Month: July 2009

Grading On A Curve?

Krauthammer continues to pretend that all Palin needs to do is hit the books:

I repeat again and again, and I know it sounds condescending—she needs the discipline to study up on stuff if she is going to be a major presidential candidate. She has her constituency. It will be there, but it isn't enough. And it is not a matter of becoming a philosopher or speaking like Obama in all kinds of complexity. It is simply studying the major issues. If she could do it, she really could be a strong candidate.

Because she could be controlled the way Bush was. Get a puppet; fill him/her with neocon boilerplate; start a war! It worked once. Why not again?

Bombing The Gay Games

Three bombs were thrown onto the track at the World Outgames in Copenhagen yesterday. No one was killed, but one runner was injured:

Less than a day after spending four hours having shrapnel surgically removed from his right hand following a bomb attack, Koga took his place Wednesday on the blue-colored lanes under partly cloudy skies, his right hand bandaged, shook off the memories of what had happened and won a gold medal in his age group in the men's 200 meters.

It followed another open attack:

Police said they were holding two Danish men, ages 28 and 33, after witnesses said they saw the two men yell "homo pig" before beating and kicking the World Outgames visitors after Saturday’s opening.

This is in tolerant Denmark. Bruce Bawer is onto something.

Firming Up The Friendship

Joe Klein agrees with Aluf Benn that Obama needs to do more to talk directly to Israelis. Money quote:

If you believe Obama's policy is the right one, as I do, the latest public opinion surveys from Israel are disappointing–but not insurmountable. Obama needs to explain his policy to the Israeli public. He also needs some front-end concessions from the Arab states who will benefit from a Middle East peace deal, starting with Saudi Arabia. Given the recent events in Iran, the election results in Lebanon, Syria's renewed cooperation and a softer tone from Hamas (and the cessation of missiles fired from Gaza at Israeli civilians), this is a promising moment. But progress will only be made if Israelis understand that a settlement freeze (and, ultimately, a retrenchment) and the peace process that follows are in their long-term best interests. The President needs to address that, especially since Benjamin Netanyahu won't.

Update: I'm told that Obama is already planning to make this sort of effort–Israeli television interviews etc.–in the coming weeks.

TV As Contraception

India's Health and Family Welfare Minister has a creative way to control overpopulation in his country:

“If there is electricity in every village, then people will watch TV till late at night and then fall asleep. They won’t get a chance to produce children,” [Ghulam Nabi Azad] said. “When there is no electricity there is nothing else to do but produce babies.” He added: “Don’t think that I am saying this in a lighter vein. I am serious. TV will have a great impact. It’s a great medium to tackle the problem . . . 80 per cent of population growth can be reduced through TV.”

Netflix and a DVR will do the rest.