy? He says he believes certain things deeply now, but he believed other things deeply not that long ago. And each time, it seems, his deeply-held beliefs jibed with what was most advantageous politically."
Mona Charen on McCain on National Review Online
Nice: "He flatters himself that his colleagues in the Senate dislike him because he stands up for principle, while they sell their souls for pork. Not exactly. He is disliked because on many, many occasions he has been disrespectful, belligerent, and vulgar to those who differ with him.... At first, McCain grasped [former FEC Commissioner Bradley] Smith's outstretched hand (Smith was in a wheelchair recovering from surgery), but when he recognized his campaign finance opponent he snatched his hand back, snarling 'I'm not going to shake your hand. You're a bully. You have no regard for the Constitution. You're corrupt.'"
RealClearPolitics - HorseRaceBlog - The Romney Campaign, RIP
"How might these negative attacks have hurt Romney? My sense is that it likely kept him from winning over those who supported McCain or Huckabee. That is, at its most basic level, it backfired; not only did it fail to convince Huckabee or McCain voters to back Romney, it alienated those voters from him.... I think the fact that Romney was viewed so poorly by McCain and Huckabee voters, but not Giuliani voters is a consequence of his attacks on McCain and Huckabee. I see no other plausible way to explain this pattern - especially in light of the fact that Romney worked for most of 2007 to woo the social conservatives who comprise Huckabee's base."
WSJ.com: Alfred S. Regnery: How McCain Can Convince the Right
The legendary conservative book publisher advises McCain to "take a firm no-new-taxes pledge... get specific on spending... pick a fight with the press... pick a conservative running mate early... get specific on judicial nominations." "[W]ith his record as a foot soldier in the Reagan revolution, his generally strong stand on spending, national security and pro-life issues, he is in a position to correct much of the damage that's already been done."
The American Spectator: Rejecting National ID
Virginia may join the states' rebellion against the unfunded mandate called REAL ID. "REAL ID isn't about national security. It isn't about illegal immigration. It isn't about identity fraud, or even cold medicine. It's about Washington politics. Federal bureaucrats want to coerce states like Virginia into building a multi-billion dollar system for identifying, tracking, and controlling law-abiding citizens."
JunkYardBlog: Working Through The Anger: Bumper Stickers I Should Have Made
"Haven't those poor detainees suffered enough? CLOSE GITMO -- VOTE JOHN MCCAIN" "¡Si, se puede! McCain '08"
Pulpit Magazine: What Doctrines Are Essential? (Part 1)
The Bible asserts its own sufficiency and clarity: "That means Scripture is sufficient. Apart from the truths revealed to us in Scripture, there is no essential spiritual truth, no fundamental doctrine, nothing essential to soul-restoration. We do not need to look beyond the written Word of God for any essential doctrines.... No 'secret knowledge' or hidden truth-formula could ever qualify as a fundamental article of faith. No cryptic key is necessary to unlock the teaching of the Bible."
Asia Times Online: Yes, Romney, there's a Sanity Clause
Mormonism in its historic context: "Belief in the Book of Mormon is one of the strangest collective delusions in history. The circumstances of its forgery are transparent and exhaustively documented.... Mitt Romney should be judged on his own merits, not on the dubious history of his church. Perhaps he believes not a syllable of Smith's ravings, but remains a Latter Day Saint out of deference to his family. Contrary to his December 6 appeal, however, the voters have every right to ask."
Foreign Policy: The List: How to Steal an Election Without Breaking a Sweat
"From Abuja to Islamabad, autocratic regimes have become adept at manipulating 'free and fair elections' to stay in power. Here's how they do it--and how to stop them." How they do it: "Control the process, manipulate the media, keep out the observers, misreport results, foster incompetence and chaos, resort to the crude stuff."
SteynOnline - Mark Steyn At The Theater: Oklahoma!
"Before Oklahoma!, Broadway musicals were set in the here and now, and packed with topical references to Eleanor Roosevelt and Artie Shaw and Elsa Maxwell. After Oklahoma!, Broadway musicals were set in Edwardian London and Weimar Berlin and turn of the century Anatevka.... It's a measure of how completely Rodgers and Hammerstein overhauled the musical that today the last thing you're likely to see on Broadway is a show set in New York in 1998 with characters making cracks about Hillary Clinton or O.J. Simpson or Celine Dion..."
My Adventures in Voting Irregularities - Advertising Age - Campaign Trail
Ken Wheaton reports from Brooklyn: "So I slide into the voting booth and go to the pull the lever [for a Republican candidate] and ... nothing. It doesn't budge. I try again. Out of curiosity I lightly pull on one of the Democratic candidates' levers. That seems to be working fine.... I suggest maybe the big lever that registers the vote might have to be reset for this to work. At first he says no, but then changes his mind. 'Well, we'll just have to throw in a vote,' he says. At this point, he selects Hillary Clinton then pulls the lever. Ka-ching. One more vote for Hillary."
Route 66 News: Company aims to restore vintage Route 66 motels
Cool idea: Smalltown America Inns is buying old Route 66 motels, keeping the vintage decor but upgrading beds, TVs, Internet access, and other amenities to modern standards. First to be rehabbed is the Motel Safari in Tucumcari, N.M.
BuzzMachine: For bloggers: A stay-out-of-jail card
This entry describes and links to an online interactive course: "Top 10 Rules for Limiting Legal Risk."
RealClearPolitics - HorseRaceBlog - On McCain's Voting Coalition
Jay Cost crunches the numbers: "I do not think one can argue that McCain's wins have been dependent on a divided field. Independents, moderates, and Bush disapprovers have certainly formed the core of McCain's voting coalition. However, McCain has done what most winning candidates do: win his base by large margins while stealing plenty of voters from the other guy's base."
Patient in Finland gets a new jaw made from his own stem cells - International Herald Tribune
No embryos were harmed in the making of this maxilla. (Via Instapundit.)
Institute for Justice: Property Rights: Doomsday? No Way
A study measures the impact of eminent domain reform on construction jobs, building permits, and property tax revenues: "The data reveal that post-Kelo reforms have provided greater protection to homes and small businesses without sacrificing economic health; securing property rights and stimulating economic development can coexist. With no ill economic effects--and with the substantial benefits strong reform provides the rightful owners of property and society as a whole--legislators nationwide should be encouraged to keep good reforms in place while pursuing new and stronger safeguards against eminent domain abuse."
World On the Web: Christian schools vs. conveyor belts
Marvin Olasky: "Christian schools should teach children to resist superficial happiness, the kind that comes too easily. They should want their graduates to be restless selves rather than diverted selves - to be, as Walker Percy says, dislocated humans rather than happy chimps. They should recognize that a lack of self-esteem can hurt, but unearned self-esteem can hurt even more. They should help students to locate themselves spiritually."
Gadling: Infiltrating North Korea
An American visits the "world's most reclusive nation" and brings back stories and photos. (Via a comment at Hot Air.)
Wonder Land - WSJ.com: What McCain's Got
Daniel Henninger observes John McCain on the campaign trail in Florida: "This week one saw why John McCain is basically five points better than Mitt Romney, or Rudy Giuliani, at the most fundamental job in politics -- connecting. When Mr. McCain took the stage in Sun City, the applause was polite. When he finished, he got a standing ovation. He has been at this game a long time, and his ability to sense and ride the emotional flow of an audience is astonishing."
Victor Davis Hanson on GOP vs. McCain on National Review Online
"If Hillary Clinton does end up winning her party's nomination, November's vote may hinge on whether moderates and liberals are nauseated enough by the Clintons' brawling and character assassination to cross over and vote for a decorated Republican war hero -- that is, if his own flag-waving party doesn't destroy him first."
The American Spectator: Arise, Ye Favorite Sons
Quin Hillyer calls on popular Republicans in later primary states to put their names on the ballot. "The way to force an open convention is for conservative candidates to amass delegates pledged to themselves rather than to McCain or Huckabee. And the way to do that is by reviving the old stratagem of the 'favorite son' candidacy. Rather than having a candidate try to run nationally, a candidate can compete just in his own home state. Win the state, or at least a majority of the delegates thereof, and you go to the convention with some bargaining power." The last time any state tried this, as far as I can remember, was Illinois in 1976, giving its delegates to Adlai Stevenson III.
