Author: Andrew Sullivan

I Know It’s Gonna Be Alright

Andrew Sprung looks forward optimistically. Some tonic against too much gloom:

Poverty: "Whereas real per capita income [worldwide] increased by about one fifth per decade in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, it is expect to increase by about one third in the 2000s…The poverty rate is expected to continue to fall sharply from 57.2 percent in 200 to 49.7 percent in 2010 at a poverty line of one-half of the mean." (Lynge Nielsen, IMF Working Paper, Global Relative Poverty, April 2009 '

Health: Global life expectancy at birth was 64 in 1990, 66 in 2000, and 68 in 2007. Under-5 mortality rates per 1000 live births were 91 in 1990, 78 in 2000, and 67 in 2007.

From 1990 – 2006, the number of people in developing regions using improved sanitation facilities has increased by 1.1 billion; the proportion of the global population with access to improved drinking water sources rose from 76% to 86% in the same period. (World Health Statistics 2009.) War: Here is the latest tabulation of global battle deaths year by year calculated by the International Peace Research Institute. While these tabulations have been challenged in recent years, they have also been strongly defended (summary here).

The Press And Palin, Ctd

Ezra builds on Weigel's critique:

One of the jobs the media does is deciding what true things count as news and what true things do not count as news. That should be easy, but since newspapers need to sell copies and cable programs need to secure viewers, there's a tension with the fact that some news is boring, while some not-news is really interesting. Palin sneaks onto the front page because she seems to square that circle: Her utterances seem like news (former vice presidential candidate and 2012 hopeful Sarah Palin says …) but actually aren't. The continuing irony of all this is that for all the enmity between Palin and the press, no one has a closer and more mutually beneficial relationship than Palin has with the media, and no equivalently powerless political figure receives anything near the free coverage that the media lavishes on her.

“Going Rogue” On Energy Policy In Alaska

Lie after lie after lie after lie. Don't take my word for it. That's the analysis of Richard Fineberg, whose credentials are as follows:

For three decades he has researched and reported on economic and environmental issues related to Alaska and global petroleum development. Fineberg came to Alaska in 1969 to teach undergraduate and graduate courses in political science at the University of Alaska, leaving that position in 1971 to devote full time to freelance reporting.

He has spent much of the last four decades observing and reporting on Alaska’s North Slope oil development for newspapers, public agencies, environmental and other public interest groups and even occasional developers. He has served three governors – the first as a budget and policy analyst, the second as a senior advisor on oil and gas and the third as a consultant. The third was Sarah Palin.

So he knows what he's talking about, and knows that Palin doesn't. Money quote:

The following piece focuses on Palin’s inaccuracies and distortions in Going Rogue regarding the bill on which I consulted. That production tax measure, which she dubbed “ACES” (Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share) was one of Sarah Palin’s three major pieces of legislation during her first year in office. Based on my first-hand experience, I can tell you that Sarah Palin is misinforming the public on ACES – as she does on so many other issues. At http://www.finebergresearch.com you can find background and documentation, as well as previous posts that will tell you about my gradual disillusionment with this maiden of misinformation.

Read the whole thing. Since Adam Bellow edited a book full of errors and lies, when is he going to take responsibility for it?

So Much Better Than Time

The Times of London has the good sense to follow the Dish and name Neda Soltan the person of the year. Money quote:

“Even if a bullet goes through my heart it’s not important,” she told Caspian Makan, her fiancé. “What we’re fighting for is more important. When it comes to taking our stolen rights back we should not hesitate. Everyone is responsible. Each person leaves a footprint in this world.”

The View From Your Window: More Reviews After Christmas

A reader writes:

Opened the gift my sister gave to me for Christmas – your book, "The View Through Your Window." I didn't know what to expect being familiar with you through Huff Post only … I spent the morning mesmerized by the pictures (occasionally looking through my window at the fluffy flakes coming down in a Chicago suburb.)

Profound, simple and the best gift I received this Christmas!

Sometimes all it takes is a little idea…

It really is much more than the sum of its parts. The book goes across the world from dawn to dusk chronologically. The series comes alive this way, each page charting the path of the sun, including every season and every state and several continents.

Truly, it blew me away when I first saw it, and it's a perfect book for your coffee table or toilet or waiting room, or anywhere anyone needs a truly uplifting and yet calming distraction. You can preview it here and buy it here.