In an excerpt from her new book on failure, McArdle unpacks the research of psychologist Carol Dweck: While many of the people she studied hated tasks that they didn’t do well, some people thrived under the challenge. They positively relished things they weren’t very good at—for precisely the reason that they should have: when they were failing, … Continue reading Failure Is An Option
by Bruce Bawer
Reflections from a conservative friend of mine, who seven years ago travelled to Siberia with his wife to adopt a little boy, and who a couple of days ago heard a New Jersey preacher on the radio slamming New York’s gay marriage law:
His main point of contention was that gay marriage was more about pushing a larger agenda than the gay marriage itself, i.e. teaching a liberal/gay agenda to kids in school … he seemed to have a big beef against adoption for gay couples, and specifically mentioned adoption of black kids by white, same-sex couples. He mentioned higher suicide rates among gays….
I can tell you that at the time we adopted P. (2004), the suicide rate among orphans in Russia was somewhere around TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT ….To argue against adoption by any stable, loving couple because the child's life could theoretically, statistically be worse if they grew "confused" over their gay parentage and personal sexuality, is not only ignorant, it goes against the fact that a loving home will always, 100% of the time, be better than institutional care or group foster care (or bad or neglectful birth parentage, for that matter). And my own personal observation as a parent is that one's sexual preferences are hardwired from birth anyway.
by Conor Friedersdorf Graeme Wood's piece on replacing jails with electronic monitoring of convicts is well worth a read. He tested out a tracking anklet himself: Devices such as the one I wore on my leg already allow tens of thousands of convicts to walk the streets relatively freely, impeded only by the knowledge that … Continue reading Is Outcarceration A Better Option?
Frum is frustrated by the GOP failing to negotiate over health care or a carbon tax: We’re getting worse and less conservative results out of Washington than we could have negotiated, if we had negotiated. As is, we’re betting heavily that a bad economy will collapse Democratic support without us having to lift a finger. … Continue reading No Options Are On The Table
by Richard A. Posner
I have received an email from Alan Greenspan in which he expresses regret at what he describes as my "rather thin analysis of the source of the current financial crisis." He states that his "view is different," and by way of explanation prints excerpts of three pieces written by him. The first is from remarks, entitled "Risk and Uncertainty in Monetary Policy," that he made at a meeting of the American Economics Association in January of 2004, while he was still chairman of the Federal Reserve and the housing bubble was expanding. The second is from an article that he published in the Financial Times on April 6, 2008, called "A Response to My Critics." The third is from an op-ed that he published in the Wall Street Journal on March 11 of this year, entitled "The Fed Didn't Cause the Housing Bubble." Above are the links to the three pieces, and I suggest you read them before reading my reply, which follows.
Hilzoy thinks the fear of elections is misplaced: There are very real dangers confronting Pakistan. Islamist extremists are well entrenched in the Tribal Areas and parts of the Northwest. They are already mounting terrorist attacks throughout the country. Those attacks could further strain Pakistan’s already fragile institutions. Any number of very bad things could happen. … Continue reading The Options In Pakistan
A reader writes: I’ve been reading your coverage of Obama lately, as well as the rest of the of the Democrats statements on faith. I am my brother’s keeper, feed the hungry, tend the poor, generally look out for each other; it all sounds like the mission of the Church to me. Has the church … Continue reading The Church’s Failure
Matt Yglesias flags an excerpt from James Risen’s new book, in which it’s revealed that the CIA may have given the Iranians defective blueprints for a nuclear bomb, in the hopes that this would send their nuclear program down a primrose path to failure. The excerpt casts the whole incident as a fiasco that may … Continue reading THE COVERT OPTION
Mostly for the bottom part: Hi Andrew, I know you’ll be receiving hundreds, likely thousands, of tributes and thank-yous this week, notes of appreciation long and short from your readers around the world. I hope you find time in your transition to read and absorb these messages of love and support. I hope too that … Continue reading Email Of The Day
Danielle Douglas-Gabriel cautions that Obama’s proposal still falls short for many would-be students: Free tuition, even for two years, is not nearly enough to cover the cost of attending college. Tuition and fees counted for just 21 percent of the budget for students who attend two-year public college and pay for off-campus housing, according to a recent study … Continue reading The Plan To Make Community College Free, Ctd
The Dish 