Month: May 2011

"I just feel the rejection at the end of the Sixties of the notion that real change can come through democratic means through this electoral system was an absolute catastrophe for humanity,” – Tony Kushner.

"[So] long as governments have a say in which couples are eligible for marriage, they should avoid discrimination. Which is why Gov. Cuomo’s push for marriage equality, while not ideal, is a step in the right direction," – The Daily.

Gulp:

What happens if we crash into the debt ceiling? Nobody really knows, but it’s not likely to be pretty. Inflows and outflows of cash to and from the Treasury jump around from day to day as bills are paid and revenues arrive. But at average fiscal 2011 rates, receipts cover only about 60% of expenditures. So if we hit the borrowing wall traveling at full speed, the U.S. government’s total outlays—a complex amalgam that includes everything from Social Security benefits to soldiers’ pay to interest on the national debt—will have to drop by about 40% immediately.

Adopting Rick Sharga's terminology, James Altucher claims he doesn't mind being a serf:

That down payment that the feudal baron put out will go up in value only if housing does, and it’s completely illiquid and usually a major part of his portfolio (little diversification). And he’s flushing money down the toilet with interest (which usually doesn’t go up with inflation), property taxes (which often go up faster than inflation), and maintenance (which goes up with inflation).  The serf is flushing money with his rent payment. But he has more cash in the bank, a more diversified portfolio, and is generating liquid cash (hopefully) from other investments. He also has the cash to be an entrepreneur, move around to take advantage of other opportunities, etc. This (in my experience) more than makes up for the rent down the drain.

Some people, for their own personal reasons, like to own a home. I have nothing against that. Go for it. Just make sure it’s not because of the hypnosis provided by the American banking industry which props up the American Dream.

In 1983 newborn identical twin boys were infected with HIV through a blood transfusion. Years later one twin was much healthier than the other. Amanda Carpenter explains how this is possible:

Once out of the womb, these twins no longer exist in identical environments. They are exposed to different pathogens, bacteria, and microbes, all of which affect the make-up of the immune system. The healthier twin’s immune system may be better able to fight the virus, and so the virus must grow, diversify, and recombine in order to propagate the infection. In other words, because the sicker twin has a more depressed immune system, the virus is replicating with less resistance, and there is less incentive for the virus to evolve. Divergent viral evolution in the case of these monozygotic twins is likely due to random mutation and recombination events, combined with antiviral pressure from the hosts, whose immune systems are not identical at all.

Lena Groeger revisits the Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson “wardrobe malfunction” of 2004:

In an amusing study, subjects … read one of two versions of a description of the event, containing either the phrase “he tore the bodice” or “the bodice tore.” People who read the first version blamed Timberlake more and fined him 53% more heavily than those who read the second version. This was true even when, in addition to reading a written description, subjects watched a video of the incident.

In other words, even after witnessing the tearing with their own eyes, subjects’ judgments of blame and punishment were dependent on the phrasing used to describe it. Which raises an interesting question. Could it be that speakers of different languages dole out more or less severe punishments depending on the frequency of agentive expressions in their language?

Felix Salmon asks:

[W]e’ve already reached the debt ceiling. At this point, Geithner can point at just about anything and say that it’s an expenditure we can’t afford right now, and we’ll have to put it off until the debt ceiling is raised. Why doesn’t he just do that with all Congressional salaries? If the House Republicans had to live without pay between now and when the debt ceiling is raised, that would surely concentrate their minds a bit. And it’s got to be a better idea than the current strategy, which seems to involve Geithner all but begging the Republicans to call his bluff and wait until after August 2 to do anything.

McKay Coppins previews a documentary on Duck Beach:

Every year on Memorial Day weekend, about 1,000 young Mormons from across the country flock to North Carolina, pooling their money to rent beach houses and stock their refrigerators with hot dogs. What ensues is a four-day exercise in flirtation and temptation, as participants strive to party without sinning—which means no booze, bongs, or bed-hopping.

Nate Silver explains why Perry could win the GOP nomination should he enter the contest:

Southern candidates are more likely to win Southern states … than Midwestern candidates are to win Midwestern states, Northeastern candidates are to win Northeastern states, and so on. Southern candidates have also done pretty well outside the South — in part because the South is the nation’s most populous region and 32 percent of presidential candidates since 1972 have come from there. Nevertheless, the ‘home-region advantage’ for a Southern candidate seems to be somewhat larger — perhaps even about twice as large — as those of their peers from other parts of the country