Friday on the Dish, Andrew shined a light on the gruesome trial of Kermit Gosnell, brought up the threat and answered readers’ alarm over North Korean nukes. He considered the conservative split between Burke and Buckley, and noticed some progress on marriage equality at the latter’s old journal, even if the GOP is now globally behind on the question. Later Andrew aired a suggestion to Prince Charles, catalogued San Francisco’s gay bar scene, and gave a peek into his recent dinner with Rod Dreher
In political coverage, a reader reacted to our first post on the plight of American veterans, Nate Cohn dismissed the suspicions of racism chipping away at Obama’s electoral victories and Shikha Dalmia revealed another economic boon illegal immigrants contribute. Barro asked liberals to think of education like health care, Derek Thompson compared teen spending to adult spending, and Ann Friedman found reasons some women are staying home.
We found that the Senate’s gun control bill hasn’t lost all potential and readers remained vocal about silencers. Henry Barbour earned an Yglesais Award for his realkeeping on GOP and marriage equality as Caleb Cain did the tax math on what gay couples have missed out on.
In assorted overage, explored the latest scene of synthetic drugs, gobbled down some red meat, and Boris Johnson dribbled a bit. Alan Sepinwall questioned the massive surplus of TV programming, Alyssa praised the social commentary of District 9 and the coming Elysium and a Youtube sensation snagged an amateur a contract. We bemoaned a new rule of the National Spelling Bee and learned that running a country can itself be a manner of speaking.
We dug deeper into the heap of recycling, took stock of the publishing industry and Kmart channeled Cartman in the Cool Ad Watch. Jason Vorhees gave a deep sigh in the Face of the Day, we looked out at snowy Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Google Street treated us to a timelapse in the MHB.
–B.J.
The rest of the week after the jump:
Thursday on the Dish, Andrew drew attention to the state of America’s veterans, sunk his teeth into the new budget offer, and gave Rand Paul some credit for attempting outreach to black Americans. He extolled Maggie’s sensible position on Israel, described Thatcherite counterculture from his youth (underlining the vitriol of her enemies) and yet noted that critique of her relationship with Augusto Pinochet is totally valid. Later, Andrew saw the end of gay culture watch and explored the possibilities of monetizing blogs.
In political coverage, we checked in with the upcoming consequences of the sequester, gathered reax to the trials of the bitcoin, and pointed to the next possible push for marriage equality. Waldman was skeptical of the gun control bill in the Senate, readers continued to hash out the right to bear arms, and pushed back against Goldblog on silencers. Nate Cohn remained positive that the Republicans are facing demographic trouble as we revisited Brown Vs. Board of Ed and heard an anecdote on Thatcher’s modern attitude toward same sex couples. Readers countered the idea that only women are objectified in politics and the New York Times made a Freudian slip.
In miscellanea, Chris Oates spotted a reflection of the British Empire in Doctor Who, Noah Berlatsky rebutted Alyssa’s critique of Romeo and Juliet, and Jeffery Overstreet pondered the Cohen brothers’ theological streak. We found more tributes to David Kuo, awed at the reality TV flooding over Alaska, and readers sounded off on the novelization of the small screen.
Later we saw a super secret social network, readers weighed the nutritional value of guinea pig and Seth Rogen went Breaking Bad for a Cool Ad Watch. Finally, we got a taste of summer movies in the MHB, visited Banner Creek, Alaska for the VFYW and recognized a chubby control freak in the Face of the Day.
Wednesday on the Dish, Andrew shared his experience of attending the David Kuo’s funeral and expressed his feelings on a reasonable, Christian understanding of life and death. He took on more criticism from readers for his take Thatcher’s legacy, posted the results of our reader survey on Dish policy of featuring graphic war imagery, and paid respects to Goldblog.
In political coverage, we debated MSNBC’s TV spot calling for collective responsibility of your kids, provided an introduction for those bamboozled by the bitcoin and wondered how long it will take for the rest of us to join Jay and Bey in Cuba. Bobby Jindal’s stock crashed as News Corps put Fox News on notice. Millman reassured us that our trade deficit is a red herring, China and Brazil clocked in richer but tubbier, and we questioned whether we owe the Arab Spring to the Iraq War. Also, the navy drew up designs for a doomsday laser.
Ambider sensed incoming relief in Congress’s partisan stalemate, McWhorter unpacked the terminology of immigration, and Drum supplied some data to back up the backlash against Obama’s remark on Kamala Harris’s attractiveness. Finally, Goldblog pointed out the NRA’s unhelpful stance on silencers and readers fleshed out more contrasting views of the second amendment.
In assorted coverage, Ashley Fetters expected a cameo from Ralph Nader in Man Men, Brad Leithauser relayed stories of his grandfather’s casual catchphrases, and we learned that e-books can be bound study-ready. Balko pointed out that cops don’t have it as bad as they used to, Ben Smith vouched for the success of Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In, and we charted the ongoing plummet of newspaper ad revenue.
Waldman queried our fascination with listicles, we asked whether life is about creating life and sampled a taste of guinea pork. We played out a quick day with the band the Real Ones in the MHB, checked in with the Syrian rebels for the Face of the Day and peeked out at Matamata, New Zealand in the VFYW.
Tuesday on the Dish, Andrew responded onscreen to critics of Thatcher, and revealed how foreign the Baroness would have been to the Republican program, from climate change to AIDS. Andrew also implored us not to wait for politicians to spearhead social change, pointed out one such case (of gay rights in Uganda), and considered the Obama administration’s role in the change sweeping America. Elsewhere, Andrew continued to express hope for Pope Francis, gave an interview with Vanity Fair, and daydreamed of a future career as a canna-critic.
In political coverage, we tried to measure what racial animus cost Obama in both elections, located the GOP in the 12-step plan, and explored some new ideas of class in Britain. We discovered most scandals don’t torpedo careers and reassessed animal rights’ victory on horse slaughter as Francesca Mari peeked between the grand moments and figures in history. Reading up on WWII, TNC pushed back on lofty assurances against barbarism, as we granted certain elements of the nanny state a second look.
In miscellanea, Laura Bennet and Willa Paskin panned Vice’s new HBO show, Tom Shone triangulated the elements of good cinema, and we counted music sharing as just one new struggle over intellectual property. We uncovered the history of the suicidal dogs of war and considered whether loneliness is a killer while the world markets craved red hot chili peppers. We came across a Fargo-style self-kidnapping service, looked beyond calories for healthy eating, and studied elite chic.
Later we read David Foster Wallace on Fyodor Dostoevsky, spotted the difference between hardcovers and their paperbacks, and wondered if the art gallery is becoming history. Things got beardy in the MHB, we met the gaze of an anti-Maggie Briton celebrating Thatcher’s death for the Face of the Day, spotted a shadowy VFYW in the East Village, and tracked down Rohrmoos-Untertal, Austria in the results of the latest VFYW contest.
Monday on the Dish, Andrew returned from vacation to reflect at length on the death of his hero and idol Margaret Thatcher. He measured the scorn of her enemies, contemplated the fruits of her legacy, and praised the strength and savvy that made her the first woman to become Prime Minister. Also, readers asked Andrew if he regrets his attacks on leftists over Iraq. On an even more personal note, he eulogized as his dear friend David Kuo who died last week.
Meanwhile, we rounded up reax to the death of Lady Thatcher, as well as a batch of her one-liners. On the home front we gathered analysis on Obama’s new budget proposal while the administration’s FDA scored a win in the contraception battles, and Josh Marshall suspected that money talks in the struggle for marriage equality. And on the foreign beat, Osnos parsed China’s stance on North Korea as Pat Buchanan gritted his teeth at America’s presence over the border.
In miscellanea, we let more readers ask Rod Dreher anything, considered whether the advantages of a college degree are shrinking and tallied up the lives saved by nuclear plants. Readers caught up with the debate over randier sex and learned that sometimes in space, no one can see you cry. Owen King pondered book titles that might have been, Nathan Bransford expected books to end up over our eyelids and we browsed the prints left on Americans over the years. Brian Jay Stanley took on a new dimension of life in fatherhood as we imagined what it would mean to lose a twin and surveyed the punishment of deserters throughout history.
We explored the history of verminous myth, got real about CPR, came across a spoiler firewall, and considered whether stupid is as stupid says. We peered out at Tokyo, Japan for the VFYW, spent a moment with a few fans at Fenway in the Face of the Day, and slow-jammed alongside snails in the MHB.
Last weekend on the Dish, we provided our usual eclectic mix of religious, books, and cultural coverage. In matters of faith, doubt, and philosophy, Gary Gutting urged us to put love first, Wesley Hill contemplated the crucified God, and Matthew Sitman defended Christian Wiman’s new religious memoir. Damon Linker considered the theocons’s case against same-sex marriage, Scott Galupo analyzed the compartmentalization of the fundamentalist mind, and Andrew Cohen revisited a brilliant essay on God and evolution. Lauren Winner realized doubt is essential to the religious life, The Economist mused on the footwear of the faithful, and Rachel Johnson paid a visit to a kibbutz she spent time at in her youth. We also featured a video series from John Corvino about the morality of homosexuality, including what the Bible really says about the matter, here and here, while Marc Ambinder reminded us of the tragic lives that still await many gay teenagers. In the latest installment of The Mind Report, Charles Randy Gallistel made the case that we don’t really know how memories are stored.
In literary and arts coverage, Elizabeth Wurtzel pondered the fate of the rock star, Michael Leary unpacked Terrence Malick’s To the Wonder, and Christina Pugh argued for the conservatism of poetry. Michael Kimmage found Philip Roth to be the last of a dying breed, Justin Ellis applauded the NYT’s serendipitous poetry, and Doug Allen explained his minimal social media presence. Rodney Welch read a mediocre play by Nabokov, Patrick Feaster found a way to recover the audio of old records, and Alexander Huls described the profound impact of the special effects developed for Jurassic Park. Read Saturday’s poem here and Sunday’s here.
In assorted news and views, Emily Urquhart chronicled her daughter’s albinism diagnosis, Joseph Stromberg provided the science behind the smell of rain, and women proved to be thought the hornier sex for much of history. Rose Surnow profiled a novel approach to matchmaking, Colin Lecher examined your sense of smell’s role in dating, and the demand for American sperm increased. William Breathes reviewed pot dispensaries in Colorado, Seth Masket wondered where the Youtube politicians were, Bijan Stephens was pessimistic about his post-Yale job prospects, and Josh Horgan thought the social sciences are still struggling to find their place in the shadow of the hard sciences. MHBs here and here, FOTDs here and here, VFYWs here and here, and the latest window contest here.
– B.J. & M.S.
The Dish 