Month: December 2011

Jonah Lehrer displays the cognitive benefits of gum:

The act of chewing … wakes us up, ensuring that we are fully focused on the task at hand. Unfortunately, this boost is fleeting. The takeaway of this research is straightforward: When taking a test, save the gum for the hardest part, or for those questions when you feel your focus flagging. The gum will help you concentrate, but the help won’t last long.

(Photo: "Sugar Free," a plaster bust covered with sugar-free gum, by Nick van Woert via Today and Tomorrow)

Sally Aldee fell in the Thames and gashed her leg, a prospect that horrified every medical professional she met. She subsequently traced the river's pollution from Victorian times to today:

The river – which by the way was both the source of the city’s drinking water and the repository for all its poop – became choleric and pestilent. In the summer of 1858, the fumes became so bad they got a name. The "Great Stink" forced members of Parliament to write the legislation that gave the all-clear to Joseph Bazalgette, London’s chief engineer of public works, to build the two massive interceptor sewers that catch London’s sewage and run-off before they’re belched into the Thames. To this day, these brick and mortar Victorian artifacts comprise the backbone of London’s sewer system. …

The problem was that Bazalgette wasn’t thinking big enough. His diversion project was created for a city of 2.5 million – and even that number was almost unthinkable at the time. In 2011 , however, London’s population has swelled to 8 million, and the infrastructure is simply no longer up to the task. About 50 times a year, the sewers overflow and send enough sewage into the Thames to fill up a sporting arena once a month.

(Photo of a Banksy work by Adrian Pingstone)

George Packer profiles Ray Kachel, a down-and-out Seattle man who occupied Wall Street and now finds himself homeless but happy to have found a community. In a follow-up post, Packer contrasts Kachel with libertarian venture capitalist Peter Thiel:

Half a century ago, Thiel would have been a Goldwater Republican, a churchgoer, and a paid-up member of a local business group. It wouldn’t have occurred to him to launch a fellowship program in order to induce young entrepreneurs to leave college. Education wasn’t one more "bubble" back then. Kachel would have been a Kennedy Democrat and perhaps, like his late father, an employee of the city of Seattle, living on a salary that could support a family of four. Neither would likely have felt a strong urge to escape from politics, like Thiel, or to join in the creation of a new community, like Kachel. But the past few decades have destabilized and eroded the institutional identities that used to bind Americans.

By Mario Tama/Getty Images

Today on the Dish, Andrew wondered if the GOP hasn't already thrown the election, we assembled reax to the new jobs report (more here), and evaluated Huntsman's campaign strategy. A reader offered a theory of Newt's appeal, the former speaker "fundamentally" embodies the party he helped create, and he quickly declared victory. Arianna Huffington championed Gingrich in 1995, Fox News may champion him in 2012, and GOP insiders mostly sneered. Cain approached his end, and we speculated about Newt's staying power as he prepared to legalize millions of immigrants. Gingrich reminded John Cassidy of George Wallce, Romney is smart and ignorant, and no one likes him. The Obama campaign updated its slogan, life trumped marriage on the right, and in our AAA video, Andrew got into the holiday spirit.

Andrew endorsed quantitative easing in Europe, we entertained European supranationalism, and our Cold War defense budget endured. We discussed the role of the US in Libya going forward, Syria teetered on the brink of civil war, and Saleh stayed in power in Yemen. 

We explored pilotless commercial flight, previewed The Iron Lady, and continued the thread on locker room nudity. A reader shared a personal story of sex addiction and mental illness, Google+ limits sharing, and the penny is useless. 

Text of the day here, Hewitt award nominee here, Yglesias award nominee here, MHB here, VFYW here, FOTD here, and the difference between Romney and a robot here. 

Upper Wright Valley, Antarctica, 4.15 pm

Thursday on the Dish, the US Senate prepared to gut due process (related Yglesias award nominee here), Andrew issued a final response to Ta-Nehisi on IQ and race, and TNC responded here. Ron Paul took aim at Gingrich, the GOP grappled with their new front-runner's many betrayals, and we wondered if social conservatives would get onboard. Romney underperformed the generic candidate Bob Forehead by 12 points, Gingrich surged to the largest national lead held by any candidate so far, and Romney's buttoned-up candidacy showed signs of fracture. We mapped Herman Cain's knowledge of the world, Ackerman assumed that Mitt is pretending to be stupid on foreign policy, and Perry may have a medical reason for his humiliating collapse. The GOP began to coalesce around Obama's commission on fiscal reform, antagonism toward Obamacare is frequently misplaced, and in our AAA video, Andrew discussed the JFK presidency.

The Islamist wave grew stronger in Egypt, sanctions and YouTube spurred on the Syrian opposition, and on top of everything else, Europe faced a jobs crisis. Goolsbee anticipated the disintegration of the euro zone, civilian casualties of war were discounted, and we debated Chinese containment policy. 

Don Taylor calculated the cost of end-of-life care, readers weighed in on locker room nudity, and a layperson toyed with Adderall-dealing. The crackdown on medical marijuana escalated in California, American Airlines reorganized, and Alyssa reimagined cable television. Researchers at Dartmouth developed a Photoshop-revealing tool, we revisited early marijuana laws, and caught up on canine PTSD. In home news, the Dish is now running ads.

Cain's "great new ad" here, meme of the day here, Hewitt award nominee here, tweet of the day here (follow-up here), VFYW here, FOTD here, MHB here, and the saddest book ever written here. 

Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew addressed the lessons of "the first conservative," he continued the conversation on race and IQ, and Der Spiegel offered a frank analysis of the Republican primary. The GOP doubled down on immigration, torture, and taxes, and the public ran in the opposite direction. The Taxpayer Protection Pledge fails by its own standard, Newt's tax plan is less ambitious than Perry's, and Huntsman's salesmanship is sadly lacking. Romney struggled through a Fox News interview, Herman Cain threw his family under the bus, and in our AAA video, Andrew discussed Thatcher's particular power. 

Foreign policy is now a front in the culture war, the US is not a crusader state, and the DRC prepared for elections. Iraq squandered its oil economy, Netanyahu used Christmas as a scare tactic, and a hardcore gay leftist accused Israel of "pinkwashing." 

We wondered about the OWS movement's post-Zuccotti era, examined Elena Kagan's early voting record, and analyzed extremes in health care spending. Chris Christie took on the drug war, Alyssa Rosenberg advocated alternatives to sexist literature, and readers weighed in on the charitable donation deduction and guessed at reasons for the regulation of in-flight tech. We studied the obesity wage penalty, and tackled the sex addiction model. Old men let loose in the locker room, the market for legal services is shrinking, and the middle class is putting off retirement until after death. 

Hathos alert here, comment of the day here, correction of the day here, VFYW here, MHB here, and FOTD here. 

Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew discussed the foreign policy views of the next generation (more here), he went another round on race and IQ, and responded to readers on research and scientific truth. We reflected on Barney Frank's legacy (his quote for the day here), and Cain "got out in front" of on his own alleged affair. Andrew examined the implications of a possible Cain withdrawal for Newt and the GOP field (related quote for the day here), we braced for the "buyer's remorse primary," and took the Obama coalition's pulse. Andrew warned against Gingrich's nihilistic radicalism, Robert Paul Wolffgraded Newt's doctoral dissertation, and Tyler Cowen entertained tax hikes for the top 0.1 percent. In our AAA video, Andrew addressed the Dish's comments policy.

The UK embassy in Tehran came under attack, bailouts represent the cheaper path in Germany, and the fate of the fledgling euro is "fantastically difficult." Egypt held elections, we tracked events in Syria, evaluated Obama's strategy of offshore balancing, and wondered about the long-term consequences of America's "little wars."

Technology hurts pro sports, students should play a role in education reform, and science is a "great equalizer" of political power. We lingered on women and comedy, checked in on the search for extraterrestrial life, and revisited the cost of marijuana. Richard Chappell saw virtue in conspicuous giving, Noah Millman determined the best conditions for innovation, and The Economist orchestrated a resurgence. We questioned FAA regulations surrounding takeoff and landing, Marc Theissen blamed the supercommittee's failure on OWS, and readers weighed in on George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord" and music plagiarism.

Quote for the day here, chart of the day here, FOTD here, MHB here, VFYW here, and VFYW contest winner #78 here. 

Monday on the Dish, Andrew detected Oakeshott in Kahneman's "experiencing self," he elaborated on intelligence research, and he's prepared to give up the charitable-donation deduction. We assessed Newt's chances in Iowa and New Hampshire, the public warmed to a familiar candidate, and the DNC went after Mitt. We evaluated Gingrich's immigration strategy after the "amnesty" debacle, the establishment receded, and a RINO self-identified. Some Republicans held out hope for a brokered convention, and global AIDS deaths dwindled. In our AAA video, Andrew explained why he's not a total legalizer, and he reconsidered premium support. 

The Arab League stood up to the Syrian regime, the Israeli settlements formed a "network of control" in the West Bank, and the Republican base stayed sane on Iran. We looked at social market housing in Singapore, wondered about the resilience of US-Pakistan relations, and turned our attention to Egypt's elections.

The financial industry doesn't create societal wealth, African Americans stayed away from OWS, and the new Catholic mass could be worse. For police departments, pot-smoking trumps violent crime, an "icicle of death" gripped the sea floor, and the straw was reinvented. We deconstructed DFW's lesson plans, revisited the details of the DSK scandal, and tracked the rise and fall of bitcoin. We tried to understand Black Friday, mapped the actual origins of food products, and charted the wage gap. American pop forgets American culture, George Harrison's "Sweet Lord" was Krishna, and "the backstory is the biggest one of all."

Yglesias Award nominee here, VFYW here, FOTD here, and MHB here. 

– M.A.

That's how John Cassidy sees Newt:

If Gingrich comes surging out of South Carolina and Florida, the specter of George Wallace will start to haunt Romney and his backers in the Republican hierarchy. George Wallace wasn’t considered electable in 1972, when he entered the Democratic primaries, but that didn’t prevent the populist and pro-segregationist governor of Alabama from winning the Florida primary and chasing the establishment favorites Ed Muskie and Hubert Humphrey out of the race before a bullet from an attempted assassin left him paralyzed.

Suderman focuses on the lack of enthusiasm Republicans feel for Romney:

Try talking to Republicans about Mitt Romney, and you’ll find two things: First, a lot of them don’t want to talk, and when they decline they frequently stress the need for maintaining a good working relationship should Romney become the nominee. Those who do talk tend to say a few cautiously nice things about him. He’s a decent guy. He’s a good manager. He’s intelligent. He knows business. But it’s hard to find party insiders or activists who are genuinely enthusiastic about his candidacy. The people who like him best—self-styled moderates and business folks who shy away from the rougher edges of the party’s activist base—are merely comfortable with him, because they see, or think they see, a familiar type of individual.

He doesn't just have a problem with the GOP base; moderates aren't supporting him either:

Mr. Romney may have calibrated his ideological pitch a bit too finely. While not having made much headway with the most conservative Republicans, moderates are also somewhat leery of him. Were Mr. Romney polling at 40 or 50 percent among moderates instead, numbers that you might intuitively expect from a candidate who is often critiqued from his right, his base of support against surging candidates like Mr. Gingrich would be more robust. But so far he has posted somewhat underwhelming numbers with this group.

The new Obama slogan deployed this week:

"Change is the first bill I signed into law — a law that says you get an equal day's work — somebody who puts in an equal day's work should get equal day's pay."

"Change is the decision we made to rescue the auto company from collapse, even when some politicians were saying we should let Detroit go bankrupt."

"Change is the decision we made to stop waiting for Congress to do something about our addiction to oil and finally raise fuel-efficiency standards for the first time in 30 years."

"Change is health care reform that we passed after a century of trying."

Paul Constant tempers his approval:

This isn't going to work in the general election, but as President Obama works to shore up his base, the "change is" construction is a catchy way to remind Democrats that he has accomplished some pretty impressive things in his first term.

Gene Sharp worries about the civil war dynamic being created by the Free Syrian Army:

[S]oldiers who are shot at will almost always shoot back. Defecting Syrian soldiers who fire their weapons at the regime’s soldiers therefore are not weakening the regime. Tragically, however unintentionally, they are actually helping the Assad regime to retain the army for repression. The regime’s reliable army could then wipe out the weaker rebel soldiers and the Assad regime would be preserved at least a bit longer.

Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for human rights, notes [NYT] the same problem and calls for international intervention. Richard Gowan isn't persuaded by some of the strategies for intervention being bandied about. Here's a huge rally from today in Idlib (via EA):

And here's a courageous video from Homs of Syrians reclaiming a body while under threat from snipers:

Rebecca Frankel responds to the NYT story:

There has been headway in rehabilitating canines showing symptoms of PTSD, even with those dogs who are almost completely debilitated by their fear of sudden noises, strangers, or the dark. But these methods vary in time and intensity, availability of resources, and degrees of success. As more dogs are put into service, the problem is likely to rise and the military will have to adapt to keep up the number of active, high-performing dogs on the ground.

She reports that fighting PTSD in military dogs "depends first and foremost on vigilance of the handler who, upon seeing and signs of stress or trauma, must immediately alert a veterinarian so that the appropriate meds and therapy can be applied as soon as possible."

Nora Muaid stands in Zawraa Park on December 2, 2011 in Baghdad, Iraq. The park's 180-foot tall Ferris wheel opened earlier this year and is the second largest in the Middle East. Iraq is transitioning as the U.S. military continues its withdrawal from the country by the end of December following the war that began in 2003. By Mario Tama/Getty Images.