Friday on the Dish, Andrew underlined the concessions of Krauthammer and Douthat that Obama has indeed matched Reagan in historical significance, whilegranting Bhaskar Sunkara that the Marxist Left is making a comeback (and it’s the GOP’s fault). He paused to recognize the British government’s bill legalizing gay marriage and actually shared Michael Moore’s view on Zero Dark Thirty as art. Also, Andrew pulled back the curtain a bit to introduce past and present Dishterns, before he heard the echo of a once-shrill voice recede another degree further from public life.
In political coverage, we continued to collect feedback about the end of the female-combat ban, from soldiers and readers, Steve Coll examined the unintended effects of America training foreign troops, and Ackerman introduced us to the Blackwater of the high seas. We made good on our promise to keep tabs on the GOP’s plan to rig the electoral vote, figured that Marco Rubio’s stardom will protect him from any of his anti-immigration colleagues, and sized up Bobby Jindal’s ambitions for 2016. Meanwhile, the US showed up solid on a map ranking budget transparency while Harry Enten explained how we’re currently shivering on a warming globe.
In assorted coverage, Peter Andrey Smith interviewed a sonic historian of the US, Alyssa Rosenberg wanted to break up Hollywood’s clique of obvious directors, and Ed Yong discovered the DNA flashdrive. We heard from more readers about the theory and practice of veganism, debated the effect of pro-life attitudes on widespread single parenthood and featured an achingly funny review of a super-effective hair removal gel. Christopher Mims argued that broadband access is no now nonnegotiable, Felix Salmon suggested we make up our minds about the self-driving car, and a reader cautioned us not to dismiss the rise of the machines.
Gregory Crosby described his own “catfish” experience, yesterday’s reader storiesspawned a few sequels, and Time published its own tome of a correction. Wewatched the sun rise on Death Valley, California during the VFYW, gawked at feats of awesomeness in the MHB, and observed the call of the pro-life movement in the Face of the Day.
– B.J.
The rest of the week after the jump:
(Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Thursday on the Dish, Andrew took aim at the historical myths concocted by the gay left and religious right, and stared in disbelief at the criminalization of HIV in America. With the Israeli elections over, he studied the country’s deep division in light of the results and put his foot down about US meddling in Syria. Elsewhere, Andrew noticed that the pro-torture right has yet to really brandish Zero Dark Thirty as propaganda, groaned at the infinite lameness of the Democrats and Harry Reid, and spread the gospel of winter beardage.
On the politics beat, we rounded up coverage and commentary on the US military lifting the ban on women in combat, which saw both considered and boorishpushback. A reader tipped us off to the GOP’s quiet but disquieting effort to rig states’ electoral vote count, Neil Irwin assured us that the stock market’s current boom is no bubble, and Mary Elizabeth Williams earned herself a Yglesias Award for her honest remarks on abortion. Meanwhile, we kept an eye on Rhode Island’s push toward marriage equality, charted the cost of American empire since WWII, and examined why investors keep turning to sketchy hedge funds.
In assorted coverage, readers sounded off on yesterday’s anonymous letter in defense of Mel Gibson, while one shared a surreal college story that produced an unforgettable photo. We reaffirmed the truth of the moon landing, rolled out a canine atlas of NYC, and tried to give Internet comments the best of both accountability and pseudonymity.
Cristy Gelling introduced the birds whose brains are both a hazard and an asset, Paul Marks let cyclists know they can strap a GPS around their waist, and Jessica Dorr proved that libraries are as vital as ever. We sampled the morning mist on the Ucayali River, Peru for the VFYW, met the gaze of a particularly colorful Face Of The Day, and enjoyed every frame of today’s MHB.
(Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew reflected on what Bibi Netanyahu’s election victory means for Israel, the Middle East, and America. He questioned Douthat’s expectations for the Republicans to take the lead of their moderate Tory cousins,vouched for Obama’s partisanship in the face of an intransigent GOP and scoffedat Fox News’s comparison of Mali to Iraq. Meanwhile, Andrew answered a livid letter from one of Mel Gibson’s close friends, and on a related note, agreed with Mendelsohn that “gaydar” develops into a sensor for bullshit in general. He gavehis take on the appeal of Oxford debates, from experience, and continued to shake his head vigorously at the Manti Te’o media fail.
In political coverage, we prepared for the looming decline of a newly-reelected Bibi Netanyahu and speculated whether there’s a chance left for Middle East peace, as Millman popped the bubble on the hope for Israeli centrist parties. Sam Harris lamented the perverse incentives that guide our society, while readersrebuked our post on the possible blowback of immigration reform and sounded offon Kenny’s valuation of living in the US.
Elsewhere, we revisited the real significance of Roe v Wade just as legal abortion appears to have become a majority view in the country, and Hillary stared downCongress in the Face of the Day. We also spied on the whole country with Brandon Martin Anderson’s census map, Keith Humphrey discovered a lack of class consciousness in American couples, while Canada apparently botched its new currency.
In miscellanea, readers shared their connection to Lena Dunham’s Girls, McArdlelooked at Israel as a test-ground for electric cars, and we found an engrossing but depressing story of another predatory clergyman. Readers reassured us that dive bars aren’t extinct yet. Rebecca Jane Stokes chided mealtime Instagram-ers, and an ex-vegan dismissed the effects of an animal-friendly diet.
On the sportsy circuit, we debated the effect of doping on the integrity of the games, and witnessed the modern athlete’s brain on football. Finally, we groupedtogether a final batch of reader reax to the independent Dish, flicked gloomy songs into major keys for the MHB, and glanced into a backyard in Wimbledon, England for today’s VFYW.
(Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images)
Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew repeated his call for Obama to address the madness of prohibition, as well as his disbelief at the MSM’s credulity throughout the Manti Te’o saga. He offered a full-throated defense of Lena Dunham’s Girls, andrecommended Marty Lederman’s work on the upcoming SCOTUS cases on marriage equality. Andrew also pointed to his new interview at The Awl, and joined Michael Moynihan in drawing attention to one of Piers Morgan’s more unpleasant habits of late.
On the political beat, we continued to round up inauguration reax, Ezra Klainbemoaned the ongoing specter of the debt ceiling, and we spotted a snag for Democrats in the realities of immigration reform. Elsewhere, Charles Kenny tried to figure what citizenship is worth, Shamus Khan noticed the sickening thing about some Americans’ work schedules, and Bouie called out the side effects of increased school security. Roger Kimball tried to wax historical but just earned a Malkin Award nod, while, on the other end of the spectrum, Mike Mallow jumpedin the running for a Moore Award. We studied the regional divide in access to abortion as Joanna Blythman worried about the effect that demand for grain might have on less developed countries, before readers pushed back.
In foreign affairs, we questioned whether Gaddafi’s downfall sparked the chaos now engulfing Mali, gaped at the candid journal of an American in North Korea, and received a jolt from a video on Mexico’s drug warfare. Meanwhile, Mairav Zonszein let an Arab stranger vote for her in the Israeli elections while wewondered if Palestinian leadership would ever get its act together.
In assorted coverage, Harry Enten doubted that Lance Armstrong’s Oprah moment will have any effect on his sinking reputation or other dopers’ choices, Mark Kermode served Naomi Wolf on her hot air over Zero Dark Thirty, and a readerchimed in on our discussion of the inaugural poem as literature. As Jesse Hicksgazed up at Vegas casino security cameras, we caught a glimmer of hope in technological remedies for carbon pollution and discovered that even jihadis need to report their expenses to HQ. Later, we explored the dos and don’ts of cover songs, surveyed the literary history of puns, and tracked the transformation of “ye” to “you.”
We marked off the robot apocalypse as unlikely, Elizabeth Preston debunkeddetox, and Andrew Marantz found that many Americans prefer to see dogs, rather than grown men, play ball. Readers paid a visit to Ho Chi Minh City in solving the latest VFYW contest, and we watched a young lad give his xylophone the Keith Moon treatment before letting the sunlight through in Pittsburgh during today’s VFYW.
(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Monday on the Dish, Andrew live-blogged the inauguration ceremony and reflected on the strengths and weaknesses of the president’s address. He placedRichard Blanco’s inaugural poem in the tradition of American letters, collectedsome instant literary analysis, and posted the piece in its entirety. Finally, after Douthat and Continetti admitted Obama is the liberal Reagan, Andrew flashed backto the first time the phrase crossed his mind.
We rounded up reax to the speech, gathered the expectations beforehand, and noticed that Fox News seemed rather glum about the whole thing. Nate Silvercompared Obama’s second-term respite with those of past presidents, Mark Blumenthal and Emily Swanson measured Americans’ outlook on the president’s place in history, and Chait warned not to think of the chief executive as all-powerful in his second term. Relatedly, we asked whether America should brag about its record of handing off power so peacefully and surveyed the lexicon of words coined by heads of state throughout our history.
In assorted coverage, we gauged the varying ways news outlets are covering Mali, Katy Waldman identified the most vivid reels of our memory, and Derek Thompson graphed Americans pushing away Big Gulps for cappuccino. David Drake articulated how more a liberal immigration policy makes America more competitive, readers shared their thoughts on American workers’ time off, as wesaid good riddance to invasive body scanners at the airport. Drew Olanoffapplauded Google’s efforts to scan your chicken scratch, while Nicholas Carrcriticized the search engine’s myopic turn.
In an unusually sporty vein, we cataloged the gruesome toll professional football extracts from players, a reader piped up for Manti Te’o, and contra Lance Armstrong, we brought a truly honorable athlete into the spotlight. Later we peeredout of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta during today’s VFYW and then racedthrough each season of the year on the Nordland Railroad for a MHB.
(From the series “Album” by Jon Uriarte)
Last weekend on the Dish we provided our usual eclectic mix of religious, books, and cultural coverage. In matters of faith, doubt, and philosophy, Simone Weilthought about suffering and joy, Giles Fraser channeled Augustine and Freud, a Christian pastor exemplified trends in evangelical political engagement, and Joan Acocella proiled St. Francis of Assissi. Charles Fried pondered Lincoln’s moral genius, Walter Kirn reinterpreted the Fall, a piano tuner found freedom in giving up his possessions, and Daniel Dennett provided a hypothetical question religious fanaticism. George Herbert’s religious poetry proved its ecumenical appeal, Mark Oppenheimer mused on non-celebrity Scientologists, and Kinsley was Kinsley as he reviewed Lawrence Wright’s new study of Scientology.
In literary and arts coverage, Mario Bustillos read Edmund Burke, George Saunders ruminated on technology and fiction, Ruth Padel found the poet behind the Sylvia Plath mythology, and Robert Fay reminded us that T.S. Eliot was good at his day job. Vladimir Nabokav classified Kafka, Stefany Anne Golberg learnedabout love from Waiting for Godot, and great writers emphasized the importance of revision. Linda Besner surveyed the education of George Orwell, James Francoriffed on heteronormative love stories, Joshua Lewis believed Scrabble needs an update, and Jimmy Stamp visited a scent museum. Read Saturday’s poem here and Sunday’s here.
In assorted news and views, Jeremy Schaap interviewed Manti Te’o, Robert Moorgot in cars with strangers, pot turned out to be popular in North Korea, and Ann Friedman considered the tradeoffs of being a female breadwinner. Michael Popprecounted the impact of his cancer diagnosis, Laura June uncovered this history of pinball’s ban in NYC, and Aaron Gilbreth explored the fate of L.A.’s last dive bar. Mac McClelland reported on families of PTSD patients, Tom Dibblee defendedBud Light Lime, Jill Filipovic savaged a NYT trend piece on millenial dating habits, and Claire L Evans confronted her digital shadow. MHBs here and here, FOTDs here and here, VFYWs here, and the latest window contest here.
– B.J. & M.S.
The Dish 